English dictionary — definitions & meanings

atheisticalness

noun

The state or quality of being atheistical.

Athelstan

name

A masculine given name and surname, historically borne by Æthelstan, the first king of a unified England.

Athena

noun

Slang for a woman regarded as supporting or upholding patriarchal norms rather than opposing them.

Athenian

noun

A person from Athens, Greece.

Athens

name

The capital city of Greece, and by extension its national government; also used as a place name for several towns in the United States.

atheophobia

noun

A fear or hatred of atheism or atheists.

Atherton

name

An English habitational surname, and a place name for towns in England, Australia, and the United States.

athina

name

Synonym of Athens (“the capital city of Greece”).

athirst

adj

Eager or extremely desirous (for something).

athlete

noun

A person who competes in sports, especially one who trains and performs at a high level.

athletic

adjective

Relating to athletes or physical sports.

athletics

noun

Track and field sports such as running, jumping, and throwing.

Athos

name

A peninsula in Greece, home to Mount Athos; in Greek mythology, one of the Gigantes.

athwart

adv

From side to side, often in an oblique manner; across or over.

ativan

name

A trade name for the drug lorazepam.

Atlanta

name

The capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Georgia.

atlantean

noun

An inhabitant of the mythical island of Atlantis.

Atlantic

adj

Relating to the Atlantic Ocean or to the countries and coastlines that border it.

Atlantis

name

A legendary island or continent said to have sunk beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

atlas

noun

A book of maps, often with extra tables, charts, or explanatory text.

ATM

noun

A machine, usually built into a wall or standing in a public place, that lets you withdraw cash and carry out simple banking with a card and a PIN.

atmosphere

noun

The layer of gases surrounding a planet, especially Earth.

atmospheric

adjective

Relating to or coming from the atmosphere.

atmospherics

noun

Radio interference caused by pulses of electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere as the result of lightning and other events (both natural and man-made)

atoll

noun

A ring-shaped coral island or string of islands surrounding a central lagoon.

atom

noun

The smallest unit of a chemical element that retains its properties, made up of a nucleus and surrounding electrons.

atomic

adjective

Relating to atoms.

atomic mass

noun

The mass of a single atom, counted mainly from its protons and neutrons and usually given in atomic mass units, where one unit is a twelfth of the mass of a carbon-12 atom.

atomic mass unit

noun

A standard unit for stating the masses of atoms and molecules, defined as exactly one twelfth of the mass of a single carbon-12 atom, which is about 1.66 x 10^-27 kilograms. It is symbolised u or amu and is also called the dalton.

atomic number

noun

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which determines what element the atom is and where it sits on the periodic table.

atomize

verb

To separate or reduce into atoms.

atomizer

noun

An instrument for reducing a liquid to spray or vapor for disinfecting, cooling, medical use or perfume spraying.

aton

noun

Alternative letter-case form of AtoN.

atonal

adj

Lacking a tonal center or key.

atone

verb

To make amends for a wrongdoing or mistake.

atonement

noun

The act of making amends for wrongdoing.

atop

preposition

On top of.

ATP

noun

A molecule that stores and carries chemical energy inside living cells, releasing it for muscle contraction, nerve signals and other processes when one of its phosphate groups is broken off.

atrabiliary

adj

Of or relating to black bile.

atrabilious

adj

Having an excess of black bile.

atramental

adj

Synonym of inky, inklike, black.

atramentous

adj

Synonym of inky, black, inklike.

atray

verb

To vex; trouble; frighten; torment; harass.

atrium

noun

A large open central hall or courtyard in a building, often glass-roofed.

atrocious

adjective

Extremely cruel, brutal, or shocking.

atrociousness

noun

The state or quality of being atrocious.

atrocity

noun

An extremely cruel or brutal act, especially against people.

atroke

verb

To fail; give out; become faint.

atrophy

noun

The wasting away or weakening of a body part, usually a muscle or organ, from disease, injury, or lack of use.

atropine

noun

A powerful drug extracted from deadly nightshade and related plants, used in medicine to relax muscles, dry secretions, or widen the pupils.

atspring

verb

To spring forth; emerge; spring into existence; originate.

Atsuko

name

A feminine Japanese given name.

att

noun

A small unit of Laotian currency, worth one hundredth of a kip.

Atta

noun

A finely ground wholegrain wheat flour used across South Asia, especially for making flatbreads like chapati and roti.

attaboy

intj

An informal exclamation of praise or encouragement, typically said to a boy, man, or male animal.

attach

verb

To fasten or connect one thing to another, physically or figuratively.

attached

adj

Fastened or joined to something else.

attachment

noun

A file sent along with an email or message.

attack

verb

To use violent force against a person or place.

attacker

noun

A person who attacks someone or something.

attacking

adj

Carrying out or relating to an attack; aggressive and offense-focused.

attagirl

intj

An informal exclamation of praise or encouragement, typically said to a girl, woman, or female animal.

attain

verb

To succeed in reaching or achieving something through effort.

attainability

noun

The state of being attainable.

attainable

adj

Able to be accomplished, achieved, or obtained.

attainder

noun

The state a prisoner entered once a death sentence (usually for treason) had been issued; the state of being stripped of all civil rights.

attained

adj

Successfully reached or achieved.

attainment

noun

The act of attaining; the act of arriving at or reaching; the act of obtaining by effort or exertion.

attaint

adj

Convicted, attainted.

attaintment

noun

Attainder, attainture; conviction.

attainture

noun

A state of being found guilty of an offence.

attempt

verb

To try to do something, especially something difficult, without guaranteed success.

attempted

adj

Tried but not necessarily completed successfully — often used before crime terms to show the act was tried but failed.

Attenborough

name

An English surname, notably borne by the broadcaster David Attenborough; also a village in Nottinghamshire, England.

attend

verb

To be present at an event, class, or place.

attendance

noun

The act of being present at an event, or the number of people present.

attendant

noun

A person whose job is to help or serve people in a particular place, such as a parking lot or flight.

attended

adj

Having people present, or being looked after by someone.

attendee

noun

A person who is in attendance or in the audience of an event.

attender

noun

An attendee; one who attends a course, meeting, school, etc.

attending

adj

Being present at, or accompanying, an event or situation.

attention

noun

The mental effort or focus given to something.

attention to detail

noun

The habit of noticing and getting right the small parts of a task, so that the finished work has no errors or loose ends.

attentive

adj

Paying close attention; alert and observant.

attentively

adv

In a way that shows close attention or focus.

attentiveness

noun

The state or quality of being attentive.

attenuate

verb

To reduce in size, force, value, amount, or degree.

attenuated

adj

Made, or become weak; subject to attenuation.

atterton

name

A hamlet in Witherley parish, Hinckley and Bosworth district, Leicestershire, England (OS grid ref SP3598).

attest

verb

To confirm or declare that something is true or genuine.

attestation

noun

A formal statement or signature confirming that something is true or genuine, especially one given by an official witness.

attested

adj

Proven; shown to be true with evidence.

attic

noun

The space, often sloped and unfinished, directly under the roof of a house, typically used for storage.

Attica

name

The region of Greece surrounding Athens; also used as a place name in the United States, notably the site of the Attica Prison riots.

Atticus

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, meaning "of Attica" or "Athenian".

Attila

noun

A short, fringed ceremonial cape traditionally worn as part of Hungarian formal dress.

attire

noun

Clothing, especially of a particular style appropriate to an occasion.

attitude

noun

A settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something.

attorney

noun

A lawyer, especially one licensed to represent clients in legal matters.

attract

verb

To pull something toward oneself, especially by a physical or magnetic force.

attracted

adj

Drawn toward someone or something, especially with interest or liking.

attraction

noun

A place, event, or thing that draws visitors or interest.

attractive

adj

Pleasing to look at; physically appealing.

attractiveness

noun

The quality of being pleasing, appealing, or desirable.

attractivity

noun

The quality or degree of attractive power or influence.

attribute

noun

A quality or characteristic that belongs to a person or thing.

attributed

adj

Said to be the work, quality, or possession of a particular person, cause, or source.

attrition

noun

A gradual wearing down or reduction, especially of staff or resources over time rather than through direct cuts.

attuned

adj

Sensitive to and aware of something, especially another person's needs or feelings.

attunement

noun

The quality of being in tune with something

attwood

name

A suburb of Melbourne in the City of Hume, Victoria, Australia.

Atwater

name

An English surname, and a place name for towns in California, Minnesota, and elsewhere in the United States.

atwite

verb

To blame or reproach (someone); to twit.

atwixt

prep

Synonym of betwixt (“between”).

Atwood

name

An English surname, originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a wood.

atypical

adj

Not typical; different from what is usual or expected.

atypicality

noun

The condition of being atypical

atypically

adv

In a manner which is not typical.

au

noun

A vowel found in Indic abugidas.

au revoir

interjection

Goodbye, said with the expectation of meeting again.

aubergine

noun

An Asian plant, Solanum melongena, cultivated for its edible purple, green, or white ovoid fruit; eggplant.

aubree

name

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

Aubrey

name

A given name, historically masculine but now used for both sexes, and an English surname.

aubrie

name

A female given name transferred from the surname.

auburn

noun

A reddish-brown colour, most often used to describe hair.

Auckland

name

The largest city in New Zealand, on the North Island, and the surrounding region.

auction

noun

A public sale in which goods or property are sold to whoever bids the highest price.

auctioneer

noun

A person who runs an auction, taking bids on behalf of the seller.

audacious

adj

Bold and daring, often to the point of taking real risks.

audaciousness

noun

Risky or daring behaviour.

audacity

noun

Shocking boldness or nerve, especially when it disregards normal limits or manners.

Audi

noun

A car made by the German manufacturer Audi.

audibility

noun

The quality of being heard or understood; the degree to which a thing is audible.

audible

adj

Loud or clear enough to be heard.

audibly

adv

In context of possibility of being heard; in an audible manner.

audience

noun

The group of people watching or listening to a performance, speech, or broadcast.

audient

adj

Listening, paying attention.

audile

noun

A person whose mental imagery consists of sounds.

audio

noun

Sound, especially recorded or transmitted sound.

audiovisual

adj

Containing both aural and visual elements.

audit

noun

An official, careful check of financial records or of a system to make sure everything is accurate and follows the rules.

auditing

noun

The practice or process of carrying out audits.

audition

noun

A short performance given to show a director or panel that you're suitable for a role or job.

auditive

adj

Of or relating to hearing; auditory.

auditor

noun

A person who officially examines financial records or accounts.

auditorium

noun

A large room built to hold an audience for speeches, performances, or meetings.

auditory

adj

Relating to hearing or to the ears.

Audra

name

A feminine given name.

Audrey

name

A given name of Old English origin, now chiefly feminine, notably borne by actress Audrey Hepburn.

Auerbach

name

A German surname, historically a Jewish Ashkenazi family name.