press‧ing 1 / ˈpresɪŋ / adjective

needing to be discussed or dealt with very soon SYN urgent

pressing problem/matter/need etc

Poverty is a more pressing problem than pollution.

op‧tion‧al AC / ˈɒpʃ ə nəl $ ˈɑːp- / adjective

if something is optional, you do not have to do it or use it, but you can choose to if you want to OPP compulsory :

three optional courses

The other excursions are optional.

optional extra British English :

Leather seats are an optional extra.

cat‧a‧ract / ˈkætərækt / noun [ countable ]

1 a medical condition that causes the lens of your eye to become white, so that you slowly lose your sight

2 literary a large waterfall

sur‧gi‧cal / ˈsɜːdʒɪk ə l $ ˈsɜːr- / adjective [ only before noun ]

1 relating to or used for medical operations :

surgical techniques

surgical equipment/instruments/treatment

scalpels and other surgical instruments

2 surgical stocking/collar etc British English a stocking etc that someone wears to support a part of their body that is injured or weak

3 done very carefully and in exactly the right place :

With surgical precision he cut four inches off the legs of the jeans.

— surgically / -kli / adverb :

The lump was surgically removed .

con‧front / kənˈfrʌnt / verb [ transitive ]

1 if a problem, difficulty etc confronts you, it appears and needs to be dealt with :

The problems confronting the new government were enormous.

be confronted with something

Customers are confronted with a bewildering amount of choice.

2 to deal with something very difficult or unpleasant in a brave and determined way :

We try to help people confront their problems .

3 to face someone in a threatening way, as though you are going to attack them :

Troops were confronted by an angry mob.

4 to accuse someone of doing something, especially by showing them the proof

confront somebody with/about something

I confronted him with my suspicions, and he admitted everything.

I haven’t confronted her about it yet.

dis‧in‧te‧grate / dɪsˈɪntəɡreɪt, dɪsˈɪntɪɡreɪt / verb

1 [ intransitive and transitive ] to break up, or make something break up, into very small pieces :

The plane just disintegrated in mid-air.

2 [ intransitive ] to become weaker or less united and be gradually destroyed :

a society disintegrating under economic pressures

— disintegration / dɪsˌɪntəˈɡreɪʃ ə n, dɪsˌɪntɪˈɡreɪʃ ə n / noun [ uncountable ] :

the disintegration of the Soviet empire into separate republics

per‧ish / ˈperɪʃ / verb

1 [ intransitive ] formal or literary to die, especially in a terrible or sudden way :

Hundreds perished when the ship went down.

2 [ intransitive and transitive ] especially British English if rubber or leather perishes, it decays

3 perish the thought! spoken old-fashioned used to say that you hope what someone has suggested will never happen :

If we lose, perish the thought, Watford will take first place.

shield 2 verb [ transitive ]

to protect someone or something from being harmed or damaged :

Women will often lie to shield even the most abusive partner.

shield somebody/something from somebody/something

He held up his hands, shielding his eyes from the sun.

import tariffs that shield firms from foreign competition

un‧sus‧tain‧a‧ble AC / ˌʌnsəˈsteɪnəb ə l / adjective

unable to continue at the same rate or in the same way :

unsustainable economic growth

fi‧nite AC / ˈfaɪnaɪt / adjective

1 having an end or a limit OPP infinite :

the Earth’s finite resources

2 technical a finite verb form shows a particular time. ‘Am’, ‘was’, and ‘are’ are examples of finite verb forms, but ‘being’ and ‘been’ are not OPP non-finite

rou‧tine‧ly / ruːˈtiːnli / adverb

if something is routinely done, it is done as a normal part of a process or job SYN regularly :

This vaccine is already routinely used.

daz‧zling / ˈdæz ə lɪŋ / adjective

1 a light that is dazzling is very bright and makes you unable to see properly for a short time

2 very impressive and attractive :

a dazzling display of football skills

hum‧ble 1 / ˈhʌmb ə l / adjective

1 not considering yourself or your ideas to be as important as other people’s OPP proud → humility :

a modest and humble man

2 having a low social class or position :

He started his career as a humble peanut farmer.

humble background/origins etc

Iacocca rose from humble beginnings to become boss of Ford.

5 [ only before noun ] simple and ordinary, but useful or effective :

The humble potato may be the key to feeding the world’s population.

— humbly adverb

ex‧pec‧tan‧cy / ɪkˈspektənsi / noun [ uncountable ]

the feeling that something pleasant or exciting is going to happen :

I saw the look of expectancy in the children’s eyes.

→ life expectancy

fa‧tal / ˈfeɪtl / adjective

1 resulting in someone’s death :

potentially fatal diseases

fatal accident/illness/injury etc

a fatal climbing accident

If it is not treated correctly, the condition can prove fatal (= be fatal ) .

2 having a very bad effect, especially making someone fail or stop what they are doing

fatal to

Disunity finally proved fatal to the rebels’ cause.

There was one fatal flaw (= serious weakness ) in his argument.

His presidential hopes suffered a fatal blow in New Hampshire.

fatal mistake/error

Telling your employees they’re unimportant is a fatal error.

consent 2 AC verb [ intransitive ]

to give your permission for something or agree to do something OPP refuse

consent to

Her father reluctantly consented to the marriage.

consent to do something

He rarely consents to do interviews.

con‧tempt / kənˈtempt / noun [ uncountable ]

1 a feeling that someone or something is not important and deserves no respect

contempt for

The contempt he felt for his fellow students was obvious.

utter/deep contempt

The report shows utter contempt for women’s judgement.

open/undisguised contempt

The public is treated with contempt by broadcasters.

How could she have loved a man who so clearly held her in contempt ?

beneath contempt

That sort of behaviour is simply beneath contempt (= does not deserve respect or attention ) .

2 law disobedience or disrespect towards a court of law :

He was jailed for seven days for contempt of court .

in contempt of something

He was found in contempt of the order.

3 complete lack of fear about something

contempt for

his contempt for danger

ut‧ter 1 / ˈʌtə $ -ər / adjective [ only before noun ]

complete – used especially to emphasize that something is very bad, or that a feeling is very strong :

That’s utter nonsense !

This company treats its employees with utter contempt .

I watched in complete and utter horror as he pulled out a gun.