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anticlimax
become an enemy or opponent: His rudeness only antagonizes people. (=makes them dislike him)
Ant and Dec /ˌænt ən ˈdek/ Anthony McPartlin (1975–) and Declan Donnelly (1975–), two British television presenters from Newcastle who first acted together on the children's television programme Byker Grove, and have worked together as television presenters ever since. They are known especially for being CHEEKY (=saying things that are rude or disrespectful but in a way that is amusing). They have also made pop songs together under the name PJ and Duncan.
Ant·arc·tic, the /ænˈtɑːktɪk|-ɑːr-/ the most southern part of the Earth, including Antarctica and parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans ➔ compare ARCTIC —Antarctic adj
Ant·arc·tic·a /ænˈtɑːktɪkə|-ɑːr-/ the CONTINENT which is the most southern area of land on the Earth and is mostly covered with ice. ➔ see also SOUTH POLE
Ant|arctic 'Circle, the an imaginary line around the Earth at a certain distance from the SOUTH POLE, the most southern point of the Earth. In the area south of the Antarctic Circle, the days and nights are continuously light in the middle of the summer, and in the middle of the winter continuously dark. ➔ compare ARCTIC CIRCLE
Ant|arctic 'Ocean, the the area of sea south of the Antarctic Circle. It is not officially recognized as an ocean.
an·te¹ /ˈænti/ n 1 [C usually sing.] an amount that is risked in the card game of POKER; a STAKE¹: a £2 ante 2 [the+S] infml, especially AmE an amount paid; price: an attempt to up the ante
ante² v
ante up (sthg.) phr v -ted or -teed, -teing [I;T] AmE infml to pay (an amount of money), especially in a game of chance; to provide (one's share of the money)
ante- ➔ see WORD FORMATION TABLE
ant·eat·er /ˈæntˌiːtər/ n an animal that eats ants, especially one with a long sticky tongue
an·te·ced·ent¹ /ˌæntɪˈsiːdənt/ n 1 fml an event that comes before or causes another event 2 tech (in grammar) the word, phrase, or sentence that is represented by another word such as a PRONOUN. In the sentence 'I saw John and spoke to him', John is the antecedent of him.
antecedent² adj [(to)] fml coming or being before
an·te·ced·ents /ˌæntɪˈsiːdənts/ n [P] fml past family or past history: a person of unknown antecedents
an·te·cham·ber /ˈæntɪˌtʃeɪmbər/ also an·ter·oom n a small room leading to a larger one
an·te·date /ˈæntdeɪt, ˌæntrɪˈdeɪt/ v [T] 1 to be earlier in history than: This old carriage antedates the invention of the car. 2 to write a date earlier than the date of writing on (a letter, cheque etc) ➔ compare POSTDATE, BACKDATE
an·te·di·lu·vi·an /ˌæntdɪˈluviən/ adj humor very old-fashioned; OUTDATED: antediluvian ideas about marriage
an·te·lope /ˈæntləʊp||ˈæntlə-/ n pl. -lopes or -lope a graceful grass-eating animal that has horns and is able to run very fast ➔ see picture at DEER
ante me·rid·i·em /ˌænt məˈrdiəm, -diem/ adv fml rare for AM
an·te·na·tal /ˌæntˈneɪtl/ BrE || prenatal AmE — adj tech of or for the time before a birth: antenatal care | An antenatal clinic is a place where women who are expecting babies go for medical examinations and exercises. ➔ compare POSTNATAL
an·ten·na /ænˈtenə/ n 1 pl. -nae /-ni:/ a long thin sensitive hairlike organ, usually growing in pairs, on the heads of some insects and CRUSTACEANS (=animals that live in shells) and used to feel with; FEELER ➔ see picture at INSECT 2 pl. -nas especially AmE for AERIAL: a television antenna
an·te·ri·or /ænˈtɪəriər/ adj [no comp.] 1 [F+to] fml earlier (than); before; PRIOR 2 [A] (in BIOLOGY) nearer the front ➔ opposite POSTERIOR
an·te·room /ˈæntrʊm, -ruːm/ n 1 an ANTECHAMBER 2 a WAITING ROOM
an·them /ˈænθəm/ n 1 a religious song to be sung in a church, especially by a CHOIR, often with words taken from the Bible 2 any ceremonial song of praise ➔ see also NATIONAL ANTHEM
an·ther /ˈænðər/ n the part of a male flower which contains
POLLEN (=the substance that makes the female flower bear fruit or seeds) ➔ see picture at FLOWER
ant·hill /ˈæntˌhɪl/ n a raised mass of earth, little pieces of wood etc in which ants live
an·thol·o·gy /ænˈθɒlədʒi||ænˈθɑː-/ n a collection of poems or other writings, often on the same subject, that have been chosen from different books or writers ➔ compare OMNIBUS —gist n
An·tho·ny, Su·san B. /ˈæntəni, ˈsuːzən/ (1820–1906) a US woman who tried to help women get the right to vote. She is the only woman whose picture, which appears on the dollar coin, has been used on US money.
an·thra·cite /ˈænθrəsaɪt/ n [U] a very hard kind of coal that burns slowly and without smoke
an·thrax /ˈænθræks/ n [U] a serious disease which attacks cattle, sheep, and sometimes humans
an·thro·po·cen·tric /ˌænθrəpəˈsentrɪk||-pəˈsen-/ adj fml regarding human existence as the most important and central fact in the world —ally /-kli/ adv
an·thro·poid /ˈænθrəpɔɪd/ adj 1 [A] (of an animal) like a person: anthropoid apes such as the chimpanzee and the gorilla 2 infml derog (of a person) like a monkey
an·thro·pol·o·gy /ˌænθrəˈpɒlədʒi||-ˈpɑː-/ n [U] the scientific study of the human race, including its different types and its beliefs, social habits and organization etc ➔ compare ETHNOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY —gist n —gical /ˌænθrəpəˈlɒdʒɪkəl||-ˈlɑː-/ adj —gically /-kli/ adv
an·thro·po·mor·phic /ˌænθrəpəˈmɔːfɪk||-ˈɔːr-/ adj fml (of a god or animal) having the form or qualities of a person
an·thro·po·mor·phis·m /ˌænθrəpəˈmɔːfɪzəm||-ˈɔːr-/ n [U] fml or tech the idea that gods or animals have human forms or qualities
anti- ➔ see WORD FORMATION TABLE
an·ti·air·craft /ˌæntiˈeəkrɑːft||-ˈeəkræft/ adj [A] (especially of gunfire) directed against enemy aircraft: antiaircraft missiles
An·tibes /ɒnˈtiːblɑːn-/ a city in southeast France on the Mediterranean coast, known for being a fashionable place for holidays ➔ see also RIVIERA
an·ti·bi·ot·ic /ˌæntbaɪɒtɪk||-ˈɑː-/ n a medical substance, such as PENICILLIN, that is produced by living things and is able to destroy or stop the growth of harmful bacteria that have entered the body: a course of antibiotics to clear an infection —antibiotic adj
an·ti·bod·y /ˈæntɪˌbɒdi||-ˌbɑː-/ n a substance produced in the body which fights against disease
ˌanti-ˈchoice adj against women having the right to have an ABORTION ➔ opposite PRO-CHOICE
An·ti·christ, the /ˈæntiˌkraɪst/ in the Christian religion, a great enemy of Christ who represents the power of evil and is expected to appear just before the end of the world
an·tic·i·pate /ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt/ v [T] 1 to think likely to happen; expect: Are you anticipating any trouble when the factory opens again? | [+v-ing/that] We anticipate meeting/that we will meet a certain amount of resistance to our plan. | an anticipated growth rate of 4.2% 2 to guess or imagine in advance (what will happen) and take the necessary action in order to be ready: I tried to anticipate the kind of questions they were likely to ask me at the interview. | [+wh-] In business, you've got to anticipate how your competitors will act. | [+that] We anticipated that the enemy would try to cross the river, so we destroyed the bridge. 3 to do something before (someone else): We anticipated our competitors by getting our book into the shops first. 4 fml to consider, mention, or make use of before the proper time: It is unwise to anticipate your earnings by spending a lot of money. —patory /ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪtəri||ænˈtɪsəpətɔːri/ adj
an·tic·i·pa·tion /ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃən/ n [U{of}] the act of anticipating: I had taken my coat and umbrella in anticipation of rain. | The crowd waited outside the theatre in eager anticipation.
an·ti·cler·i·cal /ˌæntiˈklerɪkəl/ adj opposed to the influence of priests in public and political life —ism n [U]
an·ti·cli·max /ˌæntɪˈklaɪmæks/ n 1 something unexciting,