English words often misused
English words often misused
English words often misused
ENGLISH WORDS OFTEN MISUSED
A
Accessary Accomplice.
Accessory An inessential object that adds to the beauty.
Acquire Get.
Acquittal Release.
Adjoin To be next to or in contact with one another.
Adjourn To suspend a session or meeting.
Adverse Unfavourable. Adverse criticism.
Averse Opposed to. Having a feeling of distaste.
Aggravate To make worse or more severe.
Annoy To disturb or irritate.
Allusion Imply or hint not real.
Amend To alter. To improve.
Emend To remove errors from, or correct text.
Apathy Lack of feeling or emotion.
Antipathy A distaste or dislike.
Annalist A historian.
Analyst A person who analysis or is skilled in analysis.
Ascertain To find out or learn with certainty.
Aver To declare positively.
Avert Turn away. Avoid. Prevent.
B
Ballet Artistic dance.
Ballot A sheet of paper used in secret voting.
Barbarism Action unacceptable by comtemporary standards.
Barbarity Cruelty. Inhumanity.
Beneficent Performing acts of kindness and charity.
Beneficial Profitable.
Born Brought into existence by birth.
Borne Past participle of the verb bear.
Brake To slow or stop by a brake.
Break To separate into parts with suddenness or violence.
Breach To break, violate. Breach of contract.
Breech The part of a firearm at the rear of the barrel.
Broad Broad shoulders. In width.
Brought Past tense of bring.
C
Continual Continuing indefinitely. The board meeting will be a
continual event.
Continuous In unbroken succession. Learning is a continuous
process.
Continue Go on with the action. Continue with your playing.
Calendar Almanac.
Calender A machine for pressing cloth, rubber or paper.
Cemetery Burial ground.
Symmetry Balanced proportions.
Cite To quote by way of example.
Site An area of ground.
Canvas A firm closely woven cloth. Tent material.
Canvass To examine in detail. To seek votes.
Complacent Self-satisfied.
Complaisant Anxious to please.
Contagious Communicable by contact.
Contiguous In actual contact. Touching along a boundary.
Converse To exchange thoughts.
Convert To win over from one party to another.
D
Deduce Drawn as conclusion from known or supposed facts.
Deduct To subtract. Take away or withhold.
Definite Precise. Exact. Fixed.
Definitive To be regarded as final. Conclusive.
Deprecate To express disapproval.
Depreciate To lower the price or estimated value. To belittle.
Disinterested Unbiased. Impartial.
Uninterested Not interested.
Desparate Being almost beyond hope.
Disparate Essentially different. Unrelated.
Draft To draw a preliminary sketch or plan.
Draught A current of air in a closed-in space. Beer.
E
Elicit To draw forth or bring out.
Illicit Unlawful. Not permitted.
Elusive Evasive. Baffling.
Illusive Unreal.
Equable Calm. Even.
Equitable Fair and just.
Euphemism The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression.
Euphuism An artificial style of writing or speaking.
Eventful Memorable.
Eventual That will happen under certain conditions.
Excitement Exhilaration.
Incitement Arousing to action.
Explicit Stated in detail.
Implicit Implied though not expressed.
F
Factious Disorderly.
Factitious Artificial. Unreal.
Fictitious Imaginary. Invented.
Fare The price charged for transport.
Fair Attractive, beautiful. Light in colour.
Familial Characteristic of a family or its members.
Familiar An intimate associate.
Final Occurring at the end.
Finale Final scene or number. Climax.
Filet A lace with a square mesh design.
Fillet A fleshly boneless piece of meat.
Fizzle To make a weak fizzing sound.
Frizzle To fry until crisp.
Fragile Easily broken.
Frail Delicate.
G
Grisly Forbidding. Ghastly.
Grizzly Grey.
Geezer A man who is though a little odd or peculiar.
Geyser Apparatus for heating water.
Guarantee Written undertaking.
Warrantee Person giving or receiving a guarantee.
Guild An association of people with similar interests.
Guilt Feelings of being at fault.
H
Haberdasher A dealer in buttons, thread, ribbons, etc.
Haberdashery A shop where one can buy buttons, thread, etc.
Habitat Place where a plant or animal naturally grows or lives.
Habitual Having the nature of a habit. Habitual drunkard.
Haemorrhage A loss of blood from the bood vessels.
Haemorrhoid A mass of dilated veins. Piles.
Honorarium A fee paid for services voluntarily rendered.
Honorary Unpaid. Voluntary.
Hospice A nursing home for terminally ill patients.
Hospital An institution where medical care is given.
Human A man, woman or child. A person.
Humane Compassionate.
I
Illegible Unreadable.
Illiterate A person who is unable to read or write.
Imaginary Existing only in the imagination.
Imaginative Having a high degree of imagination.
Impassible Without feeling.
Impossible Not possible. Difficult.
Ingenious Resourceful. Clever.
Ingenuous Frank. Candid.
Inhabit To occupy or be present in.
Inhibit To restrain or to prohibit.
Irrelevant Not relevant. Inapplicable.
Irreverent Impious. Not reverent.
Itinerant Travelling from place to place.
Itinerary A travel diary.
Its Relating to it or itself.
It's It is, it has.
J
Judicial Administration of justice.
Judicious Sensible. Wise. Prudent.
Juror A member of a jury.
Jury Body of persons sworn to render verdict in court.
K
Kedge Anchor.
Kedgeree Dish of fish, rice, eggs.
Kerb Stone edging to pavement.
Curb Chain or strap passing under horse's lower jaw.
Knit With wool.
Nit Egg of louse or other parasite.
Knight Person usually of noble birth.
Night Dark period between day and day.
L
Later After the right time.
Latter Last of several things mentioned.
Lay To place.
Lie To rest.
Loath Unwilling.
Loathe Regard with disgust.
Loose Not tight.
Lose To miss from one's possession.
Loud Producing a high volume of sound.
Lout Rough ill-mannered man or youth.
M
Male A male person, animal or plant.
Mail Bag of postal letters.
Mane Abundant head of hair.
Main Chief, principal.
Marital Matrimonial.
Martial Warlike.
Monetary Financial.
Monitory Giving or serving as warning.
N
Naught Nothing.
Naughty Badly behaved.
Nausea A feeling of discomfort in the stomach.
Nauseate To become affected by nausea or disgust.
Naval Consisting of or involving warships.
Navel The central point in the stomach.
Negligent Careless.
Negligible Of little or no importance.
Necessary Inevitable. Inescapable.
Necessarily Inevitably.
Nose The part of the face that bears the nostrils.
Noose A loop with a running knot.
Numeral Expressing numbers
Numerate Understanding basic mathematics.
Numerous Consisting of many.
Numinous Awe-inspiring, mysterious.
O
Oasis A fertile area in a dry region.
Oases Plural of oasis.
Oblige To constrain by force.
Oblique Neither perpendicular nor parallel.
Oblivion The state of forgetting.
Oblivious Lacking conscious knowledge.
Obsolescent Going out of use.
Obsolete No longer in use. Outdated. Outmoded.
Ordinance An authoritative decree.
Ordnance Branch of government dealing with military supplies.
P
Pail Round open-topped vessel.
Pale Whitish, faintly coloured.
Pallet A portable platform.
Pallid Wan, pale, sickly looking.
Pair Two corresponding things.
Pare Trim or reduce by cutting away.
Persecute To harass in a manner designed to injure.
Prosecute To take legal action.
Prescribe To write medical prescriptions. To ordain.
Proscribe To bannish.
Principal Head or leader.
Principle A rule or code of conduct.
Punctilious Precise.
Punctual Prompt.
R
Rabble Disorganised or disorderly crowd of people.
Rubble Broken fragments of building material.
Radical Somebody who is a member of a radical party.
Radicle Root-like subdivision of nerve or vein.
Reign Royal authority.
Rein A strap by which a rider or driver controls an animal.
Renew Make new or as good as new.
Renovate To restore by replacing lost or damaged parts.
Repair The act or process of repairing.
Reparation The act of making amends.
Ridicule To mock, make fun of.
Ridiculous Deserving to be laughed at.
Role A part played by an actor or singer.
Roll A bread roll. Written document that may be rolled up.
S
Safe Secure from threat of danger.
Save To rescue from danger or harm.
Sail To travel in a boat or ship.
Sale The act or an instance of selling.
Sallow Of a sickly yellowish colour.
Shallow Having little depth.
Sensual Voluptuous
Sensuous Operating through the senses.
Serge A durable twilled fabric.
Surge To rise and move.
Stationary Not in motion.
Stationery Paper, pens, ink.
Statuary A collection of statues.
Statutory Established, regulated, imposed by.
Suit A legal action, petition, appeal. Clothes.
Suite A group of rooms. Collection.
T
Tailor A person who alters or makes garments.
Taler German silver coins.
Taper To decrease gradually in thickness.
Tapir American mammal.
Tend Take care of.
Tent Collapsible shelter.
Than Used to indicate difference of kind or manner.
Then At that time.
Their Belonging to them.
There In or at that place.
Thread To use for sewing.
Threat An expression of intention to inflict punishment.
Thou Used when addressing God.
Though However, nevertheless.
U
Urban Pertaining to a town.
Urbane Notibly polite or smooth in manner.
Idle, worthless.
Vane A thin flat or curbed object.
Vein Membranous tube through which blood flows.
Vary To ensure variety.
Very Actual, genuine.
Vassal Somebody in a subordinate position.
Vessel Hollow utensil or structure.
Veracity Truth.
Voracity Greediness.
Vicious Dangerous. Depraved.
Viscous Sticky.
W
Waive To refrain from demanding or enforcing.
Waiver The relinguishing of a right.
Wave To give a signal by moving the hand.
Waist The narrow part of the body between chest and hips.
Waste Uninhabited. Not productive. Discarded as refuse.
Weather Atmospheric conditions.
Whether An indirect question involving alternatives.
Whole Restored. Unbroken.
Hole Hollow place, gap, cavity.
Wreath Garland
Wreathe To encircle. To twist or move in coils.
Wright Craftsman. Maker or builder.
Write To form legible characters, symbols or words.
Y
Yoke To attach. To join as if by a yoke.
Yolk Yellow of an egg.
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