in|fat|ua|tion / I nfæ tʃue I ʃ ə n/ (infatuations ) N‑VAR If you have an infatuation for a person or thing, you have strong feelings of love or passion for them which make you unable to think clearly or sensibly about them. □ [+ with ] …his infatuation with bullfighting.
in|fect ◆◇◇ / I nfe kt/ (infects , infecting , infected )
1 VERB To infect people, animals, or plants means to cause them to have a disease or illness. □ [V n] A single mosquito can infect a large number of people. □ [V -ed] …people infected with HIV. [Also V n + with ] ● in|fec|tion / I nfe kʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ …plants that are resistant to infection.
2 VERB To infect a substance or area means to cause it to contain harmful germs or bacteria. □ [V n] The birds infect the milk. □ [V -ed] …a virus which is spread mainly by infected blood.
3 VERB When people, places, or things are infected by a feeling or influence, it spreads to them. □ [be V -ed + by ] For an instant I was infected by her fear. □ [V n + with ] He thought they might infect others with their bourgeois ideas. □ [V n] His urge for revenge would never infect her.
4 VERB If a virus infects a computer, it affects the computer by damaging or destroying programs. [COMPUTING ] □ [V n] This virus infected thousands of computers within days.
in|fect|ed / I nfe kt I d/ ADJ [ADJ n] An infected place is one where germs or bacteria are causing a disease to spread among people or animals. □ In heavily infected areas, half the population become blind.
in|fec|tion ◆◇◇ / I nfe kʃ ə n/ (infections )
1 N‑COUNT An infection is a disease caused by germs or bacteria. □ Ear infections are common in pre-school children.
2 → see also infect COLLOCATIONS infection NOUN
noun + infection : chest, ear, kidney, lung, throat
adjective + infection : bacterial, fungal, respiratory, viral; acute, life-threatening, recurrent, serious, severe
verb + infection : acquire, contract SYNONYMS infection NOUN
disease: …the rapid spread of disease in the area.
illness: She returned to her family home to recover from an illness.
ailment: The pharmacist can assist you with the treatment of common ailments.
complaint: Eczema is a skin complaint which often runs in families.
virus: There are many different strains of flu virus.
in|fec|tious / I nfe kʃəs/
1 ADJ A disease that is infectious can be caught by being near a person who has it. Compare contagious . □ …infectious diseases such as measles.
2 ADJ If a feeling is infectious , it spreads to other people. □ She radiates an infectious enthusiasm for everything she does.
in|fec|tive / I nfe kt I v/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Infective means related to infection or likely to cause infection. [FORMAL ] □ …a mild and very common infective disease of children.
in|fer / I nfɜː r / (infers , inferring , inferred )
1 VERB If you infer that something is the case, you decide that it is true on the basis of information that you already have. □ [V that] I inferred from what she said that you have not been well. □ [V n] By measuring the motion of the galaxies in a cluster, astronomers can infer the cluster's mass.
2 VERB Some people use infer to mean 'imply', but many people consider this use to be incorrect. □ [V that] The police inferred that they found her behaviour rather suspicious.
in|fer|ence / I nfərəns/ (inferences )
1 N‑COUNT An inference is a conclusion that you draw about something by using information that you already have about it. □ There were two inferences to be drawn from her letter.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Inference is the act of drawing conclusions about something on the basis of information that you already have. □ It had an extremely tiny head and, by inference, a tiny brain.
in|fe|ri|or / I nf I ə riə r / (inferiors )
1 ADJ Something that is inferior is not as good as something else. □ Much of the imported coffee is of inferior quality. □ [+ to ] If children were made to feel inferior to other children their confidence declined.
2 ADJ If one person is regarded as inferior to another, they are regarded as less important because they have less status or ability. □ [+ to ] He preferred the company of those who were intellectually inferior to himself. ● N‑COUNT Inferior is also a noun. □ A gentleman should always be civil, even to his inferiors. ● in|fe|ri|or|ity / I nf I əriɒ r I ti, [AM ] -ɔː r-/ N‑UNCOUNT □ I found it difficult to shake off a sense of social inferiority.
i n|fe|ri|o r|ity com|plex (inferiority complexes ) N‑COUNT Someone who has an inferiority complex feels that they are of less worth or importance than other people.
in|fer|nal / I nfɜː r n ə l/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Infernal is used to emphasize that something is very annoying or unpleasant. [OLD-FASHIONED , EMPHASIS ] □ The post office is shut, which is an infernal bore.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Infernal is used to describe things that relate to hell. [LITERARY ] □ …the goddess of the infernal regions.