2 VERB [usu passive] If an area of land is inundated , it becomes covered with water. □ [be V -ed] Their neighborhood is being inundated by the rising waters of the Colorado River.
in|ured / I njʊə r d/ ADJ If you are inured to something unpleasant, you have become used to it so that it no longer affects you. [FORMAL ] □ [+ to ] Doctors become inured to death.
in|vade / I nve I d/ (invades , invading , invaded )
1 VERB To invade a country means to enter it by force with an army. □ [V n] In autumn 1944 the allies invaded the Italian mainland at Anzio and Salerno. □ [V -ing] The Romans and the Normans came to Britain as invading armies. [Also V ]
2 VERB If you say that people or animals invade a place, you mean that they enter it in large numbers, often in a way that is unpleasant or difficult to deal with. □ [V n] People invaded the streets in victory processions almost throughout the day.
3 to invade someone's privacy → see privacy
in|vad|er / I nve I də r / (invaders )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Invaders are soldiers who are invading a country. □ The invaders were only finally crushed when troops overcame them at Glenshiel in June 1719.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] You can refer to a country or army that has invaded or is about to invade another country as an invader . □ …action against a foreign invader.
in|va|lid (invalids ) The noun is pronounced / I nvəl I d/. The adjective is pronounced / I nvæ l I d/ and is hyphenated in|val|id. 1 N‑COUNT An invalid is someone who needs to be cared for because they have an illness or disability. □ I hate being treated as an invalid.
2 ADJ If an action, procedure, or document is invalid , it cannot be accepted, because it breaks the law or some official rule. □ The trial was stopped and the results declared invalid.
3 ADJ An invalid argument or conclusion is wrong because it is based on a mistake. □ We think that those arguments are rendered invalid by the hard facts on the ground.
in|vali|date / I nvæ l I de I t/ (invalidates , invalidating , invalidated )
1 VERB To invalidate something such as an argument, conclusion, or result means to prove that it is wrong or cause it to be wrong. □ [V n] Any form of physical activity will invalidate the results.
2 VERB If something invalidates something such as a law, contract, or election, it causes it to be considered illegal. □ [V n] An official decree invalidated the vote in the capital.
in|va|lid|ity / I nvəl I d I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Invalidity is the state of being an invalid. □ I live on an invalidity pension.
in|valu|able / I nvæ ljəb ə l/ ADJ If you describe something as invaluable , you mean that it is extremely useful. □ I was able to gain invaluable experience over that year. □ [+ in ] The research should prove invaluable in the study of linguistics. [Also + to ]
in|vari|able / I nveə riəb ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use invariable to describe something that never changes. □ Dressed crab followed by sticky toffee pudding were her almost invariable choices from the menu.
in|vari|ably / I nveə riəbli/ ADV [ADV with v] If something invariably happens or is invariably true, it always happens or is always true. □ They almost invariably get it wrong.
in|va|sion ◆◇◇ / I nve I ʒ ə n/ (invasions )
1 N‑VAR [oft adj N ] If there is an invasion of a country, a foreign army enters it by force. □ [+ of ] …seven years after the Roman invasion of Britain.
2 N‑VAR If you refer to the arrival of a large number of people or things as an invasion , you are emphasizing that they are unpleasant or difficult to deal with. □ [+ of ] …this year's annual invasion of flies, wasps and ants.
3 N‑VAR If you describe an action as an invasion , you disapprove of it because it affects someone or something in a way that is not wanted. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [+ of ] Is reading a child's diary always a gross invasion of privacy?
in|va|sive / I nve I s I v/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use invasive to describe something undesirable which spreads very quickly and which is very difficult to stop from spreading. □ They found invasive cancer during a routine examination.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] An invasive medical procedure involves operating on a patient or examining the inside of their body.
in|vec|tive / I nve kt I v/ N‑UNCOUNT Invective is rude and unpleasant things that people shout at people they hate or are angry with. [FORMAL ] □ A woman had hurled racist invective at the family.
in|veigh / I nve I / (inveighs , inveighing , inveighed ) VERB If you inveigh against something, you criticize it strongly. [FORMAL ] □ [V + against ] A lot of his writings inveigh against luxury and riches.
in|vei|gle / I nve I g ə l/ (inveigles , inveigling , inveigled ) VERB If you inveigle someone into doing something, you cleverly persuade them to do it when they do not really want to. [FORMAL ] □ [V n + into ] She inveigles Paco into a plot to swindle Tania out of her savings.
in|vent / I nve nt/ (invents , inventing , invented )
1 VERB If you invent something such as a machine or process, you are the first person to think of it or make it. □ [V n] He invented the first electric clock.