| Question |
Answer |
| balmy |
soft and mild (of air); fragrant |
| banal |
hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality; clich\'ed |
| bandy |
discuss lightly or glibly; discuss in a frivolous manner; exchange (words) heatedly; quarrel; Ex. bandy words with |
| bane |
posion; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous |
| bank |
heap; piled-up mass; embankment; lateral tilting (as of an aircraft in turning); V: pile up; protect with a bank; tilt in turning |
| bantering |
joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter |
| bar |
railing in a courtroom; legal profession; vertical line dividing a staff into equal measures; Ex. prisoner at the bar; V: shut in or out with bars; forbid; exclude; CF. barrister |
| barb |
sharp projection from fishhook, arrow, or other object; openly cutting remark |
| bard |
poet |
| barefaced |
shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed; having no covering on the face; Ex. barefaced lie |
| bargain |
agreement between two groups or people; something for sale at a price advantageous to the buyer; V: negotiate; trade; Ex. bargaining power |
| baroque |
highly ornate |
| barrage |
barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statements; Ex. a barrage of criticism |
| barrister |
counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law; CF. bar |
| barterer |
trader; V. barter: trade; exchange good for other goods rather than money |
| base |
contemptible; morally bad; inferior in value or quality; Ex. base motives/conduct; Ex. base metal such as iron |
| bask |
luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth |
| bastard |
illegitimate child |
| bastion |
stronghold; something seen as a source of protection; Ex. the last bastion of male chauvinism |
| bate |
let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain; Ex. with bated breath; CF. abate |
| battalion |
army unit made up of four or more companies |
| bauble |
trinket; cheap jewel; trifle |
| bawdy |
indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd |
| bearing |
deportment; connection |
| beatific |
giving or showing bliss; blissful |
| beatitude |
blessedness; state of great happiness |
| bedizen |
dress with vulgar finery |
| bedraggle |
wet thoroughly; ADJ. bedraggled: draggled |
| beeline |
direct quick route |
| befuddle |
confuse thoroughly |
| beget |
father; become the father of; produce; give rise to |
| begrudge |
envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; Ex. We shouldn't begrudge him his success. |
| beguile |
deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly; charm or attract; Ex. beguiling smile |
| behemoth |
huge creature; something of monstrous size or power |
| beholden |
obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted from gratitude |
| behoove(behove) |
be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary; Ex. It behooves one to do. |
| belabor |
harp on; dwell on tediously; explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally; beat severely; attack physically |
| belated |
delayed |
| beleaguer |
besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset |
| belie |
contradict; give a false impression; disguise; Ex. The poor sales belied our high hopes; Ex. Her smile belies her true feeling of displeasure. |
| belittle |
disparage; depreciate |
| bellicose |
warlike |
| belligerent |
quarrelsome |
| bemoan |
lament; moan for; express sorrow or disapproval of |
| bemused |
confused; lost in thought; preoccupied |
| benediction |
blessing |
| benefactor |
gift giver; patron; person who does good or who gives money for a good purpose |
| beneficent |
kindly; doing good |
| beneficial |
helpful; useful; advantageous |
| beneficiary |
person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will |
| benefit |
advantage; anything that brings helpl, advantage, or profit; money provided by the government to the people; fund-raising public entertainment; Ex. unemployment benefit; V: receive benefits; be beneficial to; give benefits |
| benevolent |
generous; charitable; having a wish to do good |
| benign |
kindly; favorable; not malignant (disease); Ex. benign tumor |
| benison |
blessing |
| bent |
determined; Ex. bent on advancing in the business; N: natural talent or inclination |
| bequeath |
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. bequest |
| berate |
scold strongly |
| bereaved |
deprived of (someone beloved through death) |
| bereavement |
state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved; state of being bereaved or bereft |
| bereft |
deprived of (something valuable); lacking |
| berserk |
mad with violent anger; frenzied; madly excited |
| beseech |
beg; plead with |
| beset |
harass or trouble from all directions; hem in |
| besiege |
surround with armed forces; harass (with requests); annoy continually |
| besmirch |
soil; defile; make dirty |
| bestial |
beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel |
| bestow |
confer |
| betoken |
signify; indicate; be a sign of |
| betray |
be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly); Ex. Her trembling hands betray her anxiety. |
| betroth |
become engaged to marry |
| bevy |
large group; Ex. a bevy of starlets |
| beware |
be cautious (of) |
| bewitch |
cast a spell over; captivate completely |
| bicameral |
two-chambered as a legislative body |
| bicker |
quarrel |
| bid |
command; utter (a greeting); offer as a price; N: offer of a price; amount offered; earnest effort to gain something; Ex. bid for freedom |
| biennial |
every two years |
| bifurcated |
divided into two branches; forked |
| bigot |
one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics) |
| bigotry |
stubborn intolerance |
| bilious |
suffering from indigestion; sick from having too much bile; irritable; easily irritated |
| bilk |
swindle; cheat |
| billow |
large wave of water; a great swell or surge (of smoke); V: surge, swell, roll in billows |
| billowing |
swelling out in waves; surging |
| biting |
sharply painful to the body or mind; Ex. biting wind/remarks |
| bivouac |
temporary encampment; camp without tents; V. |
| bizarre |
fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly unconventional |
| blackball |
vote against (an applicant); ostracize; N: negative vote |
| blanch |
bleach; whiten; make white or pale |
| bland |
soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offence |
| blandishment |
flattery |
| blare |
loud or harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light |
| blase |
bored with pleasure or dissipation; uninterested or bored |
| blasphemy |
irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; V. blasphem; ADJ. blasphemous; CF. sacrilege |
| blatant |
extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; Ex. blatant lie; N. blatancy |
| bleak |
cold or cheerless; frigid; unlikely to be favorable; depressing |
| blemish |
mar; spoil the beauty or perfection of; N: flaw or defect (that spoils perfection); Ex. blemishes in the crystal; CF. unblemished |
| blight |
plant disease; V: infect with blight; ruin; destroy |
| blighted |
suffering from a disease; destroyed |
| bliss |
complete happiness; ADJ. blissful |
HHS Shrek
