Longman Defining Vocabulary/alphabetically

The Longman Defining Vocabulary, from Longman Dictionary (1988). 2197 words, 10 prefixes, 39 suffixes.

This is the set of words which the Longman English Dictionary uses to express all its definitions. As such, it may be a useful source of basic vocabulary for the designer of a conlang.

This version of the list is based on the one that used to be found on Jeffrey Kennaway's conlang page. Since that page has now disappeared (I can't even find it on the Internet Archive!) I thought it may be a good idea to make it available to conlangers again.

Note that the American spellings of the original have been replaced with British spellings by Jeffrey.

Longman Defining Vocabulary sorted by frequency

Word Class Labels

If a word has a specific word class label it is used in definitions only in the word class shown. Otherwise the word may be used in any of its usual word classes.

A = Adjective
Av = Adverb
C = Conjunction
D = Determiner
P = Preposition
Pd = Predeterminer
Pn = Pronoun
N = Noun
V = Verb

Defining Vocabulary

a, ability, about, above AvP, abroad, absence, absent A, accept, acceptable, accident, accordance, according, according to, account, ache, acid, across, act, action N, active A, activity, actor, actress, actual, add, addition, address, adjective, admiration, admire, admit, admittance, adult, advance NV, advantage, adventure N, adverb, advertise, advertisement, advice, advise, affair, afford, afraid, after AvCP, afternoon, afterwards, again, against, age N, ago, agree, agreement, ahead, aim, air N, aircraft, airforce, airport, alcohol, alike, alive, all AvDPdPn, allow, almost, alone, along, aloud, alphabet, already, also, although, altogether Av, always, among, amount N, amuse, amusement, amusing A, an, ancient A, and, anger N, angle N, angry, animal, ankle, annoy, annoyance, another, answer, ant, anxiety, anxious, any, anyhow, anyone, anything, anywhere, apart, apparatus, appear, appearance, apple, appoint, approval, approve, arch N, area, argue, argument, arm, armor N, arms, army, around, arrange, arrangement, arrival, arrive, art, article, artificial, as, ash, ashamed, aside Av, ask, asleep, association, at, atom, attack, attempt, attend, attendance, attention, attract, attractive, aunt, autumn, average AN, avoid, awake A, away Av, awkward, baby, back AAvN, background, backward Av, backwards Av, bacteria, bad A, bag N, bake, balance, ball N, banana, band N, bank N, bar NV, bare A, barrel, base NV, basket, bath N, bathe V, battle N, be, beak, beam N, bean, bear, beard N, beat NV, beautiful, beauty, because, become, bed N, bee, beer, before, beg, begin, beginning, behave, behavior, behind AvP, belief, believe, bell, belong, below AvP, belt N, bend, beneath, berry, beside, besides, best AAvN, better AAv, between, beyond AvP, bicycle N, big A, bill N, bind V, bird, birth, birthday, bit, bite, bitter A, black AN, blade, blame, bleed, bless, blind, block, blood N, blow, blue, board N, boat N, body, boil V, bomb, bone N, book N, boot N, border, born, borrow, both, bottle N, bottom N, bowels, bowl, box, boy, brain N, branch, brass, brave A, bread, breadth, break V, breakfast N, breast N, breath, breathe, breed, brick N, bridge N, bright A, bring, broad A, broadcast, brother, brown AN, brush, bucket N, build V, building, bullet, bunch N, burial, burn, burst, bury, bus N, bush N, business, busy, but C, butter N, button N, buy V, by, cage N, cake N, calculate, calculator, call, calm A, camera, camp NV, can NV, candle, cap N, capital N, captain N, car, card N, cardboard, care, careful, careless, carriage, carry, cart N, case N, castle N, cat, catch V, cattle, cause, cell, cement N, cent, center N, centimeter, central, century, ceremony, certain AD, chain, chair N, chairperson, chalk N, chance N, change, character, charge, charm, chase V, cheap, cheat, check [cheque], cheek N, cheer, cheerful, cheese, chemical, chemistry, chest, chicken N, chief, child, childhood, children, chimney, chin, chocolate, choice N, choose, church N, cigarette, cinema, circle N, circular A, citizen, city, civilization, claim, class N, clay, clean AV, clear AV, clerk, clever, cliff, climb V, clock N, clockwork, close AAvV, cloth, clothes, clothing, cloud N, club N, coal, coast N, coat N, coffee, coin N, cold, collar N, collect V, college, color, comb, combination, combine V, come, comfort, comfortable, command, committee, common A, companion, company, compare V, comparison, compete, competition, competitor, complain, complaint, complete, compound N, computer, concern V, concerning, concert, condition N, confidence, confident, confuse, connect, conscience, conscious, consider, consist, consonant N, contain, contents N, continue, continuous, contract N, control, convenient, conversation, cook, cool A, copper, copy, cord N, corn, corner N, correct A, cost, cotton, cough, could, council, count V, country N, courage, course N, court N, cover, cow N, coward, cowardly, crack NV, crash NV, cream N, creature, creep V, cricket, crime, criminal, crop N, cross NV, crowd N, cruel, cruelty, crush V, cry, cultivate, cup N, cupboard, cure, curl, current, curse, curtain, curve, custom N, customer, cut, cycle V, daily AAv, damage, dance, danger, dangerous, dare V, daring, dark, date N, daughter, day, dead A, deal, dear A, death, debt, decay, deceit, deceive, decide, decimal, decision, declaration, declare, decorate, decoration, decrease, deep A, deer, defeat, defend, defense, degree, delay, delicate, delight, deliver, demand, department, depend, dependent, depth, descend, describe, description, descriptive, desert N, deserve, desirable, desire, desk, destroy, destruction, detail N, determination, determined, develop, devil N, diamond, dictionary, die V, difference, different, difficult, difficulty, dig V, dinner, dip V, direct, direction, dirt, dirty A, disappoint, discourage, discouragement, discover, discovery, dish N, dismiss, distance N, distant, ditch N, divide V, division, do V, doctor N, dog N, dollar, door, doorway, dot N, double AAvPdV, doubt, down AAvP, drag V, draw V, drawer, dream, dress NV, drink, drive V, drop, drown, drug N, drum N, drunk, dry, duck N, dull A, during, dust N, duty, each, eager, ear, early, earn, earth N, east, eastern, easy, eat, edge N, educate, education, effect N, effective, effort, egg N, eight, eighth, either, elastic, elbow N, elect V, election, electric, electricity, elephant, else, employ V, employer, employment, empty AV, enclose, enclosure, encourage, encouragement, end, enemy, engine, engineer N, English, enjoy, enjoyment, enough, enter, entertain, entertainment, entrance N, envelope, equal ANV, equality, escape, especially, establish, establishment, even AAv, evening, event, ever, every, everyone, everything, everywhere, evil, exact A, examination, examine, example, excellent, except CP, exchange, excite, excited, exciting, excuse, exercise, exist, existence, expect, expensive, experience, explain, explanation, explode, explosion, explosive, express V, expression, extreme, eye, eyelid, face, fact, factory, fail V, failure, faint AV, fair A, fairy, faith, faithful A, fall, false A, fame, familiar A, family, famous, fancy A, far, farm, farmer, farmyard, fashion N, fashionable, fast AAv, fasten, fat, fate, father N, fault, favor N, favorable, favorite A, fear, feather N, feed V, feel V, feeling, feelings, fellow N, female, fence N, fever, few, field N, fierce, fifth, fight, figure N, fill V, film, find V, fine A, finger N, finish, fire, fireplace, firm AN, first AvD, fish, fisherman, fit AV, five, fix V, flag N, flame, flash NV, flat, flesh, flight, float V, flood, floor N, flour, flow, flower N, fly NV, fold, follow, fond, food, fool N, foolish, foot N, football, footpath, footstep, for P, forbid, force, forehead, foreign, foreigner, forest, forget, forgive, fork N, form, formal, former, formerly, fort, fortunate, fortune, forward Av, forwards Av, four, fourth, fox N, frame N, free, freedom, freeze V, frequent A, fresh, friend, friendly, frighten, frightening, from, front AN, fruit N, fulfill, full A, fun, funeral, funny, fur N, furnish, furniture, further AAv, future, gain V, game N, garage N, garden, garment, gas N, gasoline [petrol], gate N, gather V, general, generous, gentle, gentleman, get, gift, girl, give V, glad, glass AN, glory N, glue, go V, goat, god, God, gold, golden, good, good-bye, goods, govern, government, grace, graceful, gradual, grain, gram, grammar, grand A, grandfather, grandmother, grass N, grateful, grave N, gray AN, great, green, greet, greeting, grief, grieve, ground N, group N, grow, growth, guard, guess, guest, guidance, guide, guilt, gun N, habit, habitual, hair, hairy, half, hall, hammer N, hand, handkerchief, handle, hang V, happen V, happy, hard, harden, hardly, hardship, harm, harmful, harmless, hasty, hat, hate V, hatred, have, he, head AN, health, healthy, hear, heart, heat, heaven, heavy A, heel, height, help, helpful, hen, her, here, hers, herself, hide V, high AAv, hill, him, himself, hire, his, historical, history, hit, hold, holiday, hollow A, holy, home AvN, honest, honesty, honor N, honorable, hook N, hope, hopeful, hopeless, horizon, horn, horse N, hospital, host N, hot A, hotel, hour, hourly, house N, how Av, human, humor, humorous, hundred, hundredth, hunger N, hungry, hunt V, hurry, hurt V, husband N, hut, I, ice N, icy, idea, if, ill A, image, imaginary, imagination, imagine, importance, important, improve, improvement, in AvP, include, including, income, increase, indoor, indoors, industrial, industry, infect, infection, infectious, influence, influential, inform, information, ink N, inner, inquire, inquiry, insect, inside, instead, instruct, instruction, instrument, insurance, insure, intend, intention, interest, interesting, international A, interrupt, interruption, into, introduce, introduction, invent, invention, invitation, invite, inwards, iron AN, island, it Pn, its, itself, jaw N, jealous, jealousy, jelly, jewel, jewelry, job, join, joint, joke, journey N, joy, judge, judgment, juice, jump, just, justice, keen, keep V, key N, kick, kill V, kilo, kilogram, kilometer, kind, king, kingdom, kiss, kitchen, knee N, kneel, knife N, knock, knot, know V, knowledge, labor N, lack, ladder N, lady, lake, lamb, lamp, land, language, large, last AvDV, late, lately, laugh, laughter, law, lawyer, lay V, lazy, lead N, lead V, leaf N, lean V, learn, least, leather, leave V, left, leg N, legal, lend, length, less AvDPn, lesson, let V, letter, level AAvN, library, lid, lie, life, lift, light, lightning, like PV, likely, limb, limit, line N, lion, lip, liquid, list N, listen V, liter, literature, little, live V, load, loaf N, local A, lock, lodging, lodgings, log N, lonely, long AAv, look, loose A, lord N, lose, loss, lot, loud, love, low A, lower V, loyal, loyalty, luck N, lump N, lung, machine N, machinery, mad, magazine, magic, magician, mail, main A, make V, male, man N, manage, manager, manner, many, map N, march, mark, market N, marriage, marry, mass N, master N, mat, match, material, matter, may V, me, meal, mean V, meaning N, means, measure, meat, medical A, medicine, meet V, meeting, melt, member, memory, mend V, mention V, merry, message, messenger, metal N, meter, method, metric, microscope, middle AN, might V, mile, military A, milk, million, millionth, mind, mine NPn, mineral, minister N, minute N, mirror N, miss V, mist N, mistake, mix V, mixture, model N, modern A, moment, money, monkey N, month, monthly AAv, moon N, moral A, morals, more, morning, most, mother N, motor AN, mountain, mouse, mouth N, move V, much, mud, multiply, murder, muscle N, music, musician, must V, my, myself, mysterious, mystery, nail, name, narrow A, nasty, nation, national A, nature, naval, navy, near AAvP, nearly, neat, necessary, neck, need, needle N, neighbor, neighborhood, neither, nerve N, nervous, nest N, net N, network N, never, new, news, newspaper, next AAv, nice, night, nine, ninth, no AvD, no one, noble A, nobleman, noise N, none Pn, nonsense, nor, north, northern, nose N, not, nothing, notice, noun, now, nowhere, number N, nurse, nut, nylon, o'clock, obedience, obedient, obey, object N, obtain, occasion N, ocean, odd, of, off AvP, offend, offense, offensive A, offer, office, officer, official, often, oil, old, old-fashioned, on AvP, once Av, one, oneself, onion, only, open AV, operate, operation, opinion, opponent, oppose, opposite, opposition, or, orange, order, ordinary, organ, organization, origin, other, otherwise, ought, our, ours, ourselves, out AAv, outdoor, outdoors, outer, outside, over AvP, owe, owing to, own DPnV, oxygen, pack V, packet, page N, pain N, painful, paint, painting, pair N, palace, pale A, pan N, paper N, parallel AN, parcel N, parent N, park, parliament, part N, participle, particular A, partner N, party N, pass V, passage, passenger, past, pastry, path, patience, patient A, pattern N, pause, pay, payment, peace, peaceful, pen N, pence, pencil N, people N, pepper N, per, perfect A, perform, perhaps, period N, permission, permit V, person, personal, persuade, pet N, photograph, photography, phrase N, physical, piano N, pick V, picture N, piece N, pig N, pile, pilot, pin, pink AN, pipe N, pity, place, plain AN, plan, plane N, plant, plastic, plate N, play, pleasant, please, pleased, pleasure N, plenty Pn, plural, pocket N, poem, poet, poetry, point, pointed, poison, poisonous, pole N, police N, polish, polite, political, politician, politics, pool N, poor, popular, popularity, population, port N, position N, possess, possession, possibility, possible A, possibly, post, pot N, potato, pound N, pour, powder N, power N, powerful, practical, practice, praise, pray, prayer, precious A, preparation, prepare, presence, present AN, preserve V, president, press V, pressure N, pretend, pretty A, prevent, price N, prickly, pride N, priest, prince, principle, print, prison, prisoner, private A, prize N, probability, probable A, problem, process N, procession, produce V, product, production, profession, profit N, promise, pronounce, pronunciation, proof N, proper, property, protect, protection, protective, proud, prove, provide, provision, provisions, public, pull, pump, punish, punishment, pupil, pure, purple, purpose N, push, put, quality, quantity, quarrel, quarter N, queen N, question, quick A, quiet AN, quite, rabbit N, race, radio N, railway, rain, raise V, range N, rank N, rapid A, rare, rat N, rate N, rather, raw A, reach, read V, ready A, real, really, reason, reasonable, receive, recent, recently, recognition, recognize, record NV, red, reduce, reduction, refusal, refuse V, regard, regular A, related, relation, relative, religion, religious, remain, remark N, remember, remind, remove V, rent, repair, repeat V, reply, report, represent, representative, republic, request, respect, respectful, responsible, rest, restaurant, result, return NV, reward, rice, rich, rid, ride, right ANAv, ring, ripe, rise V, risk, river, road, rob, rock N, rod, roll V, roof N, room N, root N, rope N, rose, rough A, round AAvP, row NV, royal A, rub V, rubber, rude, ruin, rule, ruler, run, rush, sad, safe A, safety, sail, sale, salt AN, same, sand N, satisfaction, satisfactory, satisfy, save V, say V, scale N, scatter V, scene, scenery, school N, science, scientific, scientist, scissors, screw, sea, search, season N, seat, second AvDNPn, secrecy, secret, secretary, see V, seed N, seem, seize, sell V, send, sensation, sense N, senseless, sensible, sensitive, sentence N, separate AV, serious, servant, serve, service N, set NV, settle V, seven, seventh, several, severe, sew, sex N, sexual, shade, shadow N, shake, shall, shame N, shape, share, sharp A, she, sheep, sheet, shelf, shell N, shelter, shield N, shine V, ship N, shirt, shock NV, shoe N, shoot V, shop, shopkeeper, shore N, short A, shot N, should, shoulder N, shout, show NV, shut, sick A, side AN, sideways, sight N, sign, signal, signature, silence N, silent, silk, silly A, silver, similar, similarity, simple, since, sincere, sing, single A, singular, sink V, sister, sit, situation, six, sixth, size N, skill, skillful, skin N, skirt N, sky N, slave N, sleep, slide V, slight A, slip V, slippery, slope, slow, small, smell, smile, smoke, smooth A, snake N, snow, so, soap N, social A, society, sock N, soft, soil N, soldier N, solemn, solid, some DPn, somehow, someone, something, sometimes, somewhere, son, song, soon, sore A, sorrow N, sorry, sort N, soul, sound NV, soup, sour A, south, southern, space N, spacecraft, spade, speak, spear N, special A, specialist, speech, speed N, spell V, spend, spin V, spirit N, spite N, splendid, split V, spoil V, spoon N, sport N, spot N, spread V, spring, square AN, stage N, stair, stamp, stand V, standard, star N, start, state, station N, stay, steady A, steal V, steam N, steel N, steep A, stem N, step, stick, sticky, stiff A, still AAv, sting, stitch, stomach N, stone N, stop, store, storm N, story, straight AAv, strange, stranger, stream N, street, strength, stretch, strike V, string N, stroke N, strong, structure N, struggle, student, study, stupid, style N, subject N, substance, subtract, succeed, success, successful, such, suck V, sudden, suffer, sugar N, suggest, suit, suitable, sum N, summer N, sun N, supper, supply NV, support, suppose, sure A, surface N, surprise, surround V, swallow V, swear, sweep V, sweet, swell V, swim, swing, sword, sympathetic, sympathy, system, table N, tail N, take V, talk, tall, taste, tax, taxi N, tea, teach, team N, tear V, tear N, telephone, television, tell, temper N, temperature, temple, tend, tendency, tender A, tennis, tense N, tent, terrible, terror, test, than, thank, that CDPn, the, theater, their, theirs, them, themselves, then Av, there, therefore, these, they, thick A, thief, thin A, thing, think V, third, thirst N, thirsty, this DPn, thorough, those, though, thought, thousand, thousandth, thread N, threat, threaten, three, throat, through AvP, throw, thumb N, thunder, thus, ticket N, tidy AV, tie, tiger, tight A, time N, timetable N, tin, tire [tyre] N, tire V, title N, to, tobacco, today, toe N, together, tomorrow, tongue, tonight, too, tool N, tooth, top AN, total AN, touch, tour, tourist, towards, tower N, town, toy N, track, trade N, traffic N, train, translate, transparent, trap, travel, treat V, treatment, tree, tremble V, tribe, trick NV, trip N, tropical, trouble, trousers, true A, trunk, trust, truth, try V, tube, tune N, turn, twice, twist, type N, typical, ugly, uncle, under P, understand, undo, uniform N, union, unit, unite, universal, universe, university, until, up AAvP, upper A, upright AAv, upset V, upside down, upstairs AAv, urge, urgent, us, use, useful, useless, usual, valley, valuable A, value N, variety, various, vary, vegetable, vehicle, verb, very Av, victory, view N, village, violence, violent, visit, voice N, vote, vowel, voyage N, wages, waist, wait V, waiter, wake V, walk, wall N, wander, want V, war N, warm AV, warmth, warn, wash, waste, watch, water, wave, way, we, weak, wealth, weapon, wear V, weather N, weave V, wedding, week, weekly AAv, weigh, weight N, welcome, well AAvN, west, western A, wet A, what, whatever, wheat, wheel N, when AvC, whenever, where, whether, which, whichever, while C, whip, whisper, whistle, white, who, whoever, whole, why, wicked, wide AAv, widespread, width, wife, wild AAv, will, willing, win V, wind V, wind N, window, wine N, wing N, winter N, wire N, wisdom, wise A, wish, with, within P, without P, witness N, woman, wonder NV, wood, wooden, wool, woolen, word N, work, world, worm N, worry, worse, worship, worst, worth, worthy, worthy of, would, wound, wrap V, wreck, wrist, write, wrong AAvN, wrongdoing, yard, year, yearly, yellow AN, yes, yesterday, yet, you, young, your, yours, yourself, youth, zero

Prefixes

dis-, im-, in-, ir-, mid-, mis-, non-, re-, self-, un-.

Suffixes

-able, -al, -an, -ance, -ar, -ate, -ation, -ed, -en, -ence, -er, -ery, -ess, -ful, -ible, -ic, -ical, -ing, -ion, -ish, -ist, -ity, -ive, -ization, -ize, -less, -like, -ly, -ment, -ness, -or, -ous, -ry, -ship, -th, -ward, -wards, -work, -y.