GRE words with example sentence

. - apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.

(Eg: )

centurion

Roman army officer (Eg: Because he was in command of a company of one hundred soldiers, he was called a centurion. )

arcade

a covered passageway, usually lined with shops (Eg: The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the )

disarray

a disorderly or untidy state (Eg: After the New Year's party, the once orderly house was in total disarray. )

grimace

a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc. (Eg: Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure. )

disquisition

a formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry (Eg: In his disquisition, he outlined the steps he had taken in reaching his conclusions. )

collation

a light meal (Eg: Tea sandwiches and cookies were offered at the collation. )

artisan

a manually skilled worker (Eg: Artists and artisans alike are necessary to the development of a culture. )

apiary

a place where bees are kept (Eg: Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee. )

incredulity

a tendency to disbelief (Eg: Your incredulity in the face of all the evidence is hard to understand. )

counterpart

a thing that completes another; things very much alike (Eg: Night and day are counterparts. )

foresight

ability to foresee future happenings; prudence (Eg: A wise investor, she had the foresight to buy land just before the current real estate boom. )

empathy

ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc (Eg: What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and )

discrimination

ability to see differences; prejudice (Eg: They feared he lacked sufficient discrimination to judge complex works of modern art. )

caliber

ability; capacity (Eg: A man of such caliber should not be assigned such menial tasks. )

amphibian

able to live both on land and in water (Eg: Frogs are classified as amphibian. )

ambulatory

able to walk (Eg: He was described as an ambulatory patient because he was not confined to his bed. )

aberrant

abnormal or deviant (Eg: Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment. )

anomalous

abnormal; irregular (Eg: He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that he despised. )

abrogate

abolish (Eg: He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor. )

consistency

absence of contradictions; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness (Eg: Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency; he liked his puddings without lumps and )

anarchy

absence of governing body; state of disorder (Eg: The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy. )

distrait

absentminded (Eg: Because of his concentration on the problem, the professor often appeared distrait and unconcerned about )

assimilate

absorb; cause to become homogenous (Eg: The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the )

celibate

abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried (Eg: Though the late Havelock Ellis wrote extensively about sexual customs and was considered an expert in )

affluence

abundance; wealth (Eg: Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life. )

ample

abundant (Eg: He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him. )

exuberant

abundant; effusive; lavish (Eg: His speeches were famous for his exuberant language and vivid imagery. )

invective

abuse (Eg: He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal. )

chasm

abyss (Eg: They could not see the bottom of the chasm. )

fortuitous

accidental; by chance (Eg: )

adventitious

accidental; casual (Eg: He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate. )

casual

accidental; not regular or permanent; careless; informal (Eg: It can be argued that physical laws can be casual as well as inveterate, since it is based on an induction. )

incriminate

accuse; serve as evidence against (Eg: The witness's testimony against the racketeers incriminates some high public officials as well. )

inured

accustomed; hardened (Eg: She became inured to the Alaskan cold. )

appropriate

acquire; take possession of for one's own use (Eg: The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use. )

exonerate

acquit; exculpate (Eg: I am sure this letter naming the actual culprit will exonerate you. )

arbitrate

act as judge (Eg: She was called upon to arbitrate the dispute between the union and the management. )

incarnation

act of assuming a human body and human nature (Eg: The incarnation of Jesus Christ is a basic tenet of Christian theology. )

diversion

act of turning aside; pastime (Eg: After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion from work. )

animosity

active enmity (Eg: He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power. )

dynamic

active; efficient (Eg: A dynamic government is necessary to meet the demands of a changing society. )

anguish

acute pain; extreme suffering (Eg: Visiting the site of explosion, Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families. )

elaboration

addition of details; intricacy (Eg: Tell what happened simply, without any elaboration. )

addendum

addition; appendix to book (Eg: Jane's editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an )

accessory

additional object; useful but not essential thing (Eg: She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress. )

condign

adequate; deservedly severe (Eg: The public approved the condign punishment for the crime. )

formality

adherence to established rules or procedures (Eg: Signing this petition is a mere formality; it does not obligate you in any way. )

contiguous

adjacent to; touching upon (Eg: The two countries are contiguous for a few miles; then they are separated by the gulf. )

acclimate

adjust to climate or environment (Eg: One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travellers to acclimate themselves to their new )

compromise

adjust; endanger the interests or reputation of (Eg: Your presence at the scene of the dispute compromises our claim to neutrality in this matter. )

enfranchise

admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote) (Eg: Although blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote )

concede

admit; hield (Eg: Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right. )

espouse

adopt; support (Eg: She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause. )

embellish

adorn (Eg: )

enhance

advance; improve (Eg: Your chances for promotion in this department will be enhanced if you take some more courses in evening )

dissuade

advise against (Eg: He could not dissuade his friend from joining the conspirators. )

lackadaisical

affectedly languid (Eg: He was lackadaisical and indifferent about his part in the affair. )

gustatory

affecting the sense of taste (Eg: The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used in a bland cuisine. )

catalyst

agent that brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged (Eg: Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst. )

emissary

agent; messenger (Eg: The secretary of State was sent as the President's special emissary to the conference on disarmament. )

ferment

agitation; commotion (Eg: With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment. )

concur

agree (Eg: )

accede

agree (Eg: If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands. )

assent

agree; accept (Eg: It gives me great pleasure to assent to your request. )

amiable

agreeable; lovable (Eg: His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him. )

accord

agreement (Eg: She was in complete accord with the verdict. )

covenant

agreement (Eg: We must comply with the terms of the covenant. )

compact

agreement; contract (Eg: The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government. )

dilettante

aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler (Eg: He was not serious in his painting; he was rather a dilettante. )

desultory

aimless; haphazard; digressing at random (Eg: In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him reading was )

disport

amuse (Eg: The popularity of Florida as a winter resort is constantly increasing; each year, thousands more disport )

beguile

amuse; delude; cheat (Eg: I beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire. )

concession

an act of yielding (Eg: Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions. )

alias

an assumed name (Eg: John Smith's alias was Bob Jones. )

dissection

analysis; cutting apart in order to examine (Eg: The dissection of frogs on the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students. )

assay

analyze; evaluate (Eg: When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein. )

forebears

ancestors (Eg: Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many )

cherubic

angelic; innocent-looking (Eg: With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child. )

indignation

anger ar an injustice (Eg: He felt indignation at the ill-treatment of the helpless animals. )

irate

angry (Eg: When John's mother found out that he had overthrown his checking account for the third month in a row, )

gadfly

animal-biting fly; an irritating person (Eg: Like a gadfly, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty eight hours, everyone regarded him as an )

fauna

animals of a period or region (Eg: The scientist could visualize the fauna of the period by examining the skeletal remains and the fossils. )

harass

annoy by repeated attacks (Eg: When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised, he was harrassed by his creditors. )

gall

annoy; chafe (Eg: Their taunts galled him. )

irksome

annoying; tedious (Eg: He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to )

archaic

antiquated (Eg: "Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary. )

antediluvian

antiquated; ancient (Eg: The antediluvian customs had apparently not changed for thousands of years. )

consternation

anxiety, dismay (Eg: Lincoln is famous for saying that the consternations during the civil war had left him decrepit. )

canker

any ulcerous sore; any evil (Eg: Poverty is a canker in the body politic; it must be cured. )

aloof

apart; reserved (Eg: Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed. )

gyroscope

apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc. (Eg: By using a rotating gyroscope, they were able to stabilize the vessel, counteracting the rolling movements )

guise

appearance; costume (Eg: In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case. )

accost

approach and speak first to a person (Eg: When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me. )

apposite

appropriate; fitting (Eg: He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion. )

approbation

approval (Eg: Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation. )

endorse

approve; support (Eg: Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse. )

countenance

approve; tolerate (Eg: He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part. )

felicitous

apt; suitably expressed; well chosen (Eg: He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many )

conduit

aqueduct; passageway for fluids (Eg: Water was brought to the army in the desert by an improvised conduit from the adjoining mountain. )

fervid

ardent (Eg: Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission. )

fervent

ardent; hot (Eg: She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved. )

haggle

argue about prices (Eg: I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am )

disputatious

argumentative; fond of argument (Eg: People avoided discussing contemporary problems with him because of his disputatious manner. )

cohorts

armed band (Eg: Caesar and his Roman cohorts conquered almost all of the known world. )

incite

arouse to action (Eg: The demogogue incited the mob to take action into its own hands. )

graduated

arraged by degree (of height, difficulty, etc.) (Eg: Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the )

codify

arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify (Eg: )

apprehend

arrest ( a criminal); dread; perceive (Eg: The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long. )

advent

arrival (Eg: Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached )

hubris

arrogance; excessive self-conceit (Eg: Filled with hubris, Lear refused to heed his friends' warnings. )

incendiary

arsonist (Eg: The fire spread in such an unusual manner that the fire department chiefs were certain that it had been set )

choreography

art of dancing (Eg: Martha Graham introduced a form of choreography that seemed awkward and alien to those who had )

dialectic

art of debate (Eg: I am not skilled in dialectic and therefore, cannot answer your arguments as forcefully as I wish. )

dictum

arthoritative and weighty statement (Eg: She repeated the statement as though it were the dictum of the most expert worker in the group. )

culvert

artificial channel for water (Eg: If we build a culvert under the road at this point, we will reduce the possibility of the road at this point, we )

affected

artificial; pretended (Eg: His affected mannerisms irritated may of us who had known him before his promotion. )

factitous

artificial; sham (Eg: Hollywood actresses often create factitious tears by using glycerine. )

attribute

ascribe; explain (Eg: I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents. )

ashen

ash-colored; deadly pale (Eg: Her face was ashen with fear. )

assail

assault (Eg: He was assailed with questions after his lecture. )

convene

assemble (Eg: Because much is needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in )

acquiesce

assent; agree passively (Eg: Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about )

abet

assist, usually in doing something wrong (Eg: She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned. )

consort

associate with (Eg: We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort. )

imposture

assuming a false identity; masquerade (Eg: She was imprisoned for her imposture of a doctor. )

heinous

atrocious; hatefully bad (Eg: Hitler's heinous crimes will never be forgotten. )

append

attach (Eg: I shall append this chart to my report. )

affix

attach or add on; fasten (Eg: First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal. )

iconoclastic

attacking cherished traditions (Eg: George Bernard Shaw's iconoclastic plays often startled more conventional people. )

culmination

attainment of highest point (Eg: His inauguration as President of the United States marked the culmination of his political career. )

engage

attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront (Eg: "Your case has engaged my interest, my lord," said Holmes, "You many engage my services." )

comely

attractive; agreeable (Eg: I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one. )

impute

attribute; ascribe (Eg: If I wished to impute blame to the officers in charge of this program, I would state my feelings definitely )

covetous

avaricious; eagerly desirous of (Eg: The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates. )

antipathy

aversion; dislike (Eg: His extreme antipathy to dispute caused him to avoid argumentative discussions with his friends. )

eschew

avoid (Eg: He tried to eschew all display of temper. )

accolade

award of merit (Eg: In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade. )

hinterlands

back country (Eg: They seldom had visitors, living as they did way out in the hinderlands. )

equilibrium

balance (Eg: After the divorce, he needed some time to regain his equilibrium. )

equipoise

balance; balancing force; equilibrium (Eg: The high-wire acrobat used his pole as an equipose to overcome the swaying caused by the wind. )

embargo

ban on commerce or other activity (Eg: As a result of the embargo, trade with colonies was at a standstill. )

insolvent

bankrupt; lacking money to pay (Eg: When rumors that he was insolvent reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the )

chaffing

bantering; joking (Eg: Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us. )

barrage

barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion (Eg: The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy canyons. )

hypothetical

based on assumptions or hypotheses (Eg: Why do we have to consider hypothetical cases when we have actual case histories that we may examine? )

empirical

based on experience (Eg: He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data. )

fundamental

basic; primary; essential (Eg: )

disparate

basically different; unrelated (Eg: It is difficult, if not impossible, to organize these disparate elements into a coherent whole. )

dote

be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline (Eg: Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the )

behoove

be suited to; be incumbent upon (Eg: In this time of crisis, it behooves all of us to remain calm and await the instructions of our superiors. )

appreciate

be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of (Eg: Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks ave her, whose value appreciated )

fructify

bear fruit (Eg: This peach tree should fructify in three years. )

comport

bear one's self; behave (Eg: He comported himself with great dignity. )

fruition

bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization (Eg: This building marks the fruition of all our aspirations and years of hard work. )

bestial

beastlike; brutal; inhuman (Eg: The Red Cross sought to put an end to the bestial treatment of prisoners of war. )

calligraphy

beautiful writing; excellent penmanship (Eg: As we examine ancient manuscripts, we became impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes. )

betroth

become engaged to marry (Eg: The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any )

ingratiate

become popular with (Eg: He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good graces. )

degenerate

become worse; deteriorate (Eg: As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet. )

implore

beg (Eg: He implored her to give him a second chance. )

importune

beg persistently (Eg: Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for contributions so frequently that she )

inaugurate

begin formally; install in office (Eg: The candidate promised that he would inaugurate a new nationwide health care plan as soon as he was )

initiate

begin; originate; receive into a group (Eg: The college is about to initiate a program for reducing math anxiety among students. )

conception

beginning; forming of a idea (Eg: At the first conception of the work, he was consulted. )

incipient

beginning; in an early stage (Eg: I will go to sleep early for I want to break an incipient cold. )

genesis

beginning; origin (Eg: Tracing the genesis of a family is the theme of "Roots." )

demeanor

behavior; bearing (Eg: His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers. )

decapitate

behead (Eg: They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. )

arrears

being in debt (Eg: He was in arrears with his payments on the car. )

credence

belief (Eg: Do not place any credence in his promises. )

credulity

belief on slight evidence (Eg: The witch doctor took advantage of the credulity of the superstitious natives. )

fatalism

belief that events are determined by forces beyond one's control (Eg: With fatalism, he accepted the hardships that beset him. )

hedonism

belief that pleasure is the sole aim in life (Eg: hedonism and asceticism are opposing philosophies of human behavior. )

disparage

belittle (Eg: Do not disparage anyone's contribution; these little gifts add up to large sums. )

genuflect

bend the knee as in worship (Eg: A proud denocrat, he refused to genuflect to any man. )

beleaguer

besiege (Eg: As soon as the city was beleaguered, the life became more subdued as the citizens began their long wait for )

condescend

bestow courtesies with a superior air (Eg: The king condescended to grant an audience to the friends of the condemned man. )

indubitably

beyond a doubt (Eg: Because her argument was indubitably valid, the judge accepted it. )

indenture

bind as servant or apprentice to master (Eg: Many immigrants could come to America only after they had indentured themselves for several years. )

astringent

binding; causing contraction; harsh or severe (Eg: The astringent quality of unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult. )

diatribe

bitter scolding; invective (Eg: During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled. )

gall

bitterness; nerve (Eg: The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall. )

denigrate

blacken (Eg: All attempts to denigrate the character of our late President have failed; the people still love him and )

censure

blame; criticize (Eg: He was censured for his inappropriate behavior. )

blanch

bleach; whiten (Eg: Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic. )

hallowed

blessed; consecrated (Eg: She was laid to rest in hallowed ground. )

beatitude

blessedness; state of bliss (Eg: Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude. )

benison

blessing (Eg: Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world. )

benediction

blessing (Eg: The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction. )

boon

blessing; benefit (Eg: The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community. )

chauvinist

blindly devoted patriot (Eg: A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be. )

filibuster

block legislation by making long speeches (Eg: Even though we disapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to )

hindrance

block; obstacle (Eg: Stalled cars along the highway are a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks should remove without delay. )

gory

bloody (Eg: The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre. )

doldrums

blues; listlessness; slack period (Eg: Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums. )

brusque

blunt; abrupt (Eg: She was offended by his brusque reply. )

braggart

boaster (Eg: Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves. )

braggadocio

boasting (Eg: He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio. )

corporeal

bodily; material (Eg: He was not a churchgoer; he was interested only in corporeal matters. )

hierarchy

body divided into ranks (Eg: It was difficult to step out of one's place in this hierarchy. )

clientele

body of customers (Eg: The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele. )

guffaw

boisterous laughter (Eg: The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committe had not yet )

hilarity

boisterous mirth (Eg: The hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning. )

dauntless

bold (Eg: Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment. )

catechism

book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer (Eg: He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer. )

churlish

boorish; rude (Eg: Dismayed by his churlish manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again. )

abut

border upon; adjoin (Eg: Where our estates abut, we must build a fence. )

blase

bored with pleasure or dissipation (Eg: Your blase attitude gives your students an erroneous impression of the joys of scholarship. )

ennui

boredom (Eg: The monotonous routine of hopital life induced a feeling of ennui which made him moody and irritable. )

abysmal

bottomless (Eg: His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance. )

dichotomy

branching into two parts (Eg: The dichotomy of our legislative system provides us with many safeguards. )

fortitude

bravery; courage (Eg: He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle. )

fray

brawl (Eg: The three musketeers were in the thick of fray. )

fracas

brawl; melee (Eg: The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents. )

harrow

break up ground after plowing; torture (Eg: I don't want to harrow you at this time by asking you to recall the details of your unpleasant experience. )

breach

breaking of contract or duty; fissure; gap (Eg: They found a breach in the enemy's fortifications and penetrated their lines. )

debacle

breaking up; downfall (Eg: )

fancier

breeder or dealer of animals (Eg: The dog fancier exhibited her prize collie at the annual Kennel Club show. )

concise

brief and compact (Eg: When you define a new word, be concise; the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember. )

laconic

brief and to the point (Eg: Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words. )

glossary

brief explanation of words used in the text (Eg: I have found the glossary in this book very useful; it has eliminated many trips to the dictionary. )

compendium

brief, comprehensive summary (Eg: This text can serve as a compendium of the tremendous amount of new material being developed in this )

illuminate

brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten (Eg: Just as a lamp can illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem. )

incur

bring upon oneself (Eg: His parents refused to pay any future debts he might incur. )

farce

broad comedy; mockery (Eg: Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce. )

contusion

bruise (Eg: )

atrocity

brutal deed (Eg: In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies. )

bugaboo

bugbear; object of baseless terror (Eg: If we become frightened by such bugaboos, we are no wiser than the birds who fear scarecrows. )

fabricate

build; lie (Eg: Because of the child's tendency to fabricate, we had trouble believing her. )

browbeat

bully; intimidate (Eg: Billy resisted Ted's attempts to browbeat him into handing over his lunch money. )

encumber

burden (Eg: Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage, when they take short trips. )

incubus

burden; mental care; nightmare (Eg: The incubus of financial worry helped bring on her nervous breakdown. )

cauterize

burn with hot iron or caustic (Eg: In order to prevent infection, the doctor cauterized the wound. )

caustic

burning; sarcastically biting (Eg: The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm. )

inter

bury (Eg: They are going to inter the body tomorrow ar Broadlawn Cemetry. )

entrepreneur

businessperson; contractor (Eg: Opponents of our present tax program argue that it discourages entrepreneurs from trying new fields of )

catastrophe

calamity (Eg: The Johnstown flood was a catastrophe. )

actuarial

calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics (Eg: According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago. )

fanfare

call by bugles or trumpets; showy display (Eg: The exposition was opened with fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon. )

evoke

call forth (Eg: He evoked much criticism by his hostile manner. )

convoke

call together (Eg: Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. )

invoke

call upon; ask for (Eg: She invoked her advisor's aid in filling out her financial aid forms. )

dispassionate

calm; impartial (Eg: In a dispassionate analysis of the problem, he carefully examined the causes of the conflict and proceeded )

allay

calm; pacify (Eg: The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled. )

halcyon

calm; peaceful (Eg: In those halcyon days, people were not worried about sneak attacks and bombings. )

imperturbable

calm; placid (Eg: Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation in spite of the hyteria and panic )

equanimity

calmness of temperament (Eg: In his later years, he could look upon the foolishness of the world with equanimity and humor. )

expunge

cancel; remove (Eg: If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your record. )

countermand

cancel; revoke (Eg: The general countermand the orders issued in his absence. )

ambidextrous

capable of using either hand with equal ease (Eg: A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous. )

enthrall

capture; enslave (Eg: From the moment he saw her picture, he was enthralled by her beauty. )

inadvertently

carelessly; unintentionally; by oversight (Eg: She inadvertently omitted two questions on the examination and mismarked her answer sheet. )

cavalier

casual and offhand; arrogant (Eg: Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's cavalier dismissal of her )

cursory

casual; hastily done (Eg: A cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson; a more extensive study should be )

descry

catch sight of (Eg: In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels. )

grievance

cause of complaint (Eg: When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union. )

bane

cause of ruin (Eg: Lack of public transportation is the bane of urban life. )

germinate

cause to sprout; sprout (Eg: After the seeds germinate and develop their permanent leaves, the plants may be removed from the cold )

engender

cause; produce (Eg: To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child. )

carcinogenic

causing cancer (Eg: Many supposedly harmless substances have been revealed to be carcinogenic. )

analgesic

causing insensitivity to pain (Eg: The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief. )

chary

cautious; sparing or restrained about giving (Eg: A prudent, thrifty New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary )

hap

chance; luck (Eg: In his poem hap, Thomas Hardy objects to the part chance plays in our lives. )

gerrymander

change in voting district lines in order to favor a political party (Eg: The illogical pattern of the map of this congressional district is proof that the state legislature )

innovation

change; introduction of something new (Eg: She loved innovatins just because they were new. )

fickle

changeable; faithless (Eg: He discovered his supposedly faithful girlfriend was fickle )

generic

characteristic of an entire class or species (Eg: Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she )

indict

charge (Eg: If the grand jury indicts the suspect, he will go to trial. )

arraign

charge in court; indict (Eg: After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court. )

impeach

charge with crime in office; indict (Eg: The angry congressman wanted to impeach the President for his misdeeds. )

amulet

charm; talisman (Eg: Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her. )

idyllic

charmingly carefree; simple (Eg: Far from the city, she led an idyllic existence in her rural retreat. )

babble

chatter idly (Eg: The little girl babbled about her doll. )

cozen

cheat; hoodwink; swindle (Eg: He was the kind of individual who would cozen his friends in a cheap card game but remain eminently )

fraudulent

cheating; deceitful (Eg: The government seeks to prevent fraudulent and misleading advertising. )

alacrity

cheerful promptness (Eg: He demonstrated his eagerness to serve by his alacrity in executing the orders of his master. )

geniality

cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy (Eg: This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor, who tries to make )

cardinal

chief (Eg: If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is to read. )

infantile

childish; infantlike (Eg: When will he outgrow such infantile behavior? )

indiscriminate

choosing at random; confused (Eg: She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing and decided to restrict him to educational )

curmudgeon

churlish, miserly individual (Eg: Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and )

friction

clash in opinion; rubbing against (Eg: At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to have any friction in our group. )

expurgate

clean; remove offensive parts of a book (Eg: The editors felt that certain passages in the book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the )

bouillon

clear beef soup (Eg: The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold )

exculpate

clear from blame (Eg: He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal confessed. )

ingenious

clever (Eg: He came up with a use for Styrofoam packing balls that was so ingenious that his business school )

clamber

climb by crawling (Eg: She clambered over the wall. )

compress

close; squeeze; contract (Eg: She compressed the package under her arm. )

array

clothe; adorn (Eg: She liked to watch her motherarray herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening. )

buffoonery

clowning (Eg: John Candy's buffoonery in Uncle Buck was hilarious. )

bludgeon

club; heavy-headed weapon (Eg: His walking stick served him as a bludgeon on many occasions. )

gauche

clumsy; boorish (Eg: Such remarks are gauche and out of place; you should apologize for making them. )

fodder

coarse food for cattle, horses etc. (Eg: One of Nancy's chores ar the ranch was to put fresh supplies of fodder in the horses' stalls. )

abusive

coarsely insulting; physically harmful (Eg: An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically. )

cajole

coax; wheedle (Eg: I will not be cajoled into granting your wish. )

convoluted

coiled around; involved; intricate (Eg: His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow a it intelligently. )

bleak

cold; cheerless (Eg: The Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts. )

clavicle

collarbone (Eg: Even though he wore shoulder pads, the football player broke his clavicle during a practice scrimmage. )

amass

collect (Eg: The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible. )

agglomeration

collection; heap (Eg: It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip. )

hue

color; aspect (Eg: The aviary contained birds of every possible hue. )

compound

combine; constitute; pay interest; increase (Eg: The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine. )

coalesce

combine; fuse (Eg: The brooks coalesce into one large river. )

amalgamate

combine; unite in one body (Eg: The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body. )

accrue

come about by addition (Eg: You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. )

intervene

come between (Eg: She intervened in the argument between her two sons. )

converge

come together (Eg: Marchers converged on Washington for the great Save Our Cities-Save Our Children March. )

fiat

command (Eg: I cannot accept government by fiat; I feel that I must be consulted. )

enjoin

command; order; forbid (Eg: The owners of the company asked the court to enjoin the union from picketing the plant. )

embark

commence; go on board a boat; begin a journey (Eg: In devoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost )

annotate

comment; make explanatory notes (Eg: In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references. )

hackneyed

commonplace; trite (Eg: The English teacher criticized her story because of its hackneyed and unoriginal plot. )

analogous

comparable (Eg: She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that )

grouse

complain; fuss (Eg: Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dornitory food. )

consummate

complete (Eg: I have never seem anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate idiot. )

complement

complete; consummate; make perfect (Eg: The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. )

integral

complete; necessary for completeness (Eg: Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are )

absolute

complete; totally unlimited; certain (Eg: Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife )

imbroglio

complicated situation; perplexity; entanglement (Eg: He was called in to settle the imbroglio but failed to bring harmony into the situation. )

improvise

compose on the spur of the moment (Eg: She would sit at the piano and improvise for hours on themes from Bach and Handel. )

fathom

comprehend; investigate (Eg: I find his motives impossible to fathom. )

constraint

compulsion; repression of feelings (Eg: There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker. )

egotism

conceit; vanity (Eg: She thought so much of herself that we found her egotism unwarranted and irritating. )

brevity

conciseness (Eg: brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word. )

coda

concluding section of a musical or literary composition (Eg: The piece concluded with a distinctive coda that strikingly brought together various motifs. )

finale

conclusion (Eg: It is not until we reach the finale of this play that we can understand the author's message. )

denounce

condemn; critcize (Eg: The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust. )

deign

condescend (Eg: He felt that he would debase himself if he deigned to answer his critics. )

anemia

condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles (Eg: The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. )

contingent

conditional (Eg: The continuation of this contract is contingent on the quality of your first output. )

bestow

confer (Eg: He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero. )

corroborate

confirm (Eg: Unless we find a witness to corroborate your evidence, it will not stand up in court. )

compliance

conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield (Eg: The design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code. )

fluster

confuse (Eg: The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply. )

befuddle

confuse thoroughly (Eg: His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only on befuddling her further. )

confound

confuse; puzzle (Eg: No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long. )

disconcert

confuse; upset; embarrass (Eg: The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary. )

hubbub

confused uproar (Eg: )

discombobulated

confused; discomposed (Eg: The novice square dancer became so discombobulated that he wandered into wrong set. )

bemused

confused; lost in thought; preoccupied (Eg: Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face. )

gourmet

connoisseur of food and drink (Eg: The gourmet stated that this was the best onion soup she had ever tasted. )

epicure

connoisseur of food and drink (Eg: epicures frequent this restaurant because it features exotic wines and dishes. )

anoint

consecrate (Eg: The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel. )

corollary

consequence; accompaniment (Eg: Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with a sibling rivalry its natural corollary. )

deliberate

consider; ponder; unhurried (Eg: Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she made her decision. )

flagrant

conspicuously wicked (Eg: We cannot condone such flagrant violations of the rules. )

collusion

conspiring in a fraudulent scheme (Eg: The swindlers were found guilty of collusion. )

despicable

contemptible (Eg: Your despicable remarks call for no reply. )

din

continued loud noise (Eg: The din of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice. )

knit

contract into wrinkles (Eg: Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown. )

belie

contradict; give a false impression (Eg: His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity. )

contravene

contradict; oppose: infringe on or transgress (Eg: Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert )

foil

contrast (Eg: In "Star Wars," dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker. )

antithesis

contrast; direct opposite of or to (Eg: This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength. )

ascendancy

controlling influence (Eg: President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendency over Philippines. )

amenities

convenient features; courtesies (Eg: )

cogent

convincing (Eg: She presented cogent arguments to the jury. )

facsimilie

copy (Eg: Many museums sell facsimilies of the works of art on display. )

cadaver

corpse (Eg: In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers. )

disabuse

correct a false impression; undeceive (Eg: I will attempt to diabuse you of your impression of my client's guilt; I know he is innocent. )

emend

correct, usually a text (Eg: The critic emended the book by retranslating several passages. )

amend

correct; change, generally for the better (Eg: Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States. )

emendation

correction of errors; improvement (Eg: Please initial all the emendations you have made in this contract. )

congruence

correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship (Eg: The student demonstrated the congruence of the two triangles by using the hypotenuse-arm theorem. )

debauch

corrupt; make intemperate (Eg: A vicious newspaper can debauch public ideals. )

depravity

corruption; wickedness (Eg: The depravity of the tyrant's behavior shocked us all. )

barrister

counselor-at-law (Eg: Galsworthy started as a barrister, but when he found the practice of law boring, turned to writing. )

bogus

counterfeit; not authentic (Eg: The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills. )

affable

courteous (Eg: Although he held a position of responsibility, he was an affable individual and could be reached by anyone )

deference

courteous regard for another's wish (Eg: In deference to his desires, the employers granted him a holiday. )

chivalrous

courteous; faithful; brave (Eg: chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds. )

comity

courtesy; civility (Eg: A spirit of comity should exist among nations. )

fawning

courting favor by cringing and flattering (Eg: She was constantly surrounded by a group of fawning admirers who had hoped to win some favor. )

glaze

cover with a thin and shiny surface (Eg: The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving hazardous. )

craven

cowardly (Eg: When he saw the enemy troops advancing, he had a craven impulse to run for his life. )

bovine

cowlike; placid and dull (Eg: Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery, she still preserved her air of bovine calm. )

crevice

crack; fissure (Eg: The mountain climbers found footholds in the tiny crevices in the mountainside. )

hurtle

crash; rush (Eg: The runaway train hurtled toward disaster. )

grovel

crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate (Eg: Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to grovel before our conquerors. )

credo

creed (Eg: I believe we may best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Goldren Rule. )

fissure

crevice (Eg: The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock. )

juncture

crisis;joining point (Eg: At this critical juncture, let us think carefully before determining the course we shall follow. )

censorious

critical (Eg: censorious people delight in casting blame. )

animadversion

critical remark (Eg: He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true. )

askew

crookedly; slanted; at an angle (Eg: When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed. )

horde

crowd (Eg: Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers. )

diadem

crown (Eg: The king's diadem was on display at the museum. )

crux

crucial point (Eg: This is the crux of the entire problem. )

fell

cruel; deadly (Eg: The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease )

elixir

cure-all; something invigorating (Eg: The news of her chance to go abroad acted on her like an elixir. )

imprecation

curse (Eg: Roused from the bed at what he considered an ungodly hour, Roy muttered imprecations under his breath. )

anathematize

curse (Eg: The high priest anathematized the heretic. )

execrate

curse; express abhorrence for (Eg: The world execrates the memory of Hitler and hopes that genocide will never again be the policy of any )

aquiline

curved, hooked (Eg: He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle. )

convex

curving outward (Eg: He polished the convex lens of his telescope. )

excise

cut away; cut out (Eg: When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance )

dismember

cut into small parts (Eg: When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new countries were established. )

amputate

cut off part of body; prune (Eg: When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the )

hew

cut to pieces with ax or sword (Eg: The cavalry rushed into melee and hewed the enemy with their swords. )

incisive

cutting; sharp (Eg: His incisive remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans. )

diurnal

daily (Eg: A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows, for example, must be milked regularly. )

humid

damp (Eg: She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area. )

dank

damp (Eg: The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy. )

hazardous

dangerous (Eg: Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your application. )

audacious

daring; bold (Eg: Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death-defying leap to )

eclipse

darken; extinguish; surpass (Eg: The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1985. )

defunct

dead; no longer in use or existence (Eg: The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation. )

demise

death (Eg: Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed. )

decomposition

decay (Eg: Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man. )

decadence

decay (Eg: The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period. )

guile

deceit; duplicity (Eg: She achieved her high position by guile and treachery. )

delude

deceive (Eg: Do not delude yourself into believing that he will relent. )

hoodwink

deceive; delude (Eg: Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he was extremely cautious when he went to )

illusive

deceiving (Eg: This is only a mirage; let us not be fooled by its illusive effect. )

artifice

deception; trickery (Eg: The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military )

illusory

deceptive; not real (Eg: Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom's profits proved illusory. )

delusive

deceptive; raising vain hopes (Eg: Do not raise your hopes on the basis of his delusive promises. )

conclusive

decisive; ending all debate (Eg: When the stolen books turned up in John's locker, we finally had conclusive evidence of the identity of the )

hatch

deck opening; lid covering a deck opening (Eg: The latch on the hatch failed to catch, so the hatch remained unlatched. )

avow

declare openly (Eg: I must avow that I am innocent. )

decipher

decode (Eg: I could not decipher the doctor's handwriting. )

garnish

decorate (Eg: Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato. )

adorn

decorate (Eg: Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. )

consecrate

dedicate; sanctify (Eg: We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose. )

infer

deduce; conclude (Eg: We must be particularly cautious when we infer that a person is guilty on the basis of circumstantial )

exploit

deed or action, particularly a brave deed (Eg: Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his exploits in rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces. )

inveterate

deep-rooted; habitual (Eg: She is an inveterate smoker and cannot break the habit. )

ingrained

deeply established; firmly rooted (Eg: Try as they would, the missionaries were unable to uproot the ingrained superstitions of the natives. )

discredit

defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve (Eg: )

foil

defeat; frustrate (Eg: In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader's diabolical schemes. )

demean

degrade; humiliate (Eg: He felt that he would demean himself if he replied to the scurrilous letter. )

apotheosis

deification; glorification (Eg: The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too, )

crestfallen

dejected; dispirited (Eg: We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen, he was busily )

demur

delay; object (Eg: To demur at this time will only worsen the already serious situation; now is the time for action. )

belated

delayed (Eg: He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just )

dilatory

delaying (Eg: Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the contract. )

finesse

delicate skill (Eg: The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon impressed the observers in the operating room. )

filigree

delicate, lacelike metalwork (Eg: The pendant with gold filigree that she wore round her neck trembled with each breath she took. )

consign

deliver officially; entrust; set apart (Eg: The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother's care. )

acquittal

deliverance from a charge (Eg: His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. )

cataclysm

deluge; upheaval (Eg: A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries. )

hallucination

delusion (Eg: I think you were frightened by a hallucination that you created in you own mind. )

laborious

demanding much work or care; tedious (Eg: In putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task. )

disavowal

denial; disclaiming (Eg: His disavowal of his part in the conspiracy was not believed by the jury. )

centigrade

denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius) (Eg: )

inveigh

denounce; utter censure or invective (Eg: )

gainsay

deny (Eg: She was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report. )

atheistic

denying the existence of God (Eg: His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers. )

abscond

depart secretly and hide (Eg: The teller absconded with the bonds and was not found. )

exodus

departure (Eg: The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday evenings. )

despondent

depressed; gloomy (Eg: )

disenfranchise

deprive of a civil right (Eg: The imposition if the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote. )

bereft

deprived of; lacking (Eg: The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds. )

devolve

deputize; pass to others (Eg: It devolved upon us, the survivors, to arrange peace terms with the enemy. )

deducible

derived byreasoning (Eg: If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible. )

forsake

desert; abandon; renounce (Eg: No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run off with another woman. )

defection

desertion (Eg: The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause. )

culpable

deserving blame (Eg: Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable. )

invidious

designed to create ill will or envy (Eg: We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was. )

annihilate

destroy (Eg: The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population. )

defoliate

destroy leaves (Eg: In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands. )

demolition

destruction (Eg: One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the )

holocaust

destruction by fire (Eg: Citizens of San Francisco remember that the destruction of the city was caused not by the earthquake but )

carnage

destruction of life (Eg: The carnage that can be caused by atomic warfare adds to the responsibilities of our statesmen. )

canvass

determine or seek opinions, votes, etc. (Eg: After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the )

bent

determined; natural talent or inclination (Eg: bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high )

dogged

determined;stubborn (Eg: Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long, dogged pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean. )

depose

dethrone; remove form office (Eg: The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government. )

die

device for stamping or impressing; mold (Eg: In coining pennies, workers at the old mint squeezed sheets of softened copper between two dies. )

diabolical

devilish (Eg: This scheme is so diabolical that I must reject it. )

disparity

difference; condition of inequality (Eg: The disparity in their ages made no difference at all. )

diverse

differing in some characteristics; various (Eg: There are diverse ways of approaching this problem. )

divergent

differing; deviating (Eg: The two witnesses presented the jury with remarkably divergent accounts of the same epipode. )

fastidious

difficult to please; squeamish (Eg: The waitresses disliked serving him dinner because of his very fastidious taste. )

exhume

dig out of the ground; remove from a grave (Eg: Because of the rumor that he had been poisoned, his body was exhumed in order that an autopsy might be )

disinter

dig up; unearth (Eg: They disinterred the body and held an autopsy. )

delve

dig; investigate (Eg: delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job. )

discursive

digressing; rambling (Eg: They were annoyed and bored by her discursive remarks. )

assiduous

diligent (Eg: It took Rembrandt weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son. )

application

diligent attention; (secondary meaning) apply (Eg: Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application. )

incapacitate

disable (Eg: During the winter, many people were incapacitated by respiratory ailments. )

dissent

disagree (Eg: In a landmark Supreme Court decision, Justice Marshall dissented from the majority opinion. )

disapprobation

disapproval; condemnation (Eg: The conservative father viewed his daughter's radical boyfriend with disapprobation. )

calamity

disaster; misery (Eg: As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community. )

dire

disastrous (Eg: People ignored her dire predictions of an approaching depression. )

exude

discharge; give forth (Eg: The maple syrup is obtained from the sap that the trees exude in early spring. )

chasten

discipline; punish in order to correct (Eg: Whom God loves, God chastens. )

faze

disconcert; dismay (Eg: No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager. )

disjointed

disconnected (Eg: His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning. )

dissonance

discord (Eg: Some contemporary musicians deliberately use dissonance to achieve certain effects. )

cacophony

discord (Eg: Some people seem to enjoy the cacophony of an orchestra that is tuning up. )

dishearten

discourage (Eg: His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him. )

bandy

discuss lightly; exchange blows or words (Eg: The president refused to bandy words with reporters at the press conference. )

ignominious

disgraceful (Eg: The country smarted under the ignominious defeat and dreamed of the day when it would be victorious. )

dissemble

disguise; pretend (Eg: Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew there not to dance )

fulsome

disgustingly excessive (Eg: His fulsome praise of the dictator annoyed his listeners. )

downcast

disheartened; sad (Eg: Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced. )

dissolution

disintegration; looseness in morals (Eg: The profligacy and dissolution of life in Caligula's Rome appall some historians. )

disaffected

disloyal (Eg: Once the most loyal of Gorbachev's supporters, Shverdnaze found himself becoming increasingly )

appal

dismay; shock (Eg: We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails. )

insubordinate

disobedient (Eg: The insubordinate private was confined to the barracks. )

contumacious

disobedient; resisting authority (Eg: The contumacious mob shouted defiantly at the police. )

disclaim

disown; renounce claim to (Eg: If I grant you this previlege, will you disclaim all other rights? )

belittle

disparage; depreciate (Eg: Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts. )

flaunt

display ostentatiously (Eg: She is not the one of those actresses who flaunt their physical charms; she can act. )

clemency

disposition ot be lenient; mildness, as of the weather (Eg: The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for )

contest

dispute (Eg: The defeated candidate attempted to contest the election results. )

discount

disregard (Eg: Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife. )

dissident

dissenting; rebellious (Eg: In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tianamen Square, the government hunted down )

heterogeneous

dissimilar (Eg: In a heterogeneous group, we have an unassorted assemblage, while in a homogeneous group we have )

disband

dissolve; disperse (Eg: The chess club disbanded after its disastrous initial season. )

girth

distance around something; circunference (Eg: It took an extra-large cummerbund to fit around Andrew Carnegie's considerable girth. )

cloying

distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental (Eg: Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose a homemade carrot cake )

discernible

distinguishable; perceivable (Eg: The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog. )

awry

distorted; crooked (Eg: )

caricature

distortion; burlesque (Eg: The caricatures he drew always emphasized personal weaknesses of the people he burlesqued. )

bifurcated

divided into two branches; forked (Eg: With a bifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber, he made a crude but effective slingshot. )

charisma

divine gift; great popular charm or appeal (Eg: Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of television )

canto

division of a long poem (Eg: Dante's poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos. )

asceticism

doctrine of self-denial (Eg: We find asceticism practiced in many monastries. )

homespun

domestic; made at home (Eg: homespun wit, like homespun cloth, was often coarse and plain. )

hegemony

dominance, especially of one nation over others (Eg: As one Eastern European nation after another declared its independence, commentators marveled at the )

deplicity

double-dealing; hypocrisy (Eg: People were shocked and dismayed when they learned of his duplicity in this affair, as he had always )

impugn

doubt; challenge; gainsay (Eg: I cannot impugn your honesty without evidence. )

dubious

doubtful (Eg: He has the dubious distinction of being the lowest man in his class. )

equivocal

doubtful; ambiguous (Eg: Macbeth was misled by the equivocal statements of the witches. )

declivity

downward slope (Eg: The children loved to ski down the declivity. )

conscript

draftee; person forced into military service (Eg: Did Rambo volunteer to fight in Vietnam, or was he a conscript, drafted against his will? )

elicit

draw out by discussion (Eg: The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot. )

bedizen

dress with vulgar finery (Eg: The witch doctors were bedizened in their gaudiest costumes. )

flotsam

drifting wreckage (Eg: Beachcombers eke out a living by salvaging the flotsam and jetsam of the sea. )

imbibe

drink in (Eg: The dry soil imbibed the rain quickly. )

ferret

drive or hunt out of hiding (Eg: She was ferreted out their secret. )

exorcise

drive our evil spirits (Eg: By incantation and prayer, the medicine man sought to exorcise the evil spirits that had taken possession of )

flag

droop; grow feeble (Eg: When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first period, the home team's )

anodyne

drug that relieves pain; opiate (Eg: His pain was so great that no anodyne could relieve it. )

apothecary

druggist (Eg: In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills. )

bacchanalian

drunken (Eg: Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy. )

carousal

drunken revel (Eg: The party degenerated into an ugly carousal. )

desiccate

dry up (Eg: A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to )

arid

dry; barren (Eg: The cactus had adapted to survive in an arid environment. )

lackluster

dull (Eg: We were disappointed by the lackluster performance. )

drab

dull; lacking color; cheerless (Eg: The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore )

humdrum

dull; monotonous (Eg: After years of adventure, he could not settle down to a humdrum existence. )

dingy

dull; not fresh; cheerless (Eg: Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and )

effigy

dummy (Eg: The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in effigy. )

gnome

dwarf; underground spirit (Eg: In medieval mythology, gnomes were the special guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines. )

bulwark

earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends (Eg: The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion. )

assuage

ease; lessen(pain) (Eg: Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering. )

brittle

easily broken; difficult (Eg: My employer's brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her. )

combustible

easily burned (Eg: After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible )

gullible

easily deceived (Eg: He preyed upon gullible people, who believed his stories of easy wealth. )

accessible

easy to approach; obtainable (Eg: We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot. )

facile

easy; expert (Eg: Because he was a facile speaker, he never refused a request to address an organization. )

erode

eat away (Eg: The limestone was eroded by the dripping water )

corrosive

eating away by chemicals or disease (Eg: Stainless steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chemicals. )

crotchety

eccentric; whimsical (Eg: Although he was reputed to be a crochety old gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and )

articulate

effective; distinct (Eg: Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers. )

economy

efficiency or conciseness in using something (Eg: Reading the epigrams of Pope, I admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of )

effectual

efficient (Eg: If we are to succeed, we must seek effectual means of securing our goals. )

exertion

effort; expenditure of much physical work (Eg: The exertion involved in unscrewing the rusty bolt left her exhausted. )

component

element; ingredient (Eg: I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same time. )

dismiss

eliminate from consideration; reject (Eg: Believing in John's love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful. )

abash

embarrass (Eg: He was not at all abashed by her open admiration. )

detached

emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent (Eg: A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with her patients' perssonal )

embed

enclose; place in something (Eg: Tales of actual historical figures like King Alfred have become embedded in legends. )

environ

enclose; surround (Eg: Paris was environed by a wall )

aviary

enclosure for birds (Eg: The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds. )

hortatory

encouraging; exhortive (Eg: The crowd listened to his hortatory statements with ever-growing excitement; finally they rushed from the )

interminable

endless (Eg: Although his speech lasted for only twenty minutes, it seemed interminable to his bored audience. )

incarnate

endowed with flesh; personified (Eg: Your attitude is so fiendish that you must be a devil incarnate. )

gusto

enjoyment; enthusiasm (Eg: He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary. )

amplify

enlarge (Eg: Her attempts to amplify her remarks were drowned out by the jeers of the audience. )

astronomical

enormously large or extensive (Eg: The government seemed willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development. )

incense

enrage; infuriate (Eg: Unkindness to children incensed her. )

devotee

enthusiastic follower (Eg: A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year. )

allure

entice; attract (Eg: allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef. )

gamut

entire range (Eg: In this performance, the leading lady was able to demonstrate the complete gamut of her acting ability. )

entree

entrance; a way in (Eg: Because of his wealth and social position, he had entree into the most exclusive circles. )

ambience

environment; atmosphere (Eg: She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience. )

gourmand

epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink (Eg: goumands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it. )

commensurate

equal in extent (Eg: Your reward will be commensurate with your effort. )

accoutre

equip (Eg: The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply )

delete

erase; strike out (Eg: If you delete this paragraph, the composition will have more appeal. )

blunder

error (Eg: The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture. )

gist

essence (Eg: she was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentence. )

attribute

essential quality (Eg: His outstanding attribute was his kindness. )

intrinsically

essentially; inherently; naturally (Eg: Although my grandmother's china has intrinsically little value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it )

appraise

estimate the value of (Eg: It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. )

assessment

estimation; appraisal (Eg: I would like to have your assessment of the situation in South Africa. )

elusive

evasive; baffling; hard to grasp (Eg: His elusive dreams of wealth were costly to those of his friends who supported him financially. )

biennial

every two years (Eg: The group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones. )

gestate

evolve, as in prenatal growth (Eg: While this scheme was being gestated by the conspirators, they maintained complete silence about their )

inflated

exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas) (Eg: His claims about the new product were inflated; it did not work as well as he had promised. )

hyperbole

exaggeration; overstatement (Eg: This salesman is guilty of hyperbole in describing his product; it is wise to discount his claims. )

autopsy

examination of a dead body; postmortem (Eg: The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death. )

audit

examination of accounts (Eg: When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the )

collate

examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order (Eg: They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age. )

exorbitant

excessive (Eg: The people grumbled at his exorbitant prices but paid them because he had a monopoly. )

egoism

excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in (Eg: others )

fanaticism

excessive zeal (Eg: The leader of the group was held responsible even though he could not control the fanaticism of his )

hypercritical

excessively exacting (Eg: You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes. )

garrulous

excessively talkative, especially about unimportant subjects; loquacious; wordy (Eg: Many club members avoided the company of the garrulous junior executive because his contant chatter )

ejaculation

exclamation (Eg: He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard the news. )

grueling

exhausting (Eg: The marathon is a grueling race. )

iridescent

exhibiting rainbowlike colors (Eg: She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the surface of the water. )

expatriate

exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land (Eg: Henry James was an American expatriate who settled in England. )

congenital

existing at birth (Eg: His congenital deformity disturbed his parents. )

egress

exit (Eg: Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and )

dilate

expand (Eg: In the dark, the pupils of your eyes dilate. )

distend

expand;swell out (Eg: I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead. )

belabor

explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally (Eg: The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring his point. )

elucidate

explain; enlighten (Eg: He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article. )

construe

explain; interpret (Eg: If I construe your remarks correctly, you disagree with the theory already advanced. )

explicate

explain; interpret; clarify (Eg: Harry Levin explicated James Joyce's novels with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed )

exegesis

explanation, especially of biblical passages (Eg: I can follow your exegesis of this passage to a limited degree; some of your reasoning eludes me. )

expository

explanatory; serving to explain (Eg: The mannual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece of expository prose: its explanations were so )

detonation

explosion (Eg: The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away. )

debunk

expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule (Eg: Pointing out that he conhsistently had voted afainst strenghtening antipollution legislation, reporters )

jeopardy

exposure to death or danger (Eg: Legally, one cannot be placed in double jeopardy. )

deprecate

express disapproval of; protest against; belittle (Eg: A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new )

gloat

express evil satisfaction; view malevolently (Eg: As you gloat over your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded? )

decry

express strong disapproval of ; disparage (Eg: The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of )

condole

express sympathetic sorrow (Eg: His friends gathered to condole with him over his loss. )

derogatory

expressing a low opinion (Eg: I resent your derogatory remarks. )

eloquence

expressiveness; persuasive speech (Eg: The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King's eloquence. )

bowdlerize

expurgate (Eg: After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture's rating was changed )

cordon

extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress (Eg: The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area. )

extrinsic

external; not inherent; foreign (Eg: Do not be fooled by extrinsic causes. We must look for the intrinsic reason. )

jingoism

extremely aggressive and militant patriotism (Eg: We must be careful to prevent a spirit of jingoism from spreading at this time. )

exacting

extremely demanding (Eg: The colonies rebelled against the exacting financial claims of the mother country. )

blatant

extremely obvious; loudly offensive (Eg: Caught in a blatant lie, the scoundrel had only one regret: he wished that he had lied more subtly. )

destitute

extremely poor (Eg: The costs of the father's illness left the family destitute. )

astigmatism

eye defect that prevents proper focus (Eg: As soon as his parents discovered that the boy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the )

countenance

face (Eg: Whe Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance. )

founder

fail completely; sink (Eg: After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered. )

default

failure to do (Eg: As a result of her husband's failure to appear in court, she was granted a divorce by default. )

equitable

fair; impartial (Eg: I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute, one which will be fair and acceptable to both sides. )

equity

fairness; justice (Eg: Our courts guarantee equity to all. )

deciduous

falling off, as of leaves (Eg: The oak is a deciduous tree. )

delusion

false belief; hallucination (Eg: This scheme is a snare and a delusion. )

conversant

familiar with (Eg: The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence. )

grotesque

fantastic; comically hideous (Eg: On Halloween people enjoy wearing groteque costumes. )

chimerical

fantastic; highly imaginative (Eg: Poe's chimerical stories are sometimes too morbid for reading in bed. )

bizarre

fantastic; violently contrasting (Eg: The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed. )

kismet

fate (Eg: kismet is the Arabic word for "fate." )

beget

father; produce; give rise to (Eg: One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another. )

jaded

fatigued; surfeited (Eg: He looked for exotic foods to stimulate his jaded appetite. )

captious

faultfinding (Eg: His criticisms were always captious and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions. )

impeccable

faultless (Eg: He was proud of his impeccable manners. )

authoritarian

favoring or exercising total control; non-democratic (Eg: The people had no control over their destiny; they were forced to obey the dictates of the authoritarian )

auspicious

favoring success (Eg: With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail. )

intimidation

fear (Eg: A ruler who maintains his power by intimidation is bound to develop clandestine resistance. )

claustrophobia

fear of being locked in (Eg: His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room. )

hydrophobia

fear of water; rabies (Eg: A dog that bites a human being must be observed for symptoms of hydrophobia. )

apprehensive

fearful; discerning (Eg: His apprehensive glances at the people who were walking in the street revealed his nervousness. )

intrepid

fearless (Eg: For his intrepid conduct in battle, he was promoted. )

feckless

feeble, ineffective; unthinking, irresponsible (Eg: Einstein was noted for his extraordinary inspirations; on the other hand, he was noted for being feckless in )

commiserate

feel or express pity or sympathy for (Eg: Her friends commiserated with the widow. )

euphoria

feeling of exaggerated (or unfounded) well-being (Eg: "Jill's been on cloud nine ever since Jacj asked her out," said Betty, dismissing her friend's euphoria. )

ewe

female sheep (Eg: The flock of sheep was made up of dozens of ewes, together with only a handful of rams. )

amazon

female warrior (Eg: Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons. )

frond

fern leaf; palm or banana leaf (Eg: After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of palm trees. )

fecundity

fertility; fruitfulness (Eg: The fecundity of his mind is illustrated by the many vivid images in his poems. )

convivial

festive; gay; characterized by joviality (Eg: The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs. )

febrile

feverish (Eg: In his febrile condition, he was subject to nightmares and hallucinations. )

capricious

fickle; incalculable (Eg: The storm was capricious and changed course constantly. )

demoniac

fiendish (Eg: The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. )

dossier

file of documents on a subject (Eg: Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete dossier. )

fraught

filled (Eg: Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks. )

aversion

firm dislike (Eg: Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another. )

inherent

firmly established by nature or habit (Eg: His inherent love of justice compelled him to come to their aid. )

arable

fit for plowing (Eg: The land was no longer arable; erosion had removed the valuable topsoil. )

aptitude

fitness; talent (Eg: The counselor evaluated his aptitudes before advising him about the career he should follow. )

flaccid

flabby (Eg: His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles. )

gaudy

flashy; showy (Eg: Her gaudy taste in clothes apalled us. )

delta

flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river (Eg: His dissertation discussed the effect of intermittent flooding on the fertility of the Nile delta. )

blandishment

flattery (Eg: Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit. )

adulation

flattery; admiration (Eg: The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men. )

excoriate

flay; abrade (Eg: These shoes are so ill-fitting that they will excoriate the feet and create blisters. )

armada

fleet of warships (Eg: Queen Elizabeth's navy was able to defeat the mighty armada that threatened the English coast. )

fugitive

fleeting or transitory; roving (Eg: The film brought a few fugitive images to her mind, but on the whole it made no lasting impression upon )

evanescent

fleeting; vanishing (Eg: For a brief moment, the entire skyline was bathed in an orange-red hue in the evanescent rays of the )

carnal

fleshly (Eg: The public was more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters. )

coquette

flirt (Eg: Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette. )

deluge

flood; rush (Eg: When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications. )

florid

flowery; ruddy (Eg: His complexion was even more florid than usual because of his anger. )

influx

flowing into (Eg: The influx of refugees into the country has taxed the relief agencies severely. )

confluence

flowing together; crowd (Eg: They built the city at the confluence of two rivers. )

cursive

flowing, running (Eg: In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters. )

flux

flowing; series of changes (Eg: While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair. )

glib

fluent (Eg: He is a glib and articulate speaker. )

flit

fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by (Eg: Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one boyfriend to the next. )

balk

foil (Eg: When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt. )

ensue

follow (Eg: The evils that ensued were the direct result of the miscalculations of the leaders. )

endearment

fond word or act (Eg: Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence. )

ambrosia

food of the gods (Eg: ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it. )

fatuous

foolish; inane (Eg: He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks. )

extrude

force or push out (Eg: Much pressure is required to extrude these plastics. )

contrived

forced; artificial; not spontaneous (Eg: Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws; James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then )

duress

forcible restraint, especially unlawfully (Eg: The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners' demands were met. )

harbinger

forerunner (Eg: The crocus is an early harbinger of spring. )

bode

foreshadow; portend (Eg: The gloomy skies and the sulfurious odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who )

granulate

form into grains (Eg: Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar. )

discourse

formal disscussion; conversation (Eg: The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers. )

dissertation

formal essay (Eg: In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to )

citadel

fortress (Eg: The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel. )

aromatic

fragrant (Eg: Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe. )

chassis

framework and working parts of an automobile (Eg: Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the )

candor

frankness (Eg: The candor and simplicity of his speech impressed all, it was all clear he held nothing back. )

gratis

free (Eg: The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products. )

extricate

free; disentangle (Eg: He found that he could not extricate himself from the trap. )

impunity

freedom from punishment (Eg: The bully mistreated everyone in the class with impunity for he felt that no one would dare retaliate. )

congeal

freeze; coagulate (Eg: His blood congealed in his veins as he saw the dread monster rush toward him. )

berserk

frenzied (Eg: )

frenetic

frenzied; frantic (Eg: His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of operation. )

furor

frenzy; great excitement (Eg: The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on the stock exchange. )

amicable

friendly (Eg: The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words. )

debonair

friendly; aiming to please (Eg: The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner. )

amity

friendship (Eg: Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote )

facade

front of the building (Eg: The facade of the church had often been photographed by tourists because it was more interesting than )

husbandry

frugality; thrift; agriculture (Eg: He accumulated his small fortune by diligence and husbandry. )

baffle

frustrate; perplex (Eg: The new code baffled the enemy agents. )

buxom

full-bosomed; plump; jolly (Eg: High fashion models usually are slender rather than buxom. )

hindmost

furthest behind (Eg: The coward could always be found in the hindmost lines whenever a battle was being waged. )

jollity

gaiety; cheerfulness (Eg: The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and young alike joined in the general jollity. )

hiatus

gap; pause (Eg: Except for a brief two-year hiatus, during which she enrolled in the Peace Corps, Ms. Clements has )

glean

gather leavings (Eg: After the crops had been harvested by the machines, the peasants were permitted to glean the wheat left in )

garner

gather; store up (Eg: She hoped to garner the world's literature in one library. )

garish

gaudy (Eg: She wore a garish rhinestone necklace. )

blithe

gay; joyous; careless (Eg: Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song. )

consensus

general agreement (Eg: The consensus indicates that we are opposed to entering into this pact. )

fester

generate pus (Eg: When her finger began to fester, the doctor lanced it and removed the splinter that had caused the pus to )

benevolent

generous; charitable (Eg: His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. )

bountiful

generous; showing bounty (Eg: She distributed gifts in a bountiful and gracious manner. )

grisly

ghastly (Eg: She shuddered at the grisly sight. )

apparition

ghost; phantom (Eg: Hamlet was uncertain about the identity of the apparition that had appeared and spoken to him. )

benefactor

gift giver; patron (Eg: Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him a benediction. )

colossus

gigantic statue (Eg: The legendary Colossus of Rhodes, bronze statue of the sun god that dominated the harbor of the Greek )

burlesque

give an imitation that ridicules (Eg: In his caricature, he burlesqued the mannerisms of his adversary. )

foreshadow

give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure (Eg: In retrospect, political analysts realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his )

forgo

give up; do without (Eg: Determined to lose weight for the summer, Ida decided to forgo dessert until she could fit into a size eight )

gratuitous

given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for (Eg: Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion. )

jocose

given to joking (Eg: The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that he become a stand-up comic. )

beatific

giving bliss; blissful (Eg: The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy. )

carafe

glass water bottle (Eg: With each dinner, the patron receives a carafe of red or white wine. )

fervor

glowing ardor (Eg: Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love. )

disembark

go ashore; unload cargo from a ship (Eg: Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship's purser. )

chalice

goblet; consecrated cup (Eg: In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous )

devious

going astray; erratic (Eg: Your devious behavior in this matter puzzles me since you are usually direct and straightforward. )

bullion

gold and silver in the form of bars (Eg: Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox. )

jovial

good natured; merry (Eg: A frown seemed out of place on his invariably jovial face. )

camaraderie

good-fellowship (Eg: What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his co-workers shared. )

bantering

good-naturedly ridiculing (Eg: They resented his bantering remarks because they misinterpreted his teasing as sarcasm. )

bureaucracy

government by bureaus (Eg: Many people fear that the constant introduction of federal agencies will create a government by )

gerontocracy

government ruled by old people (Eg: Gulliver visited a gerontocracy in which the young people acted as servants to their elders, all the while )

cordial

gracious; heartfelt (Eg: Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug. )

encroachment

gradual intrusion (Eg: The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate. )

attrition

gradual wearing down (Eg: They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than to rely on all-out attack. )

herbivorous

grain-eating (Eg: Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food. )

demure

grave; serius; coy (Eg: )

conflagration

great fire (Eg: In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed. )

clout

great influence (especially political or social) (Eg: Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club. )

cataract

great waterfall; eye abnormality (Eg: She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls. )

cupidity

greed (Eg: The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute. )

avarice

greed for wealth (Eg: King Midas's avarice has been famous for centuries. )

avid

greedy; eager for (Eg: He was avid for learning and read everything he could get. )

gruesome

grisly (Eg: People screamed when her gruesome appearance was flashed on the screen. )

killjoy

grouch; spoilsport (Eg: At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that killjoy John started talking about how )

archipelago

group of closely located islands (Eg: When he looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them. )

junta

group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal (Eg: As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the )

coterie

group that meets socially; select circle (Eg: After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coteri that lunched daily at the hotel. )

burgeon

grow forth; send out buds (Eg: In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come. )

flourish

grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures (Eg: The orange trees flourished in the sun. )

cumulative

growing by addition (Eg: Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to )

accretion

growth; increase (Eg: The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power. )

arroyo

gully (Eg: Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed. )

inebriety

habitual intoxication (Eg: Because of his inebriety, he was discharged from his position as family chauffeur. )

banal

hackneyed; commonplace; trite (Eg: His frequent use of cliches made his essay seem banal. )

crone

hag (Eg: The toothless crone frightened us when she smiled. )

hackles

hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog (Eg: The dog's hackles rose and he began to growl as the sound of footsteps grew louder. )

coiffure

hairstyle (Eg: You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the 60's many African-Americans affirmed their )

hirsute

hairy (Eg: He was a hitsute individual with a heavy black beard. )

factotum

handyman; person who does all kinds of work (Eg: Although we had hired him as a messenger, we soon began to use him as a general factotum around the )

hover

hang about; wait nearby (Eg: The police helicopter hovered above the accident. )

concurrent

happening at the same time (Eg: In America, the colonists were resisting the demands of the mother contry; at the concurrent moment in )

felicity

happines; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.) (Eg: She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life. )

harry

harass, annoy, torment; raid (Eg: The guerrilla band harried the enemy nightly. )

bait

harass; tease (Eg: The soldiers baited the prisoners, terrorizing them. )

beset

harass; trouble (Eg: Many problems beset the American public school system. )

esoteric

hard to understand; known only to the chosen few (Eg: New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is if )

adamant

hard, inflexible (Eg: He was adamant in his determination to punish the wrongdoer. )

arduous

hard; strenuous (Eg: Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy. )

callous

hardened; unfeeling (Eg: He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffering in the wards. )

injurious

harmful (Eg: Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to your health. )

deleterious

harmful (Eg: Workers in nuclear research must avoid the deleterious effects of radioactive substances. )

detrimental

harmful; damaging (Eg: Your acceptance of her support will ultimately prove detrimental rather than helpful to your cause. )

defamation

harming a person's reputation (Eg: Such defamation of character may result in a slander suit. )

innocuous

harmless (Eg: Let him drink it; it is innocuous and will have no ill effect. )

compatible

harmonious; in harmony with (Eg: They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters. )

concord

harmony (Eg: Watching Tweediedum and Tweedledee battle, Alice wondered why the two brothers could not manage to )

consonance

harmony; agreement (Eg: Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm. )

conformity

harmony; agreement (Eg: In conformity with our rules and regulations, I am calling a meeting of our organization. )

expedite

hasten (Eg: We hope you will be able to expedite delivery because of our tight schedule. )

headlong

hasty; rash (Eg: The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom. )

incubate

hatch; scheme (Eg: Inasmuch as our supply of electricity is cut off, we shall have to rely on the hens to incubate these eggs. )

concentric

having a common center (Eg: The target was made of concentric circles. )

determinate

having a fixed order of procedure; invariable (Eg: At the royal wedding, the procession of the nobles followed a determinate order of precedence. )

decollete

having a low-cut neckline (Eg: )

capillary

having a very fine bore (Eg: The changes in surface tension of liquids in capillary vessels is of special interest to physicists. )

clairvoyant

having foresight; fortuneteller (Eg: Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans. )

anthropomorphic

having human form or characteristics (Eg: Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics. )

ciliated

having minute hairs (Eg: The paramecium is a ciliated, one-celled animal. )

authoritative

having the weight of authority; dictatorial (Eg: We accepted her analysis of the situation as authoritative. )

civil

having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite (Eg: Although internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax )

cognitive

having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental precesses (Eg: Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced )

fluted

having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar) (Eg: All that remained of the ancient building were the fluted columns. )

effeminate

having womanly traits (Eg: His voice was high-pitched and effeminate. )

hale

healthy (Eg: After a brief illness, he was soon hale. )

calorific

heat-producing (Eg: Coal is much more calorific than green wood. )

ardor

heat; passion; zeal (Eg: Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing )

celestial

heavenly (Eg: She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter. )

ballast

heavy substance used to add stability or weight (Eg: The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an )

cumbersome

heavy; hard to manage (Eg: He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels. )

communal

held in common; of a group of people (Eg: When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property. )

conducive

helpful; contributive (Eg: Rest and proper diet are conducive to good health. )

aristocracy

hereditary nobility; privileged class (Eg: Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy: )

halting

hesitant; faltering (Eg: Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words. )

falter

hesitate (Eg: When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once. )

flinch

hesitate; shrink (Eg: He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely. )

irony

hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning (Eg: Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing was merely irony; he was )

cache

hiding place (Eg: The detectives followed the suspects until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot. )

encomium

high praise; eulogy (Eg: Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise. )

eminent

high; lofty (Eg: After his appointment to this emiment position, he seldom had time for his former friends. )

intellect

higher mental powers (Eg: He thought college would develop his intellect. )

apogee

highest point (Eg: When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee. )

glaring

highly conspicuous; harshly bright (Eg: glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume will unfavorably impress potential employers. )

agog

highly excited; intensely curious (Eg: We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a )

baroque

highly ornate (Eg: Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of baroque )

coup

highly successful action or sudden attack (Eg: As the news of his coup spread throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him. )

impede

hinder; block (Eg: The special prosecutor determined that the Attorney General, though inept, had not intentionally set out to )

impediment

hindrance; stumbling-block (Eg: She had a speech impediment that prevented her from speaking clearly. )

intimate

hint (Eg: She intimated rather than stated her preferences. )

inkling

hint (Eg: This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans. )

insinuate

hint; imply (Eg: What are you trying to insinuate by that remark? )

innuendo

hint; insinuation (Eg: I can defend myself against direct accusations; innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what )

concave

hollow (Eg: The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff. )

domicile

home (Eg: Althoughhis legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away from his residence for many )

hermitage

home of a hermit (Eg: Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world. )

fete

honor at a festival (Eg: The returning hero was feted at a community supper and dance. )

kudos

honor; glory; praise (Eg: The singer complacently received kudos on his performance from his entourage. )

homage

honor; tribute (Eg: In her speech she tried to pay homage to a great man. )

cornucopia

horn overflowing wiht fruit and grain; symbol of abundance (Eg: The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an )

ghastly

horrible (Eg: The murdered man was a ghastly sight. )

aghast

horrified (Eg: He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host. )

animus

hostile feeling or intent (Eg: The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting )

antagonistic

hostile; opposed (Eg: Despite his lawyers' best efforts to stop him, the angry prisoner continued to make antagonistic remarks to )

choleric

hot-tempered (Eg: His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature. )

firebrand

hothead; troublemaker (Eg: The police triedto keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town. )

colossal

huge (Eg: Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage. )

behemoth

huge creature; something of monstrous size or power (Eg: Sportcasters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth." )

gargantuan

huge; enormous (Eg: The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice. )

enormity

hugeness (in a bad sense) (Eg: He did not realize the enormity of his crime until he saw what suffering he had caused. )

humility

humbleness of spirit (Eg: He spoke with a humility and lack of pride that impressed his listeners. )

indulgent

humoring; yielding; lenient (Eg: indulgent parents spoil their children by giving in to their every whim. )

facetious

humorous; jocular (Eg: Your facetious remarks are not appropriate at this serious moment. )

consort

husband or wife (Eg: The search for a consort for the young Queen Victoria ended happily. )

burly

husky; muscular (Eg: The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease. )

ideology

ideas of a group of people (Eg: That ideology is dangerous to this country because it embraces undemocratic philosophies. )

drone

idle person; male bee (Eg: Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone. )

enmity

ill will; hatred (Eg: At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented Egypt and Israel )

cantankerous

ill-humored; irritable (Eg: Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a )

illicit

illegal (Eg: The defense attorney claimed that the police had entrapped his client; that is, they had elicited the illicit )

contraband

illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods (Eg: The coast guard tries to prevent contraband in U.S. waters. )

fictitious

imaginary (Eg: Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious. )

fancied

imagined; unreal (Eg: You are resenting fancied insults. No one has ever said such things about you. )

ape

imitate or mimic (Eg: He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school. )

incorporeal

immaterial; without a material body (Eg: We must devote time to the needs of our incorporeal mind as well as our corporeal body. )

evenhanded

impartial; fair (Eg: Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do )

inscrutable

impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious (Eg: Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards )

impalpable

imperceptible; intangible (Eg: The ash is so fine that it is impalpable to the touch but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window )

impermeable

impervious; not permitting passage through its substance (Eg: This new material is impermeable to liquids. )

causal

implying a cause-and-effect relationship (Eg: The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood )

grandiose

imposing; impressive (Eg: His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time. )

august

impressive; majestic (Eg: Visiting the palace at Versailes, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself. )

grandeur

impressiveness; stateliness; majesty (Eg: No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of )

incarcerate

imprison (Eg: The warden will incarcerate the felon after conviction. )

immure

imprison; shut up in confinement (Eg: )

ameliorate

improve (Eg: Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums. )

insolence

imprudent disrespect; haughtiness (Eg: How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of you insolence. )

comatose

in a coma; extremely sleepy (Eg: The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state. )

gamely

in a spirited manner; with courage (Eg: Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when )

amok

in a state of rage (Eg: )

enamored

in love (Eg: Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty. )

chaotic

in utter disorder (Eg: He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs. )

innate

inborn (Eg: His innate talent for music was soon recognized by his parents. )

implacable

incapable of being pacified (Eg: Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family. )

invulnerable

incapable of injury (Eg: Achilles was invulnerable except in his heel. )

factious

inclined to form factions; causing dissension. (Eg: Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists. )

comprise

include; consist of (Eg: If the District of Columbia were to be granted a statehood, the United States of America would comprise )

irreconsilable

incompatible; not able to be resolved (Eg: Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce. )

augment

increase (Eg: How can we hope to augment our forces when our allies are deserting us? )

increment

increase (Eg: The new contract calls for a 10 percent increment in salary for each employee for the next two years. )

crescendo

increase in the volume or intensity, as in a musical passage; climax (Eg: The overture suddenly changed from a quiet pastoral theme to a crescendo featuring blaring trumpets and )

aggrandize

increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank or honor (Eg: The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act )

irremediable

incurable; uncorrectable (Eg: The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it. )

bawdy

indecent; obscene (Eg: She took offense at his bawdy remarks. )

apathetic

indifferent (Eg: He felt apathetic about the conditions he had observed and did not care to fight against them. )

insouciant

indifferent; without concern or care (Eg: Your insouciant attitude at such a critical moment indicates that you do not understand the gravity of the )

circumlocution

indirect or roundabout expression (Eg: He was afraid to call spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject. )

allusion

indirect reference (Eg: the allusions to mythological characters in Milton's poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin. )

incontrovertible

indisputable (Eg: We must yield to the incontrovertible evidence that you have presented and free your client. )

futile

ineffective; fruitless (Eg: Why waste your time on futile pursuits? )

fledgling

inexperienced (Eg: While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is not )

inerrancy

infallibility (Eg: Jane refused to believe in the pope's inerrancy, reasoning: "All human beings are capable of error. The )

contagion

infection (Eg: Fearing contagion, they took drastic steps to prevent the spread of the disease. )

illimitable

infinite (Eg: Human beings, having explored the far corners of the earth, are now reaching out into illimitable space. )

apprise

inform (Eg: When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip. )

colloquy

informal discussion (Eg: I enjoy our colloquies but I sometimes wish that they could be made more formal and more searching. )

impinge

infringe; touch; collide with (Eg: How could they be married without impinging on one another's freedom? )

denizen

inhabitant of (Eg: Ghosts are denizens of the land of the dead who return to earth. )

incompatible

inharmonious (Eg: The married couple argued incessantly and finally decided to separate because they were incompatible. )

discordant

inharmonious; conflicting (Eg: She tried to unite the discordant factions. )

effervescence

inner excitement; exuberance (Eg: Nothing depressed her for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself. )

deranged

insane (Eg: He had to be institutionalized because he was deranged. )

demented

insane (Eg: She became increasingly demented and had to be hospitalized. )

epitaph

inscription in memory of a dead person (Eg: In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone. )

interpolate

insert between (Eg: She talked so much that I could not interpolate a single remark. )

foist

insert improperly; palm off (Eg: I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group. )

inconsequential

insignificant; unimportant (Eg: Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken the wine glass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's )

brazen

insolent (Eg: Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials. )

impertinent

insolent (Eg: I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them. )

edify

instruct; correct morally (Eg: Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused )

affront

insult; offend (Eg: Accustomed to being treated with respect, Miss Challoner was affronted by Vidal's offensive behavior. )

insuperable

insurmountable; invincible (Eg: In the face of insuperable difficulties they maintained their courage and will to resist. )

intelligentsia

intellectuals; members of the educated elite (Eg: She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia. )

frigid

intensely cold (Eg: Alaska is in the frigid zone. )

expletive

interjection; profane oath (Eg: The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that offended the new recruits. )

daunt

intimidate (Eg: Your threats cannot daunt me. )

asunder

into parts; apart (Eg: Their points of view are poles asunder. )

knotty

intricate; difficult; tangled (Eg: What to Watson had been a knotty problem to Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself. )

incorporate

introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite (Eg: Breaking with precedent, President Truman ordered the military to incorporate blacks into every branch of )

interloper

intruder (Eg: The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade. )

figment

invention; imaginary thing (Eg: That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination. )

energize

invigorate; make forceful and active (Eg: Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing energized her. )

impregnable

invulnerable (Eg: Until the development of the airplane as a military weapon, the fort was considered impregnable. )

anvil

iron block used in hammering out metals (Eg: After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the )

anomaly

irregularity (Eg: A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly. )

ineluctable

irresistable; not to be escaped (Eg: He felt that his fate was ineluctible and refused to make any attempt to improve his lot. )

juggernaut

irresistible crushin force (Eg: Nothing could survive in the path of the juggernaut. )

impiety

irreverence; wickedness (Eg: We must regard your blasphemy as an act of impiety. )

impious

irreverent (Eg: The congregation was offended by her impious remarks. )

irascible

irritable; easily angered (Eg: Her irascible temper frightened me. )

emanate

issue forth (Eg: A strong odor of sulfur emanated from the spring. )

agenda

items of business at a meeting (Eg: We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting. )

couple

join; unite (Eg: The Flying Karamazovs couple expert juggling and amateur joking in their nightclub act. )

affiliation

joining; associating with (Eg: His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues. )

festive

joyous; celebratory (Eg: Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion. )

decimate

kill, usually one out of ten (Eg: We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war. )

humane

kind (Eg: His humane and considerate treatment of the unfortunate endeared him to all. )

ignite

kindle; light (Eg: When Desi crooned, "Baby, light my fire," literal-minded Lucy looked around for some paper to ignite. )

beneficent

kindly; doing good (Eg: The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money )

benign

kindly; favorable; not malignant (Eg: The old man was well liked because of his benign attitude toward friend and stranger alike. )

affinity

kinship (Eg: She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains. )

consanguinity

kinship (Eg: The lawsuit developed into a test of the consanguinity of the claimant to the estate. )

cognizance

knowledge (Eg: During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international )

imbalance

lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion (Eg: Because of the great imbalance between the number of men and women invited, the dance was )

apathy

lack of caring; indifference (Eg: A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never )

discrepancy

lack of consistency; difference (Eg: The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him. )

incongruity

lack of harmony; absurdity (Eg: The incongruity of his wearing sneakers with formal attire amused the observers. )

devoid

lacking (Eg: He was devoid of any personal desire for gain in his endeavor to secure improvement in the community. )

imprudent

lacking caution; injudicious (Eg: It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and become overheated when you are unwell. )

insipid

lacking in flavor; dull (Eg: Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle. )

frivolous

lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant (Eg: Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he )

dispirited

lacking in spirit (Eg: The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which I had become )

irreverent

lacking proper respect (Eg: The worshippers resented her irreverent remarks about their faith. )

incontinent

lacking self-restraint (Eg: His incontinent behavior off stage shocked many people and they refused to attend the plays and movies )

inept

lacking skill; inadequate; inappropriate (Eg: inept as a carpenter, Ira was all thumbs. )

insubstantial

lacking substance; insignificant; frail (Eg: His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role. )

dirge

lament with music (Eg: The funeral dirge stirred us to tears. )

jargon

language used by special group; gibberish (Eg: We tried to understand the jargon of the peddlers in the market place but could not find any basis for )

bevy

large group (Eg: The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of startlets. )

galleon

large sailing ship (Eg: The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the British, on the smaller and faster )

enduring

lasting; surviving (Eg: Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which outlast its creator's brief lives. )

indolence

laziness (Eg: He outgrew his youthful indolence to become a model of industry and alertness on the job. )

inveigle

lead astray; wheedle (Eg: She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance. )

gaunt

lean and angular; barren (Eg: His once-round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weight. )

erudite

learned; scholarly (Eg: His erudite writing was difficult to read because of the many allusions which were unfamiliar to most )

bequeath

leave to someone by means of a will; hand down (Eg: In his will, Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy. )

depreciate

lessen in value (Eg: If you neglect this properly, it will depreciate. )

console

lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort (Eg: When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette. )

diminution

lessening; reduction in size (Eg: The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as soon as the diminution of the enemy's supplies became serious. )

bate

let down; restrain (Eg: Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity. )

anticlimax

letdown in thought or emotion (Eg: After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax. )

fallible

liable to err (Eg: I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time. )

equivocate

lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth (Eg: The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his )

inanimate

lifeless (Eg: she was asked to identify the still and inanimate body. )

flick

light stroke as with a whip (Eg: The horse needed no encouragement; only one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the )

giddy

light-hearted; dizzy (Eg: He felt his giddy youth was past. )

ethereal

light; heavenly; fine (Eg: Visitors were impressed by her ethereal beauty, her delicate charm. )

jaunty

lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree (Eg: In Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way throughtthe lighthearted title number in a )

cadaverous

like a corpse; pale (Eg: From his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him. )

glacial

like a glacier; extremely cold (Eg: Never a warm person, when offended hugo could seem positively glacial. )

imperial

like an emperor; related to an empire (Eg: When hotel owner Leona Helmsley appeared in ads as Queen Leona standing guard over the Palace Hotel, )

avuncular

like an uncle (Eg: Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings. )

diorama

like-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history (Eg: Because they dramatically pose actual stuffed animals against realistic painted landscapes, the dioramas at )

labile

likely to change; unstable (Eg: Because the hormonal changes they undergo affect their spirits, adolescents may become emotionally labile )

circumscribe

limit; confine (Eg: )

finite

limited (Eg: It is difficult for humanity with its finite existence to grasp the infinite. )

concatenate

link as in a chain (Eg: )

enumerate

list; mention one by one (Eg: Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws. )

compilation

listing of statistical information in tabular or book form (Eg: The compilation of available scholarships serves a very valuable purpose. )

knoll

little, round hill (Eg: Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in Samoa; to reach the grave site, you must climb uphill and )

animated

lively (Eg: Her animated expression indicated a keenness of intellect. )

coeval

living at the same time as; contemporary (Eg: coeval with the dinosaur, the pterodactyl flourished during the Mesozoic era. )

chameleon

lizard that changes color in different situations (Eg: Like the chameleon, he assumed the political coloration of every group he met. )

abominate

loathe; hate (Eg: Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom. )

dawdle

loiter; waste time (Eg: Inasmuch as we must meet a deadline, do not dawdle over this work. )

chronic

long established, as a disease (Eg: The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas )

epic

long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art (Eg: Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of )

eon

long period of time; an age (Eg: It has taken eons for our civilization to develop. )

harangue

long, passionate, and vehement speech (Eg: In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders. )

introspective

looking within oneself (Eg: We all have our introspective moments during which we examine our souls. )

episodic

loosely connected (Eg: Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic. )

imperiousness

lordliness; domineering manner; arrogance (Eg: His imperiousness indicated that he had long been accustomed to assuming command. )

amnesia

loss of memory (Eg: Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself. )

aphasia

loss of speech due to injury or illness (Eg: After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could )

clangor

loud, resounding noise (Eg: The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel. )

abase

lower; degrade; humiliate (Eg: Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before )

degraded

lowered in rank; debased (Eg: The degraded wretch spoke only of his past glories and honors. )

fidelity

loyalty (Eg: A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite household pet. )

careen

lurch; sway from side to side (Eg: The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner. )

decoy

lure or bait (Eg: The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. )

entice

lure; attract; tempt (Eg: She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief. )

bask

luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth (Eg: basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep. )

centrifuge

machine that separates substances by whirling them (Eg: At the dairy, we employ a centrifuge to separate cream from milk. )

frenzied

madly excited (Eg: As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their cages. )

grate

make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred (Eg: The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves. )

expiate

make amends for (a sin) (Eg: He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities. )

atone

make amends for; pay for (Eg: He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime. )

disgruntle

make discontented (Eg: The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays. )

cavil

make frivolous objections (Eg: I respect your sensible criticisms, but I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant details. )

alienate

make hostile; separate (Eg: Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other. )

adulterate

make impure by mixing with baser substances (Eg: )

dilute

make less concentrated; reduce in strength (Eg: She preferred her coffee diluted with milk. )

facilitate

make less difficult (Eg: He tried to facilitate repayment of the loan by getting a part-time job. )

indemnify

make secure against loss; compensate for loss (Eg: The city will indemnify all home owners whose property is spoiled by this project. )

burnish

make shiny by rubbing; polish (Eg: The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight. )

attenuate

make thin; weaken (Eg: By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines. )

exploit

make use of, sometimes unjustly (Eg: Caesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farmworkers in California. )

annul

make void (Eg: The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage. )

integrate

make whole; combine; make into one unit (Eg: She tried to integrate all their activities into one program. )

compensatory

making up for; repaying (Eg: Can a compensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years? )

calumny

malicious misrepresentation (Eg: He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him. )

ductility

malleability; flexibility; ability to be drawn out (Eg: Copper wire has many industrial uses because of its extreme ductility. )

fetid

malodorous (Eg: The neglected wound became fetid. )

lacerate

mangle; tear (Eg: Her body was lacerated in the automobile crash. )

anthropoid

manlike (Eg: The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals. )

gait

manner of walking or running; speed (Eg: The lame man walked with an uneven gait. )

cartographer

map-maker (Eg: Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of the fictional world. )

disfigure

mar the appearance of; spoil (Eg: An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face. )

deface

mar; disfigure (Eg: If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine. )

checkered

marked by changes in fortune (Eg: During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses. )

ceremonious

marked by formality (Eg: Ordinary dress would be in appropriate at so ceremonious an affair. )

array

marshal; draw up in order (Eg: His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him. )

floe

mass of floating ice (Eg: The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes. )

conglomeration

mass of material sticking together (Eg: In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis. )

foliage

masses of leaves (Eg: Every autumn before the leaves fell he promised himself he would drive though the New England to )

inimitable

matchless; not able to be imitated (Eg: We admire Auden for his inimitable use of language; he is one of a kind. )

labyrinth

maze (Eg: Tom and Becky were lost in the labyrinth of secret caves. )

denotation

meaning; distinguishing by name (Eg: A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will always give us its connotation. )

dint

means; effort (Eg: By dint of much hard work, the volunteers were able to control the raging forest fire. )

interim

meantime (Eg: The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the interim, let us proceed as we have in )

carnivorous

meat-eating (Eg: The lion is a carnivorous animal. )

automaton

mechanism that imitates actions of humans (Eg: Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were creating stories of automation )

alchemy

medieval chemistry (Eg: The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy. )

baleful

menacing; deadly (Eg: Casting a baleful eye at his successful rival, the rejected suitor stole off, vowing to have his revenge. )

formidable

menacing; threatening (Eg: We must not treat the battle lightly for we are facing a formidable foe. )

drudgery

menial work (Eg: Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of drudgery. )

composure

mental calmness (Eg: Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure. )

delirium

mental disorder marked by confusion (Eg: The drunkard in his delirium saw strange animals. )

acumen

mental keenness (Eg: His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed. )

faculty

mental or bodily powers; teaching staff (Eg: As he grew old, he feared he might lose his faculties and become useless to his employer. )

discerning

mentally quick and observant; having insight (Eg: Because he was considered the most discerning member of the firm, he was assigned the most difficult )

euthanasia

mercy killing (Eg: Many people support euthanasia for terminally ill patients who wish to die. )

jocund

merry (Eg: Santa Claus is always vivacious and jocund. )

courier

messenger (Eg: The publisher sent a special courier to pick up the manuscript. )

bourgeois

middle class (Eg: The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois, who resented the aristocracy. )

euphemism

mild expression in place of an unpleasant one (Eg: The expression "he passed away" is a euphemism for "he died." )

balmy

mild; fragrant (Eg: A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast. )

fallacious

misleading (Eg: Your reasoning must be fallacious because it leads to a ridiculous answer. )

illusion

misleading vision (Eg: It is easy to create an optical illusion in which lines of equal length appear different. )

erroneous

mistaken; wrong (Eg: I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous. )

knead

mix; work dough (Eg: Her hands grew strong from kneading bread. )

garbled

mixed up; jumbled; distorted (Eg: A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another; by the time it )

alloy

mixture as of metals (Eg: alloy of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal. )

gibe

mock (Eg: As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish )

autocrat

monarch with supreme power (Eg: He ran his office like an autocrat, giving no one else any authority. )

cloister

monastery or convent (Eg: The nuns lived in the cloister. )

hybrid

mongrel; mixed breed (Eg: Mendel's formula explains the appearance of hybrids and pure species in breeding. )

definitive

most reliable or complee (Eg: Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great )

gesticulation

motion; gesture (Eg: Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in )

actuate

motivate (Eg: I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily. )

accelerate

move faster (Eg: In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate. )

deploy

move troops so that the battle line is extended at the expense of depth (Eg: The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the offensive of the enemy. )

amorous

moved by sexual love; loving (Eg: Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures. )

amble

moving at an easy pace (Eg: When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble. )

impetus

moving force; incentive; stimulus (Eg: A new federal highway program would create jobs and five added impetus to our economic recovery. )

addle

muddle; drive crazy (Eg: This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. )

brawn

muscular strength; sturdiness (Eg: It takes brawn to become a champion weight-lifter. )

correlation

mutual relationship (Eg: He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret )

concerted

mutually agreed on; done together (Eg: The girl scouts in the troop made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing, and emitted a )

internecine

mutually destructive (Eg: The rising death toll on both sides indicates the internecine natire of his conflict. )

cryptic

mysterious; hidden; secret (Eg: His cryptic remarks could not be interpreted. )

centaur

mythical figure, half man and half horse (Eg: I was particularly impressed by the statue of the centaur in the Roman Hall of the museum. )

ingenuous

naive; young and unsophisticated (Eg: Although she was over forty, the movie star still insisted that she be cast as an ingenuous sweet young )

appellation

name; title (Eg: He was amazed when the witches hailed him with his correct appellation. )

gorge

narrow canyon; steep, rocky cleft (Eg: Terrified of heights, George could not bring himself to peer down into the gorge to see the rapids below. )

isthmus

narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land (Eg: In a magnificent feat of engineering, Goethals and his men cut through the isthmus of Panama in )

insularity

narrow-mindedness; isolation (Eg: The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anyuthing foreign. )

indigenous

native (Eg: Tobacco is one of the indigenous plants that the early explorers found in this country. )

imminent

near at hand; impending (Eg: Rosa was such a last-minute worker that she could never start writing a paper till the deadline was )

impending

nearing; approaching (Eg: The entire country was saddened by the news of his impending death. )

dapper

neat and trim (Eg: In "The Odd Couple," Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand )

deft

neat; skillful (Eg: The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop. )

derelict

neglectful of duty; abandoned (Eg: The corporal who fell asleep while on watch was thrown into the guardhouse for being derelic in his duty. )

agility

nimbleness (Eg: The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience. )

aspiration

noble ambition (Eg: )

clamor

noise (Eg: The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap. )

altercation

noisy quarrel (Eg: Throughout the altercation, not one sensible word was uttered. )

amoral

non-moral (Eg: The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral. )

cipher

nonentity; worthless person or thing (Eg: She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him. )

gibberish

nonsense; babbling (Eg: Did you hear that foolish boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space? )

alcove

nook; recess (Eg: Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an )

irreparable

not able to be corrected or repaired (Eg: Your apology cannot atone for the irreparable damage you have done to her reputation. )

intangible

not able to be perceived by touch; vague (Eg: Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible )

impenetrable

not able to be pierced or entered (Eg: How could the murderer have gotten into the locked room? To Watson, the mystery, like the room, was )

irrelevant

not applicable; unrelated (Eg: This statement is irrelevant and should be disregarded by the jury. )

insatiable

not easily satisfied; greedy (Eg: Welty's thirst for knowledge was insatiable; she was in the library day and night. )

ineffectual

not effective; weak (Eg: )

extraneous

not essential; external (Eg: Do not pad your paper with extraneous matters; stick to essential items only. )

incidental

not essential; minor (Eg: The scholarship covered his major expenses at college and some of his incidental expenses as well. )

evasive

not frank; eluding (Eg: Your evasive answers convinced the judge that you were witholding important evidence. )

asymmetric

not identical on both sides of a dividing central line (Eg: Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric )

figurative

not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech (Eg: "To lose one's marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects )

disingenuous

not naive; sophisticated (Eg: )

exotic

not native; strange (Eg: Because of his exotic headdress, he was followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange )

heedless

not noticing; disregarding (Eg: He drove on, heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous. )

impervious

not penetrable; not permitting passage through (Eg: You cannot change their habits for their minds are impervious to reasoning. )

extemporaneous

not planned; impromtu (Eg: Because his extemporaneous remarks were misinterpreted, he decided to write all his speeches in advance. )

impenitent

not repentant (Eg: We could see by his brazen attitude that he was impenitent. )

incommodious

not spacious; inconvenient (Eg: In their incommodious quarters, they had to improvise for closet space. )

inalienable

not to be taken away; nontransferable (Eg: The Declaration of Independence mentions the inalienable rights that all of us possess. )

impolitic

not wise (Eg: I think it is impolitic to raise this issue at the present time because the public is too angry. )

egregious

notorious; conspicuously bad; shocking (Eg: She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said. )

infamous

notoriously bad (Eg: Jesse James was an infamous outlaw. )

effluvium

noxious smell (Eg: Air pollution has become a serious problem in our major cities; the effluvium and the poisons in the air are )

docile

obedient; easily managed (Eg: As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast. )

cynosure

object of general attention (Eg: As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes. )

beholden

obligated; indebted (Eg: Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone, I cannot accept this favor. )

hermetic

obscure and mysterious; occult (Eg: It is strange to consider that modern chemistry originated in the hermetic teachings of the ancient )

enigmatic

obscure; puzzling (Eg: Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa. )

antiquated

obsolete; outdated (Eg: Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for )

hamper

obstruct (Eg: The minority party agreed not to hamper the efforts of the leaders to secure a lasting peace. )

engross

occupy fully (Eg: John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call. )

coincident

occurring at the same time (Eg: Some people find the coincident events in Hardy's novels annoyingly improbable. )

ironic

occurring in an unexpected and contrary manner (Eg: It is ironic that his success came when he least wanted it. )

erratic

odd; unpredictable (Eg: Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic. )

eccentric

odd; whimsical; irregular (Eg: The comet passed close by the earth in its eccentric orbit. )

eccentricity

oddity; idiosyncrasy (Eg: Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to strangers as the eccentricity of genius. )

ignoble

of lowly origin; unworthy (Eg: This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it. )

homogeneous

of the same kind (Eg: Many educators try to put pupils of similar abilities in the same class because they believe that his )

indignity

offensive or insulting treatment (Eg: Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the indignities heaped upon him, he was inwardly very angry. )

immolate

offer as a sacrifice (Eg: The tribal kind offered to immolate his daughter to quiet the angry gods. )

auxiliary

offering or providing help; additional or sub-sidiary (Eg: To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station. )

incumbent

officeholder (Eg: The newly elected public official received valuable advice from the present incumbent. )

functionary

official (Eg: As his case was transferred from one functionary to another, he began to despair of ever reaching a )

gazette

official publication (Eg: He read the gazettes regularly for announcement of his promotion. )

augury

omen; prophecy (Eg: He interpreted the departures of the birds as an augury of evil. )

ellipsis

omission of words from a text (Eg: Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as in the sentence "Once dressed, you should )

caste

one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society, social stratification; prestige (Eg: The differences created by caste in India must be wiped out if true democracy is to prevail in that country. )

apostate

one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs (Eg: Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate. )

convert

one who has adopted a different religion or opinion (Eg: On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the merits of American automobiles, he )

introvert

one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself (Eg: In his poetry, he reveals that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems. )

agnostic

one who is skeptical of the existence of knowability of a god or any ultimate reality (Eg: The agnostic demanded proof before she would accept the statement of the minister. )

hireling

one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously) (Eg: In a matter of such importance, I do not wish to deal with hirelings; I must meet with the chief. )

herpetologist

one who studies reptiles (Eg: As a boy, Indiana Jones had a traumatic experience involving snakes; sensibly enough, he studies to be )

dermatologist

one who studies the skin and its diseases (Eg: I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne. )

broach

open up (Eg: He did not even try to broach the subject of poetry. )

gape

open widely (Eg: The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in. )

gambit

opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed (Eg: The player was afraid to accept his opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not )

aperture

opening; hole (Eg: She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room. )

agape

openmouthed (Eg: She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo. )

diva

operatic singer; prima donna (Eg: Although world famous as a diva, she did not indulge in fits of temerament. )

aria

operatic solo (Eg: At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma. )

heresy

opinion contrary to popular belief or to accepted religion (Eg: He was threatened with excommunication because his remarks were considered to be pure heresy. )

adversary

opponent; enemy (Eg: Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker. )

controvert

oppose with arguments; contradict (Eg: To controvert your theory will require much time but it is essential that we disprove it. )

converse

opposite (Eg: The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation. )

inverse

opposite (Eg: There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance. )

conventional

ordinary; typical (Eg: His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccentric family. )

chase

ornament a metal surface by indenting (Eg: With his hammer, he carefully chased an intricate design onto the surface of the chalice. )

epaulet

ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.) (Eg: The shoulder loops on Sam Spade's trench coat are the nonmilitary counterparts of the fringed epaulets on )

frieze

ornamental band on a wall (Eg: The frieze of the church was adorned with sculpture. )

brooch

ornamental clasp (Eg: She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom. )

flamboyant

ornate (Eg: Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line. )

denouement

outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work (Eg: The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the )

hue

outcry (Eg: When her purse was snatched, she raised such a hue and cry that the thief was captured. )

circumvent

outwit; baffle (Eg: In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting )

amphitheater

oval building with tiers of seats (Eg: The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators. )

elliptical

oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have been left out (Eg: An elliptical billiad ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because it is )

gloss

over explain away (Eg: No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he )

inundate

overflow; flood (Eg: The tremendous waves inundated the town. )

elated

overjoyed; in high spirits (Eg: Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her Olympic victory. )

condone

overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse (Eg: Unlike Widow Douglass, who condoned Huck's minor offenses, Miss Watson did nothing but scold. )

compelling

overpowering; irresistible in effect (Eg: The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for )

censor

overseer of morals; person who eliminates inappropriate matter (Eg: Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution. )

glut

overstock; fill to excess (Eg: The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the many articles they had )

appease

pacify; soothe (Eg: We have discovered that, when we try to appease our enemies, we encourage them to make additional )

fresco

painting in plaste (usually fresh) (Eg: The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Glotto. )

brochure

pamphlet (Eg: This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture. )

amnesty

pardon (Eg: When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison. )

absolve

pardon (an offense) (Eg: The father confessor absolved him of his sins. )

complicity

participation; involvement (Eg: You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your )

genre

particular variety of art or literature (Eg: Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre. )

faction

party; clique; dissension (Eg: The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions within the club disturbed the majority of the )

infiltrate

pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily (Eg: In order to infiltrate enemy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore )

forberance

patience (Eg: We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness. )

disburse

pay out (Eg: When you disburse money on the company's behalf, be sure to get a receipt. )

alimony

payments make to an ex-spouse after divorce (Eg: Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award )

acme

peak; pinnacle; highest point (Eg: Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such )

idiosyncrasy

peculiarity; eccentricity (Eg: One of his personal idiosyncrasies was his habit of rinsing all cutlery given him in a restaurant. )

contrite

penitent (Eg: Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence. )

gentry

people of standing; class of people just below nobility (Eg: The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the )

divine

perceive intuitively; foresee the future (Eg: Nothing infuriated Tom more than Aunt Polly's ability to divine when he was not telling the truth. )

epitome

perfect example or embodiment (Eg: Singing "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General )

interregnum

period between two reigns (Eg: Henry VIII desperately sought a male heir because he feared the civil strife that might occur if any )

equinox

period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn (Eg: The vernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms. )

epoch

period of time (Eg: The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of years. )

intermittent

periodic; on and off (Eg: Our picnic was marred by intermittent rains. )

indissoluble

permanent (Eg: The indissoluble bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved. )

connoisseur

person competent to act as judge of art, ect.; a lover of an art (Eg: She had developed into a connoisseur of fine china. )

ecologist

person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment (Eg: The ecologist was concerned that the new dam would upset the natural balance of the creatures living in )

felon

person convicted of a grave crime (Eg: A convicted felon loses the right to vote )

beneficiary

person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy (Eg: You may change your beneficiary as often as you wish. )

extrovert

person interested mostly in external objects and actions (Eg: A good salesperson in usually an extrovert, who likes to mingle with people. )

hypochondriac

person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness (Eg: The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypocondriac. )

demagogue

person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader (Eg: He was accused of being a demogogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners. )

founder

person who establishes (an organization, business) (Eg: Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus chain. )

kleptomaniac

person who has a compulsive desire to steal (Eg: They discovered that the wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap )

heretic

person who maintains opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church (Eg: She was punished by the Spanish Inquisition because she was a heretic. )

anarchist

person who rebels against the established order (Eg: Only the total overthrow of all governmental regulations would satisfy the anarchist. )

heckler

person who verbally harasses others (Eg: )

arbiter

person with power to decide a matter in a dispute; judge (Eg: As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers. )

induce

persuade; bring about (Eg: After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again. )

germinal

pertaining to a germ; creative (Eg: Such an idea is germinal; I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations. )

filial

pertaining to a son or daughter (Eg: Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents. )

colloquial

pertaining to conversational or common speech (Eg: Your use of colloquial expressions in a formal essay such as the one you have presented spoils the effect )

horticultural

pertaining to cultivation of gardens (Eg: When he bought his house, he beganto look for flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books )

existential

pertaining to existence; pertaining to the philosophy of existentialism (Eg: To the existential philosopher, human reason is inadequate to explain an irrational, meaningless universe. )

infernal

pertaining to hell; devilish (Eg: They could think of no way to hinder his infernal scheme. )

inductive

pertaining to induction or preceeding from the specific to the general (Eg: The discovery of the planet Pluto is an excellent example of the results that can be obtained from inductive )

agrarian

pertaining to land or its cultivation (Eg: As a result of its recent industrialization, the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions. )

connubial

pertaining to maffige or the matrimonial state (Eg: In his telegram, he wished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss. )

conjugal

pertaining to marriage (Eg: Their dreams of conjugal bliss were shattered as soon as their temperaments clashed. )

erotic

pertaining to passionate love (Eg: The erotic passages in this novel should be removed as they are merely pornographic. )

alluvial

pertaining to soil deposits left by running water (Eg: The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile. )

graphic

pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described (Eg: I was particularly impressed by the graphic presentation of the storm. )

auroral

pertaining to the aurora borealis (Eg: The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening. )

cerebral

pertaining to the brain or intellect (Eg: The content of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought. )

ecclesiastic

pertaining to the church (Eg: The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the pulpit. )

eugenic

pertaining to the improvement of race (Eg: It is easier to apply eugenic principles to the raising of racehorses or prize cattle than t the development of )

demotic

pertaining to the people (Eg: He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the )

cosmic

pertaining to the universe; vast (Eg: cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space. )

germane

pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand (Eg: The lawyer objected that the testimony being offered was not germane to the case at hand. )

badger

pester; annoy (Eg: She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls. )

carping

petty criticism; fault-finding (Eg: Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexy appreciated her editor's comments, finding them free of carping. )

epistemologist

philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge (Eg: "What is more important, a knowledge of nature of the nature of knowledge?" the epistemologist asked the )

cliche

phrase culled in meaning by repetition (Eg: High school compositions are often marred by such cliches as "strong as an ox." )

cull

pick out; reject (Eg: Every month the farmer culls the nonplaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher. )

hieroglyphic

picture writing (Eg: The discovery of the Rosetta Stone enabled scholars to read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. )

impale

pierce (Eg: He was impaled by the spear hurled by his adversary. )

conifer

pine tree; cone-bearing tree (Eg: According to geologists, the conifers were the first plants to bear flowers. )

devout

pious (Eg: The devout man prayed daily. )

cant

pious phraseology; jargon of criminals (Eg: Angry that the president had slashed the education budget, we dismissed his speech on the importance of )

holster

pistol case (Eg: Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm. )

aphorism

pithy maxim (Eg: An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific. )

apothegm

pithy, compact saying (Eg: Proverbs are apothegms that have become familiar sayings. )

asylum

place of refuge or shelter; protection (Eg: The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land. )

juxtapose

place side by side (Eg: Comparison will be easier if you juxtapose the two objects. )

ford

place where a river can be crossed on foot (Eg: Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a half-mile downstream until he came to the )

arboretum

place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited (Eg: Walking along the treelined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine )

itinerary

plan of a trip (Eg: Before leaving for his first visit to France and England, he discussed his itinerary with people who had )

flora

plants of a region or era (Eg: Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying the flora of the desert. )

entreat

plead; ask earnestly (Eg: She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight. )

congenial

pleasant; friendly (Eg: )

gratify

please (Eg: Her parents were gratified by her success. )

enrapture

please intensely (Eg: The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration. )

copious

plentiful (Eg: She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal. )

fallow

plowed but sowed; uncultivated (Eg: )

despoil

plunder (Eg: If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside. )

depredation

plundering (Eg: After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless. )

douse

plunge into water; drench; extinguish (Eg: They doused each other with hoses and balloons. )

elegy

poem or song expressing lamentation (Eg: )

bard

poet (Eg: The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy. )

awl

pointed tool used for piercing (Eg: She used an awl to punch additional holes in the leather belt she had bought. )

aplomb

poise; composure (Eg: Wellington's nonchalance and aplomb in the heat of battle always heartened his followers. )

contaminate

pollute (Eg: The sewage system of the city so contaminated the water that swimming was forbidden. )

defile

pollute; profane (Eg: The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing. )

bombast

pompous, inflated language (Eg: Filled with bombast, the orator's speech left the audience more impressed with his pomposity than with his )

grandiloquent

pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language (Eg: The politician could bever speak simply; she was always grandiloquent. )

consequential

pompous; self-important (Eg: Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air. )

doggerel

poorverse (Eg: Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel. )

delineate

portray (Eg: He is weakest when he attempts to delineate character. )

depict

portray (Eg: In this book, the author depicts the slave owners as kind and benevolent masters. )

affirmation

positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath (Eg: Despite Tom's affirmation of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie. )

dogmatic

positive; arbitrary (Eg: Do not be so dogmatic about that statement; it can be easily refuted. )

decant

pour off gently (Eg: Be sure to decant this wine before serving it. )

effusion

pouring forth (Eg: The critics objected to her literary effusion because it was too flowery. )

effusive

pouring forth; gushing (Eg: Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them. )

indigence

poverty (Eg: Neither the economists nor the political scientists have found a way to wipe out the inequities of wealth )

adversity

poverty, misfortune (Eg: We must learn to meet adversity gracefully. )

intuition

power of knowing without reasoning (Eg: She claimed to know the truth by intuition. )

efficacy

power to produce desired effect (Eg: The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the dosage. )

impuissance

powerlessness; feebleness (Eg: The lame duck President was frustrated by his shift from enormous power to relative impuissance. )

feasible

practical (Eg: )

ascetic

practicing self-denial; austere (Eg: The wealthy young man could not understand the ascetic life led by the monks. )

eulogy

praise (Eg: All the eulogies of his friends could not remove the sting of the calumny heaped upon him by his enemies. )

extol

praise; glorify (Eg: The astronauts were extolled as the pioneers of the Space Age. )

eulogistic

praising (Eg: To everyone's surprise, the speech was eulogistic rather than critical in tone. )

encomiastic

praising; eulogistic (Eg: Some critics believe that his encomiastic statements about Napoleon were inspired by his desire for )

escapade

prank; flighty conduct (Eg: The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man. )

frolicsome

prankish; gay (Eg: The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master. )

antecede

precede (Eg: The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century. )

antecedents

preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; early life; ancestors (Eg: Before giving permission for Drummie to marry Estella, Miss Havisham had a few questions about the )

impasse

predicament from which there is no escape (Eg: In this impasse, all turned to prayer as their last hope. )

foreboding

premonition of evil (Eg: Caeser ridiculed his wife's foreboding about the Ides of March. )

concoct

prepare by combining; make up in concert (Eg: How did the inventive chef ever concoct such strange dish? )

feign

pretend (Eg: Lady Macbeth feigned illness in the courtyard although she was actually healthy. )

dissimulate

pretend; conceal by feigning (Eg: She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude. )

hypocritical

pretending to be virtuous; deceiving (Eg: I resent his hypocritical posing as a friend for I know he is interested only in his own advancement. )

bluff

pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff (Eg: Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff, she was astounded )

connivance

pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend (Eg: With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher. )

endemic

prevailinig among a specific group of people or in a specific are or country (Eg: This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one time or )

forestall

prevent by taking action in advance (Eg: By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential )

avert

prevent; turn away (Eg: She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway. )

asceptic

preventing infection; having a cleansing effect (Eg: Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced asceptic conditions. )

arrogance

pride, haughtiness (Eg: The arrogance of the nobility was resented by the middle class. )

haughtiness

pride; arrogance (Eg: I resent his haughtiness because he is no better than we are. )

conclave

private meeting (Eg: He was present at all their conclaves as an unofficial observer. )

caucus

private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy (Eg: At the opening of Congress the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the majority )

idiosyncratic

private; peculiar to an individual (Eg: Such behavior is idiosyncratic, it is as easily identifiable as a signature. )

dilemma

problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives (Eg: In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice. )

cavalcade

procession; parade (Eg: As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was motley group. )

igneous

produced by fire; volcanic (Eg: Lava, pumice, and other igneous rocks are found in great abundance around Mount Vesuvius near Naples. )

kinetic

producing motion (Eg: Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest obstacle lies in the development of light and )

lachrymose

producing tears (Eg: His voice has a lachrymose quality that is more appropriate at a funeral than a class reunion. )

artifacts

products of primitive culture (Eg: Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor and came to )

blasphemous

profane; impious (Eg: The people in the room were shocked by his his blasphemous language. )

desecrate

profane; violate the sanctity of (Eg: The soldiers desecrated the temple. )

docket

program asfor trial; book where such entries are made (Eg: The case of Smith v. Jones was entered in the docket for July 15. )

interdict

prohibit; forbid (Eg: Civilized nations must interdict the use of nuclear weapons if we expect out society to live. )

inhibit

prohibit; restrain (Eg: The child was not inhibited in her responses. )

cornice

projecting molding on building (usually above columns) (Eg: Because the stones forming the cornice had been loosened by the storms, the police closed the building )

extrapolation

projection; conjecture (Eg: Based on their extrapolation from the results of the primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted )

assurance

promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence (Eg: When Gutherie gave Guiness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance )

apocalyptic

prophetic; pertaining to revelations; especially of disaster (Eg: His apocalyptic remarks were dismissed by his audience as wild surmises. )

decorum

propriety; seemliness (Eg: Shocked by the unruly behavior, the teacher criticized the class for its lack of decorum. )

expostulation

protest; remonstrance (Eg: Despite the teacher's scoldings and expostulations, the class remained unruly. )

archetype

prototype; primitive pattern (Eg: The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island )

authenticate

prove genuine (Eg: An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation. )

harbor

provide a refuge for; hide (Eg: The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees. )

defray

provide ofr the payment of (Eg: Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education. )

endue

provide with some quality; endow (Eg: He was endued with a lion's courage. )

document

provide written evidence (Eg: She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm. )

discretion

prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances (Eg: Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss it with anyone. )

circumspect

prudent; cautious (Eg: Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect. )

archives

public records; place where public records are kept (Eg: These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the )

chastise

punish (Eg: I must chastise you for this offense. )

castigation

punishment; severe criticism (Eg: Sensitive even to mild criticism, Woolf could not bear castigation that she found in certain reviews. )

chaste

pure (Eg: Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion. )

immaculate

pure; spotless (Eg: The West Point cadets were immaculate as they lined up for inspection. )

cathartic

purgative (Eg: Some drugs act as laxatives when taken in small doses but act as cathartics when taken in much larger )

catharsis

purging or cleansing of any passage of the body (Eg: Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts. )

distill

purify; refine; concentrate (Eg: A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips. )

execute

put into effect; carry out (Eg: The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute a pirouette. )

implement

put into effect; supply with tools (Eg: The mayor was unwilling to implement the plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing. )

don

put on (Eg: When Clark Kent had to don his Superman outfit, he changed clothes in a convenient phone booth. )

discomfit

put to rout; defeat; disconcert (Eg: This ruse will discomfit the enemy. )

entrance

put under a spell; carry away with emotion (Eg: Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound. )

enigma

puzzle (Eg: Depite all attempts to decipher the code, it remained an enigma. )

charlatan

quack; pretender to knowledge (Eg: When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends )

bicker

quarrel (Eg: The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents. )

contentious

quarrelsome (Eg: We heard loud and contentious noises in the next room. )

belligerent

quarrelsome (Eg: Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers. )

droll

queer and amusing (Eg: He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining. )

interrogate

question closely; cross-examine (Eg: Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover )

grill

question severely (Eg: In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several hours before reading him his )

inquisitor

questioner (specially harsh); investigator (Eg: Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her inquisitors with trepidation. )

cite

quote; commend (Eg: She could cite passages in the Bible from memory. )

centrifugal

radiating; departing from the center (Eg: Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force. )

foray

raid (Eg: The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost. )

exalt

raise in rank or dignity; praise (Eg: The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the Queen; he now is known as Sir Alec )

dais

raised platform for guests of honor (Eg: When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him. )

haphazard

random; by chance (Eg: His haphazard reading left him unaquainted with the authors of the books. )

ken

range of knowledge (Eg: I cannot answer your question since this matter is beyond my ken. )

fester

rankle, produce irritation or resentment (Eg: Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him. )

ecstasy

rapture, joy; any overpowering emotion (Eg: The announcement that the war had ended brought on an ecstasy that resulted in many uncontrolled )

knavery

rascality (Eg: We cannot condone such knavery in public officials. )

foolhardy

rash (Eg: Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture. )

incidence

rate of occurrence; particular occurrence (Eg: Health professionals expressed great concern over the high incidence of infant mortality in major urban )

amenable

readily managed; willing to be led (Eg: He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his )

entity

real being (Eg: As soon as the charter was adopted, the United Nations became an entity and had to be considered as a )

foster

rear; encourage (Eg: According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf that raised the abandoned )

insurrection

rebellion; uprising (Eg: Given the current state of affairs in South Africa, an insurrection seems unavoidable. )

insurgent

rebellious (Eg: We will not discuss reforms until the insurgent troops have returned to their homes. )

comeuppance

rebuke; deserts (Eg: After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance. )

ebb

recede; lessen (Eg: His fortunes began to ebb during the recession. )

inchoate

recently begun; rudimentary; elementary (Eg: Before the Creation, the world was an inchoate mass. )

desperado

reckless outlaw (Eg: Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head. )

compute

reckon; calculate (Eg: He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate. )

conciliatory

reconciling; soothing (Eg: She was still angry despite his conciliatory words. )

genealogy

record of descent; lineage (Eg: He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievements of his ancestors. )

annals

records; history (Eg: In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements. )

anneal

reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling (Eg: After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking. )

debase

reduce to lower state (Eg: Do not debase youself by becoming maudlin. )

deplete

reduce; exhaust (Eg: We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements. )

allude

refer indirectly (Eg: Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him. )

advert

refer to (Eg: Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important. )

ascribe

refer; attribute; assign (Eg: I can ascribe no motive for her acts. )

abstain

refrain; withhold from participation (Eg: After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking )

clime

region; climate (Eg: His doctors advised him to move to a milder clime. )

deplore

regret (Eg: Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely. )

flout

reject; mock (Eg: The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed. )

exult

rejoice (Eg: We exulted when our team won the victory. )

jubilation

rejoicing (Eg: There was great jubilitation when the armistice was announced. )

cognate

related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature (Eg: The English word "mother" cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words )

canine

related to dogs; doglike (Eg: Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population. )

demographic

related to population balance (Eg: In conducting a survey, one should take into account demographic trends in the region. )

kindred

related; similar in nature or character (Eg: Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two kindred spirits. )

culinary

relating to cooking (Eg: Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices. )

elysian

relating to paradise; blissful (Eg: An afternoon sail on the bay was for her an elysian journey. )

ethnic

relating to races (Eg: Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is based on lack of information. )

dorsal

relating to the back of an animal (Eg: A shark may be identified by its dorsal fin, which projects above the surface of the ocean. )

climactic

relating to the highest point (Eg: When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading. )

astral

relating to the stars (Eg: She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed. )

inexorable

relentless; unyielding; implacable (Eg: After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the )

alleviate

relieve (Eg: This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs. )

icon

religious image; idol (Eg: The icons on the walls of the church were painted in the 13th century. )

averse

reluctant (Eg: He was averse to revealing the sources of his information. )

commemorative

remembering; honoring (Eg: The new commemorative stamp honors the late Martin Luther King, Jr. )

compunction

remorse (Eg: The judge was especially severe in this sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no )

dislodge

remove (forcible) (Eg: Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to )

dehydrate

remove water from; dry out (Eg: Vigorous dancing quickly dehydrates the body; between dances, be sure to drink more water than normal. )

abjure

renounce upon oath (Eg: He abjured his allegiance to the king. )

forswear

renounce; abandon (Eg: The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the )

abdicate

renounce; give up (Eg: When Edward VII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world. )

abnegation

renunciation; self-sacrifice (Eg: Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the )

esteem

repect; value; judge (Eg: I esteem Ezra Pound both for his exciting poetry and for his acute comments on literature. )

alliteration

repetition of beginning sound in poetry (Eg: "The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration. )

chronicle

report; record (in chronological order) (Eg: The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities. )

atavism

resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; (Eg: throwback )

equine

resembling a horse (Eg: His long, bony face had an equine look to it. )

begrudge

resent (Eg: I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings. )

distant

reserved or aloof; cold in manner (Eg: )

defeatist

resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome (Eg: If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed. )

dutiful

respectful; obedient (Eg: The dutiful child grew up to be a conscientious adult aware of his civic obligations. )

disclose

reveal (Eg: Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company's )

divulge

reveal (Eg: I will not tell you this news because I am sure you will divulge it prematurely. )

cadence

rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat (Eg: Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant. )

brocade

rich, figured fabric (Eg: The sofa was covered with expensive brocade. )

conundrum

riddle; difficult problem (Eg: During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children. )

equestrian

rider on horseback (Eg: These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds. )

derision

ridicule (Eg: They greeted his proposal with derision and refused to consider it seriously. )

franchise

right granted by authority (Eg: The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for ninety-nine )

bristling

rising like bristles; showing irritation (Eg: The dog stood there, bristling with anger. )

exposure

risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the elements; unmasking; act of laying (Eg: something open )

emulate

rival; imitate (Eg: As long as our political leaders emulate the virtues of the great leaders of this country, we shall flourish. )

desolate

rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake (Eg: The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest. )

fleece

rob; plunder (Eg: The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance. )

extirpate

root up (Eg: The Salem witch trials were a misguided attempt to extirpate superstition and heresy. )

carrion

rotting flesh of a dead body (Eg: Buzzards are nature's scavengers; they eat the carrion left behind by other predators. )

gruff

rough-mannered (Eg: Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children. )

circuitous

roundabout (Eg: Because of the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route. )

efface

rub out (Eg: The coin had been handled so many times that its data had been effaced. )

abrasive

rubbing away; tending to grind down (Eg: Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's )

debris

rubble (Eg: A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, workers were still carting away the debris. )

boorish

rude; insensitive (Eg: Though Mr. Potts constantly interrupted his wife, she ignored his boorish behavior, for she had lost hope )

dilapidated

ruined because of neglect (Eg: We felt that the dilapidated building needed several coats of paint. )

domineer

rule over tyrannically (Eg: Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer. )

bucolic

rustic; pastoral (Eg: )

disconcolate

sad (Eg: The death of his wife left him disconsolate. )

funereal

sad; solemn (Eg: I fail to understand why there is such a funereal atmosphere; we have lost a battle, not a war. )

jocular

said or done in jest (Eg: Do not take my jocular remarks seriously. )

emolument

salary; compensation (Eg: In addition to the emolument this position offers, you must consider the social prestige it carries with it. )

imbue

saturate, fill (Eg: His visits to the famous Gothic cathedrals imbued him with feelings of awe and reverence. )

dearth

scarcity (Eg: The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools. )

intersperse

scatter (Eg: The molecules will intersperse throughout the space according to the second law of thermodynamics. )

disperse

scatter (Eg: The police fired tear gas into crowd to disperse the protesters. )

disseminate

scatter (like seeds) (Eg: The invention of the radio helped propagandists to disseminate their favorite doctrines very easily. )

dispel

scatter; drive away; cause to vanish (Eg: The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist. )

conservatory

school of the fine arts (especiallymusic or drama) (Eg: A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the conservatory. )

jurisprudence

science of law (Eg: He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the law. )

gastronomy

science of preparing and serving good food (Eg: One of the by-products of his trip to Europe was his interest in gastronomy; he enjoyed preparing and )

deride

scoff at (Eg: The people derided his grandiose schemes. )

chide

scold (Eg: Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying. )

berate

scold strongly (Eg: He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness. )

despise

scorn (Eg: I despise your attempts at a reconciliation at this time and refuse to meet you. )

contempt

scorn; disdain (Eg: )

glower

scowl (Eg: The angry boy glowered at his father. )

conscientious

scrupulous; careful (Eg: A conscientious editor checked every definition for its accuracy. )

hermetic

sealed by fusion so as to be airtight (Eg: After these bandages are sterilized, they are placed in hermetic containers. )

condiments

seasonings; spices (Eg: Spanish food is full of condiments. )

avocation

secondary or minor occupation (Eg: His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation )

clandestine

secret (Eg: After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting. )

cipher

secret code (Eg: Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher. )

crypt

secret recess or vault usually used for burial (Eg: Until recently only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in this crypt. )

covert

secret; hidden; implied (Eg: She could understand the covert threat in the letter. )

arcane

secret; mysterious (Eg: What was arcane to us was clear to the psychologist. )

anchor

secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place (Eg: We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. )

inviolability

security from being destroyed, corrupted or profaned (Eg: They respected the inviolability of her faith and did not try to change her manner of living. )

collateral

security given for loan (Eg: The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral. )

dregs

sediment; worthless residue (Eg: David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs. )

aspirant

seeker after position or status (Eg: Although I am as aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses. )

confiscate

seize; commandeer (Eg: The army confiscated all available supplies of uranium. )

excerpt

selected passage (written or musical) (Eg: The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a clip from a film. )

eclectic

selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources (Eg: His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods, )

axiom

self-evident truth requiring no proof (Eg: Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain )

autonomous

self-governing (Eg: This island is a colony; however, in most matters, it is autonomous and receives no orders from the mother )

continence

self-restraint; sexual chastity (Eg: She vowed to lead a life of continence. )

complacent

self-satisfied (Eg: There was a complacent look on his face as he examined his paintings. )

dotage

senility (Eg: In his dotage, the old man bored us with long tales of events in his childhood. )

discrete

separate; unconnected (Eg: The universe is composed of discrete bodies. )

estranged

separated; alienated (Eg: The estranged wife sought a divorce. )

casualty

serious or fatal accident (Eg: The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high. )

gravity

seriousness (Eg: We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of her expression. )

homily

sermon; serious warning (Eg: His speeches were always homilies, advising his listeners to repent and reform. )

exemplary

serving as a model; outstanding (Eg: Her exemplary behavior was praised at commencement. )

ancillary

serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary (Eg: In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to )

emancipate

set free (Eg: At first, the attempts of the Abolitioninst to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well )

carillon

set of bells capable of being played (Eg: The carillon in the bell tower of the Coca-Cola pavilion at the New York World's Fair provided musical )

ensconce

settle comfortably (Eg: The parents thought that their children were ensconced safely in the private school and decided to leave )

hovel

shack; small, wretched house (Eg: He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel. )

fetter

shackle (Eg: The prisoner was fettered to the wall. )

doddering

shaky; infirm from old age (Eg: Although he is not as yet a doddering and senile old man, his ideas and opinions no longer can merit the )

effrontery

shameless boldness (Eg: She had the effrontery to insult the guest. )

barefaced

shameless; bold; unconcealed (Eg: Shocked by Huck Finn's barefaced lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his )

amorphous

shapeless; vague; indeterminate (Eg: John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague, amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified, )

barb

sharp projection form fishhook, etc.; pointed comment (Eg: The barb from the fishhook caught in his finger as he grabbed the fish. )

acclivity

sharp upslope of a hill (Eg: The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear. )

angular

sharp-cornered; stiff in manner (Eg: His features, though angular, were curiously attractive. )

acrid

sharp; bitterly pungent (Eg: )

hone

sharpen (Eg: To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care. )

acuity

sharpness (Eg: In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses. )

asperity

sharpness (of temper) (Eg: These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed. )

gossamer

sheer; like cobwebs (Eg: Nylon can be woven into gossaner or thick fabrics. )

diaphanous

sheer; transparent (Eg: They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain. )

carapace

shell covering the back (of a turtle, crab, etc) (Eg: At the children's zoo, Richard perched on top of the giant turtle's hard carapace as it slowly made its way )

cameo

shell or jewel carved in relief (Eg: Tourists are advised not to purchase cameos from the street peddlers of Rome who sell poor specimens of )

aegis

shield; defense (Eg: Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights, we enjoy our most treasured freedoms. )

glimmer

shine erratically; twinkle (Eg: In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars. )

anecdote

short account of an amusing or interesting event (Eg: Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Raegan told anecdotes about poor )

epilogue

short speech at conclusion of dramatic work (Eg: The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue. )

ephemeral

short-lived; fleeting (Eg: The mayfly is an ephemeral creature. )

curtail

shorten; reduce (Eg: During the coal shortage, we must curtail our use of this vital commodity. )

jostle

shove; bump (Eg: In the subway he was jostled by the crowds. )

exemplify

show by example; furnish an example (Eg: Three-time winner of the Super Bowl, Joe Montana exemplifies the ideal quarterback. )

evince

show clearly (Eg: When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter. )

ebullient

showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm (Eg: )

canny

shrewd; thrifty (Eg: The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers. )

clarion

shrill, trumpetlike sound (Eg: We woke to the clarion to muffle its striking. )

cringe

shrink back, as if in fear (Eg: The dog cringed, expecting a blow. )

cower

shrink quivering, as from fear (Eg: The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room. )

dwindle

shrink; reduce (Eg: They spent so much money that their funds dwindled to nothing. )

coy

shy; modest; coquettish (Eg: She was coy in her answers to his offer. )

diffidence

shyness (Eg: You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson. )

import

significance (Eg: I feel that you have not grasped the full import of the message sent tous by the enemy. )

inane

silly; senseless (Eg: Such comments are inane because they do not help us solve our program. )

analogy

similarity; parallelism (Eg: Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar. )

fusilade

simultaneous firing or outburs (of missiles, questions, etc.) (Eg: Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture concludes with a thunderous fusilade of cannon fire. )

incantation

singing or chanting of magical formula (Eg: Uttering incantations to make the brew more potent, the witch doctor stirred the liquid in the caldron. )

cynical

skeptical or distrustful of human motives (Eg: cynical at all times, he was suspicious of all altruistic actions of others. )

adroit

skillful (Eg: His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers. )

dexterous

skillful (Eg: The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow his movements as he performed his tricks. )

gambol

skip; leap playfully (Eg: Watching children gamboling in the park is a pleasant experience )

azure

sky blue (Eg: azure skies are indicative of good weather. )

detraction

slandering; aspersion (Eg: He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader. )

aspersion

slanderous remark (Eg: Do not cast aspersions on her character. )

argot

slang (Eg: In the argot of the underworld, she "was taken for a ride." )

hibernate

sleep throughout the winter (Eg: Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate. )

dormant

sleeping; lethargic; torpid (Eg: Sometimes dormant talents in our friends surprise those of us who never realize how gifted our )

hazy

slightly obscure (Eg: In hazy weather, you cannot see the top of this mountain. )

acidulous

slightly sour; sharp; caustic (Eg: James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks. )

catapult

slingshot; hurling machine (Eg: Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults. )

incline

slope; slant (Eg: The architect recommended that the nursing home's ramp be rebuilt because its incline was too steep for )

dowdy

slovenly; untidy (Eg: She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a fashionable new wardrobe. )

decelerate

slow down (Eg: Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly. )

canter

slow gallop (Eg: Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won )

laggard

slow; sluggish (Eg: The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders. )

dinghy

small boat (often ship's boat) (Eg: In the film Lifeboat, an ill-assorted group of passengers from a sunken ocean liner are marooned at sea in a )

grotto

small cavern (Eg: The Blue Grotto in Capri can be entered only by small boats rowed by natives through a natural opening in )

cubicle

small chamberused for sleeping (Eg: After his many hours of intensive study in the library he retired to his cubicle. )

cabal

small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests (Eg: The cabal was defeated when its scheme was discovered. )

hummock

small hill (Eg: The ascent of the hummock is not difficult and the view from the hilltop is ample reward tor the effort. )

figurine

small ornamental statuette (Eg: In the Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird. )

facet

small plane surface (of a gem); a side (Eg: The stonecutter decided to improve the rough diamond by providing it with several facets. )

asteroid

small planet (Eg: asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction )

circlet

small ring; band (Eg: This tiny circlet is very costly because it is set with precious stones. )

cascade

small waterfall (Eg: )

clique

small, exclusive group (Eg: She charged that a clique had assumed control of school affairs. )

exiguous

small; minute (Eg: Grass grew there, an exiguous outcropping among the rocks. )

daub

smear (as with paint) (Eg: From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils. )

glossy

smooth and shining (Eg: I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte. )

fluency

smoothness of speech (Eg: He spoke French with fluency and ease. )

gregarious

sociable (Eg: Typically, party-throwers are gregarious; hermits are not. )

gaffe

social blunder (Eg: According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a )

convention

social or moral custom; established practice (Eg: Flying in the face of convention, George Sand (Amandine Dudevant) shocked her contemporaries by )

besmirch

soil, defile (Eg: The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society. )

anathema

solemn curse; someone or something that is despised (Eg: He heaped anathema upon his foe. )

adjuration

solemn urging (Eg: Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony. )

awe

solemn wonder (Eg: The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon. )

dupe

someone easily fooled (Eg: While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more )

glutton

someone who eats too much (Eg: When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton. )

adjunct

something attached to but holding an inferior position (Eg: I will entertain this concept as an adjunct to the main proposal. )

comestible

something fit to be eaten (Eg: The roast turkey and other comestibles, the wines, and the excellent service made this Thanksgiving dinner )

anachronism

something or someone misplaced in time (Eg: Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time. )

assumption

something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of (Eg: The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her Assumption of )

deterrent

something that discourages; hindrance (Eg: Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers? )

balm

something that relieves pain (Eg: Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love. )

brackish

somewhat saline (Eg: He found the only wells in the area were brackish; drinking the water made him nauseous. )

emollient

soothing or softening remedy (Eg: He applied an emollient to the inflamed area. )

bland

soothing; mild (Eg: She used a bland ointment for her sunburn. )

dolorous

sorrowfrl (Eg: He found the dolorous lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as )

judicious

sound in judgment; wise (Eg: At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth. )

crabbed

sour; peevish (Eg: The children avoided the crabbed old man because he scolded them when they made noise. )

capacious

spacious (Eg: In the capacious areas of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train. )

commodious

spacious and comfortable (Eg: After sleeping in a small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious. )

fitful

spasmodic; intermittent (Eg: After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic. )

idiom

spcial usage in language (Eg: I could not understand their idioms because literal translation made no sense. )

enunciate

speak distinctly (Eg: How will people understand you if you do not enunciate? )

expertise

specialized knowledge; expert skill (Eg: Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in )

inarticulate

speechless; producing indistinct speech (Eg: He became inarticulate with rage and uttered sounds without meaning. )

celerity

speed; rapidity (Eg: Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death. )

dispatch

speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed (Eg: Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters, )

cleft

split (Eg: Erosion caused a cleft in the huge boulder. )

cleave

split asunder (Eg: The lightening cleaves the tree in two. )

bungle

spoil by clumsy behavior (Eg: I was afraid you would bungle his assignment but I had no one else to send. )

fleck

spot (Eg: Her cheeks flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping. )

dappled

spotted (Eg: The sunlight filtering though the screens created a dappled effect on the wall. )

incentive

spur; motive (Eg: Students who dislike school must be given an incentive to learn. )

espionage

spying (Eg: In order to maintain its power, the government developed a system of espionage that penetrated every )

dissipate

squander (Eg: The young man quickly dissipated his inheritance and was soon broke. )

adjutant

staff officer assisting the commander; assistant (Eg: Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no )

criteria

standards used in judging (Eg: What criteria did you use when you selected this essay as the prize winner? )

deadlock

standstill; stalemate (Eg: The negotiations had reached a deadlock. )

gawk

stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe (Eg: The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city. )

kindle

start a fire; inspire (Eg: Her teacher's praise kindled a spark a hope inside her. )

inception

start; beginning (Eg: She was involved with the project from its inception. )

aver

state confidently (Eg: I wish to aver that I am certain of success. )

bereavement

state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved (Eg: His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement. )

immobility

state of being immovable (Eg: Modern armies cannot afford the luxury of immobility, as they are vulnerable to attack while standing still. )

impropriety

state of being inappropriate (Eg: Because of the impropriety of his costume, he was denied entrance into the dining room. )

inertia

state of being inert or indisposed to move (Eg: Our inertia in this matter may prove disastrous; we must move to aid our allies immediately. )

anonymity

state of being nameless; anonymousness (Eg: )

inconsistency

state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness (Eg: How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? Where lawyers check inconsistencies in witnesses' )

decrepitude

state of collagse caused by illness or old age (Eg: I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged )

intransigence

state of stubborn unwillingness to compromise (Eg: The intransigence of both parties in the dispute makes an early settlement almost impossible to obtain. )

assert

state strongly or positively; insist on or demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc). (Eg: When Jill asserted that nobody else in the junior class had such an early curfew, her parents Asserted )

allege

state without proof (Eg: It is alleged that she had worked for the enemy. )

diligence

steadiness of effort; persisten hard work (Eg: Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm. )

filch

steal (Eg: The boys filched apples from the fruit stand. )

embezzlement

stealing (Eg: The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds. )

furtive

stealthy; sneaky (Eg: The boy gave a furtive look at his classmate's test paper. )

austerity

sternness; severity; lack of luxuries (Eg: The austerity and dignity of the court were maintained by the new justices, who were a strict and solemn )

cohere

stick together (Eg: Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids. )

glutinous

sticky; viscous (Eg: Molasses is a glutinous substance. )

incandescent

stikingly bright; shining with intense heat (Eg: If you leave on an incandescent light bulb, it quickly grows too hot to touch. )

extant

still in existence (Eg: Although the authorities suppressed the book, many copies are extant and may be purchased at exorbitant )

galvanize

stimulate by shock; stir up (Eg: The entire nation was galvanized into strong military activity by the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. )

acrimonious

stinging, caustic (Eg: His tendency to utter acrimonious remarks alienated his audience. )

agitate

stir up; disturb (Eg: Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob. )

foment

stir up; instigate (Eg: This report will foment disssension in the club. )

hoard

stockpile; accumulate for future use (Eg: Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, people are tempted to hoard food. )

balk

stoop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue (Eg: The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area. )

check

stop motion; curb or restrain (Eg: Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better )

cessation

stopping (Eg: The workers threatened a cessation of all activities if their demands were not met. )

granary

storehouse for grain (Eg: We have reason to be thankful, for our crops were good and our granaries are full. )

inclement

stormy; unkind (Eg: I like to read a good book in inclement weather. )

allegory

story in which characters are used as symbols; fable (Eg: Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul. )

cantata

story set to music, to be sung by a chorus (Eg: The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader. )

forthright

straightforward; direct; frank (Eg: I prefer Jill's forthright approach to Jack's tendency to beat around the bush. )

austere

strict, stern (Eg: His austere demeanor prevented us from engaging in our usual frivolous activities. )

clapper

striker (tongue) of a bell (Eg: Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle its striking. )

flay

strip off skin; plunder (Eg: The criminal was condemned to be flayed alive. )

divest

strip; deprive (Eg: He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern. )

apoplexy

stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis (Eg: He was crippled by an attack of apoplexy. )

forte

strong point or special talent (Eg: I am not eager to play this rather seious role, for my forte is comedy. )

bastion

stronghold; something seen as a source of protection (Eg: The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrila )

conviction

strongly held belief (Eg: Nothing could shake his conviction that she was innocent. )

contend

struggle; compete; assert earnestly (Eg: In Revolt of the Black Athlete, sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes have been )

bigotry

stubborn intolerance (Eg: Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by )

headstrong

stubborn; willful; unyielding (Eg: Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called )

anthropologist

student of the history and science of humankind (Eg: Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric humans in this area. )

archaeology

study of artifacts and relics of early mankind (Eg: The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins. )

ichthyology

study of fish (Eg: Jacques Cousteau's rpograms about sea life have advanced the cause of ichthyology. )

entomology

study of insects (Eg: I found entomology the least interesting part of my course in biology; studying insects bored me. )

ethnology

study of mankind (Eg: Sociology is one aspect of the science of ethnology. )

etymology

study of word parts (Eg: A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English tests. )

gorge

stuff oneself (Eg: The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten for days. )

asinine

stupid (Eg: Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration. )

dolt

stupid person (Eg: I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself addressing a pack of dolts. )

hardy

sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather (Eg: We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh )

cuisine

style of cooking (Eg: French cuisine is noted for its use of sauces and wines. )

appurtenances

subordinate possessions (Eg: He bought the estate and all its appurtenances. )

abate

subside or moderate (Eg: Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate. )

emetic

substance causing vomiting (Eg: The use of an emetic like mustard is useful in cases of poisoning. )

humus

substance formed by decaying vegetable matter (Eg: In order to improve his garden, he spread humus over his lawn and flower beds. )

antiseptic

substance that prevents infection (Eg: It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant. )

anesthetic

substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness (Eg: His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. )

blighted

suffering from a disease; destroyed (Eg: The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air. )

dyspeptic

suffering from indigestion (Eg: All the talk about rich food made him feel dyspeptic. )

bilious

suffering from indigestion; irritable (Eg: His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties. )

imply

suggest a meaning not expressed (Eg: Even though your statement does not declare that you are at war with that country, your actions imply that )

connotation

suggested or implied meaning of an expression (Eg: Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use. )

indicative

suggestive; implying (Eg: A lack of appetite may be indicative of a major mental or physical disorder. )

forensic

suitable to debate or courts of law (Eg: In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury. )

expedient

suitable; practical; politic (Eg: A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical. )

dour

sullen; stubborn (Eg: The man was dour abd taciturn. )

aggregate

sum; total (Eg: The aggregate wealth of this country is staggering to the imagination. )

conjure

summon a devil; proactive magic; imagine; invent (Eg: He conjured up an image of a reformed city and had the voters completely under his spell. )

aureole

sun's corona; halo (Eg: Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureols around their heads. )

curator

superintendent; manager (Eg: The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and )

codicil

supplement to the body of a will (Eg: This codicil was drawn up five years after the writing of the original will. )

alimentary

supplying nourishment (Eg: The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there. )

champion

support militantly (Eg: )

fulcrum

support on which a lever rests (Eg: If we use this stone as a fulcrum and the crowbar as a lever, we may be able to move this boulder. )

buttress

support; prop up (Eg: Just as architects buttress the walls of cathedrals with flying buttresses, debates buttress their arguments )

bolster

support; reinforce (Eg: The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments. )

constituent

supporter (Eg: The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment )

adherent

supporter; follower (Eg: In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherent quietly deserted him. )

conjecture

surmise; guess (Eg: I will end all your conjectures; I admit I am guilty as charged. )

capitulate

surrender (Eg: The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation. )

extradition

surrender of prisoner by one state to another (Eg: The lawyers opposed the extradition of their client on the grounds that for more than five years he had )

disgorge

surrender something; efect; vomit (Eg: Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away. )

encompass

surround (Eg: Although we were encompassed by enemy forces, we were cheerful for we were well stocked and could )

abeyance

suspended action (Eg: The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival. )

bravado

swagger; assumed air of defiance (Eg: )

euphony

sweet sound (Eg: Noted for its euphony even when it is spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when )

dulcet

sweet sounding (Eg: The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel. )

bilk

swindle; cheat (Eg: The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies. )

eddy

swirling current of water, air, etc. (Eg: The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy. )

bloated

swollen or puffed as with water or air (Eg: Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water. )

creed

system of religious or ethical belief (Eg: In any loyal American's creed, love of democracy must be emphasized. )

dismantle

take apart (Eg: When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before restoring it. )

doff

take off (Eg: A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady. )

flair

talent (Eg: She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence. )

expatiate

talk at length (Eg: At this time, please give us a brief resume of your work; we shall permit you to expatiate later. )

drone

talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee (Eg: On a gorgeous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone? )

blowhard

talkative boaster (Eg: After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere, Sally decided he was just another )

garrulity

talkativeness (Eg: The man who married a dumb wife asked the doctor to make him deaf because of his wife's garrulity after )

brindled

tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (Eg: He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled; he had hoped for animals of uniform )

didactic

teaching; instructional; preaching or moralizing (Eg: The didactic qualities of his poetry overshadow its literary qualities; the lesson he teaches is more )

gouge

tear out (Eg: In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes )

badinage

teasing conversation (Eg: Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage. )

bivouac

temporary encampment (Eg: While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars. )

incursion

temporary invasion (Eg: The nightly incursions and hit-and-run raids of our neighbors across the border tried the patience of the )

homeostasis

tendency of a system to maintain relative stability (Eg: A breakdown of the body's immune system severely undermines the body's ability to maintain )

cohesion

tendency to keep together (Eg: A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the emperor, by lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the )

inclined

tending or leaning toward; bent (Eg: Though I am inclined to be skeptical, the witness's manner inclines me to believe his story. )

inclusive

tending to include all (Eg: The comedian turned down the invitation to join the Player's Club, saying any club that would let him in )

centripetal

tending toward the center (Eg: Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface? )

enclave

territory enclosed within an alien land (Eg: The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy. )

cow

terrorize; intimidate (Eg: The little boy was so cowed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of )

attest

testify; bear witness (Eg: Having served as a member of a grand jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need )

deposition

testimony under oath (Eg: He made his deposition in the judge's chamber. )

concomitant

that which accompanies (Eg: Culture is not always a concomitant of wealth. )

implication

that which is hinted at or suggested (Eg: If I understand the implications of your remark, you do not trust our captain. )

galaxy

the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities (Eg: The deaths of such famous actors as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, and Marlene Dietrich )

ambivalence

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes (Eg: Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the )

histrionic

theatrical (Eg: He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to paly the role of Hamlet. )

abstract

theoretical; not concrete; non-representational (Eg: To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal. )

coagulate

thicken; congeal; clot (Eg: Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands. )

emaciated

thin and wasted (Eg: His long period of starvation had left him emaciated. )

gruel

thin, liquid porridge (Eg: Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable. )

cogitate

think over (Eg: cogitate on this problem; the solution will come. )

comprehensive

thorough; inclusive (Eg: This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT. )

gentility

those of gentle birth; refinement (Eg: )

cerebration

thought (Eg: Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration. )

flail

thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about (Eg: In medieval times, warriors flailed their foe with a metal ball attached to a handle. )

frugality

thrift; economy (Eg: In these economically difficult days businesses must practice frugality or risk bankruptcy. )

improvident

thriftless (Eg: He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to "save for a rainy day." )

embroil

throw into confusion (Eg: He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute. )

jettison

throw overboard (Eg: In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to jettison much of his cargo. )

fulminate

thunder; explode (Eg: The people against whom she fulminated were innocent of any wrongdoing. )

compact

tightly packed; firm; brief (Eg: His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball. )

heyday

time of greatest success; prime (Eg: In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running. )

gratuity

tip (Eg: Many service employees rely more on gratuities than on salaries for their livelihood. )

apex

tip; summit; climax (Eg: He was at the apex of his career. )

indefatigable

tireless (Eg: He was indefatigable in his constant efforts to raise funds for the Red Cross. )

harping

tiresome dwelling on a subject (Eg: After he had reminded me several times about what he had done for me I told him to stop his harping on )

caption

title; chapter heading; text under illustration (Eg: I find the captions that accompany these cartoons very clever and humorous. )

fret

to be annonyed or vexed (Eg: To fret over your poor grades is foolish; instead, decide to work harder in the future. )

commandeer

to draft for military purposes; to take for public use (Eg: The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest )

caulk

to make watertight (by plugging seams) (Eg: )

defrock

to strip a priest or minister of church authority (Eg: We knew the minister had violated church regulations, but we had not realized his offense was serious )

brook

tolerate; endure (Eg: The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions. )

knell

tolling of a bell, especially to indicate a funeral, disaster, etc.; sound of the funeral bell (Eg: "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day." )

indisputable

too certain to be disputed (Eg: In the face of these indisputable statements, I withdraw my complaint. )

finicky

too particular; fussy (Eg: The old lady was finicky about her food and ate very little. )

cog

tooth projecting from a wheel (Eg: A bicycle chain moves through a series of cogs in order to propel the bike. )

fiasco

total failure (Eg: Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee. )

explicit

totally clear; definite; outspoken (Eg: Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied: be explicit about what's bugging you. )

barterer

trader (Eg: The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs. )

equable

tranquil; steady; uniform (Eg: After the hot summers and cold winters of New England, he found the climate of the West Indies equable )

cede

transfer; yield title to (Eg: I intend to cede this property to the city. )

conspiracy

treacherous plot (Eg: Brutus and Cassius joined in the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar. )

insidious

treacherous; stealthy; sly (Eg: The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat. )

exchequer

treasury (Eg: He had been Chancellor of the exchequer before his promotion to the office he now holds. )

coddle

treat gently; pamper (Eg: Don't coddle the children to much; they need a taste of discipline. )

disdain

treat with scorn or contempt (Eg: You make enemies of all you disdain. )

intrude

trespass; enter as an uninvited person (Eg: She hesitated to intrude on their conversation. )

hoax

trick; practical joke (Eg: Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room. )

feint

trick; shift; sham blow (Eg: The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and dropped his guard. )

chicanery

trickery (Eg: Your deceitful tactics in this case are indications of chicanery. )

dally

trifle with; procrastinate (Eg: Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet could only dally with her affections. )

flippancy

trifling gaiety (Eg: Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive. )

bauble

trinket; trifle (Eg: The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag. )

junket

trip, especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense (Eg: Though she maintained she had gone abroad to collect firsthand data on the Common Market, the )

jaunt

trip; short journey (Eg: He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City. )

confidant

trusted friend (Eg: He had no confidants with whom he could discuss his problems at home. )

complaisant

trying to please; obliging (Eg: The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner. )

kaleidoscope

tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc., (Eg: produce interesting symmetrical effects )

deflect

turn aside (Eg: His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet. )

deviate

turn away from (Eg: Do not deviate from the truth; you must face the facts. )

deify

turn into a god; idolize (Eg: Admire the rock star all you want; just don't deify him. )

invert

turn upside down or inside out (Eg: When he inverted his body in a hand stand, he felt the blood rush to his head. )

gnarled

twisted (Eg: The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several deeds. )

distortion

twisting out of shape (Eg: It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of this event because of the distortions and exaggerations )

contortions

twistings; distortions (Eg: As the effects of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and )

bicameral

two-chambered, as a legislative body (Eg: The United States Congress is a bicameral body. )

despotism

tyranny (Eg: The people rebelled against the despotism of the king. )

irrepressible

unable to be restrained or held back (Eg: Her high spirits were irrepressible. )

doctrinaire

unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding (Eg: Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the )

irrevocable

unalterable (Eg: Let us not brood over past mistakes since they are irrevocable. )

inevitable

unavoidable (Eg: Death and taxes are both inevitable. )

infidel

unbeliever (Eg: The Saracens made war against tne infidels. )

irresolute

uncertain how to act; weak (Eg: She had no respect for him because he seemed weak-willed and irresolute. )

indeterminate

uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite (Eg: That interest rates shall rise appears certain; when they will do so, however, remains indeterminate. )

immutable

unchangeable (Eg: Scientists are constantly seeking to discover the immutable laws of nature. )

ambiguous

unclear or doubtful in meaning (Eg: His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take. )

invincible

unconquerable (Eg: Superman is invincible. )

indomitable

unconquerable (Eg: The founders of our country had indomitable willpower. )

insensible

unconscious; unresponsive (Eg: Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems )

incorrigible

uncorrectable (Eg: Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible and said he )

disengage

uncouple; separate; disconnect (Eg: A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving )

ethos

underlying character of a culture, group, etc. (Eg: Seeing how tenderly Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how )

implicit

understood but not stated (Eg: Jack never told Jill he adored her; he believed his love was implicit in his deeds. )

embryonic

undeveloped; rudimentary (Eg: The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated while it is still in an embryonic state; otherwise, it may )

inquisitive

unduly curious; prying; seeking knowledge (Eg: We need more inquisitive students in this school; lectures are dull. )

infallible

unerring (Eg: We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes. )

inequity

unfairness (Eg: In demanding equal pay for equal work, women protest the basic inequity of a system that allots greater )

adverse

unfavorable; hostile (Eg: adverse circumstances compelled him to close his business. )

hapless

unfortunate (Eg: This hapless creature had never known a moment's pleasure. )

canard

unfounded rumor (Eg: It is almost impossible to protect oneself from such a base canard. )

inimical

unfriendly; hostile (Eg: She felt that they were inimical and were hoping for her downfall. )

ingrate

ungrateful person (Eg: That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him. )

incoherent

unintelligible; muddled; illogical (Eg: The bereaved father sobbed and stammered, his words becoming almost incoherent in his grief. )

incessant

uninterrupted (Eg: The crickets kept up an incessant chirping that disturbed our attempts to fall asleep. )

fusion

union; coalition (Eg: The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of disgruntled groups and became an )

carat

unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold (Eg: He gave her a diamond that weighed three carats and was mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band. )

catholic

universal; wide-ranging liberal (Eg: He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library. )

iniquitous

unjust; wicked (Eg: )

fluke

unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune (Eg: )

implausible

unlikely; unbelievable (Eg: Though her alibi seened implausible, it in fact turned out to be true. )

indifferent

unmoved; lacking concern (Eg: Because she felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to his constant proposals. )

derivative

unoriginal; obtained from another source (Eg: Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and )

heterodox

unorthodox; unconventional (Eg: To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun )

disinterested

unprejudiced (Eg: The only disinterested person in the room was the judge. )

fantastic

unreal; grotesque; whimsical (Eg: Your fears are fantastic because no such animal as you have described exists. )

arbitrary

unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical (Eg: The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls. )

earthy

unrefined; coarse (Eg: His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in the audience. )

inordinate

unrestrained; excessive (Eg: She had an inordinate fondness for candy. )

fractious

unruly (Eg: The fractious horse unseated its rider. )

intractable

unruly; refractory (Eg: The horse was intractable and refused to enter the starting gate. )

altruistic

unselfishly generous; concerned for others (Eg: In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged )

abortive

unsuccessful; fruitless (Eg: We had to abandon our abortive attempts. )

disheveled

untidy (Eg: Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview. )

inopportune

untimely; poorly chosen (Eg: A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation. )

apocryphal

untrue; made up (Eg: To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city. )

ineffable

unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech (Eg: Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described. )

insalubrious

unwholesome; not healthful (Eg: The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion. )

disinclination

unwilingness (Eg: Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed. )

grudging

unwilling; reluctant; stingy (Eg: We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid. )

integrity

uprightness; wholeness (Eg: Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the )

distraught

upset; distracted by anxiety (Eg: The distraught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child. )

aloft

upward (Eg: The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. )

exhort

urge (Eg: The evangelist will exhort all sinners in his audience to reform. )

goad

urge on (Eg: He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes. )

advocate

urge; plead for (Eg: The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves. )

instigate

urge; start; provoke (Eg: I am afraid that this statement will instigate a revolt. )

exigency

urgent situation (Eg: In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies. )

importunate

urging; demanding (Eg: He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his allowance arrived. )

coercion

use of force (Eg: They forced him to obey, but only by great coercion. )

colander

utensil with perforated bottom used for straining (Eg: Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it. )

blurt

utter impulsively (Eg: Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news. )

generality

vague statement (Eg: This report is filled with generalities; you must be more specific in you statements. )

foppish

vain about dress and appearance (Eg: He tried to imitate the foppish manner of the young men of the court. )

diversity

variety; dissimilitude (Eg: The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of ability are being served. )

diverge

vary; go in different directionsfrom the same point (Eg: The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub. )

isotope

varying form of an element (Eg: The study of the isotopes of uranium led to the development of the nuclear bomb. )

conveyance

vehicle; transfer (Eg: During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances. )

execrable

very bad (Eg: The anecdote was in execrable taste and shocked the audience. )

gingerly

very carefully (Eg: )

corpulent

very fat (Eg: The corpulent man resolved to reduce. )

infinitesimal

very small (Eg: In the twentieth century, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about the characteristics of )

iota

very small quantity (Eg: She hadn't an iota of common sense. )

crass

very unrefined; grossly insensible (Eg: The philosophers deplored the crass commercialism. )

exasperate

vex (Eg: Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks. )

chagrin

vexation; disappointment (Eg: Her refusal to go with us filled us with chagrin. )

infringe

violate; encroach (Eg: I think your machine infringes on my patent and intend to sue. )

infraction

violation (Eg: Because of his many infractions of school regulations, he was suspended by the dean. )

impetuous

violent; hasty; rash (Eg: We tried to curb his impetuous behavior because we felt that in his haste he might offend some people. )

boisterous

violent; rough; noisy (Eg: The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them. )

insomnia

wakefulness; inability to sleep (Eg: He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he claimed it gave him insomnia. )

errant

wandering (Eg: Many a charming tale has been written about the knights-errant who helped the weak and punished the )

digression

wandering away from the subject (Eg: Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their offical theme; his digressions )

itinerant

wandering; traveling (Eg: He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his wares. )

bellicose

warlike (Eg: His bellicose disposition alienated his friends. )

chafe

warm by rubbing (Eg: The collar chafed his neck. )

admonish

warn; reprove (Eg: He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways. )

ablution

washing (Eg: His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath." )

fritter

waste (Eg: He could not apply himself to any task and frittered away his time in idle conversation. )

dross

waste matter; worhtless impurities (Eg: Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross. )

haggard

wasted away; gaunt (Eg: After his long illness, he was pale and haggard. )

atrophy

wasting away (Eg: Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs. )

gargolye

waterspout carved in groteque figures on a building (Eg: The gargoyles adorning the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris are amusing in their grotesqueness. )

fluctuation

wavering (Eg: Meteorologists watch the fluctuations of the barometer in order to predict the weather. )

impotent

weak; ineffective (Eg: Although he wished to break the nicotine habit, he found himself impotent in resisisting the craving for a )

enervate

weaken (Eg: She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window evervated her. )

invalidate

weaken; destroy (Eg: The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had )

debilitate

weaken; enfeeble (Eg: Overindulgence debilitates character as well as physical stamina. )

extenuate

weaken; mitigate (Eg: It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of others. )

infirmity

weakness (Eg: Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower. )

frailty

weakness (Eg: The doctor prescribed vitamin and mineral supplements for the sick old woman because of her frailty. )

imbecility

weakness of mind (Eg: I am amazed at the imbecility of the readers of these trashy magazines. )

foible

weakness; slight fault (Eg: We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect. )

imponderable

weightless (Eg: I can evaluate the data gathered in this study; the imponderable items are not so easily analyzed. )

eerie

weird (Eg: In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings. )

genteel

well-bred; elegant (Eg: We are looking for a man with a genteel apperance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner. )

bedraggle

wet thoroughly (Eg: We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing. )

caprice

whim (Eg: She was an unpredictable creature, acting on caprice, never taking thought of the consequences. )

conceit

whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor (Eg: He was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of )

fanciful

whimsical; visionary (Eg: This is a fanciful scheme because it does not consider the facts. )

hoary

white with age (Eg: The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70. )

breadth

width; extent (Eg: We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge. )

frantic

wild (Eg: At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear. )

dormer

window projecting from roof (Eg: In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient )

gusty

windy (Eg: The gusty weather made sailing precarious. )

hibernal

wintry (Eg: Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating. )

adage

wise saying; proverb (Eg: There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money. )

astute

wise; shrewd (Eg: That was a very astute observation. )

askance

with a sideways or indirect look (Eg: Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn. )

incognito

with identity concealed; using an assumed name (Eg: The monarch enjoyed traveling throughthe town incognito and mingling with the populace. )

apropos

with reference to; regarding (Eg: I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent. )

incredulous

withholding belief; skeptical (Eg: )

guileless

without deceit (Eg: He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud. )

categorical

without exceptions; unqualified; absolute (Eg: Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally qualified his categorical denial; he )

insensate

without feeling (Eg: She lay there as insensate as a log. )

impassive

without feeling; not affected by pain (Eg: The Native American has been incorrectly depicted as an impassive individual, undemonstrative and )

artless

without guile; open and honest (Eg: Red Riding Hood's artless comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" indicates the child's innocent )

impecunious

without money (Eg: Now that he was wealthy, he gladly contributed to funds to assist impecunious and disbled persons. )

impromptu

without previous preparation (Eg: Her listeners were amazed that such a thorough presentation could be made in an impromptu speech. )

epigram

witty thought or saying, usually short (Eg: Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous. )

deadpan

wooden; impassive (Eg: We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression. )

fleece

wool coat of a sheep (Eg: They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool. )

epithet

word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing (Eg: So many kings of France were named Charles that modern students need epithets to tell them apart: )

diffusion

wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas (Eg: Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas; try to be more compact. )

collage

work of art put together from fragments (Eg: Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage. )

collaborate

work together (Eg: Two writers collaborated in preparing this book. )

effete

worn out; exhausted; barren (Eg: The literature of the age reflected the effete condition of the writers; no new ideas were forthcoming. )

impair

worsen; diminish in value (Eg: This arrest will impair her reputation in the community. )

exacerbate

worsen; embitter (Eg: This latest arrest will exacerbate the already existing discontent of the people and enrage them. )

idolatry

worship of idols; excessive admiration (Eg: Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical of the excessive enthusiasm of youth. )

chaff

worthless products of an endeavor (Eg: When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff. )

grapple

wrestle; come to grips with (Eg: He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him. )

abject

wretched; lacking pride (Eg: On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from )

extort

wring from; get money by threats, etc. (Eg: The blackmailer extorted money from his victim. )

corrugated

wrinkled; ridged (Eg: She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow. )

indite

write; compose (Eg: Cyrano indited many letters for Christian. )

context

writings preceding and following the passage quoted (Eg: Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the message the author intended. )

affidavit

written statement made under oath (Eg: The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit. )

amiss

wrong; faulty (Eg: Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss. )

annuity

yearly allowance (Eg: The annuity he set up with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can )

jaundiced

yellowed; prejudiced; envious (Eg: She gazed at the painting with jaundiced eyes; she knew it was better than hers. )

compliant

yielding (Eg: He was compliant and ready to go along with his friends' desires. )

cession