| I | meaning the person speaking or writing. |
| I, i | the ninth letter of the alphabet. |
| I’ll | I will. |
| I’m | I am. |
| I’ve | a shortened form of I have. |
| Iamatology | study of remedies (see list of branches of science) |
| iamb | Collective noun for poets (An iamb of poets) (see list of collective nouns) |
| Iatrology | study of medicine, treatise or text on medical topics (see list of branches of science) |
| Iatrophobia | fear of going to the doctor or of doctors (see list of phobias) |
| ice | 1 frozen water (take some ice from the freezer for the drinks). vb 1 to cool in ice. 2 to cover with icing. |
| Ice Age | a time when large amounts of ice and glaciers cover many areas of the earth. |
| ice cap | a dome-shaped mass of ice that spreads slowly outward from the center. |
| ice cream | 1 cream or a mixture of creamy substances flavored, sweetened, and frozen (a store selling ice cream). 2 a portion of ice cream (buy two ice creams). |
| ice fishing | fishing on a frozen lake or stream through a hole in the ice. |
| ice floe | a large sheet of floating ice. |
| ice pack | ice collected and put into a bag or container of some kind, used to cool things down (put the ice pack in the cooler for the picnic/put an ice pack on her knee to reduce the swelling). |
| ice pick | a sharp, pointed metal tool used to chip ice pieces away from a larger block of ice. |
| ice skate | footwear with a blade on the bottom, used for skating on the ice. |
| iceboat | a light boat-like frame set on runners and designed to be ridden on ice by wind going through a sail. |
| icebox | a cabinet, box, or room with ice in it for keeping things cold. |
| icebreaker | a ship designed for cutting its way through ice. |
| Ichnology | study of fossilized footprints (see list of branches of science) |
| Ichthyology | study of fish (see list of branches of science) |
| Ichthyophobia | fear of fish (see list of phobias) |
| ichthyosaur | a huge fish-like prehistoric reptile. |
| icicle | a long, hanging, pointed piece of ice formed by the freezing of falling water (icicles hanging from the roof). |
| icily | in an icy manner, very coldly. |
| icing | a mixture of sugar and liquid, used to cover cakes (cover the cake with chocolate icing). Also frosting. |
| icon | 1 a religious picture or statue, an image. 2 a famous person or thing that many people admire and regard as a symbol of a way of life or set of beliefs. 3 a small symbol on a computer screen that represents a program or file (click on that icon using the mouse). adj iconic |
| Iconography | study of drawing symbols (see list of branches of science) |
| Iconology | study of icons; symbols (see list of branches of science) |
| icy | 1 very cold (icy weather). 2 covered with ice (icy roads). 3 unfriendly (an icy stare). |
| ID | abbreviation for identification (sense 2). |
| idea | 1 a plan, thought, or suggestion (I have an idea for a book). 2 a picture in the mind (an idea of the house that they are looking for). 3 an opinion or belief (political ideas). |
| ideal | 1 a perfect example (her ideal of what a husband should be). 2 high principles or perfect standards, a person’s standard of behavior, etc (a person of high ideals). adj 1 perfect (an ideal wife eye-dee-lee/. |
| idealism | the desire to achieve perfection, the state of having high principles or perfect standards (he is full of idealism about marriage). n idealist adj idealistic |
| idealize | also idealise (British spelling) to think of as perfect or better than reality (he gives an idealized account of life at the beginning of the century). |
| identical | 1 the very same (this is the identical car that was here yesterday). 2 the same, exactly alike (they were wearing identical dresses). |
| identification | 1 act of recognizing (identification of the mysterious gentleman was difficult). 2 something that is proof of or a sign of identity, often abbreviated to ID (you require identification to get into the club). 3 the feeling that one shares ideas, feelings, etc, with another person (her identification with the unhappy woman whom she was reading about). |
| identify | 1 to think of as being the same (she identifies wealth with happiness). 2 to recognize as being a certain person or thing (she had to identify her attacker in a line-up). 3 to discover or recognize (identified the cause of the problem). |
| identity | 1 (formal) the state of being the same. 2 who a person is (have to prove her identity). |
| Ideogeny | study of origins of ideas (see list of branches of science) |
| Ideology | study of ideas (see list of branches of science) |
| ideology | 1 the study of the nature and origin of ideas. 2 a system of ideas (political ideologies). |
| Ideophobia | fear of ideas (see list of phobias) |
| idiocy | 1 the state of being an idiot. 2 a foolish action (the idiocies committed by fast drivers in the fog). |
| idiom | 1 the language or dialect of a certain group of people (the idiom of American English). 2 a group of words that together have an unexpected meaning different from the exact sense (the expression “white elephant” is an idiom for an object that is of value to someone other than the owner). |
| Idiomology | study of idiom, jargon or dialect (see list of branches of science) |
| Idiopsychology | study of the psychology of one's own mind (see list of branches of science) |
| idiosyncrasy | an odd way of behaving (it is one of her idiosyncrasies to talk to herself). adj idiosyncratic (an idiosyncratic habit of putting salt on pudding). |
| idiot | 1 (old or fml) a person with very low intelligence. 2 a foolish or stupid person (he was an idiot to drive without a license). adj idiotic adv idiotically |
| idle | 1 doing nothing, not working, not in use (workers forced to be idle for lack of work eye-dul-ness eyed-ler eyed-lee/. |
| idol | 1 a statue or other object that is worshipped. 2 a person regarded with too much love and respect (he made an idol out of his father). |
| idolize, idolise | to love or admire very greatly (he idolizes his wife although she is not very pleasant). |
| idyll | a poem about simple country life (an idyll about a shepherd and his sweetheart). |
| idyllic | 1 perfectly happy, pleasant (an idyllic marriage). 2 charming, picturesque (they found a cottage in an idyllic setting). |
| if | on condition that, in case, supposing (if I were you). |
| igloo | a house or hut, usually dome-shaped, made of blocks of frozen snow. |
| igneous | (of rocks) formed from lava from a volcano. |
| ignite | 1 to set fire to (drop a match and ignite the gasoline). 2 to catch fire (the gasoline leaking from the car ignited). |
| ignition | 1 act of setting fire to. 2 the part of a motor engine that sets fire to the fuel that drives the engine (turn the key in the ignition). |
| ignoble | 1 (formal) mean, dishonorable (an ignoble action). 2 (old) of low birth. |
| ignoramus | a person with little or no knowledge (she’s an ignoramus about cooking). |
| ignorance | 1 want of knowledge (his ignorance of mathematics). 2 lack of awareness or knowledge (his ignorance of what they were really doing). |
| ignorant | 1 having little or no knowledge (ignorant about financial matters). 2 unaware of (he was ignorant of the true facts). |
| ignore | to take no notice of, to refuse to pay attention to (she completely ignored her old friend ignoring his advice). |
| iguana | any of a large family of lizards with spines along its back and that eats vegetation or insects. |
| ihram | 1 a costume worn by Muslims when traveling to Mecca consisting of one piece of white cotton around the waist and hips and another over the shoulder. 2 the rules that have to be followed when dressed in this way. |
| ill | 1 sick (ill patients). 2 bad (ill health). 3 evil, harmful (ill luck). n 1 evil, harm (wish him ill). 2 trouble (all the ills of the world). adv badly (treat him ill). |
| ill will | unfriendly feeling, hate, dislike. |
| illegal | against the law. n illegality |
| illegible | that cannot be read, badly written (illegible handwriting). |
| illegitimate | born of unmarried parents (his illegitimate daughter). n illegitimacy |
| illicit | unlawful, against the law (the illicit trade in drugs). |
| Illinois | a member of a group of native American people who lived in northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and parts of Iowa and Missouri, the language spoken by these people. |
| illiterate | 1 unable to read or write (illiterate people seeking help with reading lessons). 2 uneducated (an illiterate note). n illiteracy |
| illness | sickness, the state of being unwell (off work because of illness/childhood illnesses). |
| illogical | 1 not using reasoning, not reasonable (illogical people). 2 against the rules of reasoning (his action was completely illogical). n illogic the state of being illogical. |
| illuminate | 1 (old) to light up (strings of little lights illuminating the garden). 2 (of books, etc) to decorate with bright colors (early illuminated manuscripts prepared by monks). 3 to explain, to make clear (please illuminate a few points in the legal agreement). |
| illumination | (formal) 1 a lighting up. 2 decorative lights (the town’s Christmas illuminations). 3 a picture or decoration painted on a page of a book (illuminations on early manuscripts). 4 explanation, clarification (a few points in need of illumination). |
| illusion | 1 a deception, an unreal image or appearance (an optical illusion). 2 a wrong belief, a false idea (she had illusions that she was very beautiful). adj illusory |
| illusion | Collective noun for magicians (An illusion of magicians) (see list of collective nouns) |
| illusion | Collective noun for painters (An illusion of painters) (see list of collective nouns) |
| illusionist | a person who performs tricks that deceive the eye; a magician. |
| illusive | unreal. |
| illustrate | 1 to make clear by examples (illustrating the movement of traffic by a diagram). 2 to provide pictures for a book or magazine (she illustrates children’s books). |
| illustration | 1 an example that makes something easier to understand or demonstrates something (an illustration of his meanness). 2 a picture in a book or magazine (color illustrations). |
| illustrative | helping to explain (illustrative examples). |
| illustrious | (formal) famous. |
| Illyngophobia | fear of vertigo or feeling dizzy when looking down (see list of phobias) |
| image | 1 a likeness, form (an image in the mirror). 2 a likeness or copy of a person, etc, made of stone, wood, etc (images of famous people). 3 a statue or picture that is worshipped. 4 a picture formed of an object in front of a mirror or lens. 5 a picture in the mind (have an image of what life would be like in ten years). 6 the impression that a person or organization gives to the public (We must improve the firm’s image). |
| imagery | figures of speech, words chosen because they call up striking pictures in the mind (the poet’s use of imagery). |
| imaginable | that can be imagined. |
| imaginary | existing in the mind only, not real (a child with an imaginary friend). |
| imagination | 1 the power of inventing stories, persons, etc; creative ability (require a lot of imagination to write for children/a play showing a great deal of imagination). 2 the power of forming pictures in the mind (able to see it all in her imagination). 3 the seeing or hearing of things that do not exist (she said that she heard noises in the night but it was just her imagination). |
| imaginative | 1 having a good imagination (an imaginative person). 2 demonstrating imagination (an imaginative production of the play/imaginative designs). |
| imagine | 1 to form a picture in the mind (I can imagine her reaction). 2 to form ideas of things that do not exist or of events that have not happened (she imagined that she met an alien). 3 to suppose (I imagine that he will arrive on time). |
| imam | the leader of prayer in a Muslim mosque; any of various Muslim leaders. |
| imbalance | lack of balance. |
| imbecile | 1 (formal) a weak-minded person. 2 a fool, an idiot. n imbecility |
| imitate | to copy; to try to be, behave, or look the same as (imitating his voice i-mi-tay-tor/. |
| imitation | 1 act of imitating. 2 a copy (not the original painting but an imitation). |
| imitative | 1 done as a copy (an imitative piece of work). 2 fond of copying (an imitative poet). |
| immaculate | 1 (old) pure. 2 spotless, perfectly clean (immaculate white shorts). 3 perfect (an immaculate performance). |
| immaterial | 1 not consisting of matter, spiritual. 2 unimportant (it is immaterial how you get here as long as you do). |
| immature | 1 unripe. 2 not fully grown. 3 lacking experience and wisdom. n immaturity |
| immeasurable | huge, that cannot be measured, vast (immeasurable damage). |
| immediate | 1 happening at once (an immediate improvement). 2 direct, without anyone or anything coming between (her immediate successor). 3 near, close (her immediate surroundings). n immediacy the quality or condition of being immediate. |
| immediately | 1 at once (you must reply immediately). 2 closely (houses immediately next to the station). |
| immense | huge (an immense improvement i-men-si-tee/. |
| immerse | 1 to put into water (immersing the vegetables in boiling water). 2 to give a person’s whole attention to (immersed in his work). n immersion |
| immersion | Collective noun for Baptists (An immersion of Baptists) (see list of collective nouns) |
| immigrant | a person who immigrates, or moves to another country (immigrants came to America to start a new life). adj of or relating to immigrants. |
| immigrate | (formal) to enter and settle in a new country. n immigration |
| imminent | just about to happen, near in time (in imminent danger). n imminence |
| immobile | not moving, unable to move (lying there immobile as if dead i-mo-bi-li-tee i-mo-bi-lize/, also immobilise (British spelling) |
| immoderate | more than is proper, uncontrolled (immoderate spending). |
| immodest | (formal) 1 shameless, indecent (the immodest behavior of the young people i-mod-es-tee/. |
| immoral | wrong, evil, wicked (immoral actions i-maw-ra-li-tee/. |
| immoralist | an immoral person. |
| immortal | 1 living or lasting forever. 2 famous for all time (Shakespeare is immortal). |
| immortality | 1 everlasting life. 2 undying fame (the undoubted immortality of Shakespeare). |
| immortalize | also immortalise (British spelling) 1 to make immortal. 2 to make famous for all time (she was immortalized in a poem by her lover). |
| immovable | 1 not able to be moved (immovable objects). 2 not changing easily (immovable opinions). |
| immune | 1 free from, specially protected from (immune from taxation). 2 not to be infected by (immune from chicken pox because she has had it already). n immunity |
| immune system` | the system that protects the body from disease. |
| immunize | also immunise (British spelling) to inject disease germs into the blood stream to cause a mild attack of an illness and so make the person immune to it (immunizing the children against measles). |
| Immunogenetics | study of genetic characteristics of immunity (see list of branches of science) |
| Immunology | study of immunity (see list of branches of science) |
| immunology | the study of the immune system. |
| Immunopathology | study of immunity to disease (see list of branches of science) |
| imp | 1 in fairy tales, an evil spirit, a devil’s child. 2 a mischievous child (the little imp stole an apple). |
| impact | 1 the force with which one thing strikes another (thrown out of the car by the impact of it hitting the wall). 2 a collision (the car was wrecked on impact with the wall). 3 a strong effect or impression (the impact on the audience of the politician’s speech). |
| impair | to make worse, to weaken (his vision is impaired). |
| impale | to fix upon something sharp, to pierce (he fell out of the window and was impaled on the railings below). |
| impart | (formal) 1 to tell (impart new information). 2 to give or share (impart courage to his troops). |
| impartial | fair, just, not taking sides (an impartial judgment). |
| impartiality | fairness, treating all parties or persons in the same way. |
| impassive | 1 not showing strong feeling, not feeling pain (a totally impassive expression). 2 calm, unexcited (he remained impassive as the judge passed sentence). |
| impatience | Collective noun for wives (An impatience of wives) (see list of collective nouns) |
| impatient | not willing to wait, easily angered by delay (a very impatient person im-pay-shense/. |
| impeach | 1 to charge with a crime. 2 to charge an important person with a crime (politicians impeached for accepting bribes). 3 (formal) to raise doubts about (impeach the character of the manager). n impeachment |
| impeccable | faultless (his behavior was impeccable). |
| imperative | 1 commanding. 2 necessary, urgent (it is imperative that we get more supplies). |
| imperfect | having faults, not perfect (goods that are slightly imperfect). n imperfection |
| imperial | 1 having to do with an empire or emperor (Great Britain’s former imperial power). 2 of a country that has control over other countries or colonies. 3 of or belonging to the British Imperial System of weights and measures. |
| impersonal | 1 not influenced by personal feelings (an impersonal account of the situation im-per-sna-lize/, also impersonalise (British spelling) |
| impersonate | to pretend to be someone else (she impersonated her older sister to get into the club). |
| impertinent | not showing proper manners, purposely disrespectful (punish the impertinent children). n impertinence |
| impetuous | acting without thinking first; rash, hasty (an impetuous young woman im-pe-che-wos-i-tee/. |
| impish | mischievous (an impish sense of humor). |
| implant | 1 to place in. 2 to fix firmly an idea or feeling in someone’s mind (the teacher implanted the idea of justice in his pupils’ minds). |
| implement | a tool, an instrument (garden implements). vb implement to put into practice (implement an agreement). |
| implicate | to show that a person is involved or connected with (an affair); to mix up in (when he was arrested his statement implicated two of his friends). |
| implication | something hinted at but not said openly (by implication he was accusing her of lying). |
| implicit | 1 understood but not said (his implicit criticism). 2 unquestioning, without doubts (implicit faith). |
| implode | to burst or collapse inward. n implosion |
| implore | to ask earnestly, to beg (imploring him to forgive her). |
| imply | to suggest something without saying it openly, to hint (he implied that she was lying). |
| impolite | (formal) rude, ill-mannered (impolite table manners). |
| import | to bring in goods from abroad (import silk from China). n import something brought in from abroad. n importer |
| important | 1 deserving great attention (an important book). 2 having results that affect many people (important decisions). 3 having a high position (important people in the land). n importance adv importantly |
| importation | an importing or being imported. |
| impose | 1 to lay on or place (as a duty, tax, etc). 2 to force to accept (imposing his authority on others). impose on to take advantage of, to exploit, to make unfair demands on (they imposed on her by getting her to babysit free of charge). |
| imposing | important looking, stately (an imposing building). |
| imposition | 1 the act of laying on or placing (the imposition of taxes). 2 a tax. 3 an unfair demand (it was an imposition to get him to give her a lift to work every day). |
| imposition | Collective noun for in-laws (An imposition of in-laws) (see list of collective nouns) |
| impossible | not able to be done or achieved (an impossible dream). n impossibility |
| impostor, imposter | a person who pretends to be someone else, a deceiver (they realized he was an impostor when the real policeman turned up). |
| imposture | the act or practice of an impostor; fraud, deception. |
| impotent | lacking power, helpless, weak (impotent against the force of the storm/full of impotent rage). |
| impractical | not practical, not workable or useful. |
| imprecise | not precise, exact, or definite. |
| impregnate | 1 to fill with (water impregnated with salt). 2 to fertilize or make pregnant. |
| impress | 1 to mark by pressing into, to stamp (impress a pattern on the clay pots before firing them). 2 to fix in the mind (try to impress the details in her memory). 3 to stress, to emphasize the importance of (impress the need for them to hurry). adj impressible |
| impression | 1 the mark left by pressing or stamping (the impression of his heel in the mud). 2 the number of copies of a book printed at one time. 3 an effect on the mind or feelings (his appearance creates a bad impression). 4 a not very clear idea or memory (I have a vague impression that she left early). 5 an attempt to copy, in a humorous way, someone else’s voice, behavior, appearance, etc (he does impressions). |
| impression | Collective noun for mockingbirds (An impression of mockingbirds) (see list of collective nouns) |
| impressionable | easily influenced (impressionable people were fooled by him). |
| impressionism | a way of painting created by artists who attempted to represent scenes just as they appeared at a certain moment by using color and brush strokes in a specific way; also used to describe similar attempts in writing and music. |
| impressionist | 1 an artist who practices impressionism. 2 a person who does impressions of people, especially as a form of entertainment. Also adj. |
| impressive | 1 important looking (an impressive building). 2 causing deep feeling, such as admiration (an impressive performance). |
| imprint | 1 to make a mark by pressing or printing. 2 to fix in the memory (her sad expression is imprinted on my memory). n 1 that which is imprinted. 2 a publisher’s name, address, etc, on a book. |
| imprison | to put into prison, to shut in. |
| imprisonment | the act of imprisoning or the state of being imprisoned (the accused is facing imprisonment). |
| improbable | not likely to happen or to be true (an improbable ending to the story). n improbability |
| impromptu | not prepared (an impromptu speech). adv without preparation. |
| improper | 1 wrong (accused of improper use of the company’s funds). 2 not suitable, not polite (improper behavior on such a formal occasion). 3 indecent (make improper suggestions to a colleague). |
| improper fraction | a fraction greater than 1, in which the denominator is less than the numerator (e.g. 5/2). |
| impropriety | (formal) incorrect or impolite behavior, the quality of being improper (accused of impropriety in conducting the legal case). |
| improve | to make or become better (do something to improve the situation im-proov-ment/. |
| improvise | 1 to make something from material that is available (improvising a shelter). 2 to make something up at the moment required without preparation (the pianist had no music and so had to improvise). n improvisation |
| imprudent | rash, acting without forethought, unwise (it was imprudent of her to give up her job before she found another one). n imprudence |
| impudent | disrespectful, shameless, saucy (the impudent child stuck her tongue out at the teacher). n impudence |
| impulse | 1 a force causing movement (an electrical impulse). 2 a sudden desire or decision to act at once (she bought the new dress on impulse). |
| impulsive | 1 done without forethought (an impulsive decision to buy an expensive dress). 2 acting without thinking first (an impulsive young man). n impulsiveness |
| impure | 1 dirty, polluted (impure water). 2 mixed with something else (impure drugs). 3 sinful (impure thoughts). n impurity |
| in (preposition) | 1 contained or enclosed by (in the room). 2 wearing, clothed by (dressed in her best). 3 during the course of (done in a day). 4 at or before the end of (return in an hour). 5 being a member of or worker at (in the navy). |
| inability | lack of power, state of being unable (his inability to control his dog). |
| inaccessible | not able to be reached or approached (towns made inaccessible by the storm). |
| inaccurate | 1 not correct (an inaccurate answer to the mathematical problem). 2 not exact (an inaccurate description). n inaccuracy |
| inaction | idleness, lack of action (mayor accused of inaction following the floods). |
| inactive | 1 not taking much exercise (inactive office workers). 2 no longer working or operating (an inactive volcano). 3 not taking an active part (inactive members of the political party). |
| inadequate | 1 not good enough (inadequate attempts). 2 not sufficient (inadequate supplies). n inadequacy |
| inadmissible | not able to be allowed (evidence that is inadmissible in court). |
| inadvertent | 1 without care or attention (inadvertent damage). 2 not on purpose (an inadvertent insult). n inadvertence |
| inadvertently | not purposely (he inadvertently damaged his neighbor’s gate with his car). |
| inadvisable | not wise, not advisable. |
| inane | foolish, silly, lacking sense (make inane remarks). n inanity |
| inanimate | without life (rocks are inanimate objects). |
| inappropriate | not suitable, fitting, or proper (an inappropriate remark/wear inappropriate clothes). |
| inapt | not suitable, not appropriate, not proper (inapt humorous remarks at a serious meeting). |
| inarticulate | 1 not clear (an inarticulate account). 2 unable to express oneself clearly (too inarticulate to give a clear account of the accident). |
| inattentive | not attentive, neglectful, absent minded (inattentive pupils). |
| inaudible | that cannot be heard (inaudible remarks/the speaker was inaudible at the |
| inauspicious | unlucky, being a sign of bad luck to come (an inauspicious beginning). |
| inborn | existing in a person since birth, natural (an inborn ability to play musical instruments). |
| inbound | traveling or going inward. |
| inbounds | of or relating to putting the ball in play from out of bounds in a game of basketball (throw an inbounds pass). |
| inbred | 1 having become part of a person’s nature as a result of early training (her inbred politeness). 2 bred from closely related parents, resulting from inbreeding. |
| inbreed | to breed by mating closely related parents. |
| Inca | a member of a group of peoples in ancient Peru who had a highly developed civilization. |
| incalculable | very great, too many or too much to be counted (incalculable damage). |
| incandescent | white hot or glowing with heat. n incandescence vb incandesce |
| incantation | words sung or spoken as a spell or charm (witches reciting an incantation). |
| incapable | 1 not good at a job. 2 not able, helpless. n incapability |
| incapacitate | to make unfit or unable (incapacitated by his injured leg). |
| incapacity | 1 unfitness. 2 lack of ability. |
| incarcerate | (fml or hum) to imprison (incarcerated in jail). n incarceration |
| incense1 | a mixture of spices burned to give a sweet-smelling smoke. |
| incense2 | to make angry (he was incensed when the boy broke his window). |
| incentive | something for which someone is prepared to work hard, a reason for action (award a prize as an incentive to the pupils). |
| incessant | not stopping, going on all the time (incessant rain/her incessant complaining). |
| incest | 1 sexual actions between persons too closely related to marry legally. 2 sexual abuse of a child by a close relative. adj incestuous |
| inch | in the imperial system, one-twelfth of a foot in length. vb to move a little at a time (try to inch nearer the front of the crowd). |
| incidence | 1 the extent or rate of frequency of something (the incidence of burglaries in the area). 2 the act, fact, or manner of falling on or influencing. |
| incident | 1 a happening, an event (it was a sad incident in his life). 2 an event involving violence or law-breaking (police called to an incident in the house). |
| incidental | 1 happening as a result of something, though not the most important result (an incidental effect of the meeting). 2 accompanying (incidental music to the play). |
| incidentally | by the way (incidentally, it has started to rain). |
| incinerate | to burn to ashes (incinerating the garbage). |
| incinerator | a furnace for burning anything to ashes. |
| incise | to cut into with a sharp tool. adj incised |
| incision | 1 act of cutting. 2 a cut, a deep cut (the incision made by the surgeon). |
| incision | Collective noun for surgeons (An incision of surgeons) (see list of collective nouns) |
| incisive | clear and sharp, to the point (incisive criticism/incisive comments). |
| incisor | a cutting tooth in the front of the mouth. |
| incite | to stir up, to urge on (a speech that incited the crowd to take action). n incitement |
| inclement | (formal) 1 stormy, unpleasant (inclement weather). 2 merciless (an inclement judge). n inclemency |
| inclination | 1 a slope (a slight inclination in the road). 2 a bow (with an inclination of his head). 3 a liking, preference (have an inclination to travel). 4 a tendency (an inclination to think negatively). |
| incline | 1 to slope. 2 to bend (incline the head). 3 to move gradually off the straight way. be inclined to 1 to feel a desire or preference (I am inclined to accept their story). 2 to have a tendency to (he is inclined to be lazy). n a slope. |
| include | to count as a part or member (including them on the invitation list). n inclusion |
| inclusive | including everything mentioned or understood (Monday to Friday inclusive/a price inclusive of postage). |
| incognito | in disguise, under a false name (the prince was traveling incognito so as not to be recognized). f incognita |
| incoherent | 1 having no clear connection between the parts, muddled (an incoherent account of what had happened). 2 not speaking or writing clearly, difficult to follow or understand (she was so upset that she was incoherent). n incoherence |
| income | the money earned or gained (his annual income). |
| income tax | the tax charged on income. |
| incomparable | 1 that cannot be equaled (an incomparable performance). 2 having no equal (an incomparable pianist). |
| incompatible | 1 unable to get along (they loved each other but they were totally incompatible). 2 not in agreement (the statements from the witnesses were incompatible). n incompatibility |
| incompetent | 1 unable to do a job well, unskillful (an incompetent manager). 2 not good enough (an incompetent piece of work). n incompetence , incompetency |
| incomplete | unfinished (the poet’s final work is incomplete). |
| incomprehensible | that cannot be understood (incomprehensible behavior). n incomprehension |
| inconceivable | unable to be imagined (it seemed inconceivable that she could treat her own child so cruelly). |
| inconclusive | not final, not leading to a definite result. |
| inconsiderable | very small, of no importance (an inconsiderable difference). |
| inconsiderate | having no thought for the feeling of others, thoughtless (it is inconsiderate to play loud music late at night). |
| inconsistent | 1 not agreeing with what was said or done before or elsewhere (the judge’s decision is inconsistent with the one he made last week). 2 changeable, erratic (her work is extremely inconsistent). 3 contradictory (sending his children to private school is inconsistent with his political views). n inconsistency |
| inconsolable | not able to be comforted; broken-hearted (the young widow was inconsolable). |
| inconspicuous | not easily seen (try to make herself inconspicuous in the crowd by wearing dark clothes). |
| inconstant | 1 often changing. 2 not always behaving in the same way. n inconstancy |
| incontinent | unable to control the bladder and in-con-ti-nense/. |
| inconvenience | trouble, annoyance (apologize for any inconvenience caused by his absence). vb (formal) to cause trouble or difficulty (visitors who inconvenienced them by staying too late). |
| inconvenient | causing trouble, unsuitable (come at an inconvenient time). |
| incorporate | 1 to bring together in one (incorporating the smaller firm in the international company). 2 to make to form a part of, to include (incorporate their suggestions in his report). n incorporation |
| incorrect | 1 wrong (incorrect answers). 2 not according to accepted standards (incorrect behavior). |
| increase | to make or become greater in size or number (the number of club members has increased in-creess an increase in temperature). |
| incredibility | Collective noun for cuckolds (An incredibility of cuckolds) (see list of collective nouns) |
| incredible | 1 unbelievable, hard to believe (I find his story completely incredible). 2 amazing, wonderful (it was an incredible performance). n incredibility |
| incredulous | not willing to believe, unbelieving (she gave him an incredulous look). n incredulity |
| increment | an increase in money or value, often in salary (receive an annual increment). |
| incriminate | to show that a person has taken part in a crime (the accused tried to incriminate several other people in the bank robbery). |
| incubate | 1 to sit on eggs, to keep eggs warm until the young come out of them. 2 (of eggs) to be kept warm until the young birds come out. 3 (of a disease or infection) to develop until signs of disease appear. 4 to be holding in the body an infection that is going to develop into a disease (she must have been incubating chickenpox). |
| incubation | 1 act of incubating. 2 the time between the catching of a disease and the showing of symptoms (the incubation period of measles). |
| incubator | 1 an apparatus for hatching eggs. 2 an apparatus for keeping alive premature babies. |
| incurable | that cannot be cured (incurable diseases). |
| indebted | owing thanks, owing something to someone or something (indebted to them for their help). n indebtedness |
| indecent | 1 not decent, morally offensive, improper (indecent remarks). 2 not suitable, not in good taste (marry in indecent haste after her husband’s death). n indecency |
| indecision | doubt, hesitation, inability to make up the mind (full of indecision about whether to change jobs). |
| indecisive | 1 uncertain, having difficulty in making decisions (too indecisive to make up her mind and stick to the decision). 2 settling nothing (an indecisive verdict). |
| indeed | truly (yes indeed, he will be there). |
| indefensible | that cannot or should not be defended (his attitude toward her is indefensible). |
| indefinable | that cannot be clearly described or explained (an indefinable difference). |
| indefinite | 1 not fixed or exact, without clearly marked outlines or limits (guests staying for an indefinite time). 2 not clear, not precise, vague (give indefinite replies). |
| indelicate | 1 slightly indecent, improper (indelicate language for a lady). 2 lacking in tact (an indelicate question). n indelicacy |
| indent | 1 to make a notch or zigzag in (a coastline indented by the sea). 2 to begin a line of text in from the margin, e.g. at the beginning of a paragraph. 3 to order goods in writing. n an order for goods. |
| indentation | 1 a notch or piece cut out of a straight edge (the indentations in the coastline). 2 the starting of a line of text in from the margin. |
| independence | freedom to act or think as one likes, freedom (a colony that gained independence several hundred years ago). |
| independent | 1 thinking and acting for oneself (too independent to let others tell her what to do). 2 free from control by others (independent countries). 3 having enough money to live without working or being helped by others (financially independent/a woman of independent means). |
| in-depth | carefully worked out, thorough. |
| indescribable | that cannot be described (indescribable cruelty). |
| indestructible | that cannot be destroyed (indestructible courage). |
| indeterminable , indeterminate | not fixed, uncertain (indeterminate plans). |
| index | (pl indexes or indices ) 1 the pointer on the dial or scale of an instrument. 2 something that indicates or points to (the results of the opinion poll are an index to public opinion). 3 an alphabetical list of names, subjects, etc, at the end of a book (consult the index to see on what page the battle is mentioned). |
| indicate | 1 to point out, to show (arrows indicating the way to the X-ray department). 2 to be a sign of (her attitude indicates an unwillingness to go). 3 to show to be necessary or desirable (drastic action is indicated). |
| indication | a sign (she gave no indication that she intended to leave). |
| indicative | showing, being a sign of (a rash indicative of measles). |
| indicator | 1 a needle or pointer on a machine that indicates something or gives information about something (the indicator on the gasoline gage). 2 one of the lights on a car, truck, etc, that flashes to show which way the car is turning (her indicator was flashing left but she turned right). |
| indifference | lack of interest (he showed great indifference to their plight). |
| indifferent | 1 taking no interest, not caring (indifferent to the suffering of others/indifferent to whether he goes or stays). 2 neither good nor bad (rather an indifferent musical performance). |
| indigenous | born or growing naturally in a country (plants indigenous to America in-di-jeen/. |
| indigestible | not easily digested (food that he finds indigestible). |
| indigestion | illness or pain caused by failure to dissolve food properly in the stomach (certain foods give her indigestion). adj indigestive |
| indignant | angry, annoyed by what is unjust (she was indignant at the way she had been treated by the sales assistant in-dig-nay-shun/. |
| indignity | treatment that makes a person feel shame or loss of respect (suffer the indignity of being taken to the police station for questioning). |
| indigo | a blue dye obtained from certain plants. adj deep blue. |
| indirect | 1 not leading straight to the destination, roundabout (take an indirect route home). 2 not direct, not straightforward, not frank (give indirect answers to the questions). 3 not intended, not directly aimed at (an indirect result of the meeting). n indirection |
| indiscreet | 1 unwise, thoughtless. 2 done or said without thought of results. |
| indiscretion | 1 thoughtless behavior. 2 an act done without thought of its results. 3 lack of good judgment. |
| indiscriminate | taking no notice of differences, choosing without care (indiscriminate in their choice of books in-di-scri-mi-nay-shun/. |
| indispensable | that cannot be done without; absolutely necessary (no one is really indispensable). |
| indisputable | that cannot be denied or contradicted (his indisputable right to vote as he pleases). |
| indistinct | not seen or heard clearly, faint (her voice on the telephone was indistinct). |
| indistinguishable | that cannot be made out as being different or separate (the twins were indistinguishable from each other). |
| individual | 1 single (label each individual item). 2 intended for, used by, etc, one person only (individual attention). 3 special to one person (a very individual style of painting). n 1 a single person (the rights of the individual). 2 (informal) a person (a strange individual). |
| individualism | 1 the belief that the rights of the single person are more important than those of society. 2 the belief that the state exists for the individual and not the individual for the state. 3 a person’s individual character. |
| individualist | a person who believes in doing things in his or her own way (an individualist who disregards fashion). |
| individuality | a person’s own character and qualities (express her individuality in her style of dress). |
| individualize | also individualise (British spelling) to mark as different from other persons or things, to suit the taste, requirements, etc, of a particular individual. |
| individually | separately, one by one (they went individually to see the principal). |
| indivisible | that cannot be divided (an indivisible number). |
| indoctrinate | 1 to instruct in a belief (indoctrinating children with the idea that qualifications are important). 2 to bring to accept a system of belief unquestioningly (indoctrinating children with his own political ideas). |
| indoor | done in a house or building (an indoor sport). |
| indoors | within doors, inside a house (hold the party indoors). |
| inducement | something that leads a person to try to do something, an attractive reason for doing something (offer her the inducement of a company car to get her to stay). |
| indulge | 1 to take pleasure in something, without trying to control oneself (indulging in too much rich food). 2 to give in to the wishes of (indulge her child too much/indulge herself by going on a shopping trip). |
| indulgence | 1 act of indulging. 2 in the R C Church, a release from the punishment that is due to sinners. |
| indulgent | kindly, easygoing, ready to give in to the wishes of others (parents who are too indulgent). |
| industrial | having to do with the manufacturing of goods (an industrial, rather than an agricultural, country). |
| Industrial Revolution | the change in social and economic organization, resulting from replacing hand tools with machine and power tools, and the development of mass production, beginning in England about 1760 and spreading to other countries. |
| industrialism | social and economic organization featuring large industries, machine production, concentration of workers in cities, etc. |
| industrious | hard-working, busy, skillful, clever (industrious children studying for their exams). |
| industry | 1 (formal) the ability to work hard (he owes his success to industry as well as ability). 2 in trade or commerce, the work that is done to make goods ready for selling; the manufacturing and selling of goods (workers involved in industry rather than agriculture). |
| inedible | that should not or cannot be eaten (salty food that was totally inedible). |
| ineffective | useless, having no effect (ineffective methods i-ne-fec-tiv-ness/. |
| ineffectual | 1 not having the desired effect (ineffectual remedies). 2 powerless, not able to get things done (ineffectual people). |
| inefficient | 1 not good at a job, unable to do the job required (sack the inefficient workers). 2 not producing results in the best, quickest, and i-ni-fi-shen-see/. |
| inept | 1 clumsy, awkward (an inept attempt at making a dress). 2 foolishly unsuitable (embarrass them by her inept remarks). |
| ineptitude | 1 clumsiness, awkwardness. 2 foolish unsuitability. |
| inequality | lack of equality, unevenness (inequalities in the law). |
| inert | 1 without the power to move (lying inert on the bed as if dead). 2 not wanting to take action, not taking action (she remained inert as though she could not think of what to do). 3 not acting chemically when combined with other substances (inert gases). |
| inertia | 1 unwillingness or inability to move (feelings of inertia caused by the heat). 2 the inability of matter to set itself in motion or to stop moving. |
| inescapable | that cannot be avoided. |
| inevitable | certain to happen (defeat seemed inevitable). n inevitability |
| inexact | not quite correct (an inexact science i-nig-zac-ti-chood/. |
| inexcusable | that cannot be forgiven or pardoned (inexcusable behavior). |
| inexpensive | cheap, not expensive (inexpensive presents for Christmas stockings). |
| inexperience | lack of skill or practice (the accident was caused by the driver’s inexperience). adj inexperienced |
| inexplicable | that cannot be explained, understood, or accounted for (inexplicable delays). |
| infallible | 1 unable to make a mistake (supposedly infallible judges). 2 that cannot fail (supposedly infallible methods). n infallibility |
| infamous | having a bad reputation, famous for something bad or wicked (infamous criminals). n infamy the quality of being infamous, an infamous act. |
| infancy | 1 babyhood (she died in infancy). 2 the early stages of anything (the computer industry was in its infancy then). |
| infant | a very young child, a baby. |
| infantile | 1 childish (the infantile behavior of the two men). 2 having to do with infants (infantile diseases). |
| infantry | foot soldiers. |
| infatuate | 1 to make foolish. 2 to inspire with foolish love or affection. |
| infatuated | loving foolishly or unreasonably (the young girl is infatuated with a much older man). n infatuation |
| infect | 1 to pass on a disease to another (the hotel worker infected others with the illness). 2 to make impure by spreading disease into it (food that is infected). 3 to pass on or spread (infect others with his love of life). |
| infection | the passing on or spreading of disease, or anything harmful. |
| infectious | that can be passed on to others (infectious diseases/infectious laughter). |
| infer | (inferred , inferring ) 1 to work out an idea from the facts known (what can we infer from the evidence given). 2 (informal) to suggest by hints. |
| inference | an idea or conclusion worked out from the known facts. |
| inferior | 1 of lesser value or importance (people of inferior qualifications were promoted before her). 2 of bad quality (inferior goods). n a person lower in rank (he is her inferior in the company’s staff structure). |
| infertile | not fertile, barren. |
| infest | to be present in very large numbers in (a building infested with mice). |
| infiltrate | 1 to pass through, a few at a time (soldiers infiltrating enemy lines). 2 to enter and secretly, gradually become part of, usually with an unfriendly purpose (enemy spies infiltrated the government department). n infiltration |
| infinite | 1 having neither beginning nor end, limitless (infinite space). 2 (informal) very great (with infinite patience). |
| infinitive | the form of a verb that expresses action without referring to a person, number, or tense (e.g. to go, to live, to see). |
| infinity | 1 space, time, or quantity that is without limit or is immeasurably great or small (the grassy plains seemed to stretch into infinity). 2 an indefinitely large number, quantity, or distance. |
| infirm | weak, sickly (infirm old people unable to live alone). |
| infirmary | a hospital. |
| infirmity | illness, weakness (old people suffering from a range of infirmities). |
| inflammable | 1 easily set on fire (children’s nightwear should not be made of inflammable material). 2 excitable. |
| inflammation | a swelling on part of the body, accompanied by heat and pain (inflammation of the tonsils). |
| inflammatory | causing excitement or anger (an inflammatory speech). |
| inflate | 1 to puff up (her success inflated her sense of her own importance). 2 to make to swell by filling with air or gas (inflate the tire in-flat-ta-bul/. |
| inflation | 1 act of inflating. 2 a situation in a country’s economy where prices and wages keep forcing each other to increase. adj inflationary |
| inflexible | 1 that cannot be bent; stiff and firm (inflexible materials). 2 not easily changed (inflexible attitudes). 3 not giving in (we tried to persuade her to change her mind but she was inflexible). n inflexibility |
| inflict | to force something unpleasant or unwanted on someone (inflict pain on his parents/inflict a heavy burden on them). |
| infliction | 1 the act of inflicting. 2 punishment. |
| in-flight | done, occurring, shown, etc, while an aircraft is in flight (the in-flight movie was very boring). |
| influence | 1 the ability to affect other people or the course of events (his childhood unhappiness had an influence on his way of thinking). 2 the power to make requests to those in authority (he has some influence with the local authorities). vb to have an effect on (she tried not to influence the decision). |
| influential | having power, important (influential people in the community). |
| influenza | a type of infectious illness, usually causing headache, fever, cold symptoms, etc. abbreviation flu (she was ill with flu for over a week). |
| infomercial | a long television commercial to introduce a product and tell, show, etc what it is capable of. |
| inform | 1 to tell, to give information (inform her of the changes/inform him that she was leaving). 2 to teach, to give knowledge to. 3 to tell facts to the police or authorities about a criminal, etc (he informed against his fellow thieves). |
| informal | 1 without ceremony (an informal dance). 2 not bound by rules or accepted ways of behaving (an informal agreement). 3 suitable for ordinary everyday situations (informal clothes in-fawr-ma-li-tee/. |
| information | facts told; knowledge in the form of facts, news, etc (receive information about new products). |
| information technology | the use of computers and other electronic equipment to produce, store, and communicate information. |
| informative | giving news or facts (an informative television documentary). |
| informer | someone who gives away the plans of others (a police informer). |
| infrequent | not happening often. n infrequency |
| infuriate | to madden, to make very angry (she was infuriated by his superior attitude toward women). |
| infuse | 1 to put into (infuse some enthusiasm into the class). 2 to steep in hot liquid (as in making tea) (infusing chamomile flowers to make a herbal tea). |
| infusion | 1 act of infusing. 2 a liquid given taste or color by something steeped in it (an infusion of chamomile flowers). |
| ingenious | 1 having good or new ideas, inventive (ingenious at thinking of ways to keep the children entertained). 2 cleverly thought out (an ingenious plan). |
| ingenuity | 1 cleverness, inventiveness (the ingenuity of the plan). 2 the ability to invent; cleverness (she used her ingenuity to make a meal from very few ingredients). |
| ingot | a bar or block of metal, especially gold or silver, got from a mold. |
| ingrained | fixed firmly in (an ingrained sense of duty in-grain/. |
| ingratitude | Collective noun for children (An ingratitude of children) (see list of collective nouns) |
| ingredient | one of the things in a mixture (the ingredients for a cake/the ingredients for a happy life). |
| ingrown | grown within, inward, or into, especially grown into the flesh (an ingrown hair). n ingrowth |
| inhabit | to live in (an area mainly inhabited by retired people). |
| inhabitable | that can be lived in (houses that are inhabitable). |
| inhabitant | a person who lives in a certain place (the older inhabitants of the town). |
| inhabited | having inhabitants, lived in, occupied. |
| inhalation | 1 act of breathing in (the inhalation of car exhaust fumes). 2 something that is breathed in (prepare an inhalation to try to cure her cold). |
| inhale | to breathe in (inhaling the smoke from other people’s cigarettes is not good for your health). |
| inhaler | a device for giving medicine in the form of a vapor by inhalation. |
| inherit | 1 to receive something from another at his or her death (inherited his father’s estate). 2 to receive certain qualities through the parents (inherit his mother’s good looks). n inheritor |
| inheritance | that which is inherited (he has spent most of his inheritance already). |
| inhibit | 1 to prevent or hinder, to hold back from doing (a tight skirt that inhibited walking in-hi-bi-tor/. |
| inhibited | unable to relax and express feelings in an open and natural way (too inhibited to speak in public). |
| inhibition | a belief or fear of which a person is not aware but which may prevent him or her from performing certain actions (have inhibitions about being seen in a swimsuit). |
| inhospitable | not welcoming visitors, not kind to strangers (it was inhospitable not to offer the visitors anything to eat or drink). n inhospitality |
| inhuman | not having the qualities considered normal to, or for, humans; cruel, brutal, unkind. |
| inhumane | unmoved by the suffering of others, cruel, merciless, brutal, unkind. |
| inhumanity | the quality or condition of being inhuman or inhumane. |
| inimitable | that cannot be copied, too good to be equalled (an inimitable performance). |
| initial | first, happening at the beginning (the initial reaction was favorable). adv initially vb (initialed , initialing ) to mark or write initials (initial the order form to authorize it). npl the first letters of each of a person’s names. |
| initiate | 1 to begin (initiating a new system of accounting). 2 to teach the ways of a society to a new member (the boys initiated their friend into their club). n initiation |
| initiative | 1 the ability to make decisions and take action without asking for help and advice (he had to use his initiative when he was stranded on the island). 2 the first movement or action that starts something happening (take the initiative in organizing the garage sale). |
| inject | 1 to put into the bloodstream through a hollow needle (injected with a drug to fight the infection). 2 to put in (her arrival injected some life into the party). n injection |
| injure | 1 to hurt (she was badly injured in the car accident). 2 to harm, to damage (the incident injured his reputation). |
| injury | 1 damage, harm, hurt (an accident that caused injury to his spine/injury to his reputation). 2 a physical hurt or wound (he died later from his injuries). |
| injustice | 1 unfairness (felt there was injustice in the way he was treated). 2 an unfair act (complain about the injustices of the system). |
| ink | a colored liquid used for writing or printing. vb to mark with ink. |
| inkblot | any of a group of irregular patterns made by blots of ink and used in certain kinds of tests, as for the way a person thinks. |
| inkjet | of a high-speed printing process in which ink droplets are formed into printed characters on paper. |
| inky | 1 stained with ink (inky hands). 2 like ink in color, dark (an inky sky). |
| inland | the part of a country away from the sea coast or border. adj 1 having to do with a country’s own affairs (inland trade). 2 away from the coast or border (inland waterways). Also adv. |
| in-law | a relative by marriage. |
| inlay | (pt, pp inlaid ) to decorate by filling carved designs with gold, silver, ivory, etc (he inlaid the box with precious stones). adj inlaid n |
| inlet | 1 a way in (a fuel inlet). 2 a small bay (boats sheltering in an inlet). |
| in-line skate | a kind of roller skate having wheels arrange in a straight line like a blade from toe to heel. |
| inmate | a person living with others in the same house, hospital, prison, etc. |
| inmost | farthest in (the inmost depths of the cave). |
| inn | an establishment where travelers may pay to eat, drink, and/or stay for the night. |
| innards | the inner parts of anything. |
| innate | existing naturally rather than being acquired; that seems to have been in a person since birth. |
| inner | farther in (the inner room). |
| innkeeper | the person who is in charge of an inn. |
| innocence | freedom from blame or wickedness (the innocence of the young children/try to prove his innocence). |
| innocent | 1 not guilty (innocent of the crime/innocent people accused). 2 having no knowledge or experience of evil (innocent young children). |
| innocuous | harmless (drugs thought to be innocuous/a perfectly innocuous remark). |
| innovation | 1 a new way of doing something, a new thing or idea (innovations in marketing methods). 2 the introduction of new things or ideas (he is set in his ways and dislikes innovation). vb innovate to renew, to introduce new ways of doing things. |
| innuendo | (pl innuendoes or innuendos ) 1 a way of speaking that makes one understand what is meant without actually saying it (a newspaper that goes in for innuendo). 2 an indirect hint (he made innuendoes about where she got all the money). |
| innumerate | unable to do math and arithmetical problems. |
| inoculate | to infect slightly with the germs of a disease to prevent more serious infection (inoculating the children against measles). n inoculation |
| inoffensive | not causing harm or trouble (a quiet inoffensive man/be insulted at a perfectly inoffensive remark). |
| inpatient | a patient who is lodged and kept in a hospital for more than a day. |
| input | 1 the act of putting in. 2 what is put in, as in the amount of money, material, effort, opinion, etc. |
| inquire, enquire | 1 to ask (inquire the way to the station). 2 to ask for information about (inquire about times of trains to New York). 3 to try to discover the facts of (the police are inquiring into the accident). |
| inquiring | seeking information, curious (an inquiring mind). |
| inquiry, enquiry | 1 a question (reply to his inquiry about times of trains). 2 a careful search for information, an investigation (an official inquiry into the train accident). |
| inquisition | 1 (formal) an official inquiry (subjected to an inquisition about his movements on the previous evening). 2 (old) an examination consisting of a series of questions. n inquisitor |
| inquisitive | seeking information, especially about other people (inquisitive neighbors). |
| inroad | a raid, a sudden attack. |
| insane | 1 mentally ill (a murderer declared insane). 2 (informal) very unwise, very foolish (it was insane to give up his job). |
| insanity | the state of being insane; mental illness. |
| inscribe | to write in a book or engrave on stone, etc (the words inscribed on the tombstone). |
| inscription | words written on something, often as a tribute (the inscription on the tombstone). |
| insect | any of a large group of small creatures that have a body divided into three sections, six legs, and usually wings. |
| Insectology | study of insects (see list of branches of science) |
| Insectophobia | fear of insects (see list of phobias) |
| insecure | 1 anxious and unsure of oneself, lacking confidence (children feeling insecure when their parents separated). 2 (formal) not safe, likely to be lost (an insecure job). 3 (formal) not safe or firmly fixed (the insecure leg of the table). n insecurity |
| insensible | 1 too small to be noticed (an insensible change). 2 without feeling, indifferent (insensible to their distress). 3 unconscious (knocked insensible by the blow). |
| insensitive | 1 not noticing the feelings of others. 2 not quick to feel or notice. |
| inseparable | that cannot be put apart (the two issues are inseparable/childhood friends who were inseparable). |
| insert | to put in or among (insert the key in the lock). |
| insertion | 1 something inserted (an advertising insertion in the newspaper). 2 the act of inserting (the insertion of the key in the lock). |
| inset | an extra piece set in, e.g. a small picture in a larger one. vb inset (insetting ). |
| inside | 1 the inner side or part (the inside of the house). 2 pl (informal) the internal organs, stomach, bowels. adj 1 internal (inside furniture). 2 known only to insiders, secret (inside information). adv 1 on or in the inside, within, indoors. 2 (informal) in prison. (preposition) in or within. |
| insider | 1 a person inside a given place or group. 2 a person having, or likely to have, secret information. |
| insidious | developing gradually, without being noticed, and causing harm (cancer is an insidious disease). |
| insight | ability to see the real meaning or importance of something, thorough knowledge (his poverty-stricken childhood gave him an insight into the lives of the homeless). adj insightful |
| insignia | badges of rank, membership, or honor (the insignia of his regiment). |
| insignificant | of little importance (an insignificant sum of money in-sig-ni-fi-canse/. |
| insincere | not meaning what is said, false, not truly meant (his sympathy was insincere in-sin-se-ri-tee/. |
| insinuate | 1 to make way gradually and cunningly (insinuating herself into her aunt’s favor to receive money). 2 to hint in an unpleasant way (she insinuated that he was not honest). n insinuation |
| insipid | 1 having no taste or flavor (insipid food). 2 uninteresting, dull (an insipid story). |
| insist | 1 to state firmly, to demand or urge strongly (he insisted on paying the bill). 2 to keep on saying (she insisted that she was innocent). |
| insistent | 1 firm (he was insistent that we all go home). 2 wanting immediate attention (her insistent demands). n insistence |
| insolation | 1 the act of insolating. 2 the treatment of sickness by exposure to sunlight. |
| insole | the inside sole of a shoe. |
| insolent | rude, boldly insulting or disrespectful (an insolent stare). n insolence |
| insoluble | 1 impossible to dissolve (a chemical insoluble in water). 2 that cannot be solved (an insoluble problem). |
| insomnia | sleeplessness (suffering from insomnia). |
| inspect | to look at closely, to examine (inspect the work/officials from the insurance company inspecting the damage). |
| inspection | an examination (a troop inspection). |
| inspector | 1 someone who inspects. 2 someone who examines the work of others to see that it is done properly. 3 a rank of police officer. |
| inspectorate | a body or group of inspectors (the school inspectorate). |
| inspiration | 1 (formal) the breathing in of air. 2 a person or thing that encourages a person to use his or her powers, gifts, talent, etc (the poet’s work was an inspiration to young writers). 3 the encouragement so given (she provided the inspiration for his latest novel). adj inspirational |
| inspire | 1 (formal) to breathe in (he was asked by the doctor to inspire). 2 to encourage someone with the desire and ability to take action by filling with eagerness, confidence, etc (she was inspired to work hard by her mother’s example). 3 to be the force that produces something, to be the origin of (she inspired his love of poetry). 4 to arouse in someone (inspiring confidence in others). |
| instability | unsteadiness (the instability of his character). |
| install | 1 to place in office, especially with ceremony (install the new bishop). 2 to put in place (have central heating installed). n installation |
| installment | 1 payment of part of a sum of money owed (the first installment on the television set). 2 part of a serial story published or broadcast at one time. |
| instance | an example (several instances of car theft in the area). for instance for example. vb to give or quote as an example (instancing violence as one of the features of modern life). |
| instancy | urgency. |
| instant | 1 immediate (demand instant attention). 2 pressing or urgent (an instant need). 3 concentrated or precooked for quick preparation (instant soup). n 1 a moment (he did not believe her for an instant). 2 the exact moment (he loved her the instant he saw her). adv instantly at once (she died instantly). |
| instantaneous | happening or done very quickly (an instantaneous reaction). |
| instate | to put in a particular status, position, or rank. |
| instead | in place of (he attended the meeting instead of his father). |
| instep | the upper part of the foot between the ankle and the toes. |
| instill | (instilled , instilling ) to put in the mind little by little (instill the need for honesty into him from an early age). |
| instinct | a natural tendency to behave or react in a particular way without having been taught (in winter birds fly south by instinct/instinct made them run from danger). |
| instinctive | done at once without thinking, natural (she had an instinctive urge to run away). |
| institute | to set up for the first time (instituting a new computer system). n 1 a society working to achieve a certain purpose (the Women’s Institute). 2 the building in which such a society meets or works. |
| institution | 1 an organization, usually a long-established or well-respected one (schools, hospitals, and other institutions). 2 the building used by such an organization. 3 an accepted custom or tradition (the institution of marriage). adj institutional |
| institutionalize | also institutionalise (British spelling) 1 to make into an institution. 2 to place in an institution. |
| instruct | 1 to teach (instruct the children in French). 2 to order (she instructed her children to arrive home early). |
| instruction | 1 teaching (receive instruction in French). 2 an order (his instructions were to leave immediately). 3 pl information on how to use something correctly (a leaflet giving instructions on how to put the furniture together). |
| instructive | giving knowledge or information (an instructive television show). |
| instructor | a teacher, a coach, someone who instructs (a sports instructor). |
| instrument | 1 a tool, especially one used for delicate work (surgical instruments). 2 a device producing musical sound (stringed instruments). 3 a device for measuring, recording, controlling, etc, especially in an aircraft (the pilot checked all the instruments before beginning the flight). |
| instrumental | 1 being the cause of (she was instrumental in getting him hired). 2 played on musical instruments (instrumental music). n instrumentality the state of being instrumental. |
| instrumentation | 1 the arrangement of music for instruments. 2 the act of using instruments, especially scientific instruments. 3 the instruments used. |
| insubstantial | 1 weak or flimsy. 2 not real, imaginary. |
| insufferable | unbearable (an insufferable bore). |
| insufficient | not enough (insufficient evidence). n insufficiency |
| insular | 1 (formal) having to do with an island. 2 narrow-minded (an insular outlook on life). |
| insularity | narrow-mindedness. |
| insulate | 1 to keep apart (a wealthy family insulated from the financial problems of ordinary people). 2 to cover with a special material to prevent the loss of electricity or heat. n insulation |
| insulator | a material that does not allow electricity or heat to pass through it. |
| insulin | a substance that if given as a medicine helps to use up the sugar in the body when there is too much of it (people suffering from diabetes sometimes have to take insulin). |
| insult | to speak rude or hurtful words to or of (she was insulted when he called her an old lady). n insult |
| insupportable | unbearable, not capable of being upheld or supported (insupportable burdens). |
| insure | to pay regular sums to a society on condition that the payer receives an agreed amount of money in case of loss, accident, death, etc (insuring his life in-shoo-ranse/. |
| insured | a person whose life, property, etc, is insured against loss or damage. |
| insurer | a person or company that insures others against loss or damage. |
| insurmountable | that cannot be passed over or overcome (insurmountable difficulties). |
| intact | untouched, unharmed, with no part missing (the police recovered the box of jewels intact/her self-confidence remained intact). |
| intake | the act or process of taking in (intake of breath). |
| intangible | 1 that cannot be touched (air is intangible). 2 not able to be clearly defined or understood (an intangible air of hopelessness). |
| integer | a whole number. |
| integral | necessary to make something complete (an integral part of the case against him). Also n. |
| integrate | 1 to join in society as a whole, to mix freely with other groups (newcomers trying to integrate into American life). 2 to fit parts together to form a whole (integrating everyone’s comments into the report on the conference). n integration |
| integrator | a person or thing that integrates. |
| integrity | 1 the state of being whole and undivided, completeness (integrity as a nation). 2 honesty, sincerity (a man of absolute integrity). |
| intellect | 1 the mind, the power to think and understand. 2 someone with great intellect (one of the world’s greatest intellects). |
| intellectual | 1 having a high intellect (her intellectual friends). 2 having to do with the intellect (intellectual interests). Also n. |
| intelligence | 1 cleverness, quickness of mind or understanding (the intelligence of the pupils). 2 (formal) news (receive intelligence of his death). |
| intelligent | having a quick mind, clever (intelligent pupils). |
| intelligible | clear, that can be understood (instructions that are scarcely intelligible). |
| intemperate | 1 lacking self-control, given to taking too much, especially strong drink (intemperate habits). 2 more than is desirable (an intemperate amount of alcohol). 3 excessive, unrestrained (intemperate language). 4 extreme (an intemperate climate). n intemperance |
| intend | 1 to have as a purpose (she intends to leave tomorrow). 2 to mean (the bullet was intended for the president). adj intended meant, planned for the future (his intended wife). |
| intense | 1 very great (intense heat). 2 very serious (intense young women). |
| intensify | to make greater or more severe (intensified their interest in the subject). n intensifier a person or thing that makes greater or more severe. |
| intension | 1 determination. 2 the quality of being intense, degree of intensity. |
| intensity | 1 strength (the intensity of the heat). 2 seriousness, earnestness (the intensity of the young poet). 3 great energy, emotion, thought. |
| intensive | increasing degree or amount (intensive care at the hospital). |
| intent | 1 attending carefully (intent on his work/with an intent expression). 2 eager, planning or wanting to do something (intent on going abroad). n (formal) purpose (it was his intent to move out of the area). |
| intention | purpose, aim in doing something (it was his intention to leave early). |
| intentional | done on purpose (intentional damage to his car). |
| inter | (interred , interring ) (formal) to bury (inter him in the churchyard). |
| inter- | prefix between, among. |
| interact | to act on each other (chemicals that interact). n interaction |
| intercede | 1 to try to settle a dispute or quarrel between others (interceding in the wage dispute between management and the union). 2 to speak in defense of another (he interceded with the king to save his friend’s life). |
| intercept | to stop or catch on the way from one place to another (intercept the enemy message). n interception |
| interchange | 1 to change places with each other. 2 to give and receive in return (interchange ideas). n an exchange. |
| interchangeable | that can be exchanged for each other (the two words are interchangeable). |
| interest | 1 something in which a person takes part eagerly (his main interests are tennis and football). 2 advantage (it was in his interest to agree). 3 eager attention (give the matter all his interest). 4 concern (of interest to all of us). 5 the money paid for the use of a loan of money (the rate of interest on his bank loan). vb to gain the attention of. |
| interesting | arousing interest (interesting information). |
| interface | the point at which two subjects affect each other or are connected (the interface between production and sales). |
| interfere | 1 to get in the way of, to prevent from working or happening (outside interests that interfere with his work). 2 to force oneself into the affairs of others (interfering in other people’s private business). 3 to touch or move something that is not supposed to be touched or moved (interfere with his private papers). |
| interference | 1 act of interfering (object to his interference in their affairs). 2 the interruption of radio broadcasts by atmospherics or other broadcasts. |
| intergalactic | existing or occurring between or among galaxies. |
| interim | the meantime, the time between two events (the new head arrives next week—in the interim the deputy head is in charge). adj acting for a time only (take interim measures). |
| interior | 1 inner. 2 inland. n 1 the inner part (the interior of the house). 2 the inland part (the interior of the country). |
| interject | 1 to say something short and sudden. 2 to put in a remark when another is speaking. |
| interjection | 1 a short word expressing surprise, interest, disapproval, etc (“Oh” is an interjection). 2 a remark made when another is speaking (the speaker objected to his rude interjections). |
| interlude | 1 an interval between the acts of a play, etc. 2 the music or other entertainment provided during such an interval. 3 a period of time that comes between two events or activities (a brief interlude of peace between the two wars). |
| intermediate | coming between two other things, in the middle (at an intermediate stage of the language course). |
| interminable | without, or apparently without, end; seeming to last forever. |
| intermission | an interval, a time between two parts (have a drink at the theater bar in the intermission). |
| intermittent | stopping for a time, then going on again; happening at intervals (intermittent showers). |
| intern | a person, especially a student, working in a professional field to gain experience in the work place. vb to detain or confine people, ships, etc, as during a war. n internment |
| internal | 1 having to do with the inside, especially of the body (internal organs). 2 of a person’s own country (internal trade). |
| international | having to do with several or many countries (an international trading treaty). n a person associated with two different countries. |
| Internet | the worldwide system of linked computer networks. |
| interplay | the action of one thing on another (the interplay of light and shade in his painting). |
| interpret | 1 to explain the meaning of (how do you interpret these lines of poetry?). 2 to understand the meaning to be (he interpreted her silence as a refusal). 3 to translate from one language into another (he spoke in French and his English assistant interpreted his speech for the audience). adj interpretive |
| interpretation | 1 act of interpreting. 2 the meaning given to a work of art by a critic or performer. |
| interpretation | Collective noun for psychotherapists (An interpretation of psychotherapists) (see list of collective nouns) |
| interpreter | someone who translates from one speaker’s language into another’s. |
| interracial | between, among, or involving members of different races. |
| interrogate | to put questions to (police interrogated the accused for several hours). |
| interrogation | the act of interrogating (the interrogation of the accused by the police). |
| interrogative | asking a question, having to do with questions (an interrogative remark). n a word used in asking questions (e.g. “why”). |
| interrupt | 1 to break flow of speech or action (interrupt the broadcast to announce the death of the president in-te-rup-ter/ a person who interrupts. |
| interruption | a remark or action that causes a stoppage (the noisy interruptions by the audience during the politician’s speech). |
| intersect | to cut across each other (the roads intersect outside the town). |
| intersection | the point at which lines or roads cross each other (an intersection without traffic lights). |
| intersperse | to scatter over, to put here and there (green fields interspersed with a few small woods). |
| interstate | between or among states. n a network of freeways that form a part of the national highway system of the United States. |
| interstellar | among or between the stars. |
| intertwine | to twist together (roses intertwining round the door). |
| interval | 1 the time or distance between (the interval between snow showers). 2 a break, a spell of free time (pupils having a snack in their interval). 3 a short break in a play, concert, etc (have a drink at the theater bar during the interval). 4 the difference of pitch between two musical sounds. |
| intervene | 1 to interrupt, to interfere (intervening to try to stop them quarrelling). 2 to be or to happen between (in time) (a few years intervened before they met again). 3 to happen so as to prevent something (he was going to go to college but the war intervened and he became a soldier). n intervention |
| interview | 1 a meeting at which a person applying for a job is questioned (several candidates had an interview). 2 a meeting with a person to get information or to do business (the journalist asked for an interview with the president). Also vb. |
| intestinal | having to do with the intestines (intestinal problems). |
| intestines | the inner parts of the body, especially the bowels (the intestines consist of the large intestine and the small intestine). |
| intifada | an uprising, specifically the uprising of Palestinian Arabs against Israeli military forces in occupied territories of the Gaza Strip and the west bank of the Jordan River, begun in 1987 and continuing from time to time into the early 1990s. |
| intimacy | closeness, close relationship (enjoy the intimacy that exists between old school friends). |
| intimate | 1 having a close relationship. 2 having a close knowledge of (an intimate knowledge of the area). n a close friend. vb (formal) to make known (intimating his intention to leave). |
| intimation | 1 (formal) a hint (he gave no intimation of his intention to leave). 2 an announcement (intimations of births, marriages, and deaths in the newspaper). |
| intimidate | to make afraid, e.g. by making threats (she was intimidated by the sight of the huge man in-ti-mi-day-shun/. |
| into (preposition) | 1 from the outside to the inside (jumped into the pool). 2 continuing to the midst of (danced into the night). 3 to the form, substance, or condition of (turned into a butterfly). 4 so as to strike against (bumped into the wall). 5 to the work or activity of (go into teaching). |
| intolerable | that cannot or should not be put up with (intolerable pain/intolerable behavior). |
| intolerant | not willing to put up with actions or opinions that are different from one’s own; narrow-minded (he is an intolerant man who has no time for people who hold views that are different from his). n intolerance |
| intonation | the rise and fall of the voice while speaking (a boring voice with very little intonation). |
| intoxicate | 1 to make drunk or stupefied (he had drunk enough beer to intoxicate him). 2 to excite greatly (he was intoxicated by his success). n intoxication |
| intra- | prefix within, inside. |
| intragalactic | occurring within a galaxy. |
| intranet | a private computer network using Internet technology but keeping access limited to members of a particular organization. |
| intransitive | (of verbs) not taking an object. |
| intravenous | in or directly into a vein or veins. |
| intrepid | fearless, brave (the intrepid explorer). |
| intricate | having many small parts, complicated (an intricate pattern in-tri-ca-see/. |
| intrigue | 1 a secret plot. 2 a secret love affair. vb 1 to plot secretly. 2 to interest greatly. adj intriguing |
| intrinsic | being part of the nature or character of, belonging to a thing as part of its nature (his intrinsic generosity/furniture of no intrinsic worth). |
| introduce | 1 to bring in or put forward, especially something new (introducing a new system of accounting). 2 to make one person known to another (introduce her two friends to each other). |
| introduction | 1 act of introducing (the introduction of new methods/ask for an introduction to her friend). 2 a short section at the beginning of a book to make known its purpose (an introduction explaining how to use the encyclopedia). |
| introductory | coming at the beginning, giving an introduction (an introductory course/a few introductory remarks). |
| introspective | thinking a lot about one’s own actions and ideas (poetry of an introspective nature in-tro-spec-shun in-tro-spect/ to look into one’s own mind. |
| introvert | someone who is always thinking about his or her own ideas and aims (he is an introvert but his sister is a real extrovert). |
| intrude | to come or go where not wanted (he was intruding since they obviously wanted to be alone in-troo-zhun/. |
| intruder | 1 someone who intrudes. 2 a person who breaks into a house to steal, a burglar (he heard an intruder downstairs). |
| intrusion | Collective noun for cockroaches (An intrusion of cockroaches) (see list of collective nouns) |
| intrusive | tending to intrude (intrusive neighbors/intrusive questions). |
| intuition | 1 immediate knowledge of the truth gained without having to think (she had an intuition that he was a wrongdoer, and she was right). 2 the ability to know things in this way (she knew by intuition that something was wrong with her sister). adj intuitive vb intuit to know or learn by intuition. |
| Inuit | an indigenous people of northern North America and Greenland; the language of this people. |
| inundate | 1 to flow over (fields inundated with flood water). 2 to flood, to come in very large amounts (they were inundated with correspondence). |
| Inupiaq | the language of the Inupiat, spoken in northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. |
| Inupiat | a member of the Eskimo people of northern Alaska. |
| invade | 1 to enter as an enemy, to attack (the king ordered his army to invade the neighboring country). 2 to interfere with (invading his neighbor’s privacy). |
| invalid1 | 1 not valid (an invalid ticket). 2 useless, unreliable (an invalid argument). |
| invalid2 | weak, sickly (her invalid aunt). n a sick person. vb to send away because of illness (he was invalided by the disease). |
| invalidate | to make to have no value or effect (his claims to be an expert on local history were completely invalidated). |
| invalidism | the state of being an invalid; long-term ill health or disability (her invalidism has prevented her from getting a job). |
| invaluable | of very great value, more valuable than can be paid for (her invaluable help/the information was invaluable). |
| invariable | unchanging, not subject to alteration. |
| invariably | always, without exception (she is invariably late for all her appointments). |
| invariant | (math) constant, unchanging. |
| invasion | 1 entry into a country by enemy forces (their invasion of a neighboring country). 2 interference (the invasion of his privacy). adj invasive |
| invent | 1 to think of and plan something new (invent the motor car). 2 to make up (she invented a story about her car breaking down to account for her lateness). n inventor |
| invention | 1 a thing thought of and made for the first time (the telephone was one of his inventions). 2 the ability to think out new ideas (her powers of invention). |
| inventive | good at thinking of new or unusual ideas (an inventive writer). |
| inventory | a list of goods or articles (take an inventory of the contents of the house before she rented it out). |
| inverse | opposite or reverse (their enthusiasm for their work seemed to be in inverse proportion to their salaries). |
| inversion | 1 act of turning upside down. 2 a change in the usual order of words in a sentence. |
| invert | to turn upside down, to turn the other way round (he inverted his glass to trap the wasp/invert the clauses in the sentence). |
| invertebrate | having no backbone (invertebrate creatures such as worms). n an animal without a backbone. |
| invest | 1 to mark someone’s entry to rank or office by clothing him or her with the robes belonging to it (invest the new bishop). 2 to lend money so as to increase it by interest or a share in profits (he invested his savings in her new restaurant). |
| investigate | to examine, to find out everything about (police investigating the murder). n investigator |
| investigation | a careful examination, an inquiry (the police have mounted a murder investigation). |
| investigative | inclined to investigate. |
| investment | 1 the act of investing. 2 a sum of money invested (she has an investment of $14,000 in her husband’s business). 3 the thing money has been invested in (she had to sell all her investments, including her house). |
| investor | someone who invests money (all the investors in her business lost their money). |
| inveterate | 1 firmly fixed in a habit (an inveterate liar). 2 firmly established (an inveterate dislike of flying). |
| invincible | that cannot be defeated (they thought their army was invincible). n invincibility |
| invisible | that cannot be seen (germs are invisible). n invisibility |
| invite | 1 to ask politely, to ask to come, especially as a guest (inviting them to dinner in-vi-tay-shun/. |
| inviting | attractive (an inviting prospect). |
| invoice | 1 a list of goods sent to a buyer, with prices. 2 a list of work done and payment due. vb to send an invoice. |
| invoke | 1 to bring into use or operation (invoking a little-known law to justify their actions). 2 to call on God or a god in prayer. 3 to request or beg for (invoke their assistance). 4 to make an urgent request to (invoke the law for their protection). |
| involuntary | unintentional, done without conscious effort or intention (involuntary movements of the muscles/he gave an involuntary cry). |
| involve | 1 to include (the accident involved a car and a truck). 2 to mix up in (he became involved in drug-smuggling). 3 to cause as a result (a job involving a lot of overtime). |
| involved | complicated (an involved explanation). |
| invulnerable | that cannot be wounded, hurt, damaged, etc. |
| inward | 1 inner. 2 having to do with the mind (a feeling of inward satisfaction). adv toward the inside. |
| inwardly | on the inside, in the mind (inwardly disapproving). |
| iodine | a chemical used in medicine to clean wounds, instruments, etc (a solution of iodine used as an antiseptic). |
| iodize | also iodise (British spelling) to treat with iodine. |
| ion | an electrically charged atom. adj ionic |
| ionosphere | the outer part of the earth’s atmosphere. |
| Iophobia | fear of poison (see list of phobias) |
| iota | 1 a Greek letter. 2 a tiny amount (not care an iota about his family). |
| IQ | abbreviation for Intelligence Quotient a person’s level of intelligence as measured by a special test. |
| irate | very angry, furious (the irate farmer chased the boys who had let his cows out). |
| ire | (fml or lit) anger. |
| Irenology | study of peace (see list of branches of science) |
| iridescent | colored like the rainbow, brightly colored, having or showing shifting colors (iridescent patches of oil on the street). n iridescence |
| Iridology | study of the iris (see list of branches of science) |
| iris | 1 the colored circle of the eye. 2 a flowering plant. |
| irk | to annoy, to bother (it irks her that he earns more than she does). |
| irksome | troublesome, tedious, annoying (she couldn’t wait to finish her irksome household tasks). |
| iron | 1 the most common of metals, used in construction and engineering. 2 a tool or instrument, formerly made of iron, especially for smoothing clothes (she bought a new steam iron). 3 pl chains (prisoners in irons). adj 1 made of iron. 2 strong, hard (an iron will). vb to smooth (clothes) with an iron (she enjoyed ironing shirts). to have too many irons in the fire to be trying to do too many things at once. to strike while the iron is hot to act at the most opportune moment. |
| ironic , ironical | expressing irony (an ironic remark/it was ironic that he stole money that he was going to get as a gift). |
| irony | 1 a remark made in such a way that the meaning is understood to be the opposite of what is said (“A fine fellow you are”, she said with irony). 2 the result of an action that has the opposite effect to that intended (the irony of his action was that he stole money that she was going to give him). |
| irradiate | 1 (fml and lit) to make bright by throwing light on (a garden irradiated with light from the lanterns). 2 to treat with radiation (irradiating the cancer). n irradiation exposure to radiation, an irradiating of. |
| irrational | 1 not rational, not reasonable, not sensible (an irrational decision). 2 not able to reason, not using reason. adv irrationally (he was behaving quite irrationally). n irrationalism irrational thought. |
| irregular | 1 not in agreement with the rules, not according to accepted standards (his behavior was most irregular). 2 not straight or even (irregular features an irregular coastline). 3 not happening, etc, regularly (irregular school attendance). n irregularity |
| irrelevant | having nothing to do with the subject, not to the point (please do not raise irrelevant issues at the meeting). n irrelevance , irrelevancy |
| irreplaceable | not replaceable, that cannot be replaced (the vase she broke had belonged to her mother and was irreplaceable). |
| irrepressible | that cannot be kept down or held back (irrepressible cheerfulness). |
| irresistible | 1 that cannot be resisted (an irresistible force). 2 very strong (find his argument irresistible). 3 very attractive, charming (find newborn babies irresistible). |
| irrespective | regardless of, not troubling about (irrespective of his weight, he was remarkably fit). |
| irresponsible | not caring about the consequences of actions (it was very irresponsible of him to leave the children on their own). |
| irrigate | to supply water to dry land by canals, etc. n irrigation |
| irritable | easily angered or annoyed (he is always irritable first thing in the morning). n irritability |
| irritant | something that irritates, annoys, angers, inflames, makes sore, etc (the irritant that caused her sore eye/the grumpy old man regarded all children as irritants). |
| irritate | 1 to annoy, to anger (irritated by their lack of interest). 2 to cause to itch, become inflamed, red, swollen, etc (the washing-up liquid irritated her skin). n irritation |
| is | the form of the verb be used with “he”, “she”, “it”, and “one” or with singular nouns (she is going away/the dog is not well). |
| Islam | 1 the Muslim religion founded by Mohammed in which the god is called Allah. 2 all Muslims. 3 all the lands in which Islam is the main religion. adj Islamic |
| island | a piece of land surrounded by water (a desert island). |
| islander | a native of an island. |
| isle | (lit) an island, especially a small island. |
| islet | a very small island. |
| isolate | 1 to place apart or alone (the hospital decided to isolate the patient with the unknown fever). 2 to cut off (towns isolated in snowy weather). 3 to separate (isolating and examining the chemical substance). n isolation |
| Isolophobia | fear of solitude, being alone (see list of phobias) |
| Isopterophobia | fear of termites (see list of phobias) |
| isosceles | (of a triangle) having two sides equal. |
| issue | 1 to go or come out (people issuing from the building/noises issuing from the room). 2 to send out (issue reminders about unpaid bills). 3 to flow out (blood issued from the wound). 4 to give out (issue new uniforms to all soldiers). 5 to publish. n 1 a flowing out (the issue of blood from the wound). 2 (formal) children (married couples with no issue). 3 (formal) a result (await the issue of their debate). 4 a question under discussion (this issue is an international one). 5 a number of books, papers, etc, published at one time (the Christmas issue of the magazine). |
| it | the person, animal, or thing previously mentioned, also used as the subject to an impersonal verb (e.g. it is snowing). |
| IT | abbreviation for information technology the study or use of computers and telecommunication sytems |
| it’s | a shortened form of it is or it has. |
| italic(s) | in printing, letters in sloping type (e.g. italics). Also adj. |
| italicize | also italicise (British spelling) to print in italics (in print media it is usual to italicize the names of books and plays). |
| itch | 1 an irritation of the skin that causes a desire to scratch (she has an itch where the flea bit her). 2 a longing (an itch to travel). vb 1 to feel an itch. 2 to feel a strong desire (to do something). adj itchy |
| item | 1 a single one out of a list or number of things (the items on her shopping list/items of clothing). 2 a piece of news (an interesting item in the newspaper). adv also, in the same way. |
| itemize | also itemise (British spelling) to specify the items of (an itemized bill shows each thing purchased). |
| Ithyphallophobia | fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis (see list of phobias) |
| itinerant | not settling in any one place, moving from place to place (an itinerant salesman). n one who is always on the move from place to place. |
| itinerary | a note of the places visited or to be visited on a journey (receive an itinerary from the travel agent). |
| its | that or those of or belonging to it, the possessive form of “it”. |
| itty-bitty | (informal) very small, tiny. |
| ivory | the hard white substance forming the tusks of elephants, etc (decorations made of ivory). adj of or like ivory, creamy white (an ivory blouse). |
| ivy | a climbing vine with a woody stem and evergreen leaves (trees covered in ivy). |
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