GRE_complete_sentence_only_vol.2

rousing

"And now, let's have a rousing welcome for TV's own Roseanne Arnold, who'll lead us in a rousing

suffuse

A blush suffused her cheeks when we teased her about her love affair.

rebus

A coven of witches beside a tree is a possible rebus for the town Coventry.

objective

A degree in medicine was her ultimate objective.

shrewd

A shrewd investor, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market.

ravel

A sigle thread pulled loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.

thrifty

A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.

virtue

A virtue carried to extremes can turn into something resembling vice; humility, for example, can degenerate into servility and spinelessness.

monotheism

Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism.

platonic

Accused of impropriety in his dealings with female students, the professor maintained he had only a platonic interest in the women involved.

sere

After the unseasonably dry winter the Berkeley hills looked dusty and sere.

welter

At the height of the battle, the casualties were so numerous that the victims weltered in their blood while waiting for medical attention.

reparation

At the peace conference, the defeated country promised to pay reparations to the victors.

mannered

Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.

steep

Be sure to steep the fabric in the dye bath for the full time prescribed.

tithe

Because he was an agnostic, he refused to pay his tithes to the clergy.

surly

Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company.

theoretical

Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical objections to your plan, you've convinced me of its basic soundness.

quirk

By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.

solvent

By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings.

outwit

By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his pursuers and escape capture.

precocious

By her rather adult manner of discussing serious topics, the child demonstrated that she was precocious.

winsome

By her winsome manner, she made herself liked by everyone who met her.

materialism

By its nature, materialism is opposed to idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the body, the idealist emphasizes the needs of the soul.

rigid

By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society's most rigid rule of respectable behavior.

mischance

By mischance, he lost his week's salary.

opiate

By such opiates, she made the people forget their difficulties and accept their unpleasant circumstances.

nemesis

Captain Bligh vowed to be Christian's nemesis.

veneer

Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to recognize his fundamental shallowness.

pliant

Catherine's disposition was pliant; she was like putty in her suitor's hands.

motility

Certain organisms exhibit remarkable motility; motile spores, for example, may travel for miles before coming to rest.

unfettered

Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered.

propensity

Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to belittle the talents of others.

submissive

Crushed by his authoritarian father, Will had no defiance left in him; he was totally submissive in the face of authority.

levy

Crying "No taxation withouth representation," the colonists demonstrated against England's power to levy taxes.

skirmish

Custer's troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on maneuvers; they did not expect to face a major battle.

reaper

Death, the Grim Reaper, cuts down men and women, just as a farmer cuts down the ripened grain.

tundra

Despite the cold, many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.

thrive

Despite the impact of recession on the restaurant trade, Philip's cafe thrived.

swarthy

Despite the stereotype, not all Italians are swarthy; many are fair and blond.

pore

Determined to become a physician, Beth spends hours poring over her anatomy text.

stupefy

Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might stupefy her.

precipitate

Do not be precipitate in this matter; investigate further.

touchy

Do not discuss this phase of the problem as he is very touchy about it.

recalcitrant

Donkeys are reputed to be the most recalcitrant of animals.

warble

Every morning the birds warbled outside her window.

patronize

Experts in a field sometimes appear to patronize people who are less knowledgeable of the subject.

orthodox

Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone.

luxuriant

Farming was easy in this luxuriant soil.

retaliate

Fear that we will retaliate immediately deters our foe from attacking us.

stealth

Fearing detection by the sentries on duty, the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great stealth.

transgression

Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do.

wane

From now until December 21, the winter solstice, the hours of daylight will wane.

retiring

Given Susan't retiring personality, no one expected her to take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she became a star of the school debate team.

permeable

Glass is permeable to light.

versatile

He was a versatile athlete; at college he had earned varsity letters in baseball, football, and track.

susceptible

He was a very susceptible young man, and so his parents worried that he might fall into bad company.

liquidate

He was able to liquidate all his debts in short period of time.

remiss

He was accused of being remiss in his duty when the prisoner escaped.

poultice

He was advised to apply a flaxseed poultice to the inflammation.

quail

He was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

minion

He was always accompanied by several of his minions because he enjoyed their subservience and flattery.

multiplicity

He was appalled by the multuplicity of details he had to complete before setting out on his mission.

polygamist

He was arrested as a polygamist when his two wives filed complaints about him.

sartorial

He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his attire as he was for his acting.

reverie

He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher's question.

mundane

He was concerned only with mundane matters, especially the daily stock market quotations.

malcontent

He was one of the few malcontents in the Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the Presidential program.

mendacious

He was pathological liar, and his friends learned to discount his mendacious stories.

unimpeachable

Her conduct in office was unimpeachable and her record is spotless.

polemic

Her essays were, for the main part, polemics for the party's policy.

lucid

Her explanation was lucid enought for a child to grasp.

lithe

Her figure was lithe and willowy.

succinct

His remarks are always succinct and pointed.

reverent

His reverent attitude was appropriate in a house of worship.

ruddy

His ruddy features indicated that he had spent much time in the open.

meager

His salary was far too meager for him to afford to buy a new car.

sonorous

His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.

plebeian

His speeches were aimed at the plebeian minds and emotions; they disgusted the more refined.

staccato

His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.

sacrilegious

His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.

stilted

His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances.

travail

How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation without rebelling?

provenance

I am not interested in its provenance; I am more concerned with its usefulness than with its source.

proviso

I am ready to accept your proposal with the two proviso that you meet your obligations within the next two weeks.

optional

I was impressed by the range of optional accessories for my microcomputer that were available.

validate

I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.

relinquish

I will relinquish my claims to this property if you promise to retain my employees.

palliate

If we cannot cure this disease at present, we can, at least try to palliate the symptoms.

paraphrase

In 250 words or less, paraphrase this article.

venerate

In China, the people venerate their ancestors.

jaunty

In Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way through the lighthearted title number in a properly jaunty style.

privation

In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.

muted

In the funeral parlor, the mourners' voices had a muted quality.

microcosm

In the microcosm of our rural village, we find illustrations of all the evils that beset the universe.

proselytize

In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to proselytize; we must respect all points of view.

pastoral

In these stories of pastoral life, we find an understanding of the daily tasks of country folk.

myopic

In thinking only of your present needs and ignoring the future, you are being rather myopic.

refectory

In this huge refectory, we can feed the entire student body at one sitting.

partial

In this issue we have published only a partial list of contributors because we lack space to acknowledge everyone.

largess

Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.

jeopardy

Legally, one cannot be placed in double jeopardy.

spartan

Looking over the bare, unheated room with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan quarters. Only his spartan sense of duty kept him at his post.

recrimination

Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his accusations.

viscous

Melted tar is a viscous substance.

stemfrom

Milton's problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.

regeneration

Modern penologists strive for the regeneration of the prisoners.

verdant

Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green.

quadruped

Most mammals are quadrupeds.

static

Nothing had changed at home; things were static there

omnipresent

On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is omnipotent.

panoramic

On a clear day, from the top of the World Trade Center you can get a panoramic view of New York City and neighboring stretches of New Jersey and Long Island.

partisan

On certain issues of conscience, she refused to take a partisan stand.

momentous

On this momentous occasion, we must be very solemn.

litany

On this solemn day, the congregation responded to the prayers of the priest during the litany with fervor and intensity.

savant

Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants.

proxy

Please act as my proxy and vote for this slate of candidates in my absence.

superfluous

Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the bare facts.

perpetual

Ponce de Leon hoped to find perpetual youth.

perdition

Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition.

strew

Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.

lucre

Preferring lucre to undying fame, he wrote stories of popular appeal.

natty

Priding himself on being a natty dresser, the gangster Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits and ties.

regal

Prince Albert had a regal manner.

prosperity

Promising to stay together "for richer, for poorer," the newlyweds vowed to be true to one another in prosperity and hardship alike.

withdrawn

Rebuffed by his colleagues, the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn.

rile

Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.

savor

Relishing his triumph, Costner especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure.

revoke

Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver's licenses permanently revoked.

pseudonym

Samuel Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain.

missile

Scientists are experimenting with guided missiles.

ultimate

Scientists are searching for the ultimate truths.

stipple

Seurat carefully stippled dabs of pure color on the canvas, juxtaposing dots of blue and yellow that the viewer's eye would interpret as green.

nomadic

Several nomadic tribes of Indians would hunt in this area each year.

misogynist

She accused him of being a misogynist because he had been a bachelor all his life.

voluble

She was a voluble speaker, always ready to talk.

spry

She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.

visionary

She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized.

swindler

She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.

ultimatum

Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only recourse is to declare war.

multiform

Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal.

mirth

Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.

theocracy

Some Pilgrims favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England.

sophistication

Sophistication is an acquired characteristic, found more frequently among city dwellers than among residents of rural areas.

lumber

Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear lumbered through the woods.

sportive

Such a sportive attitude is surprising in a person as serious as you usually are.

sloth

Such sloth in a young person is deplorable; go to work!

philanderer

Swearing he had never so much as looked at another woman, Jack assured Jill he was no philanderer.

memento

Take this book as a memento of your visit.

natation

The Red Cross emphasizes the need for courses in natation.

seismic

The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances.

scabbard

The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.

wallow

The hippopotamus loves to wallow in the mud.

osseus

The hollow "soft spot" found at the top of the infant's skull gradually closes as new osseus tissue fills in the gap.

tryst

The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger.

occult

The occult rites of the organization were revealed only to members.

whet

The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served.

mogul

The oil moguls made great profits when the price of gasoline rose.

skinflint

The old skinflint refused to give her a raise.

undermine

The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city government.

recluse

The recluse lived in a hut in the forest.

pummel

The severity with which he was pummeled was indicated by the bruises he displayed on his head and face.

kudos

The singer complacently received kudos on his performance from his entourage.

viscid

The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.

motif

This simple motif runs throughout the score.

winnow

This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don't bother.

torso

This torso, found in the ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.

odorous

This variety of hybrid tea rose is more odorous than the one you have in your garden.

trite

Thr trite and predictable situations in many television programs alienate many viewers.

maverick

To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking cigars was clearly a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.

notoriety

To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety.

physiological

To understand this disease fully, we must examine not only its physiological aspects but also its psychological elements.

nether

Tradition locates hell in the nether regions.

potion

Tristan and Lsolde drink a love potion in the first act of the opera.

truculence

Tynan's reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence.

vacillate

Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other.

pedestrian

Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose.

unctous

Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his "'umility."

pigment

Van Gogh mixed various pigments with linseed oil to create his paints.

timbre

We identify the instrument producing a musical sound by its timbre.

premonition

We ignored these premonitions of disaster because they appeared to be based on childish fears.

phenomena

We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.

loathe

We loathed the wicked villain.

spontaneity

What I liked best about Dale's parties was their spontaneity: a couple of friends would drop by, someone would pull out a fiddle or guitar, and before you knew it the party would be in full swing.

spat

What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.

knotty

What to Watson had been a knotty problem to Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself.

touchstone

What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person?

repeal

What would the effect on our society be if we decriminalized drug use by repealing the laws against the possession and sale of narcotics?

perverse

When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims.

mishap

With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.

monumental

Writing a dictionary is a monumental task.

piebald

You should be able to identify Polka Dot in this race; he is the only piebald horse running.

pusillanimous

You should be ashamed of your pusillanimous conduct during this dispute.

premonitory

You should have visited a doctor as soon as you felt these premonitory chest pains.

tractable

You will find the children in this school very tractable and willing to learn.

shoddy

You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material.

ruse

You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse.

valid

You're going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is valid.

subjective

Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your thinking.

remorse

compunction for his heinous crime.

lunar

lunar craters can be plainly seen with the aid of a small telescope.

sleepwalker

one of the highlights of Shakespeare's play.

paean

paeans celebrating the victory filled the air.

plagiarize

paragraphs from the original source.

skeptic

point of view. In this matter, I am a skeptic; I want proof.

satire

Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking human folly.

stifle

Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.

misgivings

Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of evil.

presentiment

Hamlet felt a presentiment about his meeting with Laertes.

prominent

Have you ever noticed that Prince Charles's prominent ears make him resemble the big-eared character in Mad comics?

rapacious

Hawks and other rapacious birds prey on variety of small animals.

repudiate

He announced that he would repudiate all debts incurred by his wife.

pernicious

He argued that these books had a pernicious effect on young and susceptible minds.

onerous

He asked for an assistant because his work load was too onerous.

punitive

He asked for punitive measures against the offender.

oaf

He called the unfortunate waiter a clumsy oaf.

podiatrist

He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches.

pedagogue

He could never be a stuffy pedagogue; his classes were always lively and filled with humor.

sultry

He could not adjust himself to the sultry climate of the tropics.

pittance

He could not live on the pittance he received as a pension and had to look for an additional source of revenue.

suppliant

He could not resist the dog's suppliant whimpering, and he gave it some food.

wean

He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.

whimsical

He dismissed his generous gift to his college as a sentimental fancy, an old man's whimsical gesture.

yore

He dreamed of the elegant homes of yore, but gave no thought to their inelegant plumbing.

retraction

He dropped his libel suit after the newspaper published a retraction of its statement.

meddlesome

He felt his marriage was suffering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law.

ragamuffin

He felt sorry for the ragamuffin who was begging for food and gave him money to buy a meal.

thwart

He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success.

sully

He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial labor.

tipple

He found that his most enjoyable evenings occurred when he tippled with his friends at the local pub.

troth

He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always.

penchant

He had a strong penchant for sculpture and owned many statues.

surmount

He had to surmount many obstacles in order to succeed.

unwonted

He hesitated to assume the unwonted role of master of ceremonies at the dinner.

ungainly

He is an ungainly young man; he trips over everything.

pertinacious

He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit.

sagacious

He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a trick like that.

suavity

He is particulary good in roles that require suavity and sophistication.

treatise

He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.

tertiary

He is so thorough that he analyzes tertiary causes where other writers are content with primary and secondary reasons.

unassuming

He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is.

reputed

He is the reputed father of the child.

taper

He lit the taper on the windowsill.

pretext

He looked for a good pretext to get out of paying a visit to his aunt.

jaded

He looked for exotic foods to stimulate his jaded appetite.

trappings

He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet.

prodigious

He marveled at her prodigious appetite when he saw all the food she ate.

potpourri

He offered a potpourri of folk songs from many lands.

nominal

He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominal fee.

restitution

He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his son.

physiognomy

He prided himself on his ability to analyze a person's character by studying his physiognomy.

prostrate

He prostrated himself before the idol.

palatial

He proudly showed us through his palatial home.

recondite

He read many recondite books in order to obtain the material for the scholarly thesis.

valor

He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.

rote

He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood what he was saying.

opprobrium

He refused to defend himself against the slander and opprobrium hurled against him by the newspapers; he preferred to rely on his record.

portent

He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil.

reiterate

He reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.

misogamy

He remained a bachelor not because of misogamy but because of ill fate: his fiancee died before the wedding.

render

He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.

renege

He reneged on paying off his debt.

verbatim

He repeated the message verbatim.

ribald

He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners.

scoff

He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.

periphery

He sensed that there was something just beyond the periphery of his vision.

sodden

He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.

sham

He shammed sickness to get out of going to school.

simulate

He simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for his crime.

skulk

He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former friends.

metaphor

He soared like an eagle is an example of a simile; "He is an eagle in flight," is a metaphor.

piscatorial

He spent many happy hours at the lake in his piscatorial activities.

tome

He spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes.

vehement

He spoke with vehement eloquence in defense of his client.

sustain

He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his growing family.

monotony

He took a clerical job, but soon grew to hate the monotony of his daily routine.

lineage

He traced his lineage back to Mayflower days.

mete

He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete out justice.

prevail

He tried to prevail on her to type his essays for him.

vagrant

He tried to study, but could not collect his vagrant thoughts.

lucrative

He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.

mnemonic

He used mnemonic tricks to master new words.

vent

He vented his wrath on his class.

marked

He walked with a marked limp, a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a marked man.

penurious

He was a penurious man, averse to spending money even for the necessities of life.

pest

He was a pest; always bothering people.

practical

He was a practical man, opposed to theory

waggish

He was a prankster who, unfortunately, often overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish tricks.

rabid

He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ball park.

parry

He was content to wage a defensive battle and tried to parry his opponent's thrusts.

wastrel

He was denounced as a wastrel who had dissipated his inheritance.

repartee

He was famous for his witty repartee and his sarcasm.

quietude

He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.

lackadaisical

He was lackadaisical and indifferent about his part in the affair.

satyr

He was like a satyr in his lustful conduct.

meticulous

He was meticulous in checking his accounts and never made mistakes.

obdurate

He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints.

mercurial

He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.

tenure

He was permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired.

subservient

He was proud and dignified; he refused to be subservient to anyone.

progeny

He was proud of his progeny but regarded George as the most promising of all his children.

rectitude

He was renowned for his rectitude and integrity.

sensuous

He was stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells about him; he was enjoying his sensuous experience.

stellar

He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance.

timid

He was timid and cowardish; always backing up at daunting situations.

transmute

He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.

nefarious

He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.

writhe

He was writhing in pain, desperate for the drug his body required.

weather

He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide.

tawdry

He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island.

rakish

He wore his hat at a rakish and jaunty angle.

sage

Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage.

scotch

Heather tried to scotch the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiance.

obsequious

Helen valued people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an excessively obsequious waiter or a fawning salesclerk.

surpass

Her SAT scores surpassed out expectations.

unassuaged

Her anger is unassuaged by your apology.

titter

Her aunt's constant titter nearly drove her mad.

staid

Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.

phobia

Her fear of flying was more than mere nervousness; it was a real phobia.

mimicry

Her gift for mimicry was so great that her friends said that she should be in the theater.

pedant

Her insistence that the book be memorized marked the teacher as a pedant rather than a scholar.

meretricious

Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious.

lustrous

Her large and lustrous eyes gave a touch of beauty to an otherwise drab face.

pendant

Her pendant earrings glistened in the light.

perspicuous

Her perspicuous comments eliminated all posibility of misinterpretation.

prolix

Her prolix arguments irritated and bored the jury.

quaint

Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

reminiscence

Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she ought to write a book.

passe

Her style is passe and reminiscent of the Victorian era.

thespian

Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career.

oblivion

Her work had fallen into a state of oblivion; no one bothered to read them.

resilient

Highly resilient, steel makes excellent bedsprings.

obsolete

Hip is an obsolete expression; it went out with love beads and tie-dye shirts.

rotunda

His body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol.

mausoleum

His body was placed in the family mausolem.

tactile

His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.

querulous

His classmates were repelled by his querulous and complaining statements.

stalwart

His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member.

rudimentary

His dancing was limited to a few rudimentary steps.

paraphernalia

His desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft.

manifest

His evil intentions were manifest and yet we could not stop him.

livid

His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.

sarcasm

His feelings were hurt by the sarcasm of his supposed friends.

protrude

His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves.

supernumerary

His first appearance on the stage was as a supernumerary in a Shakespearean tragedy.

uxorious

His friends laughed at him because he was so uxorious and submissive to his wife's desires.

languor

His friends tried to overcome the languor into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the theater.

quixotic

His head is in the clouds; he is constantly presenting these quixotic schemes.

ponderous

His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.

miscreant

His kindness to the miscreant amazed all of us who had expected to hear severe punishment pronounced.

laudable

His laudable deeds will be remarked by all whom he aided.

stultify

His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had stultified his mind.

maniacal

His maniacal laughter frightened us.

milieu

His milieu is watercolors, although he has produced excellent oil paintings and lithographs.

mutable

His opinion were mutable and easily influenced by anyone who had any powers of persuasion.

traduce

His opponents tried to traduce the candidate's reputation by spreading rumors about his past.

overweening

His overweening pride in his accomplishments was not justified.

sylvan

His paintings of nymphs in sylvan backgrounds were criticized as oversentimental.

parsimonious

His parsimonious nature did not permit him to enjoy any luxuries.

madrigal

His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute.

reactionary

His program was reactionary since it sought to abolish many of the social reforms instituted by the previous administration.

puerile

His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.

qualms

His qualms of conscience had become so great that he decided to abandon his plans.

raucous

His raucous laughter irritated me and grated on my ears.

stricture

His strictures on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted.

strut

His strut as he marched about the parade ground revealed him for what he was: a pompous buffoon.

petrify

His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her.

muddle

His thoughts were muddled and chaotic.

timorous

His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment.

tonsure

His tonsure, even more than his monastic garb, indicated that he was a member of the religious order.

misnomer

His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.

lachrymose

His voice has a lachrymose quality that is more appropriate at a funeral than a class reunion.

sedition

His words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition.

patois

His years of study of the language at the university did not enable him to understand the patois of the natives.

resolve

Homes resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between Irene Adler and the King.

pan

Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics panned it unanimously.

preempt

Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue, the candidate set out her own plan to revitalize the public schools.

limber

Hours of ballet classes kept him limber.

raiment

How can I go to the ball? asked Cinderella. "I have no raiment fit to wear."

manipulate

How do you manipulate these puppets?

vicissitude

Humbled by life's vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled.

obsequy

Hundreads paid their last respects at his obsequies.

slight

Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary slights.

terse

I admire his terse style of writing; he comes directly to the point.

tutelary

I am acting in my tutelary capacity when I refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus.

wreak

I am afraid he will wreak his vengeance on the innocent as well as the guilty.

provender

I am afraid of a severe winter because I have stored a large quantity of provender for the cattle.

trenchant

I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic.

reprimand

I am afraid that my parents will reprimand me when I show them my report card.

prelude

I am afraid that this border raid is the prelude to more serious attacks.

repercussion

I am afraid that this event will have serious repercussions.

perturb

I am afraid this news will perturb him and cause him grief.

roseate

I am afraid you will have to alter your roseate views in the light of the distressing news that has just arrived.

perusal

I am certain that you have missed important details in your rapid perusal of this document.

reprisal

I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the enemy may undertake.

partial

I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs.

swelter

I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another hot and humid summer.

unsullied

I am happy that my reputation is unsullied.

titillate

I am here not to titillate my audience but to enlighten it.

mercantile

I am more interested in the opportunites available in the mercantile field than I am in those in the legal profession.

pariah

I am not a pariah to be shunned and ostracized.

victuals

I am very happy to be able to provide you with these victuals; I know you are hungry.

spate

I am worried about the possibility of a spate if the rains do not diminish soon.

supposition

I based my decision to confide in him on the supposition that he would be discreet.

scrupulous

I can recommend him for a position of responsibility for I have found him a very scrupulous young man.

veracious

I can recommend him for this position because I have always found him veracious and reliable.

vouchsafe

I can safely vouchsafe you fair return on your investment.

machinations

I can see through your wily machinations.

zany

I can watch the Marx brothers' zany antics for hours.

manifold

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses.

naivete

I cannot believe that such naivete is unassumed in a person of her age and experience.

nicety

I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning.

odium

I cannot express the odium I feel at your heinous actions.

temporize

I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today.

sumptuous

I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.

palpable

I cannot understand how you could overlook such a palpable blunder.

sensual

I cannot understand what caused him to drop his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.

menial

I cannot understand why a person of your ability and talent should engage in such menial activities.

reprobate

I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.

virile

I do not accept the premise that a man is virile only when he is belligerent.

stigma

I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted clears you completely.

pulchritude

I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss America from this collection of female pulchritude.

millenium

I do not expect the milennium to come during my lifetime.

pretentious

I do not feel that your limited resources will permit you to carry out such a pretentious program.

maudlin

I do not like such maudlin pictures. I call them tearjerkers.

soporific

I do not need a sedative when I listen to one of his soporific speeches.

omniscient

I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.

machiavellian

I do not think he will be a good embassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian maneuverings of foreign diplomats.

vegetate

I do not understand how you can vegetate in this quiet village after the adventurous life you have led.

smattering

I don't know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere smattering of information about it.

yoke

I don't wish to be yoked to him in marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow.

stamina

I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.

regimen

I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.

scintillate

I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates.

pithy

I enjoy reading his essays because they are always compact and pithy.

tumid

I especially dislike his tumid style; I prefer writing which is less swollen and bombastic.

nexus

I fail to see the nexus that binds these two widely separated events.

remunerative

I find my new work so renumerative that I may not return to my previous employment.

supposititious

I find no similarity between your supposititious illustration and the problem we are facing.

tempo

I find the conductor's tempo too slow for such a brilliant piece of music.

odious

I find the task of punishing you most odious.

parity

I find your analogy inaccurate because I do not see the parity between the two illustrations.

obnoxious

I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.

untenable

I find your theory untenable and must reject it.

obituary

I first learned of her death when I read the obituary in the newspaper.

obtrusive

I found her a very obstrusive person, constantly seeking the center of the stage.

valedictory

I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be brief.

tenacious

I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm.

predecessor

I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my late predecessor in this office.

obviate

I hope this contribution will obviate any need for further collections of funds.

vindicate

I hope to vindicate my client and return him to society as a free man.

solace

I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss.

substantiate

I intend to substantiate my statement by producing witnesses.

verbalize

I know you don't like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your feelings.

rusticate

I like city life so much that I can never understand how people can rusticate in the suburbs.

tout

I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment.

negation

I must accept his argument since you have been unable to present any negation of his evidence.

solecism

I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms.

upbraid

I must upbraid him for his unruly behavior.

noisome

I never could stand the noisome atmosphere surrounding the slaughter houses.

pecuniary

I never expected a pecuniary reward for my work in this activity.

supercilious

I prefer Jill's modesty to Jack's supercilious and arrogant attitude.

sherbet

I prefer raspberry sherbet to ice cream since it is less fattening.

prognosticate

I prognosticate disaster unless we change our wasteful ways.

tesselated

I recall seeing a table with a tesselated top of bits of stone and glass in a very interesting pattern.

relish

I relish a good joke as much as anyone else.

obloquy

I resent the obloquy that you are casting upon my reputation.

succumb

I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way.

remnant

I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on sale.

surmise

I surmise that he will be late for this meeting.

propitious

I think it is advisable that we wait for a more propitious occasion to announce our plans; this is not a good time.

stringent

I think these regulations are too stringent.

precarious

I think this stock is a precarious investment and advise against its purchase.

pert

I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology.

reproach

I want my work to be above reproach and without error

rectify

I want to rectify my error before it is too late.

propriety

I want you to behave at this dinner with propriety; don't embarass me.

waive

I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision.

seedy

I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy downtown hotel.

mercenary

I'm not in this war because I get my kicks waving flags, said the mercenary soldier. "I'm in it for the dough."

whorl

Identification by fingerprints is based on the difference in shape and number of whorls on the fingers.

resignation

If Bob Cratchit had not accepted Scrooge's bullying with timid resignation, he might have gotten up the nerve to hand in his resignation.

prognosis

If the doctor's prognosis is correct, the patient will be in a coma for at least twenty-four hours.

purport

If the purport of your speech was to arouse the rabble, you succeeded admirably.

shunt

If the switchman failed to shunt the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union Station.

reciprocate

If they attack us, we shall be compelled to reciprocate and bomb their territory.

retrench

If they were to be able to send their children to college, they would have to retrench.

lode

If this lode that we have discovered extends for any distance, we have found a fortune.

sadistic

If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden.

nascent

If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.

moratorium

If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six months, I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills.

peccadillo

If we examine these escapades carefully, we will realize that they are mere peccadilloes rather than major crimes.

relegate

If we relegate these experts to minor posts because of their political persuasions, we shall lose their valuable services.

purge

If you are to be purged of the charge of contempt of Congress, you must be willing to answer the questions previously asked.

timidity

If you are to succeed as a salesperson, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.

precise

If you don't give me precise directions and a map, I'll never find your place.

reconnaissance

If you encounter any enemy soldiers during your reconnaissance, capture them for questioning.

scavenge

If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers' yards.

prod

If you prod him hard enough, he'll eventually clean his room.

optimum

If you wait for the optimum moment to act, you may never begin your project .

reputable

If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too many dealers today pass off fakes as genuine antiques.

prey

In Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons has as his prey not wild beasts but wild plants.

placebo

In a controlled experiment, fifty volunteers were given erythromycin tablets; the control group received only placebos.

lumen

In buying light bulbs, she checked not only their power, as measured in watts, but their brightness, as measured in lumens.

quisling

In his conquest of Europe, Hitler was aided by the quislings who betrayed their own people and served in the puppet governments established by the Nazis.

rend

In his grief, he tried to rend his garments.

mandate

In his inaugural address, the President stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to social evils such as poverty and poor housing.

traumatic

In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle.

pulmonary

In his researches on pulmonary diseases, he discovered many facts about the lungs of animals and human beings.

stupor

In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him.

summation

In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses.

maladroit

In his usual maladroit way, he managed to upset the cart and spill the food.

provident

In his usual provident manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.

residue

In his will, he requested that after payment of debts, taxes, and funeral expenses, the residue be given to his wife.

lechery

In his youth he led a life of lechery and debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age.

parquet

In laying the floor, the carpenters combined redwood and oak in an elegant parquet.

patriarch

In many primitive tribes, the leader and lawmaker was the patriarch.

oculist

In many states, an oculist is the only one who may apply medicinal drops to the eyes for the purpose of examining them.

rubric

In ordaining the new priests, the bishop carefully observed all the rubrics for the ordination service.

jettison

In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to jettison much of his cargo.

lateral

In order to get good plant growth, the gardener must pinch off all lateral shoots.

provoke

In order to prevent a sudden outbreak of hostilities, we must not provoke our foe.

suffragist

In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar honoring the suffragist Susan B. Anthony.

pliable

In remodeling the bathroom, we replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing.

subsequent

In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems.

vagabond

In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds.

rapport

In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in the group have good rapport with one another.

seamy

In the Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his life as the son of a Mafia don.

suborn

In the Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone.

rife

In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent.

promiscuous

In the opera La Boheme, we get a picture of the promiscuous life led by the young artists of Paris.

preamble

In the preamble to the Constitution, the purpose of the document is set forth.

tautological

In the sentence "It was visible to the eye," the phrase "to the eye" is tautological.

proscenium

In the theater-in-the-round there can be no proscenium or proscenium arch.

sustenance

In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to obtain because of all the fruit trees.

prolong

In their determination to discover ways to prolong human life, doctors fail to take into account that longer lives are not always happier ones.

magniloquent

In their stories of the trial, the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney.

profilgate

In this profilgate company, she lost all sense of decency.

purgatory

In this purgatory, he could expect no help from his comrades.

subsistence

In those days of inflated prices, my salary provided mere subsistence.

sluice

In times of drought, this sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation.

schematic

In working out the solution to an analytical logic question, you may find it helpful to construct a simple schematic diagram illustrating the relationships between the items of information given in the question.

propound

In you discussion, you have propounded several questions; let us consider each one separately.

perversion

Inasmuch as he had no motive for his crimes, we could not understand his perversion.

sophistry

Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.

retrograde

Instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture.

pejorative

Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character.

maculated

Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead, the pompous young poet sang of the former premier's maculated brow.

obese

It is advisable that obese people try to lose weight.

sedative

It is dangerous to drive after taking the sedative; it brings drowsiness.

magnitude

It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.

meander

It is difficult to sail up this stream because of the way it meanders through the countryside.

spatial

It is difficult to visualize the spatial extent of our universe.

squalid

It is easy to see how crime can breed in such a squalid neighborhood.

tenacity

It is extremely difficult to overcome the tenacity of a habit such as smoking.

zealot

It is good to have a few zealots in our group for their enthusiasm is contagious.

unfledged

It is hard for an unfledged writer to find a sympathetic publisher.

stanch

It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.

oscillate

It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.

overhaul

It is necessary for the engineers of NASA to overhaul the rocket everyday; otherwise, an incident similar to that of Challenger accident might happen.

subjugate

It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in establishing peaceful relations.

obligatory

It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within two weeks.

retrospective

It is only when we become retrospective that we can appreciate the tremendous advances made during this century.

lethal

It is unwise to leave lethal weapons where children may find them.

procrastinate

It is wise not to procrastinate; otherwise, we find ourselves bogged down in a mass of work that should have been finished long ago.

presumptous

It seems presumptous for one so relatively new to the field to challenge the conclusions of its leading experts.

yeoman

It was not the aristocrat but the yeoman who determined the nation's policies.

patent

It was patent to everyone that the witness spoke the truth.

occident

It will take occident to understand the ways and customs of the orient.

mellifluous

Italian is a mellifluous language.

sate

Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.

minatory

Jabbing a minatory forefinger at Dorothy, the Wicked Witch cried, "I'll get you, and your little dog, too!"

nonplus

Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

monetary

Jane held the family purse strings: she made all monetary decisions affecting the household.

vogue

Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.

outrtip

Jesse Owens easily outstripped his competitors to win the gold metal at the Olympic Games.

tightwad

Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check.

voyeur

Jill called Jack a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at a bedroom window of the house next door.

tycoon

John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.

trigger

John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you'll trigger an explosion.

nepotism

John left his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepotism rather than ability.

regale

John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.

preternatural

John's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying struck him as almost preternatural.

patina

Judging by the patina on this bronze statue, we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist.

savory

Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.

solicit

Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass, the mayor telephoned all the members of the city council to solicit their votes.

monolithic

Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.

seemly

Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a proper family; no baby abandoned on a doorstep could grow up to marry her daughter.

pedantic

Leaving his decisions with humorous, down-to-earth anecdotes, Judge Walker was not at all pedantic legal scholar.

simian

Lemurs are nocturnal mammals and have many simian characteristics, although they are less intelligent than monkeys.

reimburse

Let me know what you have spent and I will reimburse you.

parable

Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this parable teaches.

remediable

Let us be grateful that the damage is remediable.

ludicrous

Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue.

vertex

Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base.

rancor

Let us forget out rancor and cooperate in this new endeavor.

mediate

Let us mediate out differences rather than engage in a costly strike.

memorialize

Let us memorialize his great contribution by dedicating this library in his honor.

specious

Let us not be misled by such specious arguments.

sanguine

Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong.

prate

Let us not prate about our qualities; rather, let our virtues speak for themselves.

schism

Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.

recapitulate

Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.

niggle

Let's not niggle over details.

transient

Lexy's joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient; she still had to find presents for the cousins and Uncle Bob. Located near the airport, this hotel caters to the largely transient trade.

repository

Libraries are repositories of the world's best thoughts.

ramble

Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy wondered whether he'd ever get to his point.

piety

Living her life in prayer and good works, Mother Teresa exemplifies the true sprit of piety.

outskirts

Living outskirts of Boston, Sarah sometimes felt as if she were cut off from the cultural heart of the city.

tirade

Long before he had finished his tirade, we were sufficiently aware of the seriousness of our misconduct.

plenitude

Looking in the pantry, we admired the plenitude of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer.

precept

Love thy neighbor as thyself is a worthwhile precept.

verge

Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive elements.

passive

Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance as he felt that it was more effective than violence and acts of terrorism.

projectile

Man has always hurled projectiles at his enemy whether in the form of stones or of highly explosive shells.

truism

Many a truism is well expressed in a proverb.

regatta

Many boating enthusiasts followed the regatta in their own yachts.

requisite

Many colleges state that a student must offer three years of a language as a requisite for admission.

laconic

Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.

orthography

Many of us find English orthography difficult to master because so many of our words are written phonetically.

prim

Many people commented on the contrast between the prim attire of the young lady and the inappropriate clothing worn by her escort.

vicarious

Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen.

revulsion

Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what Hitler and Mussolini were trying to do.

mammal

Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.

salubrious

Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of August and September.

panache

Many performers imitate Noel Coward, but few have his panache and sense of style.

serendipity

Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity when the apple dropped on his head.

rigor

Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.

toga

Marc Antony pointed to the slashes in Caesar's toga.

unprecedented

Margaret Mitchell's book Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success.

transport

Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset, at another moment in transports of grief over a dying bird.

saboteur

Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.

prodigy

Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.

wizardry

Merlin amazed the knights with his wizardry.

prehensile

Monkeys use not only their arms and legs but also their prehensile tails in traveling through the trees.

repellent

Mosquitoes find the odor so repellent that they leave any spot where this liquid has been sprayed.

senility

Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the senility of the president.

monochromatic

Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish several colors; some, however, have a truly monochromatic view of a world all in shades of gray.

sublime

Mother Teresa has been honored for her sublime deeds.

tensile

Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes.

manifestation

Mozart's early attraction to the harsichord was the first manifestation of his pronounced musical bent.

meek

Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.

nocturnal

Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken coops.

nubile

Mrs. Bennet, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, was worried about finding suitable husbands for her five nubile daughters.

testy

My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as he is rather testy and may shout at you.

unequivocal

My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and absolute "No."

streotyped

My chief objection to the book is that the characters are stereotyped; they come across as ethnic caricatures, not as real people with individual quirks, fears, and dreams.

raconteur

My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of anecdotes.

sinecure

My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.

simile

My love is like a red, red rose is a simile.

sundry

My suspicions were aroused when I read sundry items in the newspapers about your behavior.

unerringly

My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay.

stalemate

Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to budge from previously stated positions.

palatable

Neither Jack's underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to me.

sobriety

Neither drunkards nor comics are noted for sobriety.

trident

Neptune is usually depicted as rising from the sea, carrying his trident on his shoulder.

toady

Never tell the boss anything he doesn't wish to hear: he doesn't want an independent adviser, he just wants a toady.

taciturn

New Englanders are reputedly taciturn people.

revelry

New Year's Eve is a night of revelry.

polyglot

New York City is a polyglot community because of the thousands of immigrants who settle there.

surreptitious

News of their surreptitious meeting gradually leaked out.

posture

No matter how much Arnold boasted or postured, I could not believe he was as important as he pretended to be.

shrew

No one wanted to marry Shakespeare's Kate because she was a shrew.

pragmatist

No pragmatist enjoys becoming involved in a game that he can never win

nostrum

No quack selling nostrums is going to cheat me.

quintessence

Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

sunder

Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.

temper

Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.

lull

Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning for a lull in the rain.

sloth

Note how well the somewhat greenish coat of the sloth enables it to blend in with its arboreal surroundings.

magnanimity

Noted for his magnanimity, philanthropist Eugene Lang donated millions to charity.

temperate

Noted for his temperate appetite, he seldom gained weight.

resolution

Nothing could shake his resolution to succeed despite all difficulties.

resolve

Nothing could shake his resolve that his children would get the best education that money could buy.

juggernaut

Nothing could survive in the path of the juggernaut.

mitigate

Nothing he did could mitigate her wrath; she was unforgiving.

torpor

Nothing seemed to arouse him from his torpor; he had wholly surrendered himself to lethargy.

sanction

Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.

therapeutic

Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of its famous "healing waters."

synthesis

Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next problem is to plan its synthesis in the laboratory.

oracular

Oedipus could not understand the oracular warning he received.

shyster

On L.A. Law, respectable attorney Brackman was horrified to learn that his newly discovered half brother was a cheap shyster.

nullify

Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

seclusion

One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion.

perspicuity

One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear.

salient

One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page.

perpetrate

Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.

precedent

Our discussions, precedent to this event, certainly did not give you any reason to believe that we would adopt your proposal.

polity

Our polity should be devoted to the concept that the government should strive for the good of all citizens.

puny

Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.

limn

Parodoxically, the more realistic the details this artist chooses, the better able to limn her fantastic, other- worldly landscapes.

legacy

Part of my legacy from my parents is an album of family photographs.

ordinance

Passing a red light is a violation of a city ordinance.

paradigm

Pavlov's experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the conditioned- response experiment in behavioal psychology.

steadfast

Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.

pestilential

People were afraid to explore the pestilential swap.

unsavory

People with unsavory reputations should not be allowed to work with young children.

scurvy

Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew.

ligneous

Petrified wood may be ligneous in appearance, but it is stonelike in composition.

orient

Philip spent his first day in Denver orienting himself to the city.

vex

Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can.

wanton

Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sara accused Sheldon of making an unfounded, wanton attack.

vie

Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.

slur

Polls revealed that the front-runner's standing had been damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by his opponent's staff.

recidivism

Prison reformers in the United States are disturbed by the high rate of recidivism; the number of persons serving second and third terms indicates the failure of the prisons to rehabilitate the inmates.

paramount

Proper nutrition and hygiene are of paramount importance in adolescent development and growth.

mealymouthed

Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change the subject.

scad

Refusing Dave's offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, "No, thanks: I've got scads of clothes."

sybarite

Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for a life of luxury.

knoll

Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in Samoa; to reach the grave site, you must climb uphill and walk a short distance along a marked path.

quiver

Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver.

trilogy

Romain Rolland's novel Jean Christophe was first published as a trilogy.

jocund

Santa Claus is always vivacious and jocund.

scenario

Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their customary scenario and began to improvise.

scrutinize

Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private's uniform.

protract

Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to protract the negotiations endlessly, but the union representatives saw through their strategy.

profusion

Seldom have I seen food and drink served in such profusion as at the wedding feast.

rider

Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster's tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add an antipollution rider to the bill.

utopia

Shangri-la was the name of James Hilton's Tibetan utopia.

modish

She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish.

verve

She approached her studies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly.

unfaltering

She approached the guillotine with unfaltering steps.

tumult

She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.

vapid

She delivered an uninspired and vapid address.

vulpine

She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence.

visceral

She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster.

restraint

She dreamt of living an independent life, free of all restraints.

malaise

She felt a sudden vague malaise when she heard sounds at the door.

vagary

She followed every vagary of fashion.

unconscionable

She found the load shark's demands unconscionable and impossible to meet.

jaundiced

She gazed at the painting with jaundiced eyes; she knew it was better than hers.

rhapsodize

She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.

tremor

She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.

unbridled

She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.

yen

She had a yen to get away and live on her own for a while.

vivacious

She had always been vivacious and sparkling.

petty

She had no major complaints to make about his work, only a few petty quibbles that were almost too minor to state.

nebulous

She had only a nebulous memory of her grandmother's face.

marred

She had to refinish the marred surface of the table.

vilify

She is a liar and is always trying to vilify my reputation.

virtual

She is a virtual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.

skittish

She is as skittish as a kitten playing with a piece of string.

wily

She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.

loquacious

She is very loquacious and can speak on the telephone for hours.

wheedle

She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.

musky

She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.

repugnance

She looked at the snake with repugnance.

obeisance

She made an obeisance as the king and queen entered the room.

plethora

She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.

primp

She primps for hours before a dance.

lineaments

She quickly sketched the lineaments of his face.

meditation

She reached her decision only after much meditation.

rebuff

She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed.

strident

She scolded him in a strident voice

volition

She selected this dress of her own volition.

pique

She showed her pique by her refusal to appear with the other contestants at the end of the contest.

paramour

She sought a divorce on the grounds that her husband had a paramour in another town.

nomenclature

She struggled to master scientific nomenclature.

misconstrue

She took the passage seriously rather than humourously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.

umbrage

She took umbrage at his remarks and stormed away in a huff.

saccharine

She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.

wangle

She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.

unfeigned

She turned so pale that I am sure her surprise was unfeigned.

wrath

She turned to him, full of wrath, and said, "What makes you think I'll accept lower pay for this job than you get?"

prolific

She was a prolific writer who produced as many as three books a year.

mode

She was not used to their lavish mode of living.

prone

She was prone to sudden fits of anger.

mortify

She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.

unwitting

She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers

vindictive

She was very vindictive and never forgave an injury.

talisman

She wore the talisman to ward off evil.

minutiae

She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living.

wrench

She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap.

propagate

Since bacteria propagate more quickly in unsanitary environments, it is important to keep hospital rooms clean.

superficial

Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing grade.

swill

Singing, "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum," Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog.

ogle

Sitting for hours at the sidewalk cafe, the old gentleman would oggle the young girls and recall his youthful romances.

omnivorous

Some animals, including humans, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either carnivorous or herbivorous.

martrix

Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization.

prevaricate

Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and regard the statement as a "white lie."

poseur

Some thought Dali was a brillant painter; others dismissed him as a poseur.

stint

Spare no expense, the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements.

ravine

Steeper than a gully, less precipitous than a canyon, a ravine is, like them, the product of years of erosion.

levity

Stop giggling abd wriggling around in the pew; such levity is improper in church.

slovenly

Such slovenly work habits will never produce good products.

vitriolic

Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.

witless

Such witless and fatuous statements will create the impression that you are an ignorant individual.

vortex

Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz.

wan

Suckling asked, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"

precipice

Suddenly Indiana Jones found himself dangling from the edge of a precipice.

paranoia

Suffering from paranois, he claimed everyone was out to get him; ironically, his claim was accurate; even paranoids have enemies.

unrequited

Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hard-heartedness.

seminary

Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman Catholic seminary.

rubble

Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen.

ordeal

Terry Anderson spoke movingly of his long ordeal as a hostage in Lebanon.

perennial

Tese plants are hardy perennials and will bloom for many years.

ubiquitous

That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed ubiquitous: Justin heard the tune everywhere he went.

list

That flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it lists to one side.

opalescent

The Ancient Mariner admired the opalescent sheen on the water.

penance

The Ancient Mariner said, "I have penance done and penance more will do," to atone for the sin of killing the albatross.

turncoat

The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat.

manifesto

The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism.

surveillance

The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of capturing all the criminals at one time.

oratorio

The Glee Club decided to present an oratorio during their recital.

mace

The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin.

orifice

The Howe Caverns were discovered when someone observed that a cold wind was issuing from an orifice in the hillside.

stickler

The Internal Revenue Service agent was a stickler for accuracy; no approximations or rough estimates would satisfy him.

tract

The King granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World.

nautical

The Maritime Museum contains many models of clipper ships, logbooks, anchors and many other items of a nautical nature.

primordial

The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.

vignette

The New Yorker published her latest vignette.

prerogative

The President cannot levy taxes; that is the prerogative of the legislative branch of government.

progenitor

The Roth family, whose progenitors emigrated from Germany early in the nineteenth century, settled in Peru, Illinois.

vivisection

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposed vivisection and deplored the practice of using animals in scientific experiments.

scurry

The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.

prude

The X-rated film was definitely not for prudes.

polarize

The abortion issue has polarized the country into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps.

symmetry

The addition of a second tower will give this edifice the symmetry that it now lacks.

tenet

The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.

tenuous

The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties; let us hope they will remain loyal.

missive

The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State.

papyrus

The ancient Egyptians were among the first to write on papyrus.

supple

The angler found a supple limb and used it as a fishing rod.

unction

The anointing with oil of a person near death is called extreme unction.

provisional

The appointment is provisional; only on the approval of the board of directors will it be made permanent.

shard

The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards he had brought back from the expedition.

prelate

The archbishop of Moscow and other high-ranking prelates visited the Russian Orthodox seminary.

proletarian

The aristocrats feared mob rule and gave the right to vote only to the wealthy, thus depending the proletarians of a voice in government.

rueful

The artist has captured the sadness of childhood in his portrait of the boy with the rueful countenance.

musty

The attic was dark and musty.

venue

The attorney asked for a change of venue; he thought his client would do better if the trial were held in a less conservative county.

testator

The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator.

podium

The audience applauded as the conductor made his way to the podium.

responsiveness

The audience cheered and applauded, delighting the performers by its responsiveness.

rendition

The audience cheered enthusiastically as she completed her rendition of the aria.

perfunctory

The auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.

quash

The authorities acted quickly to quash the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators.

malfeasance

The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled.

remonstrance

The authorities were deaf to the pastor's remonstrances about the lack of police protection in the area.

rustic

The backwoodsman looked out place in his rustic attire.

medley

The band played a medley of Gershwin tunes.

sanguinary

The battle of lwo Jina was unexpectedly sanguinary with many casualties.

serrated

The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated leaves.

unkempt

The beggar was dirty and unkempt.

regicide

The beheading of Mary Queen of Scots was an act of regicide.

slag

The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.

practicable

The board of directors decided that the plan was practicable and agreed to undertake the project.

replete

The book is replete with humorous situations.

snicker

The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack.

recourse

The boy's only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.

ramshackle

The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.

sacrosanct

The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.

perspicacious

The brillant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions.

ordination

The candidate for ordination had to meet with the bishop and the diocean officers before being judged ready to be ordained a deacon.

robust

The candidate for the football team had a robust physique.

outspoken

The candidate was too outspoken to be a successful politician; he had not yet learned to weigh his words carefully.

vacuous

The candidate's vacuous remarks annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes

maelstrom

The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.

motley

The captain had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel.

mutinous

The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew.

taut

The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.

malingerer

The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work.

subaltern

The captain treated his subalterns as though they were children rather than commissioned officers.

melee

The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members.

thrall

The captured soldier was held in thrall by the conquering army.

momentum

The car lost momentum as it tried to ascend the steep hill.

serpentine

The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.

swerve

The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel.

prefactory

The chairman made a few prefactory remarks before he called on the first speaker.

rejuvenate

The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.

tantrum

The child learned that he could have almost anything if he went into tantrums.

mutter

The child muttered at the doll.

virtuoso

The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose virtuosity on the violin thrilled millions.

prattle

The children prattle endlessly about their new toys.

unison

The choir sang in unison.

secular

The church leaders decided not interfere in secular matters.

macabre

The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated.

molten

The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by molten lava flowing from Mount Vesuvius.

paragon

The class disliked him because the teacher was always pointing him out as a paragon of virtue.

tribute

The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.

recumbent

The command "AT EASE" does not permit you to take a recumbent position.

martinet

The commanding officer was a martinet who observed each regulation to the ltter.

malodorous

The component heap was most malodorous in summer.

rent

The conflict over abortion threatens to split our nation, creating a rent in the social fabric that will be difficult to mend.

uninhibited

The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter during the sermon.

urbane

The courtier was urbane and sophisticated

throttle

The criminal tried to throttle the old man with his bare hands.

shackle

The criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent his escape.

posthumous

The critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the posthumous publication of his last novel that they recognized his great talent.

obstreperous

The crowd became obstreperous and shouted their disapproval of the proposals made by the speaker.

vociferous

The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands.

rostrum

The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was approaching the rostrum.

prototype

The crude typewriter on display in this museum is the prototype of the elaborate machines in use today.

misdemeanor

The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a felony.

knell

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day.

tribunal

The decision of the tribunal was final and the prisoner was sentenced to death.

resonant

The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particulary effective when he appears on stage.

proximity

The deer sensed the hunter's proximity and bounded away.

supine

The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas.

refute

The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the prosecution's only witness.

rebuttal

The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his arguments in her rebuttal.

lout

The delivery boy is an awkward lout.

obsidian

The deposits of obsidian on the mountain slopes were an indiacation that volcano had erupted in ancient times.

stymie

The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation.

pyromaniac

The detectives searched the area for the pyromaniac who had set these costly fires.

propellant

The development of our missile program has forced our scientists to seek more powerful propellants.

subside

The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.

stoic

The doctor called her patient a stoic because he had borne the pain of the examination without whimpering.

respiration

The doctor found that the patient's years of smoking had adversely affected both his lung capacity and his rate of respiration.

virus

The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus.

moribund

The doctors called the family to the bedside of the moribund patient.

recuperate

The doctors were worried because the patient did not recuperate as rapidly as they had expected.

retrieve

The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter.

plaintive

The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call

percussion

The drum is a percussion instrument.

stolidity

The earthquake shattered his usual stolidity; trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground.

outlandish

The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an academic setting.

relapse

The economy relapsed into a depression from the peak.

tendentious

The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.

sap

The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it sapped his strength.

pachyderm

The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm.

onus

The emperor was spared the onus of signing the surrender papers; instead, he relegated the assignment to his generals.

solicitous

The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to get.

strut

The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be reinforced.

reverberate

The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells.

ruthless

The escaped convict was a dangerous and ruthless murderer.

retribution

The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.

welt

The evidence of child abuse was very clear; Jennifer's small body was covered with welts and bruises.

pellmell

The excited students dashed pellmell into the stadium to celebrate the victory.

welter

The existing welter of overlapping federal and state proclaims cries out for immediate reform.

talon

The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk's talons.

pediatrician

The family doctor advised the parents to consult a pediatrician about their child's ailment.

pugilist

The famous pugilist Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali.

oligarchy

The feudal oligarchy was supplanted by an autocracy.

petulant

The feverish patient was petulant and restless.

nostalgia

The first settlers found so much work to do that they had little time for nostalgia.

larder

The first thing Bill did on returning home from school was to check what snacks his mother had in the larder.

undulate

The flag undulated in the breeze.

refurbish

The flood left a deposit of mud on everything; it was necessary to refurbish our belongings.

nauseate

The foul smells began to nauseate him.

verity

The four verities were revealed to Buddha during his long meditation.

vendor

The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk.

putrid

The gangrenous condition of the wound was indicated by the putrid smell when the bandages were removed.

striated

The glacier left many striated rocks.

opulence

The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away.

pessimism

The good news we have been receiving lately indicates that there is little reason for your pessimism.

pendant

The grateful team presented the coach with a silver chain and pendant engraved with the school's motto.

satiate

The guests, having eaten until they were satiated, now listened inattentively to the speakers.

viper

The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the Sinai peninsula.

silt

The harbor channel must be dredged annually to remove the silt.

predatory

The hawk is a predatory bird.

nurture

The head Start program attempts to nurture prekindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter public school.

somnolent

The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker.

spurious

The hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell spurious antiques from the real things.

writ

The hero of Leonard's novel is a process server who invents unorthodox ways of serving writs on reluctant parties.

spurn

The heroine spurned the villain's advances.

maim

The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or maimed in the railroad accident.

septic

The hospital was in such a filthy state that we were afraid that many of the patients would suffer from septic poisoning.

ramp

The house was built with ramps instead of stairs in order to enable the man in the wheelchair to move easily from room to room and floor to floor.

satirical

The humor of cartoonists Gary Trudeau often is satirical; though the comments of the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.

trough

The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along in the trough between two waves.

venison

The hunters dined on venison.

mesmerize

The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance.

viable

The infant, though prematurely born, is viable and has a good chance to survive.

skulduggery

The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of skulduggery daily.

propulsive

The jet plane has a greater propulsive power than the engine-driven plane.

respite

The judge granted the condemned man a respite to enable his attorneys to file an appeal.

statutory

The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes.

potent

The jury was swayed by the highly potent testimony of the crime's sole eyewitness.

potential

The juvenile delinquent is a potential murderer.

portend

The king did not know what these omens might portend and asked his soothsayers to interpret them.

sycophant

The king enjoyed the servile compliments and attentions of the sycophants in his retinue.

ordain

The king ordained that no foreigner should be allowed to enter the city.

preeminent

The king traveled to Boston because he wanted the preeminent surgeon in the field to perform the operation.

peon

The land reformers sought to liberate the peons and establish them as independent farmers.

unwieldy

The large carton was so unwieldy that the movers had trouble getting it up the stairs.

sheaf

The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.

pertinent

The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.

mulct

The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy.

magisterial

The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice.

resuscitate

The lifeguard tried to resuscitate the drowned child by applying artificial respiration.

usury

The loan shark was found guilty of usury.

vassal

The lord demanded that his vassals contribute more to his military campaign.

mirage

The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.

lugubrious

The lugabrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.

lurid

The lurid stories he told shocked his listeners.

sleight

The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.

molt

The male robin molted in the spring.

malicious

The malicious neighbor spread the gossip.

mammoth

The mammoth corporations of the twentieth century are a mixed blessing

personable

The man I am seeking to fill this position must be personable since he will be representing us before the public.

spatula

The manufacturers of this frying pan recommended the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the specially treated surface.

ravage

The marauding army ravaged the countryside.

maritime

The maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth.

masochist

The masochist begs, "Hit me." The sadist smiles and says, "I won't."

matriarch

The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand.

mauve

The mauve tint in the lilac bush was another indication that spring had finally arrived.

mosaic

The mayor compared the ciry to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth.

rankle

The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.

metamorphosis

The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is typical of many such changes in animal life.

millinery

The millinery displayed fashionable hats in the street where many women passed by.

solemnity

The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service.

miserly

The miserly old man hoarded his coins not out of prudence but out of greed.

mobile

The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today.

metaphysical

The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth century for many of their images.

linguistic

The modern tourist will encounter very little linguistic difficulty as English has become an almost universal language.

panegyric

The modest hero blushed to hear the speakers delivering panegyrics about his valorous act.

omnipotent

The monarch regarded himself as omnipotent and responsible to no one for his acts.

shimmer

The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment.

mores

The mores of Mexico are those of Spain with some modifications.

mortician

The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.

pyre

The mortician put pyre on the corpse before burning a corpse.

marsupial

The most common marsupial in North America is the opposum.

somnambulist

The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her monologue in the sleepwalking scene is one of the highlights of Shakespeare's play.

rarefied

The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere.

purchase

The mountaineer struggled to get a proper purchase on the slippery rock.

munificent

The munificent gift was presented to the bride by her rich uncle.

remorse

The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.

murkiness

The murkiness and fog of the waterfront that evening depressed me.

seethe

The nation was seething with discontent as the nobleman continued their arrogant ways.

thermal

The natives discovered that the host springs gave excellent thermal baths and began to develop their community as a health resort.

propitiate

The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.

painstaking

The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.

severity

The newspapers disapproved of the severity of the sentence.

nib

The nibs of fountain pens often become clotted and corroded.

niggardly

The niggardly pittance the widow receives from the government cannot keep her from poverty.

voluptuous

The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.

numismatist

The numismatist had a splendid collection of antique coins.

phlegmatic

The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.

olfactory

The olfactory organ is the nose.

unruly

The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas.

opaque

The opaque window kept the sunlight out of the room.

repertoire

The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.

raze

The owners intend to raze the hotel and erect an office building on the site.

pacifist

The pacifists urged that we reduce our military budget and recall our troops stationed overseas.

secrete

The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans.

stem

The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery.

parched

The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.

sedate

The parents were worried because they felt their son was too quiet and sedate.

mountebank

The patent medicine man was a mountebank.

optician

The patient took the prescription given him by his oculist to the optician.

parley

The peace parley has not produced the anticipated truce.

pendulous

The pendulous chandeliers swayed in the breeze as if they were about to fall from the ceiling.

pensive

The pensive youth gazed at the painting for a long time and then sighed.

peripatetic

The peripatetic school of philosophy derives its name from the fact that Aristotle walked with his pupils while discussing philosophy with them.

peroration

The peroration was largely hortatory and brought the audience to its feet clamoring for action at its close.

perquisite

The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates.

procurement

The personnel department handles the procurement of new employees.

optimist

The pessimist says the glass is half-empty; the optimist says it is half-full.

pied

The pied piper of Hamelin got his name from the multicolored clothing he wore.

pious

The pious parents gave their children a religious upbringing.

piquant

The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal.

rift

The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds.

platitude

The platitudes in his speech were applauded by the vast majority in his audience; only a few people perceived how trite his remarks were.

solder

The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.

vintner

The poet wondered what the vintners could buy that would be half as precious as the wine they sold.

quarry

The police closed in on their quarry.

manacle

The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape.

trajectory

The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory of the bullet.

quell

The police used fire hoses and teat gas to quell the rioters.

loiter

The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley.

volatile

The political climate today is extremely volatile: no one can predict what the electorate will do next.

potentate

The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.

reprove

The principal reproved the students when they became unruly in the auditorium.

nondescript

The private detective was a short, nondescript fellow with no ourstanding features, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.

prodigal

The prodigal son squandered his inheritance.

squander

The prodigal son squandered the family estate.

philology

The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an international language.

synoptic

The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new in the field.

subpoena

The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness.

libido

The psychiatrist maintained that suppression of the libido often resulted in maladjustment and neuroses.

psychopathic

The psychopathic patient suffers more frequently from a disorder of the nervous system than from a diseased brain.

pungency

The pungency of the cigarette smoke made me cough.

salutary

The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.

retentive

The pupil did not need to spend much time in study as he had a retentive mind.

warranty

The purchaser of this automobile is protected by the manufacturer's warranty that he will replace any defective part for five years or 50,000 miles.

retinue

The queen's retinue followed her down the aisle.

pathos

The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly sentimental.

smolder

The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.

rampant

The rampant weeds in the garden killed all the flowers that had been planted in the spring.

realm

The realm of possibilities for the new invention was endless.

preponderance

The rebels sought to overcome the preponderance of strength of the government forces by engaging in guerrilla tactics.

potable

The recent drought in the Middle Atlantic States has emphasized the need for extensive research in ways of making sea water potable.

refractory

The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.

odyssey

The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying odyssey.

rout

The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy

pterodactyl

The remains of pterodactyls indicate that these flying reptiles had a wingspan of as much as twenty feet.

precipitate

The removal of American political support appeared to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos regime.

repulsion

The repulsion of the enemy forces was not accomplished bloodlessly; many of the defenders were wounded in driving the enemy back.

resurgent

The resurgent nation surprised everyone by its quick recovery after total defeat.

migratory

The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring.

ravenous

The revenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.

pander

The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses' taste of violence.

riveting

The reviewer described Byatt's novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, he had finished it in a single evening.

usurp

The revolution ended when the victorious rebel leader usurped the throne.

travesty

The ridiculous decision the jury has arrived at is a travesty of justice.

mayhem

The riot was marked not only by mayhem, with its attendant loss of life and limb, but also by arson and pillage.

luscious

The ripe peach was luscious.

vendetta

The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

maul

The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans.

perigee

The rocket which was designed to take photographs of the moon was launched as the moon approached its perigee.

rococo

The rococo style in furniture and architecture, marked by scrollwork and excessive decoration, flourished during the middle of the eighteenth century.

reek

The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke.

ruffian

The ruffians threw stones at the police.

scuttle

The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.

portly

The salesclerk tactfully referred to the overweight customer as portly rather than fat.

sardonic

The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people as amusing and others as rude.

wince

The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.

secession

The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration.

unobtrusive

The secret service agents in charge of protecting the President tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

quorum

The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.

serenity

The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion.

oblique

The sergeant ordered the men to march "oblique right."

raspy

The sergeant's raspy voice grated on the recruits' ears.

severance

The severance of church and state is a basic principle of our government.

whiff

The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.

saline

The slightly saline taste of this mineral water is pleasant.

recession

The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the area.

sinuous

The snake moved in a sinuous manner.

sordid

The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless.

luster

The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing.

soliloquy

The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions.

martial

The sound of marital music was always inspiring to the young poet.

spasmodic

The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers.

terminology

The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse laypersons than to enlighten them.

wary

The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.

stagnant

The stagnant water was a breeding ground for disease

sinewy

The steak was too sinewy to chew

magnate

The steel magnate decided to devote more time to city politics.

visage

The stern visage of the judge indicated that she had decided to impose a severe penalty.

macerate

The strawberries had been soaking in the champagn for so long that they had begun to macerate: they literally fell apart at the touch of a spoon.

reprobation

The students showed their reprobation of his act by refusing to talk with him.

pall

The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.

lethargic

The stuffy room made her lethargic; she felt as if she was about to nod off.

stygian

The stygian room reminded him of an empty space.

subtlety

The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.

luminous

The sun is a luminous body.

prohibitive

The super computer's price was prohibitive.

superannuated

The superannuated man was indignant because he felt that he could still perform a good day's work.

probe

The surgeon probed the wound for foreign matter before suturing it.

placate

The teacher tried to placate the angry mother.

warren

The tenement was a veritable warren, packed with people too poor to live elsewhere.

plauditory

The theatrical company reprinted the plauditory comments of the critics in its advertisement.

spangle

The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.

throes

The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain.

obliterate

The tidal wave obliterated several island villages.

mote

The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.

tonic

The tonic water invigorated her, contrary to the enervating effect of the alcohol.

resplendent

The toreador wore a resplendent costume called a suit of lights.

mutilate

The torturer threatened to mutilate his victim.

stentorian

The town crier had stentorian voice.

velocity

The train went by at considerable velocity.

trek

The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game.

turgid

The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the contryside.

scuffle

The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, Let go of my Gameboy! they scuffled off down the hall.

minute

The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart.

rendezvous

The two fleets met at the rendezvous at the appointed time.

reciprocal

The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.

plenary

The union leader was given plenary power to negotiate a new contract with the employers.

nuance

The unskilled eye of the layperson has difficulty in dicerning the nuances of color in the paintings.

uproarious

The uproarious comedy hit Home Alone featured Macaulay Culkin, whose mugging and comic antics provoked gales of uproarious laughter from audiences coast to coast.

upshot

The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his youth.

virulent

The virus is highly virulent and has made many of us ill for days.

spectrum

The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.

vital

The vital, highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note their vital signs.

presage

The vultures flying overhead presaged the discovery of the corpse in the desert.

tureen

The waiters brought the soup to the tables in silver tureens.

rig

The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked in his candidate's favor.

turbid

The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.

prestige

The wealthy man sought to obtain social prestige by contributing to popular charities.

pallet

The weary traveler went to sleep on his straw pallet.

vent

The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.

solstice

The winter solstice usually occurs on December 21.

malediction

The witch uttered maledictions against her captors.

wizened

The wizened old man in the home for the aged was still active and energetic.

voracious

The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.

oust

The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office.

yield

The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe.

requite

The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.

misadventure

The young explorer met death by misadventure.

sedulous

The young woman was so sedulous that she received a commendation for her hard work.

saturate

Their clothes were saturated by the rain.

nuptial

Their nuptial ceremony was performed in Golden Gate Park.

mire

Their rear wheels became mired in mud.

propinquity

Their relationship could not be explained as being based on mere propinquity: they were more than relatives; they were true friends.

stipend

There is a nominal stipend for this position.

parallelism

There is a striking parallelism between the twins.

unearthly

There is an unearthly atmosphere in her work that amazes the casual observer.

panacea

There is no easy panacea that will solve our complicated international situation.

repine

There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.

whit

There is not a whit of intelligence or understanding in your observations.

syllogism

There must be a fallacy in this syllogism; I cannot accept its conclusion.

lien

There was a delay before Ralph could take possession of his late uncle's home; apparently, another claimant had a lien upon the estate.

viand

There was a variety of viands at the feast.

mandatory

These instructions are mandatory; any violation will be severely punished.

migrant

These migrant birds return every spring.

morbid

These morbid speculations are dangerous; we must lighten our spirits by emphasizing more pleasant matters.

recurrent

These recurrent attacks disturbed us and we consulted a physician.

waylay

They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home.

renovate

They claim that they can renovate worn shoes so that they look like new ones.

paucity

They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.

lagoon

They enjoyed their swim in the calm lagoon.

promontory

They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their nearness to the shore.

pandemic

They feared the AIDS epidemic would soon reach pandemic proportions.

vantage

They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find.

loll

They lolled around in their chairs watching television.

pinion

They pinioned his arms against his body but left his legs free so that he could move about.

requiem

They played Mozart's Requiem at the funeral.

unscathed

They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.

roster

They print the roster of players in the season's program.

quarry

They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside.

queue

They stood patiently in the queue outside the movie theatre.

lofty

They used to tease him about his lofty ambitions.

loath

They were both loath for him to go.

skimp

They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter.

wrangle

They wrangled over their inheritance.

scanty

Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.

transcend

This accomplishment transcends all our previous efforts.

nugatory

This agreement is nugatory for no court will enforce it.

pristine

This area has been preserved in all its pristine wildness.

verbose

This article is too verbose; we must edit it.

lampoon

This article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls.

prosody

This book on prosody contains a rhyming dictionary as well as samples of the various verse forms.

whelp

This collie whelp won't do for breeding, but he'd make a fine pet.

preclude

This contract does not preclude my being employed by others at the same time that I am working for you.

precedent

This decision sets a precedent for future cases of a similar nature.

precipitous

This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as well.

windfall

This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.

subsidiary

This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument.

malignant

This is a malignant disease; we must have to use drastic measures to stop its spread.

paltry

This is a paltry sum to pay for such a masterpiece.

saga

This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.

sleazy

This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well.

miscellany

This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.

unilateral

This legislation is unilateral since it binds only one party in the controversy.

neophyte

This monuntain slope contains slides that will challenge esperts as well as neophytes.

vaunted

This much vaunted project proved a disappointment when it collapsed.

obsession

This obsession with the supernatural has made him unpopular with his neighbors.

supersede

This regulation will supersede all previous rules.

ventriloquist

This ventriloquist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.

ominous

Those clouds are ominous; they suggest that a severe storm is on the way.

thematic

Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss is underlying thematic import.

precursor

Though Gray and Burns share many traits with the Romantic poets who followed them, most critics consider them precursors of the Romantic Movement, not true Romantics.

simplistic

Though Jack's solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to consider various complicating factors that might arise.

pedagogy

Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations in pedagogy, it took years before her teaching techniques became common practice in American schools.

unintimidating

Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Joe Montana, he found the experience unintimidating and relaxing.

remission

Though Senator Tsongas had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he was considered fit to handle the strains of a Presidential race.

pauper

Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a pauper.

sentinel

Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around the encampment.

rave

Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say about contemporary plays, his review of All in the Timing was a total rave.

seasoned

Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned players on the team.

pine

Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather.

prosaic

Though the ad writers had come up with a highly creative campaign to publicize the company's newest product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic, down-to-earth approach.

title

Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as head of one of England's oldest families.

singular

Though the young man tried to understand Father William's singular behavior, he still found it odd that the old man incessantly stood on his head.

throng

Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles.

proliferate

Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage countless get-rich-quick schemes to proliferate

quotidian

To Philip, each new day of his internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as merely quotidian routine.

misapprehension

To avoid msapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.

unfrock

To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to suspend a doctor's license to practice--these are extreme steps that the authorities should take only after careful consideration.

perimeter

To find the perimeter of any quadrilateral, we add the lengths of the four sides.

scale

To locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.

litotes

To say, "He little realizes," when we mean that he does not realize at all, is an example of the kind of understatement we call litotes.

succulent

To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California.

replicate

To the chagrin of the scientists, they were unable to replicate the results of their controversial experiment.

squat

Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good food.

runic

Tolkien's use of Old English words and inscriptions in the runic alphabet give The Lord of the Rings its atmosphere of antiquity.

kindred

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two kindred spirits.

labyrinth

Tom and Becky were lost in the labyrinth of secret caves.

skiff

Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.

tantalize

Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.

trivia

Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivia.

profane

Tourists are urged not to profane the sanctity of holy places by wearing improper garb.

ostentatious

Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling place in the East: it easily outglitters its competitors.

litigation

Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to start litigation.

veracity

Trying to prove Hill a liar, Senator Spector repeatedly questioned her veracity.

qualified

Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement.

outmoded

Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.

tutelage

Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.

stratum

Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt.

slander

Unless you can prove your allegations, your remarks constitute slander.

recant

Unless you recant your confession, you will be punished severely.

obstetrician

Unlike midwives, who care for women giving birth at home, obstetricians generally work in a hospital setting.

sleeper

Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper.

sibylline

Until their destruction by fire in 83 B.C., the sibylline books were often consulted by the Romans.

untoward

Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.

quagmire

Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.

tanner

Using a solution of tanbark, the tanner treated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.

palimpsest

Using chemical reagents, scientists have been able to restore the original writings on many palimpsests.

restive

Waiting impatiently in the line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to fidget.

zeal

Wang's zeal was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent enthusiasm for the cause.

monastic

Wanting to live a religious life, he took his monastic vows.

rotundity

Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.

muster

Washington mustered his forces at Trenton.

poignancy

Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the poignancy of the scene.

meteoric

We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame.

vanguard

We are the vanguard of a tremendous army that is following us.

tarry

We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.

ruminate

We cannot afford to wait while you ruminate upon these plans.

pastiche

We cannot even say that her music is a pastiche of this or that composer; it is rather, reminiscent of many musicians.

moodiness

We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness.

translucent

We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.

unwarranted

We could not understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.

pulsate

We could see the blood vessels in his temple pulsate as he became more angry.

pinnacle

We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the mountain lay in shadow.

vestige

We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave.

privy

We do not care for privy chamber of government.

venerable

We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.

wry

We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wry wit.

parody

We enjoyed the clever parodies of popular songs that the chorus sang.

mangy

We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed.

patrician

We greatly admired her well-bred, patrician elegance

listless

We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his listless attitude.

tacit

We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.

terrestrial

We have been able to explore the terrestrial regions much more thoroughly than the aquatic or celestial regions.

synchronous

We have many examples of scientists in different parts of the world who have made synchronous discoveries.

supererogatory

We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be supererogatory.

tedium

We hope this radio will help overcome the tedium of your stay in the hospital.

posterity

We hope to leave a better world to posterity.

peripheral

We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of the great city.

vernal

We may expect vernal showers all during the month of April.

subliminal

We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking.

sibling

We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong to the same family.

venial

We may regard a hugry man's stealing as a venial crime.

postulate

We must accept these statements as postulates before pursuing our discussions any further.

punctilious

We must be punctilious in our planning of this affair, for any error may be regarded as a personal affront.

sinister

We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall.

psychosis

We must endeavor to find an outlet for the patient's repressed desires if we hope to combat this psychosis.

ramification

We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.

trepidation

We must face the enemy without trepidation if we are to win this battle.

puissant

We must keep his friendship for he will make a puissant ally.

masticate

We must masticate our food carefully and slowly in order to avoid digestive disorders.

rehabilitate

We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.

protocol

We must run this state dinner according to protocol if we are to avoid offending any of our guests.

toxic

We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten.

sublimate

We must strive to sublimate these desires and emotions into worthwhile activities.

malevolent

We must thwart his malevolent schemes.

noxious

We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.

malefactor

We must try to bring these malefactors to justice.

tarantula

We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.

philistine

We need more men of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among us.

parameter

We need to define the parameters of the problem.

rebate

We offer a rebate of ten percent to those who pay cash.

succor

We shall be ever grateful for the succor our country gave us when we were in need.

ventral

We shall now examine the ventral plates of this serpent, not the dorsal side.

onslaught

We suffered many casualties during unexpected onslaght of the enemy troops.

supplicate

We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty.

vertigo

We test potential plane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo.

misanthrope

We thought the hermit was a miantrope because he shunned our society.

mollify

We tried to mollify the hysterical child by promising her many gifts.

obstinate

We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change.

noncommittal

We were annoyed by his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his approval.

mediocre

We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.

sallow

We were disturbed by his sallow complexion, which was due to jaundice.

spectral

We were frightened by the spectral glow that filled the room.

turbulence

We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean during the storm.

unanimity

We were surprised by the unanimity with which our proposals were accepted by the different groups.

suture

We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals.

witticism

What you regard as witticisms are often offensive to sensitive people.

prompt

Whatever prompted you to ask for such a big piece of cake when you're on a diet?

transpire

When Austen writes the sentence "It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him," her meaning is not that the debts had just been incurred, but the the shocking news had just leaked out.

perifidious

When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend.

swathe

When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages.

overwrought

When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave the office early.

malapropism

When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she confuses "allegory" and "allegator" in a typical malapropism.

ovation

When Placido Domingo came on stage in the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous ovation.

regime

When a Frenchman mentions the Old Regime, he refers to the government existing before the revolution.

waffle

When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary waffled, talking all around the issue.

mettle

When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination to hold the lead.

plasticity

When clay dries out, it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable.

mottled

When he blushed, his face took on a mottled hue.

ossify

When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he implied that his adversary's brain had ossified and that he was not capable of clear thinking.

paroxysm

When he heared of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a paroxysm of rage.

whinny

When he laughed through his nose, it sounded as if he whinnied.

longevity

When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

penitent

When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and penitent.

relent

When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor.

terminate

When his contract was terminated unexpectedly, he desperately needed a new job.

penury

When his pension fund failed, George feared he would end his days in penury.

perjury

When several witnesses appeared to challenge his story, he was indicted for perjury.

philatelist

When she heard the value of the Penny Black stamp, Phyllis was inspired to become a philatelist.

rejoinder

When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.

preposterous

When the candidate tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled, we all thought, "What a preposterous excuse!"

merger

When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't a marriage, it was a merger.

ramify

When the plant begins to ramify, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches.

spoonerism

When the radio announcer introduced the President as Hoobert Herver, he was guilty of spoonerism.

xenophobia

When the refugee arrived in America, he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there.

seine

When the shad run during the spring, you may see fishermen with seines along the banks of our coastal rivers.

pandemonium

When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out among the passengers.

zenith

When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as strong as at sunrise and sunset.

quandary

When the two colleges to which he had applied accepted him, he was in a quandary as to which one he should attend.

zephyr

When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail.

unearth

When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.

morose

When we first meet Hamlet, we find him morose and depressed.

slake

When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.

rummage

When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days.

modulation

When we she spoke, it was with quiet modulation of voice.

refraction

When you look at a stick inserted in water, it looks bent because of the refraction of the light by the water.

leeway

When you set a deadline, allow a little leeway.

transcribe

When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr.Smith and keep the original for our files.

traverse

When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.

knit

Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown.

refrain

Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could never refrain from joining in on the refrain.

trinket

Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.

undergird

Whereas relativity theory undermined the Newtonian mechanics, cosmology was undergirded by it.

ratiocination

While Watson was a man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made him a superb detective.

lurk

Who knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men? The shadow knows.

somatic

Why do you ignore the spiritual aspects and emphasize only the corporeal and the somatic ones?

minuscule

Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for success?

quizzical

Will Rogers' quizzical remarks endeared him to his audiences.

smirk

Wipe that smirk off your face!

wistful

With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study for her exam.

unravel

With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.

torque

With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the nut the loosen it.

wrest

With only ten seconds left to play, our team wrested victory from their grasp.

wax

With proper handling, his fortunes waxed and he became rich.

prune

With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her manuscript into publishable form.

variegated

Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.

subsidy

Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets.

relevant

Woolf had been writing with Teri's situation in mind.

onomatopoeia

Words like "rustle" and "gargle" are illustrations of onomatopoeia.

paradox

Wordworth's "The child is father to the man" is an example of paradox.

wispy

Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair, Walter carefully massaged his scalp and applied hair restorer every night.

sluggard

You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite, the angry father shouted at his lazy son.

quip

You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments.

sophist

You are using all the devices of a sophist in trying to prove your case; your argument is specious.

sanctimonious

You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.

opportune

You have come at an opportune moment for I need a new secretary.

scintilla

You have not produced a scintilla of evidence to support your argument.

uncanny

You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.

unique

You have the unique distinction of being the first student whom I have had to fail in this course.

rail

You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.

ulterior

You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it.

worldly

You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker.

toil

You must toil through 3500 words list in order to achieve a high score on GRE.

superimpose

Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of our government.

redundant

Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce its length.

tantamount

Your ignoring their pathetic condition is tantamount to the murder.

unseemly

Your levity is unseemly at this time of mourning.

mawkish

Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust.

militate

Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion.

transparent

Your scheme is so transparent that it will fool no one.

scurrilous

Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.

sophomoric

Your sophomoric remarks are a sign of your youth and indicate that you have not given much thought to the problem.

tentative

Your tentative plans sound plausible; let me know when the final details are worked out.

reprehensible

Your vicious conduct in this situation is reprehensible.

mincing

Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.

poverty

and eliminate indigence from our society.

mocking

characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.

oversimplified

consider various complicating factors that might arise.

miasma

corrupting influence The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud; noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible miasma.

prophetic

cows represented seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

prolong

endlessly, but the union representatives saw through their strategy.

wandering

guilty during the Age of Chivalry.

pharisaical

hypocritical Walter Lippmann has pointed out that moralists who do not attempt to explain the moral code they

nirvana

impersonal beatitude Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even the buzzing of a fly could

kismet

kismet is the Arabic word for "fate."

lank

lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln was a striking figure.

reticent

might ensure their discretion about his affairs.

myriad

myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight.

negligence

negligence can prove costly near complicated machinery.

nihilism

nihilism holds that existence has no meaning.

overbearing

overbearing in manner. "In choosing a husband," she said, "good birth is of overbearing importance; compared to that, neither wealth nor talent signifie

kaleidoscope

produce interesting symmetrical effects People found a new source of entertainment while peering through the kaleidoscope; they found the ever-

pragmatic

something This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational

molecule

substance In chemistry, we study how atoms and molcules react to form new substances.

titanic

titanic waves beat aginst the shore during the hurricane.

wallow.

waiting for medical attention.

ugly

with a particularly unsightly injury.

surround

withstand a siege until our allies joined us.

occlude

A blood clot occluded an artery to the heart.

narrative

A born teller of tales, Olsen used her impressive narrative skills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here Ironing."

multifarious

A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.

protuberance

A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor (generally benign) that develops near a joint membrane or tendon sheath, and that bulges beneath the skin, forming a protuberance.

venturesome

A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt.Annapurna.

luminary

A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical luminary whose name lives on.

limpid

A limpid stream ran through his property.

prudent

A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy.

narcissist

A narcissist is his own best friend.

psychiatrist

A psychiatrist often needs long conferences with his patient before a diagnosis can be made.

prevalent

A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.

rancid

A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the crew.

protean

A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness could take on any role.

turpitude

A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.

recount

About to recount the latest adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Watson lost track of exactly how many cases Holmes had solved and refused to begin his tale until he'd recounted them one by one.

sear

Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.

overt

According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.

vulnerable

Achilles was vulnerable only in his heel.

mordant

Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.

underscore

Adressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.

receptive

Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved a receptive audience for Tom's tales of buried treasure and piracy.

maxim

Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.

uniformity

After a while, the uniformity of TV situation comedies becomes boring.

tribulation

After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through, we need this rest.

officious

After her long flight, Jill just wanted to nap, but the officious bellboy was intent on showing her all the special features of the deluxe suite.

sojourn

After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home.

placid

After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested.

sententious

After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particulary pleasing.

pellucid

After reading these stodgy philosophers, I find his pellucid style very enjoyable.

scapegoat

After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.

proponent

After the bill had been amended and re-amended in committee, even its original proponents didn't want to vote in its favor.

tranquillity

After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests.

marital

After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often consulted by married people on the verge of divorce.

quiescent

After this geyser erupts, it will remain quiescent for twenty-four hours.

sluggish

After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion.

verbiage

After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little.

terminus

After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses.

veer

After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.

rationalization

All attempts at rationalization at this time are doomed to failure; tempers and emotions run too high for intelligent thought to prevail.

salvage

All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.

parlance

All this legal parlance confuses me; I need an interpreter.

rhetoric

All writers, by necessity, must be skilled in rhetoric.

seminal

Although Freud has generally been regarded as a seminal thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his psychoanalytic methods have come under attack recently.

unsightly

Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced with a particularly unsightly injury.

parochial

Although Jane Austen writes novels set in small rural communities, her concerns are universal, not parochial.

perceptive

Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic, she had her blind sports: she could never see flaws in the work of her friends.

tangible

Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets--a car, a television, a PC--that he could sell if he needed cash.

optometrist

Although an optometrist is qualified to treat many eye disorders, she may not use medicinesor surgery in her examinations.

nadir

Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.

sidereal

Although hampered by optical and mechanical flaws, the orbiting Hubble space telescope has relayed extraordinary images of distant sidereal bodies.

waif

Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif.

recipient

Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful to his benefactor.

sequester

Although he had hoped for a long time to sequester himself in a small community, he never was able to drop his busy round of activities in the city.

vigor

Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime.

titular

Although he was the titular head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager.

modicum

Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.

tender

Although no formal changes had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should tender his resignation.

reserve

Although some girls were attracted by Mark's reserve, Judy was put off by it, for she felt his aloofness indicated a lack of openness.

predilection

Although the artist used various media from time to time, she had a predilection for watercolors.

pomposity

Although the commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and general air of parading his own dignity.

substantive

Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the substantive issues.

ostensible

Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products.

random

Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions when the grand prize went to the sponsor's brother-in-law.

temperament

Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Tod is calm, but Rod is excitable.

putative

Although there are some doubts, the putative author of this work is Massinger.

sporadic

Although there are still sporadic outbursts of shooting in the streets, the rebellion is essentially over.

semblance

Although this book has a semblance of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many errors and omissions.

vitreous

Although this plastic has many vitreous qualties such as transparency, it is unbreakable.

militant

Althoughat this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more militant attitude.

limbo

Among the divisions of Hell are Purgatory and limbo.

methodical

An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records.

yield

An experienced farmer can estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy.

sepulcher

Annabel Lee was buried in a sepulcher by the sea.

repress

Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.

proscribe

Antony, Octavius and Lepidus proscribed all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.

replica

Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom or in the auditorium?

preen

As Kitty preened before the mirror, carefully smoothing her shining hair, she couldn't help preening herself on her good looks.

stoke

As a Scout, Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to extinguish it completely.

nutrient

As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic nutrients.

pugnacious

As a child he was pugnacious and fought with everyone.

partiality

As a judge, not only must I be unbiased, but I must also avoid any evidence of partiality when I award the prize.

whittle

As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.

leaven

As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in volume.

palpitate

As he became excited, his heart began to palpitate more and more erratically.

philanthropist

As he grew older, he became famous as a philanthropist and benefactor of the needy.

provincial

As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada.

purveyor

As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell.

junta

As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the junta.

sheathe

As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends.

promulgate

As soon as the Civil Service Commission promulgates the names of the successful candidates, we shall begin to hire members of our staff.

ostracize

As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection with the criminals, his friends began to ostracize him.

subterfuge

As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy.

stratified

As the economic gap between the rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified.

lope

As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery.

liaison

As the liason, he had to avoid offending the leaders of the two armies.

rivulet

As the rains continued, the trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to wash away a portion of the slope.

queasy

As the ship left the harbor, he became queasy and thought that he was going to suffer from seasickness.

slacken

As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.

sectarian

As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to mere sectarian concerns.

wont

As was his wont, he jogged two miles every morning before going to work.

rant

As we heard him rant on the platform, we could not understand his strange popularity with many people.

neologism

As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also invent neologisms such as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them.

quaff

As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the gay songs of the students in the tavern.

saunter

As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.

pathological

As we study the pathological aspects of this disease, we must not overlook the psychological elements.

ovoid

At Easter she had to cut out hundreds of brightly colored ovoid shapes.

reprise

At Waterloo, it was not the effect of any one skirmish that exhausted Colonel Audly; rather it was the cumulative effect of the constant reprises that left him spent.

marshal

At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts before addressing their audience.

judicious

At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.

killjoy

At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that killjoy John started talking about how bad animal fats and cholesterol were for our health.

subversive

At first glance, the notion that Styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups strikes most environmentalists as subversive.

universal

At first, no one shared Christopher's opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal disdain.

temporal

At one time in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.

yokel

At school, his classmates regarded him as a yokel and laughed at his rustic mannerisms.

palette

At the present time, art supply stores are selling a paper palette that may be discarded after use.

juncture

At this critical juncture, let us think carefully before determining the course we shall follow.

obscure

At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

ornithologist

Auduborn's drawings of American bird life have been of interest not only to the ornithologists but also to the general public.

muggy

August in New York City is often muggy.

peregrination

Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tiajuana to Timbuctoo.

vixen

Aware that she was right once again, he lost his temper and called her a shrew and a vixen.

roil

Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.

premise

Because Jack had based his argument upon a faulty premise, his opponent cheerfully pointed out the holes in his logic.

sedentary

Because he had a sedentary occupation, he decided to visit a gymnasium weekly.

renegade

Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade.

vagrant

Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a vagrant.

necromancy

Because he was able to perform feats of necromancy, the natives thought he was in league with the devil.

obtuse

Because he was so obtuse, he could not follow the teacher's reasoning and asked foolish questions.

pantomime

Because he worked in pantomime, the clown could be understood wherever he appeared.

pallid

Because his occupation required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally pallid complexion.

malign

Because of her hatred of the family, she maligns all who are friendly to them.

ursine

Because of its ursine appearance, the great panda has been identified with the bears; actually, it is closely related to the raccoon.

rescind

Because of public resentment, the king had to rescind his order.

quay

Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

negligible

Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the matter to his insurance company.

retroactive

Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in February she was eligible for the pension.

multilingual

Because they are bordered by so many countries, the Swiss people are multilingual.

tortuous

Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.

stipulate

Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams be allowed to inspect Soviet bases.

vise

Before filling its edges, the keysmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.

plumb

Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide.

scaffold

Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.

pulverize

Before sprinkling the dried herbs into the stew, Michael first pulverized them into a fine powder.

topography

Before the generals gave the order to attack, they ordered a complete study of the topography of the region.

warrant

Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this action is warranted.

ratify

Before the treaty could go into effect, it had to be ratified by the president.

tether

Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night.

perforate

Before you can open the aspirin bottle, you must first perforate the plastic safety seal that covers the cap.

splice

Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly.

symbiosis

Both the crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis; pecking away at food particles embedded in the crocodile's teeth, the bird derives nourishment; the crocodile, meanwhile, derives

shirk

Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.

shambles

By the time the police arrived, the room was a shambles.

primogeniture

By virtue of primogeniture, in some cultures the first-born child has many privileges denied his brothers and sisters.

salacious

Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.

squabble

Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let the children work things out on their own.

vampire

Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampires.

obelisk

Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk in New York City's Central Park.

juxtapose

Comparison will be easier if you juxtapose the two objects.

simper

Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered.

turmoil

Conscious he had sinned, he was in a state of spiritual turmoil.

transitoriness

Conscious that all things pass, the psalmist relates the transitoriness of happiness and fame.

servile

Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature.

supplant

Corazon Aquino supplanted Ferdinand Marcos as president of the Philippines.

verisimilitude

Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.

wither

Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither.

vernacular

Cut out those old-fashioned "thee's" and "thou's" and write in the vernacular.

torrent

Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents.

waft

Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window.

pivotal

De Klerk's decision to set Nelson Mandela free was pivotal; without Mandela's release, there was no possibility that the African National Cogress would entertain talks with the South African government.

taxonomist

Dental patterns often enable the taxonomist to distinguish members of one rodent species from those of another.

pacify

Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.

kinetic

Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest obstacle lies in the development of light and efficient storage batteries, the source of the kinetic energy needed to propel the vehicle.

tangential

Despite Clark's attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: why couldn't he come out to dinner with Superman and her?

pervasive

Despite airing them for several hours, she could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothbals that clung to them.

verdigris

Despite all attempts to protect the statue from the elements, it became coated with verdigris.

prophylactic

Despite all prophylactic measures introduced by the authorities, the epidemic raged until cool weather set in.

voluminous

Despite her family burdens, she kept up a voluminous correspondence with her friends.

megalomania

Developers who spend millions trying to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.

saturnine

Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.

quack

Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.

nettle

Do not let him nettle you with his sarcastic remarks.

obfuscate

Do not obfuscate the issues by dragging in irrelevant arguments.

quibble

Do not quibble; I want a straightforward and definite answer.

jocular

Do not take my jocular remarks seriously.

rationalize

Do not try to rationalize your behavior by blaming your companions.

temerity

Do you have the temerity to argue with me?

stanza

Do you know the last stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

redress

Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries?

subsume

Does the general theory of relativity contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity subsumed into Einstein's larger scheme?

nonentity

Don't dismiss John as a nonentity; in his quiet way, he's very important to the firm.

leery

Don't eat sushi at this restaurant; I'm a bit leery about how fresh it is.

mollycoddle

Don't mollycoddle the boy, Maud! You'll spoil him.

snivel

Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother.

willful

Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder, not a crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful youth unable to foresee the consequences of his deeds.

unprepossessing

During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance is unprepossessing.

penumbra

During an eclipse, we can see an area of total darkness and a lighter area, which is the penumbra.

redoubtable

During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to offend the Russians because they could be redoubtable foes.

metallurgical

During the course of his metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous strength.

satellite

During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United States.

transition

During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.

seep

During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards.

slither

During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station.

resumption

During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure.

tepid

During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one.

synthetic

During the twentieth century, many synthetic products have replaced the natural products.

reprieve

During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent.

mentor

During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for the teacher was sympathetic and understanding.

slough

Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin.

spendthrift

Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop. 193. sphinx-like enigmatic; mysterious

relic

Egypt's Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of the country.

monarchy

England today remains a monarchy.

manumit

Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil slavery in the country.

vigilance

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

novice

Even a novice can do good work if he follows these simple directions.

lament

Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in combat.

obscure

Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure.

pluck

Even the adversaries of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy's pluck in trying to rescue the archeological treasure they had stolen.

pundit

Even though he discourses on the matter like a pundit, he is actually rather ignorant about this topic.

politic

Even though he was disappointed, he did not think it politic to refuse the offer.

objective

Even though he was her son, she tried to be objective about his behavior.

pillory

Even though he was mocked and pilloried, he maintained that he was correct in his beliefs.

redolent

Even though it is February, the air is redolent of spring.

renounce

Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her belief that her voices came from God.

plausible

Even though your argument is plausible, I still would like to have more proof.

retort

Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a retort.

surfeit

Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats.

spruce

Every button buttoned, tie firmly in place, young Alex Keaton looked spruce and tidy for his job interview at the bank.

metropolis

Every evening this terminal is filled with the thousands of commuters who are going from this metropolis to their homes in the suburbs.

reconcile

Every time we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite these monthly lovers' quarrels, we always manage to reconcile.

pathetic

Everyone in the auditorium was weeping by the time he finished his pathetic tale about the orphaned boy.

probity

Everyone took his probity for granted; his defalcations, therefore, shocked us all.

offhand

Expecting to be treated with due propriety by her costs, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand manner.

scruple

Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary.

tilter

Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tilter at all times.

nonchalance

Few people could understand how he could listen to the news of the tragedy with such nonchalance; the mahority regarded him as callous and unsympathetic.

retain

Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection campaign.

spawn

Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams.

surrogate

For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.

tyro

For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results.

muse

For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thought soon changed as he recalled his own personal problems.

stodgy

For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you'd expect someone of his age to have a little more life.

renown

For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.

opportunist

Forget about ethics! He's such an opportunist that he'll vote in favor of any deal that will give him a break.

reparable

Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were reparable and our car looks brand new.

vitiate

Fraud will vitiate the contract.

tyranny

Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life.

orientation

Freshman orientation provides the incoming students with an opportunity to learn about their new environment and their place in it.

profound

Freud's remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound thinker.

peremptory

From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.

somber

From the doctor's grim expression, I could tell he had somber news.

low

From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely hear the cattle low.

mendicant

From the moment we left the ship, we were surrounded by mendicants and peddlers.

slapdash

From the number of typos and misspellings I've found on it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably slapdash fashion.

rampart

From the ramparts we watched as the fighting continued.

pontifical

From the very beginning of his ministry it was clear from his pontifical pronouncements that John was destined for a high pontifical office.

pestle

From the way in which the elderly pharmacist pounded the drug with his pestle, young George could tell that his employer was agitated about something.

plutocracy

From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a plutocracy rather than a democracy.

ornate

Furniture of the Baroque period can be recognized by its ornate carvings.

urchin

Get out! This store is no place for grubby urchins!

offensive

Getting into street brawls is no minor offense for professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict their offensive impulses to the ring.

studied

Given Jill's previous slights, Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult.

sextant

Given a clear night, with the aid of his sextant and compass, he could keep the ship safely on course.

prescience

Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan.

problematic

Given the many areas of conflict still awaiting resolution, the outcome of the peace talks remains problematic.

mite

Gnats are annoying mites that sing.

malleable

Gold is a malleable metal.

jollity

The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and young alike joined in the general jollity.

lassitude

The hot, tropical weather created a feeling of lassitude and encouraged drowsiness.

laity

The laity does not always understand the clergy's problems.

legend

The legend at the bottom of the map made it clear which symbols stood for rest areas along the highway and which stood for public camp sites.

licentious

The licentious monarch helped bring about his country's downfall.

legerdemain

The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.

lexicographer

The new dictionary is the work of many lexicographers who spent years compiling and editing the work.

laggard

The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders.

jocose

The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that he become a stand-up comic.

jubilation

There was great jubilitation when the armistice was announced.

kleptomaniac

They discovered that the wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap trinkets.

lewd

They found his lewd stories objectionable.

libidinous

They objected to his libidinous behavior.

junket

Though she maintained she had gone abroad to collect firsthand data on the Common Market, the opposition claimed that her trip was merely a political junket.

lilliputian

Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale.

knavery

We cannot condone such knavery in public officials.

lax

We dislike restaurants where the service is lax and inattentive.

jingoism

We must be careful to prevent a spirit of jingoism from spreading at this time.

jargon

We tried to understand the jargon of the peddlers in the market place but could not find any basis for comprehension.

lackluster

We were disappointed by the lackluster performance.

laxative

The effect of the constipation medicine is laxative; it empties the bowels.

libretto

The composer of an opera's music is remembered more frequently than the author of its libretto.

laudatory

The critics' laudatory comments helped to make her a star.

lavish

The actor's lavish gifts pleased her.

levitate

As the magician passed his hands over the recumbent body of his assistant, she appeared to rise and levitate about three feet above the table.

levee

As the river rose and threatened to overflow the levee, emergency workers rushed to reinforce the walls with sandbags.

larceny

Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand larceny to petit larceny.

labile

Because the hormonal changes they undergo affect their spirits, adolescents may become emotionally labile and experience sudden shifts of mood.

lascivious

Because they might arouse lascivious impulses in their readers, the lewd books were banned by the clergy.

leniency

Considering the gravity of the offense, we were surprised by the leniency of the sentence.

lectern

The chaplain delivered his sermon from a hastily improvised lectern.

libelous

He sued the newspaper because of its libelous story.

jaunt

He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City.

leonine

He was leonine in his rage.

jurisprudence

He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the law.

lacerate

Her body was lacerated in the automobile crash.

knead

Her hands grew strong from kneading bread.

liability

Her lack of an extensive vocabulary was a liability that she was able to overcome.

latent

Her latent talent was discovered by accident.

languid

Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

kindle

Her teacher's praise kindled a spark a hope inside her.

ken

I cannot answer your question since this matter is beyond my ken.

lexicon

I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

latitude

I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this matter.

laborious

In putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.

languish

In stories, lovelorn damsels used to languish and pine away.

jostle

In the subway he was jostled by the crowds.

lambaste

It was painful to watch the champion lambaste his opponent, tearing into him mercilessly.

jovial

A frown seemed out of place on his invariably jovial face.