English dictionary — definitions & meanings

IIRC

abbreviation

Written before or after a statement to signal that the writer is going from memory and might be slightly wrong.

Ik

name

An ethnic group in northeastern Uganda near the Kenyan border, and the language they speak.

Ike

noun

A nickname for a man named Isaac, or a familiar name for U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

IKEA

name

A Swedish multinational retailer known for flat-pack, self-assembled furniture.

Ikebukuro

name

A district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan, known for its shopping and entertainment.

Ikeda

name

A Japanese surname.

IKR

abbreviation

Used to agree enthusiastically with what someone has just said, especially when it confirms something you also thought.

Ilan

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "tree" or "oak tree."

Ilana

name

A female given name, a variant of Alana.

Ilene

name

A female given name.

ilex

noun

Holm oak (Quercus ilex).

Iliad

noun

Homer's ancient Greek epic poem about the final weeks of the Trojan War, centred on the rage of Achilles.

ilium

noun

The upper and widest of the three bones that make up each side of the hipbone.

ilk

noun

A type or category of people or things sharing similar characteristics, often used slightly dismissively.

ill

adjective

Unwell or in poor health; sick.

illation

noun

The act of inferring or concluding, especially from a set of premises; a conclusion, a deduction.

illative

adj

Of, or relating to an illation.

illecebrous

adj

Tending to attract; enticing.

illegal

adjective

Against the law; not authorised or permitted by legislation.

illegalise

verb

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of illegalize.

illegality

noun

the state of being illegal

illegalize

verb

To make illegal; to prohibit by law, to criminalize.

illegally

adverb

In a way that breaks the law.

illegitimacy

noun

The state of being illegitimate.

illegitimate

adjective

Not legally or officially sanctioned; not proper or authorised.

illegitimately

adv

In an illegitimate manner.

illfare

noun

Misfortune; detriment; harm; evilfare.

illiberal

adj

Restricting or failing to sufficiently promote individual choice and freedom.

illicit

adjective

Not permitted by law or social convention; forbidden.

illicitly

adv

In an illicit manner; illegally, immorally, or inappropriately.

Illinois

adj

Relating to the Illinois Confederacy, an alliance of Algonquian-speaking Native American peoples, or to their language and culture.

illiquid

adj

Lacking liquidity.

illiquidity

noun

The condition of being illiquid; a lack of liquidity; difficulty in selling out an asset.

illiteracy

noun

The inability to read and write.

illiterate

adjective

Unable to read or write.

illlit

adj

ill lit, poorly lit, dim.

illness

noun

A disease or period of poor health.

illogical

adjective

Not following the rules of logic; lacking sound reasoning.

illogically

adv

In an illogical manner, without following methods of sane and correct reasoning, in a manner lacking thought or logic.

illude

verb

To give a false impression to.

illume

verb

To throw or spread light upon; to make light or bright.

illuminate

verb

To light up or shine light onto something.

illuminated

adjective

Lit up, or having light shone on it.

illuminating

adjective

Providing light.

illumination

noun

Light, or the act of providing light.

illumine

verb

Synonym of illuminate.

illusion

noun

A false or misleading impression created by something that appears real.

illusionist

noun

A performer who specialises in tricks that appear to defy the laws of reality; a magician.

illusive

adjective

Based on or producing an illusion; seeming real but in fact deceptive.

illusory

adj

Resulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal.

illustrate

verb

To explain or clarify something by using an example or comparison.

illustrated

adjective

Containing pictures or diagrams.

illustration

noun

A picture or diagram used to decorate or explain a text.

illustrative

adj

Demonstrative, exemplative, showing an example or demonstrating.

illustrator

noun

A person who creates pictures for books, magazines, or other publications.

illustrious

adjective

Widely admired and respected, especially for great achievements.

ilmenite

noun

A weakly magnetic dark gray mineral found in metamorphic and igneous rocks; it is a mixed oxide of iron and titanium, FeTiO₃

ilon

name

A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Elon.

Ilona

name

A female given name, a Hungarian variant of Helen.

Ilsa

name

A female given name.

ILY

abbreviation

A short written way of saying 'I love you', used in texts and messages with family, partners and close friends.

Ilya

name

A male given name of Russian origin, a doublet of Elijah.

Ilyich

name

A Russian surname, used as a patronymic meaning "son of Ilya."

ilyinichna

name

a female patronymic, Ильинична

ilysm

phrase

Alternative letter-case form of ILYSM

ilyusha

name

A male given name, from Russian Илья́ (Ilʹjá), diminutive of Russian Илья́ (Ilʹjá) (Ilya).

ilyushenka

name

A male given name, from Russian Илья́ (Ilʹjá), a diminutive and more endearing form of Russian Илья́ (Ilʹjá) (Ilya).

Im

noun

A type of galaxy that has no clear spiral or elliptical structure; an irregular galaxy.

Ima

name

A formerly common Anglo-American female given name, also a colloquial word for "mom."

imac

noun

One of a line of all-in-one Macintosh computers made by Apple Inc.

image

noun

A visual representation of something, such as a picture, photo, or drawing.

imageboard

noun

A type of message board that revolves around the posting of images, with optional associated text, often characterized by the near lack of moderation and by the freedom to discuss any topic.

imager

noun

One who images or forms likenesses; a sculptor.

imagery

noun

Pictures or visual representations considered as a group, especially photos or scans.

imaginability

noun

The quality of being imaginable.

imaginable

adj

Capable of being pictured or thought of; conceivable.

imaginary

adj

Not real; existing only in the mind or imagination.

imagination

noun

The mental ability to form new ideas, images, or concepts not currently perceived by the senses.

imaginative

adj

Showing creativity or a strong ability to invent new ideas.

imagine

verb

To form a mental picture of something, especially something not present or not real.

imagined

adj

Existing only in someone's mind rather than in reality.

imaging

noun

The process or technology of producing images of things that can't normally be seen, especially inside the body.

imagining

noun

Something pictured in the mind; a product of the imagination.

Imai

name

A Japanese surname.

imam

noun

A person who leads prayers in a mosque.

iman

noun

Devoted faith and belief within Islam.

IMAO

abbreviation

A frequent mistyping of LMAO, the abbreviation used to show that something is very funny.

imbalance

noun

A lack of balance or proportion between things.

imbalanced

adj

Experiencing an imbalance; out of balance.

imbecile

noun

An insulting term for a stupid or foolish person.

imbecilic

adj

like or as an imbecile; so senseless as to be laughable; absurd, foolish, stupid, idiotic.

imbecility

noun

The quality of being imbecile; weakness; feebleness, especially of mind.

imbibe

verb

To drink something, especially alcohol.

imbiber

noun

One who imbibes, who drinks, especially alcoholic beverages.

imbibing

noun

The act by which something is imbibed.

imbrication

noun

A set of tiles or shingles that overlap like the scales of a fish.

imbroglio

noun

A complicated situation; an entanglement.

imbrued

adj

Stained with blood; wounded, bloody.

imbue

verb

To fill someone or something with a quality, feeling or idea so that it spreads through the whole of it.

imburse

verb

To put into a purse; to save, to store up.

Imelda

name

A female given name of Germanic origin via Italian and Spanish, notably borne by former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos.

imitate

verb

To copy the actions, style, or appearance of someone or something.

imitated

adj

Made to look or seem like the real thing; simulated.

imitating

noun

An act of copying someone else's behavior, style, or voice.

imitation

noun

The act of copying someone or something.

imitative

adj

Imitating; copying; not original.

imitator

noun

A person who imitates or apes another.

IMK

phrase

In my knowledge; used in text and online to mark a statement as being only as reliable as what the writer happens to know.

immaculate

adj

Perfectly clean, tidy, or free of any flaw.

immane

adj

Very large; huge; vast.

immanence

noun

The state of being immanent; inherency.

immanent

adj

Naturally part of something; existing throughout and within something; intrinsic.

immanuel

name

A figure whose birth is prophesied in the Book of Isaiah in the Bible.

immasculate

verb

To make into a man; to make manly, or cause to have a male perspective.

immaterial

adj

Not important or relevant to the matter at hand.

immature

adj

Behaving in a childish or emotionally undeveloped way.

immaturity

noun

Youth; the condition of being immature or not fully grown

immeasurable

adj

So great in size or amount that it cannot be measured.

immediacy

noun

The quality of being immediate, of happening right away.

immediate

adj

Happening or done right away, without delay.

immediately

adv

Right away, without any delay.

immemorable

adj

That cannot be remembered or has been forgotten.

immemorial

adj

So old that it goes back further than anyone can remember or record.

immense

adj

Extremely large in size, degree, or amount.

immensely

adv

To a very great degree; hugely.

immenseness

noun

The property of being immense.

immensity

noun

The quality of being extremely large or vast.

immensurable

adj

unmeasurable, immeasurable; not able to be measured, therefore connoting extremely large

immerse

verb

To put something completely under the surface of a liquid.

immersed

adj

Completely covered by or submerged in a liquid.

immersion

noun

The act of putting something, or oneself, completely into a liquid.

immersive

adjective

Surrounding you so completely that you feel you are inside it rather than watching it from outside.

immigrant

noun

A person who moves from one country to live permanently in another.

immigrate

verb

To move into a foreign country to stay permanently.

immigration

noun

The act of moving into a country you were not born in, in order to live there permanently.

imminent

adj

About to happen very soon.

imminently

adv

In an imminent manner; liable to happen immediately or very soon.

immobile

adj

Not able to move or be moved.

immobility

noun

The quality of not moving.

immobilization

noun

The act or process of preventing a thing from moving.

immobilize

verb

To stop something moving, or make it unable to move.

immobilized

adj

Made unable to move.

immodest

adj

Without customary restraint or modesty of expression; shameless.

immodesty

noun

The state of being immodest; a lack of modesty.

immolation

noun

The act of immolating, or the state of being immolated.

immoral

adj

Going against accepted standards of right and wrong; morally wrong.

immorality

noun

The quality of being immoral; wickedness.

immoralize

verb

To corrupt; to make immoral.

immorally

adv

In an immoral manner, not morally, wrongly.

immorigerous

adj

rude, uncivil, disobedient or rebellious