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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
conceit
compensate^1
verb to repay someone for loss
or damage » The company
offered to compensate the
customer for the broken laptop
plus the inconvenience.
atone, refund, repay,
reward, make amends,
make restitution,
recompense, reimburse,
remunerate
compensate^2
verb to cancel out
» Theo’s enthusiasm
compensated for his lack
of skill at knitting.
balance, cancel out,
counteract, make up for,
offset, counterbalance,
redress
compensation
noun something that makes up
for loss or damage » She
received compensation for
the damage to her property.
amends, atonement,
damages, payment,
recompense,
reimbursement,
remuneration,
reparation, restitution
compete
verb to try to win » The teams
competed for the title in
the final game of the season.
contend, contest, fight, vie
competition^1
noun an attempt to win
» There’s a lot of competition
for places.
contention, contest,
opposition, rivalry, struggle
competition^2
noun a contest to find
the winner in something
» Jemima won the surfing
competition.
championship, contest,
event, tournament
competitor
noun a person who competes
for something
◀◀ SEE LEFT
complain
verb to express dissatisfaction
» Poppy complained to the
teacher that John had taken
her pencil.
carp, find fault, grouse,
grumble, kick up a fuss
(informal), moan, whine,
whinge (informal), bemoan,
bewail
complaint
noun an instance of
complaining about something
» There have been a number
of complaints about the noise
from the roadworks.
criticism, grievance,
grumble, objection, protest
complete^1
adjective to the greatest degree
possible » The garden had
undergone a complete
transformation.
absolute, consummate,
outright, perfect, thorough,
total, utter
complete^2
adjective with nothing missing
» Lesley owned a complete
set of tools with all
the attachments.
entire, full, intact,
undivided, whole
antonym: incomplete
complete^3
verb to finish » Tim has just
completed his first fun run.
conclude, end, finish
complex^1
adjective having many different
parts » The complex puzzle
took a long time to solve.
complicated, difficult,
intricate, involved, tangled,
convoluted, tortuous
antonym: simple
complex^2
noun an emotional problem
» Vincent has a complex about
being accident prone.
fixation, obsession,
phobia, preoccupation,
problem, thing
complicated
adjective complex and difficult
» The questions in the test
were so complicated that he
couldn’t understand them.
complex, convoluted,
elaborate, intricate,
involved, labyrinthine,
perplexing
antonym: simple
compose
verb to create or write
» Stephen has composed
a song.
create, devise, invent,
produce, write
comprehend
verb to understand or
appreciate something
» It took me a moment
to comprehend what
Lewis was saying.
appreciate, fathom, grasp,
see, take in, understand,
work out
compulsory
adjective required by law
» School attendance
is compulsory.
mandatory, obligatory,
required, requisite
antonym: voluntary
computer
noun an electronic machine
that stores and processes data
» Ana used a computer to
work out the company’s profits.
laptop, PC, tablet
con^1
verb to trick someone into
doing or believing something
» Joshua conned me into
buying his broken bike.
cheat, deceive,
mislead, swindle,
trick, defraud, dupe
con^2
noun a trick intended to
mislead or disadvantage
someone » The packaging is
a con – it makes the contents
look twice as big as they are.
bluff, deception, fraud,
swindle, trick
conceit
noun excessive pride » The
singer made so many demands;
his conceit was insufferable.
egotism, pride,
self-importance, vanity,
narcissism, vainglory
The teams competed for the title
in the final game of the season.
Poppy complained to the teacher
that John had taken her pencil.
Ana used a computer to work out
the company’s profits.
Lesley owned a complete
set of tools with all the
attachments.
034-056_C.indd 47 13/01/17 2:56 pm