English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

vexillology

noun

The study of flags.

vexing

adj

Causing annoyance or frustration.

VHS

noun

A once-standard videotape format used for recording and playing back video on home cassette players.

Vi

name

A short, informal form of the female given names Violet or Viola.

via

prep

By way of; passing through a particular place on the way somewhere else.

viability

noun

The quality of being workable or capable of succeeding; the ability to survive or function properly.

viable

adj

Capable of working successfully; realistic and practical.

viaduct

noun

A long bridge, usually made up of a series of spans, that carries a road or railway across a valley or other low ground.

Viagra

name

A brand name for the drug sildenafil citrate, prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction.

vial

noun

A small glass or plastic container, often tube-shaped, used to hold liquids such as medicine or perfume.

viaticum

noun

Holy Communion given to someone who is dying or facing the danger of death.

viator

noun

A traveller, especially one on foot.

vibe

noun

The general feeling or atmosphere given off by a person, place, or situation.

vibrant

adj

Full of energy, life, and enthusiasm.

vibraphone

noun

A percussion instrument with two rows of tuned metal bars, each set over a resonating tube containing a motor-driven rotating vane that produces a vibrato effect.

vibrate

verb

To shake with small, rapid back-and-forth movements.

vibratile

adj

Able to vibrate, or suited to vibrating movement.

vibrating

adj

Shaking with small, rapid movements.

vibration

noun

A rapid, repeated back-and-forth movement, or the state of shaking in this way.

vibratiuncle

noun

(dated) A tiny vibration, especially one once thought to pass impressions to the brain along the nerves.

vibrative

adj

Relating to or involving vibration.

vibrato

noun

(music) A slight, rapid wavering in pitch used to add expression to a sung or played note.

vibrator

noun

A device that vibrates, especially one used for massage or sexual stimulation.

vibrissa

noun

One of the stiff whiskers on an animal's face, used for feeling things, such as a cat's.

Vic

noun

(slang) A victim, especially of a crime such as murder.

vicar

noun

In the Church of England, a member of the clergy in charge of a parish.

vicarage

noun

The house where a vicar lives.

vicarate

noun

The area looked after by a vicar.

vicariate

noun

The position, power, or area belonging to a vicar.

vicarious

adjective

Experienced indirectly, by imagining or watching what happens to someone else rather than doing it yourself.

vicariously

adv

By imagining or experiencing something through someone else's actions or feelings, rather than directly.

vice

noun

An immoral or bad habit; a minor personal failing or indulgence.

vice versa

adverb

With the two things just mentioned swapped round; the other way about.

vicecomital

adj

Relating to a viscount.

Vicente

name

A Spanish and Portuguese masculine given name, equivalent to Vincent, meaning "conquering."

vicereine

noun

A viceroy's wife.

viceroy

noun

A person who rules a colony, province, or territory as the official representative of a monarch.

Vichy

name

The French collaborationist government based in the town of Vichy during the German occupation in the Second World War.

vicinity

noun

The surrounding area or nearby region.

vicious

adj

Deliberately cruel, violent, or savage.

viciously

adv

In a cruel, violent, or savage manner.

viciousness

noun

The quality of being vicious.

Vick

name

An informal short form of the male given name Victor.

Vickers

name

An English surname, an occupational name derived from "vicar."

vickey

name

A pet form of the female forename Victoria, a variant of Vicky.

Vicki

name

A short form of the female given name Victoria.

Vickie

name

A short form of the female given name Victoria.

Vicksburg

name

A city in Mississippi, site of a decisive American Civil War battle.

Vicky

name

A short form of the female given name Victoria.

Vico

name

An Italian surname, notably that of the philosopher Giambattista Vico.

Vicodin

name

A brand name for a painkiller combining hydrocodone and paracetamol, sometimes misused recreationally.

vicomte

noun

A French nobleman ranking as a viscount.

vicontiel

adj

Relating to a county's viscount or sheriff.

victim

noun

A person who is harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, disease, or other misfortune.

victimization

noun

An act that treats someone unfairly as a victim, or takes advantage of them.

victimize

verb

To turn someone into a victim, treating them badly or causing them harm.

victimized

adj

Having been treated unfairly, harmed, or made into a target.

victimless

adj

Not directly harming anyone; having no identifiable victim.

victimology

noun

The academic study of crime victims, including why certain people or groups are more likely to be victimized.

Victor

noun

A person who wins a fight, contest, or struggle.

Victoria

noun

A light, four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage for two passengers, with a folding hood and a raised seat for the driver.

Victorian

adj

Belonging to the reign of Britain's Queen Victoria (1837 to 1901), or to that era in general.

victoriana

noun

Objects, especially collectible ones, connected with the Victorian period.

victorious

adj

Having won a contest, battle, or struggle.

victoriously

adv

In a way that shows or celebrates having won.

victoriousness

noun

The quality of having won or succeeded.

victory

noun

The winning of a battle, contest, or struggle against an opponent.

victrice

noun

A woman who has won a contest or battle.

victrix

noun

A female winner; a woman who has been victorious.

victual

noun

Food that people, or sometimes animals, can eat.

victualler

noun

A person or company that provides food to soldiers.

Vida

name

A feminine given name meaning "life" in Spanish and Serbian.

Vidal

name

A Spanish, French, and Catalan surname derived from the Latin "vitalis," meaning "vital" or "full of life."

viddy

noun

(informal) A video clip or recording.

videlicet

adv

Used to introduce a more exact explanation of something just mentioned, meaning namely.

video

noun

Recorded moving pictures, with or without sound, that can be played back on a screen.

videocassette

noun

A cassette holding videotape, blank or recorded, for use in a video recorder.

videogram

noun

A physical item that holds a video recording, for example a videotape or DVD.

videography

noun

The skill and technology of making moving video images, whether on film or digitally.

videotape

noun

Magnetic tape used to record and play back moving pictures and sound.

videotaped

adj

Recorded on videotape, or (loosely) recorded on video.

videotaping

noun

The act of recording something onto videotape or, more generally, onto video.

vidya

noun

Slang for video games.

vie

verb

To compete eagerly with others to get or achieve something.

Vieira

name

A Portuguese surname meaning "vine" or "vineyard."

Vienna

name

The capital city of Austria, known for its imperial architecture, coffeehouse culture, and classical music history.

vienne

name

A town and commune of Isère department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.

Viennese

adj

Of or relating to Vienna.

viera

name

The name of a unincorporated community in Brevard County, Florida.

Viet

noun

A Vietnamese person (informal, sometimes used in compounds like "Viet Cong").

Vietcong

name

The communist guerrilla movement that fought against the South Vietnamese government and its allies during the Vietnam War.

Vietnam

name

A country in Southeast Asia, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with its capital at Hanoi.

Vietnamese

adj

Of or relating to Vietnam, its people, culture, or language.

view

noun

What can be seen from a particular place, especially scenery.

viewed

adj

Looked at, watched, or regarded in a particular way (usually as part of a longer phrase).

viewer

noun

A person who watches something, especially television, a video, or a spectacle.

viewership

noun

The proportion of people who watch a particular television programme or video broadcast.

viewfinder

noun

A part of a camera that lets you see what the lens is pointing at, helping you frame, zoom and focus your shot.

viewing

noun

An occasion of looking at or watching something, such as a house, artwork, or program.

viewless

adj

Not having a view, especially of scenery.

viewpoint

noun

A person's particular way of thinking about a subject; an opinion or perspective.

vig

noun

Slang for the commission or interest charged by a bookmaker or moneylender.

vigenary

adj

Synonym of vicenary, of, pertaining to, or based on the number twenty.

vigil

noun

A period of staying awake, often at night, to watch, pray, or keep guard.

vigilance

noun

Careful and continuous attention, especially to spot possible danger or trouble.

vigilant

adj

Watchful and alert, especially for danger, trouble, or wrongdoing.

vigilante

noun

A person who takes it upon themselves to punish wrongdoing or enforce justice without legal authority.

vigilation

noun

The state of staying awake and keeping careful watch, especially at night.

vigilous

adj

Connected with watching or observing carefully.

Vigo

name

A city and port in northwestern Spain, and a masculine given name.

vigor

noun

Physical strength, energy and good health.

vigorous

adj

Full of physical energy and strength.

vigorously

adv

In a strong, energetic, or forceful manner.

vigour

noun

Physical or mental strength and energy; the capacity for vigorous effort.

Vijay

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "victory."

Vik

name

A short given name or nickname, often a diminutive of names such as Vikram or Viktor.

vika

noun

A large tree-dwelling rat species native to the Solomon Islands, discovered and named in the 2010s.

Viking

noun

A Scandinavian seafarer of the 8th to 11th centuries, especially one who raided or traded across Europe.

vikki

name

A diminutive of the female given name Victoria, variant of Vicky, also used as a formal given name.

Vikram

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "valor" or "prowess."

Viktor

name

A variant spelling of Victor, a masculine given name meaning "conqueror," common in Slavic and Central European languages.

vila

noun

A female nature spirit in Slavic folklore, often associated with forests or water and compared to a fairy or nymph.

vile

adj

Morally disgusting or contemptible.

vilification

noun

Defamation that is slanderous or malicious; an attack that destroys someone's reputation.

vilify

verb

To make slanderous remarks about someone or something; to criticise harshly.

vilipend

verb

To regard someone or something as unimportant or worthless.

villa

noun

A large, comfortable house in the countryside or by the coast, often used as a holiday home.

village

noun

A small community of houses, smaller than a town, typically in a rural area.

villager

noun

Someone who lives in, or comes from, a village.

villain

noun

A wicked or evil character, especially the main antagonist in a story, film, or drama.

villainhood

noun

The condition or role of being a villain.

villainize

verb

To portray someone as a bad or evil person.

villainly

adj

Typical of a villain; wicked.

villainous

adj

Wicked, evil, or characteristic of a villain.

villainousness

noun

Wicked or evil behaviour, typical of a villain.

villainy

noun

Wicked or evil behaviour; a wicked act.

Villanueva

name

A Spanish surname meaning "new town."

ville

noun

A town, used informally, sometimes as a suffix or nickname attached to a place name.

villeinage

noun

The condition of being a peasant tied to serve a lord under the feudal system.

Villeneuve

name

A French surname meaning "new town," also borne by the film director Denis Villeneuve.

Villette

name

A French place name and surname meaning "little town," also the title of a novel by Charlotte Brontë.

Villiers

name

An English surname of Norman French origin, historically borne by an aristocratic family.

vim

noun

Energy and enthusiasm.

Vin

name

A short masculine given name, often a diminutive of Vincent or Calvin.

vinaceous

adj

Containing or made with wine.

vinaigrette

noun

A dressing made from an acidic liquid, for example vinegar or lemon juice, together with oil and other ingredients, used to dress salads or to marinate cold meat.

Vinay

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "humility" or "discipline."

Vince

name

A masculine given name, a short form of Vincent.

Vincent

name

A male first name of Latin origin.

Vincenzo

name

An Italian masculine given name equivalent to Vincent, meaning "conquering."