(adj) skilful, quick, clever e.g. Her movements were deft and quick. e.g. He is very deft at handling awkward situations. synonyms: skilled, talented, nimble, proficient other word forms: deftly (adv), deftness (n)
detain
(v) to delay someone for a short period of time e.g. "I'm sorry for being late as I was unavoidably detained," he apologised to his boss. synonyms: delay, hold up, (v) to keep someone in official custody e.g. The suspect was detained by the police and held for questioning. other word forms: detention (n)
delude
(v) to make someone believe something that is not true e.g. He's deluding himself if he thinks he is going to be prompted this year. synonyms: mislead, deceive, trick, dupe other word forms: delusion (n)
cunning
(adj) having the skill of tricking others to achieve something e.g. A cunning look flashed in her eyes when she realised that the old lady was gullible. synonyms: sly, devious, scheming (n) the skill of tricking others to achieve something e.g. We need to show some cunning if we want to defeat the enemy. other … Continue reading cunning
copious
(adj) in large amounts e.g. The host served copious amounts of wine during the dinner party. synonyms: considerable, substantial other word forms: copiously (adv)
conspicuous
(adj) very noticeable or attracting attention which is often unwanted e.g. Because he was so tall, he was very conspicuous when he stood up suddenly while the Guest-of-Honour was giving her speech. synonyms: obvious, noticeable, outstanding other word forms: conspicuously (adv), conspicuousness (n)
confide
(v) to tell something secret or personal to someone who you trust not to tell anyone else e.g. I confided in my friend about the huge fear I had about failing the end-of-year examination. synonyms: disclose, reveal, confess other word forms: confidant (n)
commotion
(n) a sudden, short period, of noise, confusion, or excited movement e.g. The K-pop star's arrival caused a huge commotion at the airport, with numerous fans gathering, all desperate to get a glimpse. synonyms: ruckus, furore, brouhaha, mayhem other word forms: nil
cantankerous
(adj) bad-tempered, uncooperative, and argumentative e.g. There is only one person living on the whole floor who has the patience to deal with the cantankerous old man. synonyms: irritable, grouchy, ill-tempered other word forms: nil
bombard
(v) to attack a place or person continuously with bombs or missiles (literal) e.g. Last night, the city was bombarded by enemy troops, and hundreds died as a result. synonyms: attack, bomb, shell, (v) to attack a person or a group continuously (figurative) e.g. When the President's scandal broke, the head office was bombarded with … Continue reading bombard
MJR World of Words 