Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
traditional values. = upbringing, history, culture, environment, tradition, circumstances, breeding, milieu 2 His background was in engineering. = experience, grounding, education, preparation, qualifications, credentials 3 The meeting takes place against a background of political violence. = circumstances, history, conditions, situation, atmosphere, environment, framework, ambience, milieu, frame of referencebacking NOUN 1 He said the president had the full backing of his government. = support, seconding, championing, promotion, sanction, approval, blessing, encouragement, endorsement, patronage, accompaniment, advocacy, moral support, espousal 2 She brought her action with the financial backing of the BBC. = assistance, support, help, funds, aid, grant, subsidy, sponsorship, patronagebacklash NOUN = reaction, response, resistance, resentment, retaliation, repercussion, counterblast, counteraction, retroactionbacklog NOUN = build-up, stock, excess, accumulation, accretionbackside NOUN = buttocks, behind (informal), seat, bottom (informal), rear (informal), tail (informal), cheeks (informal), butt (informal), bum (Brit. slang), buns (slang), rump, rear end, posterior, haunches, hindquarters, derrière (euphemistic), tush, fundament, gluteus maximus (Anatomy), coit (Austral. slang), nates (Technical), jacksy (Brit. slang), keister or keester (slang, chiefly U.S.)backtrack VERB 1 (often with on) The finance minister backtracked on the decision. = retract, withdraw, retreat, draw back, recant 2 We had to backtrack to the corner and cross the street. = retrace your steps, go back, reverse, retreat, move back, back-pedalbackup NOUN 1 There's no emergency backup immediately available if something goes wrong. = support, backing, help, aid, reserves, assistance, reinforcement, auxiliaries 2 She was added to the squad as a backup. = substitute, reserve, relief, stand-in, replacement, stand-by, understudy, second string, locumbackward ADJECTIVE 1 She did a backward flip. = reverse, inverted, inverse, back to front, rearward ◼ OPPOSITE: forward 2 We need to accelerate the pace of change in our backward country. = underdeveloped, undevelopedbackwardness NOUN I was astonished at the backwardness of our country at the time. = lack of development, underdevelopmentbackwards or backward ADVERB = towards the rear, behind you, in reverse, rearwardsbackwoods PLURAL NOUN = sticks (informal), outback, back country (U.S.), back of beyond, backlands (U.S.)bacteria PLURAL NOUN = microorganisms, viruses, bugs (slang), germs, microbes, pathogens, bacilli
| USAGE Bacteria is a plural noun. It is therefore incorrect to talk about a bacteria, even though this is quite commonly heard, especially in the media. The correct singular is a bacterium. |
bad ADJECTIVE 1 Eating too much of any food can be bad for you. = harmful, damaging, dangerous, disastrous, destructive, unhealthy, detrimental, hurtful, ruinous, deleterious (formal), injurious, disadvantageous ◼ OPPOSITE: beneficial 2 The pain is often so bad she wants to scream. = severe, serious, terrible, acute, extreme, intense, painful, distressing, fierce, harsh 3 The closure of the project is bad news for her staff. = unfavourable, troubling, distressing, unfortunate, grim, discouraging, unpleasant, gloomy, adverse 4 Many elderly people are living in bad housing. = inferior, poor, inadequate, pathetic, faulty, duff (Brit. informal), unsatisfactory, mediocre, defective, second-class, deficient, imperfect, second-rate, shoddy, low-grade, erroneous, substandard, low-rent (informal), two-bit (slang), crappy (slang), end-of-the-pier (Brit. informal), poxy (slang), dime-a-dozen (informal), bush-league (Austral. & N.Z. informal), tinhorn (U.S. slang), half-pie (N.Z. informal), bodger or bodgie (Austral. slang), strictly for the birds (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: satisfactory 5 He was a bad driver. = incompetent, poor, useless (informal), incapable, unfit, inexpert 6 Being scared of heights doesn't seem as bad as being scared of the dark. = grim, severe, hard, tough 7 I felt that I was a selfish, ungrateful, and generally bad person. = wicked, criminal, evil, corrupt, worthless, base, vile, immoral, delinquent, sinful, depraved, debased, amoral, egregious, villainous, unprincipled, iniquitous, nefarious, dissolute, maleficent ◼ OPPOSITE: virtuous 8 It is bad that you repeated what I told you. = naughty, defiant, perverse, wayward, mischievous, wicked, unruly, impish, undisciplined, roguish, disobedient ◼ OPPOSITE: well-behaved 9 You don't have to feel bad about relaxing. = guilty, sorry, ashamed, apologetic, rueful, sheepish, contrite, remorseful, regretful, shamefaced, conscience-stricken 10 They bought so much beef that some went bad. = rotten, off, rank, sour, rancid, mouldy, fetid, putrid, festy (Austral. slang) ● not bad These are not bad for cheap shoes. = O.K. or okay, fine, middling, average, fair, all right, acceptable, moderate, adequate, respectable, satisfactory, so-so, tolerable (informal), passable, fair to middling (informal)baddie or baddy (informal) NOUN = villain, criminal, rogue, bad guy, scoundrel (old-fashioned), miscreant, antihero, evildoer, wrong 'un (slang) ◼ OPPOSITE: goodie or goodybadge NOUN 1 a badge depicting a party leader = image, brand, stamp, identification, crest, emblem, insignia 2 Urbanization became both a goal and a badge of progress. = mark, sign, tokenbadger VERB = pester, worry, harry, bother, bug (informal), bully, plague, hound, get at, harass, nag, hassle (informal), chivvy, importune (formal), bend someone's ear (informal), be on someone's back (slang)badly ADVERB 1 I was angry because I played so badly. = poorly, incorrectly, carelessly, inadequately, erroneously, imperfectly, ineptly, shoddily, defectively, faultily ◼ OPPOSITE: well 2 It was a gamble that went badly wrong. = severely, greatly, deeply, seriously, gravely, desperately, sorely, dangerously, intensely, painfully, acutely, exceedingly 3 All involved in the story came out badly. = unfavourably, unsuccessfullybadness NOUN = wickedness, wrong, evil, corruption, sin, impropriety, immorality, villainy, naughtiness, sinfulness, foulness, baseness, rottenness, vileness, shamefulness ◼ OPPOSITE: virtuebad-tempered ADJECTIVE = irritable, cross, angry, tense, crabbed, fiery, grumbling, snarling, prickly, exasperated, edgy, snappy, sullen, touchy, surly, petulant, sulky, ill-tempered, irascible, cantankerous, tetchy, ratty (Brit. & N.Z. informal), tooshie (Austral. slang), testy, chippy (informal), fretful, grouchy (informal), querulous, peevish, crabby, huffy, dyspeptic, choleric, splenetic, crotchety (informal), oversensitive, snappish, ill-humoured, liverish, narky (Brit. slang), out of humour ◼ OPPOSITE: good-temperedbaffle VERB = puzzle, beat (slang), amaze, confuse, stump, bewilder, astound, elude, confound, perplex, disconcert, mystify, flummox, boggle the mind of, dumbfound ◼ OPPOSITE: explainbaffling ADJECTIVE = puzzling, strange, confusing, weird, mysterious, unclear, bewildering, elusive, enigmatic, perplexing, incomprehensible, mystifying, inexplicable, unaccountable, unfathomable ◼ OPPOSITE: understandablebag NOUN She left the hotel carrying a shopping bag. = sack, container, poke (Scot.), sac, receptacle ▸ VERB 1 The smart ones will have already bagged their seats. = get, take, land (informal), score (slang), gain, pick up, capture, acquire, get hold of, come by, procure, make sure of, win possession of 2 Bag a rabbit for supper. = catch, get, kill, shoot, capture, acquire, trapbaggage NOUN = luggage, things, cases, bags, equipment, gear, trunks, suitcases, belongings, paraphernalia, accoutrements, impedimentabaggy ADJECTIVE = loose, hanging, slack, loosened, bulging, not fitting, sagging, sloppy, floppy, billowing, roomy, slackened, ill-fitting, droopy, oversize, not tight ◼ OPPOSITE: tightbail1 NOUN He was freed on bail pending an appeal. = security, bond, guarantee, pledge, warranty, surety, guaranty ● bail out The pilot bailed out safely. = escape, withdraw, get away, retreat, make your getaway, break free or out, make or effect your escape ● bail something or someone out They will discuss how to bail the economy out of its slump. = save, help, free, release, aid, deliver, recover, rescue, get out, relieve, liberate, salvage, set free, save the life of, extricate, save (someone's) bacon (Brit. informal)bail2 or bale2 VERB We kept