Figment (n): fig-muhnt
If you say that something is a figment of someone’s imagination, you mean that it does not really exist and that they are just imagining it = invention, imaginary thing
That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination
Fissure (n): fish-er
A fissure is a deep crack in something, especially in rock or in the ground = crevice
The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock
Flair (n): flair
If you have a flair for a particular thing, you have a natural ability to do it well = talent, gift, talent
He had a friend who has a flair for languages
Flick (n): flik
If something flicks in a particular direction, or if someone flicks it, it moves with a short, sudden movement
His tongue flicked across his lips
Flippancy (n): flip-uhnt (605)
frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity
Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive
Floe (n): floh
A mass of floating ice
But there were no ice floes around today
Flora (n): flawr-uh
You can refer to plants as flora, especially the plants growing in a particular area
Tourism is damaging the flora and fauna of the island
Fluctuation (n): fluhk-choo-ey-shuhn
If something fluctuates, it changes a lot in an irregular way = wavering
Body temperature can fluctuate if you are ill
Fluency (n): floo-uhnt
Someone who is fluent in a particular language can speak the language easily and correctly You can also say that someone speaks fluent French, Chinese, or some other language
He spoke French with fluency and ease
Flotilla (n): floh-til-uh (610)
A flotilla is a group of small ships, usually military ships
Fishermen in coastal areas go out in flotillas
Flotsam (n): flot-suhm
Flotsam is rubbish, for example bits of wood and plastic, that is floating on the sea or has been left by the sea on the shore
Salvaging flotsam provides a decent living to many people
Flux (n): fluhks
If something is in a state of flux, it is constantly changing
Everything is in flux at the moment
Foible (n): foi-buhl
A foible is a habit or characteristic that someone has which is considered rather strange, foolish, or bad but which is also considered unimportant = quirk
We all have our little foibles
Foray (n): fawr-ey
If you make a foray into a new or unfamiliar type of activity, you start to become involved in it = raid
It will be my first foray into local government
Forbearance (n): fawr-bair-uhns (615)
If you say that someone has shown forbearance, you admire them for behaving in a calm and sensible way about something that they have a right to be very upset or angry about = patience
A lot of forbearance is expected of the girls in the Indian society
Foreboding (n): fawr-boh-ding
Foreboding is a strong feeling that something terrible is going to happen = premonition of evil
She waited for news with a grimsense of foreboding
Forte (n): fawrt
You can say that a particular activity is your forte if you are very good at it = strong point
Originality was never his forte
Fortitude (n): fawr-ti-tood, -tyood
If you say that someone has shown fortitude, you admire them for being brave, calm, and uncomplaining when they have experienced something unpleasant or painful = courage, grit
She accepted the news of her husband’s incarceration with fortitude
Fracas (n): frey-kuhs; Brit frak-ah
A fracas is a rough, noisy quarrel or fight = a noisy fight, quarrel
He saw him involved in a fracas outside a disco last night
Frailty (n): freyl-tee (620)
If you refer to the frailties or frailty of people, you are referring to their weaknesses = weakness
The frailties of human nature can be ignored sometimes
Franchise (n): fran-chahyz
A franchise is an authority that is given by an organization to someone, allowing them to sell its goods or services or to take part in an activity which the organization controls
Mc donald offers profitable francheses for big investors
Fray (n): frey
The fray is an exciting or challenging activity, situation, or argument that you are involved in = brawl
He would be inspiring young people to get into the political fray
Freebooter (n): free-boo-ter
A pirate or lawless adventurer
Fresco (n): fres-koh
A fresco is a picture that is painted on a plastered wall when the plaster is still wet
The archaeological department has found frescoes belonging to Paleolithic age
Freshet (n): fresh-it] (625)
The flood of a river from heavy rain or melted snow
Friction (n): frik-shuhn
If there is friction between people, there is disagreement and argument between them = conflict, clash in opinion, rubbing against
She sensed that there had been friction between her children
Frieze (n): freez
A frieze is a decoration high up on the walls of a room or just under the roof of a building It consists of a long panel of carving or a long strip of paper with a picture or pattern on it
Frond (n): frond
A frond is a long leaf which has an edge divided into lots of thin parts = fern leaf, palm or banana leaf
The gently wavering fronds of a willow tree
Frugality (n): froo-guhl
People with frugality lives do not eat much or spend much money on themselves = thrift
In these difficult days, we must live with frugality or our money will be gone
Fruition (n): froo-ish-uhn (630)
If something comes to fruition, it starts to succeed and produce the results that were intended or hoped for = bearing of fruit, fulfillment; realization
These plans take time to come to fruition
Fulcrum (n): fool-kruhm
If you say that someone or something is the fulcrum of an activity or situation, you mean that they have a very important effect on what happens = pivot
The decision is the strategic fulcrum of the Budget
Functionary (n): fuhngk-shuh-ner-ee
A functionary is a person whose job is to do administrative work, especially for a government or a political party = official
All the functionaries of the foreign ministry were present at the arrival of the British PM
Furor (n): fyoor-awr
A furore is a very angry or excited reaction by people to something = uproar, frenzy, great excitement
The disclosure has already caused a furore among MPs
Fusion (n): fyoo-zhuhn
The fusion of two or more things involves joining them together to form one thing = union, coalition
His final reform was the fusion of regular and reserve forces
Gadfly (n): gad-flahy (635)
If you refer to someone as a gadfly, you believe that they deliberately annoy or challenge other people, especially people in authority = annoying person
He is only a gadfly, paying too much attention to his like would be a waste of our precious energy
Gaff (n): gaf
A gaff is a pole with a point or hook at one end, which is used for catching large fish = hook, barbed fishing spear
Gaffe (n): gaf
A gaffe is a stupid or careless mistake, for example when you say or do something that offends or upsets people = a social or diplomatic blunder
The Senator committed a gaffe when he turned down the dinner invitation
Galaxy (n): gal-uhk-see
A galaxy is an extremely large group of stars and planets that extends over many billions of light years
Astronomers have discovered a distant galaxy
Galleon (n): gal-ee-uhn
A galleon is a sailing ship with three masts Galleons were used mainly in the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries
A Spanish galleon rescued the survivors of the shipwreck
Gambit (n): gam-bit (640)
A gambit is an action or set of actions, which you carry out in order to try to gain an advantage in a situation or game = ploy, tactic
The budget proposal to lower taxes is so obviously a gambit in the election year
Gamester (n): geym-ster
gambler
Gamut (n): gam-uht
The gamut of something is the complete range of things of that kind, or a wide variety of things of that kind = range
Robert Frost depicts the gamut of human emotions in his poem
Gargoyle (n): gahr-goil
A gargoyle is a decorative stone carving on old buildings It is usually shaped like the head of a strange and ugly creature, and water drains through it from the roof of the building
The interactive guides are the witty gargoyles Hugo, Victor and Laverne
Garrulity (n): guh-roo-li-tee
talkativeness
The man who married a dumb wife asked the doctor to make him deaf because of his wife’s garrulity after her cure
Gasconade (n): gas-kuh-neyd (645)
bluster; boastfulness
It is not expected from cultured people to exhibit gasconade
Gastronomy (n): ga-stron-uh-mee
Gastronomy is the activity and knowledge involved in preparing and appreciating good food
You cook so well, you should have been a student of gastronomy, instead of astronomy!
Gauntlet (n): gawnt-lit, gahnt-
Gauntlets are long, thick, protective gloves
The foreign secretary ran the gauntlet of demonstrators
Gavel (n): gav-uhl
A gavel is a small wooden hammer that the person in charge of a law court, an auction, or a meeting bangs on a table to get people’s attention = wooden hammer
Gazette (n): guh-zet
official periodical publication
Gazette is often used in the names of newspapers
Generality (n): jen-uh-ral-i-tee (650)
A generality is a general statement that covers a range of things, rather than being concerned with specific instances
The generality of the population was against the war
