agoraphobia [ ag-er-uh’-FOH-bee-uh’ ]
[noun]
MEANING:
an abnormal fear of crowds, public places or open areas
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
People who suffer from agoraphobia require clinical intervention to live a full life.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
It has the potential to be useful for people whose first language is not English and it’s good for particular things such as agoraphobia.
jab [ jab ]
[noun,transitive verb]
MEANING:
1. (tr.v.) to poke or pierce esp. with a stick
2. (tr.v.) to punch with short, straight blows
3. (n.) a swift blow
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The old man jabbed the barking dog with his walking stick.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
A universal flu vaccine which could mean an end to the annual jab is being tested on UK volunteers.
unrelenting [ uhn-ri-LEN-ting ]
[adjective]
MEANING:
1. not yielding or wavering in determination
2. not diminishing in severity
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The detective assured the Dean that he was making unrelenting efforts to clear the campus of drug dealers.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Too many Americans keep forgetting that the threat we face is real, and unrelenting.
ruddy [ RUHD-ee ]
[adjective]
MEANING:
1. a fresh and healthy red colour
2. rosy
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
All the children at the hill station had a ruddy complexion.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
You’ll see teenagers — already working on ruddy beer-glow cheeks — roll kegs up the streets and into the pubs in preparation for another night of music and craic (fun conversation and atmosphere).
mercenary [ MUR-suh’-ner-ee ]
[noun,adjective]
MEANING:
1. (adj.) serving only for money or other reward
2. (adj.) hired to serve or serving in a foreign army or guerrilla organization
3.(n.) a hireling or professional soldier engaged to serve in a foreign army
4. (n.) a soldier of fortune
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
Because his outlook on life was so mercenary, his friends urged him to do some charity work for a change.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
This month, the government announced a presidential pardon for British mercenary Simon Mann, who had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea.
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