ugly ["^g li] 1. adj. not pleasant to look at; not attractive. (Comp: uglier; sup: ugliest.) 2. adj. not pleasant; menacing. (Comp: uglier; sup: ugliest.) → rear its ugly head ultimate ["^l t@ m@t] adj. final. (Adv: ultimately.) the ultimate n. the best thing or person; the most superior thing or person. (Informal. No plural. Treated as singular.) ultimately ["^l t@ m@t li] adv. in the end; at the final decision about an issue. umbrella [@m "brEl @] n. a dome- shaped wire frame connected to a handle and covered with water- proof fabric, used as protection against the rain. umpire ["^m paI#] 1. n. a referee; someone who enforces the rules of certain sports; someone who judges the plays in certain sports. 2. iv. to act as Q. 3. tv. to referee a game; to judge the plays in certain sports. unable to do something [@n "e b@l ] not able to do something; not having the ability to do some- thing. unaccustomed to someone or something not used to someone or something. unafraid [@n @ "fred] adj. not afraid; brave; without fear. unanimous [ju "nAn @ m@s] adj. in complete agreement; agreed to by everyone; with everyone saying “yes.” (Adv: unanimously.) unarmed [@n "armd] adj. not armed; not carrying any weapons; without any weapons. unassisted [@n @ "sIs tId] adj. with- out assistance; without help. unaware [@n @ "wEr] adj. not aware; not conscious of someone or something; not knowing of some- one or something. → caught unaware(s) unbelievable [@n b@ "liv @ b@l] adj. extreme and not able to be believed. (Adv: unbelievably.) unbiased [@n "baI @st] adj. not biased; fair; not favoring one side over another. (Adv: unbiasedly.) unbreakable [@n "brek @ b@l] adj. not able to be broken. (Adv: unbreakably.) uncertain [@n "s#t n] 1. adj. [of a decision] able to change or be changed; not sure. (Adv: uncer- tainly.) 2. adj. not known for sure; not yet decided. 3. adj. change- able; not reliable. (Adv: uncer- tainly.) uncle ["^N k@l] n. the brother of one’s father or mother; the hus- band of one’s aunt. (Also a term of address. Capitalized when written as a proper noun.) → Dutch uncle unclear [@n "klIr] adj. not clear; not understood well. (Adv: unclearly.) uncomfortable [@n "k^mf t@ b@l] 1. adj. not comfortable; feeling uneasy. (Adv: uncomfortably.) 2. adj. causing discomfort. (Adv: uncomfortably.) 666 U 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 666 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc . Click Here for Terms of Use. TLFeBOOK unconscious [@n "kan S@s] 1. adj. not conscious; no longer con- scious. (Adv: unconsciously.) 2. adj. done without thinking. (Adv: unconsciously.) 3. n. the part of one’s mind of which one is not aware. (No plural.) undecided [@n dI "saId Id] 1. adj. unsure of how one will decide; not having made a decision. (Adv: undecidedly.) 2. adj. [of a matter that has] not yet been determined. (Adv: undecidedly.) under ["^n d#] 1. prep. in or at a place below or beneath someone or something; to or into a place below or beneath someone or something. 2. prep. less than something. 3. prep. affected by the control or influence of someone or something; ranked beneath someone or something. 4. adv. below; below the surface; beneath. under a cloud (of suspicion) to be suspected of something. under arrest being or having been arrested and in the care of the police in preparation for the filing of a criminal charge. under construction in the process of being built or repaired. under control manageable; restrained and controlled. under fire while being attacked; during an attack. under oath bound by an oath; hav- ing taken an oath. under one’s own steam by one’s own power or effort. under scrutiny being watched or examined closely; with close examination. under (some) pressure experi- encing something that causes an amount of stress or anxiety. under someone’s (very) nose and right under someone’s nose 1. right in front of someone. 2. in someone’s presence. under the counter [for something to be bought or sold] secretly or illegally. under the influence of something experiencing the effects of some- thing such as alcohol, drugs, or any controlling power or person. under the table in secret, as with the giving of a bribe; illegally. under the weather ill. under the wire just barely in time or on time. underclothes ["^n d# klo(D)z] n. underwear; underpants and undershirts; the clothing worn next to the skin, usually under other pieces of clothing. (Treated as plural, but not countable.) underclothing ["^n d# klo DIN] n. underwear; underclothes. (No plu- ral. Treated as singular.) undergo [@n d# "go] tv., irreg. to experience something, especially something that is difficult. (Past tense: underwent; past participle: undergone.) undergone [@n d# "gOn] Past par- ticiple of undergo. undergraduate [@n d# "grA dZu @t ] 1. n. a college student who has not yet received a bachelor’s degree. 2. the adj. use of Q. underline ["^n d# laIn] 1. tv. to draw a line under a word to give underline 667 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 667 TLFeBOOK the word emphasis; to emphasize a word by drawing a line under it. 2. n. a line that is drawn under a word to give the word emphasis. underneath [@n d# "niT] 1. prep. beneath someone or something; below someone or something; under someone or something. 2. adv. under someone or some- thing that is on top; under some- one or something. underpaid [@n d# "ped] adj. not paid as well as one should be; not given enough money for one’s work. underpants ["^n d# pAnts] n. an article of clothing worn next to the skin below the waist, usually under other clothing. (Treated as plural. Number is expressed with pair(s) of underpants. Also count- able.) undershirt ["^n d# S#t] n. a piece of clothing worn above the waist next to the skin, usually under other clothing. undershorts ["^n d# Sorts] n. underpants; a piece of clothing worn below the waist next to the skin, usually under other clothing. (Treated as plural. Number is expressed with pair(s) of under- shorts.) underside ["^n d# saId] n. the sur- face of the bottom part of some- one or something. understand [@n d# "stAnd] 1. iv., irreg. to know; to be aware of the meaning of something; to know about something; to be familiar with something. (Past tense and past participle: understood.) 2. tv., irreg. to know something; to know the meaning of something. 3. tv., irreg. to assume something; to believe something. (The object is a clause with that U.) understanding [@n d# "stAnd IN] 1. n. the ability to understand. (No plural.) 2. n. an informal agree- ment. 3. adj. able to understand; sympathetic. understood [@n d# "stUd] past tense and past participle of under- stand. undertaker ["^n d# te k#] n. someone who arranges funerals. underwater [@n d# "wa t#] 1. adj. under the surface of water. 2. adj. made for use under the water. 3. adv. under the surface of water. underwear ["^n d# wEr] n. under- clothing, especially underpants; clothing worn next to the skin, usually under other clothing. (No plural. When this refers to under- pants, number is expressed with pair(s) of underwear.) underweight ["^n d# wet] adj. not weighing as much as one should; weighing too little. underwent [@n d# "wEnt] past tense of undergo. underworld ["^n d# w#ld] n. the world of crime; criminals and their society. undid [@n "dId] past tense of undo. undo [@n "du] 1. tv., irreg. to cancel the effects of something; to cause something to be as though nothing had ever been done to it. (Past tense: undid; past participle: undone.) 2. tv., irreg. to untie something; to unfasten something. underneath 668 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 668 TLFeBOOK undoing [@n "du IN] n. something that causes failure or ruin. (No plural.) undone [@n "d^n] Past participle of undo. undress [@n "drEs] 1. tv. to remove someone’s clothes. 2. iv. to take off one’s own clothes. unduly [@n "du li] adv. in an exces- sive way; in an excessively negative way. unearth [@n "#T] 1. tv. to remove something from the ground; to dig something up from the earth. 2. tv. to discover and reveal some- thing; to disclose something; to expose something. (Figurative on Q.) uneasy [@n "i zi] adj. not comfort- able; upset; anxious; worried. (Adv: uneasily.) uneducated [@n "EdZ @ ket Id] adj. not educated; not having attended school; not having been taught. unequal [@n "i kw@l] adj. not equal in size, amount, degree, impor- tance, or worth. (Adv: unequally.) uneven [@n "i v@n] 1. adj. [of a sur- face] not even; not smooth; rough; bumpy. (Adv: unevenly.) 2. adj. [of a process or flow] not constant; varying; irregular. (Adv: unevenly.) 3. adj. not equal; unequal. (Adv: unevenly.) unexpected [@n Ek "spEk tId] adj. not expected; surprising; [of something that happens] not known about before it happens. (Adv: unexpectedly.) unfair [@n "fEr] adj. not fair; unjust; not right; unequal. (Adv: unfairly.) unfasten [@n "fA s@n] 1. tv. to open something by removing a fastener; to make something loose by adjusting a fastener. 2. iv. to become loose or open. unfold [@n "fold] 1. tv. to spread something out; to open something that is folded. 2. iv. to develop; to become known; to be revealed. unforeseen [@n for "sin] adj. not anticipated; not foreseen; not known in advance. unforgettable [@n for "gEt @ b@l] adj. unable to be forgotten; always remembered. (Adv: unforgettably.) unfortunate [@n "for tS@ n@t] adj. not fortunate; not lucky. (Adv: unfortunately.) unfriendly [@n "frEnd li] adj. not friendly; hostile. (Comp: unfriendlier; sup: unfriendliest.) unguarded [@n "gar dId] 1. adj. not guarded; not protected; open to attack. 2. adj. careless, especially in trying to keep secrets. (Adv: unguardedly.) unhappy [@n "hAp i] adj. not happy; sad; not pleased. (Adv: unhappily. Comp: unhappier; sup: unhappiest.) unhealthy [@n "hEl Ti] 1. adj. bad for one’s health. (Adv: unhealthily. Comp: unhealthier; sup: unhealth- iest.) 2. adj. sick; having bad health. (Adv: unhealthily. Comp: unhealthier; sup: unhealthiest.) unicorn ["ju n@ korn] n. a mythical creature resembling a horse with a single horn on its forehead. uniform ["ju n@ form] 1. n. the clothes that are worn by all the members of a certain group. uniform 669 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 669 TLFeBOOK 2. adj. identical; alike; not varying; having no variation. (Adv: uni- formly.) unify ["ju n@ faI] 1. tv. to unite something or a group; to bring many parts together to make one whole thing. 2. iv. to become united; to be brought together to make one whole thing. unimportant [@n Im "port nt] adj. not important; not significant. (Adv: unimportantly.) union ["jun j@n] 1. n. the joining together of two or more people or things. 2. n. the bond between two or more people or things that are joined together. 3. n. an organiza- tion whose members work together in support of a common interest, especially an organization of workers in a particular trade. 4. the adj. use of W or E. unique [ju "nik] adj. unlike any- thing else; having no equal; being the only one of its kind. (No com- parative or superlative. Adv: uniquely.) unison ["ju n@ s@n] adj. making one sound; [all] sounding the same octave. → in unison unit ["ju nIt] 1. n. a single thing or person; one part of a group of people or things. 2. n. a group of things thought of as being one thing. 3. n. an amount of a stan- dard measurement. unite [ju "naIt] 1. tv. to join two or more people or things together; to bring two or more people or things together. 2. iv. to join together; to come together. unite against someone or some- thing to join against someone or something. unite people against someone or something to cause people to join together against someone or something. united [ju "naIt Id] adj. brought together; joined together, espe- cially because of a common pur- pose. (Adv: unitedly.) unity ["ju n@ ti] n. the condition of being together; the condition of being united. (No plural.) universal [ju n@ "v# s@l] 1. adj. shared by every member of a group; of or about everyone; understood by everyone. (Adv: universally.) 2. n. a concept that is Q. universe ["ju n@ v#s] n. everything that exists in space; all of space and everything that exists in it. university [ju n@ "v# s@ ti] n. a school for higher education, usu- ally consisting of one or more col- leges for undergraduates and usually one or more schools for graduate students. unjust [@n "dZ^st] adj. not just; unfair; not right. (Adv: unjustly.) unkind [@n "kaInd] adj. not kind; mean; without concern for others. (Adv: unkindly. Comp: unkinder; sup: unkindest.) unknown [@n "non] 1. adj. not known; unfamiliar. 2. adj. not famous; not recognized. 3. n. someone who is not (widely) known; something that is not known. unify 670 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 670 TLFeBOOK unlawful [@n "lO fUl] adj. not legal; illegal; against the law. (Adv: unlawfully.) unless [@n "lEs] conj. except under the circumstances that something specific happens. (Followed by a clause.) unlike [@n "laIk] 1. adj. not like someone or something else; not equal; not similar; different. (Prenominal only.) 2. prep. not similar to someone or something; different from someone or some- thing. 3. prep. not characteristic or typical of someone or something. unlikely [@n "laIk li] adj. not proba- ble; not likely; likely to fail; not likely to succeed. unlimited [@n "lIm @ tId] adj. not limited; without limits; not restricted. (Adv: unlimitedly.) unlock [@n "lak] tv. to open a lock. unlucky [@n "l^k i] 1. adj. not lucky; not having good luck; unfortunate. (Adv: unluckily. Comp: unluckier; sup: unluckiest.) 2. adj. causing bad luck; causing misfortune. (Adv: unluckily. Comp: unluckier; sup: unluckiest.) unmentionable [@n "mEn S@ n@ b@l ] adj. not able to be mentioned; not to be mentioned, especially because it would not be polite to do so. (Adv: unmentionably.) unpack [@n "pAk] 1. tv. to remove objects that have been packed; to remove objects that are in a box or suitcase. 2. iv. to remove objects that have been packed. unpleasant [@n "plEz @nt] adj. not pleasant; not pleasing; not nice; not enjoyable. (Adv: unpleasantly.) unpopular [@n "pap j@ l#] adj. not popular; not preferred by many people. (Adv: unpopularly.) unreal [@n "ril] adj. not real; incred- ible; unbelievable. unrealistic [@n ri @ "lIs tIk] 1. adj. not realistic; not seeming real; seeming fake. (Adv: unrealistically [ Ik li].) 2. adj. not practical. (Adv: unrealistically [ Ik li].) unreasonable [@n "ri z@ n@ b@l] 1. adj. not reasonable; not sensi- ble; not rational. (Adv: unreason- ably.) 2. adj. too much; excessive. (Adv: unreasonably.) unrest [@n "rEst] n. a feeling of not being satisfied; a troubled or uneasy feeling. (No plural.) unruly [@n "ru li] 1. adj. badly behaved; not obedient; not paying attention to authority. 2. adj. [of hair] not orderly; [of hair] hard to control. unsatisfactory [@n sAt Is "fAk t@ ri ] adj. not satisfactory; not good enough; not adequate. (Adv: unsatisfactorily.) unscientific [@n saI @n "tIf Ik] adj. not scientific; not using principles of science. (Adv: unscientifically [ Ik li].) unscrew [@n "skru] 1. tv. to remove something, such as a screw or a lid, by turning it. 2. iv. [for a screw, lid, bolt, etc.] to rotate and become loose. unseen [@n "sin] adj. not seen; hid- den; out of sight. → buy something sight unseen unstable [@n "ste b@l] 1. adj. not secure; not having proper balance. (Adv: unstably.) 2. adj. not steady; unstable 671 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 671 TLFeBOOK likely to change. (Adv: unstably.) 3. adj. [of someone] mentally dis- turbed or troubled. (Adv: unstably.) unsteady [@n "stEd i] 1. adj. shaky; not secure. (Adv: unsteadily.) 2. adj. not dependable; likely to change. (Adv: unsteadily.) unsure [@n "SUr] adj. not sure; uncertain. (Adv: unsurely.) untidy [@n "taI di] adj. not tidy; not clean; messy. (Adv: untidily. Comp: untidier; sup: untidiest.) untie [@n "taI] 1. tv. to loosen something that is tied; to undo something that is tied. (The pres- ent participle is untying in both senses of the verb.) 2. iv. to become undone as in Q. until [@n "tIl] 1. prep. up to a cer- tain time; during a period of time up to a certain time; continuing during a period of time and then stopping at a certain time. (See also till.) 2. conj. up to a time when something happens; up to a time when a certain condition is met. (Followed by a clause.) 3. conj. before. (Used with a nega- tive construction in the main clause.) → put something off (until something ) → talk until one is blue in the face → tide someone over (until something ) untimely [@n "taIm li] 1. adj. not timely; happening too soon; hap- pening too early. 2. adj. not suit- able; not appropriate; at the wrong time. → come to an untimely end unto [@n tu] prep. to someone or something. (Formal or old.) → a law unto oneself untold [@n "told] 1. adj. not told; not expressed; not revealed. 2. adj. countless; too great to be counted. untrue [@n "tru] adj. not true; false; incorrect. (Adv: untruly.) untrue (to someone or something ) not loyal to someone or some- thing; not faithful to someone or something. unusual [@n "ju Zu @l] adj. not usual; strange; different; not ordi- nary. (Adv: unusually.) unwanted [@n "wan tId] adj. not wanted. (Adv: unwantedly.) unwelcome [@n "wEl k@m] adj. not welcome; not wanted. (Adv: unwelcomely.) unwholesome [@n "hol s@m] adj. not good for one’s morals or one’s health. (Adv: unwholesomely.) unwind [@n "waInd] 1. tv., irreg. to remove something that is wound around an object. (Past tense and past participle: unwound.) 2. iv., irreg. to relax. 3. iv., irreg. [for something] to become loose and to pull away from an object that it is wound around. unwise [@n "waIz] adj. not wise; foolish; silly. (Adv: unwisely.) unwound [@n "waUnd] past tense and past participle of unwind. up [^p] 1. adv. from a lower level toward a higher level. 2. adv. toward the north; northward; in the north. 3. adv. into a vertical or almost vertical position; in a verti- cal or almost vertical position. 4. adv. completely; totally. (Used especially with verbs such as eat, drink, use, and finish.) 5. adv. tightly; into a tight condition; unsteady 672 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 672 TLFeBOOK firmly. (Used especially with verbs such as roll, curl, fold, and wind.) 6. adv. together; into a condition in which things are together. (Used especially with verbs such as add, total, count, link, connect, and gather.) 7. adj. over; finished. (Not prenominal.) 8. prep. on or along something to a higher level or position. up a blind alley at a dead end; on a route that leads nowhere. up in arms rising up in anger, as if armed with weapons. up in the air undecided; uncertain. up to doing something able to do something. up to one’s ears (in something ) Go to up to one’s neck (in something ). up to one’s neck (in something ) and up to one’s ears (in some- thing ) very much involved in something. up to par as good as the standard or average; up to the standard. update ["^p det] 1. n. something that has new information, espe- cially a news report that has more information. 2. tv. to make some- thing more modern; to make something up-to-date. 3. tv. to provide the latest information; to inform someone of the latest news. updated [@p "det Id] adj. made modern; changed or made to be modern or current. upgrade someone or something to something to raise someone or something to a higher grade or rank. upkeep ["^p kip] 1. n. mainte- nance; the work required to main- tain something. (No plural.) 2. n. the cost of Q. (No plural.) upon [@ "pOn] 1. prep. on the sur- face of someone or something. 2. prep. at the instant of doing something; on the occasion of something happening; immedi- ately or very soon after something has happened. upon impact at the place or time of an impact. upper ["^p #] adj. the higher of two things; closer to the top of some- thing than to the bottom. → get the upper hand (on someone ) → keep a stiff upper lip the upper crust the higher levels of society; the upper class. uppercase ["^p # "kes] adj. [of a letter or letters] in the larger size as with B in Bill; capitalized. (Compare this with lowercase.) uproar ["^p ror] n. a loud, noisy, confused activity. uproot [@p "rut] 1. tv. to pull up a plant, including its roots. 2. tv. to cause someone to move from where one lives. (Figurative on Q.) upset 1. [@p "sEt] adj. worried about something. 2. [@p "sEt] adj. [of someone’s stomach] feeling bad or sick. 3. [@p "sEt] tv., irreg. to knock something over; to tip something over; to turn some- thing over. (Past tense and past participle: upset.) 4. [@p "sEt] tv., irreg. to defeat someone or some- thing that was expected to win. 5. [@p "sEt] tv., irreg. to disturb upset 673 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 673 TLFeBOOK someone; to bother someone; to make someone worried. 6. [@p "sEt ] tv., irreg. to make someone’s stomach feel bad. 7. ["@p sEt] n. a surprise victory; the defeat of someone or something by some- one or something else that was not expected to win. upside down ["^p saId "daUn] adj. having the top part at the bottom; having the wrong end or side up. (Hyphenated before a nominal.) upstairs 1. ["^p "stErz] adj. located on an upper floor; located on a higher floor. 2. [@p "stErz] adv. on or toward the next floor of a building; on or toward an upper floor of a building. 3. ["^p "stErz] n. the top floor of a building; the upper floor of a building. (Treated as singular.) upstream ["^p "strim] adv. against the current of a river. up-to-date ["^p t@ "det] adj. cur- rent; including or based on the lat- est facts or information. upward ["^p w#d] adj. moving up; climbing; rising; advancing. (Adv: upwardly.) upward(s) adv. to or toward a higher position; to or toward a higher level; to or toward the top part of something. uranium [j@ "ren i @m] n. a chemi- cal element used mainly as fuel for nuclear reactors. (No plural.) urban ["# b@n] adj. of or about a city or cities in general; not subur- ban or rural. urge ["#dZ] 1. n. a strong feeling, desire, or need to do something. 2. tv. to force or encourage some- one or something to go forward. (The object can be a clause with that U.) urge someone to do something to try to persuade someone to do something; to beg someone to do something. urgent ["# dZ@nt] adj. very impor- tant; [of something] needing attention before anything else. (Adv: urgently.) urinate ["jUr @ net] iv. to cause or allow urine to flow from the body. urine ["jUr In] n. a liquid waste product removed by the kidneys and discharged from the body. (No plural.) urn ["#n] 1. n. a large vase or pot, often used for plants or for ashes from a dead person’s remains. 2. n. a large container for holding hot liquids, especially coffee. us ["^s] pron. the objective form of we, referring to a group of people including the speaker or writer. U.S. Go to U.S.A. U.S.A. and U.S. ["ju "Es ("e)] the United States of America. usage ["ju sIdZ] n. the way words in a language typically occur in speech. (No plural.) use 1. ["jus] n. consuming or oper- ating something; the intended function of something; the pur- pose of something, especially the purpose of meeting people’s needs. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. ["juz] tv. to employ someone or something for a cer- tain purpose; to put something into service. 3. ["juz] tv. to treat upside down 674 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 674 TLFeBOOK someone badly or to one’s own advantage. → make use of someone or something use every trick in the book to use every method possible. use something up to consume or use all of something. used ["juzd] adj. already owned; not new; secondhand. → be used to doing something → be used to someone or something used to do something ["jus t@ ] did something in the past as a matter of habit or custom. useful ["jus fUl] adj. helpful; able to be used. (Adv: usefully.) useless ["jus l@s] adj. not helpful; not able to be used; having no effect; having no purpose. (Adv: uselessly.) usher ["^S #] 1. n. someone who shows people to their seats in a church, auditorium, theater, or other place where people gather. 2. tv. to guide someone to a seat; to escort someone to a seat. usher someone or something in(to someplace ) to escort or lead a per- son, a group, or something into a place. usher someone or something out (of someplace ) to escort or lead someone, a group, or something out of a place. usual ["ju Zu w@l] adj. ordinary; typical; customary; common; regular. (Adv: usually.) → as usual utensil [ju "tEn s@l] n. a tool that helps someone do something, especially a tool that helps some- one cook or eat. utility [ju "tIl @ ti] 1. n. a service providing products such as elec- tricity, water, gas, and waste removal to homes and businesses. 2. n. a company that provides a public service. 3. adj. having a basic function; providing for basic service. (Prenominal only.) utilize ["jut @ laIz] tv. to use some- thing practically; to make use of something; to employ something for a purpose. utter ["^t #] 1. tv. to say something; to express something aloud. 2. adj. complete; total. (Adv: utterly.) → not utter a word utterance ["^t @ r@ns] n. speaking; uttering words. (Plural only for types and instances.) utterance 675 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 675 TLFeBOOK . pair(s) of under- shorts.) underside ["^n d# saId] n. the sur- face of the bottom part of some- one or something. understand [@n d# "stAnd] 1. iv., irreg. to know; to be aware of the meaning. nIt] 1. n. a single thing or person; one part of a group of people or things. 2. n. a group of things thought of as being one thing. 3. n. an amount of a stan- dard measurement. unite [ju "naIt]. "stUd] past tense and past participle of under- stand. undertaker ["^n d# te k#] n. someone who arranges funerals. underwater [@n d# "wa t#] 1. adj. under the surface of water. 2. adj. made