Barrons O

n oaf

stupid awkward person; CF. elf

obdurate

stubborn; refusing to change one's belief

obeisance

bow (to show respect and obedience)

obelisk

tall column tapering(becoming gradually narrower toward the end) and ending in a pyramid

obese

excessively fat; N. obesity

n obfuscate

confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex; make so confused as to be difficult to understand

n obituary

death notice (esp. in a newspaper); ADJ.

objective

not influenced by emotions; fair; N: goal; aim

obligatory

binding; required; compulsory; V. oblige: constrain; make grateful; do a favor; accommodate

oblique

indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line); Ex. oblique reference

obliterate

destroy completely; wipe out; Ex. obliterate the village

oblivion

obscurity; condition of being completely forgotten; forgetfulness

n oblivious

inattentive or unmindful; unaware; wholly absorbed; forgetful(having the habit of forgetting)

obloquy

slander; disgrace; infamy

n obnoxious

offensive; disagreeable; Ex. obnoxious smell

obscure

dark; vague; unclear; not well known; Ex. obscure meaning/village; V: darken; cover; make unclear; Ex. obscure the moon/meaning

obsequious

slavishly attentive; servile; full of servile compliance; sycophantic

s slavish

of or like a slave; servile; showing no originality; copied very closely; Ex. slavish devotion/copy of the original

obsequy

funeral ceremony

obsessive

related to thinking about something constantly; of an obsession; preoccupying; N. obsession: compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea; compulsive idea; V. obsess: preoccupy the mind of excessively

obsidian

black volcanic rock

s scion

detached plant shoot used in grafting; descendant

obsolete

outmoded; no longer used

obstetrician

physician specializing in delivery(assisting in giving birth) of babies; N. obstetrics; CF. midwife

obstinate

stubborn; hard to control or treat; Ex. obstinate cough; N. obstinacy

obstreperous

boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable

n obtrude

push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; impose (oneself or one's ideas) on others; butt in; stick out or extrude; thrust out; Ex. obtrude A on B; ADJ. obtrusive; N. obtrusion; CF. unobtrusive

obtuse

blunt; not sharp; stupid; slow in understanding

obviate

make unnecessary; get rid of; Ex. obviate the need

Occident

the West

n occlude

shut; close; obstruct; Ex. A blood clot occluded an artery.

occult

mysterious; secret; supernatural; beyond human comprehension; CF. mysterious to human ?; OP. bare

oculist

physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes

n odious

arousing strong dislike; hateful(causing hatred); vile

n odium

detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness; disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct)

n odoriferous

giving off an odor

odorous

having an odor

n odyssey

long

offensive

attacking; insulting; distasteful; V. offend: violate; hurt the feelings of; N. offense: offending; violating of a moral or social code; crime; attack; Ex. first offense

offhand

casual; done without prior thought or preparation

n officious

meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services; overly eager in offering unwanted services or advices; Ex. officious bellboy

s pushy

disagreeably aggressive

n ogle

look at amorously; make eyes at; Ex. old men ogling young girls

n olfactory

concerning the sense of smell

oligarchy

government by a privileged few

ominous

threatening; of an evil omen

s threat

sign or warning (of coming danger); Ex. threat of rain; V: express a threat; give warning of (something bad); Ex. The cloud threatens rain.

omnipotent

all-powerful; having unlimited power

omnipresent

universally present; ubiquitous

omniscient

all-knowing

omnivorous

eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything

n onerous

burdensome

n onomatopoeia

words formed in imitation of natural sounds

s rustle

make slight sounds like silk moving or being rubbed together

onslaught

vicious assault; fierce attack; Ex. unexpected onslaught of the enemy

s slaughter

killing of animals for food; massacre; V: butcher (animals) for food; kill in large numbers

n onus

burden; responsibility

s spare

give; use; refrain from harming; save from experiencing; exempt; Ex. spare me 5 minutes; Ex. Take this money and spare my life; Ex. The emperor was spared the onus; ADJ: kept in reserve; free for other use; unoccupied; Ex. spare time

n opalescent

iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; N. opalescence

opaque

dark; not transparent; N. opacity

opiate

medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something that relieves emotions or causes inaction; sleep-producing drug containing opium

opportune

timely; well-chosen

opportunist

individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances; N. opportunism

n opprobrium

infamy; disgrace arising from shameful conduct; vilification(slander); scorn; contempt; Ex. opprobrium hurled against him; ADJ. opprobrious: expressing contempt; shameful or infamous

optician

maker and seller of eyeglasses

optimist

person who looks on the bright side; N. optimism

optimum

most favorable; optimal; N: most favorable condition

optional

not compulsory; left to one's choice; N. option: act of choosing; choice; freedom or power to choose; something available as a choice; Ex. have no option; Ex. two options

optometrist

one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects

opulence

extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance; ADJ. opulent: possessing great wealth; abundant

n opus

work (esp. musical composition); Ex. magnum opus: masterpiece; CF. opera

n oracular

of an oracle; prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous; hard to understand; N. oracle: wiser person; prophecy made by an oracle

orator

public speaker

oratorio

dramatic poem set to music; long musical work with singing but without acting; CF. cantata

n ordain

decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine; install as a minister

ordeal

severe trial or affliction; difficult experience; trial(test of patience or endurance); affliction

ordinance

decree; authoritative order

n ordination

ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining a priest

n orgy

wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an activity; Ex. orgy of shopping

orient

get one's bearings; adjust; make familiar with a situation; orientate

orientation

act of finding oneself in society; orienting

n orifice

mouthlike opening; small opening (esp. to a cavern or passage of the body); CF. mouth

ornate

excessively or elaborately decorated

n ornithologist

scientific student of birds; N. ornithology: scientific study of birds

orthodox

traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine

n orthography

correct spelling; CF. ortho-: straight; correct; Ex. orthodontics

oscillate

vibrate pendulumlike; waver

n osseous

made of bone; bony

n ossify

change or harden into bone; become hard and unchanging in one's ideas

ostensible

apparent; appearing as such; professed(pretended); pretended; Ex. ostensible purpose of the expedition

s apparent

evident; easily seen or understood; appearing as such; Ex. apparent improvement

n ostentatious

showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious; N. ostentation: showy display

n ostracize

banish from a group; exclude from public favor; ban; Ex. His friends ostracized him. N. ostracism

s blackball

vote against (an applicant); ostracize; N: negative vote

n oust

expel; drive out; force out; N. ouster: ousting

outlandish

bizzare; peculiar; unconventional

outmoded

no longer in fashion or use; no longer stylish; old-fashioned

n outskirts

fringes; outer borders (as of a city); Ex. outskirts of Boston

outspoken

candid; blunt

s blunt

having a dull edge; abrupt and frank in speech or manner; brusque; V: make or become blunt

n outstrip

outrun; surpass; outdo

outwit

outsmart; defeat by behaving more cleverly

n ovation

enthusiastic applause

overbearing

bossy; domineering and arrogant; decisively important; Ex. overbearing manner/importance; V. overbear: dominate

overt

open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert

n overweening

arrogant; presumptuous

n overwrought

nervous or excited; extremely agitated; hysterical; wrought-up; CF. wrought: made or done

s hysteria

excessive or uncontrollable excitement; N. hysteric: person suffering from hysteria; CF. hysterics: attack of hysteria

ovoid

egg-shaped; CF. ovum; CF. ovulate