Vocab power
commensurate
proportionate - I kept silence from utter inability to say a word commensurate with my grief.
desultory
random - The Americans and their allies are carrying out a desultory air campaign in Syria that appears focused on support for the Kurds.
contrite
remorseful - Control yourself with time in hand, else you'll have to be contrite later.
caustic
sarcastic
forestall
prevent - The problem is that in an effort to forestall an Israeli strike, Obama is making war pledges now
implacable
(adj.) not to be satisfied or pacified; unyielding - He has a will of iron, dauntless resolution, and an implacable temper.
dogmatic
1. Stubbornly opinionated on unproven principles - I refuse to argue with someone so dogmatic that he won't listen to reason. 2. relating to or of the nature of a dogma or dogmas or any strong set of principles concerning faith, morals, etc., as those laid down by a church; doctrinal: We hear dogmatic arguments from both sides of the political spectrum.
banal
1. commonplace 2. relating to ban
artless
1. ingenuous,without deceit 2.lacking art or skill
complaisant
1. trying to please 2. compliant
compendium
1.collection of items - Due to the variety of topics covered, the book has been characterized as a compendium or a "philosophical encyclopedia in miniature" 2. short summary
euphemism
An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant - The military is also notorious for using euphemisms, like saying "neutralizing the target" instead of "killing someone."
Verisimilar
Appearing to be real
cursory
Done quickly and not thoroughly; hasty,slipshod
abstemious
Eating and drinking in moderation. - The hermit led an abstemious way of life.
Aberrant
Deviating from what if normal
disparate
Different - We are dealing with multiple authors writing in disparate locations.
Fetid
Foul smelling
Malodorous
Foul smelling
Cupidity
Greed
Loathe
Hate
inchoate
In an initial stage; not fully formed - The proposal to shift to a new Parliament is still inchoate and yet to be debated.
contentious
Marked by heated arguments or controversy - The race to succeed Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) was contentious from the start.
harangue
Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly - The occasion was a gala dinner during which Pinter began to harangue some unfortunate guest for his political views.
Inexorable
Relentless
effrontery
Shameless boldness - Armond saw the same "effrontery" found in British punk, and the provocative words and song titles heard from The Smiths
Extant
Still in existence
hyperbole
exaggeration - My hope is that as the Republicans continue to speak only in hyperbole, the public will begin to doubt them.
disparage
To belittle - they won't run ads that "disparage" the president
larded
To fill throughout; inject: "The history of Sicily was larded with treachery"
Loath
Unwilling
connoiseur
expert - connoisseur of art and a lover of literature
acquiescence
acceptance without protest
abeyance
a temporary suspension of activity. - The India-Pakistan series is held in abeyance by the BCCI due to delay in the Indian government's nod for the tournament.
felicitous
appropriate - What a felicitous choice of words
approbation
approval - At this juncture La Flitche nodded his head in approbation, and she went on.
glib
artfully persuasive in speech; superficial - A hiring manager might think you're being glib, or slick and insincere, if you say you've led a successful multinational corporation when you were actually in charge of flipping burgers for a fast-food restaurant chain.
aver
assert strongly - The north of France, and not Germany as Germans aver, is the peculiar home of this noble form of art, which all the surrounding nations learn.
iconoclastic
attacking cherished traditions
antipathy
aversion,opposition - The proposed GST bill met with strong antipathy from the opposition in the Parliament.
denigrate
belittle,disparage - In Venezuela, it is illegal to publish news accounts that might be deemed to "denigrate" President Hugo Chevez.
audacious
bold and daring - He is part of what some here are calling an audacious solution to a massive problem: the budget deficit.
implode
burst inward - As the housing market began to implode, the banks were keeping more and more of those bonds on their books.
equanimity
calmness - MS Dhoni has earned the admiration of many for his ability to maintain equanimity under pressure.
engender
cause or produce - What kind of response is Obama likely to engender with his immigration reform?
castigation
chastisement - First, if the tone of my post sounds like "castigation" let me apologize; that was not my intent.
convoluted
complex - This tends to be a lengthy and convoluted process, taking at least two years even under ideal circumstances.
distend
extend -The gas distended the animal's stomach.
belie
conceal the true character of. - His trembling hands belied his calm voice.
aesthetic
concerned with beauty or artistic impact or appearance
confound
confuse - Taking advice from one too many people will only confound you in your decision.
cogent
convincing - You speak with a clear voice and in cogent paragraphs, and make a great case for our progressive causes.
craven
cowardly - Terrorism has been perceived as an act of cowardice or cravenness.
chicanery
deception - Typically, these firms' criminal-defense practices focus on cases like securities fraud or accounting chicanery.
discredit
defame - Remember, the first tactic to discredit is to call the opponent insane, or to intimate insanity
gainsay
deny - nobody can gainsay that.
empirical
derived from observation or experiment - It is true that religions are not belief systems grounded in empirical results
conundrum
dilemma - Choosing between higher studies and a job is a conundrum that has plagued students in their final year.
dissonance
disagreement,conflict - The captain and the coach were in dissonance over the selection of Harbhajan Singh in the squad.
disjointed
disconnected - The beginning is disjointed from the rest of the plot.
alacrity
eagerness,enthusiasm - When mom gave me a candy, I jumped with alacrity
ebullient
exuberant - The captain's ebullience on the field motivated the players.
facetious
flippant: Someone who is facetious is only joking: "I was being facetious when I told my mother I want Brussels sprouts with every meal, but she took me seriously!"
fatuous
foolish - all the fatuous charges levelled against him.
condone
forgive - The juvenile was involved in an act too inhuman to be condoned.
disabuse
free someone from misconception - They kind of disabuse you of the notion of your greatness pretty quickly.
divest
get rid of,to deprive of - Divest yourself of all attachment if you really wanna be happy.
boorish
ill-mannered - Philadelphia fans are known as boorish and hate-filled
ameliorate
improve - The question for me is: will the execution of Hussein ameliorate or worsen the situation in Iraq in the short term and in the long run?
fallacious
incorrect - The fallacious assumption implied in the query
ambivalence
indecisiveness - Many Americans these days are buying their first gold shares — but with a certain ambivalence, all too aware that the metal 's price can move suddenly.
endemic
indigenous - Sexual harassment is endemic in Egypt
assiduous
industrious - Janet is neither "the most assiduous student ... nor the most naturally gifted
apprise
inform - She met with alumni Jan. 22 to apprise them of costs and funding strategies.
foment
instigate - The Cubans claim Gross was a spy who was trying to foment revolution.
diffident
lacking confidence/shy - The diffidence of the girls from smaller towns was conspicuous when they were seated along with those from metros.
erudite
learned; scholarly; - Obama was brilliant that night with erudite answers to questions.
assuage
lessen the intensity of - Upcoming second-quarter results may do little to assuage such fears.
eclectic
made up of what is selected from different sources - Today, musical performers from Kanye West to Yo Yo Ma are called "eclectic.
stingy
mean or ungenerous
vagabond
one who wanders from place to place and has no fixed home
burnish
polish - Nice to see a potential American leader able to once again burnish America's image abroad
delineate
portray - Match-fixing, sledging and doping delineate the game of cricket in bad light.
dissemble
pretend - I dissembled to be ill when called for the IG.
diatribe
scolding - This diatribe is about companies with lousy customer service.
impudence
shameless audacity - The infinitely valuable Yiddish word chutzpah is defined as "shameless audacity" or "impudence."
discerning
sharp-sighted,able to discriminate - The one problem I always seem to have is in discerning between sarcasm and bitterness, the two tones often coming neck-to-neck with one another.
ephemeral
short-lived - Most news articles were just as ephemeral.
impassive
showing no feeling or emotion; inanimate - In each frame, Ai faces the camera, impassive and nearly immobile.
ingenuous
simple and straightforward - Remember you are talking to a Yale girl, and not an ingenuous Harvard maiden.
gregarious
sociable - MOTT pilots called the gregarious Murphy "The Mayor" because he could enter a room full of strangers and leave with two new friends
anachronism
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time: The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.
buttress
something that supports - The widespread ignorance of events is the main buttress of injustice
dumpy
sulky,dejected - Ankit always has a dumpy face.
exculpate
to clear from blame; prove innocent - I hope this might in some small way exculpate my sins.
goad
to urge, spur, incite to action - (Jim may think he's not going to fight Billy, but Billy will goad Jim on with insults until he throws a punch.)
esoteric
understood by few - He was never, and never wished to be, in the least esoteric ; his object was to be understood by all.
enervate
weaken - Shun all that may enervate or diminish your youthful energies.
capricious
whimsical - In a capricious move, Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho.
exacerbate
worsen - Watching TV while a headache only exacerates the pain.