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a b c d e g h i j k l m p q r s t u v w x y z
n
o
f
begin
verb to start or cause to start
» When did the show begin?
commence (formal), initiate,
originate, set about, start,
inaugurate, instigate,
institute
antonym: endbeginner
noun someone learning
to do something
» Ali joined the “French
for beginners” class.
apprentice, learner, novice,
starter, trainee
antonym: expertbeginning
noun where something starts
» The signpost marked the
beginning of the city.
birth, commencement
(formal), opening, origin,
outset, start, inauguration,
initiation, onset
antonym: endbehave
verb to act in a certain way
» If you don’t behave nicely,
we’ll have to leave the party.
act, function, operate, workbelief^1
noun the certainty something
is true » Miriam’s belief that
it was going to be a fine
summer turned out to be right.
confidence, conviction,
judgment, opinion,
trust, viewbelief^2
noun a principle of a religion
or system » His religion gave
him a strong set of beliefs.
creed, doctrine, dogma,
faith, ideology, principle,
tenetbelievable
adjective possible or likely
to be the case » The book
is full of believable characters
I can relate to.
credible, imaginable, likely,
plausible, possible,
probable
antonym: unbelievablebelieve
verb to accept something
is true » Don’t believe
everything you read in
the papers.
accept, assume, presume,
swallow (informal), trust
antonym: disbelievebelittle
verb to make someone or
something seem less important
» Ted always belittles me in
front of my friends – it really
shakes my confidence.
deride, detract from,
downgrade, scorn,
undervalue, denigrate,
disparage, minimize
antonym: praisebeloved
adjective dearly loved
» Anthony proposed to
his beloved girlfriend.
adored, cherished, darling,
dearest, precious,
treasured
antonym: despisedbelow
preposition or adverb lower
down » The basement
is below the ground floor.
beneath, down, lower,
under, underneath
antonym: abovebend^1
verb to make or become
curved » Bend the bar
into a horseshoe.
buckle, curve, turn,
twist, warpbend^2
verb to move the body
downwards » I bent
and kissed her cheek.
arch, bow, crouch,
incline, lean, stoopbend^3
noun a curve in something
» Watch out for the sharp
bend in the road.
arc, corner, curve, loop,
turn, angle, arch, twistbeneficial
adjective giving some benefit
» Eating fruit is beneficial^
to your health.
advantageous, good for
you, healthy, helpful,
useful, wholesomebenefit^1
noun an advantage » Meeting
interesting people is one of the
benefits of joining a club.
advantage, asset, boon,
gain, good, help, profit, use
antonym: disadvantagebenefit^2
verb to help in something
» The experience will benefit
you when you take the test.
aid, assist, enhance,
further, help, profit
antonym: harmbenevolent
adjective kind and helpful
» Arthur was a benevolent king
who cared about his people.
benign, charitable,
compassionate, humane,
kind, altruistic, beneficent,
philanthropicbeside
preposition next to » We sat
beside each other watching TV.
adjacent to, alongside,
close to, near, next tobest^1
adjective of the highest
standard » That was the
best film I have seen in a
long time.
finest, first-rate, foremost,
greatest, leading,
outstanding, pre-eminent,
principal, superlative,
supreme, top
antonym: worstbest^2
adjective most desirable
» Offering to pay for the
broken window was the best
thing to do.
correct, most fitting, right
antonym: worstbest^3
noun the preferred thing
» Of all my presents, this
looks the best – may I open
it first?
cream, elite, finest, pick
antonym: worstbetray^1
verb to break someone’s trust
» I was betrayed by
someone I thought
was a friend.
break your promise,
double-cross (informal),
inform onbetray^2
verb to show feelings
» Jeremy’s voice betrayed
little emotion over
the phone.
expose, manifest,
reveal, showAnthony proposed to his
beloved girlfriend.We sat beside each other
watching TV.Of all my presents, this looks the
best – may I open it first?betray
shore
He swam out from
the shore.
021-033_B.indd 25 22/03/17 11:34 am