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barrons letter n
barrons letter n words
Term | Definition |
---|---|
oaf | stupid awkward person; CF. elf |
obdurate | stubborn; refusing to change one's belief |
obeisance | bow (to show respect and obedience) |
obelisk | tall column tapering(becoming gradually narrower toward the end) and ending in a pyramid |
obese | excessively fat; N. obesity |
obfuscate | confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex; make so confused as to be difficult to understand |
obituary | death notice (esp. in a newspaper); ADJ. |
objective | not influenced by emotions; fair; N: goal; aim |
obligatory | binding; required; compulsory; V. oblige: constrain; make grateful; do a favor; accommodate |
oblique | indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line); Ex. oblique reference |
obliterate | destroy completely; wipe out; Ex. obliterate the village |
oblivion | obscurity; condition of being completely forgotten; forgetfulness |
oblivious | inattentive or unmindful; unaware; wholly absorbed; forgetful(having the habit of forgetting) |
obloquy | slander; disgrace; infamy |
obnoxious | offensive; disagreeable; Ex. obnoxious smell |
obscure | dark; vague; unclear; not well known; Ex. obscure meaning/village; V: darken; cover; make unclear; Ex. obscure the moon/meaning |
obsequious | slavishly attentive; servile; full of servile compliance; sycophantic |
slavish | of or like a slave; servile; showing no originality; copied very closely; Ex. slavish devotion/copy of the original |
obsequy | funeral ceremony |
obsessive | related to thinking about something constantly; of an obsession; preoccupying; N. obsession: compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea; compulsive idea; V. obsess: preoccupy the mind of excessively |
obsidian | black volcanic rock |
scion | detached plant shoot used in grafting; descendant |
obsolete | outmoded; no longer used |
obstetrician | physician specializing in delivery(assisting in giving birth) of babies; N. obstetrics; CF. midwife |
obstinate | stubborn; hard to control or treat; Ex. obstinate cough; N. obstinacy |
obstreperous | boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable |
obtrude | push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; impose (oneself or one's ideas) on others; butt in; stick out or extrude; thrust out; Ex. obtrude A on B; ADJ. obtrusive; N. obtrusion; CF. unobtrusive |
obtuse | blunt; not sharp; stupid; slow in understanding |
obviate | make unnecessary; get rid of; Ex. obviate the need |
Occident | the West |
occlude | shut; close; obstruct; Ex. A blood clot occluded an artery. |
occult | mysterious; secret; supernatural; beyond human comprehension; CF. mysterious to human ?; OP. bare |
oculist | physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes |
odious | arousing strong dislike; hateful(causing hatred); vile |
odium | detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness; disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct) |
odoriferous | giving off an odor |
odorous | having an odor |
odyssey | long, eventful, adventurous journey |
offensive | attacking; insulting; distasteful; V. offend: violate; hurt the feelings of; N. offense: offending; violating of a moral or social code; crime; attack; Ex. first offense |
offhand | casual; done without prior thought or preparation |
officious | meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services; overly eager in offering unwanted services or advices; Ex. officious bellboy |
pushy | disagreeably aggressive |
ogle | look at amorously; make eyes at; Ex. old men ogling young girls |
olfactory | concerning the sense of smell |
oligarchy | government by a privileged few |
ominous | threatening; of an evil omen |
threat | sign or warning (of coming danger); Ex. threat of rain; V: express a threat; give warning of (something bad); Ex. The cloud threatens rain. |
omnipotent | all-powerful; having unlimited power |
omnipresent | universally present; ubiquitous |
omniscient | all-knowing |
omnivorous | eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything |
onerous | burdensome |
onomatopoeia | words formed in imitation of natural sounds |
rustle | make slight sounds like silk moving or being rubbed together |
onslaught | vicious assault; fierce attack; Ex. unexpected onslaught of the enemy |
slaughter | killing of animals for food; massacre; V: butcher (animals) for food; kill in large numbers |
onus | burden; responsibility |
spare | give; use; refrain from harming; save from experiencing; exempt; Ex. spare me 5 minutes; Ex. Take this money and spare my life; Ex. The emperor was spared the onus; ADJ: kept in reserve; free for other use; unoccupied; Ex. spare time |
opalescent | iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; N. opalescence |
opaque | dark; not transparent; N. opacity |
opiate | medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something that relieves emotions or causes inaction; sleep-producing drug containing opium |
opportune | timely; well-chosen |
opportunist | individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances; N. opportunism |
opprobrium | infamy; disgrace arising from shameful conduct; vilification(slander); scorn; contempt; Ex. opprobrium hurled against him; ADJ. opprobrious: expressing contempt; shameful or infamous |
optician | maker and seller of eyeglasses |
optimist | person who looks on the bright side; N. optimism |
optimum | most favorable; optimal; N: most favorable condition |
optional | not compulsory; left to one's choice; N. option: act of choosing; choice; freedom or power to choose; something available as a choice; Ex. have no option; Ex. two options |
optometrist | one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects |
opulence | extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance; ADJ. opulent: possessing great wealth; abundant |
opus | work (esp. musical composition); Ex. magnum opus: masterpiece; CF. opera |
oracular | of an oracle; prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous; hard to understand; N. oracle: wiser person; prophecy made by an oracle |
orator | public speaker |
oratorio | dramatic poem set to music; long musical work with singing but without acting; CF. cantata |
ordain | decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine; install as a minister, priest, or rabbi; N. ordainment; CF. ordination |
ordeal | severe trial or affliction; difficult experience; trial(test of patience or endurance); affliction |
ordinance | decree; authoritative order |
ordination | ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining a priest |
orgy | wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an activity; Ex. orgy of shopping |
orient | get one's bearings; adjust; make familiar with a situation; orientate |
orientation | act of finding oneself in society; orienting |
orifice | mouthlike opening; small opening (esp. to a cavern or passage of the body); CF. mouth |
ornate | excessively or elaborately decorated |
ornithologist | scientific student of birds; N. ornithology: scientific study of birds |
orthodox | traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine |
orthography | correct spelling; CF. ortho-: straight; correct; Ex. orthodontics |
oscillate | vibrate pendulumlike; waver |
osseous | made of bone; bony |
ossify | change or harden into bone; become hard and unchanging in one's ideas |
ostensible | apparent; appearing as such; professed(pretended); pretended; Ex. ostensible purpose of the expedition |
apparent | evident; easily seen or understood; appearing as such; Ex. apparent improvement |
ostentatious | showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious; N. ostentation: showy display |
ostracize | banish from a group; exclude from public favor; ban; Ex. His friends ostracized him. N. ostracism |
blackball | vote against (an applicant); ostracize; N: negative vote |
oust | expel; drive out; force out; N. ouster: ousting |
outlandish | bizzare; peculiar; unconventional |
outmoded | no longer in fashion or use; no longer stylish; old-fashioned |
outskirts | fringes; outer borders (as of a city); Ex. outskirts of Boston |
outspoken | candid; blunt |
blunt | having a dull edge; abrupt and frank in speech or manner; brusque; V: make or become blunt |
outstrip | outrun; surpass; outdo |
outwit | outsmart; defeat by behaving more cleverly |
ovation | enthusiastic applause |
overbearing | bossy; domineering and arrogant; decisively important; Ex. overbearing manner/importance; V. overbear: dominate |
overt | open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert |
overweening | arrogant; presumptuous |
overwrought | nervous or excited; extremely agitated; hysterical; wrought-up; CF. wrought: made or done |