49 words starting with B

• babble verb

  to talk quickly in a way that is hard to understand or foolish

  The baby babbled happily while playing with her toes.

  Like chatter, prattle, jabber

• baffle verb

  to confuse someone completely

  The magician’s trick baffled everyone in the audience.

  Like puzzle, confuse, perplex

• balk verb

  to be unwilling to do or accept something; to stop suddenly and refuse to go on

  Many parents balked at the high price of the school trip.

  Like hesitate, refuse, recoil

• banal adjective

  so ordinary and overused that it is boring

  The speech was full of banal phrases that everyone had heard before.

  Like trite, dull, unoriginal

• banish verb

  to send someone away from a place as a punishment

  In the old story, the king banished the dishonest minister from the kingdom.

  Like exile, expel

• barrage noun

  a large number of questions or complaints coming quickly one after another

  The speaker faced a barrage of questions from curious students.

  Like flood, torrent, volley

• barren adjective

  too poor to produce plants or crops

  Few plants grow on the barren land of Upper Mustang.

  Like infertile, bare, desolate

• bastion noun

  a place or group that strongly protects a way of life or belief

  The old library is a bastion of learning in the town.

  Like stronghold, fortress, bulwark

• behold verb

  to see or look at something, especially something impressive

  Behold the beautiful view of the Annapurna range from Poon Hill!

  Like see, observe, view

• belie verb

  to give a false idea of something; to hide the truth about

  Her calm smile belied how nervous she felt before the speech.

  Like disguise, mask, contradict

• belittle verb

  to make someone or something seem unimportant

  Don’t belittle your brother’s drawing; he worked hard on it.

  Like disparage, demean, diminish

• belligerent adjective

  aggressive and eager to argue or fight

  The belligerent customer shouted at the shopkeeper over a small mistake.

  Like hostile, aggressive, combative

• bemoan verb

  to complain about something or express sadness about it

  Students often bemoan the amount of homework during exam season.

  Like lament, complain about, bewail

• benefactor noun

  a person who gives money or help to a person, school, or cause

  A kind benefactor paid for the new library at our school.

  Like donor, patron, sponsor

• benevolent adjective

  kind and wanting to help others

  The benevolent old man gave free tea to travelers on the trail.

  Like kind, generous, charitable

• benign adjective

  gentle and kindly; (of a growth) not harmful to health

  The doctor said the small lump was benign and nothing to worry about.

  Like harmless, gentle, kindly

• bequeath verb

  to leave property or money to someone after you die, in a will

  My great-grandfather bequeathed his old clock to my father.

  Like leave, will, pass on

• berate verb

  to scold someone angrily and at length

  The coach berated the players for arriving late to practice.

  Like scold, reprimand, rebuke

• bereft adjective

  lacking something you need or had before

  The room was bereft of furniture after the family moved out.

  Like deprived, lacking, without

• besiege verb

  to surround a place with an army; to crowd around with many requests

  Fans besieged the cricket star, asking for autographs.

  Like surround, swamp, overwhelm

• bestow verb

  to give an honor, gift, or right to someone

  The university bestowed an award on the scientist for her research.

  Like confer, grant, award

• bewilder verb

  to confuse someone completely

  The map of the old city’s narrow lanes bewildered the tourists.

  Like confuse, puzzle, baffle

• biased adjective

  unfairly favoring one person or side over another

  The referee was accused of being biased toward the home team.

  Like partial, prejudiced, one-sided

• bilateral adjective

  involving two groups or countries

  Nepal and India signed a bilateral agreement on trade.

  Like two-sided, mutual

• blatant adjective

  done openly and obviously, without trying to hide it

  Copying a friend’s homework word for word is blatant cheating.

  Like obvious, flagrant, glaring

• bleak adjective

  without hope or encouragement; cold and bare

  The weather on the high pass was cold and bleak.

  Like dreary, grim, gloomy

• blemish noun

  a small mark that spoils how something looks

  The apple was perfect except for a tiny blemish on its skin.

  Like mark, spot, flaw

• blight noun

  a disease that kills plants; something that spoils or damages

  A potato blight destroyed many of the farmer’s crops.

  Like disease, plague, scourge

• bliss noun

  perfect happiness

  Lying in the warm sun after a cold swim was pure bliss.

  Like joy, ecstasy, rapture

• bluster verb

  to talk loudly and aggressively without real effect

  He blustered about his skills but lost the game easily.

  Like boast, rant, bluff

• boisterous adjective

  noisy, energetic, and cheerful

  The boisterous children ran around the courtyard during the festival.

  Like rowdy, lively, noisy

• bolster verb

  to support or strengthen something

  Winning the first match bolstered the team’s confidence.

  Like support, strengthen, boost

• bombastic adjective

  using long, grand words that sound important but mean little

  The bombastic speech used many big words but said almost nothing.

  Like pompous, grandiose, pretentious

• boon noun

  something that is very helpful or beneficial

  The new bridge has been a boon to villagers who once crossed by boat.

  Like blessing, benefit, advantage

• bountiful adjective

  large in quantity; generous in giving

  The farmers celebrated a bountiful rice harvest this year.

  Like abundant, plentiful, generous

• brash adjective

  confident in a loud, rude, or careless way

  The brash young player boasted that he would win every game.

  Like cocky, bold, pushy

• bravado noun

  a show of courage meant to impress, often hiding fear

  His bravado disappeared when he saw how high the bridge was.

  Like swagger, boasting, bluster

• brazen adjective

  bold and without shame, doing something wrong openly

  The thief made a brazen attempt to steal a bike in broad daylight.

  Like shameless, bold, audacious

• breach noun

  a breaking of a law or promise; a gap in a wall or barrier

  Leaking the exam questions was a serious breach of school rules.

  Like violation, break, gap

• brevity noun

  the quality of being short in time or in the use of words

  The teacher praised the brevity of her clear, one-page summary.

  Like shortness, conciseness, briefness

• brittle adjective

  hard but easily broken

  Dry leaves become brittle and crumble when you step on them.

  Like fragile, breakable

• broach verb

  to begin talking about a difficult or delicate subject

  He waited until after dinner to broach the subject of his poor grades.

  Like raise, bring up, introduce

• buffer noun

  something that protects by reducing the shock of an impact or harm

  The forest acts as a buffer between the farms and the river floods.

  Like cushion, shield, barrier

• bulwark noun

  a strong wall or support that defends against danger

  Good education is a bulwark against poverty.

  Like defense, safeguard, rampart

• buoyant adjective

  able to float; cheerful and confident

  Wood is buoyant, so the small raft floated easily on the lake.

  Like floating, cheerful, upbeat

• bureaucracy noun

  a system of government or business with many complicated rules and officials

  Getting a passport can take weeks because of bureaucracy.

  Like administration, red tape, officialdom

• burgeon verb

  to grow or develop quickly

  The number of tourists in Pokhara has burgeoned in recent years.

  Like flourish, boom, expand

• bustle verb

  to move around busily and energetically

  Shoppers bustled through Asan market before the Dashain festival.

  Like hurry, rush, scurry

• buttress verb

  to support or strengthen an argument or idea

  She buttressed her argument with facts from the science book.

  Like support, reinforce, bolster