-ion

act, state, or result of doing something

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.

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