Collins Primary Thesaurus. Collins Dictionaries

      “Such abysmal work will have to be redone,” said Mr Malone severely.

      atrocious

      The reporter admitted that his spelling was atrocious.

      faulty

      Engineers soon fixed the faulty telephone line.

      inferior

      The paint Dad bought was of inferior quality – it was hard to use and didn’t last long.

      shoddy

      Owing to shoddy workmanship, the house had to be redecorated.

      unsatisfactory

      The head teacher wrote that my school report was unsatisfactory.

      ANTONYM: excellent

      badly (1) ADVERB

      If you do something badly, you do it in an inferior way.

      inadequately

      He had been inadequately trained for the job.

      poorly

      The event was poorly organized.

      shoddily

      This house has been shoddily built.

      unsatisfactorily

      I feel the whole business has been handled unsatisfactorily.

      ANTONYM: well

      badly (2) ADVERB

      If something affects you badly, it affects you in a serious way.

      deeply

      I am deeply hurt by these remarks.

      gravely

      He was gravely ill following a heart operation.

      seriously

      Four people have been seriously injured.

      bad-mannered ADJECTIVE

      Bad-mannered people are rude and thoughtless.

      disrespectful

      It is disrespectful to interrupt people when they are speaking.

      inconsiderate

      It was inconsiderate of Meg to take a second helping when others had not had their first.

      rude

      We decided not to leave a tip for the rude waiter.

      bad-tempered ADJECTIVE

      Bad-tempered people often lose their temper.

      grumpy

      Dad is always cheerful in the mornings. It’s me that is grumpy.

      irritable

      Some people get irritable when you read over their shoulder.

      moody

      When people are moody, you never quite know how they will greet you.

      quarrelsome

      The two quarrelsome brothers were always looking for a fight.

      sulky

      “If you’re going to be sulky, miss, you can go to your room,” Dad replied.

      sullen

      The sullen waiter snatched my plate and stalked off to the kitchen.

      bag NOUN

      A bag is a container for carrying things in.

      Some types of bag:

      backpack

      briefcase

      carrier bag

      duffel bag

      handbag

      holdall

      rucksack

      sack

      satchel

      shopping bag

      shoulder bag

      suitcase

      ban VERB

      If you ban something, you forbid it to be done.

      make illegal

      The government proposes to make illegal the sale of imitation guns.

      prohibit

      Using all sorts of barricades, the landowner prohibited walkers from crossing his land.

      bang (1) NOUN

      A bang is a hard, painful bump against something.

      blow

      Kirstin suffered a blow to her head when the door opened suddenly.

      knock

      When I slipped on the stairs, I got a sharp knock on my funny bone.

      bang (2) NOUN

      A bang is a sudden, short, loud noise.

      blast

      The blast echoed round the quarry.

      thud

      With a thud, the encyclopedia hit the floor.

      bare (1) ADJECTIVE

      If your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothing.

      in your birthday suit INFORMAL

      I dreamt I was walking down the high street in my birthday suit.

      naked

      Lady Godiva rode naked on a horse through the middle of town.

      nude

      For many centuries, the nude body has been a popular subject for artists.

      undressed

      The nurse asked me to get undressed, ready for the medical examination.

      without a stitch on INFORMAL

      “And there I was, without a stitch on,” Mrs Lee, our neighbour, told me.

      bare (2) ADJECTIVE

      If something is bare, it is not covered with anything.

      barren

      The Grand Canyon, although magnificent, is a barren wilderness.

      bleak

      The Brontë sisters lived on the edge of a bleak, windswept moor.

      desolate

      The abandoned town was desolate.

      ➔ See empty (1)

      barrier NOUN

      A barrier is a fence or wall that prevents people or animals getting from one area to another.

      barricade

      The protesters erected a barricade across the main street.

      obstacle

      There are lots of obstacles to get over and under in an obstacle race.

      obstruction

      The roadworks were an obstruction and drivers had to be diverted around them.

      base (1) NOUN

      The base is the lowest part of something.

      bottom

      The lost cat mewed at the bottom of the well.

      foot

      “Please would you stand on the foot of my ladder to stop it slipping?” Dad asked.

      foundation

      The foundations of New York’s skyscrapers rest on solid rock.

      base (2) NOUN

      A