Vocabulary

Page 1

vacuum

ˈvakjʊəm/

noun

noun: vacuum;

plural noun: vacua;

plural noun: vacuums

1.

a space entirely devoid of matter.

synonyms:empty space, emptiness, void, nothingness, vacuity, vacancy; More

rarevoidness, nihility

"the experiment has to be conducted in a vacuum"

a space or container from which the air has been completely or partly removed.

a gap left by the loss, death, or departure of someone or something significant.

"the political vacuum left by the death of the Emperor"

synonyms:gap, space, absence, lack, deficiency, blank, lacuna "his exit would leave a power vacuum"

antonyms:continuity

2.

a vacuum cleaner.

synonyms:vacuum cleaner;

informalvac;

trademarkHoover

"if you just clear your bits off the floor I can get round with the vacuum"

verb

verb: vacuum;

3rd person present: vacuums;

past tense: vacuumed;

past participle: vacuumed;

gerund or present participle: vacuuming

1.

clean with a vacuum cleaner.

"the room needs to be vacuumed"

synonyms:vacuum-clean;

hoover

"the carpets must be vacuumed"

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esteem

ɪˈstiːm,ɛ-/

noun

noun: esteem

1.

respect and admiration.

"he was held in high esteem by colleagues"

synonyms:respect, admiration, (high) regard, (high/good) opinion, estimation, acclaim, approbation, approval, appreciation, favour, popularity, recognition, veneration, awe, reverence, deference, honour, praise, adulation, extolment, homage;

rarelaudation

"she was held in high esteem by colleagues"

antonyms:disrespect

verb

verb: esteem;

3rd person present: esteems;

past tense: esteemed;

past participle: esteemed;

gerund or present participle: esteeming

1.

respect and admire.

"many of these qualities are esteemed by managers"

synonyms:respect, admire, value, regard, hold in (high) regard, think (highly) of, acclaim, approve of, appreciate, like, prize, treasure, favour, recognize, venerate, hold in awe, look up to, revere, reverence, honour, praise, adulate, extol, pay homage to "contemporary Japanese ceramics are highly esteemed"

antonyms:disparage

2.

formal

consider; deem.

"I should esteem it a favour if you could speak to them"

synonyms:consider, regard as, deem, hold to be, think, think of as, reckon, count, account, believe, judge, adjudge, rate, class as, gauge, look on as, view as, see as, interpret as "I would esteem it a favour if you could speak to him"

Page 3

merger

ˈməːdʒə/

noun

noun: merger;

plural noun: mergers

a combination of two things, especially companies, into one.

"a merger between two supermarket chains"

synonyms:amalgamation, combination, merging, union, fusion, coalition, affiliation, coupling, unification, incorporation, coalescence, consolidation, confederation, hook-up, link-up; More

alliance, association, connection;

informalmash-up

"a merger between an aerospace company and a car company"

antonyms:split, break-up

Law

the merging of one estate or title in another.

"merger can be applied for when the freehold and leasehold estates become vested in the same person"

Page 4

flair

flɛː/

noun

noun: flair

1.

a special or instinctive aptitude or ability for doing something well.

"she had a flair for languages"

synonyms:aptitude, talent, gift, knack, instinct, natural ability, ability, capability, capacity, faculty, facility, skill, bent, feel, genius "an activist with a flair for publicity"

antonyms:inability

2.

stylishness and originality.

"she dressed with flair"

synonyms:style, stylishness, panache, verve, dash, elan, finesse, poise, elegance, sparkle, brio;

inventiveness, creativity;

taste, good taste, discernment, discrimination;

informalclass, pizzazz

"she dressed with flair"

Page 5

sober

ˈsəʊbə/

adjective

adjective: sober; comparative adjective: soberer; superlative adjective: soberest

1.

not affected by alcohol; not drunk.

synonyms:not drunk, not intoxicated, clear-headed, as sober as a judge;

teetotal, abstinent, non-drinking;

abstemious, temperate, moderate;

informalon the wagon, dry

"they were drunk more often than sober"

antonyms:drunk

2.

serious, sensible, and solemn.

"a sober view of life"

synonyms:serious, sensible, solemn, thoughtful, grave, sombre, severe, earnest, sedate, staid, dignified, steady, level-headed, serious-minded, businesslike, down-to-earth, commonsensical, pragmatic, self-controlled, restrained, conservative; More

strict, puritanical;

douce

"a sober view of life"

unemotional, dispassionate;

factual, realistic, objective;

low-key, matter-of-fact, prosaic, no-nonsense, rational, logical, straightforward, well considered, plain

"a sober account of the trial"

antonyms:light-hearted, frivolous, sensational, emotional

muted in colour.

"a sober grey suit"

synonyms:sombre, restrained, subdued, severe, austere;

conventional, traditional, staid, unadventurous;

dark, dark-coloured, quiet, drab, plain

"a sober grey suit"

antonyms:flamboyant

verb

verb: sober;

3rd person present: sobers;

past tense: sobered;

past participle: sobered;

gerund or present participle: sobering

1.

make or become sober after drinking alcohol.

"that coffee sobered him up"

synonyms:become sober, become clear-headed;

informaldry out

"I ought to sober up a bit"

make sober, clear someone's head;

informaldry out

"that coffee sobered him up"

make or become more serious, sensible, and solemn.

"his expression sobered her"

synonyms:become (more) serious, settle (down), relax, soften, steady, cool "he smiled at her, but then his expression sobered"

make (more) serious;

subdue, calm down, quieten, steady;

bring to, bring down to earth, make reflective/pensive, make someone stop and think, give someone pause for thought

"his expression sobered her"