Words beginning with H

203 words

• habeas corpus — a writ requiring a detained person to be produced before a court
• habitability — the condition of being fit for people to live in
• habitat — the natural home of an animal or plant
• habitation — a place where people live; an inhabited settlement
• habitual — done regularly and by force of habit
• habituate — to make someone accustomed to something
• hackneyed — overused and therefore lacking force
• haggard — looking exhausted and drawn
• haggle — to bargain persistently over a price
• hailstorm — a storm of falling hailstones, often damaging standing crops
• hallmark — a distinctive feature by which something is recognised
• hallmarking — official certification of the purity of a precious metal
• hallowed — greatly respected and treated as sacred
• halt — to stop, or to bring an activity to a stop
• halve — to reduce something to half of its earlier size or level
• hamlet — a very small village settlement
• hamper — to hinder or obstruct the progress of something
• hamstring — to cripple the effectiveness of a person or body
• handbook — a concise manual of instructions or reference
• handholding — close, sustained guidance given to someone learning a process
• handicap — a circumstance that makes progress difficult
• handicraft — skilled goods made by hand rather than by machine
• handout — money or goods given free, often as charity
• handover — the transfer of charge, control or possession to another
• haphazard — without any plan or order
• hapless — unfortunate and deserving of pity
• harass — to trouble someone repeatedly
• harassment — persistent unwelcome pressure, intimidation or torment
• harbinger — a sign that something is about to happen
• harbour — to keep a thought or a fugitive in shelter
• hardline — uncompromisingly strict in policy
• hardliner — a person who holds to a policy without any compromise
• hardship — severe suffering or privation
• hardy — able to endure difficult conditions
• harmful — causing damage or injury
• harmonious — free from disagreement; well matched
• harmonisation — the process of making rules or systems consistent with one another
• harmonise — to bring into agreement or consistency with something else
• harmony — agreement and peaceful coexistence
• harness — to bring a resource under control and put it to use
• harrowing — acutely distressing to experience or hear
• harsh — severe, cruel or unpleasantly rough
• harvest — the gathering of a ripened crop
• harvesting — the gathering of a crop, or the systematic collection of a resource
• haste — excessive speed or urgency of action
• hasten — to make something happen sooner
• hasty — done too quickly and without proper thought
• hatchery — a facility where eggs are hatched, especially of fish or poultry
• haughty — arrogantly superior in manner
• haul — to transport something with effort; the amount seized
• haulage — the commercial transport of goods, or the charge levied for it
• haven — a place of safety and refuge
• havoc — widespread destruction and disorder
• hawker — a person who sells goods in the street or from a stall
• haywire — out of control and functioning erratically
• hazard — a danger or risk
• hazardous — involving a risk of harm or danger
• hazy — unclear or vague
• headcount — the total number of persons employed or actually present
• headline — the title of a news report; the single figure that leads a report
• headlong — with reckless haste
• headquarters — the main office from which an organisation is controlled
• headroom — the scope available for a further increase, especially in a budget
• headstrong — determined to have one’s own way
• headway — forward progress made towards a goal
• healthcare — the organised provision of medical services to a population
• hearing — a session at which evidence and arguments are formally heard
• hearsay — information heard from others that the speaker cannot personally vouch for
• hearten — to encourage and give confidence
• heartening — giving encouragement and hope
• heartland — the central region of a country or belt, seen as its core
• heatstroke — a dangerous condition caused by prolonged exposure to extreme heat
• heatwave — a prolonged spell of abnormally high temperature
• hectic — full of frantic activity
• hedge — to avoid committing oneself to a definite answer
• heed — to pay careful attention to advice or warning
• hefty — large in amount, size or weight
• hegemon — a state or group holding dominant influence over others
• hegemony — dominance of one state or group over others
• heighten — to increase or intensify
• heinous — utterly wicked and shocking
• heir — a person legally entitled to inherit property
• heirloom — a valuable object or property passed down within a family
• helm — a position of leadership or control
• helpline — a telephone service offering advice or assistance
• hemisphere — one half of the earth or of a sphere
• henceforth — from this time onward
• herald — to be a sign of something about to come
• herbicide — a chemical used to destroy unwanted vegetation
• herculean — requiring enormous strength or effort
• herd — a large group of animals or people that moves together
• hereby — by this declaration or document
• hereditary — passed on from parent to child
• hereinafter — from this point onward in this document
• heresy — an opinion strongly at odds with accepted belief
• heretofore — up to this time; until now
• heritage — property, tradition or monuments inherited from the past
• hermit — a person who lives in solitude for religious reasons
• hesitancy — reluctance or unwillingness to act or to accept something
• hesitant — unsure and slow to act
• heterodox — not conforming to accepted or orthodox opinion
• heterogeneity — the quality of being diverse or mixed in composition
• heterogeneous — made up of parts that are unlike one another
• heyday — the period of a person’s or a thing’s greatest success
• hiatus — a pause or gap in a continuous sequence
• hidebound — unwilling to give up old ideas
• hierarchical — arranged in order of rank or authority
• hierarchy — a system in which people or things are ranked one above another
• high-handed — using authority in an unreasonably overbearing way
• highlight — to draw special attention to something
• highway — a main public road connecting major towns
• hijack — to seize control of something by force or for one’s own ends
• hike — a sharp increase in price, rate or charges
• hinder — to make progress difficult
• hindrance — something that obstructs progress
• hindsight — understanding of an event only after it has happened
• hinge — to depend entirely on something
• hinterland — the inland area lying behind a port or a city
• hire — to employ or engage a person or thing for payment
• historic — important enough to be remembered in history
• histrionics — exaggerated dramatic behaviour intended for effect
• hitch — a temporary difficulty or obstacle
• hitherto — until this point in time
• hoard — to store up a large quantity secretly
• hoarding — a large outdoor advertising board
• hoax — a deliberate deception meant to be believed
• hoist — to raise or lift up, especially a flag
• holding — land, shares or property owned by a person or body
• holistic — considering the whole rather than isolated parts
• hollow — empty of real meaning or value
• homage — respect or honour publicly shown
• homegrown — produced or developed within one’s own country
• homeland — the country or region to which a person natively belongs
• homelessness — the condition of having no permanent place to live
• homely — simple and unpretentious, like a home
• homestead — a house together with the land and outbuildings around it
• homicide — the killing of one human being by another
• homogeneity — the quality of being uniform in composition or character
• homogeneous — made up of parts that are all of the same kind
• homogenise — to make uniform in composition or character
• hone — to sharpen or refine a skill
• honesty — the quality of being truthful and free from deceit
• honorarium — a token payment for a service rendered voluntarily
• honorary — held or given as an honour, without payment
• honorific — a title or form of address that conveys respect
• honour — high respect; also, to fulfil a promise or obligation
• honourable — deserving of respect; upright in conduct
• hoodwink — to deceive by trickery
• hooliganism — violent and disorderly behaviour in public
• horde — a large disorderly crowd
• horizon — the limit of a person’s knowledge or interest
• horizontal — operating across the same level rather than up and down a hierarchy
• horticulture — the science and practice of growing fruits, vegetables and flowers
• hospitable — welcoming and generous to guests
• hospitalisation — admission to a hospital and the treatment received there
• hospitality — the friendly reception of guests; the trade of lodging and catering
• host — to receive guests or to hold an event as the organiser
• hostage — a person seized and held to force compliance with demands
• hostel — a building providing inexpensive lodging, especially for students
• hostile — unfriendly and opposed
• hostility — open opposition or enmity
• hotbed — a place where something, usually undesirable, thrives
• hotspot — an area of intense activity, danger or biological richness
• hound — to pursue or harass someone relentlessly
• household — all the persons who live together in one dwelling
• housing — dwellings taken together; the provision of homes
• hover — to remain at or close to a particular level
• hub — the centre of an activity or network
• hubris — excessive pride or self-confidence that invites a downfall
• humane — showing compassion towards others
• humanise — to make something more considerate and less harsh
• humanitarian — concerned with relieving human suffering
• humanity — the human race; also, compassionate treatment of others
• humble — modest and free from pride
• humdrum — dull and lacking variety
• humidity — the amount of water vapour present in the air
• humiliate — to make someone feel ashamed in front of others
• humiliation — the state of being made to feel ashamed or degraded
• humility — a modest view of one’s own importance
• humus — the dark fertile matter in soil formed by decayed organic material
• hunch — a feeling based on intuition rather than evidence
• hunger — a severe shortage of food; an intense craving
• hurdle — an obstacle that has to be overcome
• hurl — to throw with great force; to shout abuse
• hurricane — a violent tropical storm with extremely high winds
• husbandry — the care and breeding of farm animals; careful management
• hustle — to hurry or push someone roughly along
• hutment — a cluster of huts, especially a temporary or slum settlement
• hybrid — produced by combining two different elements or varieties
• hydel — relating to electricity generated from the force of flowing water
• hydrology — the scientific study of water, its movement and distribution
• hydroponics — the growing of plants in a nutrient solution instead of soil
• hygiene — practices that maintain health and cleanliness
• hygienic — clean and conducive to the maintenance of health
• hyperbole — deliberate exaggeration used for effect
• hyperbolic — deliberately exaggerated and not meant to be taken literally
• hyperinflation — an extremely rapid and uncontrolled rise in the general price level
• hypertension — abnormally high blood pressure
• hypocrisy — pretending to hold beliefs one does not actually hold
• hypocrite — a person who professes beliefs that their own conduct contradicts
• hypothecation — pledging an asset as security for a loan while retaining its possession
• hypothesis — a proposed explanation that is yet to be tested
• hypothetical — based on a supposed rather than an actual situation