cavity
noun
Simple meaning
A sizeable hole.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kavuhteeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkævəti
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
dentistry
A sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
dentistry
A small or large hole in a tooth caused by caries; often also a soft area adjacent to the hole also affected by caries.
anatomy
A natural hollow or sinus within the body
anatomy
A hollow area within the body.
A hole or hollow depression in a solid object.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (dentistry) A small or large hole in a tooth caused by caries; often also a soft area adjacent to the hole also affected by caries.
Used this way, cavity is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A hollow chamber whose dimensions allow the resonant oscillation of electromagnetic or acoustic waves.
A wall formed of two thicknesses of masonry with a space between them.
The hollow under the arm where it is joined to the shoulder.
A natural hollow or sinus within the body.
The cavity between the jaws and the cheeks.
The cavity in the vertebrate body enclosed by the ribs between the diaphragm and the neck and containing the lungs and heart.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.