intrusion
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of going into a place or situation where you are not invited or welcome.
the act of entering a physical or metaphorical space without invitation or permission, often causing a disturbance.
Simple“I felt that his constant questions were an intrusion into my private life.”
In context“The sudden intrusion of the press into the family's private mourning sparked a national debate about media ethics and privacy laws.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'into'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a memory or thought that pops into your head even though you do not want it there.
an involuntary and distressing thought, image, or memory that enters the consciousness and causes anxiety.
Simple“She suffered from mental intrusions of the accident for several weeks.”
In context“Clinical psychologists work with patients to manage cognitive intrusions that disrupt daily functioning and reinforce negative emotional states.”
UsageCommonly used in the context of trauma or anxiety disorders.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
liquid rock (magma) that is forced into existing cracks in other rocks.
the process or result of magma being forced into preexisting rock formations and solidifying.
Simple“The cliff face showed a dark intrusion of volcanic rock through the limestone.”
In context“Geologists identified a massive granite intrusion that had altered the surrounding sedimentary layers through intense heat and pressure.”
UsageUsually refers to the rock body itself or the geological event.
Antonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
a sound that people add when speaking even though it is not in the spelling.
the insertion of a phoneme into the pronunciation of a word or phrase that is not represented in its orthography.
Simple“In some accents, the intrusion of an 'r' sound happens between two vowels.”
In context“The researcher noted the frequent intrusion of a glottal stop in the local dialect, which served to separate adjacent vowel sounds across word boundaries.”
UsageOften used to describe the 'intrusive r' in certain English accents.
SynonymsepenthesisAntonymselision
From Middle English intrusioun, from Old French intrusion, from Medieval Latin intrūsiō, from intrūdō, from Latin in- + trūdō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.