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English Vocabulary in Use Advance (Unit 14: Negative feelings)


A. Antipathies and aversions

Antipathy is a feeling of strong, often active, dislike or opposition towards something or someone, e.g. Antipathy towards the government increased during the economic crisis. Aversion is a feeling of intense dislike or an unwillingness to do something. It can also refer to the person or thing which causes that feeling. It is often used in the phrase have/feel an aversion to, e.g. I felt an instant aversion to the new manager. Arrogance has always been my pet aversion. [the thing I dislike most of all]
Averse to means opposed to, usually used with not, e.g. I’m not averse to a good night out. [I enjoy a good night out]

Language help

* Remember, the -ing form refers to the person or thing that causes a feeling; the -ed form refers to the person experiencing the feeling, e.g. The news was distressing. I felt distressed.

B. Negative feelings

Noun Meaning Adjective Verb Example
loathing intense hatred loathsome loathe I just loathe people who tell lies.
abhorrence intense disgust abhorrent abhor We all find her behaviour abhorrent.
scorn lack of respect for something scornful scorn There was a scornful note in his voice.
irritation a feeling of being annoyed irritating / irritated irritate Her comments gave me an intense feeling of irritation.
distress a feeling of being extremely upset or worried distressing / distressed distress Being told that my best friend was seriously ill was very distressing.
alarm a feeling of being very worried or frightened alarming / alarmed alarm The advance of the enemy troops across the river was an alarming development.

C. Adjectives with negative connotations

  • She was very offhand with everyone. [showed a rude lack of interest in others]
  • The Director’s personal assistant can be very officious. [too eager to tell others what to do]
  • He makes very ostentatious displays of his wealth, with big, flashy cars, designer clothes, etc. [displaying wealth in a vulgar way]
  • She’s become very pompous since she was elected to Parliament. [too formal and showing that you think you are more important than other people]
  • She boasts about reading philosophy books – she’s so pretentious. [tries to appear more serious or important than she is]
  • What puerile behaviour! Grow up! [silly and childish]
  • Because I rushed it, my essay was a bit sloppy. [not taking care in the way you work; informal]
  • Jo can be very fickle. [changes her feelings suddenly without reason]
  • Oh, stop being so nit-picking! [too concerned about unimportant details; informal]
  • The customs officer was such an obnoxious man. [unpleasant and rude]

D. Being extremely unhappy

  • I felt utterly dejected when I didn’t get the job. [unhappy and disappointed]
  • She looked forlorn, gazing into the distance. [sad, alone and not cared for]
  • I was devastated when I heard of the death of a good friend of mine. [very shocked and upset]
  • The missing child’s parents were distraught. [extremely worried and upset]
  • You’re looking a bit down today. Anything wrong? [unhappy; informal]
  • He always looks so miserable and never seems to smile! [very unhappy]
Exercise-14.1


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