English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

atramental

adj

Meaning inky, ink-like, or black.

atramentous

adj

Meaning black, inky, or ink-like.

atray

verb

To upset, scare or torment someone.

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 fact of being extremely cruel or shockingly bad.

atrocity

noun

An extremely cruel or brutal act, especially against people.

atroke

verb

To stop working or grow weak.

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 appear suddenly or come into being.

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 fact of being possible to reach or achieve.

attainable

adj

Possible to reach, achieve or gain.

attainder

noun

(law, historical) The condition of losing all civil rights after being sentenced to death, usually for treason.

attained

adj

Successfully reached or achieved.

attainment

noun

The act of reaching or achieving something through effort.

attaint

adj

Found guilty in a court of law.

attaintment

noun

The act or state of being found guilty and losing one's civil rights.

attainture

noun

The condition of having been proved guilty of a crime.

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

Someone who is present at an event, such as in its audience.

attender

noun

Someone who regularly goes to a class, meeting or similar event.

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

How attentive someone is; close care and attention.

attenuate

verb

To make something smaller, weaker or less in amount.

attenuated

adj

Weakened, or having become weak.

atterton

name

The name of 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

Shown to be true by 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

How strongly something attracts or draws interest.

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 state of being in harmony or matched with something.

attwood

name

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

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 scold someone.

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 state of being unusual or atypical.

atypically

adv

In a way that is not typical or usual.

au

noun

A vowel sign used in Indic abugida scripts.

au revoir

interjection

Goodbye, said with the expectation of meeting again.

aubergine

noun

A plant grown mainly in Asia for its edible egg-shaped fruit, which is usually purple, green or white.

aubree

name

A female forename with roots in the Germanic languages.

Aubrey

name

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

aubrie

name

A female first name that came from a family name.

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

Bold behaviour that takes risks.

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

How easily something can be heard.

audible

adj

Loud or clear enough to be heard.

audibly

adv

In a way that can be heard.

audience

noun

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

audient

adj

Listening carefully and paying attention.

audile

noun

A person who thinks mainly in sounds rather than pictures.

audio

noun

Sound, especially recorded or transmitted sound.

audiobook

noun

A recording of someone reading a whole book, or a shortened version of it, usually sold to listeners.

audiology

noun

Audiology is the scientific study of hearing and balance, and the disorders that affect them.

audiovisual

adj

Using both sound and pictures together.

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

Relating to hearing or the sense of sound.

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.

Augello

name

An Italian surname.

auger

noun

A tool with a spiralling metal shaft used for boring holes in wood, ice or ground, turned by hand with a brace or driven by a machine.

aught

pron

Anything at all (an old-fashioned or literary word).

aughts

noun

The first ten years of a century, for example 2000 to 2009.

Augie

name

A diminutive of the masculine given name Augustus.

augment

verb

To make something larger or stronger by adding to it.

augmentation

noun

The act of making something bigger or increasing it.

augmented

adj

Made larger, stronger, or more complete by adding something.

augur

noun

A person in ancient Rome who interpreted omens and signs, especially from the behaviour of birds, to predict the future.

augurate

noun

The role or position held by an augur.

augurous

adj

Full of signs that seem to predict what will happen; ominous.

augury

noun

A way of predicting the future by watching how animals look and behave.

august

adj

Deeply respected and impressive; dignified and grand.

Augusta

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, and a place name for several cities, including the capital of Maine.

auguste

noun

A type of clumsy, red-nosed circus clown who plays the troublemaker against the more composed whiteface clown.

Augustin

noun

A traditional 14-point printing type size, especially in French typography.

Augustine

noun

A member of a religious order that follows the rule attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo; an Augustinian.

augustinian

adj

Connected with Saint Augustine of Hippo and his teachings, particularly on grace and predestination.

Augustus

name

The first Roman emperor, born Gaius Octavius; also a masculine given name derived from his title.

aukus

name

The name of a security treaty involving Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, covering the building of nuclear submarines in Australia, collaboration on cybersecurity and espionage technology, and the containment of China's rise in the Indo-Pacific region.

auld

adj

Old (a Scots and Northern English word).

aunt

noun

The sister of one's mother or father, or the wife of one's uncle.

auntie

noun

An affectionate, informal way of saying "aunt."

aunty

noun

An affectionate word for an aunt, the sister of one's mother or father, or the wife of one's uncle.

auntyji

noun

A respectful way of addressing an aunt or an older woman.

aura

noun

A distinctive feeling or atmosphere that seems to surround a person or place.

aural

adj

Relating to the ear.

Aurelia

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, related to the word for "golden."

Aurelius

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, historically linked to Roman nobility.

aureole

noun

A circle of light shown around the head of a god or saint in art.

aurigal

adj

Relating to a chariot.

aurochs

noun

An extinct wild ox that was the ancestor of today's cattle.

aurora

noun

A natural display of shifting coloured lights in the night sky near the polar regions, caused by charged particles from the sun.

Auschwitz

name

The site in occupied Poland of the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp during World War II, now used as shorthand for the Holocaust itself.

auscultation

noun

Auscultation is the medical practice of listening to the sounds of internal organs, usually with a stethoscope, to help diagnose disorders.

auspex

noun

A priest in ancient Rome who carried out official religious duties.

auspicate

verb

To be a sign of something that is going to happen.

auspice

noun

Support and protection given by someone in a position of authority.