12-25

Erudite

(Adj.) characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly --------------------------------------------------- The book is learned, even erudite , and sure to be controversial.

Grotesque

(Adj.) comically or repulsively ugly or distorted. (N.) a very ugly or comically distorted figure, creature, or image. --------------------------------------------------- "grotesque facial distortions" "the rods are carved in the form of a series of gargoyle faces and grotesques"

Chronic

(Adj.) constant; habitual; continuing a long time or recurring frequently --------------------------------------------------- Chronic or recurrent acute sinusitis can be a lifelong condition. chronic liar. chronic state of war

Indolent

(Adj.) disinclined to work or exertion; slow, lazy; (of tumors, e.g.) slow to heal or develop and usually painless Our committing of ourselves to God is to be, not in indolent and passive quietism, but accompanied with active well-doings. faithful -- to His covenant promises. But indeed there are Crowds of People who put themselves in no Method of pleasing themselves or others; such are those whom we usually call indolent Persons.

Derisive

(Adj.) expressing contempt or ridicule. --------------------------------------------------- "a harsh, derisive laugh" At times he was derisive , using words such as "purported" and "perceived" to describe discrimination against women.

Voluptuous

(Adj.) full of, characterized by, or ministering to indulgence in luxury, pleasure, and sensuous enjoyment; sensuously pleasing or delightful; having a strong sexual appeal --------------------------------------------------- Her dress, relatively modest in earlier scenes, is suddenly voluptuous and revealing. voluptuous life, desire, beauty, pleasures

Ingratiating

(Adj.) intended to gain approval or favor; sycophantic. --------------------------------------------------- an ingratiating manner

Feverish

(Adj.)having or showing the symptoms of a fever. (Adj.) displaying a frenetic excitement or energy. --------------------------------------------------- "he suffered from feverish colds" "the next couple of weeks were spent in a whirl of feverish activity"

Positively

(Adv.) with certainty; absolutely;decidedly; unquestionably; definitely --------------------------------------------------- The statement is positively true. His conduct is positively shocking

Euphoria

(N.) a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness --------------------------------------------------- "the euphoria of success will fuel your desire to continue training"

Caucus

(N.) a meeting of the members of a legislative body who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or decide policy.; a group of people with shared concerns within a political party or larger organization. (V.) hold or to form a caucus

Reveler

(N.) a person who is enjoying themselves in a lively and noisy way. --------------------------------------------------- "the city's traditional Labor Day bash usually attracts more than 100,000 revelers"

Fascimile

(N.) an exact copy, as of a book, painting, or manuscript.; fax --------------------------------------------------- Wanamaker even suggested that the postal telegraph system might someday offer a facsimile service.

Strife

(N.) angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues; conflict. --------------------------------------------------- "strife within the community"

Dissension

(N.) disagreement that leads to discord. --------------------------------------------------- "this maneuver caused dissension within feminist ranks"

Ardor

(N.) passion , zeal --------------------------------------------------- She spoke persuasively and with ardor. But Tom's ardor soon cools when he meets a young aspiring actress.

Squabble

(N.)a noisy quarrel about something petty or trivial. (V.)quarrel noisily over a trivial matter. --------------------------------------------------- "the boys were squabbling over a ball" "family squabbles"

BOMBASTIC

(Of speech or writing) far too showy or dramatic than is appropriate; pretentious --------------------------------------------------- Professor Knutsen's friends joked that he became quite bombastic after a few drinks, once asking a woman in a bar, "Is your daddy an aesthete? Because you are the epitome of ineffable pulchritude." She replied, "I'm not impressed by your bombast."

Evince

(V.) reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling). --------------------------------------------------- "his letters evince the excitement he felt at undertaking this journey" Worried about her grandson's turpitude—as evinced by his constant detentions and a three-day stay in a juvenile jail

Extirpate

(V.) root out and destroy completely; remove surgically --------------------------------------------------- "the use of every legal measure to extirpate this horrible evil from the land"

Cloy

(V.) to become uninteresting or distasteful through overabundance --------------------------------------------------- They also permit a degree of whimsy that may seem cloying in a restaurant.

Exonerate

(V.) to clear, as of an accusation; free from guilt or blame; exculpate; to relieve, as from an obligation, duty, or task. --------------------------------------------------- However, this report is not meant to excuse their ethical failings, or exonerate them from their wrongdoings. He was exonerated from the accusation of cheating.

Baffle

(V.) to confuse, bewilder, or perplex; to frustrate or confound; thwart by creating confusion or bewilderment. --------------------------------------------------- Why the flu is worse in winter than summer has long baffled scientists. Suzanne was stuck up on the hill with nothing to watch except a group of baffled scientists pacing around.

Mortify

(V.) to humiliate or shame, as by injury to one's pride or self-respect; to subjugate (the body, passions, etc.) by abstinence, ascetic discipline, or self-inflicted suffering; to affect with gangrene or necrosis. --------------------------------------------------- "she was mortified to see her wrinkles in the mirror" return to heaven by mortifying the flesh If so, his leg cannot be amputated, and will soon mortify in this climate.

Swindle

(V.) use deception to deprive (someone) of money or possessions. (N.) a fraudulent scheme or action. --------------------------------------------------- a businessman swindled investors out of millions of dollars he is mixed up in a $10 million insurance swindle

SPECTRUM

A broad range of nevertheless related qualities or ideas, esp. those that overlap to create a continuous series (as in a color spectrum, where each color blends into the next in a continuous way) --------------------------------------------------- A test showed she was partially colorblind—she did see blues and greens, but was unable to perceive some other colors on the spectrum. / A "dialect continuum" is a spectrum of dialects of a language where speakers in different dialect groups can understand some, but not all, of the other groups—for instance, people in the west can understand people in the middle, and people in the middle can understand people in the east, but people in the west and the east cannot talk to one another.

MALEDICTION

A curse --------------------------------------------------- Sheila thought the fortune teller was her friend, but when she didn't pay her bill, the fortune teller cast a hex on her, a malediction intended to cause terrible things to befall her.

RIFT

A gap or fissure (such as in rock), a break in friendly relations --------------------------------------------------- Olaf's Swedish family was offended when he married a Norwegian girl—so offended that it caused a rift that lasted for decades. / The hikers considered the rift in their path, wondering if it would be possible to leap across.

SINECURE

A job or position that pays while requiring little or no work --------------------------------------------------- It's a wealthy university—it's sort of understood that professors who relocate to campus are rewarded with sinecures for their spouses, whether those spouses have any qualifications or not. / In medieval times, a sinecure was a paying position for a priest but without an attachment to a parish where he would actually have to show up and do something.

ECHELON

A level, rank or grade; the people at that level --------------------------------------------------- Obtaining a job on Wall Street doesn't guarantee access to the upper echelon of executives, where multimillion dollar bonuses are the norm. / I'm not sure I'm cut out to analyze poetry; I find it hard to dig beyond the most accessible echelon of meaning.

MODICUM

A little bit or limited quantity --------------------------------------------------- In her first five years in Hollywood, she experienced only a modicum of success as an actress, appearing twice in commercials and once as a waitress onDesperate Housewives.

HALLMARK

A mark indicating quality, purity, genuineness, etc.; any distinguishing characteristic --------------------------------------------------- Signature red soles are the hallmark of Christian Louboutin's shoes. / Fast-paced rhymes, an angry tenor, and personal attacks on celebrities are hallmarks of Eminem's music.

REPAST

A meal (noun); to eat or feast (verb) --------------------------------------------------- After a light repast in a country inn, the men got back on their horses and rode away.

SOBRIQUET

A nickname --------------------------------------------------- James Brown, often referred to with the sobriquet "The Godfather of Soul," scored numerous smash hits and was also known for his feverish dancing. SOBRIQUET....imagine that there is a sober person hence you call him sobriquet...

GRADATION

A progression, a process taking place gradually, in stages; one of these stages --------------------------------------------------- The hill's gradation was so gradual that even those on crutches were able to enjoy the nature trail. / The short story's language graded from the vernacular to the erudite so gradually that you practically didn't realize until the end that the speaker had become educated almost before your eyes.

HIERARCHY

A ranked series; a classification of people according to rank, ability, etc.; a ruling body --------------------------------------------------- The activist, accustomed to groups ruled by consensus, was quite surprised to find that the Eco-Action Coalition was led by a strict hierarchy—members followed orders from district leaders, district leaders from regional leaders, and regional leaders from the national head.

STRUT

A structural support or brace --------------------------------------------------- Looking out the window of the small biplane, Maureen could see the struts, the vertical connectors between the lower and upper sets of wings.

WHITEWASH

A substance used to whiten walls, wood, etc. (noun); deception, covering up of wrongs, errors, misdeeds, etc. (verb) --------------------------------------------------- The journalist accused the government of trying to whitewash the scandal, implying that the officials covered up the incident out of concern for national security rather than to protect themselves.

DOGMA

A system of principles laid down by an authority; established belief --------------------------------------------------- It is part of the dogma of modern education that there are multiple intelligences that are equally valuable; try to suggest that some people just aren't that smart, and you'll find yourself a pariah. / Dogmatic people will never change their minds, even in the face of evidence.

MAKESHIFT

A temporary, often improvised, substitute (noun); improvised for temporary use (adj) --------------------------------------------------- Lost in the woods for over 24 hours, the children were eventually found sleeping under a makeshift tent made from branches and old plastic bags. / I don't have a ladder, but I can stack up some boxes as a makeshift.

INTELLIGIBLE

Able to be understood, clear --------------------------------------------------- You are doing a disservice to all music by listening through those horrible speakers! None of the lyrics are even intelligible! I'll bet you have no idea what this song is even about!

PALLID

Abnormally pale (as skin); lacking color or vitality --------------------------------------------------- When Eric left the office mid-day, we knew from the pallor that had overtaken him that he really was getting sick. / We need this blog to really hit hard against the special interest groups ruining our country, and your pallid writing isn't doing it—you're going to bore people to death with this wimpy prose.

LAVISH

Abundant or giving in abundance; marked by excess (adj); give very generously (verb) --------------------------------------------------- Anita wanted to live as she imagined Beyoncé lived, and ran up huge credit card bills pursuing a lavish lifestyle she could scarcely afford. / Although her rich banker boyfriend lavished gifts on her, she didn't want to be with someone she didn't really love.

PROFUSE or Profusion

Abundant, extravagant, giving or given freely --------------------------------------------------- It didn't mean anything at all to me, giving my old microwave to the family next door, but the woman's profuse thanks made me think that maybe the family was having some financial troubles. / She came home on Valentine's Day to an apartment decorated with a profusion of flowers.

DITHER

Act indecisively (verb); a state of fear or trembling excitement --------------------------------------------------- "Stop dithering," said the mother to her daughter. "Pick which sweater you want so I can pay for it and we can get out of here." / The haunted house brought the children to a dither from which it was difficult for their parents to calm them down. I am in a dither in the case of DITCHING HER. She was in a dither when we went into the goust house.

FELICITOUS

Admirably appropriate, very well-suited for the occasion; pleasant, fortunate, marked by happiness --------------------------------------------------- "What a felicitous occasion!" said the new grandfather, arriving at the hospital with an "It's a Girl!" balloon. The new father found the balloon remarkably felicitous, especially since the baby's gender had been announced less than an hour ago.

PROXY

Agent, substitute, person authorized to act on behalf of another --------------------------------------------------- She was in the hospital, but certainly didn't want to miss voting on the proposal, so she sent a proxy to the board meeting to vote "yes."

ACCEDE

Agree, give consent; assume power (usually as "accede to") --------------------------------------------------- While the Englishman was a strong believer in democracy, he had to accede that watching Prince Charles someday accede to the throne would indeed be exciting.

HERMETIC

Airtight, sealed, isolated; reclusive; pertaining to alchemy, occult --------------------------------------------------- These packaged meals are hermetically sealed—they'll last years in storage, but once opened, you need to finish the contents within a couple of days. / While writing hundreds of vocabulary flashcards, the GRE instructor lived a hermetic lifestyle, her skin growing pallid and her social network drastically shrinking.

LIKEWISE

Also, in addition to; similarly, in the same way --------------------------------------------------- Chip was baffled by all the silverware set before him, so when his host began eating salad with the smallest, leftmost fork, Chip did likewise.

ALBEIT

Although, even though --------------------------------------------------- The village leader was illiterate albeit highly intelligent. / The trip was exciting, albeit brief.

EGRESS

An exit or the action of exiting --------------------------------------------------- It is against the fire code to put those boxes there—you can't block a primary or secondary egress from the building.

SAVOR

Appreciate fully, taste or smell with pleasure --------------------------------------------------- As a parent, it's important to take a step back and really savor the special moments—those children will grow up sooner than you think!

ERSATZ

Artificial, synthetic; being an inferior substitute --------------------------------------------------- I hate this health food restaurant! I do not want to eat some ersatz meatballs made of textured vegetable protein!

DORMANT

Asleep, inactive, on a break --------------------------------------------------- Some famous writers' skills have lain dormant until quite late in life; Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't publish Little House on the Prairie until she was 65.

ASCRIBE

Assign or credit to a certain cause or source --------------------------------------------------- He ascribed his good grades to diligent studying. / The young boy ascribed to his imaginary friend all the powers he wished he had himself—being able to fly, having dozens of friends, and never having to eat his broccoli.

IMPUGN

Attack the truth or integrity of --------------------------------------------------- I hate to impugn the motives of the volunteers, but I think that some of them are here for personal gain, not to help. Pugn is a root for fight - pugnacious, similarly impugn is to contradict or attack

ICONOCLAST

Attacker of cherished beliefs or institutions --------------------------------------------------- A lifelong iconoclast, Ayn Rand wrote a controversial book entitled The Virtue of Selfishness.

HEDGE

Avoid commitment by leaving provisions for withdrawal or changing one's mind; protect a bet by also betting on the other side; to mitigate a possible loss by counterbalancing --------------------------------------------------- While he coaxed and cajoled us all into seeing "the best movie ever," he hedged once we were in the theater: "I don't know if you all like this sort of thing," he said. "I mean, you can make up your own minds." / When the professor called on him to take a stand on the issue, he hedged for fear of offending her: "Well, there are valid points on both sides," he said.

PRESUMPTIVE

Based on inference or assumption; providing reasonable grounds for belief --------------------------------------------------- The dictator's favorite nephew is the presumptive heir to power, but anything could happen. / He's the presumptive winner of the election—we haven't counted all the votes, but at this point it's almost mathematically impossible for the other guy to win.

DENOTE

Be a name or symbol for --------------------------------------------------- The company's brand denotes quality; the marketing team has done a fantastic job of associating the company's image with fine service. / There's nothing in the denotation of "crotchety" (grumpy, having strong and irrational preferences) that indicates any particular group of people, but due to the expression "crotchety old man," the word connotes, for many people, an image of an especially unpleasant male senior citizen.

ANTEDATE

Be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date --------------------------------------------------- Dinosaurs antedate the first human beings by about 65 million years. / Jamal didn't get around to writing the "Best Vocabulary Words of 2010" blog post until January 3rd, but he antedated the post for December 31st so at least the infrequent readers wouldn't notice.

SPEARHEAD

Be the leader of --------------------------------------------------- Lisa agreed to spearhead the "healthy office" initiative, and was instrumental in installing two treadmills and getting healthy food stocked in the vending machines.

OSSIFY

Become bone or become hard like bone; become inflexible in attitudes, opinions, etc. --------------------------------------------------- I remember having many broad-ranging discussions with him back in college, but since then, his opinions have ossified—sadly, he is now the most close-minded person I know.

TYRO

Beginner --------------------------------------------------- Kenneth felt called to work as a missionary, but he was really a tyro in the field, and was unprepared for many of the questions people asked him.

DECOROUS

Behaving with propriety and good taste; polite --------------------------------------------------- Miss Etiquette writes an advice column about decorum. One writer asked, "What's the most decorous way to tell guests exactly what I want for my wedding?" Miss Etiquette replied, "Young lady, there is no decorous way to solicit gifts, and even asking that question is entirely indecorous of you."

DENIGRATE

Belittle, attack the reputation of --------------------------------------------------- Many jokes in the Meet the Parents trilogy come from Robert De Niro's character denigrating Ben Stiller's character for being a male nurse.

INTRINSIC

Belonging to the essential nature of a thing --------------------------------------------------- Despite all this high-tech safety equipment, skydiving is an intrinsically dangerous proposition. / Communication is intrinsic to a healthy relationship.

MOREOVER

Besides; in addition to what was just stated --------------------------------------------------- You are fired. Moreover, the police are coming to arrest you for theft.

PARTIAL

Biased, prejudiced, favoring one over others; having a special liking for something or someone (usually partial to) --------------------------------------------------- Although I grew up in New York, I've always been partial to country music. / His lawyers are appealing on the grounds that the judge was partial to the plaintiff, even playing golf with the plaintiff during the trial.

DIATRIBE

Bitter, abusive attack or criticism; rant --------------------------------------------------- I'd stay out of the living room for a while—Grandpa's on another one of his diatribes about how it's un-American to call a large coffee a "venti." You can hear him ranting from here!

TIRADE

Bitter, abusive criticism or verbal attack; a speech, usually consisting of a long string of violent, emotionally charged words --------------------------------------------------- I hate that television show where that commentator goes on angry tirades about all the liberal conspiracies taking over America. Even my conservative friends find his ranting embarrassing.

AMALGAMATE

Blend, merge, or unite --------------------------------------------------- The Amalgamated Transit Union is so called because it contains many local unions of bus operators, subway operators, baggage handlers, etc. / When turning her life story into a memoir, she amalgamated two important relatives into a single character, even amalgamating their names (Mary and Rose) into the character "Aunt Mary Rose."

HARDY

Bold, brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold, etc. --------------------------------------------------- While the entire family enjoyed the trip to South America, only the hardier members even attempted to hike to the top of Ecuador's tallest volcano.

SKIRT

Border, lie along the edge of, go around; evade --------------------------------------------------- Melissa spent all of Thanksgiving skirting the issue of who she was dating and when she might get married and make her mother a grandmother. It was exhausting changing the subject two dozen times! / The creek skirts our property on the west, so it's easy to tell where our farm ends.

ONEROUS

Burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure --------------------------------------------------- Doctors are often faced with the onerous task of telling waiting families that their loved one has died.

HALCYON

Calm and peaceful, carefree; prosperous, successful, happy --------------------------------------------------- Installing drywall wasn't the career he'd planned for—every day he reminisced about the halcyon days of his high school football career, when he was treated like a god, and he had not a care in the world other than the next big game.

MOLLIFY

Calm or soothe (an angry person); lessen or soften --------------------------------------------------- The cellular company's billing practices were so infuriating to customers that the customer service representatives spent every workday mollifying angry customers.

CAUSTIC

Capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical or sarcastic --------------------------------------------------- Wait, those chemicals are caustic! You need safety gloves and goggles before performing this experiment, or else you risk not only getting your skin burned off, but also some seriously caustic remarks from our chemistry teacher.

ALIENATE

Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant --------------------------------------------------- The talk-show host was trying to help, but only alienated her viewers when she suggested that they cope with a tough economy by checking themselves into a spa.

SOPORIFIC

Causing sleep; sleepy, drowsy (adj); something that causes sleep (noun) --------------------------------------------------- I was excited to take a class with Professor Baria because I had enjoyed her books, but sadly, she is a better writer than speaker—her lectures are soporific. / I was so distressed after the crash that the doctor gave me a soporific—and, sure enough, I was able to think more clearly after sleeping.

CIRCUMSPECT

Cautious, prudent; careful to consider the circumstances and consequences --------------------------------------------------- Luann immediately forked over an initiation fee to become a vitamin distributor, but her more circumspect brother had a list of at least 20 questions he wanted answered before he would consider joining.

VICISSITUDE

Changes or variations over time, esp. regular changes from one thing to another --------------------------------------------------- While she scrubbed pots and pans, she pondered the vicissitudes of life—she once had a house full of servants, and now was a maid herself.

ARCHAIC

Characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive --------------------------------------------------- The school's archaic computer system predated even floppy disks—it stored records on tape drives! / Sometimes, when you look a word up in the dictionary, certain definitions are marked "archaic"—unless you are a Shakespeare scholar, you can safely ignore those archaisms.

IDIOSYNCRASY

Characteristic or habit peculiar to an individual; peculiar quality, quirk --------------------------------------------------- Sometimes, the richer people get, the more idiosyncratic they become. After he made his first billion, he began traveling with a pet iguana, sleeping in an oxygen chamber, and, oddly, speaking with a slight Dutch accent.

WINSOME

Charming, engaging, esp. in a sweet and innocent way --------------------------------------------------- It's hard for some to believe that Lindsay Lohan was once the winsome young starlet in Freaky Friday.

BILK

Cheat or defraud --------------------------------------------------- The con artist bilked many elderly people out of their savings, promising to cure illnesses from diabetes to cancer with only 36 monthly payments of $99.99—for which the victims received nothing but useless placebo pills.

ALACRITY

Cheerful or speedy willingness --------------------------------------------------- Any boss wants an employee to respond with alacrity to his or her requests, handling them promptly and with enthusiasm.

CARDINAL

Chief, most important --------------------------------------------------- The cardinal rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club.

PRETENTIOUS

Claiming or demanding a position of importance or dignity, esp. when unjustified; showing off, creating a deceptive, false show of worth --------------------------------------------------- Josie found her date's habit of constantly dropping French phrases into conversation to be incredibly pretentious, especially since he knew she didn't speak French. He sure did sound fancy, though.

EXONERATE

Clear from blame or accusation, exculpate; free from a responsibility --------------------------------------------------- When the defendant was exonerated after a long trial, his family wept for joy.

EXCULPATE

Clear from guilt or blame --------------------------------------------------- The security camera footage showing Mr. Murphy to have been in a casino the entire night turned out to be just the evidence needed to exculpate him of robbing a bank 50 miles away.

GUILE

Clever deceit, cunning, craftiness --------------------------------------------------- The game of poker is all about guile, manipulating your own body language and patter to lead other players to erroneous conclusions about the cards you're holding. SOME GUYS guile GIRLS

COTERIE

Close or exclusive group, clique --------------------------------------------------- The pop star never traveled anywhere without a coterie of assistants and managers.

INCORPORATE

Combine, unite; form a legal corporation; embody, give physical form to --------------------------------------------------- When a business incorporates, it becomes a separate legal entity—for instance, the business can declare bankruptcy without the owners doing so. / Local legend has it that ghosts can incorporate on one night of the year and walk among the living.

COALESCE

Come together, unite; fuse together --------------------------------------------------- While at first everyone on the team was jockeying for power and recognition, eventually, the group coalesced and everyone was happy to share credit for a job well-done. / East and West Germany coalesced into a single country in 1990.

NASCENT

Coming into existence, still developing --------------------------------------------------- The violin teacher was always very encouraging with children. All children sound terrible the first couple of years, so she offered plenty of praise to encourage nascent talents.

IMPERIOUS

Commanding, domineering; acting like a high-ranking person; urgent --------------------------------------------------- Her friend were peeved by her imperious attitude and talked about her while she was in the ladies' room: "Who does she think she is, not only picking the bar and the meeting time but also telling us where to sit?"

EQUANIMITY

Composure, evenness of mind; mental or emotional stability, esp. under stress --------------------------------------------------- Having worked for many years in mental hospitals, her equanimity was unparalleled—you could throw a chair or a bowl of spaghetti at her, and she would just say, "Settle down, now."

SOLICITOUS

Concerned or anxious (about another person), expressing care; eager or desirous; very careful --------------------------------------------------- A solicitous host, Derek not only asked each person how he or she was doing, but asked by name about everyone's spouses and kids. / Solicitous of fame, she would do anything to get near celebrities.

METAPHYSICAL

Concerned with abstract thought, related to metaphysics (branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the nature of being and of the world); very subtle or abstruse --------------------------------------------------- My poetry class has all kinds. In contrast to Gary's poetry about dogs and horses, Neil's poetry is very metaphysical, exploring the relation of mortal humans to a timeless universe. It's a little over Gary's head.

AESTHETIC

Concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj); a sense of beauty and taste of a particular time and place (noun) --------------------------------------------------- The twins were so different—one possessed a truly baroque aesthetic, preferring golden, gilded decor. The other lived in a world of pure logic, untouched by any aesthetic sense whatsoever; art did not move him, his house was bare, and he married his wife solely because she was a master of calculus.

PRÉCIS

Concise summary, abstract --------------------------------------------------- Just as scientific journals publish abstracts of their articles online (and then charge for access to the full version), the entrepreneur decided to publish a précis of her whitepaper online, while charging for access to the full version.

TERSE

Concise, brief and to the point (sometimes to the point of rudeness) --------------------------------------------------- Hoping to talk to her doctor at length about her condition, she was disappointed to be treated so tersely by a doctor who simply renewed her prescription and disappeared.

PATRONIZING

Condescending, having a superior manner, treating as an inferior --------------------------------------------------- I'm not surprised that Professor McDougal used to teach kindergarten. His patronizing tone has been driving me crazy. Not only does he assume we can barely add or subtract, he also makes us put our heads down and have a moment of silence.

CONFOUND

Confuse, frustrate; mix up or make worse --------------------------------------------------- He was positively confounded by a map that seemed to show "East Bethlehem" as being to the west of "West Bethlehem." / He was already a little flummoxed in regards to differential equations, but reading an incorrectly-edited Wikipedia page on the topic only confounded the problem.

COLLUDE

Conspire; cooperate for illegal or fraudulent purposes --------------------------------------------------- After two competing software companies doubled their prices on the same day, leaving consumers no lower-priced alternative, the federal government investigated the companies for collusion.

CONFER

Consult, compare views; bestow or give --------------------------------------------------- A Ph.D. confers upon a person the right to be addressed as "Doctor" as well as eligibility to pursue a tenure-track professorship. / Excuse me for a moment to make a call—I can't buy this car until I confer with my spouse.

FALLACIOUS

Containing a fallacy, or mistake in logic; logically unsound; deceptive --------------------------------------------------- The formal study of logic can enable a student to more easily identify fallacious reasoning and, furthermore, to point out its fallacies.

SPECULATE

Contemplate; make a guess or educated guess about; engage in a risky business transaction, gamble --------------------------------------------------- During the Gold Rush, speculators bought up land, sometimes with borrowed funds, expecting to prospect the land for gold and get rich quickly. / She speculated that, in zero gravity, showers would have to exist as closed rooms in which a giant bubble of water formed, and a person got inside it.

PARADOX

Contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is actually true --------------------------------------------------- Kayla was always bothering the youth minister with her paradoxes, like "If God is all-powerful, can He make a burrito so big He can't eat it?"

PITH

Core, essence; significance or weight --------------------------------------------------- I can only stay at this meeting for a minute—can you get to the pith of the issue now, and discuss the details after I leave? / This presentation has no pith—there's no central point and nothing I didn't already know.

ENUMERATE

Count or list; specify one-by-one --------------------------------------------------- The Bill of Rights enumerates the basic rights held by every citizen of the United States. / I don't have time to enumerate all the steps involved in baking a cake—just find a recipe on the internet!

IMPUTE

Credit, attribute; lay blame or responsibility for (sometimes falsely) --------------------------------------------------- The ineffectual CEO was nevertheless a master of public relations—he made sure that all successes were imputed to him, and all of the failures were imputed to others.

SQUELCH

Crush, squash; suppress or silence; walk through ooze or in wet shoes, making a smacking or sucking sound --------------------------------------------------- The repressive government squelched the rebellion immediately. / Ew, I just squelched a slug in my bare feet!

CRAFTY

Cunning, skillful in deception or underhanded schemes --------------------------------------------------- A crafty play in basketball is the "head-fake"—moving the head in one direction slightly prior to running in the other direction, to try to get a tiny head start on a disoriented pursuer.

MORES

Customs, manners, or morals of a particular group --------------------------------------------------- An American in Saudi Arabia should study the culture beforehand so as to avoid violating deeply conservative cultural mores.

ABSCISSION

Cutting off; sudden termination; the separation of leaves, petals, or other parts from a plant or animal --------------------------------------------------- The abscission of leaves from the trees is normal in fall. / An inflamed appendix calls for an immediate surgical abscission.

MAR

Damage, spoil, ruin --------------------------------------------------- The interior designer's secret was to buy furnishings and fixtures that had been marred on the shop floor and therefore were sold at steep discounts; she would then fix the defects herself or add additional aging effects to the pieces.

ASPERSIONS

Damaging remarks, defamation, slander --------------------------------------------------- He could no longer work with his duplicitous business partner, who acted friendly to his face but then spewed aspersions about him behind his back. / If you asperse me one more time, I will sue you for libel!

DUPLICITY

Deceit, double-dealing, acting in two different ways for the purpose of deception --------------------------------------------------- The campaign worker's duplicity finally came to light when it was discovered that, despite rising to a trusted position within the local Workers Party, he was actually a registered National Party member and was feeding information back to his cronies.

AVER

Declare or affirm with confidence --------------------------------------------------- "Despite your insistence that ethics are completely situational," said the philosophy professor, "I aver that the existence of natural rights inevitably leads to certain immutable ethical boundaries."

EMBELLISH

Decorate, add ornamentation; enhance (a story) with fictional or fanciful details --------------------------------------------------- Every time she tells that story, she embellishes it quite a bit—at first, she was lost in the woods, and then she was found. The part with the grizzly bear was added later. / The Christmas sweater was embellished with festive jingle bells!

INGRAINED

Deep-rooted, forming part of the very essence; worked into the fiber --------------------------------------------------- Religious observance had been ingrained in him since birth; he could not remember a time when he didn't pray five times a day.

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE

Defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal --------------------------------------------------- The candidate's attempt to win swing votes in Ohio was actually counterproductive—following his speech in Toledo, his poll numbers actually went down 5%.

ABASE

Degrade or humble; to lower in rank, status, or esteem --------------------------------------------------- After messing up at work, the man faced a thorough abasement from his boss; when he realized he had forgotten his own wedding anniversary, he further abased himself in front of his wife.

FORESTALL

Delay, hinder, prevent by taking action beforehand --------------------------------------------------- Our research has been forestalled by a lack of funding; we're all just biding our time while we wait for the university to approve our grant proposal.

HYBERBOLE

Deliberate exaggeration for effect --------------------------------------------------- Oh, come on. Saying "That movie was so bad it made me puke" was surely hyperbole. I strongly doubt that you actually vomited during or following The Back-Up Plan.

NEGATE

Deny or refute; make void or cause to be ineffective --------------------------------------------------- Darling, if you add "I promise to try to work things out for at least a couple of weeks before giving up" to our wedding vows, it would kind of negate the part where you promise to love, honor, and cherish me "until death do us part." / The debate coach reminded the students that they had to negate each one of their opponents' major points in order to win.

ABSCOND

Depart suddenly and secretively --------------------------------------------------- A robber absconds with stolen goods. People who eat in a restaurant and run out without paying—or criminals who jump bail—could also be said to be absconding.

TURPITUDE

Depravity, baseness of character, corrupt or depraved acts --------------------------------------------------- Worried about her grandson's turpitude—as evinced by his constant detentions and a three-day stay in a juvenile jail—Mrs. Worthington offered to pay for military school. / It's hard to fathom the kind of turpitude required to make a movie that could get banned in modern-day Europe! When I read the screenplay, I nearly threw up.

DIVEST

Deprive or strip of a rank, title, etc., or of clothing or gear; to sell off holdings (opposite of invest) --------------------------------------------------- When she found out that the most profitable stock in her portfolio was that of a company that tested products on animals, she immediately divested by telling her broker to sell the stock. / Once his deception was exposed, he was divested of his position on the Board.

DERIVATIVE

Derived from something else; not original --------------------------------------------------- The singer's first album was a disappointment, derivative of several hit albums from the previous year, as though a management team had simply picked out the elements from other popular songs that they thought would make the most money.

ABHOR

Detest, regard with disgust --------------------------------------------------- "Go out with you?" she replied. "I abhor you! I would rather stab myself with a rusty bread knife than be your girlfriend!"

DIVERGE

Differ, deviate; branch off or turn aside, as from a path --------------------------------------------------- Go five miles until the old post office, then the road diverges—you want the branch that winds off to the left. / The high school sweethearts found that their paths diverged when they were accepted to different colleges.

DISCREPANCY

Difference or inconsistency --------------------------------------------------- When there is a discrepancy between a store's receipts and the amount of money in the register, the cashier's behavior is generally called into question.

INTRACTABLE

Difficult to control, manage, or manipulate; hard to cure; stubborn --------------------------------------------------- That student is positively intractable! Last week, we talked about the importance of staying in your seat during the lesson—this week, she not only got up mid-class, but she actually scrambled on top of a bookcase and refused to come down! / Back injuries often result in intractable pain; despite treatment, patients never feel fully cured.

DISSENT

Disagree or take an opposing view, esp. in relation to a formal body such as a government, political party, or church; such a view --------------------------------------------------- Judge Antonin Scalia cast the only dissenting vote, explaining in his written decision why he thought all the other justices had it wrong. / Not every country has a right to free speech (and thus to dissent), although nations that throw dissenters in jail are condemned by the international community at large.

JETTISON

Discard, cast off; throw items overboard in order to lighten a ship in an emergency --------------------------------------------------- We got so tired while hiking the Appalachian Trail that we jettisoned some of our fancy camping supplies just so we could drag ourselves to a place where we could get medical attention.

DAUNT

Discourage, dishearten, lessen the courage of --------------------------------------------------- Amazingly undaunted after his accident, Devon vowed to complete a marathon in his wheelchair. Not even a dented rim on mile 19 could daunt him—he dauntlessly completed the race anyway.

DIVINE

Discover through divination or supernatural means; perceive by insight --------------------------------------------------- I've been poring over these quarterly reports all day, trying to divine whether I should buy or sell this stock.

BLIGHT

Disease that kills plants rapidly, or any cause of decay or destruction (noun); ruin or cause to wither (verb) --------------------------------------------------- Many potato farmers have fallen into poverty as a result of blight killing their crops. / Gang violence is a blight on our school system, causing innocent students to fear even attending classes. / Violence has blighted our town.

SQUALID

Disgusting, filthy, foul, extremely neglected --------------------------------------------------- Social Services removed the children from the home due to the squalid conditions, including rats running freely in the kitchen and spoiled food all over the house.

PERFIDIOUS

Disloyal, treacherous, violating one's trust --------------------------------------------------- The perfidious soldier sold out his comrades, giving secrets to the enemy in exchange for money and protection.

PEJORATIVE

Disparaging, derogatory, belittling (adj); a name or word that is disparaging (noun) --------------------------------------------------- I'm open to constructive criticism, but I think my supervisor's remarks are inappropriately pejorative—it's never okay to call an employee a "sniveling dullard." / Although these insults wouldn't be understood by most, "poetaster" and "mathematicaster" are pejoratives for minor, incompetent poets and mathematicians, respectively.

REPROBATE

Disreputable, unprincipled, or damned person (noun); shameless, depraved (adj) --------------------------------------------------- The police joked that they had so many mug shots of the old reprobate that they could assemble them into a photography book called, Faces of Petty Crime, 1976-2011.

DISPARATE

Distinct, different --------------------------------------------------- He chose the college for two disparate reasons: the strength of the computer science program, and the excellence of the hip-hop dance squad.

MULTIFARIOUS

Diverse, having a lot of variety --------------------------------------------------- Last year's jewelry line was all metal and neutrals, but this year's presents a multifarious array of brilliant colors.

POLARIZED

Divided into sharply opposed groups --------------------------------------------------- The school board was used to rationally discussing issues, but when it came to the teaching of evolution in schools, the board was polarized, immediately splitting into two camps, with the discussion devolving into a shouting match within minutes.

BENEFICENT

Doing good --------------------------------------------------- The billionaire had been a mean and stingy fellow, but after his death, his beneficent widow gave all his money to charity, even accompanying the donations with handwritten notes thanking the charities for all the good work they did.

HEGEMONY

Domination, authority; influence by one country over others socially, culturally, economically, etc. --------------------------------------------------- The discovery of oil by a previously poor nation disrupted the larger, richer nation's hegemony in the region—suddenly, the hegemon had a competitor.

FURTIVE

Done secretly; stealthy, sly, shifty --------------------------------------------------- As a spokesperson for a popular diet plan, the actress had to be quite furtive about eating junk food, even hiding her M&Ms in a breath mint container lest the paparazzi snap photos of the inside of her car.

EXTEMPORANEOUS

Done without preparation (esp. of a speech), or with some preparation but no notes; improvised, done on the spur of the moment --------------------------------------------------- The way the Public Affairs Forum works is that the moderator will announce a topic, and then anyone who wishes may speak extemporaneously on that topic for a few minutes—as you can imagine, our members are very well-read. / Lost in the jungle, the hikers fashioned an extemporaneous shelter from palm leaves.

DECLIVITY

Downward slope --------------------------------------------------- Not just any declivity can serve as a wheelchair ramp—I'm pretty sure this thing is too steep to pass regulations.

INSIPID

Dull, stale, lacking taste or interest --------------------------------------------------- This is a university-level poetry class, and your insipid drivel just won't cut it here. "Things that are bad always make me sad"? Really? / The restaurant critic called the dish "insipid"—I did think it was bland, but I probably would've been more polite about it.

VOLUBLE

Easily fluent in regards to speech --------------------------------------------------- The journalist's new book is a voluble tome, covering three centuries of history with numerous flowing, almost conversational asides into the scientific discoveries and cultural advances of various time periods.

PHILANTHROPY

Efforts to improve the well-being of humankind, generally through giving money --------------------------------------------------- Many wealthy people turn to philanthropy as a way to create social good, and many others turn to it as a way to hobnob with the rich and famous.

RUDIMENTARY

Elementary, relating to the basics; undeveloped, primitive --------------------------------------------------- My knowledge of Chinese is quite rudimentary—I get the idea of characters, and I can order food, but I really can't read this document you've just given me.

AVID

Enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous --------------------------------------------------- An avid cyclist, she was on her bike every weekend, and even bought the same bike that Lance Armstrong last used in the Tour de France. / Avid of power, the young Senator compromised every principle to gain the support—and money—of large corporations.

STASIS

Equilibrium, a state of balance or inactivity, esp. caused by equal but opposing forces --------------------------------------------------- Edie felt that her career was in stasis: her boss made it clear she wasn't getting promoted, but she also couldn't leave because of her health insurance situation.

TRAVESTY

Exaggerated, debased, or grotesque imitation; cheap mockery of something serious --------------------------------------------------- That Saturday Night Live sketch was a pretty good travesty of the election scandal. / You call that a sales presentation? What you just did in front of our clients was a travesty! I can't believe you lost what was supposed to be an easy sale.

PLETHORA

Excess; excessive amount --------------------------------------------------- She had a plethora of excuses, but there is simply no justification for arriving to class drunk.

JINGOISM

Excessive, loud patriotism and aggressive, warlike foreign policy --------------------------------------------------- He is such a jingoist that he's always yelling at the TV, calling even the most conservative commentators "wimps" for failing to suggest that we simply nuke, burn, pillage, and otherwise extirpate our so-called enemies.

INORDINATE

Excessive, not within proper limits, unrestrained --------------------------------------------------- Students taking practice Computer Adaptive Tests at home often take an inordinate number of breaks—remember, on the real thing, you can't stop just because you're tired or hungry.

FANATICAL

Excessively devoted, enthusiastic, or zealous in an uncritical way --------------------------------------------------- We avoid our neighbors—they're fanatics who can't go five minutes without trying to convert you to their beliefs. / Mrs. Becker was fanatical about grammar, once deducting 15 points from a student's paper for a misused semicolon—and it was a physics class!

PROLIX

Excessively long and wordy (of a person, piece of writing, etc.) --------------------------------------------------- My mother is incredibly verbose. She'll tell a boring, prolix story for five whole minutes, and at the end, it turns out that the point was that she got a 50 cent discount on a box of spaghetti at the store.

INHERENT

Existing as a permanent, essential quality; intrinsic --------------------------------------------------- New research seems to support the idea that humans have an inherent sense of justice—even babies become upset at puppet shows depicting unfairness, and are gratified at seeing the "bad" puppets punished.

UBIQUITOUS

Existing everywhere at the same time --------------------------------------------------- Thirty years ago, women would lie about coloring their hair, considering the admission embarrassing. Today, blatantly fake hair color—not to mention fake tans and unnaturally white teeth—are ubiquitous, not only on starlets, but even on the checkers at the local grocery store. / Maggie learned in Sunday school that God was ubiquitous, leading to the question nearly all children ask when they hear this: "Does that mean God sees me in the bathroom?"

SUBJECTIVE

Existing in the mind or relating to one's own thoughts, opinions, emotions, etc.; personal, individual, based on feelings --------------------------------------------------- Naturally, anyone's experience of a movie is subjective, and some will enjoy this picture despite its flaws; however, it is an objective fact that the cinematography is very bad. / We can give names to colors, but we can never quite convey the subjective experience of them—what if my "red" is different from your "red"?

VIRTUAL

Existing only in the mind or by means of a computer network; existing in results or in essence but not officially or in name --------------------------------------------------- The Tamagotchi is a handheld virtual pet made in Japan—you have to "care" for it by performing various actions with the device, but in the end, your "pet" still looks very much like a keychain.

STATUS QUO

Existing state or condition --------------------------------------------------- Many opposed the establishment of a needle-exchange program, but others reasoned that the plan would be an improvement on the status quo, in which disease spread rapidly through certain communities.

CONNOISSEUR

Expert, especially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes --------------------------------------------------- A chocolate connoisseur, Mom eschews grocery store brands and will only eat 80% -cocoa-or-higher artisanal chocolate that is less than a week old.

DEBUNK

Expose, ridicule, or disprove false or exaggerated claims --------------------------------------------------- Galileo spent his last years under house arrest for debunking the widely held idea that the Sun revolved around the Earth. / The show MythBusters debunks pseudoscientific claims.

PRODIGIOUS

Extraordinarily large, impressive, etc. --------------------------------------------------- The Great Wall of China consists of a prodigious series of fortifications stretching over 5,000 miles! / If we don't double our sales with this new product, we will have to declare bankruptcy—we have a prodigious task ahead.

PENURY

Extreme poverty or scarcity --------------------------------------------------- The young model married an elderly billionaire thinking she'd be set for life, but she ended up living in penury after her husband died and his middle-aged children held up the probate case for years, keeping her from receiving any money whatsoever.

QUIXOTIC

Extremely impractical but very romantic, chivalrous, or idealistic; impulsive --------------------------------------------------- Prompted by a lesson their teacher devised for election year, the children shared what they would do if elected president. The plans were adorably quixotic, involving housing all the homeless in floating homes on the ocean, or teaching everyone to be nice to each other.

COUNTENANCE

Facial expression or face (noun); approve or tolerate (verb) --------------------------------------------------- Her countenance said it all—the look on her face was pure terror. / I saw you cheating off my paper, and I can't countenance cheating—either you turn yourself in or I'll report you.

OBJECTIVE

Factual, related to reality or physical objects; not influenced by emotions, unbiased --------------------------------------------------- You cannot be forced to testify against your spouse in a court of law—it's pretty impossible for anyone to be objective about the guilt or innocence of a spouse. / Some philosophers argue that things like "love" and "guilt" don't exist, and that only objective reality—that is, physical matter—is of consequence.

DEFAULT

Failure to act, neglect (noun); fail to fulfill an obligation, especially a financial one (verb) --------------------------------------------------- The government is cracking down on for-profit colleges where a large percentage of the graduates cannot use their degrees to gain employment and end up defaulting on their student loans. / You must elect a new health plan by December 31st or by default you will be re-enrolled in the plan you selected last year.

BOGUS

Fake, fraudulent --------------------------------------------------- The back of this bodybuilding magazine is just full of ads for bogus products—this one promises 22-inch biceps just from wearing magnetic armbands!

LIBERAL

Favorable to progress or reform; believing in maximum possible individual freedom; tolerant, open-minded; generous (adj); a person with such beliefs or practices (noun) --------------------------------------------------- Split pea soup benefits from a liberal application of pepper. / Liberal reformers in Egypt pushed for freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.

PROPITIOUS

Favorable, giving good signs for the future, likely to work out; kind or forgiving --------------------------------------------------- After having to postpone the game earlier in the week due to rain, the officials were pleased to see the propitious weather forecast. "We'll get this game in after all," one of them exclaimed.

INTREPID

Fearless, brave, enduring in the face of adversity --------------------------------------------------- Intrepid explorers Lewis and Clark led the first U.S. expedition to the West Coast, facing bitter winters and rough terrain.

REVERENT

Feeling or expressing very deep respect and awe --------------------------------------------------- Ayn Rand is a controversial figure, but critical views are not welcome at the local Objectivist Club meeting, where everyone expresses a reverent view of the author.

DISTAFF

Female, esp. relating to the maternal side of the family; women or women's work; a staff that holds wool or flax for spinning; characteristic of or peculiar to women --------------------------------------------------- In completing your medical history, please try to remember which illnesses occurred on the distaff side of your family. / Medical studies using all-male study groups may produce results that cannot be replicated in distaff subjects.

TRUCULENT

Fierce, cruel, savage; belligerent --------------------------------------------------- That guy is too truculent to work in customer service—when the customers are already angry, the last thing this store needs is someone prone to blow up at any moment! / The honey badger is a truculent hunter—it can and will eat anything, and sometimes tortures its prey before eating it.

CODA

Final part of a musical composition; an ending, esp. one that sums up what has come before --------------------------------------------------- "You play this middle section twice, then move to the coda," the music teacher explained to the child. "The coda always comes last." / Dropping my purse in a mud puddle right outside my own front door was a fine coda to a horrible evening.

RESOLVE

Find a solution to; firmly decide to do something; decide by formal vote (verb); firmness of purpose (noun) --------------------------------------------------- She was resolved to find a marrow donor for her son, and led a stunningly successful drive to get people to sign up for a national donor registry. Even when no match was found for her son in the first year, her resolve was undampened.

UPBRAID

Find fault with, criticize or scold severely --------------------------------------------------- I'm not surprised they got divorced—you can't upbraid someone every time he forgets to put a water glass in the sink and then expect him to stick around.

INUNDATE

Flood, cover with water, overwhelm --------------------------------------------------- As the city was inundated with water, the mayor feared that many evacuees would have nowhere to go. / I can't go out—I am inundated with homework!

GLIB

Fluent and easy in a way that suggests superficiality or insincerity --------------------------------------------------- She was the worst teacher he had ever encountered, giving glib responses to every question. "Can you help me with this algebra problem?" he asked. "Oh, just solve for x," she said, and walked away.

FATUOUS

Foolish, silly, esp. in a smug or complacent manner --------------------------------------------------- Sadly, every philosophy class seems to have one person who responds to every discussion, from metaphysics to ethics, with the fatuous question, "But what if we don't really exist?"

DICTUM

Formal or authoritative pronouncement; saying or proverb --------------------------------------------------- "A stitch in time saves nine" is an old dictum meaning that it's easier to solve a problem before it gets too big. / The king's dictum stated that each feudal lord must provide a certain number of soldiers within three weeks' time.

PANEGYRIC

Formal or lofty expression of praise --------------------------------------------------- Lincoln enthusiasts were excited that a new biography was to be published, and many hoped that new light would be cast on certain controversies. However, the book was pure panegyric, nothing but heroic tales, uncritically presented.

ABDICATE

Formally give up the throne (or some other power or responsibility) --------------------------------------------------- King Edward VIII of England famously abdicated the throne in order to marry an American divorcée. / Parents can be charged with neglect for abdicating their responsibilities towards their children.

ARTLESS

Free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured --------------------------------------------------- Children can be so artless that, when you try to explain war to them, they say things like, "But isn't that mean?"/ His artless attempt at negotiating a raise began with "I need more money, please" and ended with "Okay, sorry I asked."

GAMBOL

Frolic; skip or leap playfully; romp or cavort --------------------------------------------------- Watching the children gambol in the park like frisky little lambs, she wondered how they could have so much energy.

OROTUND

Full, rich, and clear (of the voice or speaking); pompous, bombastic --------------------------------------------------- The actor James Earl Jones has long been sought after for voiceover work as well as acting jobs because of his dignified, orotund voice.

DROLL

Funny in an odd way --------------------------------------------------- The play was a droll production—not laugh-out-loud hilarious, but funny especially because it was so strange. Who's ever seen a fairy be mistaken for a block of cheese?

TAWDRY

Gaudy, cheap or cheap-looking; indecent --------------------------------------------------- Tara modeled her prom look after something she saw in a Pussycat Dolls video. Her mom didn't care for it, but her grandmother found it downright tawdry.

LARGESS OR LARGESSE

Generosity, the giving of money or gifts (esp. with the implication that the giver is a bit superior to the recipient) --------------------------------------------------- While I did attend a tony private school, my parents were actually quite poor—I was at that school through the largesse of my grandfather.

UNSPARING

Generous, lavish (as in not sparing any help or gifts to others); unmerciful, harsh (as in not sparing any criticism) --------------------------------------------------- The mother was unsparing in praising her son—so he was in for quite a shock when his new teacher told him his work was substandard.

INGENUOUS

Genuine, sincere, not holding back; naive --------------------------------------------------- Multilevel marketing scams prey on the ingenuous, those who really think there's someone out there who just wants to help them get rich.

CONCEDE

Give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing a war) --------------------------------------------------- The negotiations were pointless, with each side's representatives instructed by their home countries to make no concessions whatsoever. / Quebec was a French concession to Britain in the Treaty of Paris in 1763. / I suppose I will have to concede the argument now that you've looked up evidence on Wikipedia.

QUERULOUS

Given to complaining, grumbling --------------------------------------------------- Norma had been happy to be a grandmother, but was somewhat less happy when a querulous child was dropped off on her doorstep—"I don't want to come inside," "I don't like sandwiches," "It's too cold in the bathroom." Would the whining and moaning ever stop?

BUREAUCRACY

Government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless requirements --------------------------------------------------- Some nations have a worse reputation for bureaucracy than others—in order to get a visa, he had to file papers with four different agencies, wait for hours in three different waiting rooms, and, weeks later, follow up with some petty bureaucrat who complained that the original application should've been filed in triplicate.

AMORTIZE

Gradually pay off a debt, or gradually write off an asset --------------------------------------------------- A mortgage is a common form of amortized debt—spreading the payments out over as long as 30 years is not uncommon. / On his company balance sheet, Joe amortized the value of his patent, estimating that the patent's value as an asset would decline steadily over the course of the year as competitors patented competing products.

HAND-WRINGING

Grasping, squeezing, etc. of the hands as an expression of nervousness, guilt, etc.; extend debate over what to do about an issue --------------------------------------------------- There has been much hand-wringing (or wringing of hands) over falling test scores, with so-called experts acting as if the world will end if students do 1% worse in math and science.

ZEAL

Great fervor or enthusiasm for a cause, person, etc.; tireless diligence in furthering that cause; passion, ardor --------------------------------------------------- Whether you agree with their views or not, you have to admit that the employees of PETA have great zeal for animal rights—most work for less than $25,000 a year, and often participate in protests that get them shouted at or even arrested.

CUPIDITY

Greed, great or excessive desire --------------------------------------------------- The doctor's medical license was revoked after it was discovered that, out of sheer cupidity, he had diagnosed people with illnesses they didn't have and pocketed insurance money for performing procedures they didn't need.

FACTION

Group or clique within a larger organization; party strife and dissension --------------------------------------------------- The opposition movement was once large enough to have a chance at succeeding, but it has since broken into numerous, squabbling factions, each too small to have much impact. / The caucus began in a spirit of unity but now, sadly, is marked by faction and petty squabbles.

BURGEON

Grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant) --------------------------------------------------- The dictator was concerned about the people's burgeoning discontent and redoubled his personal security. / Spending an hour a day on vocabulary studies will soon cause your lexicon to burgeon.

SURMISE

Guess, infer, think, or make an opinion with incomplete information --------------------------------------------------- Based on your rather sad attempt to figure out the tip on our restaurant bill, I would surmise that you actually have no idea how percents work.

SYNCHRONOUS

Happening at the same time; occurring at the same rate and thus happening together repeatedly --------------------------------------------------- The sound of that bell is a signal for the dancers to make perfectly synchronous entrances from opposite sides of the stage. / The two nearby churches have synchronous church bells—if you stand halfway between the buildings as the bells chime out the hour, it sounds really cool!

RIFE

Happening frequently, abundant, currently being reported --------------------------------------------------- Reports of financial corruption are rife.

HAVEN

Harbor or port; refuge, safe place --------------------------------------------------- The relief workers set up the camp as a haven from persecution.

DELETERIOUS

Harmful, unhealthful --------------------------------------------------- The Resident Assistant told the first-year students, "I think you will find not only that drugs are illegal and will result in expulsion, but also that drug abuse will have a deleterious effect on anyone's grades."

INNOCUOUS

Harmless, inoffensive --------------------------------------------------- While it's quite acrid in here, fortunately the fumes that come from our factory are completely innocuous—you don't need a face mask unless you'd like one.

BENIGN

Harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not cancerous --------------------------------------------------- He was relieved when the biopsy results came back, informing him that the growth was benign. / He's a benign fellow. I'm sure having him assigned to your team at work will be perfectly pleasant, without changing the way you do things.

CACOPHONY

Harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds --------------------------------------------------- The first day of elementary school marching band practice was nothing but cacophony, as students who hadn't learned to play their instruments at all nevertheless banged on or puffed air into them.

DISSONANCE

Harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement --------------------------------------------------- After allowing her sixth-grader's heavy metal band to practice in her living room, Mrs. Rosen decided she'd better get used to dissonance.

MILITATE

Have a great effect, weigh heavily (often as militate against) --------------------------------------------------- While his resume was stellar, his speech impediment militated against his performance in job interviews.

PUNGENT

Having a sharp taste or smell; biting, stimulating, sharp --------------------------------------------------- The new assistant chef received some rather pungent criticism from the head chef for her idea to make feta cheese soup, which the customers found much too pungent.

DISCERNING

Having good judgment or insight; able to distinguish mentally --------------------------------------------------- In an age in which we are bombarded with advertising, it's important to be a discerning consumer. For instance, the term "all natural" is not federally regulated and doesn't have to mean anything at all, so a smart shopper still reads ingredients.

PRINCIPLED

Having high moral standards --------------------------------------------------- Donna was only an intern, but she was also quite principled—although she knew it would kill her shot at a full-time job, she was the one who alerted the authorities when asked to violate federal law via corrupt accounting practices.

VERISIMILAR

Having the appearance of truth, probable --------------------------------------------------- It's a verisimilar story, sure, but where's the proof?

INSINUATE

Hint, suggest slyly; introduce (an idea) into someone's mind in a subtle, artful way --------------------------------------------------- "Where's your boyfriend? You didn't leave him home alone, did you?" asked Ming. "Are you insinuating something?" asked Helen. "If you have something to say, just say it."

PROBITY

Honesty, integrity --------------------------------------------------- After losing the last election when their candidate's string of mistresses came to light, this time, the party would only nominate a candidate whose probity was beyond any doubt.

HOMAGE

Honor or respect demonstrated publicly --------------------------------------------------- This structure I built in the backyard is not just a skateboard ramp; it is an homage to my hero Tony Hawk. I have dubbed it the "Tony Hawk Rocks Western Pennsylvania Skateboard Ramp." / I'm not copying Madonna's song—I am referencing it in my own song as an homage to her work.

INIMICAL

Hostile, adverse, harmful --------------------------------------------------- Most people think that being shouted at in the freezing rain is inimical to learning; sadly, our boot camp instructor disagreed.

MODEST

Humble; simple rather than showy; decent (esp. "covering up" in terms of dress); small, limited --------------------------------------------------- The reporter was surprised that the celebrity lived in such a modest house, one that looked just like every other plain, two-story house on the block. / Her first job out of college was a rude awakening—her modest salary was barely enough for rent, much less going out and having fun.

NOTORIETY

Ill fame; the state of being well-known for a disgraceful reason --------------------------------------------------- Bill was notorious for being late to everything—after awhile, his friends just stopped inviting him to the movies. / Some countries ban convicted criminals from capitalizing on their notoriety by writing books from prison or selling rights to movies about their lives.

STEEPED

Immersed (in), saturated (with) --------------------------------------------------- A person steeped in classic literature probably thinks about almost everything in terms of old, famous books. / The Met's new campaign seeks to answer affirmatively the question of whether music lovers steeped in hip-hop and pop can learn to love opera.

IMPERMEABLE

Impassable, not allowing passage through (such as by a liquid) --------------------------------------------------- A good raincoat is totally impermeable to water.

IMPERVIOUS

Impenetrable, not able to be harmed or emotionally disturbed --------------------------------------------------- The problem with arrogant people is that they are impervious to criticism of their arrogance; anything you say to them just rolls right off. im(not)+pravesh(enter) so impenetrable

NORMATIVE

Implying or attempting to establish a norm; expressing value judgments or telling people what to do (rather than merely describing that which is happening) --------------------------------------------------- The reason we are not understanding each other in this argument about grammar is that you are arguing normatively, telling me how people should talk, and I am simply reporting and analyzing how people actually talk.

UNSEEMLY

Improper, inappropriate, against the rules of taste or politeness --------------------------------------------------- The activist really did want to get the candidate's support for the equal-rights measure, so she did what the candidate's aides asked—but she found it very unseemly that they suggested a specific dollar amount for the "donation" she was asked to make in order to get a meeting.

AMELIORATE

Improve; make better or more bearable --------------------------------------------------- If you spill water on your computer keyboard, you can ameliorate the damage by leaving the keyboard upside down to dry—it may still be ruined, but that's still the best chance you've got of saving it.

Boisterous

In a carefree manner, unrestrained; (of waves, weather, wind, etc.) rough and stormy; The adjective _______ is what you would use if you want to call attention in a loud or clamorous way. --------------------------------------------------- This boisterous book will have readers wincing and giggling by turns. The crowd of idlers who had gathered around us broke into boisterous applause.

SEARCHINGLY

In a searching or penetrating manner; while examining closely or probing for answers --------------------------------------------------- "I'm fired?" said Ron, looking searchingly at his boss. "I thought I was like a son to you." / Breaking up is hard to do, but the searching look of her brokenhearted soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend was just too much.

HOTLY

In an intense, fiery, or heated way --------------------------------------------------- The issue of how evolution should be taught in schools was hotly disputed by members of the school board, religious leaders, and parent groups.

CONVERSELY

In an opposite way; on the other hand --------------------------------------------------- I am not here to argue that lack of education causes poverty. Conversely, I am here to argue that poverty causes lack of education.

PRISTINE

In an original, pure state; uncorrupted --------------------------------------------------- Having grown up in a rural area, Billy had been in plenty of forests where people regularly left beer cans and shotgun shells behind. So it truly took his breath away, after hiking hours through the Himalayas, to visit a pristine forest, seemingly untouched by humans.

INASMUCH

In like manner, considering that (contraction of "in as much," generally followed by "as") --------------------------------------------------- Inasmuch as you missed my birthday party to do the Walk for the Cure, I am not angry at all. Good for you for doing that! / Normally, a student would graduate in four years, but inasmuch as you failed several courses in your first two semesters, that will now be impossible for you.

INERT

Inactive; having little or no power to move --------------------------------------------------- "All of the missiles at the military museum are inert, Timmy," said the tour guide, answering the question children always asked. "They're not going to blow up." / When she saw her father's inert body on the floor, she thought the worst, but fortunately he was just practicing very slow yoga.

INFALLIBLE

Incapable of error; certain --------------------------------------------------- No good scientist thinks he or she is infallible—it is fundamental to the scientific method that every theory is open to revision based on new evidence.

INSENSIBLE

Incapable of feeling; unconscious, unaware --------------------------------------------------- Very intoxicated people can be insensible to pain, leading to serious problems as they injure themselves and don't realize it. / I cannot believe that, while I was insensible after the operation, you put funny hats on me and took pictures! You are insensible to shame!

FOMENT

Incite, instigate, stir up, promote the growth of; apply medicated liquid to a body part --------------------------------------------------- The revolutionary group was quietly fomenting a rebellion, galvanizing student radicals, leading unions in revolutionary songs, and anonymously pasting incendiary posters in every quarter of the city.

SEDITION

Inciting rebellion against a government, esp. speech or writing that does this --------------------------------------------------- Amnesty International regularly fights for the release of political prisoners imprisoned for sedition. While inciting violence is illegal in most of the world, what is considered sedition under many restrictive governments is what Americans consider a normal exercise of freedom of speech—for instance, writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper criticizing the government's policies.

PROCLIVITY

Inclination, natural tendency --------------------------------------------------- After his therapist pointed out that he had a natural proclivity to judge people prematurely, he tried to work on that by imagining things from the other person's point of view.

APPRISE

Inform, give notice to --------------------------------------------------- I can't believe you failed to apprise me that my child was biting the other children in his preschool class! If I had known, I could've addressed this issue before all the other parents threatened to sue!

DISCREDIT

Injure the reputation of, destroy credibility of or confidence in --------------------------------------------------- Congresswoman Huffman's opponent tried to use her friendship with a certain radical extremist to discredit her, even though the congresswoman hadn't seen this so-called extremist since sixth grade summer camp.

AVARICE

Insatiable greed; a miserly desire to hoard wealth --------------------------------------------------- It is hard to fathom the sheer avarice of a company that would fraudulently overcharge a struggling school system for new computers.

GRAFT

Insert part of a plant into another plant, where it continues to grow; join living tissue (such as skin) to part of the body where it will continue to live and grow; attach as if by grafting (verb); the part so grafted (as in a graft of skin); the act of acquiring money or other benefits through illegal means, esp. by abusing one's power (noun) --------------------------------------------------- The part of the book describing the financial crisis is good, but the "What You Can Do" section seems grafted on, almost as though written by a different author. / It's not cool for your boss to pressure you into buying Girl Scout cookies from his daughter. If she were selling something larger, we'd call that graft.

INCONSEQUENTIAL

Insignificant, unimportant; illogical --------------------------------------------------- You wrote a bestselling book and got a stellar review in the New York Times—whatever your cousin has to say about it is simply inconsequential. / Given that your entire essay is about Hamlet's relationship with his mother, your thesis that Hamlet's relationship with Laertes drives the plot is inconsequential—that is, it does not follow as a consequence of the evidence you've provided.

INTERPLAY

Interaction, reciprocal relationship or influence --------------------------------------------------- Bilingual readers will enjoy the interplay of English and Spanish in many of the poems in this anthology of the work of Mexican-American poets.

CONSTRUE

Interpret or translate --------------------------------------------------- I don't know how you construed my comment as an insult. All I said was, "Wow, I never knew you could sing."

PROLOGUE

Introductory part to a book, play, etc. --------------------------------------------------- The novel's prologue gives some historical background so that the main story can be better understood in context.

IRASCIBLE

Irritable, easily angered --------------------------------------------------- "I spent my entire childhood tiptoeing around so as not to anger my irascible mother," Joe told his therapist.

DOVETAIL

Join or fit together --------------------------------------------------- When the neuroscientist married an exercise physiologist, neither thought they'd end up working together, but when Dr. Marion Ansel received a grant to study how exercise improves brain function and Dr. Jim Ansel was assigned to her team, the two found that their careers dovetailed nicely.

FACETIOUS

Joking, humorous, esp. inappropriately; not serious, concerned with frivolous things --------------------------------------------------- When I said, "Sure, you can take anything in my house as a souvenir of this study session," I was being facetious! I would like my nightgown back now. / He's a facetious person—I doubt he will take your offer of a spiritual quest very seriously.

PERIPATETIC

Journeying from place to place; traveling on foot --------------------------------------------------- He quit his office job to become a peripatetic musician, traveling from town to town playing in bars and sleeping on couches.

DEEM

Judge; consider --------------------------------------------------- "You can take the black belt exam when I deem you ready, and not a moment before," said the karate instructor.

DISCRIMINATING

Judicious, discerning, having good judgment or insight --------------------------------------------------- He is a man of discriminating tastes—all his suits are handmade in Italy, and I once saw him send back an entree when he complained that black truffle oil had been substituted for white. The chef was astounded. / You can tell a real Prada bag by the discriminating mark on the inside.

INCIPIENT

Just beginning; in a very early stage --------------------------------------------------- The movie producer was devastated when, due to legal trouble over the screenplay, the incipient project was crushed before it had even begun shooting.

ACUMEN

Keen, quick, accurate insight or judgment --------------------------------------------------- His political acumen allowed him to bargain behind the scenes and get bills passed despite being in the minority party.

CONVERSANT

Knowledgeable about or experienced with --------------------------------------------------- For an opera singer, she is unusually conversant in physics—she just explained to everyone the purpose of the Large Hadron Collider.

DESULTORY

Lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic --------------------------------------------------- Lulu said she'd been studying for the GRE for a year, but she had been doing so in only the most desultory way—a few vocab words here and there, then nothing for a month, and practice tests whenever she felt like it, which was rarely. / Don't mind my daughter—there's no need to let a toddler's desultory remarks pull an adult conversation off track.

TOME

Large or scholarly book; one of the volumes in a set of several books --------------------------------------------------- When she discovered that the books she needed for her paper were in the university's online system, she ended up lugging some truly impressive tomes back from the library—she actually had to stop and rest twice on the way home.

EPHEMERAL

Lasting only a short time, fleeting --------------------------------------------------- "Thank you for this jacket that says 'Eugene's Girl,'" said Marie, "but I fear that your love will prove to be ephemeral—over the last two years, I've seen four other girls in school with the same jacket. Do you buy them in six-packs?"

VANGUARD

Leading units at the front of an army; leaders in a trend or movement, people on the "cutting edge"; the forefront of a trend or movement --------------------------------------------------- While Google has won the search engine wars, in 1994, Yahoo was on the vanguard of search technology.

SAVANT

Learned person, scholar, someone admitted to membership in a scholarly field; a person with amazing mental abilities despite having a cognitive difference or disability --------------------------------------------------- The TED conferences feature savants and newsmakers speaking on topics of great importance to the world. / Many people associate autism with being an "autistic savant," but most people who have autism do not actually have the ability to mentally multiply a five-digit number by a five-digit number in five seconds, for instance.

FALLOW

Left unplanted (of land); not in use but could be very useful --------------------------------------------------- Crop yields were increased substantially when the villagers discovered that leaving a portion of their fields lie fallow allowed that unused part of the land to become renewed with minerals. / It is terribly important that we make college affordable for underprivileged students, lest great minds lie fallow, and the world never benefit from their genius.

INQUEST

Legal or judicial inquiry, especially before a jury and especially made by a coroner into the cause of someone's death; the results of such an inquiry; an inquiry into the cause of an unexpected death --------------------------------------------------- The family waited nervously for the results of the inquest, which finally returned a verdict of misadventure; that is, their grandfather had not been murdered, but rather died in a freak accident of his own doing.

CONSOLE

Lessen the suffering or grief of (verb); a control panel, or small table or cabinet (noun) --------------------------------------------------- I was unable to console Tina after she fell asleep at the console of her airplane and thereby failed her pilot's exam.

MISSIVE

Letter, written message --------------------------------------------------- While Don was overseas fighting in World War II, he lived for the missives from the wife he had left behind.

LEVITY

Lightness (of mind, spirit, or mood) or lack of seriousness, sometimes in an inappropriate way --------------------------------------------------- My late uncle Bill loved practical jokes and absolutely would have approved of the iPod mix my aunt played at the wake, which added a little levity by segueing from "Amazing Grace" to the party anthem "Let's Get It Started."

SERAPHIC

Like an angel; serene, spiritually carried off or transported --------------------------------------------------- The gospel choir looked seraphic in their shimmering white robes.

HEARKEN

Listen, pay attention to --------------------------------------------------- Hearken, students!" said the old-fashioned music teacher. "We are going to practice 'Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."

SUBLIME

Lofty or elevated, inspiring reverence or awe; excellent, majestic; complete, utter --------------------------------------------------- She loved visiting Gothic churches, which truly filled even a nonbeliever with a sense of the sublime. / It was sublime idiocy that caused him to invest all his money in the market without doing any research. / This dinner is sublime! I will leave a glowing review on Yelp!

RAREFIED

Lofty, very high up or elevated (in a metaphorical way); exclusive, select; thin, pure, or less dense (as air at the top of a mountain) --------------------------------------------------- Among the rarefied ranks of conference attendees, she counted two Nobel Prize Winners, a MacArthur Genius Grant winner, and Bill Gates—and that was just at one lunch table!

TENUOUS

Long and thin, slender; flimsy, having little substance --------------------------------------------------- Your argument is quite tenuous—it depends on our accepting the results of a 1955 study published in an obscure medical journal not subject to peer review.

HARANGUE

Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly --------------------------------------------------- Look, I'll clean the gutters when I get a free weekend—I don't need you to keep haranguing me about it.

SLACK

Loose, negligent, lazy, weak (adj); neglect to do one's duties; loosen up, relax (verb); period of little work (noun) --------------------------------------------------- As the product of slack parenting, I never learned good time management skills—Mom and Dad never checked my homework or made me go to bed at a certain time. / The holidays represent a lull or slack in work at many companies.

PROVIDENTIAL

Lucky, fortunate, or relating to divine care (the idea that a deity has helped or cared for a person) --------------------------------------------------- Every time their religious sister ran out of money, help always arrived! She viewed this as God's providential hand, but her family members viewed it as their always having to bail her out, and it was getting annoying.

SULLY

Make dirty, stain, tarnish, defile --------------------------------------------------- The senator did win his campaign for re-election, but his reputation was sullied when he was photographed shaking hands with the tobacco executives who apparently bankrolled his campaign.

FACILITATE

Make easier, help the progress of --------------------------------------------------- A good meeting facilitator lets everyone be heard while still keeping the meeting focused. / As a midwife, my goal is simply to facilitate a natural process.

AGGRANDIZE

Make greater; exaggerate --------------------------------------------------- I can't stand when my coworker aggrandizes her role in our group projects. / Stop it with your constant self-aggrandizing—we don't care how many automobiles you own!

AUGMENT

Make larger --------------------------------------------------- If you memorize the definitions on all of these flashcards, you will have notably augmented your vocabulary!

PALLIATE

Make less serious or severe; relieve symptoms of an illness --------------------------------------------------- The doctors said it would be pointless to subject Uncle Al to continued treatments when there was no hope of a cure, so we gave consent for him to be transferred to the palliative care wing where he would be made as comfortable as possible in his final weeks or months.

MITIGATE

Make less severe; lessen or moderate (damage, grief, pain, etc.) --------------------------------------------------- Sadly, his illness could not be cured, but the nurses made every effort to mitigate the symptoms.

ANNUL

Make void or null, cancel, abolish (usually of laws or other established rules) --------------------------------------------------- Can we appreciate the art of a murderer? For many, the value of these paintings is annulled by the artist's crimes.

CALUMNY

Malicious lie intended to hurt someone's reputation; the act of telling such lies --------------------------------------------------- I've had enough of your calumnious accusations! Admit that you made up all those wicked things about me, or I will see you in court when I sue you for slander!

HUSBAND

Manage prudently, sparingly, or economically; conserve --------------------------------------------------- As we are dealing with cutbacks, I am calling on you as the office manager to husband our resources, parceling out office supplies and buying new ones only when absolutely necessary.

STIGMA

Mark of disgrace, a figurative stain or mark on someone's reputation --------------------------------------------------- In the 1950s, bearing a child out of wedlock was severely stigmatized, but today in many social circles, there is no stigma whatsoever to unmarried parents having a child.

ELOQUENT

Marked by forceful, fluid, apt speech; expressive, emotionally moving --------------------------------------------------- Wow, he's such an eloquent speaker, he could sell snow to Antarcticans! / When Mom suggested that everyone might enjoy a museum instead of the beach, she was met with the children's eloquent looks of disgust.

WHIMSICAL

Marked or motivated by whims (odd, fanciful ideas); erratic, unpredictable --------------------------------------------------- Alice in Wonderland is a famously whimsical story in which a little girl falls down a rabbit hole and finds a strange and at times absurd world. / She enjoyed a whimsical day at the seashore—no plan, just wandering around and making sand castles as the mood struck.

FATHOM

Measure the depth of (usually of water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand --------------------------------------------------- I cannot even remotely fathom how you interpreted an invitation to sleep on my couch as permission to take my car on a six-hour joyride!

FIGURATIVE

Metaphorical, based on figures of speech; containing many figures of speech (as fancy-sounding writing); related to portraying human or animal figures --------------------------------------------------- The painter was renowned for his figurative art, including many portraits—he had been known to say that abstract artists were just people who had never learned to draw. / Highly figurative language can be difficult for English language learners—for instance, to "throw the baby out with the bath water" refers to being too hasty and unwisely getting rid of the good with the bad.

STRATAGEM

Military maneuver to deceive or surprise; crafty scheme --------------------------------------------------- The party's stratagem was to dig up a scandal on their candidate's opponent, and then release the photos the day before the election, leaving the opponent no time to defend himself before voters took to the polls.

DISSEMBLE

Mislead, conceal the truth, put on a false appearance of --------------------------------------------------- Roxanne was used to dissembling in job interviews; when asked about the gap on her resume from 1999-2003, she would say, "Oh, I was out of the workforce fulfilling some obligations"—a somewhat misleading way to describe a prison stint. / He won so much money at pool halls by dissembling inexperience, pretending at first that he had no idea how to even hold a pool cue; once bets were placed, he handily defeated his opponents.

ERRONEOUS

Mistaken, in error; improper, morally incorrect --------------------------------------------------- Hilda was completely unable to assemble her new desk chair after the instructions erroneously instructed her to screw the left armrest onto a small lever on the bottom of the seat.

PASTICHE

Mix of incongruous parts; artistic work imitating the work of other artists, often satirically --------------------------------------------------- The slickly-produced boy band's first album was deeply unimaginative, just a pastiche of every other boy band album ever produced.

HODGEPODGE

Mixture of different kinds of things, jumble --------------------------------------------------- The comedian's book wasn't a proper memoir, but more a hodgepodge of old bits, personal stories that went nowhere, random political opinions, and childhood photos.

DERIDE

Mock, scoff at, laugh at contemptuously --------------------------------------------------- The manager really thought that deriding his employees as "stupid" or "lazy" would motivate them to work harder; instead, it motivated them to constantly hide his office supplies as an act of revenge.

PARAGON

Model of excellence, perfect example --------------------------------------------------- Unlike his sister, he was a paragon of responsibility, taking in her three children when she went to jail, and even switching jobs so he could be there to pick them up from school.

LIBERTINE

Morally or sexually unrestrained person; freethinker (regarding religion) --------------------------------------------------- A famed libertine, the sitcom star was constantly in the news for cavorting with women of dubious occupations and overdosing on drugs often enough to regularly hold up production of his popular television show.

LAMENT

Mourn; express grief, sorrow, or regret (verb); an expression of grief, esp. as a song or poem (noun) --------------------------------------------------- Silda said she couldn't make it to the party—she's still lamenting the death of her cat. In fact, she wrote a poem: "A Lament on the Topic of Buttons McFlufferton." Lamentably, Silda is a very bad poet.

LUGUBRIOUS

Mournful, gloomy (sometimes in an exaggerated way); Anything that makes you sad, gloomy, or mournful can be called _____ --------------------------------------------------- Helen was having a good time at the Irish pub until the Traditional Music Hour started, and the lugubrious tunes made her cry into her Guinness.

CONVERGE

Move towards one another or towards a point; unite --------------------------------------------------- I know we're driving to the wedding from different states, but our routes ought to converge when each of us hits I-95—maybe we could converge at a Cracker Barrel for lunch!

PROPENSITY

Natural inclination or tendency --------------------------------------------------- He was an introvert with a propensity for solitary brooding, and thus was considered a bit strange or unfriendly by the others in his dorm.

CLAMOR

Noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; a loud, continuous noise --------------------------------------------------- As soon as a scent of scandal emerged, the press was clamoring for details. / The mayor couldn't even make herself heard over the clamor of the protestors.

IMPLACABLE

Not able to be appeased, calmed, or satisfied --------------------------------------------------- After the dog groomer misunderstood and shaved the family Weimaraner totally bald, Mr. Garcia was implacable; neither an offer of a free gift certificate nor a complimentary doggie sweater would reduce his fury.

INDIFFERENT

Not caring, having no interest; unbiased, impartial --------------------------------------------------- Do whatever you want—I'm indifferent. I won't even notice.

APATHY

Not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern --------------------------------------------------- Many parents of teenagers are concerned by their indolent teens' apathy about the future. Few teens are totally apathetic, however—many get quite excited about video games, flirting, or trips to the mall.

AMBIGUOUS

Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations --------------------------------------------------- The meaning of this ancient text is ambiguous—either we are missing some cultural context, or else the writer actually wanted to be mysterious.

RECONDITE

Not easily understood, hidden, dealing with an obscure topic --------------------------------------------------- Professor Ryan's office is full of books, every single one of which is more than 400 years old, and many of them in ancient Greek. He deals in some seriously recondite information.

IGNOBLE

Not noble; having mean, base, low motives; low quality --------------------------------------------------- What you have done may not be illegal, but it surely is ignoble—people who don't read the user agreement surely do not expect that, by clicking "I Agree," they have signed up for a Jelly of the Month club!

RECALCITRANT

Not obedient, resisting authority, hard to manage --------------------------------------------------- As an aspiring kindergarten teacher, she had imagined days filled with giggles and singing songs about friendship—she was not prepared for a roomful of 20 recalcitrant children who wouldn't even sit down, much less learn the words to "Holding Hands around the World."

IMPIOUS

Not religious, lacking reverence, ungodly; disrespectful of god or duty --------------------------------------------------- In religious schools, impious behavior is generally prohibited.

TACITURN

Not talking much, reserved; silent, holding back in conversation --------------------------------------------------- Because he felt self-conscious about his stutter, Mike had always been taciturn, but after some very good speech therapy, soon he was much more voluble.

UNTEMPERED

Not toned down; not moderated, controlled, or counterbalanced --------------------------------------------------- The report was an untempered condemnation of the company's practices—the investigators didn't have a single good thing to say.

COMPLIANT

Obeying, submissive; following the requirements --------------------------------------------------- Those who are not compliant with the regulations will be put on probation and possibly expelled. / A compliant child, he never gave his parents any trouble.

SALIENT

Obvious, standing out; projecting, protruding, jutting out --------------------------------------------------- The attack on our organization was mostly just partisan bickering, but it did have a few salient points that I think we should respond to. / The windowless prison's side wall had only one salient feature, a sculpture of the state bird jutting out from the building.

HOMOGENEOUS

Of the same kind; uniform throughout --------------------------------------------------- While Sweden seems to have solved many of its social ills, critics point out that Sweden's largely homogeneous population doesn't present the challenges extant in a more diverse nation with many cultures and languages.

UMBRAGE

Offense or annoyance (usually as take umbrage, meaning become offended or annoyed) --------------------------------------------------- With 30 years' experience in the field and quite recent successes on a variety of projects, the executive understandably took umbrage when a coworker suggested that he was good to have around to remind others of "ancient history."

TANGENTIAL

Only slightly relevant, going off-topic --------------------------------------------------- It's hard to get a quick answer out of Noah—ask him any question, and you'll get a wide range of tangential remarks before you can find a polite way to move on.

OBSOLETE

Out of date, no longer in use --------------------------------------------------- She kept her old laptop so long that it was obsolete—she couldn't sell it on Craigslist, and the local elementary school didn't even want it as a donation. / When you look up a word in the dictionary and see "Archaic" next to a definition, that means that definition is obsolete—people don't use the word that way anymore, although you might want to know that meaning if you're reading old texts.

PENUMBRA

Outer part of a shadow from an eclipse; any surrounding region, fringe, periphery; any area where something "sort of" exists --------------------------------------------------- The Constitution doesn't specifically mention a right to privacy, but some experts consider this to exist in the penumbra of the Constitution, as a guarantee of privacy is needed in order to exercise the rights that are enumerated. / The rent in Chicago was too high, so they moved to a suburb in the penumbra of the city.

OVERWROUGHT

Overly nervous, agitated, or excited; too ornate, elaborate, or fussy; overdone --------------------------------------------------- By the time her boyfriend met her in the park, she was overwrought, thinking he must have chosen a public place so he could break up with her—turned out, he had just invited her to a picnic. / Accustomed to more spare American churches, Father Smith found the churches of South America a bit overwrought, with enormous, flowery, gold altars and gold-plating on everything imaginable.

ANALGESIA

Pain relief; inability to feel pain --------------------------------------------------- While natural-birth advocates decline analgesia in childbirth, many women are very eager to take advantage of modern anesthesia. / A disease of the spinal cord can cause analgesia, which can be dangerous because the patient doesn't know when he has injured himself.

FLEETING

Passing quickly, transitory --------------------------------------------------- I had assumed our summer romance would be fleeting, so I was very surprised when you proposed marriage!

PLACID

Peaceful, calm, tranquil --------------------------------------------------- Famed Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has an unusual name—literally, "Peaceful Sunday." It's certainly not a coincidence that Placido looks so much like placid.

GRANDSTAND

Perform showily in an attempt to impress onlookers --------------------------------------------------- I was really passionate about the candidate when he spoke at our school, but now that I think about it, he was just grandstanding. I mean, who could disagree that young people are the future? And doing a cheer for the environment doesn't actually signify a commitment to change any public policies about it.

IMBUE

Permeate or saturate, as dye in a fabric; influence throughout --------------------------------------------------- After shearing the sheep and spinning the yarn, the next step is to imbue the yarn with dye. / His poems are imbued with a sense of longing for a lost homeland.

SANCTION

Permission or approval, something that gives support or authority to something else (noun); to allow, confirm, ratify (verb); OR a legal action by one or more countries against another country to get it to comply (noun); to place sanctions or penalties on (verb) --------------------------------------------------- Professional boxers may only fight in sanctioned matches—fighting outside the ring is prohibited. / America's sanctions on Cuba mean that it is illegal for Americans to do business with Cuban companies.

ASSIDUOUS

Persevering, diligent, constant --------------------------------------------------- Through assiduous effort over a substantial period of time, anyone can develop a prodigious vocabulary.

PHILISTINE

Person deficient in or hostile to culture and artistic values; a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits --------------------------------------------------- Her date was very handsome, but she decided he was an absolute philistine when he said that documentaries were "boring" and that the "best picture" Oscar should go to Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D.

SYBARITE

Person devoted to pleasure and luxury --------------------------------------------------- The reality show about Beverly Hills "housewives" portrayed wealthy sybarites who actually seemed to be pursuing champagne and Pilates full-time.

MARTINET

Person who adheres to rules extremely closely; strict disciplinarian --------------------------------------------------- It was no fun growing up with a military officer for a dad. He was such a martinet he once made me do 20 pushups for being one minute late to bed—even though the reason I was late was that I wanted to kiss him goodnight.

EXPONENT

Person who expounds or explains; champion, advocate, or representative --------------------------------------------------- An exponent of clean fuel, he petitioned the state government to commit to replacing conventional energy with solar and wind energy where possible.

RECLUSE

Person who lives in seclusion --------------------------------------------------- That show about "hoarders" featured a recluse who hadn't left her house in six years.

EPICURE

Person with cultivated, refined tastes, esp. in food and wine --------------------------------------------------- A true epicure, he served only the finest wines, and bragged about how the pancetta was imported from Italy and the Stilton cheese from the English countryside.

REPERTORIAL

Pertaining to a repertory or repertoire, a stock of available things or a number of theatrical performances presented regularly or in sequence --------------------------------------------------- One theater observer noted that repertorial community theater can tie together different plays for a repeat audience: seeing the same actor as Hamlet one night and Romeo another prompts interesting parallels between the two plays.

INSULAR

Pertaining to an island; detached, standing alone; narrow-minded, provincial --------------------------------------------------- The young actress couldn't wait to escape the insularity of her small town, where life revolved around high school football and Taco Bell was considered exotic international cuisine.

GLACIAL

Pertaining to glaciers; cold, icy, slow, unsympathetic --------------------------------------------------- He had wanted to appear in the singing reality competition his whole young life, but he was not encouraged by the judges' glacial response to his audition. The awkward silence was excruciating as he waited for the stony-faced panel to say anything at all.

PULCHRITUDE

Physical beauty --------------------------------------------------- Marilyn Monroe's mystique is based not only on her obvious pulchritude, but also on her mysterious death and likely dalliance with JFK.

CONTEXTUALIZE

Place in context, such as by giving the background or circumstances --------------------------------------------------- Virginia Woolf's feminism is hard to truly understand unless contextualized within the mores of the highly restrained, upper-class English society of her time.

JUXTAPOSE

Place side by side (either physically or in a metaphorical way, such as to make a comparison) --------------------------------------------------- Making a decision between two engagement rings from two different stores was difficult, he noted—it would be much easier if he could juxtapose them and compare them directly.

FORD

Place where a river or similar body of water is shallow enough to walk or ride a vehicle across (noun); to cross at such a place (verb) --------------------------------------------------- The pioneers made camp near the riverbank, waiting for the rains to die down and the river to become fordable again. A week later, the waters were shallow enough to ford the river with their entire caravan—horses, wagons, and all.

EUPHONY

Pleasing or sweet sound, especially as formed by a harmonious use of words --------------------------------------------------- Poetry in translation can keep its meaning, but often loses the euphony the poet worked so laboriously to create.

COPIOUS

Plentiful, bountiful --------------------------------------------------- Although she took copious notes in class, she found that she was missing a big picture that would have tied all the information together. / The fertile, copious land yielded a rich harvest.

BURNISH

Polish, make smooth and lustrous --------------------------------------------------- Mr. Hoffenstotter replaced all of the rustic wood doorknobs with newer models made of burnished steel. "So shiny," said his delighted wife.

IMPASSE

Position or road from which there is no escape; deadlock --------------------------------------------------- If the union won't budge on its demands and the transit authority won't raise salaries, then we are at an impasse.

FEASIBLE

Possible; logical or likely; suitable --------------------------------------------------- Your plan to promote our product launch with a parade is just not feasible—we don't have the money or enough time to get the permits.

PROSPECTIVE

Potential, in the future --------------------------------------------------- Everyone had a hard time correctly saying the name of the seminar, "Perspectives for Prospective Doctors." Even the prospective doctors—college students hoping to be admitted to medical school—were a bit confused.

PRAGMATIC

Practical; dealing with actual facts and reality --------------------------------------------------- Megan and Dave were in love, but Megan decided to be pragmatic—she doubted they'd stay together through a four-year long distance relationship as they attended different colleges, so she figured they might as well end things now.

APPROBATION

Praise or approval, especially formal approval --------------------------------------------------- In her speech for class president, she won the approbation of her peers by promising not only to save the prom, but to raise enough money to make it free for everyone.

SUPPLICATE

Pray humbly; ask, beg, or seek in a humble way --------------------------------------------------- She had been estranged from her wealthy father for years, but when she needed money for her daughter's medical care, she supplicated the old man for assistance.

PREDILECTION

Preference, tendency or favorability towards --------------------------------------------------- She has completed teacher training allowing her to teach grades K-6, but she discovered that she really has a predilection for teaching kindergarten.

GESTATION

Pregnancy; the period from conception until birth of an animal or (metaphorically) of an idea or plan --------------------------------------------------- The gestation period of an elephant is 22 months, more than twice as long as that of humans!

IDYLLIC

Presenting a positive, peaceful view of rural life (as poetry or prose); pleasant in a natural, simple way; so wonderful it seems almost magical. --------------------------------------------------- An action-packed vacation wasn't their style—for their honeymoon, they enjoyed a quiet idyll in a cabin in the woods, just watching the deer and enjoying nature.

POSIT

Presume, suggest, put forward (an idea) --------------------------------------------------- For thousands of years, philosophers have thought of the self as a unified entity, but neuroscientists today posit the existence of a modular brain—a self that is a mix of different brain parts, with no central "coordinator."

OBVIATE

Prevent, eliminate, or make unnecessary --------------------------------------------------- Adding protective heel taps to your dress shoes can obviate the need to take them to the shoe repair store later, once the heels have worn down.

PRE-EMPT

Prevent; take the place of, supplant; take before someone else can --------------------------------------------------- The speaker attempted to preempt an excessively long Q&A session by handing out a "Frequently Asked Questions" packet at the beginning of the seminar.

OSTENSIBLE OR OSTENSIVE

Professed, evident, or pretended; outwardly appearing in a certain way --------------------------------------------------- Ostensibly, she came to volunteer out of the goodness of her heart. However, I think she's really here because she has a crush on one of the other volunteers. / He's an ostensive candidate for the job, but we need to check these references before we move further.

PROSCRIBE

Prohibit, outlaw; denounce; exile or banish --------------------------------------------------- Plagiarism is proscribed by every college's code of conduct.

EMINENT

Prominent, distinguished, of high rank --------------------------------------------------- The undergraduate shocked everyone by asking the eminent old professor, "Really? What makes you such an expert?" / "Your Eminence!" said the bishop to the Pope, "Don't forget this copy of your speech!"

REMEDIAL

Providing a remedy, curative; correcting a deficient skill --------------------------------------------------- After harassment occurs in the workplace, it is important that the company take remedial action right away, warning or firing the offender as appropriate, and making sure the complainant's concerns are addressed. / For those who need remedial reading help, we offer a summer school program that aims to help students read at grade level.

DISTILL

Purify; extract the essential elements of --------------------------------------------------- While traveling in certain countries, it is important to only drink distilled water so you don't get sick. / Bob, it's not necessary to read your entire PowerPoint presentation to us—can you just distill it down to the main point?

ENIGMA

Puzzle, mystery, riddle; mysterious or contradictory person --------------------------------------------------- The enormous rock sculptures in Stonehenge are truly an enigma—were they created as part of a religious observance, or in deference to a great ruler? We may never know.

QUIESCENT

Quiet, still --------------------------------------------------- After hours of moaning and shaking from his illness, the child finally exhausted himself and grew quiescent.

ENHANCE

Raise to a higher value, desirability, etc. --------------------------------------------------- The cosmetics industry stays in business because so many people want to enhance their appearances.

ELEVATE

Raise, lift up; lift the spirits of; move up to a higher rank or status or raise up to a higher spiritual or intellectual plane --------------------------------------------------- After a year getting coffee and making copies, he hoped to be promoted to a more elevated position suitable for a law school graduate. / Our goal here at Morality Publishing is not just to sell books, but to elevate our readers.

IMMINENT

Ready to occur, impending --------------------------------------------------- In the face of imminent war, the nation looked to FDR for reassurance. / Everyone was excited and nervous; Madonna's arrival was imminent!

MAVERICK

Rebel, individualist, dissenter --------------------------------------------------- Most cop movies feature heroes who are maverick police officers, breaking all the rules, blowing things up, and getting their guns confiscated by the chief—but ultimately saving the day.

CONTUMACIOUS

Rebellious; stubbornly disobedient --------------------------------------------------- The psychologist's book Dealing With Your Contumacious Teenager would have sold many more copies to parents of rude and rebellious youth if only people knew what contumacious meant.

REQUITE

Reciprocate, repay, or revenge --------------------------------------------------- Ashley felt that her unrequited love for George would surely kill her. George barely noticed her—he cared about nothing but requiting his father's death.

WANTON

Reckless, vicious, without regard for what is right; unjustifiable, deliberately done for no reason at all; sexually unrestrained or excessively luxurious --------------------------------------------------- Kids do like to play pranks on Halloween, but driving an SUV into people's mailboxes isn't a prank—it's wanton destruction of property. / Many hip-hip videos depict a wanton lifestyle that is attractive to some, but unattainable (and possibly illegal!). / During my grandmother's adolescence in Ireland, a girl might be sent off to a convent as punishment for "wanton ways," such as being alone with boys.

FLORID

Reddish or rosy; flowery, showy, or excessively fancy --------------------------------------------------- His writing was so florid that it was hard for modern readers to understand, and unintentionally humorous when they did. He once called a woman in a hoop skirt a "confection of gossamer-clad ephemerality, the bounty of her raiment ringing in my turgid heart like the tintinnabulation of so many church bells."

ABRIDGE

Reduce or lessen; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea --------------------------------------------------- Our romantic vacation was abridged when the babysitter called to say that the kids were sick and we should come home. / Audio books are almost always abridged, since few people want to listen to a 200-hour book.

PENITENT

Regretful, feeling remorse for one's sins or misdeeds (adj); a person who feels this way (noun) --------------------------------------------------- After being "separated" from the college for plagiarism, she wrote a letter to the Dean expressing her deep regret and penitence and hoping to be readmitted. PENITENT=PENI(MONEY)+ TENT(TENSION)=NO MONEY that he REPENTED that he spend all his money extravagantly.

EGALITARIAN

Related to belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political, economic, or social spheres --------------------------------------------------- After moving to a more liberal part of the country, the couple was pleased to have neighbors who shared their views of egalitarian marriage—for instance, men and women could be found in equal proportions downshifting to part-time work to make time for childcare. for EAGLES, it does not matter which person's meat is that, ultimately they have to fill their stomach being scavengers. EAGLES are EGALitarians

RUSTIC

Relating to country life, unsophisticated; primitive; made of rough wood (adj); a rural or uncultured person (noun) --------------------------------------------------- For their honeymoon, they eschewed fancy hotels and instead chose a rustic cabin in the woods. / Grandpa was a true rustic—I was happy to have him visit, but not so happy to find him urinating outside in a bucket when we have several perfectly nice bathrooms.

GRANDILOQUENT

Relating to lofty speech, esp. to the point of being pompous, overblown, bombastic --------------------------------------------------- After memorizing 1,000 vocabulary flashcards for the GRE, Derek couldn't help but become a little grandiloquent, declaring his desire to "abscond from my familial domicile and satisfy my penchant for erudition." "You can do that later," said his mother, "but now it's your turn to do the dishes."

PATHOLOGICAL

Relating to or caused by disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior --------------------------------------------------- She thought her skin darkening was simply a result of the sun, but it was actually pathological, the result of a serious disease. / I can't believe you stole from the Make a Wish Foundation—you're pathological!

PERIPHERAL

Relating to or making up an outer boundary or region; not of primary importance, fringe --------------------------------------------------- My main goal is to get into a good grad school. Whether it has good fitness facilities is really a peripheral concern.

MONASTIC

Relating to or resembling a monastery (where monks or nuns live), esp. by being quiet, secluded, contemplative, strict, and/or lacking luxuries --------------------------------------------------- Christine decided that the only way she was going to finish her Ph.D. was to live a monastic lifestyle: she broke up with her boyfriend, cancelled her cable service, left the house only when necessary, and ultimately had a draft of her dissertation a few months later.

TERRESTRIAL

Relating to the Earth or to land; worldly --------------------------------------------------- Mr. and Mrs. Daruza were certain they had seen a UFO, plus aliens running around in the night. What they really saw was an especially dense flock of birds in the air, and some mundane, terrestrial animals on the ground.

INEXORABLE

Relentless, unyielding; not moved by pleading --------------------------------------------------- Many people fled Europe in the face of Hitler's inexorable march across the continent. exor is logic gate which changes. so in exorable is that cannot be changed or stopped

GERMANE

Relevant and appropriate, on-topic --------------------------------------------------- This is a business meeting, not a social club—let's keep our comments germane to the issue of the new campaign.

NET

Remaining after expenses or other factors have been deducted; ultimate (adj); to bring in as profit, or to catch as in a net (verb) --------------------------------------------------- In one day of trading, my portfolio went up $10,000 and down $8,000, for a net gain of $2,000. / All those weeks of working weekends and playing golf with the boss ought to net her a promotion.

CONTRITE

Remorseful; feeling sorry for one's offenses or sins --------------------------------------------------- He would have punished his son more severely for breaking his car's windshield in a "rock throwing contest," but the boy seemed truly contrite.

EFFIGY

Representation or image of a person, esp. a crude facsimile used to mock a hated person --------------------------------------------------- The dictator was disturbed to look out the palace window and see himself being burned in effigy. "That paper mache dummy doesn't even look like me!" he said.

VENERATE

Revere, regard with deep respect and awe --------------------------------------------------- The boys were utterly crushed when the baseball player they venerated saw them waiting and refused to sign an autograph.

RECRUDESCENT

Revival, breaking out into renewed activity --------------------------------------------------- The recrudescence of his psoriasis came at the worst possible time. "Oh, great," he said, "Now I'm going to be shedding skin flakes all over my new coworkers on the first day of work."

CONUNDRUM

Riddle, the answer to which involves a play on words; any mystery --------------------------------------------------- A classic conundrum is "What's black and white and red all over?" The answer, of course, is a newspaper. / How to count the entire population accurately—including those without fixed addresses—is a bit of a conundrum.

ANOINT

Rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by a ceremony that includes applying oil to someone --------------------------------------------------- After Principal Smitters raised test scores over 60% at her school, it was only a matter of time before she was anointed superintendent by a fawning school board.

BOOR

Rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin --------------------------------------------------- Milton was such a boor that, when Jane brought him home to meet her parents, he laughed at their garden gnome and made fun of everyone's hairstyles in old family photos. "Don't be so boorish!" said his mortified girlfriend.

PLUTOCRACY

Rule by the wealthy --------------------------------------------------- There have always been rich and poor people, of course, but some argue that the U.S. is becoming a plutocracy, with the richest 10% controlling two-thirds of the nation's wealth and nearly half of our Congressional representatives being millionaires.

POTENTATE

Ruler, person of great power --------------------------------------------------- 62-year-old Prince Charles has certainly waited long enough to become potentate of England; his mother, Elizabeth II, has been ruling for his entire life.

SACROSANCT

Sacred, inviolable, not to be trespassed on or violated; above any criticism --------------------------------------------------- In our house, family dinners were sacrosanct—if being in the school play meant you would miss dinner, then you just couldn't be in the school play.

MONOTONY

Sameness or repetitiousness to the point of being boring; lack of variation, uniformity, esp. repetition in sound --------------------------------------------------- The monotony of working on a factory assembly line made her feel as though she would go insane from boredom.

DISPERSE

Scatter, spread widely, cause to vanish --------------------------------------------------- Because the demonstrators didn't have a permit, the police showed up with megaphones, demanding loudly that the crowd disperse. / Get the hose so I can disperse the dirt on our driveway.

ERUDITE

Scholarly, knowledgeable; possessing deep, often systematic, knowledge --------------------------------------------------- Some have said that Americans dislike erudite leaders; while German leaders frequently have Ph.D.'s, even speaking a foreign language is considered pretentious by many American voters.

GOUGE

Scooping or digging tool, like a chisel, or a hole made with such a tool (noun); cut or scoop out; force out a person's eye with one's thumb; swindle, extort money from (verb) --------------------------------------------------- I was happy with this new video game console for a day or two, until I saw it advertised all over town for half the price and realized I'd been gouged. / He loves gory horror films, where people's eyes are gouged out and gross stuff like that.

SARDONIC

Scornfully or ironically mocking, cynically derisive --------------------------------------------------- A sardonic movie critic is one thing, but a sardonic film professor is another—I really wish Professor Dahl wouldn't sarcastically cut down his students the way he does cheesy horror films. / Dorothy Parker wrote sardonically, "If you want to know what God thinks about money, just look at the people he gave it to."

COVERT

Secret, veiled, undercover --------------------------------------------------- The soldier trained to be part of covert operations, moving silently and remaining out of the enemy's sight.

AXIOM

Self-evident truth requiring no proof; universally or generally accepted principle --------------------------------------------------- Given the last decade of research into the brain—as well as our own experience trying to function while deprived of sleep or food—we must take as axiomatic that the brain is influenced by the body.

AUTONOMOUS

Self-governing, independent --------------------------------------------------- As leader of an autonomous region, the newly-elected president was received as a peer by some world leaders, although he was not entitled to send a representative to the United Nations. / It is normal for young people to desire greater autonomy as they grow up.

COMPLACENT

Self-satisfied, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy, neglectful, or some other bad quality) --------------------------------------------------- The coach gave a pep talk: "I know we've never won a championship before, but we do have an advantage over the six-time state champions we're about to play—they have grown complacent with their success, and now they just assume they'll win without having to sweat."

DISCRETE

Separate, distinct, detached, existing as individual parts --------------------------------------------------- Be sure to use quotation marks and citations as appropriate in your paper in order to keep your ideas discrete from those of the experts you are quoting. / The advertising agency pitched us not on one campaign, but on three discrete ideas.

OBSEQUIOUS

Servile, very compliant, fawning --------------------------------------------------- Sammy thought he could get ahead by being obsequious, but instead, his boss gave a promotion to someone he viewed as more of a peer; truthfully, he thought Sammy's sucking up was pretty pathetic.

APPROPRIATE

Set aside or authorize (such as money) for a particular purpose; take for one's own use --------------------------------------------------- The school board appropriated money for new textbooks. / In putting together the perfect outfit for Career Day at her high school, Mackenzie appropriated her mother's stethoscope and her little brother's stuffed pig, making it clear to everyone that she wanted to be a veterinarian.

AUSTERE

Severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic; without luxury or ease; sober or serious --------------------------------------------------- Her design sense was so minimalist as to be austere; all-white walls, hard, wooden furniture, not a single picture, throw pillow, or cozy comfort anywhere. / The graduation speaker delivered an austere message: the economy is bad, and academic success alone isn't enough to succeed in the job market.

LICENTIOUS

Sexually unrestrained; immoral; ignoring the rules --------------------------------------------------- The licentious behavior Joe was accustomed to practicing at the local strip club was enough to get him thrown out of a nice restaurant and fired from his new job.

BRANDISH

Shake, wave, or flourish, as a weapon --------------------------------------------------- The Renaissance Fair ended badly, with one drunken fellow brandishing a sword and refusing to leave the ladies' dressing tent.

EFFRONTERY

Shameless boldness; If you rudely behave as if you have a right to something that you have no right to, you're committing ______ --------------------------------------------------- Mr. Jackson thought his daughter's boyfriend guilty of the worst effrontery when he asked for her hand in marriage—and, as soon as Mr. Jackson gave his blessing, followed up by asking for a job at Mr. Jackson's company.

MOLT

Shed or cast off, esp. to regularly shed skin, feathers, etc. (as a snake) --------------------------------------------------- Wow, the special effects in that movie were really cool! The actress grew scales all over her body and then molted, leaving behind a scaly skin covering shaped like an entire woman, and then she looked like herself again.

LUMINOUS

Shining, radiant, well-lit; brilliant or enlightening --------------------------------------------------- Use our new light-reflecting shimmer blush for a luminous complexion! / We are conferring this honorary degree on the author in appreciation for sharing his luminous intellect with the world. He is truly a luminary.

SKITTISH

Shy, fickle, uncertain, or prone to act suddenly due to nervousness; lively in a restless or excessive way --------------------------------------------------- After his first experience working with a skittish horse who nervously jerked around and ended up stepping on his foot, Ernest learned to wear steel-toed boots. / The band began with an audience of 80 college students but could see that they were skittish—there was a whole festival going on outside, and the student were ready to head for the door if the band wasn't that great.

WINNOW

Sift, analyze critically, separate the useful part from the worthless part --------------------------------------------------- We got 120 resumes for one job—it's going to take me awhile just to winnow this down to a reasonable stack of people we want to interview.

NAÏVE

Simple and unsophisticated, unsuspecting, lacking worldly experience and critical judgment --------------------------------------------------- I was a little naïve during the hiring process—the HR rep asked for my acceptable salary range, and I answered honestly. Of course I got an offer for the very lowest number in the range! Now I know I should have tried to get a number from her first, or named a higher number so I could negotiate down.

SUBSIDE

Sink, settle down, become less active; return to a normal level --------------------------------------------------- When her terror subsided, she realized that the house wasn't really haunted. / It is a chronic illness—symptoms will flare up and subside over one's lifetime.

OBLIQUE

Slanting or sloping; indirect, misleading, or evasive --------------------------------------------------- After the fifteenth oblique reference that Bella made to George or George made to Bella, everyone in the office figured out that they were dating. / The serial killer loved to talk to interrogators, but gave only oblique answers that were useless in finding the bodies.

LEGERDEMAIN

Slight-of-hand (magic as performed by a magician); trickery or deception --------------------------------------------------- The child was astounded when her uncle pulled out a quarter from behind her ear. Of course, she hadn't actually lost a quarter there; it was just a bit of legerdemain from an amateur magician.

ACIDULOUS

Slightly acid or sour; sharp or caustic --------------------------------------------------- Grapefruit juice is acidulous. / I'm skipping Thanksgiving this year just to avoid my mother's acidulous comments about what she thinks I ought to be doing with my life.

HACKNEYED

So commonplace as to be stale; not fresh or original --------------------------------------------------- This screenplay is so hackneyed—the leading lady has a quirky, artsy job in the city and has a minor problem early in the movie from which the male lead rescues her, and they get together but then break up due to a misunderstanding, and then they end up together anyway, all while the female lead's "sassy" friend gives advice. Ugh. I'll bet they're auditioning Jennifer Aniston right now.

PARIAH

Social outcast, untouchable --------------------------------------------------- After the schoolteacher was fired for participating in what some called a "hate rally," he became a pariah in his own town, glared at in the grocery store—even his longtime barber refused him a haircut.

TOADY

Someone who flatters or acts in a servile manner for self-serving reasons --------------------------------------------------- Look at that toady, sucking up and offering to do the boss's Christmas shopping for his kids. Gross.

VITRIOL

Something highly caustic, such as criticism (literally, one of a number of chemicals including sulfuric acid) --------------------------------------------------- After another embarrassing loss, the team's shortstop was full of vitriol for the coach who had led them to their worst season in history. vitriol is an acid..which is simply the meaning of the adverb also...acid like...

PRECURSOR

Something that comes before, esp. something that also announces or suggests something on its way --------------------------------------------------- We cannot ignore this warning sign—it is clearly a precursor of larger problems to come. / The new CEO decided to do things differently from his precursors.

ANACHRONISM

Something that is not in its correct historical time; a mistake in chronology, such as by assigning a person or event to the wrong time period --------------------------------------------------- The Queen of England is a bit of an anachronism, with her old-fashioned pillbox hats. / Did you catch the anachronisms in the latest action blockbuster set in ancient Rome? One of the characters was wearing a wristwatch with his toga!

REACTANT

Something that reacts; a substance that undergoes a change in a chemical reaction --------------------------------------------------- The two men had been rivals since high school; when both were elected to the city council, they became reactants in the worsening deadlock of an already-polarized city government.

ELEGY

Song or poem of sorrow, esp. for a deceased person --------------------------------------------------- While composing an elegy is certainly old-fashioned, the poet felt that it was a fitting way for her to honor her father at his funeral.

ACERBIC

Sour; harsh or severe --------------------------------------------------- Lemons are acerbic. Harsh comments are also acerbic, like putting lemon juice on a wound.

ADVOCATE

Speak or argue in favor of (verb); a person who pleads for a cause or on behalf of another person (noun) --------------------------------------------------- I cannot possibly vote for a candidate who advocates oil drilling in federally protected nature preserves. / Children often have advocates appointed to represent them in court.

POLYGLOT

Speaking or composed of many languages (of a person, book, etc.); a person who knows several languages --------------------------------------------------- New York's public service announcements often take the form of polyglot posters in the subway, suggesting in six languages that readers give up their seats for pregnant women or those with disabilities.

LISTLESS

Spiritless, lacking interest or energy --------------------------------------------------- I'm too tired to care about homework," mumbled the listless child, staring blankly at the wall. "Maybe if someone brought me a glass of milk and a cookie...

PANOPLY

Splendid, wide-ranging, impressive display or array --------------------------------------------------- Our old cafeteria had only premade salads, but the new cafeteria has a salad bar with a panoply of toppings. on the MONOPOLY board game there is wide display of impressive array of colors and vibrancy!!

PERMEATE

Spread or penetrate throughout --------------------------------------------------- Under the Emperor Constantine, Christianity began to permeate every sector of public life.

STANDING

Status, rank, reputation (noun); existing indefinitely, not movable (adj) --------------------------------------------------- As he had feared, his divorce greatly reduced his standing as a relationship expert. / I'm disappointed that you don't want to leave your current job, but I want you to know that you have a standing invitation—as long as I'm the boss, you have a job here anytime you want one. / While the U.S. has a standing army (that is, an army that is not disbanded in times of peace), Costa Rica's constitution actually forbids a standing military.

CRESCENDO

Steady increase in force, intensity, or the loudness of a musical passage; a climactic moment or peak --------------------------------------------------- Mrs. Higgins did love the symphony, but she was also coming down with a migraine—by the time the music reached its towering crescendo, her head was pounding. / The administration tried to ignore the protest, but finally had to address the issue when the demonstration reached a crescendo.

WHET

Stimulate, make keen or eager (esp. of an appetite) --------------------------------------------------- Dinner will take another 20 minutes, but maybe this cheese plate can whet your appetite?

FETID

Stinking; having an offensive smell --------------------------------------------------- I hate doing your laundry—it's always full of fetid gym socks.

OCCLUDE

Stop up, close, shut in or shut off --------------------------------------------------- This drain guard is here to make sure nothing (like silverware) ends up occluding your garbage disposal. / Don't eat that enormous wad of gum! I'm no doctor, but what if it occludes your intestines or something?

FORTIFY

Strengthen, invigorate, encourage --------------------------------------------------- The white bread found in American grocery stores has been stripped of all the nutrients naturally found in wheat, and then artificially fortified with vitamins and minerals. / The general called for reinforcements to fortify the defenses around the capital.

HEW

Strike, chop, or hack (as with an axe, sword. etc.); make or shape something (such as a statue) with a cutting tool --------------------------------------------------- The pioneer had to hew his own way through the brush in order to proceed westward. / She preferred rustic furniture; her dining room chairs were little more than stumps roughly hewn into stools.

FLUKE

Stroke of luck, something accidentally successful --------------------------------------------------- It's amazing that I won the prize during halftime, but I guarantee you, it was just a fluke that I made that basket—if I tried a thousand more times, I'm sure I couldn't do it again.

CENSURE

Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun); to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb) --------------------------------------------------- The senator was censured by the Senate for campaign fund improprieties—in fact, he narrowly avoided being expelled from office.

OBSTINATE

Stubborn or hard to control --------------------------------------------------- It's difficult to get an obstinate child to eat food he doesn't want to eat. When Toby realized that his son would rather sit and starve than eat mahi-mahi, he gave in and made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

OBDURATE

Stubborn, hardhearted, hardened in wrongdoing, stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing --------------------------------------------------- The first mate reported that there was some fuzzy shape on the horizon, but the captain insisted that the instruments showed no such object, and obdurately sailed straight ahead—right into an iceberg. / This obdurate criminal should never be let out on parole—he simply cannot be reformed.

REFRACTORY

Stubbornly disobedient, hard to manage --------------------------------------------------- No matter how much job training the city gives them, refractory ex-criminals are simply unemployable.

SPATE

Sudden outpouring or rush; flood --------------------------------------------------- After a brief spate of post-exam partying, Lola is ready for classes to begin again. / He was so furious that a spate of expletives just flew out of his mouth.

BROOK

Suffer or tolerate --------------------------------------------------- "You will do your homework every night before you go anywhere, you will do your chores, and you will be home by 9 p.m. I will brook no disobeying of these rules, young man!"

CONNOTE

Suggest or imply in addition to the precise, literal meaning --------------------------------------------------- The word "titanic" simply means large or majestic, but because of the word's association with the sunken ship, "titanic" has a negative connotation to many people.

EXPEDIENT

Suitable, proper; effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations; The adjective ____ describes something that provides an easy way to achieve a goal or result, but it's not necessarily a moral solution. --------------------------------------------------- "I need this report by 2pm, and I don't care what you have to do to make that happen," said the boss. "I expect you to deal with it expediently." / When invited to a wedding you cannot attend, it is expedient to send a gift.

RECAPITULATE

Summarize, repeat in a concise way --------------------------------------------------- I'm sorry I had to leave your presentation to take a call—I only have a minute, but can you recapitulate what you're proposing?

ACME

Summit, peak, highest point --------------------------------------------------- The acme of my vacation was when I finally climbed to the acme of the mountain and enjoyed the gorgeous vista.

REPLETE

Supplied in abundance, filled, gorged (used with with) --------------------------------------------------- This essay is replete with errors—I don't think you even bothered to use spellcheck, much less carefully edit your work.

CORROBORATE

Support, add evidence to --------------------------------------------------- You're telling me you were 30 miles away riding a roller coaster when the school was vandalized? I have a hard time believing that—is there anyone who can corroborate your story?

OUTSTRIP

Surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind --------------------------------------------------- Our sales figures this quarter have outstripped those of any other quarter in the company's history.

FORFEIT

Surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, or failure to fulfill an obligation --------------------------------------------------- "The rules are clear," said the umpire. "This is a co-ed league, and if your team doesn't have at least three women, you forfeit. Sorry, everybody, no game today!" / If you are found guilty of defrauding this casino, the forfeiture of your winnings will be only the first of the consequences coming your way.

BALLOON

Swell or puff out; increase rapidly --------------------------------------------------- During the dot-com bubble, the university's investments ballooned to three times their former value.

DISTEND

Swell, expand, stretch, bloat --------------------------------------------------- The emergency room doctor constantly saw people who came in with distended bellies, sure that they had appendicitis; usually, it was just gas.

GAUCHE

Tactless, lacking social grace, awkward, crude --------------------------------------------------- It is terribly gauche to put ketchup on your steak and then talk with your mouth full as you eat it. That's the last time I ever bring you to a nice place.

DOFF

Take off (such as clothes), put aside; remove one's hat as a gesture --------------------------------------------------- Before the spring break revelers could consider doffing their clothes, they saw the sign: "No skinny dipping." / In my grandfather's day, it was considered polite to doff your hat when a lady entered the room; to us today, lifting your hat a few inches off your head and then putting it right back seems to some like a silly way to show respect.

METICULOUS

Taking extreme care in regards to details; precise, fussy --------------------------------------------------- As a surgeon, of course Mom needs to be highly meticulous in her work—she gets things right down to a fraction of a millimeter. But this also means that when it's her night to cook, she's sometimes a little too meticulous—no one really needs a meatloaf to be sculpted into an absolutely perfect rectangular prism.

PRATTLE

Talk in an idle, simple-minded, meaningless, or foolish way; chatter, babble --------------------------------------------------- It was infuriating to listen to the boss prattle on about some new restaurant in town when everyone was just waiting to find out if they'd been laid off.

LOQUACIOUS

Talkative, wordy --------------------------------------------------- The loquacious professor spoke at a million miles an hour and still regularly talked past the scheduled end time of the class.

REND

Tear violently, esp. to tear one's clothing or hair out of grief; pull apart, split, or tear away --------------------------------------------------- Many figures in the Bible rent their clothing from grief at a loved one's death, an event that can surely rend one's heart as well.

AUGURY

Telling the future, such as through supernatural means --------------------------------------------------- Value investors such as Warren Buffett (who attempt to buy shares in undervalued companies by analyzing the businesses themselves) consider others' attempts to "time the market" as mere augury, equivalent to trying to predict rain by reading tea leaves.

PERVASIVE

Tending to spread throughout --------------------------------------------------- Poverty is pervasive in our school system; 65% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch.

REPOSE

The act or state of resting; peacefulness, tranquility; lying dead in a grave --------------------------------------------------- Thousands of people lined up to see the prime minister's body lying in repose in the capital building. / After working the last two weekends, Myrna was perfectly happy spending her day off in repose in her living room armchair with a cup of tea and a good book.

RHETORIC

The art or study of persuasion through speaking or writing; language that is elaborate or pretentious but actually empty, meaning little --------------------------------------------------- The ancient Greeks used to study rhetoric as a major academic subject. Today, if you want to improve your rhetorical skills, you will probably have to hunt down a public speaking class or join Toastmasters. / The politician's blather is all rhetoric and no substance.

ETHOS

The character, personality, or moral values specific to a person, group, time period, etc. --------------------------------------------------- At the prep school, the young man happily settled into an ethos of hard work and rigorous athletic competition.

SAP

The inner fluid of a plant or any essential body fluid; energy, vitality; a person taken advantage of (noun); undermine, weaken, tire out (verb) --------------------------------------------------- I really thought that if I clicked on that Facebook ad and entered all my information, I would get a free iPad to test and keep! I feel like such a sap. / In order to make maple syrup, you must drain sap from a sugar maple tree—they call this "sapping" the tree, which I can understand, because I feel pretty sapped doing it! Fortunately, it's just a metaphor.

ECLIPSE

The obscuring of one thing by another, such as the sun by the moon or a person by a more famous or talented person (noun); to obscure, darken, make less important (verb) --------------------------------------------------- During a solar eclipse, the moon eclipses the Sun. / Billy Ray Cyrus, who had a hit song, "Achy Breaky Heart," in the '90s, has long since found his fame eclipsed by that of his daughter, Miley.

ACTIVISM

The practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations --------------------------------------------------- Lindsay's parents had a hard time accepting that, after incurring $100,000 in student loans, their daughter had decided to enter the low-paying field of environmental activism.

RESOLUTION

The quality of being firmly determined; resolving to do something; a formal judgment, esp. decided by a vote --------------------------------------------------- The city government passed a resolution to support the new monorail. / A few setbacks did not dampen her resolution to complete her Ph.D.—equipped with her new prosthetic leg, she made her way back into the lab and continued her research.

SYNTAX

The rules governing grammar and how words join to make sentences (or how words and symbols join in writing computer code), the study of these rules, or any system or orderly arrangement --------------------------------------------------- Now that my linguistics class is studying syntax, it makes a little more sense when my computer flashes "SYNTAX ERROR" at me. / Anyone learning a language is bound to make syntactical mistakes—even if he or she knows the appropriate vocabulary, it is still difficult to assemble the words perfectly.

PRIMACY

The state of being first or most important --------------------------------------------------- The conservative senator argued that the very fabric of society depended on the primacy of the family, and that legislation was needed to shore up the institution of marriage.

LARCENY

Theft --------------------------------------------------- The department store employs a security officer whose job it is to prevent larceny.

VISCID OR VISCOUS

Thick, adhesive, or covered in something sticky --------------------------------------------------- Ugh, what did you spill on this floor? It's too viscous to be absorbed by these paper towels. Is this hair conditioner? / Teaching a troop of Cub Scouts to make maple syrup means cleaning the viscid substance off uniforms, boys, and every other object those boys touch.

DESICCATE

Thoroughly dried up, dehydrated --------------------------------------------------- The key to maintaining odor-free shoes is to desiccate the insole by placing a drying agent, such as a small pouch of baking soda, inside the shoe between wears. / Beef jerky is a desiccated meat product.

VIA

Through, by means of, by way of (by a route that goes through or touches) --------------------------------------------------- We will be flying to Russia via Frankfurt. / Many of the students at our college got here via special programs that assist low-income students in preparing for college.

LASSITUDE

Tiredness, weariness; lazy indifference --------------------------------------------------- It's so difficult to get anything done in the dead heat of August! I can't seem to shake my lassitude enough to get out of this hammock, much less study for the GRE.

BIFURCATE

To fork into two branches or divide into two halves --------------------------------------------------- The medical student carefully bifurcated the cadaver brain, separating it precisely into right and left hemispheres. / The bifurcate tree stood tall, its two massive branches reaching for the sky.

SATIATE OR SATE

To fully satisfy; to go beyond satisfying to the point of excess (possibly inducing disgust, tiredness, etc.) --------------------------------------------------- I usually just eat a tiny salad or something while I'm at work, but since I had a half day off, I went to the Indian buffet and stayed for a whole hour! I've never been more satiated (or sated) in my life. / To maintain a healthy weight, stop eating before you reach the point of satiety.

INURE

Toughen up; accustom or habituate to pain, hardship, etc. --------------------------------------------------- Having had over a dozen surgeries before she was 10, spending months at a time in the hospital, she considered herself inured to pain and disappointment.

VESTIGE

Trace or sign of something that once existed --------------------------------------------------- They hadn't officially broken up, but she felt their relationship was running on fumes—that only vestiges of their former affection remained.

PELLUCID

Transparent, translucent; clear, easy to understand --------------------------------------------------- He decided that the cove's pellucid waters were an excellent place to teach his daughter to swim, reasoning that, if she started to sink, he would easily be able to see where she was.

ITINERARY

Travel schedule; detailed plan for a journey --------------------------------------------------- Great, that was the Parthenon! What's next on our itinerary?

LIONIZE

Treat like a celebrity --------------------------------------------------- Being a chef has long been a prestigious profession, but it is only in the last decade or so that "celebrity chefs" have been lionized and given their own television shows.

FLOUT

Treat with disdain, contempt, or scorn (usually of rules) --------------------------------------------------- He flouted the boarding school's curfew so blatantly that, on his way back from a party that lasted past midnight, he actually stopped by the headmaster's house to say hello to his daughter. FLOUT = FOUL OUT. When referee gave a foul to the player was saw he show his contempt.

HOODWINK

Trick, deceive --------------------------------------------------- Pretending to be the building's landlord, the shyster was able to hoodwink 11 people into paying deposits on a vacant apartment—of course, he absconded with the money, leaving the victims without their money or a place to live.

NOMINAL

Trivial, so small as to be unimportant; in name only, so-called --------------------------------------------------- A notary public will certify a document for a nominal fee, usually under $3. / The country has a nominal president, but his detractors say he's just a puppet leader for the more powerful countries providing foreign aid.

VERACITY

Truthfulness, accuracy; habitual adherence to the truth --------------------------------------------------- I question the veracity of your story—I just don't think you've been to outer space. / She was known for her veracity only because she had no choice—she was a terrible liar.

RUMINATE

Turn over in the mind, reflect on; chew cud (as a cow) --------------------------------------------------- Oh, I just don't know about that...let me ruminate on it for a few days and I'll get back to you.

TORTUOUS

Twisting, winding, complex; devious, not straightforward --------------------------------------------------- If I can follow your tortuous logic, you're saying that people who want the new law protecting the environment are actually hurting the environment because the majority of people deliberately do the opposite of laws? What? / The children found the tortuous path of the roller coaster both terrifying and exciting.

UNEQUIVOCAL

Unambiguous, clear, absolute; having only one possible meaning --------------------------------------------------- Although Chuck denied he had a problem, his family was unequivocal in demanding that he check into rehab. Chuck knew there was no getting around it this time. / Mark equivocated, going back and forth on the issue, but his brother Ben was unequivocal—he knew what he wanted and went and got it.

DISPASSIONATE

Unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation; calm, lacking emotion --------------------------------------------------- The defendant tearfully described how much her young child needed her at home, but the judge, who dispassionately sentenced her to 10 years for selling drugs, was unmoved.

AMBIVALENT

Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once --------------------------------------------------- I've been accepted to two amazing graduate programs, one inexpensive and close to home, and one in a big, exciting city. I'm ambivalent—I don't know how I'm going to decide. / When I asked you if you thought we'd get married some day, your ambivalence hurt my feelings.

QUANDARY

Uncertainty or confusion about what to do, dilemma --------------------------------------------------- He knew it sounded like the plot of a cheesy movie, but he really had accidentally asked two girls to the prom, and now he was in quite a quandary.

IMMUTABLE

Unchangeable --------------------------------------------------- Studies of the brains of stroke patients have shown that our identities are not fixed and immutable; rather, physical injuries to the brain can drastically change our personalities.

TACIT

Understood without being said; implied, not stated directly; silent --------------------------------------------------- Her parents never told her she could smoke, but they gave their tacit consent when they didn't say anything about the obvious smell coming from her bedroom.

INADVERTENT

Unintentional; characterized by a lack of attention, careless --------------------------------------------------- In attempting to perfect his science project, he inadvertently blew a fuse and plunged his family's home into darkness.

CONSOLIDATE

Unite, combine, solidify, make coherent --------------------------------------------------- She consolidated her student loans so she would only have to make one payment per month. / As group leader, Muriel will consolidate all of our research into a single report.

JUDICIOUS

Using good judgment; wise, sensible --------------------------------------------------- In his will, the old titan of industry left little to his hard-partying younger son, and left the bulk of his estate to the more judicious older son, with instructions that the older son see that the rest of the family was taken care of.

DEFACE

Vandalize, mar the appearance of --------------------------------------------------- Ernest was charged with three counts of vandalism after being caught defacing a row of townhouses with spraypaint.

AUGUST

Venerable, majestic; inspiring admiration --------------------------------------------------- "I welcome you to this august institution, where presidents and Nobel Prize winners have received the fruits of erudition," said the university president (rather bombastically) to the new crop of first-year students.

COGENT

Very convincing, logical --------------------------------------------------- Studying logic is an excellent way to improve at formulating cogent arguments. / Nurses who work in the Alzheimer's ward must develop skills for communicating with people who are often not cogent.

CRAVEN

Very cowardly, lacking courage --------------------------------------------------- The nervous soldier feared he would turn craven in his first firefight, but he actually acted quite bravely.

ROCOCO

Very elaborate and ornate (in decorating or metaphorically, as in speech and writing); relating to a highly ornate style of art and architecture in 18th-century France --------------------------------------------------- Although Dot Von Derian was born in Ohio as Melissa Worshowski, she insisted on being called "Madame Von D," and bought herself a mansion she furnished in the most rococo style imaginable—it was gilded cherubs and gold leafing as far as the eye could see.

ELATED

Very happy, in high spirits --------------------------------------------------- I am elated that you flew my twin brother in from Australia to surprise me at my birthday party!

PERNICIOUS

Very harmful or destructive, deadly --------------------------------------------------- Bullying has a pernicious effect on the learning environment, keeping victims too intimidated to speak up and also silencing others who fear that they could be next.

TORRID

Very hot, parching, burning; passionate --------------------------------------------------- They had a torrid love affair in the '80s, but split up because a royal was not permitted to marry a commoner. / The wandering refugees were in serious danger in the torrid Sahara.

FERVID

Very hot; heated in passion or enthusiasm --------------------------------------------------- He is a fervid fan of Virginia Tech football, so much so that we've all gotten used to receiving "Go Hokies!" hats and shirts for every birthday.

HOARY

Very old, gray or white as from old age --------------------------------------------------- Hoary with age, his white beard making his age obvious even from the top of the bleachers, the old man surprised everyone when he was able to make a free throw. / Dad, I've heard your hoary old college fraternity stories a hundred times.

INVECTIVE

Violent denunciation; accusations, insults, or verbal abuse --------------------------------------------------- Although the money was good, she quit her job after nearly having a nervous breakdown from her boss's invective.

MAELSTROM

Violent whirlpool; any chaotic, turbulent situation --------------------------------------------------- The Smiths lost their houseboat in a maelstrom, but were at least thankful that they weren't on the boat at the time and thus escaped the violent storm at sea. / After having been homeschooled her whole life, the first week of college was a maelstrom of social events, orientations, and business.

FORAGE

Wander in search of; rummage, hunt, make a raid --------------------------------------------------- It's important to seal your trash cans tightly in this neighborhood, or else you'll get raccoons foraging for food in your backyard.

ENCOMIUM

Warm, glowing praise, esp. a formal expression of praise --------------------------------------------------- Just after all the encomia at his retirement party, he received a gold watch. / The first draft of your dissertation is little but an encomium of the works of Christopher Marlowe, whereas I'm afraid that doctoral-level work requires a more nuanced and critical view.

PRODIGAL

Wasteful, extravagant; giving abundantly, lavish --------------------------------------------------- If you're going to leave a trust fund for your children, you should raise them not to be prodigal, or they'll blow through all the cash the minute they get their hands on it. / The prodigal land produced larger crops than the people could even consume.

ATTENUATE

Weaken or thin out --------------------------------------------------- When you pull a piece of bubblegum so that it becomes long and thin, you are attenuating it. / Sadly, the day care center was so understaffed that the carers' efforts were attenuated, and many of the children barely received any attention at all.

ENERVATE

Weaken, tire --------------------------------------------------- After taking the SAT in the morning and playing in a soccer game in the afternoon, Trina was truly enervated before the prom even began. "You dance like a grandmother with osteoporosis," said her date.

TIMELY

Well-timed, happening at a suitable time --------------------------------------------------- Your arrival is quite timely—we were just mulling over a question we're sure you can answer! / His timely departure prevented him from having to do any work.

FANCIFUL

Whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely imaginative rather than based on reason or reality --------------------------------------------------- The play was set in a fanciful version of New York City, one where all the cab drivers spoke perfect English and the Statue of Liberty seemed to be in the middle of the island.

PRUDENT

Wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future --------------------------------------------------- Katie's friends blew all kinds of money on spring break, but Katie prudently kept to her usual spending habits: she'd drink one of whatever was least expensive, and then watch her friends get stupid while she checked her bank balances on her phone and dreamed about the day she'd have a full-time job and a 401K.

VERBOSE

Wordy --------------------------------------------------- Twitter's 140-character limit really forces the verbose to go against their natural tendencies and instead write succinctly.

ESTIMABLE

Worthy of esteem, admirable; able to be estimated --------------------------------------------------- As the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, Barack Obama presented an estimable resume when he ran for president in 2008. / Riding a roller coaster is safer than driving on the highway, but there is still an estimable risk.

VEX

annoy or bother; puzzle or distress --------------------------------------------------- "Don't vex me," said the nanny. "Behave, or I'll tell your parents." / She was totally vexed by the crossword clue—9 letters, starting with "b," meaning "person whose socks are either scratchy or imbued with magical powers." What?

PUGILISM

boxing, fighting with the fists --------------------------------------------------- Pugilism has been called "the sweet science" by some, but others feel that hitting other people in the head until they can't get up isn't much of a sport.

CLOYING

causing or tending to cause disgust or aversion through excess; overly ingratiating or sentimental; distastefully sweet --------------------------------------------------- I do like visiting our grandmother, but I can't stand those cloying movies she watches—last time it was some heart-tugging story where an orphan saves a suffering pony. / I do like cake, but I find that honey-covered angel food cake positively cloying.

TRENCHANT

forceful or vigorous, effective, keen; caustic, sharp; clear defined in mind --------------------------------------------------- The school's trenchant new antitruancy policy immediately increased class attendance by a noticeable margin. / Claudia would have gone on making excuses for hours had Juan not trenchantly stepped in and said, "You want to quit, right?" "Yes!" she said, quite relieved.