| having doubts that a claim or statement is true or that something will happen | I am SCEPTICAL about his chances of winning. |
| a large public meeting, especially one held to support a particular idea or political party | She spoke at a public RALLY in Hyde Park. |
| to come together or bring people together in order to help or support somebody/something | The cabinet RALLIED behind the Prime Minister. |
| the position of somebody/something on a scale that shows how good or important they are in relation to other similar people or things, especially in sport | He has improved his RANKING this season from 67th to 30th. |
| the crime of forcing somebody to have sex when they do not want it or are not able to agree to it | an increase in the number of reported RAPES |
| to force somebody to have sex when they do not want it or are not able to agree to it | She was attacked and RAPED. |
| the relationship between two groups of people or things that is represented by two numbers showing how much larger one group is than the other | What is the RATIO of men to women in the department? |
| (of behaviour, ideas, etc.) based on reason rather than emotions | There is no RATIONAL explanation for his actions. |
| a narrow line of light, heat or other energy | Ultraviolet RAYS damage the skin. |
| quickly and without difficulty | All ingredients are READILY available from your local store. |
| the process of becoming aware of something | the sudden REALIZATION of what she had done |
| an area of activity, interest or knowledge | At the end of the speech he seemed to be moving into the REALMS of fantasy. |
| at or near the back of something | the REAR entrance of the building |
| the back part of something | There are toilets at both front and REAR of the plane. |
| the process of thinking about things in a logical way; opinions and ideas that are based on logical thinking | What is the REASONING behind this decision? |
| to say or do something that makes somebody less frightened or worried | They tried to REASSURE her, but she still felt anxious. |
| a person who fights against the government of their country | Armed REBELS advanced towards the capital. |
| an attempt by some of the people in a country to change their government, using violence | The north of the country rose in REBELLION against the government. |
| a person who receives something | He was a worthy RECIPIENT of the Nobel Prize. |
| the process of changing or improving the condition of something or the way it works; the process of putting something back into the state it was in before | The country faces a huge task of national RECONSTRUCTION following the war. |
| to tell somebody about something, especially something that you have experienced | She was asked to RECOUNT the details of the conversation to the court. |
| an occasion when all the people of a country can vote on an important issue | Switzerland decided to hold a REFERENDUM on joining the EU. |
| an image in a mirror, on a shiny surface, on water, etc. | He admired his REFLECTION / reflection in the mirror. |
| change that is made to a social system, an organization, etc. in order to improve or correct it | His administration carried out economic REFORMS. |
| to improve a system, an organization, a law, etc. by making changes to it | proposals to REFORM the social security system |
| shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc. | A further 300 people have taken REFUGE / refuge in the US embassy. |
| an act of saying or showing that you will not do, give or accept something | His REFUSAL to discuss the matter is very annoying. |
| to get back something you no longer have, especially an ability or a quality | The party has REGAINED control of the region. |
| paying no attention, even if the situation is bad or there are difficulties | The weather was terrible but we carried on REGARDLESS. |
| a method or system of government, especially one that has not been elected in a fair way | An interim government was elected to replace the ousted REGIME |
| a person or an organization that officially controls an area of business or industry and makes sure that it is operating fairly | Ofgas, the gas industry REGULATOR |
| having the power to control an area of business or industry and make sure that it is operating fairly | REGULATORY bodies/authorities/agencies |
| the process of helping somebody to return to a normal, healthy life after they have been in prison or very ill | a drug REHABILITATION centre |
| the period during which a king, queen, emperor, etc. rules | The house was built during the REIGN of Henry VIII. |
| to rule as king, queen, emperor, etc. | It was the first visit by a British REIGNING monarch to Russia. |
| the act of refusing to accept or consider something | Her proposal met with unanimous REJECTION. |
| a close connection with the subject you are discussing or the situation you are in | What he said has no direct RELEVANCE to the matter in hand. |
| the quality of being able to be trusted to do what somebody wants or needs | The RELIABILITY cast doubt on her motives and reliability. |
| hesitating before doing something because you do not want to do it or because you are not sure that it is the right thing to do | They nodded in RELUCTANT agreement. |
| the people, things or time that remain | I kept some of his books and gave away the REMAINDER. |
| the parts of something that are left after the other parts have been used, eaten, removed, etc. | She fed the REMAINS of her lunch to the dog. |
| a way of dealing with or improving an unpleasant or difficult situation | When the reservoir becomes blocked, the only REMEDY lies in cleaning the entire system. |
| something that makes you think about or remember somebody/something, that you have forgotten or would like to forget | The incident served as a timely REMINDER of just how dangerous mountaineering can be. |
| the act of taking somebody/something away from a particular place | Clearance of the site required the REMOVAL of a number of trees. |
| (formal) to cause somebody/something to be in a particular state or condition | Hundreds of people were RENDERED homeless by the earthquake. |
| to begin something again after it stopped or was interrupted | The army RENEWED its assault on the capital. |
| famous and respected | We asked for advice from the RENOWNED legal expert, Sam Pincher. |
| the amount of money that you pay to use something for a particular period of time | Telephone charges include line RENTAL. |
| the act of replacing one thing with another, especially something that is newer or better | Do you know where I can get the REPLACEMENT part? |
| according to what some people say | The band have REPORTEDLY decided to split up. |
| the act of presenting somebody/something in a particular way; something that shows or describes something | The snake swallowing its tail is a REPRESENTATION of infinity. |
| to make a copy of a picture, piece of text, etc. | It is illegal to REPRODUCE these worksheets without permission from the publisher. |
| the act or process of producing babies, young animals or plants | They are studying REPRODUCTION in shellfish. |
| a country that is governed by a president and politicians elected by the people and where there is no king or queen | Mary McAleese has been the President of the REPUBLIC of Ireland since 1997. |
| to look like or be similar to another person or thing | She closely RESEMBLES her sister. |
| to live in a particular place | He returned to Britain in 1939, having RESIDED abroad for many years. |
| a house, especially a large or impressive one | a desirable family RESIDENCE for sale (= for example, in an advertisement) |
| (of an area of a town) suitable for living in; consisting of houses rather than factories or offices | a quiet RESIDENTIAL area |
| a small amount of something that remains at the end of a process | pesticide RESIDUES in fruit and vegetables |
| the act of giving up your job or position; the occasion when you do this | There were calls for her RESIGNATION from the board of directors. |
| dislike of or opposition to a plan, an idea, etc.; the act of refusing to obey | There has been a lot of RESISTANCE to this new law |
| belonging or relating separately to each of the people or things already mentioned | They are each recognized specialists in their RESPECTIVE fields. |
| in the same order as the people or things already mentioned | Julie and Mark, aged 17 and 19 RESPECTIVELY |
| the work of repairing and cleaning an old building, a painting, etc. so that its condition is as good as it originally was | The palace is closed for RESTORATION. |
| a rule, a fact, an idea, etc. that limits or controls what people can do | The government has imposed export RESTRAINTS on some products. |
| if you resume an activity, or if it resumes, it begins again or continues after being interrupted | She RESUMED her career after an interval of six years. |
| a movement away from a place or an enemy because of danger or defeat | Napoleon’s RETREAT from Moscow |
| to move away from a place or an enemy because you are in danger or because you have been defeated | The army was forced to RETREAT after suffering heavy losses. |
| (formal) to bring or get something back, especially from a place where it should not be | She bent to RETRIEVE her comb from the floor. |
| a fact that people are made aware of, especially one that has been secret and is surprising | He was dismissed after REVELATIONS that confidential files were missing. |
| something that you do in order to make somebody suffer because they have made you suffer | She is seeking REVENGE for the murder of her husband. |
| opposite to what has been mentioned | The winners were announced in REVERSE order (= the person in the lowest place was announced first). |
| the opposite of what has just been mentioned | Although I expected to enjoy living in the country, in fact the REVERSE is true. |
| to change something completely so that it is the opposite of what it was before | Falling birth rates may REVERSE the trend towards early retirement. |
| an improvement in the condition or strength of something | He claimed the market was showing signs of a REVIVAL. |
| to become, or to make somebody/something become, conscious or healthy and strong again | The paramedics couldn't REVIVE her. |
| connected with political revolution | a REVOLUTIONARY leader |
| (formal, often disapproving) speech or writing that is intended to influence people, but that is not completely honest or sincere | His speech was dismissed as mere RHETORIC by the opposition. |
| a gun with a long barrel which you hold to your shoulder to fire | an assault RIFLE |
| a situation in which a group of people behave in a violent way in a public place, often as a protest | One prison guard was killed when a RIOT broke out in the jail. |
| to tear something or to become torn, often suddenly or violently | I RIPPED my jeans on the fence. |
| a series of actions that are always performed in the same way, especially as part of a religious ceremony | She objects to the RITUAL of organized religion. |
| strong and healthy | She was almost 90, but still very ROBUST. |
| to move gently backwards and forwards or from side to side; to make somebody/something move in this way | The boat ROCKED from side to side in the waves. |
| a long straight piece of wood, metal or glass | I finally managed to fix the curtain RODS above the windows. |
| to move or turn around a central fixed point; to make something do this | Stay well away from the helicopter when its blades start to ROTATE. |
| the action of an object moving in a circle around a central fixed point | the daily ROTATION of the earth on its axis |
| an official decision made by somebody in a position of authority, especially a judge | The company intends to appeal against the RULING that it was negligent. |
| a piece of information, or a story, that people talk about, but that may not be true | Some malicious RUMOURS are circulating about his past. |
| to dismiss somebody from a job | She was SACKED for refusing to work on Sundays. |
| connected with God or a god; considered to be holy | a SACRED image/shrine/temple |
| the fact of giving up something important or valuable to you in order to get or do something that seems more important; something that you give up in this way | Her parents made SACRIFICES so that she could have a good education. |
| to give up something that is important or valuable to you in order to get or do something that seems more important for yourself or for another person | She SACRIFICED everything for her children. |
| a person that the Christian Church recognizes as being very holy, because of the way they have lived or died | The children were all named after SAINTS. |
| in order to get or keep something | The translation sacrifices naturalness FOR THE SAKE OF accuracy. |
| an official order that limits trade, contact, etc. with a particular country, in order to make it do something, such as obeying international law | Trade SANCTIONS were imposed against any country that refused to sign the agreement. |
| the right to influence something by giving your opinion before a decision is made | We had no SAY / say in the decision to sell the company. |
| spread far apart over a wide area or over a long period of time | sunshine with SCATTERED showers |
| having doubts that a claim or statement is true or that something will happen | I am SCEPTICAL about his chances of winning. |
| the opportunity or ability to do or achieve something | There's still plenty of SCOPE for improvement. |
| a thin pointed piece of metal like a nail with a raised spiral line (called a thread) along it and a line or cross cut into its head. Screws are turned and pressed into wood, metal, etc. with a screwdriver in order to fasten two things together. | Now tighten all the SCREWS. |
| to fasten one thing to another or make something tight with a screw or screws | You need to SCREW all the parts together. |
