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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
passing
passing
adjective lasting only for a short
time » She hoped her son’s
pink hair was a passing phase.
fleeting, momentary,
short-lived, transitorypassion
noun any strong emotion
» His voice trembled with
passion as he spoke of her.
emotion, excitement, fire,
intensity, warmth, zealpassionate
adjective expressing very strong
feelings about something
» I’m passionate about art –
I see every exhibition that’s on.
ardent, emotional,
heartfelt, impassioned,
intense, strongpassive
adjective submissive or not
playing an active part
» His passive attitude made it
easier for me to take charge.
docile, receptive, resigned,
submissive, acquiescent,
compliant, inactive,
quiescentpast^1 : the past
noun the period of time before
the present » We would like
to put the past behind us.
antiquity, days gone by,
former times, long agopast^2
adjective happening or existing
before the present » We have
wonderful pictures of past
generations of our family.
ancient, bygone, former,
olden, previous, erstwhile,
quondam
antonym: futurepast^3
preposition situated on the
other side of somewhere
» My house is just past
the shop on the right.
beyond, by, overpastime
noun a hobby or something
done for pleasure
» My favourite pastime
is reading.
activity, diversion, hobby,
recreationpath^1
noun a strip of ground
for people to walk on
» We followed the path
along the clifftops.
footpath, pathway, towpath,
track, trail, waypath^2
noun the space ahead of
someone as they move along
» A group of reporters stood
in the actor’s path.
course, direction, passage,
route, waypathetic^1
adjective causing someone
to feel pity » The shivering
dog looked rather pathetic.
heartbreaking, sad,
pitiable, plaintivepathetic^2
adjective very poor or
unsuccessful » She gave me
a pathetic excuse – homework –
for not coming to the party.
feeble, lamentable, pitiful,
poor, sorrypatience
noun the ability to stay calm in
a difficult situation » Dealing
with four tired, hungry children
required all his patience.
calmness, composure, cool
(slang), restraint, tolerance,
equanimity, forbearance,
imperturbabilitypatient^1
adjective staying calm
in a difficult situation
» Please be patient –
we are very busy today.
calm, composed,
long-suffering,
philosophical, serene
antonym: impatientpatient^2
noun a person receiving
medical treatment
» She enjoyed the company
of other patients during her
stay in hospital.
case, invalid, sick person,
suffererpattern^1
noun a decorative design
of repeated shapes
» The cushions have a pattern
of colourful stripes.
design, motifpattern^2
noun a diagram or shape used
as a guide for making
something » I can knit,
but only if I follow a pattern.
design, diagram, plan,
stencil, templatepause^1
verb to stop doing something
for a short time » On leaving,
Mel paused at the door to say
goodbye again.
break, delay, halt, rest,
take a break, waitpause^2
noun a short period when
activity stops » There was
a pause in conversation while
the waiter set down two plates.
break, gap, halt,
interruption, interval,
rest, stoppage, hiatuspay^1
verb to give money to someone
to settle a debt » You can pay
with cash or a card.
compensate, honour, settle,
recompense, reimburse,
remuneratepay^2
verb to give someone a benefit
» It pays to be honest.
be advantageous,
be worthwhilepay^3
noun money paid to someone
for work done » The factory
workers went on strike over
pay and conditions.
earnings, fee, income,
payment, salary, wages,
emolument, recompense,
reimbursement,
remuneration, stipendpayment
noun an amount of money that
is paid to someone » Mum
made the initial payment
for my new computer
over the telephone.
advance, deposit,
instalment, premium,
remittanceWe have wonderful pictures of past
generations of our family.My favourite pastime is reading.You can pay with cash or a card.The cushions have a pattern of
colourful stripes.156-174_P.indd 158 22/03/17 11:36 am