erratic {speaker} adjective (often disapproving) not happening at regular times; not following any plan or regular pattern;

that you cannot rely on SYN UNPREDICTABLE: The electricity supply here is quite erratic. She had learnt to live with his sudden changes of mood and erratic behaviour. Mary is a gifted but erratic player (= she does not always play well). Irrigation measures will be necessary in areas of erratic rainfall. erratically {speaker} adverb: He was obviously upset and was driving erratically. His heart beat erratically. intervene {speaker}, AmE {speaker} verb 1 [V] ~ (in sth) to become involved in a situation in order to improve or help it: The President intervened personally in the crisis. She might have been killed if the neighbours hadnt intervened. 2 to interrupt sb when they are speaking in order to say sth: [V speech] But, she intervened, what about the others? [also V] 3 [V] to happen in a way that delays sth or prevents it from happening: They were planning to get married and then the war intervened. 4 [V] (formal) to exist between two events or places: I saw nothing of her during the years that intervened. intervention {speaker}, AmE {speaker} noun [U, C] ~ (in sth): calls for government intervention to save the steel industry armed / military intervention People resented his repeated interventions in the debate. foster {speaker}, AmE {speaker} verb, adjective verb 1 [VN] (written) to encourage sth to develop: The clubs aim is to foster better relations within the community. 2 (especially BrE) to take another persons child into your home for a period of time, without becoming his or her legal parents: [VN] They have fostered over 60 children during the past ten years. [V] We couldnt adopt a child, so we decided to foster. compare ADOPT adjective [only before noun] used with some nouns in connection with the fostering of a child: a foster mother / father / family foster parents a foster child a foster home foster care anguish {speaker} noun [U] (formal) severe pain, mental suffering or unhappiness: He groaned in anguish. Tears of anguish filled her eyes. anguished adjective: anguished cries an anguished letter from her prison cell reverberation {speaker}, AmE {speaker} noun

1 [C, usually pl., U] a loud noise that continues for some time after it has been produced because of the surfaces around it SYN ECHO: The reverberations of the drum were still vibrating in the air. The house shook with the reverberation of the bomb. 2 (reverberations) [pl.] the effects of sth that happens, especially unpleasant ones that spread among a large number of people SYN REPERCUSSION: the political reverberations of the scandal. diplomat {speaker} noun 1 (also old-fashioned diplomatist) a person whose job is to represent his or her country in a foreign country, for example, in an EMBASSY 2 a person who is skilled at dealing with other people: Youll need to be a real diplomat to persuade them to come to some agreement.. entrust {speaker} verb [VN] ~ A (to B) | ~ B with A to make sb responsible for doing sth or taking care of sb: He entrusted the task to his nephew. He entrusted his nephew with the task. The rebuilding of Londons churches was entrusted to the brilliant young architect, Christopher Wren.