(~er, ~est, ~es, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
Note: The plural of the number is '~'.
1.
You use ~ to describe something unacceptable or unpleasant to a very great amount, degree, or intensity.
The company were guilty of ~ negligence.
...an act of ~ injustice.
ADJ: ADJ n
~ly
Funding of education had been ~ly inadequate for years...
She was ~ly overweight.
ADV: ADV -ed/adj
2.
If you say that someone’s speech or behaviour is ~, you think it is very rude or unacceptable.
He abused the Admiral in the ~est terms...
I feel disgusted and wonder how I could ever have been so ~.
ADJ disapproval
3.
If you describe something as ~, you think it is very unpleasant. (INFORMAL)
They had a commercial on the other night for Drug Free America that was so ~ I thought Daddy was going to faint...
He wears really ~ holiday outfits.
ADJ disapproval
4.
If you describe someone as ~, you mean that they are extremely fat and unattractive.
I only resist things like chocolate if I feel really ~.
ADJ: v-link ADJ disapproval
5.
Gross means the total amount of something, especially money, before any has been taken away.
...a fixed rate account guaranteeing 10.4% ~ interest or 7.8% net until October.
ADJ: ADJ n
•
Gross is also an adverb.
Interest is paid ~, rather than having tax deducted.
...a father earning ?20,000 ~ a year.
ADV: ADV after v
6.
Gross means the total amount of something, after all the relevant amounts have been added together.
National Savings ~ sales in June totalled ?709 million.
ADJ: ADJ n
7.
Gross means the total weight of something, including its container or wrapping.
ADJ: ADJ n
8.
If a person or a business ~es a particular amount of money, they earn that amount of money before tax has been taken away. (BUSINESS)
So far the films have ~ed more than ?590 million.
VERB: V n
9.
A ~ is a group of 144 things.
He ordered twelve ~ of the disks.
NUM: usu a /num NUM