Vocabulary U5

1. Pageant (n) /ˈpajənt/

- A public entertainment consisting of a procession of people in elaborate,
colourful costumes, or an outdoor performance of a historical scene. Ex: a
beauty pageant
- A competition for young women in which they are judged on their beauty
and other qualities.
Ex :Our youngest son is taking part in the school pageant.
* Word family
- Pageantry (n): impressive and colourful ceremonies.
Ex: She loved the pageantry and tradition of the monarchy.
* Synonyms: celebration, parade, display

2. Reign (n) /reɪn/

- The period of time when a king or queen rules a country.
Ex: the reign of Henry VIII
- A period when a particular person, feeling, or quality is very important or
has a strong influence.
Ex: his successful reign as manager of the team
* Word family
- Reign (v):
+ The period of time when a king or queen rules a country.
Ex: Queen Victoria reigned over Britain from 1837 to 1901.
+ A period when a particular person, feeling, or quality is very important or
has a strong influence.
Ex: The bomb attacks produced a panic which reigned over the city
* Synonyms: dynasty, empire, monarchy
* Antonyms: impotence, powerlessness, subordination

3. Feminist (n) /ˈfem.ɪ.nɪst/

- A person who believes in feminism, and tries to achieve change that helps
women to get equal opportunities and treatment.
Ex: All her life she was an ardent feminist.
* Word family
- Feminist (adj): Relating to feminism.
Ex: the feminist movement
 - Feminism (n): The belief that women should be allowed the same rights,
power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the
set of activities intended to achieve this state.
Ex: She had a lifelong commitment to feminism.
- Feminine (adj):
+ Having characteristics that are traditionally thought to be typical of or
suitable for a woman.
Ex: With his long dark eyelashes, he looked almost feminine.
+ (Used in language) Belonging to the group of nouns that, in some
languages, are not masculine or neuter.
Ex: In French, "table" is feminine.
- Femininity (n): The fact or quality of having characteristics that are
traditionally thought to be typical of or suitable for a woman.
Ex: Long hair was traditionally regarded as a sign of femininity.
- Feminization (n): A process in which more and more women become
involved in an activity where there are traditionally more men.
Ex: The partial feminisation of the workplace has put work at the heart of
modern relationships.

4. Degradation (n) /ˌdeɡ.rəˈdeɪ.ʃən/)

- Situation in which somebody has lost all self-respect and the respect of
other people
Ex: the degradation of being sent to prison
- The process of something being damaged or made worse
Ex: environmental degradation
* Word family
- Degrade (v):
+ To cause people to feel that they or other people have no value and do not
have the respect or good opinion of others
+ To spoil or destroy the beauty or quality of something
Ex: Every day the environment is further degraded by toxic wastes
+ (Of a substance) to change into a more simple chemical structure.
Ex: These chemicals quickly degrade into harmless compounds.
- Degradable (adj): A degradable substance can change into a more
simple chemical structure, especially over time.
- Biodegradable (adj): to able to be degraded by the activity of bacteria
Ex: These bags are made of degradable plastic.
 - Degrading (adj): a degrading experience, event etc is unpleasant and
makes you lose respect for yourself.
Ex: the degrading treatment that the prisoners receive in jail
* Synonyms: humiliation, embarrassment, deterioration
* Antonyms: esteem, improvement, morality

5. Trace (v) /treɪs/: to find someone or something that was lost

* Word family
- Trace (n): A small sign that shows that someone or something was
present or existed
- Trace element (n): One of several types of simple chemical substance
that are necessary for healthy growth and development, and exist in
animals and plants in very small amounts (Nguyên tố vi lượng)
- Tracer (n): A bullet that leaves a line of flame or smoke behind it when
it is fired, so that you can see the direction it has taken (đạn pháo sáng).
Ex: Tracer bullets streaked through the sky.
- Traceable (adj): Possible to find or trace to a cause or origin.
Ex: In theory, most telephone calls should be traceable.
- Traceability (n): The ability to find or follow something.
Ex: The traceability of electronic cash could help rid society of the
scourge of crime.
* Collocations:
- Trace somebody/something (to something) to find or discover
somebody/something by looking carefully for them/it. = track down.
Ex: We finally traced him to an address in Chicago.
- Trace something (back) (to something) to find the origin or cause of
something.
Ex: She could trace her family tree back to the 16th century.
+ Trace of a very small amount of a quality, emotion, substance etc that is
difficult to see or notice.
+ Ex: I saw the faintest trace of a smile cross Sandra’s face.
- Trace something (from something) (to something) to describe a
process or the development of something.
Ex: Her book traces the town's history from Saxon times to the present
day.
- Trace something to follow the shape or outline of something.
Ex: He traced the route on the map.
 - Trace something to copy a map, drawing, etc. by drawing on tracing
paper (= paper that you can see through) placed over it
- Disappear/vanish/sink without (a) trace (= disappear completely,
without leaving any sign of what happened).

6. Beauty Contest (n) /ˈbjuːti ˈkɒn.test/: A competition in which women are

judged on how physically attractive they are.

7. Controversial (adj) /ˌkɒn.trəˈvɜː.ʃəl/: Causing disagreement or

discussion.
Ex: a controversial issue
* Word family
- Controversialist (n): A person who likes to disagree with other people
and say things that make people angry or think about a subject.
Ex: a religious controversialist
- Controversially (adv): In a way that causes disagreement or discussion.
Ex: The governor left office after controversially trying to impose a state
income tax.
- Controversy (n):
+ A lot of disagreement or argument about something, usually because it
affects or is important to many people.
Ex: There was a big controversy surrounding/over the use of drugs in
athletics.
+ A disagreement, often a public one, that involves different ideas or
opinions about something.
* Synonyms: Contentious, disputable, arguable
* Antonyms: Certain, definite, uncontroversial

8. Regard (v) /ˌkɒn.trəˈvɜː.ʃəl/: To consider or have an opinion about

somebody or someone. Ex: Our class regarded our Physics teacher as the
freshest in our school
* Word family:
- Regard (v): To look carefully at someone/something.
Ex: Red regarded Brown with suspicion and found out he was the
impostor amogus.
- Regardless (adv): In spite of everything; without regard to drawbacks.
Ex: Regardless of the difficulties, he carried on with his work.
 - Self-regard = Self-worth = Self-respect (n): Caring or considering for
oneself.
Ex: His lack of self-regard ultimately caused his failure
- Disregard (v): To ignore something.
Ex: He told us to disregard everything we'd learned so far and start again.
* Synonyms: - consider, view, contemplate (v)
- care, concern, consideration (n)
* Antonyms: disregard, neglect, indifferent
* Collocations:
- As regards: in connection with. Ex: As regards sport and leisure
activities, we have nothing in common.
- (with) kind regards/warmest regards: A common valediction used at
the end of a written message like letter or mail etc to express well wishes
to the recipient
- Hold in high regard: To have respect or admiration for
someone/something

9. Purity (noun) /ˈpjʊə.rə.ti/:

- The state of being free of extraneous elements.
Ex: The thing that stands out the most about this river’s water is its
purity.
- The clearness of sounds/Free of discordant qualities.
Ex: The purity of his voice made everyone wet
- The quality of being morally good.
Ex: Her purity was the result of good parenting
* Word family:
- Pure < > Impure (adj): free of extraneous elements
- Purism (n): The exaggerated insistent on purity
- Purify (v):
+ To remove bad substances from something to make it pure.
+ To remove immoral thoughts or acts from something
* Synonyms: cleanliness, stainlessness, immaculateness
* Antonyms: impurity

10. Moral (adj) /ˈmɒrəl/

- Connected with principles of right and wrong behaviour
Ex: a moral issue/dilemma
 - Based on your own sense of what is right and fair, not on legal rights or
duties =ethical
Ex: moral responsibility/duty/authority
- Following the standards of behaviour considered acceptable and right by
most people =good, honourable
Ex: He led a very moral life.
- Able to understand the difference between right and wrong
Ex: Children are not naturally moral beings.
* Word family
- Moral (n): a practical lesson about what to do or how to behave,
which you learn from a story or from something that happens to you
→ message moral of
Ex: The moral of the film was that crime does not pay.
- Immoral (adj): morally wrong or not following accepted standards of
sexual behaviour
Ex: It’s immoral to be rich while people are starving and homeless
- Morality (n) + of
+ Beliefs or ideas about what is right and wrong and about how people
should behave
Ex: sexual morality
→ public/private/personal morality
→ conventional/traditional morality
+ the degree to which something is right or acceptable ≠ immoralitym
- Moralist (n)
+ Someone who has very strong beliefs about what is right and wrong and
how people should behave – used to show disapproval
Ex: a narrow-minded moralist
+ A teacher of moral principles
- Amoral (adj): having no moral standards at all ≠moral
- Amorality (n)
- Moralize (v): to tell other people your ideas about right and wrong
behaviour, especially when they have not asked for your opinion =
preach
Ex: politicians moralizing about people’s sexual behaviour
- Moralistic (adj): with very strong beliefs about what is right and wrong,
especially when this makes you judge other people’s behaviour
 Ex: It’s difficult to talk to teenagers about drugs without sounding too
moralistic.
* Synonyms: virtuous, upright, integrity, ethic
* Antonyms: corruption, dishonesty, disrespectability
* Idioms:
- take, claim, seize, etc. the moral high ground: to claim that your side of
an argument is morally better than your opponents’ side; to argue in a
way that makes your side seem morally better
Ex: I was angry with his blatant attempt to take the moral high ground.
- claim the moral high ground: To claim, purport, or make it appear that
one's arguments, beliefs, ideas, etc., are morally superior to those
espoused by others.
Ex: The senator always tries to claim the moral high ground during a
debate so as to shift public opinion in his favour.
- lose (one's) moral compass: To no longer be adhering to the virtues,
morals, or ethics that one previously followed.
Ex: Our country certainly seems to have lost its moral compass in recent
times. It feels like the only priority is for the wealthy to accumulate more
wealth, all other concerns be damned.
* Collocations:
- a moral standard/principle
- a moral value (=behaviour that a society believes is right and good)
- a moral duty/obligation (=something you must do for moral reasons)
- a moral judgement
- a moral imperative (=something that must be done for moral reasons)
- somebody’s moral sense (=a feeling for what is right and what is wrong)
- moral superiority (=the idea that you are morally right and other people
are not)
- moral philosophy (=the study of moral principles and rules)
- moral support (=encouragement that you give by expressing approval or
interest, rather than by giving practical help)
- moral fibre (=Strength or courage derived from moral principles or
ethical values.)

11. Physical (adj) /ˈfɪzɪkl/

- Connected with a person’s body rather than their mind
Ex: physical activity/fitness
 - Connected with things that actually exist or are present and can be seen,
felt, etc. rather than things that only exist in a person’s mind
Ex: She was intimidated by his physical presence
- According to the laws of nature
Ex: It is a physical impossibility to be in two places at once.
- Involving a lot of physical contact or activity
Ex: Rugby is a very physical sport.
- Involving sex
Ex: physical love
- (of a person) liking to touch other people a lot
Ex: She's not very physical.
- Violent (used to avoid saying this in a direct way)
Ex:Are you going to cooperate or do we have to get physical?
* Word family:
- Physicals (noun)[plural]: (=oil, metals, farm products etc) for actual or
immediate delivery, rather than futures (=contracts for delivery at a later
date)
- Physically (adv): in relation to your body rather than your mind or
emotions ≠ emotionally, mentally
- Physique (n): the size and appearance of someone’s body
- Physics (n): the science concerned with the study of physical objects and
substances, and of natural forces such as light, heat, and movement
- Physician (n): a doctor, especially one who has general skill and is not a
surgeon
- Physicist (n): a scientist who has special knowledge and training in
physics
* Synonyms: environmental, real, natural, substantial
* Antonyms: immaterial, mental, psychological, spiritual
* Idioms:
- Get physical (with sb): Make physical contact, either forcefully or
sexually.
Ex: Stop pushing-there's no need to get physical
- Physical break: A short period of time in which one stops what they are
doing in order to move their body.
Ex: Recess is so important—the kids need a physical break in the school
day as an outlet for excess energy.
* Collocations:
 - Physical activity
- Physical contact
- Physical abuse/violence
- Somebody’s physical appearance.
- Physical pain
- Physical strength
- Physical fitness
- A physical disability: condition that makes it difficult for someone to use
a part of their body properly
- A physical defect: a physical fault, especially one that only affects the
appearance

12. Celibate (adj) /ˈseləbət/

- Not married and not having sex, especially because of your religious
beliefs = virgin
Ex: Catholic priests are required to be celibate.
* Word family:
- Celibate (n)
- Celibacy (n): the state of not being married and never having sex,
especially for religious reasons
Ex: a vow of celibacy
* Synonyms: virgin, unmarried, chaste, pure
* Antonyms: promiscuous, active