1~750

sedentary

(adj.) sitting, settled (The ___ cat did little but loll in the sun.

reclusive

(adj.) solitary, shunning society (___ authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and sometimes even enjoy holing up in remote cabins in the woods.

scintillating

(adj.) sparkling (The ice skater's ___ rhinestone costume nearly blinded the judges.

recapitulate

(v.) to sum up, repeat (Before the final exam, the teacher ___ the semester's material.

revoke

(v.) to take back (After missing the curfew set by the court for eight nights in a row, Marcel's freedom of movement was ___.

rescind

(v.) to take back, repeal (The company ___ its offer of employment after discovering that Jane's resume was full of lies.

retract

(v.) withdraw (As the media worked itself into a frenzy, the publicist hurriedly ___ his client's sexist statement.

renovate

1. (v.) restore, return to original state (The antiqu collectors ___ the antique candelabra.

relegate

1. (v.) to assign to the proper place (At the astrology conference, Simon was ___ to the Scorpio room.) 2. (v.) to assign to an inferior place (After spilling a drink on a customer's shirt, the waiter found himself ___ to the least lucrative shift.

resilient

(adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The ___ ballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury.

rife

(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist's writing was ___ with spelling errors.

precocious

(adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically ___ that by the time he was 10 years old, he was already in the ninth grade.

quaint

(adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Hilda was delighted by the ___ bonnets she saw in Amish country.

ribald

(adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ___ joke involving a parson's daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.

quotidian

(adj.) daily (Ambika's ___ routines include drinking two cups of coffee in the morning.

reprehensible

(adj.) deserving rebuke or blame (Jean's cruel and ___ attempt to dump her boyfriend on his birthday led to tears and recriminations.

recalcitrant

(adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the ____ young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.

presumptuous

(adj.) disrespectfully bold (The princess grew angry after the ___ noble tried to kiss her, even though he was far below her in social status.

manifold

(adj.) diverse, varied (The popularity of Dante's Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for ___ interpretations.

reprobate

(adj.) evil, unprincipled (The ___ criminal sat sneering in the cell.

remedial

(adj.) intended to repair gaps in students' basic knowledge (After his teacher discovered he couldn't read, Alex was forced to enroll in ___ English.

punitive

(adj.) involving punishment (If caught smoking in the boys' room, the ___ result is immediate expulsion from school.

puerile

(adj.) juvenile, immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer's ___ attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.

profane

(adj.) lewd, indecent (Jacob's ___ act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the chapel at his boarding school resulted in his dismissal.

remiss

(adj.) negligent, failing to take care (The burglar gained entrance because the security guard, ___ in his duties, forgot to lock the door.

reputable

(adj.) of good reputation (After the most ___ critic in the industry gave the novel a glowing review, sales took off.

repentant

(adj.) penitent, sorry (The ___ Dennis apologized profusely for breaking his mother's vase.

prosaic

(adj.) plain, lacking liveliness (Heather's ___ recital of the poem bored the audience.

pragmatic

(adj.) practical (The politician argued that while increased security measures might not fit with the lofty ideals of the nation, they were a ___ necessity to ensure everyone's safety.

pugnacious

(adj.) quarrelsome, combative (Aaron's ___ nature led him to start several barroom brawls each month.

putrid

(adj.) rotten, foul (Those rotten eggs smell ___.

scathing

(adj.) sharp, critical, hurtful (Two hours after breaking up with Russell, Suzanne thought of the perfect ___ retort to his accusations.

resplendent

(adj.) shiny, glowing (The partygoers were ___ in diamonds and fancy dress.

saccharine

(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Tom's ___ manner, although intended to make him popular, actually repelled his classmates.

salient

(adj.) significant, conspicuous (One of the ___ differences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot taller.

prescient

(adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (Questioning the fortune cookie's prediction, Ray went in search of the old hermit who was rumored to be ___.

scurrilous

(adj.) vulgar, coarse (When Bruno heard the ___ accusation being made about him, he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone.

profligate

(adj.) wasteful, extravagant, dissolute (The ___ gambler loved to drink, spend money, steal, cheat, and hang out with prostitutes.

resolute

(adj.) firm, determined (With a ___ glint in her eye, Catherine announced that she was set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings.

protean

(adj.)able to change shape; displaying great variety (Among Nigel's ___ talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue.

respite

(n.) a break, rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief ___ from the smoke and noise.

requisition

(n.) a demand for goods, usually made by an authority (During the war, the government made a ___ of supplies.

quagmire

(n.) a difficult situation (We'd all like to avoid the kind of military ___ characterized by the Vietnam War.

salutation

(n.) a greeting (Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre ___ "Ahoy ahoy."

quandary

(n.) a perplexed, unresolvable state (Carlos found himself in a ___: should he choose mint chocolate chip or cookie dough?

predilection

(n.) a preference or inclination for something (Francois has a ___ for eating scrambled eggs with ketchup, though I prefer to eat eggs without any condiments.

semaphore

(n.) a visual signal (Anne and Diana communicated with a ___ involving candles and window shades.

propensity

(n.) an inclination, preference (Dermit has a ___ for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping.

presage

(n.) an omen (When my uncle's old war injury ached, he interpreted it as a ___ of bad weather approaching.

prudence

(n.) cautious, circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my father vowed to practice greater ___ in future investments.

rancor

(n.) deep, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the ___ in her eyes.

prowess

(n.) extraordinary ability (The musician had never taken a guitar lesson in his life, making his ___ with the instrument even more incredible.

renown

(n.) honor, acclaim (The young writer earned international ___ by winning the Pulitzer Prize.

privation

(n.) lacking basic necessities (After decades of rule by an oppressive government that saw nothing wrong with stealing from its citizens, the recent drought only increased the people's ___.

rapport

(n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour, they felt an instant ___.

pulchritude

(n.) physical beauty (Several of Shakespeare's sonnets explore the ___ of a lovely young man.

restitution

(n.) restoration to the rightful owner (Many people feel that descendants of slaves should receive ___ for the sufferings of their ancestors.

sagacity

(n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective (With remarkable ___ , the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children's plan to ship him off to a nursing home.

precipice

(n.) the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung from a ___ before finding a handhold and pulling himself up.

propriety

(n.) the quality or state of being proper, decent (Erma's old-fashioned parents believed that her mini-skirt lacked the ___ expected of a "nice" girl.

rectitude

(n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest's ___ gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.

probity

(n.) virtue, integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great ___, no one was surprised by Mr. Samson's immoral behavior.

pretense

(n.)an appearance or action intended to deceive (Though he actually wanted to use his parents' car to go on a date, Nick borrowed his parents' car under the ___ of attending a group study session.

repulse

(v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to ___ people by neglecting to brush her teeth or take a shower for a month.

refract

(v.) to distort, change (The light was ___ as it passed through the prism.

rhapsodize

(v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic ___ about the movie, calling it an instant classic.

revere

(v.) to esteem, show deference, venerate (The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally ___.

reciprocate

(v.) to give in return (When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas, she ___ by giving him a kiss.

prescribe

(v.) to lay down a rule (The duke ___ that from this point further all of the peasants living on his lands would have to pay higher taxes.

propagate

(v.) to multiply, spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney's demise ___ like wildfire throughout the world.

procure

(v.) to obtain, acquire (The FBI was unable to ___ sufficient evidence to charge the gangster with racketeering.

preclude

(v.) to prevent (My grandfather's large and vicious guard dog ___ anyone from entering the yard.

promulgate

(v.) to proclaim, make known (The film professor ___ that both in terms of sex appeal and political intrigue, Sean Connery's James Bond was superior to Roger Moore's.

refute

(v.) to prove wrong (Maria ___ the president's argument as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV.

repudiate

(v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother ___ it with a few biting words.

repose

(v.) to rest, lie down (The cat, after eating an entire can of tuna fish, ___ in the sun and took a long nap.

refurbish

(v.) to restore, clean up (The dingy old chair, after being ___, commanded the handsome price of $200.

satiate

(v.) to satisfy excessively (___ after eating far too much turkey and stuffing, Liza lay on the couch watching football and suffering from stomach pains.

redoubtable

1. (adj.) formidable (The fortress looked ___ set against a stormy sky.) 2. (adj.) commanding respect (The audience greeted the ___ speaker with a standing ovation.

reservoir

1. (n.) reserves, large supply (Igor the Indomitable had quite a ___ of strengh and could lift ten tons, even after running 700 miles, jumping over three mountains, and swimming across an ocean.) 2. (n.) a body of water used for storing water (After graduation, the more rebellious members of the senior class jumped into the town ___ used for drinking water.

punctilious

(adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (___ Bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire, insisted that his peers follow the rules.

propitious

(adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be ___ for sailing.

replete

(adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was ___ with vulgar language.

rash

(adj.) hasty, incautious (It's best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make ___ decisions.

pungent

(adj.) having a pointed, sharp quality—often used to describe smells (There was a ___ odor coming from the cheese shop.

rancid

(adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the ___ egg salad sandwich.

sacrosanct

(adj.) holy, something that should not be criticized (In the United States, the Constitution is often thought of as a ___ document.

quixotic

(adj.) idealistic, impractical (Edward entertained a ___ desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.

preponderance

(adj.) superiority in importance or quantity (Britain's ___ of naval might secured the nation's role as a military power.

renunciation

(n.) a rejection (Fiona's ___ of red meat resulted in weight loss, but confused those people who thought she'd been a vegetarian for years.

proclivity

(n.) a strong inclination toward something (In a sick twist of fate, Harold's childhood ___ for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon.

reprieve

(n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particularly good mood, he granted hundreds of ___ to prisoners on death row.

ruse

(n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate ___ for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.

rebuke

(v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah's party, they ____ her for disturbing the peace.

reproach

(v.) to scold, disapprove (Brian ___ the customer for failing to rewind the video he had rented.

rail

(v.) to scold, protest (The professor ___ against the injustice of the college's tenure policy.

reprove

(v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara ___ her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.

reconcile

1. (v.) to return to harmony (The feuding neighbors finally ___ when one brought the other a delicious tuna noodle casserole.) 2. (v.) to make consistent with existing ideas (Alou had to ___ his skepticism about the existence of aliens with the fact that he was looking at a flying saucer.

regurgitate

1. (v.) to vomit (Feeling sick, Chuck ___ his dinner.) 2. (v.) to repeat back exactly (Margaret rushed through the test, ___ all of the facts she'd memorized an hour earlier.

resolve

1. (v.) to find a solution (Sarah and Emma ___ their differences and shook hands.) 2. (v.) to firmly decide (Lady Macbeth ___ to whip her husband into shape.