wantonness
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C2 noun /ˈwɒntənnəs/

wantonness

méchanceté gratuite
Meaning
The quality of being reckless, cruel, or deliberately malicious.
Example
His wantonness shocked everyone at the gathering.
Sa méchanceté gratuite a choqué tout le monde à la réunion.
C2 verb /ˈwɪzn/

wizen

se faner
Meaning
To become dry, shrunken, and wrinkled.
Example
The flowers began to wizen after days without water.
Les fleurs ont commencé à se faner après plusieurs jours sans eau.
C2 adjective /ˈwɪznd/

wizened

ridé
Meaning
Shriveled, wrinkled, or withered, often due to age.
Example
The wizened tree stood in the field for centuries.
L'arbre ridé est resté dans le champ pendant des siècles.
C2 noun /wɪt/

whit

une très petite quantité
Meaning
a very small part or amount
Example
He doesn't care a whit about the outcome.
Il ne se soucie pas d'un iota du résultat.
C2 noun /ˈwɑːmpəm/

wampum

colliers en coquillage
Meaning
beads made by Native Americans from shells, used as money or decoration
Example
The tribe traded furs for wampum.
La tribu a échangé des fourrures contre des colliers en coquillage.
C2 adjective /ˈwɪnsəm/

winsome

charmant
Meaning
pleasant and attractive in a fresh, innocent, or charming way
Example
Her winsome smile instantly put the nervous guests at ease.
Son sourire charmant a immédiatement mis les invités nerveux à l'aise.
C2 verb /ˈwɔːbəl/

warble

chanter ou siffler avec une voix tremblante ou des trilles
Meaning
To sing or whistle with a quavering voice or with trills.
Example
The bird warbled a sweet tune in the morning.
L'oiseau a chanté une douce mélodie le matin.
C2 noun /reɪθ/

wraith

spectre
Meaning
A ghost or ghostlike image of someone, especially seen shortly before or after their death.
Example
A wraith appeared in the fog near the old castle.
Un spectre est apparu dans le brouillard près du vieux château.
C2 verb /ˌweɪˈleɪ/

waylay

arrêter / attaquer de manière inattendue
Meaning
to stop or interrupt someone unexpectedly, often to attack or detain them
Example
He was waylaid by reporters as he left the courthouse.
Il a été attaqué par des journalistes alors qu'il quittait le tribunal.
C2 noun /ˈwɒrən/

warren

un réseau de terriers
Meaning
A network of interconnected rabbit burrows; also used metaphorically for a densely populated building or district.
Example
The old part of the city is a warren of narrow streets.
La vieille partie de la ville est un réseau de rues étroites.
C2 adjective /ˈwɪspi/

wispy

fins et fragiles
Meaning
Thin, delicate, and weak in appearance or form.
Example
Her wispy hair blew gently in the breeze.
Ses cheveux fins soufflaient doucement dans la brise.
C2 noun /wiːl/

weal

bonheur
Meaning
A raised mark on the skin left after a blow; or general well-being and prosperity.
Example
The charity worked for the common weal of the community.
Elle n'a pas pu cacher son bonheur lorsqu'elle a reçu le prix.
C2 noun /ˈwɪtɪˌsɪzəm/

witticism

réplique spirituelle / plaisanterie
Meaning
a clever or funny remark
Example
Her witticism made everyone laugh during the meeting.
Sa réplique spirituelle a fait rire tout le monde pendant la réunion.
C2 noun /wɛlp/

whelp

chiot
Meaning
a young offspring of a dog or other carnivorous mammal; sometimes used to mean an impudent young person
Example
The farmer found a wolf whelp hiding near the barn.
Le fermier a trouvé un chiot de loup caché près de la grange.
C2 noun /ˈræŋɡlər/

wrangler

gardien de bétail
Meaning
a person who argues noisily; or someone who takes care of livestock on a ranch
Example
The cowboy worked as a wrangler on the ranch.
Le cowboy a travaillé comme un rángler dans le ranch.
C2 adverb /ˈwɪtɪŋli/

wittingly

délibérément
Meaning
Consciously and intentionally; on purpose.
Example
He wittingly withheld information from the police.
Il a délibérément retenu des informations à la police.
C2 noun /ˈwɪndbæɡ/

windbag

bavard
Meaning
a person who talks too much, especially in a boring or boastful way
Example
Everyone avoided the windbag at the party because he never let anyone else speak.
Tout le monde a évité le bavard à la fête parce qu'il ne laissait jamais les autres parler.
C2 noun /ˈweɪstrəl/

wastrel

dépensier, fainéant
Meaning
A person who wastes time, money, or resources; an idler or spendthrift.
Example
The young man was dismissed as a wastrel by his family.
Le jeune homme a été rejeté comme un gaspilleur par sa famille.
C2 adjective /ˈwɜːkmənˌlaɪk/

workmanlike

professionnel
Meaning
Showing efficient, competent, and practical skill, but without flair or creativity.
Example
The carpenter delivered a workmanlike performance on the project.
Le charpentier a livré une performance de travail sur le projet.
C2 verb /ˈwiːdəl/

wheedle

flatter pour convaincre
Meaning
to persuade or coax someone by using flattery or smooth talk
Example
She managed to wheedle extra pocket money from her father.
Elle a réussi à obtenir de l'argent de poche supplémentaire de son père.
C2 noun /ˈwɔːrˌmʌŋɡər/

warmonger

belliciste
Meaning
A person who advocates or promotes war or conflict.
Example
The leader was criticized as a warmonger by his opponents.
Le leader a été critiqué comme un belliciste par ses opposants.
C2 noun /wɛlt/

welt

marque
Meaning
A raised mark on the skin, usually from a blow or allergic reaction.
Example
He had a red welt on his arm after the bee sting.
Il avait une marque rouge sur son bras après la piqûre d'abeille.
C2 noun /weɪf/

Waif

un enfant sans abri ou abandonné; une personne ou un animal errant
Meaning
a homeless or abandoned child; a stray person or animal
Example
The charity helps waifs and strays find homes and families.
La charité aide les orphelins et les vagabonds à trouver des foyers et des familles.
C2 adjective /ˈwæɡ.ɪʃ/

waggish

espiègle ou taquin
Meaning
playfully humorous or mischievous
Example
His waggish remarks made everyone laugh.
Ses remarques espiègles ont fait rire tout le monde.
C2 verb /ˈwɪni/

whinny

hennissement
Meaning
to make the high-pitched sound a horse makes
Example
The horse whinnied when it saw its rider.
Le cheval hennit quand il a vu son cavalier.
C2 adverb, noun /ˈwɛə.wɪð/

wherewith

moyens
Meaning
With which; the means or resources needed for something.
Example
He lacked the money wherewith to buy a new house.
Il n'avait pas l'argent avec lequel acheter une nouvelle maison.
C2 verb /rɛst/

wrest

arracher de force
Meaning
to forcibly pull something from a person's grasp; to seize with effort or struggle
Example
The police had to wrest the weapon from the suspect's hand.
La police a dû arracher l'arme des mains du suspect.
C2 noun /wɜːrl/

whorl

spirale
Meaning
A pattern of spirals or concentric circles, often found in fingerprints, shells, or flowers.
Example
The fingerprint displayed a clear whorl pattern.
L'empreinte digitale affichait un motif clair de spirale.
C2 verb /ˈwaŋɡl/

wangle

obtenir quelque chose par astuce
Meaning
To achieve something by clever or sometimes dishonest persuasion or trickery.
Example
He wangled a free ticket to the concert.
Il a obtenu un billet gratuit pour le concert par astuce.
C2 verb /ˈwɪn.oʊ/

winnow

sélectionner; séparer le grain de la paille
Meaning
to remove the less desirable parts from a group; originally, to separate grain from chaff by blowing air
Example
The committee will winnow the list of applicants to ten finalists.
Le comité réduira la liste des candidats à dix finalistes.
C2 noun /rɛtʃ/

wretch

misérable
Meaning
an unfortunate or miserable person; a despicable or contemptible person
Example
The poor wretch was left out in the cold with no shelter.
Le pauvre misérable a été laissé dehors dans le froid sans abri.
C2 adjective /ˌrɒŋˈhɛd.ɪd/

wrongheaded

à l'esprit tordu
Meaning
Having or showing bad judgment or stubbornly holding to wrong ideas.
Example
The policy was considered wrongheaded and harmful.
La politique a été considérée comme ayant l'esprit tordu et nuisible.
C2 noun /ˈweɪvlət/

wavelet

petite vague
Meaning
a small wave or ripple on the surface of water or another medium
Example
The pond was disturbed only by the tiny wavelets caused by the breeze.
L'étang n'a été perturbé que par les petites vagues causées par la brise.
C2 adjective /woʊnt/ or /wɔːnt/

wont

habitué
Meaning
accustomed or used to doing something
Example
She rose early, as she was wont to do.
Elle se leva tôt, comme elle en avait l'habitude.
C2 adjective /ˈwiːk niːd/

weak-kneed

faible
Meaning
Lacking determination or courage; easily frightened or yielding.
Example
The leader was criticized for being weak-kneed in the face of opposition.
Le leader a été critiqué pour être faible face à l'opposition.
C2 noun /ˈwɪtlɪŋ/

witling

imbécile / faux sage
Meaning
a person who has little wit or pretends to be witty
Example
He acted like a witling among scholars.
Il a agi comme un imbécile parmi les érudits.
C2 adjective /ˈwɪzn feɪst/

wizen-faced

visage ridé et fané
Meaning
Having a dry, wrinkled, and withered face.
Example
A wizen-faced old man sat quietly in the corner.
Un vieil homme au visage ridé et fané était assis tranquillement dans le coin.
C2 noun /ˈwɛlkɪn/

welkin

ciel
Meaning
The sky, the heavens, or the upper air.
Example
The eagle soared high into the welkin.
L'aigle a volé haut dans le ciel.
C2 adjective /ˈwɪloʊi/

willowy

élancé, mince et flexible, comme un saule
Meaning
Gracefully tall, slender, and flexible, like a willow tree.
Example
She moved with a willowy elegance across the stage.
Elle se déplaçait avec une élégance willowy sur scène.
C2 adjective /ˈwɪt.ləs/

Witless

imbécile; stupide; sans intelligence
Meaning
lacking intelligence or wisdom; foolish
Example
His witless remarks during the meeting embarrassed everyone present.
Ses remarques stupides pendant la réunion ont embarrassé tous les présents.
C2 noun /waɪl/

wile

ruse, tromperie
Meaning
A trick or clever scheme meant to deceive or outwit someone.
Example
He used every wile to win her trust.
Il a utilisé toutes ses ruses pour gagner sa confiance.
C2 verb /ˈwɛltər/

welter

tourner dans le chaos
Meaning
to roll or toss about in a confused or disorderly way; to be in turmoil
Example
The city weltered in chaos after the sudden blackout.
La ville a été plongée dans le chaos après la panne soudaine.