| alluvion | (noun) clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down | Synonyms: alluvial deposit, alluvial sediment, alluvium |
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| (noun) the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land | Synonyms: deluge, flood, inundation |
| (noun) gradual formation of new land, by recession of the sea or deposit of sediment | - |
| alphabetisation | (noun) the act of putting in alphabetical order | Synonyms: alphabetization |
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| alphabetization | (noun) the act of putting in alphabetical order | Synonyms: alphabetisation |
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| alteration | (noun) the act of revising or altering (involving reconsideration and modification) | Synonyms: revision |
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| (noun) the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment) | Synonyms: adjustment, modification |
| (noun) an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another | Synonyms: change, modification |
| altercation | (noun) noisy quarrel | Synonyms: affray, fracas |
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| alternation | (noun) successive change from one thing or state to another and back again | - |
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| amalgamation | (noun) the combination of two or more commercial companies | Synonyms: merger, uniting |
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| ambition | (noun) a strong drive for success | Synonyms: ambitiousness |
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| (noun) a cherished desire | Synonyms: aspiration, dream |
| ambiversion | (noun) (psychology) a balanced disposition intermediate between extroversion and introversion | - |
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| ambulation | (noun) walking about | - |
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| amelioration | (noun) the act of relieving ills and changing for the better | Synonyms: betterment, melioration |
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| ammonification | (noun) impregnation with ammonia or a compound of ammonia | - |
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| ammunition | (noun) projectiles to be fired from a gun | Synonyms: ammo |
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| (noun) information that can be used to attack or defend a claim or argument or viewpoint | - |
| (noun) any nuclear or chemical or biological material that can be used as a weapon of mass destruction | - |
| amnion | (noun) thin innermost membranous sac enclosing the developing embryo of higher vertebrates (reptiles, birds and mammals) | Synonyms: amnios, amniotic sac |
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| amortisation | (noun) payment of an obligation in a series of installments or transfers | Synonyms: amortization |
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| (noun) the reduction of the value of an asset by prorating its cost over a period of years | Synonyms: amortization |
| amortization | (noun) payment of an obligation in a series of installments or transfers | Synonyms: amortisation |
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| (noun) the reduction of the value of an asset by prorating its cost over a period of years | Synonyms: amortisation |
| amplification | (noun) (electronics) the act of increasing voltage or power or current | - |
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| (noun) addition of extra material or illustration or clarifying detail | Synonyms: elaboration |
| (noun) the amount of increase in signal power or voltage or current expressed as the ratio of output to input | Synonyms: gain |
| amputation | (noun) a surgical removal of all or part of a limb | - |
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| (noun) a condition of disability resulting from the loss of one or more limbs | - |
| anathematisation | (noun) the formal act of pronouncing (someone or something) accursed | Synonyms: anathematization |
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| anathematization | (noun) the formal act of pronouncing (someone or something) accursed | Synonyms: anathematisation |
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| angulation | (noun) the act of making angulate (having corners) | - |
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| (noun) the precise measurement of angles | - |
| animadversion | (noun) harsh criticism or disapproval | Synonyms: censure |
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| animalisation | (noun) an act that makes people cruel or lacking normal human qualities | Synonyms: animalization, brutalisation, brutalization |
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| animalization | (noun) an act that makes people cruel or lacking normal human qualities | Synonyms: animalisation, brutalisation, brutalization |
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| (noun) a depiction in the form of an animal | - |
| animation | (noun) the making of animated cartoons | - |
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| (noun) general activity and motion | Synonyms: liveliness |
| (noun) the activity of giving vitality and vigour to something | Synonyms: invigoration, vivification |
| (noun) the property of being able to survive and grow | Synonyms: vitality |
| (noun) quality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous | Synonyms: brio, invigoration, spiritedness, vivification |
| (noun) the condition of living or the state of being alive | Synonyms: aliveness, life, living |
| anion | (noun) a negatively charged ion | - |
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| annexation | (noun) the formal act of acquiring something (especially territory) by conquest or occupation | - |
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| (noun) incorporation by joining or uniting | Synonyms: appropriation |
| annihilation | (noun) destruction by annihilating something | Synonyms: obliteration |
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| (noun) total destruction | Synonyms: disintegration |
| annotation | (noun) the act of adding notes | Synonyms: annotating |
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| (noun) a comment or instruction (usually added) | Synonyms: notation, note |
| annunciation | (noun) a formal public statement | Synonyms: announcement, declaration, proclamation |
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| anovulation | (noun) the absence of ovulation due to immaturity or post-maturity or pregnancy or oral contraceptive pills or dysfunction of the ovary | - |
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| anticipation | (noun) the act of predicting (as by reasoning about the future) | Synonyms: prediction, prevision |
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| (noun) something expected (as on the basis of a norm) | Synonyms: expectancy |
| (noun) an expectation | Synonyms: expectancy |
| (noun) anticipating with confidence of fulfillment | Synonyms: expectation |
| anticoagulation | (noun) the administration of an anticoagulant drug to retard coagulation of the blood | - |
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| antiredeposition | (noun) the process of preventing redeposition | - |
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| antlion | (noun) winged insect resembling a dragonfly; the larvae (doodlebugs) dig conical pits where they wait to catch e.g. ants | Synonyms: ant lion, antlion fly |
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| (noun) the larva of any of several insects | Synonyms: ant lion, doodlebug |
| aphelion | (noun) apoapsis in solar orbit; the point in the orbit of a planet or comet that is at the greatest distance from the sun | - |
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| apicalization | (noun) (phonetics) An articulatory feature of phones, usually consonants, produced by obstructing the air passage with the tip of the tongue. | - |
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| apparition | (noun) an act of appearing or becoming visible unexpectedly | - |
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| (noun) something existing in perception only | Synonyms: fantasm, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, shadow |
| (noun) the appearance of a ghostlike figure | - |
| (noun) a ghostly appearing figure | Synonyms: fantasm, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, specter, spectre |
| appellation | (noun) identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others | Synonyms: appellative, denomination, designation |
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| (noun) a geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine are grown | - |
| apperception | (noun) the process whereby perceived qualities of an object are related to past experience | - |
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| application | (noun) the action of putting something into operation | - |
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| (noun) a diligent effort | Synonyms: diligence |
| (noun) the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose | Synonyms: practical application |
| (noun) the work of applying something | Synonyms: coating, covering |
| (noun) liquid preparation having a soothing or antiseptic or medicinal action when applied to the skin | Synonyms: lotion |
| (noun) a verbal or written request for assistance or employment or admission to a school | - |
| (noun) a program that gives a computer instructions that provide the user with tools to accomplish a task | Synonyms: application program, applications programme |
| apposition | (noun) the act of positioning close together (or side by side) | Synonyms: collocation, juxtaposition |
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| (noun) (biology) growth in the thickness of a cell wall by the deposit of successive layers of material | - |
| (noun) a grammatical relation between a word and a noun phrase that follows | - |
| appreciation | (noun) a favorable judgment | Synonyms: admiration |
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| (noun) an increase in price or value | - |
| (noun) understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something | Synonyms: grasp, hold |
| (noun) delicate discrimination (especially of esthetic values) | Synonyms: discernment, perceptiveness, taste |
| (noun) an expression of gratitude | - |
| apprehension | (noun) the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal) | Synonyms: arrest, catch, collar, pinch, taking into custody |
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| (noun) the cognitive condition of someone who understands | Synonyms: discernment, savvy, understanding |
| (noun) painful expectation | Synonyms: misgiving |
| (noun) fearful expectation or anticipation | Synonyms: apprehensiveness, dread |
| approbation | (noun) official recognition or approval | - |
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| (noun) official approval | - |
| appropriation | (noun) a deliberate act of acquisition of something, often without the permission of the owner | - |
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| (noun) incorporation by joining or uniting | Synonyms: annexation |
| (noun) money set aside (as by a legislature) for a specific purpose | - |
| approximation | (noun) the act of bringing near or bringing together especially the cut edges of tissue | Synonyms: bringing close together |
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| (noun) the quality of coming near to identity (especially close in quantity) | - |
| (noun) an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth | Synonyms: estimate, estimation, idea |
| (noun) an imprecise or incomplete account | - |
| arbitration | (noun) the act of deciding as an arbiter; giving authoritative judgment | Synonyms: arbitrament, arbitrement |
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| (noun) (law) the hearing and determination of a dispute by an impartial referee agreed to by both parties (often used to settle disputes between labor and management) | - |
| argumentation | (noun) a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning | Synonyms: argument, line, line of reasoning, logical argument |
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| (noun) a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal | Synonyms: argument, debate |
| arrogation | (noun) seizure by the government | Synonyms: confiscation |
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| articulation | (noun) the act of joining things in such a way that motion is possible | - |
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| (noun) (anatomy) the point of connection between two bones or elements of a skeleton (especially if it allows motion) | Synonyms: articulatio, joint |
| (noun) the aspect of pronunciation that involves bringing articulatory organs together so as to shape the sounds of speech | - |
| (noun) expressing in coherent verbal form | Synonyms: voice |
| (noun) the shape or manner in which things come together and a connection is made | Synonyms: join, joint, junction, juncture |
| ascension | (noun) the act of changing location in an upward direction | Synonyms: ascending, ascent, rise |
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| (noun) a movement upward; rise above the ground | Synonyms: ascent, rise, rising |
| (noun) (astronomy) the rising of a star above the horizon | - |
| ascription | (noun) assigning to a cause or source | Synonyms: attribution |
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| (noun) assigning some quality or character to a person or thing | Synonyms: attribution |
| aspersion | (noun) an abusive attack on a person's character or good name | Synonyms: calumny, defamation, denigration, slander |
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| (noun) the act of sprinkling water in baptism (rare) | Synonyms: sprinkling |
| (noun) a disparaging remark | Synonyms: slur |
| asphyxiation | (noun) killing by depriving of oxygen | Synonyms: suffocation |
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| (noun) the condition of being deprived of oxygen (as by having breathing stopped) | Synonyms: suffocation |
| aspiration | (noun) the act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing | Synonyms: breathing in, inhalation, inspiration, intake |
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| (noun) a will to succeed | - |
| (noun) a manner of articulation involving an audible release of breath | - |
| (noun) a cherished desire | Synonyms: ambition, dream |
| assassination | (noun) murder of a public figure by surprise attack | - |
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| (noun) an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation | Synonyms: blackwash, character assassination |
| assertion | (noun) a declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary) | Synonyms: asseveration, averment |
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| (noun) the act of affirming or asserting or stating something | Synonyms: affirmation, statement |
| asseveration | (noun) a declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary) | Synonyms: assertion, averment |
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| assibilation | (noun) pronunciation with a sibilant (hissing or whistling) sound | Synonyms: sibilation |
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| (noun) the development of a consonant phoneme into a sibilant | - |
| assignation | (noun) a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers) | Synonyms: tryst |
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| (noun) the act of distributing by allotting or apportioning; distribution according to a plan | Synonyms: allocation, allotment, apportioning, apportionment, parceling, parcelling |
| assimilation | (noun) in the theories of Jean Piaget: the application of a general schema to a particular instance | - |
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| (noun) the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure | Synonyms: acculturation |
| (noun) a linguistic process by which a sound becomes similar to an adjacent sound | - |
| (noun) the process of absorbing nutrients into the body after digestion | Synonyms: absorption |
| (noun) the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another | Synonyms: absorption |
| (noun) the state of being assimilated; people of different backgrounds come to see themselves as part of a larger national family | - |
| association | (noun) the act of consorting with or joining with others | - |
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| (noun) the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination | Synonyms: connection, connexion |
| (noun) a formal organization of people or groups of people | - |
| (noun) (ecology) a group of organisms (plants and animals) that live together in a certain geographical region and constitute a community with a few dominant species | - |
| (noun) (chemistry) any process of combination (especially in solution) that depends on relatively weak chemical bonding | - |
| (noun) a relation resulting from interaction or dependence | - |
| (noun) a social or business relationship | Synonyms: affiliation, tie-up, tie |
| (noun) the state of being connected together as in memory or imagination | - |
| assumption | (noun) the act of taking possession of or power over something | Synonyms: laying claim |
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| (noun) the act of assuming or taking for granted | - |
| (noun) audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to | Synonyms: effrontery, presumption, presumptuousness |
| (noun) a hypothesis that is taken for granted | Synonyms: supposal, supposition |
| (noun) a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn | Synonyms: premise, premiss |
| asterion | (noun) the craniometric point at the junction of the lamboid suture and the occipitomastoid suture and the parietomastoid suture | - |
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| astronavigation | (noun) navigating according to the positions of the stars | Synonyms: celestial navigation |
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| atomisation | (noun) separating something into fine particles | Synonyms: atomization, fragmentation |
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| (noun) annihilation by reducing something to atoms | Synonyms: atomization |
| atomization | (noun) separating something into fine particles | Synonyms: atomisation, fragmentation |
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| (noun) annihilation by reducing something to atoms | Synonyms: atomisation |
| attention | (noun) the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something | Synonyms: aid, care, tending |
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| (noun) a courteous act indicating affection | - |
| (noun) a motionless erect stance with arms at the sides and feet together; assumed by military personnel during drill or review | - |
| (noun) the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others | Synonyms: attending |
| (noun) the faculty or power of mental concentration | - |
| (noun) a general interest that leads people to want to know more | - |
| attenuation | (noun) the property of something that has been weakened or reduced in thickness or density | - |
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| (noun) weakening in force or intensity | Synonyms: fading |
| attestation | (noun) the action of bearing witness | - |
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| (noun) the evidence by which something is attested | - |
| attraction | (noun) the quality of arousing interest; being attractive or something that attracts | Synonyms: attractiveness |
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| (noun) a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts | Synonyms: attracter, attractive feature, attractor, magnet |
| (noun) an entertainment that is offered to the public | - |
| (noun) an entertainer who attracts large audiences | Synonyms: attracter, attractor, draw, drawing card |
| (noun) the force by which one object attracts another | Synonyms: attractive force |
| attribution | (noun) assigning to a cause or source | Synonyms: ascription |
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| (noun) assigning some quality or character to a person or thing | Synonyms: ascription |
| attrition | (noun) the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction | - |
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| (noun) a wearing down to weaken or destroy | - |
| (noun) sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation | Synonyms: contriteness, contrition |
| (noun) the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice | Synonyms: abrasion, detrition, grinding |
| (noun) erosion by friction | Synonyms: abrasion, corrasion, detrition |
| auction | (noun) the public sale of something to the highest bidder | Synonyms: auction sale, vendue |
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| (noun) a variety of bridge in which tricks made in excess of the contract are scored toward game; now generally superseded by contract bridge | Synonyms: auction bridge |
| audition | (noun) a test of the suitability of a performer | Synonyms: tryout |
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| (noun) the ability to hear; the auditory faculty | Synonyms: auditory modality, auditory sense, hearing, sense of hearing |
| augmentation | (noun) the act of augmenting | - |
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| (noun) the statement of a theme in notes of greater duration (usually twice the length of the original) | - |
| (noun) the amount by which something becomes greater | - |
| auscultation | (noun) listening to sounds within the body (usually with a stethoscope) | - |
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| authentication | (noun) validating the authenticity of something or someone | Synonyms: certification |
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| (noun) a mark on an article of trade to indicate its origin and authenticity | Synonyms: assay-mark, hallmark |
| authorisation | (noun) the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant | Synonyms: authorization, empowerment |
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| (noun) the power or right to give orders or make decisions | Synonyms: authority, authorization, dominance, potency, say-so |
| (noun) official permission or approval | Synonyms: authority, authorization, sanction |
| (noun) a document giving an official instruction or command | Synonyms: authorization, mandate |
| authorization | (noun) the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant | Synonyms: authorisation, empowerment |
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| (noun) the power or right to give orders or make decisions | Synonyms: authorisation, authority, dominance, potency, say-so |
| (noun) official permission or approval | Synonyms: authorisation, authority, sanction |
| (noun) a document giving an official instruction or command | Synonyms: authorisation, mandate |
| automation | (noun) the act of implementing the control of equipment with advanced technology; usually involving electronic hardware | Synonyms: mechanisation, mechanization |
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| (noun) equipment used to achieve automatic control or operation | - |
| (noun) the condition of being automatically operated or controlled | - |
| autoregulation | (noun) (physiology) processes that maintain a generally constant physiological state in a cell or organism | - |
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| autosuggestion | (noun) a system for self-improvement developed by Emile Coue which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s | Synonyms: auto-suggestion, self-suggestion |
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| aversion | (noun) the act of turning yourself (or your gaze) away | Synonyms: averting |
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| (noun) a feeling of intense dislike | Synonyms: antipathy, distaste |
| aviation | (noun) travel via aircraft | Synonyms: air, air travel |
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| (noun) the art of operating aircraft | Synonyms: airmanship |
| (noun) the aggregation of a country's military aircraft | Synonyms: air power |
| (noun) the operation of aircraft to provide transportation | - |
| avocation | (noun) an auxiliary activity | Synonyms: by-line, hobby, pursuit, sideline, spare-time activity |
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| avulsion | (noun) a forcible tearing or surgical separation of one body part from another | - |
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| (noun) an abrupt change in the course of a stream that forms the boundary between two parcels of land resulting in the loss of part of the land of one landowner and a consequent increase in the land of another | - |
| backwardation | (noun) the market condition wherein the price of a forward or futures contract is trading below the expected spot price at contract maturity. | - |
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| barbarisation | (noun) an act that makes people primitive and uncivilized | Synonyms: barbarization |
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| barbarization | (noun) an act that makes people primitive and uncivilized | Synonyms: barbarisation |
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| bastardisation | (noun) an act that debases or corrupts | Synonyms: bastardization |
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| bastardization | (noun) an act that debases or corrupts | Synonyms: bastardisation |
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| (noun) declaring or rendering bastard | - |
| bastion | (noun) projecting part of a rampart or other fortification | - |
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| (noun) a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle | Synonyms: citadel |
| (noun) a group that defends a principle | - |
| battalion | (noun) an army unit usually consisting of a headquarters and three or more companies | - |
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| (noun) a large indefinite quantity | Synonyms: large number, multitude, pack, plurality |
| bazillion | (noun) a very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole) | Synonyms: billion, gazillion, jillion, million, trillion, zillion |
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| beatification | (noun) (Roman Catholic Church) an act of the Pope who declares that a deceased person lived a holy life and is worthy of public veneration; a first step toward canonization | - |
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| (noun) the action of rendering supremely blessed and extremely happy | - |
| (noun) a state of supreme happiness | Synonyms: beatitude, blessedness |
| beautification | (noun) the act of making something more beautiful | - |
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| benediction | (noun) the act of praying for divine protection | Synonyms: blessing |
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| (noun) a ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection | Synonyms: blessing |
| benefaction | (noun) an act intending or showing kindness and good will | Synonyms: benevolence |
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| (noun) a contribution of money or assistance | - |