Friday, April 30, 2010

Brute

Brute-n
1-somebody who is very cruel, ruthless, or insensitive
2-an animal other than a human being (literary)

adj
1-purely physical or instinctive, rather than intellectual or reasoned
2-displaying extreme cruelty and savagery
3-unremitingly harsh or severe
4-used to describe behavior, actions, or instincts that are considered crude, especially those prompted by physical desire and hunger
5-relating or belonging to lower animals, as opposed to human beings

Synonyms
beast
creature
monster
animal

Brusque

Brusque-adj
abrubt, blunt, or curt in manner or speech

Synonyms
abrubt
curt
offhand
rough
brisk
gruff
civil (antonym)

Bruiser

Bruiser-n
a large, strong man or youth, for example, a boxer, body guard, bar bouncer, or football player (informal)

Browbeat

Browbeat-vt
to bully or intimidate somebody sternly

Synonyms
badger
bully
cudgel
dragoon
nage
twist somebody's arm
push
pester
threaten force
coerce

Brothel

Brothel-n
a place where people pay to have sexual intercourse with prostitutes

Brogue (2)

Brogue-n
1-see wing tip
2- a simple heavy untanned shoe formerly worn in Ireland and Scotland

Brogue (1)

Brogue-n
a regional accent, especially the accent of Irish people speaking English

Synonyms
pronunciation
inflection
intonation
tone of voice
enunciation
drawl
twang
burr

Brocade

Brocade-n
a heavy fabric of silk, cotton, or wool woven with a raised design, often using metallic threads

vt
to weave fabric with a raised design

Brigantine

Brigantine-n
a two-masted sailing ship with square-rigged sails on the foremost and fore-and-aft sails on the mainmast

Bridle

Bridle-n
1-a set of leather straps fitted to a horse's head and incorporating the bit and the reins
2-something that acts as a control or restraint

v
1-(vt) to provide a horse with a bridle
2-(vi) to react with slight anger or indignation, sometimes by rearing the head
3-(vt) to show restraint in expressing a feeling or control or in curbing something

Synonyms
bristle
get angry
become annoyed
become indignant
prickle
get your hackles up

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Brickbat

Brickbat-n
1-harshly unfavorable criticism
2-a broken fragment of something hard, for example, a piece of brick, used as a missile

Synonyms
insult
criticism
flak
insinuation
suggestion
comment

Brevity

Brevity-n
1-shortness in time
2-the economical use of words in speech or writing

Synonyms
shortness
briefness
consciousness
succinctness
concision
pithiness
terseness
length (antonym)

Brimstone

Brimstone-n
sulfur (archaic)

Brethren

(archaic) plural of brother

npl
1-members of the same family, group, class, or community (literary or humorous)
2-the members, especialloy men, of a particular church or other religious group, especially a Protestant Christian denomination (archaic or literery)

Breaker (2)

a small cask for water, used especially on life boats

Breaker (1)

Breaker-n
1-see circuit breaker
2-a large, usually white-capped, wave that is cresting or breaking, especially onto the shore
3-somebody who does breakdancing (slang)
4-something, for example, a machine, that is used to crush or break up rocks, fibers, or other substances
5-somebody who trains horses so that they can be ridden

interj
used by CB radio operators to announce that they are beginning to transmit on a channel

Synonyms
wave roller
surf
tide
tidal wave

Breadth

Breadth-n
1-the distance or measurement of something, from one side to the other
2-a standardized width that something, especially fabric, is produced or available in, or a piece of fabric in a standardized width
3-the extent of something, especially when it is impressively great
4-an open and tolerant view of life and the world

Synonyms
width
span
wideness
extent
size
girth
length (antonym)

Breech

Breech-v
1-(vt) to break down an obstruction to allow something to pass through it
2-(vt) to go beyone a target or limit
3-(vt) to fail to obey, keep, or preserve something, for example, a law or trust
4-(vi) to leap above the surface of the water (refers to whales)

n
1-a hole in something that is caused by something else forcing its way through
2-a gap that results when something or somebody leaves
3-a failure to obey, keep, preserve something, for example, a law, a trust, or a promise
4-a breakdown in friendly relations
5-a leap out of the water by a whale

Synonyms
break
violate
contravene
infringe
commit a breech
fall foul of
honor (antonym)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Bray (2)

Bray-vt
1-to crush something to a fine powder or consistency
2-to spread ink in a thin layer on a surface

Brazen

Brazen-adj
1-showing or expressing boldness and complete lack of shame
2-with an unpleasantly loud and resonant sound
3-made of brass or resembling it, especially in color or hardness (literary)

Synonyms
bold
barefaced
shameless
brash
unabashed
blatent
bald-faced
audacious
forward
discreet (antonym)

Bray (1)

Bray-n
1-the sound a donkey makes
2-a harsh high-pitched rasping voice or laugh

v
1-(vi) to make the sound a donkey makes
2-(vti) to speak, laugh, or say something in a harsh, high-pitched rasping voice

Brawn

Brawn-n
1-very strong muscles, especially on the arms and legs
2-physical strength, especially as opposed to intellectual power
3-see head cheese

Synonyms
strength
muscle
muscles
brute force
power
physique

Bravado

Bravado-interj n
a shout of approval for a woman or girl performer

Bavura

Bravura-n
1-a great skill that is shown when something artistic is done in an exciting or innovative way
2-showy style or behavior

adj
displaying or requiring great artistic skill and style

Synonyms
brilliant
magnificent
exceptional
dazzling
outstanding
superlative
virtuoso
unexceptional (antonym)

Brash (2)

Brash-adj
easily cracked or broken

Brash (3)

Brash-n
a pile of loose trash, for example, broken rocks or garden refuse

Brash (1)

Brash-adj
1-self-assertive in an aggressive or rude way
2-acting or made in a hasty or impulsive fashion

Synonyms
hasty
impetuous
rash
foolhardy
slapdash
hurried
impatient
slow (antonym)

Braggart

Braggart-n
somebody who talks immodestly, shamelessly, or with excessive pride about his or her achievements or possessions

Brackish

Brackish-adj
somewhat salty, especially from being a mixutre of resh and salt water

Synonyms
salty
salt
briny

Braggadocio

Braggadocio-n
1-empty boasting and swaggering slef-aggrandizement
2-somebody who makes overblown claims or empty boasts

Bracket

Bracket-n
1-an L-shaped structure that is attached to a wall to hold up something, for example, a shelf or speaker
2-a shelf that usually has an integral part that attaches to the wall as its support and can sometimes be swiveled
3-either one of a pair of symbols, [ ], used in keying or printing to indicate the insertion of special commentary, such as that made by an editor
Also called square bracket
U.K. term square bracket
4-U.K. (often used in plural) see parenthesis
5. a section of a population or group that falls within specific defined limits

vt
1-to attach brackets to something, especially a wall, or to support something with brackets
2-to put something, especially text or a mathematical equation, inside brackets
3-to group or class things or people together, usually because they are similar in some way

Synonyms
group
set
range
cohort
band
collection
category
grade
rank
sort
kind

Bracken

Bracken-n
a large fern, common in most temperate and tropical regions, with extensive underground stems and large triangular fronds. Latin name: Pteridium aquilinum
Also called brake

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Bout-n

Bout-n
1-a temporary or short-lived attack of illness, usually a common and not very serious illness
2-a short time spent doing something, often something considered distasteful
3-a boxing or wrestling match

Synonyms
short period
attack
short time
fit
session
stretch
spell
stint

Bourgeoisie

Bourgeoisie-n
1-the social class that, according to Marxist theory, owns the means of producing wealth and exploits the working class
2-affluent middle-class people characterized as conventional, conservative, or materialistic in outlook

Bourgeois

Bourgeoius-adj
1-according to Marxist theory, relating to the social class that owns most of the wealth and is regarded as exploiting the working class
2-typical of affluent middle-class people, who are often characterized as conventional, conservative, or materialistic in outlook

n
1-in Marxist analysis, a member of the bourgeois social class
2-somebody with bourgeois outlook

Boulevard

Boulevard-n
1-a wide st reet, especially one lined by trees (often used in place names)
2-Midwestern U.S. ground between the lands of a divided highway

Synonyms
avenue
road
thoroughfare drive
concourse