C2

fragile

fra·gile   [ˈfrædʒaɪl]    [ˈfrædʒl]  adjective
1. easily broken or damaged
• fragile china/glass/bones

• Be careful not to drop it; it's very fragile.

2. weak and uncertain; easily destroyed or spoilt
• a fragile alliance/ceasefire/relationship
• The economy remains extremely fragile.

• In her job she was used to dealing with actors' fragile egos.

3. delicate and often beautiful
• fragile beauty

• The woman's fragile face broke into a smile.

4. not strong and likely to become ill/sick
• Her father is now 86 and in fragile health.
• (BrE, informal) I'm feeling a bit fragile after last night (= not well, perhaps because of drinking too much alcohol).
Derived Word: fragility  
Word Origin:
late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘morally weak’): from Latin fragilis, from frangere ‘to break’. The sense ‘liable to break’ dates from the mid 16th cent.  
Thesaurus:
fragile [fragile fragility] adj.
• It's fragile, so don't drop it.
delicate • • brittle •
Opp: robust
fragile/delicate/brittle bones/glass
fragile/delicate china
(a) fragile/delicate thread
the fragile/delicate ecology
Fragile or delicate? Delicate fabrics, like silk, need special care
• Use a cool wash for delicate fabrics.
Fragile fabrics need even more care, usually because they are very old.  
Example Bank:
• Be careful not to drop it, it's very fragile.

• fragile habitats threatened by pollution

reflection

re·flec·tion [reflection reflections] (BrE also old-fashioned re·flex·ion)  [rɪˈflekʃn]    [rɪˈflekʃn]  noun
1. countable an image in a mirror, on a shiny surface, on water, etc

• He admired his reflection in the mirror.

2. uncountable the action or process of sending back light, heat, sound, etc. from a surface

3. countable a sign that shows the state or nature of sth
• Your clothes are often a reflection of your personality.

• The increase in crime is a sad reflection on (= shows sth bad about) our society today.

4. uncountable careful thought about sth, sometimes over a long period of time
• She decided on reflection to accept his offer after all.

• A week off would give him time for reflection.

5. countable, usually plural your written or spoken thoughts about a particular subject or topic

• a book of her reflections on childhood

6. countable an account or a description of sth
• The article is an accurate reflection of events that day.
see on mature reflection/consideration at  mature  _adj.
See also: reflexion  
Word Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French reflexion or late Latin reflexio(n-), from Latin reflex- ‘bent back’, from the verb reflectere.  
Example Bank:
• Counselling should encourage reflection on the past.
• He caught sight of her reflection in the window.
• Her reflection in the mirror looked distorted.
• His low level of performance is no reflection on his general ability.
• I saw my reflection in the polished marble.
• In the reflection on the glass door he could see the class behind him.
• Kyle's reflection appears in the glass.
• My reflection stared back at me.
• On further reflection, I'm not so sure it's a good idea.
• She caught him admiring his reflection in the mirror.
• She has some interesting reflections about the spiritual state of the country.
• Such decisions may be made after thoughtful reflection.
• Such studies do not give a true reflection of population needs.
• Teachers should encourage reflection on the part of their students.
• The movie is a poor reflection of Kerouac's work.
• The party needs a period of sober reflection about what went wrong.
• There is reflection of heat from the metal surface.
• They took a few minutes to offer their personal reflections.
• This account is only a pale reflection of the true state of affairs.
• This was a clear reflection of Marc's personality.
• Young people's behaviour is a direct reflection of adults'.
• the reflection of the mountains on the calm waters of the lake
• A period of calm reflection is now needed.
• After a moment's reflection he started to speak.
• He published his reflections on war and peace last year.
• She concludes by providing some reflections on the gains of the previous decade.
• She decided, on reflection, not to take the job.

• We asked them to give us their reflections about the state of the industry today.

bribery

brib·ery [bribery briberies]   [ˈbraɪbəri]    [ˈbraɪbəri]  noun uncountable
the giving or taking of bribes
• She was arrested on bribery charges.

• allegations of bribery and corruption

grain

grain [grain grains grained graining]   [ɡreɪn]    [ɡreɪn]  noun
1. uncountable, countable the small hard seeds of food plants such as wheat, rice, etc; a single seed of such a plant
• America's grain exports
• a few grains of rice

see also  wholegrain

2. countable a small hard piece of particular substances

• a grain of salt/sand/sugar

3. countable (used especially in negative sentences) a very small amount
Syn:  iota
• There isn't a grain of truth in those rumours.

• If he had a grain of sensitivity he wouldn't have asked her about her divorce.

4. countable a small unit of weight, equal to 0.00143 of a pound or 0.0648 of a gram, used for example for weighing medicines

• The analysis showed a few grains of arsenic in the solution.

5. uncountable the natural direction of lines in wood, cloth, etc. or of layers of rock; the pattern of lines that you can see

• to cut a piece of wood along/across the grain

6. uncountable, countable how rough or smooth a surface feels
• wood of coarse/fine grain
Idiom: against the grain 
Word Origin:
Middle English (originally in the sense ‘seed, grain of corn’): from Old French grain, from Latin granum.  
Example Bank:
• The journal reports that eating whole grains protects against diabetes.
• This wood has a beautiful natural grain.
• Grain production has been falling in recent years.
• I got a grain of sand caught in my eye.
• She sprinkled a few more grains of rice into the pan.
• The government intends to import only five per cent of the country's grain.
• The peasants had ceased to sow grain.
• There were just a few grains of corn left.

• a grain of rice/wheat/salt/sugar/sand

ignorance

ig·nor·ance AW   [ˈɪɡnərəns]    [ˈɪɡnərəns]  noun uncountable ~ (of/about sth)
a lack of knowledge or information about sth
• widespread ignorance of/about the disease
• They fought a long battle against prejudice and ignorance.
• She was kept in ignorance of her husband's activities.
• Children often behave badly out of/through ignorance.
• I hate to admit my ignorance, but how does it work?
Idiom: ignorance is bliss  
Word Origin:
Middle English: via Old French from Latin ignorantia, from ignorant- ‘not knowing’, from the verb ignorare ‘not know, ignore’, from in- ‘not’ + gno-, a base meaning ‘know’.  
Thesaurus:
ignorance [ignorance] noun U, sing. (sometimes disapproving)
• There is widespread ignorance about the disease.
incomprehension • • inexperience • |often disapproving naivety • |approving innocence •
Opp: knowledge
ignorance/naivety/innocence about sth
betray/show (your) ignorance/inexperience
take advantage of sb's ignorance/inexperience/naivety/innocence 
Example Bank:
• He pleaded ignorance of any wrongdoing.
• He showed a remarkable ignorance of the facts.
• He was kept in ignorance of his true identity.
• I had to confess my ignorance.
• I tried not to betray my ignorance.
• Many lives are lost through ignorance.
• Outsiders, in their ignorance, fail to understand this.
• She remained in blissful ignorance of these events.
• The sisters lived in total ignorance of each other.
• There is still widespread ignorance about this disease.
• These attitudes are based on ignorance and fear.
• This showed a profound ignorance of local customs.
• a policy based on wilful ignorance of history
• mistakes due to ignorance
• our appalling ignorance of international events
• widespread ignorance of the causes of the Civil War
• Children often behave badly out of ignorance.
• I hate to confess my ignorance, but can you explain what ‘space-time’actually is?
• I remained in blissful ignorance of what was going on.
• Many of the comments betray an appalling ignorance of the reality of these children's lives.
• She was kept in ignorance of her husband's activities.
• Some doctors believe that ignorance is bliss and do not tell their patients all the facts.

• The more he talks, the more he shows his ignorance.

capitalism

cap·it·al·ism [capitalism]   [ˈkæpɪtəlɪzəm]    [ˈkæpɪtəlɪzəm]  noun uncountable
an economic system in which a country's businesses and industry are controlled and run for profit by private owners rather than by the government
• the growth of industrial capitalism in the West
compare  socialism  
Example Bank:
• He predicted the fall of world capitalism.
• He was one of the leading advocates of laissez-faire capitalism.
• She deplored unbridled capitalism as much as communism.
• a protest against global capitalism

• a study of the development of agriculture under capitalism

ruthless

ruth·less   [ˈruːθləs]    [ˈruːθləs]  adjective (disapproving)
(of people or their behaviour) hard and cruel; determined to get what you want and not caring if you hurt other people
• a ruthless dictator
• The way she behaved towards him was utterly ruthless.
• He has a ruthless determination to succeed.
• We'll have to be ruthless if we want to make this company more efficient.
Derived Words: ruthlessly ▪ ruthlessness  
Word Origin:
Middle English: from ruth ‘feeling of pity, distress or grief’ + -less.  
Thesaurus:
ruthless [ruthless ruthlessly ruthlessness] adj. (usually disapproving)
• He's a violent, ruthless man who will stop at nothing.
cruel • • hard • • callous • • heartless • • coldblooded • • brutal • |especially written merciless •
Opp: merciful, Opp: compassionate
a ruthless/cruel/hard/callous/heartless man/woman
a ruthless/coldblooded/merciless attack  
Example Bank:
• She was pretty ruthless about sacking people.
• He's a violent, ruthless man who will stop at nothing.
• Like all great survivors, she has a ruthless streak.
• She was ruthless about chucking out weaklings.
• The way she behaved to him was utterly ruthless.

• We'll have to be ruthless if we want to make this company more efficient.

nostalgia

nos·tal·gia [nostalgia nostalgias]   [nɒˈstældʒə]    [nəˈstældʒə]    [nɑːˈstældʒə]  noun uncountable
a feeling of sadness mixed with pleasure and affection when you think of happy times in the past
• a sense/wave/pang of nostalgia
• She is filled with nostalgia for her own college days.
Derived Words: nostalgic ▪ nostalgically  
Word Origin:
late 18th cent. (in the sense ‘acute homesickness’): modern Latin (translating German Heimweh ‘homesickness’), from Greek nostos ‘return home’ + algos ‘pain’.  
Example Bank:
• He thought back to his time as a student and felt no nostalgia for any of it.
• I remember it with great nostalgia.
• Nostalgia buffs gathered for the auction of wartime memorabilia.
• She felt great nostalgia for the old way of life.
• She remembers her life as a singer with a certain wistful nostalgia.
• The college reunion was a great nostalgia trip.

• an evening of pure nostalgia