United Kingdom
England
0
Speaking 'plain English'
a
abattoir - slaughterhouse
abjure - forswear
abscond - run away
absent - missing, not there
absolute - outright, utter
accept - take on
accident - mishap
act - deed
actually - as it happens
acute - sharp, keen
additonally - furthermore, moreover, what is more
adequate - good enough, up to scratch
adhere - stick, cleave
admit - own
admonish - warn, tell off
adorable - lovable
adore - love
advance - go forward
affection - fondness
aged - elderly
aggressive - threatening
agree with - hold with
alas! - alack!, woe!
alcoholic (sb.) - drunkard
allow - let
altercation - fight
amicable - friendly
ancestor - forebear, forefather
animate (vb) - bring to life, breathe life into
annual (adj.) - yearly
annual (sb.) - yearbook
annul - bring to nought
anti- - against
anticipate - foresee
antipathy - dislike
anxiety - worry, fear
apartment - flat
aperture - opening
appear - seem
appellation - name
appropriate - fitting, seemly, meet
arguable (pred.) - moot
argument - row
arms - weapons
around - about
arsonist - firestarter
article - thing
artisan - wright
ascend - climb, rise
assemble - put together
assembly - gathering, meeting
astonish - amaze
astronaut - starfarer
attack - onslaught
attain - reach
attempt - seek ('try' is good, but is French)
attest - bear witness
attic - loft
attractive - handsome, comely
audacious - daring, bold
aurora borealis - northern lights
autumn - fall, harvest
avow - swear
b
baseless - groundless
batter - beat
battle - fight
bay - bight
because - for, since, as
beverage - drink
bile - gall
bipedal - two-footed
bisect - cut in half
bizarre - weird, freakish
botany - wortlore
branch - bough
burglar - housebreaker
butcher - flesher
button - key (tech.)
c
cadaver - body
calculate - work out
calm (vb) - soothe
caress - stroke
cargo - freight
carnivore - flesh-eater
carpentry - woodwork
cemetary - graveyard
centre - middle, core
century - a hundred years
chamber - room
channel (geog.) - sound
chief- - head
circle - ring (where possible)
city - town (where appropriate)
close - near, nearby
coast (sb.) - shore, shoreline
collapse - fall in
collect - gather
colour - hue
commence - begin, start
commerce - business
commit suicide - kill oneself
common - everyday
company - business
compatriot - countryman/woman
complain - moan
complete - thorough, full
comprehend - understand
compunction - qualm, misgiving
concern - worry
conclusion - ending
confess - own
conflagration - fire
confuse - baffle, bewilder, puzzle
connect - link
connection - link, bond
conquer (met.) - overcome
consider - think about
construct - build
contradict - gainsay
cooperate with - work (together) with
cope with - deal with
corpse - (dead) body
correct - right
costume - outfit
count - tell
country - land
county - shire
couple - pair
coward - dastard
create - make
credence - belief
criticise - find fault* with
crude - rough
cry - shout, weep
d
debatable - moot
deceased - dead
deceive - mislead
decent - good, upstanding
decide - make one's mind up
defeat - beat
deficient - lacking, wanting
defy - thwart
deity - god, godhead
delapidated - tumbledown
deluge - downpour
demon - fiend
demonstrate - show
dénouement - unravelling
depart - leave
depreciate - cheapen
deranged - moonstruck
deserving - worthy
desire - want, wish; long, yearn (stronger)
desolate - forlorn, doomed
desperate - hopeless, forlorn
despise - hate
detest - hate
detect - track down
deteriorate - worsen, get worse
develop - grow, unfold
devious - underhand
different - sundry, other
difficult - hard
digit (anat.) - finger
diminish - lessen
diminutive - small, little
direct (adj, of a person) - forthright
disabled - handicapped
disadvantage - drawback
discard - throw away
disconcerting - offputting
discover - find, find out
disease - illness, sickness
disgrace - shame
disgusting - foul, gruesome
disinclined - loath
dismiss - fire
disown - forsake
dissect - cut up
distant - far; far off
distort - warp
divest...of - shed, doff
divide - share; split up
divine - holy, godly
donate - give
dormant - sleeping
a dozen - twelve
dual - twofold
due to - owing to (where appropriate)
e
eager - keen
eccentric - quirky
eccentricity - quirk
eclipse - outshine (met.)
ecstatic - beside oneself
edifice - building
edifying - wholesome
egocentric - selfish
eject - throw out
elect - choose
elevate - raise
elevation (process) - raising
elevator - lift
emit - put out, send out, give out
emotion - feeling
emperor - overlord
emphasize - underline, underscore
employed - in work
enchant - bewitch
enchantment - spell
enchantress - witch
endure - bear
enemy - foe
engaged - betrothed
enjoyment - fun
enter - go into
entire - whole
entrance (sb.)- way in
entrance (vb) - bewitch
entrepreneur - businessman/woman
equal - same
equality - sameness, fairness
eradicate - uproot, pull up by the roots
erase - rub out
eraser - rubber
erect - upright
error - mistake
eruption - outburst (met.)
estuary - bay, inlet
event - happening
excessively - too
excise (vb) - cut out
excite - thrill
execute - put to death
executioner - hangman (etc)
exercise - work out
exhale - breathe out
exhausted - worn out, drained
exhume - dig up, unearth
existence - life
exit (sb.) - way out
exit (vb) - leave, go out
expect - look out for, wait for
expectorate - spit
expedition - outing
explode - burst
explorer - pathfinder
express - word, put into worders
exterior - outside
exterminate - wipe out
become extinct - die out
extinct - dead
extinguish - put out
extract - take out
extraordinary - outlandish
extraterrestrial - unearthly (attr), not of this earth (pred)
extreme - utmost
exuberant - outgoing
f
face-paint - make-up
family - kin, ilk
famous - well-known
fantastic - wonderful
fascinated - enthralled
fate - doom (where appropriate)
feeble - weak
fend off - ward off
feral - wild
final - last
finish (sb. & intr. vb) - end
finish (sb.) - ending
firm - fast
firmament - skies, heavens
fissure - crack, split, cleft
flaccid - limp
flatulence - wind
flower - bloom, blossom
fluctuate - flow
fluctuations - ups and downs
fondant - icing
forest - wood, woodland, wold
forge - smithy
form - shape
fortitude - strength
fortune - luck
fracture - break
fraternity - brotherhood
frequently - often
frustrate - thwart
function - work
futile - pointless*
g
garland - wreath
gay - merry, happy
generous - kind
gentle - mild, soft, kind
global - worldwide
gratuitous - free
h
hideous - ugly
honest - truthful
horizon - skyline, skysill
hostile - unfriendly
humanity - mankind
humourous - funny, witty
hurt - harm
hurtful - wounding
i
i.e. - that is
ignite - fire, set fire to
illegal - unlawful
illuminate - light (up)
imagination - mind
immediately - straight away
immortal - undying, deathless
impede - hinder, hamper
implore - beseech
impolite - cheeky
incidentally - by the by
incision - cut
incisive - cutting
incline (sb.) - slope
inclined - minded
incorrect - wrong
increase - grow, wax, rise
incredible - unbelievable
indolent - lazy, idle, shiftless
indebted - beholden
indication - hint, clue
industrial action - strike
industrious - hard-working
inebriated - drunk
ineffable - unspeakable
infancy - childhood
infant - baby, child, toddler
infinite - everlasting, without end
infuriating - maddening
ingest - eat
inhale - breathe in
inherent - built-in
innate - inborn
innovative - groundbreaking
inquire - ask
insane - mad
inscribe - write
insensitive - unfeeling
institute (vb) - set up
institution - body
intelligent - clever
intend - mean
interior - inside
internet - world-wide web
intestine - gut
intoxicated - drunk, pissed
inundate - flood
inundation - flood
irritating - irksome
isle - island
j
jolly - merry
judge - deem
just - fair
justice - fairness
juvenile - young; childish
l
labour - work
labour - childbirth
laboured - workmanlike
labourer - worker
labyrinth - maze
lacerate - cut
lake - mere, water (e.g. Kielder Water)
lamp - light
language - tongue, speech, words
large - broad (where breadth is at stake)
lascivious - lustful, wanton
launch - fire (where appropriate)
launder - wash
laundry - washing
lecture - reading
lecturer - reader
legacy - bequest
lethal - deadly
lethargic - sluggish
liable - likely
liberty - freedom
limit - threshold
loquacious - talkative
lounge - living room, sitting room
lunacy - moon-madness
lunar - moon (in compounds)
lunatic - madman/madwoman
m
maintain - hold that; keep up
maintenance - upkeep
majestic - awesome
malicious - evil, wicked
malnourished - underfed
manger - trough
marriage - wedding; wedlock
masonry - stonework
mass - bulk
massacre - slaughter
mature (vb) - grow up
mediocre - middling
menstrual - monthly
mentality - mindset
mention - bespeak
mercury - quicksilver
misandrist - man-hater
misdemeanour - wrongdoing
misogynist - woman-hater
moist - damp, wet
mordant - biting
moribund - about to die, at death's door
motorway - freeway
multiple - many, manifold
mute - dumb
n
navigate - sail
negotiate - thrash out (emph.)
nocturnal - night-time
nourish - feed
nutritious - healthful
o
object (sb.) - thing
object to - be against
observant - watchful
observe - watch
obtain - get, come by
occasion - time
occasionally - sometimes
occident - west
occidental - western
ocean - sea
occupied - busy
olfactory (attr. adj.) - smell
ominous - foreboding
omit - leave out, miss out
orient - east
oriental - eastern
orifice - hole
ornithology - birdlore
ovum - egg
p
pabulum - food
package - raft (in political speak, e.g. 'a raft of measures')
pagan - heathen (more appropriate for us northern Europeans anyway)
page - side, leaf
paradise - heaven
parallel - alongside
paramour - lover
parents - folks, elders
park - garden
partner - mate
patella - kneecap
pathetic - hapless
patrimony - fatherland
pavement - walkway, sidewalk
peal - knell
peculiar - odd, quirky
pedestrian - walker
pelt (sb.) - hide
people - folk
perhaps - maybe
perimeter - edge
permit - let
perpetual - unending
personal stereo - walkman
perspicacity - insight
petty - churlish
phantom - ghost
phlebotomy - bloodletting
phobia - fear
piece - bit
pile - heap
pioneering - groundbreaking
place (sb.) - stead
place (vb) - put
placenta - afterbirth
planet - world, heavenly body
plant - wort
pleased - glad, happy
poem - song
pompous - overblown
porter - doorman (differentiated, admittedly)
portrait - likeness
possess - own
possible - likley
posterior - backside
poultry - fowl
power - might
preclude - forestall
precognition - foreboding, foreknowledge
precursor - forerunner
pre-eminent - foremost
preface - foreword
premeditated - forethought
premonition - foreboding
prepared - ready
present (adj) - there
prevail - come out on top
previous - last, latter
probable - likely
progressive - forward-looking
promise - swear
promontory - headland
pronounce - say
proper - fitting, seemly; right
prophecy - foretelling
prophesy - foretell
prophet - soothsayer
prostitute - whore
protect - shield
pulse - heartbeat (sometimes)
punish - scold
purchase - buy
purify - cleanse
q
quadrupedal - four-footed
quarter - fourth
quay - wharf
quarry - earthworks
quasi- - almost (+ article)
queer - odd
quiet - still
quite - fairly, rather, somewhat
r
radiant - beaming, glowing
radio - wireless
rage - anger
rapid - fast, quick, speedy, swift
realm - kingdom
reanimate - bring back to life
rebellion - uprising
recline - lie back
recently - lately
recognise - acknowledge; know
recuperate - get better
reduce - lessen
regard - look at
reinforce - strengthen
relax - rest, unwind
relaxed - mellow
release - let go
reliable - trustworthy
reluctant - unwilling
remain - linger
reminisce - cast one's mind back, look back
renaissance - rebirth
renal (attr. adj.) - kidney
renounce - forsake
repose - rest
represent - stand for
reprimand - upbraid, tell off
request - ask, ask for
require - need
reservation - booking
reservation - misgiving
reserve (sb.) back-up
reserve (vb) book
residence - home, dwelling
resist - withstand
resolute - steadfast, unbending
resonance - echo
repartee - banter
respond - answer
result - outcome, upshot
retaliate - hit back
retort - answer, come back with
retract - take back
retreat - withdraw
retrograde - backward
revere - worship
rigid - stiff, hard
rigorous - thorough
s
sagacity - wisdom
salutation - greeting, welcome
satiate - quench
save - spare
scintillate - sparkle
scintillating - sparkling
seizure - fit
select - choose
self-esteem - self-worth
senior citizens - old folks
sensational - amazing
sense - feel / feeling
sensitive - feeling
severe - stern
sign - token
silhouette - shadow
similarity - likeness
simple - straightforward
simpleton - fool
site - stead
society - fellowship
soil - earth
solar - sun (in cpds)
sole - only
solitude - loneliness
sorority - sisterhood
sort (sb.) - kind
space - room
spectacles - glasses
spine - backbone
spirit - ghost
stellar - star (in cpds)
stomach (sb.) - belly
stomach (vb) - bear, put up with
story - tale
strange - odd, weird; unknown
stuff (vb.) - pack
study (vb. int.) - learn, learn about
study (sb.) - drawing room
stupefy - bewilder
submit to - undergo
subordinate - underling
submissive - meek
subterranean - underground
subtract - take away
suburbs - outskirts
suffice - do enough
sufficient - enough
summit - peak, top
supple --- lithe
surrender - give up, yield
survey (vb) - behold, look upon (poet.)
suspend - hang
sustain - keep going
sustenance - food
t
tacit - unspoken, understood
tauromachy - bullfighting
tedious - boring, dull
temper - mood
temperature - heat
tempestuous - stormy
tend to - look after
tendon - sinew
tepid - lukewarm
terminate - end, bring to an end
terrible - awful, awesome (depending on sense)
territory - land
testimony - witness
theater - playhouse
timid - meek
tolerate - abide, put up with, bear
total - utter, full
trachea - windpipe
track - path, way
tradition - folklore
trailblazing - groundbreaking (although both are magnificent words)
transmit - send, broadcast (of public media)
transparent - see-through
trap - snare
travel - fare
tremor - quake
triumph - win
tuition - teaching
turn into - become
tutor - teacher
type - kind
u
unconscious - unwitting
undercurrent - undertow
unedifying - unwholesome, unhealthy
unemployed - out of work, jobless
unfortunate - unlucky
university - seat of learning
unnecessary - unneeded, wanton
unsympathetic - unfeeling
usurer - money-lender
utensil - tool
uterus - womb
v
vacation - holiday
valediction - goodbye
valley - dale
value - worth
vendor - seller, monger
venesection - bloodletting
verbal - spoken
verbose - wordy
very - much, so, that
vesica - bladder
vibrate - shiver, shudder, shake
victory - win
vigorous - lively
village - hamlet (sometimes)
virginity - maidenhead
vision - sight
vitality - liveliness
vocabulary - word-hoard
vociferous - outspoken
void - emptiness, nothingness
vomit - be sick, throw up
vow - oath
w
wasteland - wilderness
z
zero - nought
I remember a certain Althing member (Ćpeling? Berrocsir?) making a thread calling for us English to return to a more native and natural English spoken word. Well, I found this list of alternative words and thought if it would raise an eyebrow or perhaps a thumb up from our resident linguistic experts.
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Originally Posted by Utram
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