military reserve
noun · n
Simple meaning
Armed forces that are not on active duty but can be called in an emergency.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
miluhtuhrihrihzurvSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmɪlətɛɹɪɹɪˈzɝv
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
Armed forces that are not on active duty but can be called in an emergency
n
A military reserve, active reserve, reserve formation, or simply reserve, is a group of military personnel or units that is initially not committed to a battle by its commander, so that it remains available to address unforeseen situations or exploit sudden opportunities.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Armed forces that are not on active duty but can be called in an emergency
Used this way, military reserve is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in ethics or values contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Ethics/values
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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