-ion

Usage

• functionary

  A functionary is a minor official who works for a government or political party; they attend to administrative tasks that are small and trivial.

• injunction

  An injunction is a court order that prevents someone from doing something.

• torsion

  Torsion is the strain produced on a body by twisting it.

• circumlocution

  Circumlocution is a way of saying or writing something that uses too many words, especially in order to avoid stating the true meaning clearly.

• sedition

  Sedition is the act of encouraging people to disobey and oppose the government currently in power.

• conflagration

  A conflagration is a fire that burns over a large area and is highly destructive.

• accretion

  Accretion is the slow, gradual process by which new things are added and something gets bigger.

• predilection

  If you have a predilection for something, you have a preference for it.

• adulation

  Adulation is praise and admiration for someone that includes more than they deserve, usually for the purposes of flattery.

• evocation

  An evocation of something creates or summons a clear mental image or impression of it through words, pictures, or music.

• abnegation

  Your abnegation of something is your giving up your rights or claim to it, even though it might not be in your best interest to do so.

• attrition

  Attrition is the process of gradually decreasing the strength of something (such as an enemy force) by continually attacking it.

• ablution

  When you perform your ablutions, you wash yourself; this can be part of a religious ceremony as well.

• benefaction

  A benefaction is a charitable contribution of money or assistance that someone gives to a person or organization.

• privation

  If you suffer privation, you live without many of the basic things required for a comfortable life.

• volition

  If you do something of your own volition, you choose to do it because you want to—not because you are forced to.

• ablation

  The process of ablation is the removal of diseased organs or harmful substances from the body, often through surgical procedure.

• retribution

  Retribution is severe punishment that someone deserves because they have done something very wrong; it especially refers to punishment or revenge that is carried out by someone other than official authorities.

• imprecation

  An imprecation is a rude, offensive phrase or word that is said to someone or about someone especially when one is angry.

• aspersion

  An aspersion is an unkind remark or unfair judgment attacking someone's character or reputation.

• clarion

  A clarion call is a stirring, emotional, and strong appeal to people to take action on something.

• coalition

  A coalition is a temporary union of different political or social groups that agrees to work together to achieve a shared aim.

• sanction

  A sanction is an official authorization or approval to do something, such as a showing of support or acceptance.

• elocution

  Someone's elocution is their artistic manner of speaking in public, including both the delivery of their voice and gestures.

• derision

  If you treat someone with derision, you mock or make fun of them because you think they are stupid, unimportant, or useless.

• restitution

  Restitution is the formal act of giving something back to the rightful owner that was taken away—or paying them money for the loss of the object.

• juxtaposition

  The juxtaposition of two objects is the act of positioning them side by side so that the differences between them are more readily visible.

• compunction

  If you feel compunction about doing something, you feel that you should not do it because it is bad or wrong.

• affliction

  An affliction is something that causes pain and mental suffering, especially a medical condition.

• avocation

  An avocation is an activity, such as a hobby, that you do because you are interested in it.

• contagion

  A contagion is a disease—or the transmission of that disease—that is easily spread from one person to another through touch or the air.

• altercation

  An altercation is a noisy disagreement or heated argument.

• dissolution

  Dissolution is the breaking up or official end of a group, such as a couple or institution; it can also be the act of separating something into smaller components.

• fruition

  If something, such as an idea or plan, comes to fruition, it produces the result you wanted to achieve from it.

• dissension

  Dissension is a disagreement or conflict of opinion among a group of people.

• profusion

  A profusion of something is a very large quantity or variety of it.

• notional

  Something that is notional exists only as an idea or in theory—not in reality.

• bastion

  A bastion is considered an important and effective defense of a way of life or principle; a bastion can also refer to a heavily fortified place, such as a castle.

• diminution

  A diminution of something is a reduction in the size, number, or importance of it.

• commutation

  Commutation is the act of changing a punishment to one that is less severe.

• aversion

  An aversion to something is a strong dislike for or forceful opposition to it.

• compulsion

  If you feel a compulsion to do something, you feel like you must do it.

• conventional

  A conventional way of thinking or behaving is the one that is most commonly accepted by social groups.

• disillusion

  When you disillusion someone, you show that a belief they hold dear is untrue—thereby disheartening and disappointing them.

• disposition

  Your disposition is your personality, the way in which you tend to react to the various events in your life, or the mood that you generally have.

• distortion

  When something undergoes distortion, it is twisted out of shape in some way.

• diversion

  When you create a diversion, you cause someone to turn aside momentarily from what they are doing by distracting them.

• exclusion

  Exclusion is the act of shutting someone out of a group or an activity.

• excursion

  An excursion is a short trip or outing from which you return home fairly quickly.

• exposition

  An exposition is a detailed explanation or setting forth of an idea, theory, or problem, either in a written or spoken format.

• impassioned

  When you are impassioned about a cause or idea, you are very passionate or highly emotionally charged about it.

• imposition

  An imposition is putting an extra burden or duty on someone that is not welcomed by that person.

• inception

  An inception of something is its beginning or start.

• incursion

  An incursion is an unpleasant intrusion, such as a sudden hostile attack or a land being flooded.

• inflection

  An inflection is a change or variation, such as in a person's voice or in the form a noun or verb takes.

• infusion

  An infusion is the pouring in or the introduction of something into something else so as to fill it up.

• insurrection

  An insurrection is a rebellion or open uprising against an established form of government.

• misapprehension

  A misapprehension is a misunderstanding or false impression that you are under, especially concerning another person's intentions towards you.

• preconception

  A preconception is a conceived notion that you already have, usually in the form of a bias or prejudice of some kind.

• provisional

  A provisional measure is temporary or conditional until more permanent action is taken.

• rationale

  Your rationale is your reason or explanation for why you do or did something.

• regression

  Regression is the falling back or return to a previous state.

• remission

  When something, such as a disease or storm, is in remission, its force is lessening or decreasing.

• repercussion

  A repercussion of an act is the result or effect of it.

• retention

  Retention is the act or condition of keeping or holding on to something, including the ability to remember things.

• reversion

  A reversion is turning back again to a previous state or condition.

• revulsion

  When you experience revulsion, you feel a great deal of disgust or extreme dislike for something.

• dominion

  When one country has dominion over another, it rules or controls it absolutely.

• assumption

  When a person makes an assumption, they believe that something is true with no proof.

• legislation

  Legislation can either be a law or the act of making laws.

• conversion

  When something undergoes a conversion, it is changed or transformed in some way.

• stationary

  When something is stationary, it is still, fixed, or not moving at all.

• commotion

  A commotion is an uproar, noisy activity, or loud disturbance of one kind or another.

• corrosion

  Corrosion refers to the gradual rusting or decay of metal.

• seclusion

  Seclusion is the act of someone's being closed off from society as a whole by moving into isolation or solitude.

• rational

  A rational person is reasonable or logical.

• apparition

  An apparition is something that unexpectedly appears that is either a ghost or ghostly.

• animadversion

  Animadversion is the act of strongly criticizing another person for something they have done.

• compassion

  When you show compassion to someone who is troubled, you take the time to listen to their problem and try to help them.

• ambition

  Someone who has ambition really wants to be successful at something and will work very hard to accomplish it.

• connection

  A connection is a link, joining, or relationship between things or people.

• affection

  Affection is a feeling of love, liking, or caring shown towards someone.

• discussion

  A discussion is a talk or conversation that you have with one or more people usually to reach some kind of agreement or to solve a problem.

• condition

  The condition of something is the state or shape that it is in.

• division

  A division of something is a breaking it up or splitting it into parts.

• companion

  A companion is a friend or buddy, that is, someone with whom you spend time doing things.

• investigation

  An investigation is asking questions about or researching something that happened in order to gain facts or information about it.

• conclusion

  The conclusion of something, such as a book or thought, is its end, last part, or close.

• option

  An option is a free choice you have between two or more things.

• expedition

  An expedition is a journey that people take that is generally long and requires a lot of planning; it is often to a place that is far away and can be dangerous or hard to get to.

• nation

  A nation is a country or land in which people live, such as the United States, France, or Uruguay.

• competition

  A competition is a contest, match, or game between people, each side of which tries its hardest to win.

• reaction

  A reaction to something is a person's response to it or how they act when it happens.

• destruction

  The destruction of something is the causing of so much damage to it that it can never be repaired or returned to its original state.

• motivation

  Motivation is the reason for doing something in the first place, or providing a means of encouraging someone to do something.

• function

  A function is a purpose that something has or the work or action that it is able to perform.

• exception

  An exception to something, such as a rule, does not refer to it or is not included in it.

• audition

  An audition occurs when someone performs for a short time for the purpose of showing their skill level; they do so in the hope of being accepted for a play or musical part.

• emotional

  An emotional reaction to something concerns how you feel about it, such as being happy or sad.

• vision

  Your vision is your sight or ability to see.

• collection

  A collection is a gathering or bringing together of things, such as stamps or football cards.

• region

  A region is an area of something, such as land in a country or a place on your body, that is somehow different than other areas.

• section

  A section is a piece or part of something larger.

• situation

  A situation is all the things that are going on in a place at a certain time.

• fiction

  Fiction is a made-up story or tale about events that did not really happen, and so those events are not true.

• publication

  A publication is a piece of writing that is available for the public to read, such as a magazine, newspaper, or book.

• relation

  A relation is a link of some kind between two things or people.

• version

  A version of something, such as something that happened, is how one person tells it, which may be different than what others have to say about it.

• solution

  A solution to something, such as a problem of some kind, is a way to figure it out or deal with it so that an answer is found.

• pronunciation

  The pronunciation of a word is how someone says it and also refers to how it is supposed to be spoken.

• opinion

  An opinion is what someone personally thinks about something.