ambitious / aspiring [determined to be successful, rich, powerful etc]
[only before noun, hoping to be successful in a particular job, activity, or way of life]
Alfred was intensely ambitious, obsessed with the idea of becoming rich.
aspiring young writers
the aspiring middle classes
ghoul / fiend [an evil spirit in stories that takes bodies from GRAVES (place in the ground where dead people are buried) and eat them]
[an evil spirit]
grim / stern [making you feel worried or unhappy]harsh
[serious and strict, and showing strong disapproval of someone's behavior]
the grim reality of rebuilding the shattered town
When he lost his job, his future looked grim.
Millions of Britons face the grim prospect(something bad that will probably happen) of dearer home loans.
We received the grim news in silence.
paranoid / overly suspicious [believing unreasonably that you cannot trust other people, or that they are trying to harm you or have a bad opinion of you]
Malcolm got really paranoid, deciding that there was a conspiracy out to get him.
He was always been paranoid about his personal security.
barricade / obstruction [a temporary wall or fence across a road, door etc that prevents people from going through]
The fans were kept back behind barricades.
an operation to remove an obstruction from her throat
Police can remove a vehicle that is causing an obstruction.
impurity / contamination [a substance of a low quality that is contained in or mixed with something else, making it less pure]
[water, food etc that is contaminated has had a harmful substance added to it]
All natural minerals contain impurities.
Our oatmeal face mask absorbs impurities from your skin.
The infection was traced to contaminated food.
absorb something from
to take in liquid, gas, or another substance from the surface or space around something
tranquillize / sedate [to make a person or animal; calm or unconscious by using a drug]
[to give someone drugs to make them calm or to make them sleep]
contradictory / inconsistent [two statements that are inconsistent cannot both be true]
The accounts of the witnesses are inconsistent.
His results are inconsistent with our data.
The public is being fed contradictory messages about the economy.
convulsion / paroxysm [a shaking movement of your bodyh that you cannot control, which happens because you are ill]
[a sudden expression of strong feeling that you cannot control]
Had she cut her wrists in a paroxysm of guilt?
[guilt:a strong feeling of shame and sadness because you know that you have done something wrong]
pretext / guise [a false reason given for an action, in order to hide the real reason]
The incident provided the pretext for war.
Tom called at her apartment on the pretext of asking for a book.
He left immediately on the pretext that he had a train to catch
He'll phone on some pretext or other.
[incident:an event, especially one that is unusual, important, or violent]
[custodian:someone who is responsible for looking after something important or valuable]
Farmers are custodian of the land for the next generation.
lapse / slip [a short period of time during which you fail to do something well or properly, often caused by not being careful]
Despite the occasional laose, this was a fine performance by the young saxophonist.
A defensive lapse by Keown allowed Tottenham to score.
lapses in security
A single lapse of concentration cost Sampras the game.
a lapse of judgment
After taking the drug, several patients suffered memory lapse.(when you cannot rememvber something for a short time)
encumber / burden [to make it difficult for you to do something or for something to happen]
He died in 1874, heavily encubered by debt.
The whole process was encumbered with bureaucracy.
[bureaucracy:a complicated official system that is annoying or confusing because it has a lot of rules, processes etc]
the reduction of unnecessary bureaucracy.
