26-27, 9-11

ANALOGOUS

Comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a good analogy) --------------------------------------------------- In the U.S., whenever opponents of a war want to suggest that the war is unwinnable, they point out all the ways in which the war is analogous to the Vietnam War.

LANDMARK

Object (such as a building) that stands out and can be used to navigate by; a very important place, event, etc. --------------------------------------------------- The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark in the battle for equality. / In Lebanon, many roads are unmarked, and people navigate by landmarks—for instance, "third house down from the water tower."

SPORADIC

Occasional, happening irregularly or in scattered locations --------------------------------------------------- Her attendance was sporadic at best, so when she flounced into class after a two-session absence, she discovered that not only was everyone working on group projects, but that the professor hadn't even thought to assign her to a group.

DIURNAL

Occurring every day; happening in the daytime (rather than at night) --------------------------------------------------- While many Americans rarely have a sit-down family meal, in many other cultures, dining as a family is a diurnal affair. / Wall Street is a diurnal neighborhood—hectic in the day, but quiet once people pile on the rush hour trains to go home.

OPTIMUM

most favorable condition or greatest degree or amount possible under given circumstances --------------------------------------------------- I think 30-25 degree celcius is the optimum temerature for bathing water

PLEBEIAN or PLEBIAN

Of the common people --------------------------------------------------- I toured a luxury apartment building, and I laughed when I saw that the apartments had luxurious walk-in closets and whirlpool bathtubs—but hilariously tiny ovens. Because, of course, the wealthy would never do something so plebian as cook their own food.

Perfunctory

(Adj.) Done routinely and with little interest or care; acting with indifference; showing little interest or care --------------------------------------------------- Sequences that could sing with tension and excitement are done in perfunctory fashion. he gave a perfunctory nod

NOISOME

Offensive, disgusting; harmful; having an extremely offensive smell --------------------------------------------------- Everyone knows that smoking is deadly, but even "herbal" cigarettes are a noisome habit—and noisome to your health!

VITUPERATE

Verbally abuse, rebuke or criticize harshly --------------------------------------------------- All couples fight, but your girlfriend vituperates you so severely that I'm not sure she loves you at all. Verbal abuse is actually a pretty good reason to break up.

EXACTING

Very severe in making demands; requiring precise attention --------------------------------------------------- The boxing coach was exacting, analyzing Joey's footwork down to the millimeter and forcing him to repeat movements hundreds of times until they were correct.

LAMPOON

A harsh satire (noun); ridicule or satirize (verb) --------------------------------------------------- "As a Democrat," said Bob, "I can't say I appreciated watching that comedian in the Obama mask lampoon the State of the Union address."

LUMBER

Walk in a heavy or clumsy way, sometimes due to being weighed down --------------------------------------------------- Alicia was a model and was accustomed to walking everywhere as though on a catwalk, so she was quite displeased when she broke her leg and had to lumber around in a cast, thumping the ground everywhere she went.

METAMORPHOSIS

A complete change or transformation (in biology, a change such as a caterpillar becoming a pupa and then a butterfly) --------------------------------------------------- Many reality show competitions are based on the idea of a contestant undergoing a metamorphosis, such as through dieting, exercise, life coaching, rehab, or plastic surgery—or all of the above.

MAXIM

A general truth or fundamental principle, esp. expressed as a proverb or saying --------------------------------------------------- My favorite maxim is "seize the day!" How much would it cost to get that on a tattoo? How much more for "curiosity killed the cat"?

COUNTERINTUITIVE

Against what one would intuitively expect --------------------------------------------------- Although it seems counterintuitive, for some extreme dieters, eating more can actually help them to lose weight, since the body is reassured that it is not facing a period of prolonged starvation.

ORTHODOX

Adhering to a traditional, established faith, or to anything customary or commonly accepted --------------------------------------------------- I appreciate that the new dentist thinks that my oral health can be improved through yoga, but I really prefer a more orthodox approach to dental care.

CONCUR

Approve, agree --------------------------------------------------- John Locke wrote that justice is based on the social contract, and I concur—in fact, my latest book is all about contractual justice.

CURMUDGEON

Bad-tempered, difficult person; grouch; irascible --------------------------------------------------- The college students' party was hampered by constant complaints from a curmudgeonly neighbor who insisted that making noise after 8pm was unreasonable, and called the police over a single beer can on his lawn.

PLAUSIBLE

Believable; having the appearance of truth --------------------------------------------------- When three doctors treating crash victims were suddenly stricken with what looked like the effects of nerve gas, hospital officials posited "hysteria" as the culprit—hardly a plausible explanation, as emergency room doctors are accustomed to seeing horrific things every day.

INCARNADINE

Blood red or flesh-colored --------------------------------------------------- The police took the body to the morgue; all that was left at the murder scene was an incarnadine stain on a pillow.

INTER

Bury (a dead body) or place in a tomb --------------------------------------------------- After the funeral, the body will be interred in the cemetery. / Occasionally, a criminal investigation requires disinterring, or exhuming, a body for autopsy; this can be upsetting to family members who have already buried their loved one.

PARRY

Deflect or avoid (esp. a blow or attack); skillfully evade (a question) --------------------------------------------------- When asked by a reporter if rumors of his infidelity were true, the candidate parried, answering that he had always supported legislation bolstering the sanctity of marriage.

ELICIT

Call forth, bring out, evoke --------------------------------------------------- The touchdown elicited wild cheers from the crowd. / While the death of Ellen's elderly cat was indeed sad, Ellen's constant, mournful looks whenever anyone mentioned any animal at all were nothing but a play to elicit sympathy.

EXPURGATE

Censor; remove objectionable or offensive parts --------------------------------------------------- When the girl discovered that her ninth-grade class had been reading an expurgated version of Romeo and Juliet, she immediately checked the original out from the library so she could read all the "forbidden" parts.

SANGUINE

Cheerfully optimistic, hopeful; reddish, ruddy (as in rosy-red cheeks indicting health or vitality) --------------------------------------------------- She had three papers due in three days, but she maintained her typically sanguine attitude. "Things always just work out for me," she said, happily.

CLAMBER

Climb awkwardly or with difficulty, scramble --------------------------------------------------- The hiker had spent the last hour plodding lethargically up the side of the mountain, but when she caught sight of the summit, she excitedly began to clamber up even the steepest inclines.

STARK

Complete, total, utter; harsh or grim; extremely simple, severe, blunt, or plain --------------------------------------------------- The designer's work is appreciated for its stark beauty, but most people prefer to live in a cozier, more welcoming home—the kind with carpets and pillows, for instance. / She is stark raving mad! / The stark reality is that we will have to begin burning our furniture for warmth if we are to survive.

COMPLEMENTARY

Completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs --------------------------------------------------- "That scarf really complements your outfit," said Elle. "Thanks for the compliment," said Danica. / The couple had complementary personalities—when Mark got overwhelmed with the details, Lee took care of everything, and when Lee got too introspective, Mark cheered him up with an insatiable zest for life.

EXTRAPOLATE

Conjecture about an unknown by projecting information about something known; predict by projecting past experience --------------------------------------------------- No, I've never been to Bryn Mawr, but I've visited several small, private women's colleges in the Northeast, so I think I can extrapolate.

BELIE

Contradict or misrepresent --------------------------------------------------- The actress's public persona as a perky "girl next door" belied her private penchant for abusing her assistants and demanding that her trailer be filled with ridiculous luxury goods. / The data belie the accepted theory—either we've made a mistake, or we have an amazing new discovery on our hands!

EMULATE

Copy in an attempt to equal or be better than --------------------------------------------------- The ardent Star Trek fan emulated Captain Kirk in every way possible—his brash and confident leadership might have gotten him somewhere, but the women he tried to impress weren't so impressed.

MACHINATION OR MACHINATIONS

Crafty schemes or plots; a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends --------------------------------------------------- It's cute to think that teen idols became famous because their talent was simply so great that the music industry reached out to them, but usually, any teen idol is the product of intense coaching and parental machinations.

GROVEL

Creep or crawl with one's face to the ground, prostrate oneself as a token of subservience, degrade or abase oneself --------------------------------------------------- Most of the laid-off employees packed their things and left the building—only one was seen groveling, literally on his knees asking his boss not to fire him and even offering to wash the boss's car.

CASTIGATE

Criticize severely; punish in order to correct --------------------------------------------------- At the grocery store, the mother attracted stares when she castigated—rather than merely admonished—her child for throwing a box of instant oatmeal.

PARTISAN

Devoted to a particular group, cause, etc. (adj.); fervent supporter of a group, party, idea, etc.; guerilla fighter (noun) --------------------------------------------------- It is unconscionable to engage in partisan politics in a time of crisis. People are trapped in the rubble of an earthquake, and you suggest that we vote for your tax bill in exchange for your voting for our relief bill?

PIOUS

Devout; religiously reverent and dutiful --------------------------------------------------- Some matrimonial websites catering to conservative religious groups contain listings for young women that feature testimonials from the woman's relatives about her piety. Naturally, only similarly pious suitors need apply.

ALOOF

Distant physically or emotionally; reserved; indifferent --------------------------------------------------- Perceiving her parents as cold and aloof, the child was naturally drawn to her warm, genial aunt.

DISQUIETING

Disturbing, causing anxiety --------------------------------------------------- Mr. Peters' lack of emotion at his wife's death was disquieting—so much so, in fact, that even his own family began to suspect he'd had something to do with it. / He was deeply disquieted by the racism he encountered in his new neighborhood.

COMPLAISANT

Eager to please; cheerfully complying --------------------------------------------------- Coming from a more uptight corporate background, Chris found the soup kitchen volunteers remarkably complaisant—when he asked the greeters to sweep the floor and the cooks to wash dishes, everyone happily moved to their new positions.

TRACTABLE

Easily controlled or managed, docile; easily shaped or molded --------------------------------------------------- He's a tractable fellow—when I asked if we could see a different movie than the one we'd come to see, he shrugged and said "Cool." / The clay had hardened overnight, but adding water made it tractable again.

INDIGENCE

Extreme poverty --------------------------------------------------- The city government has several agencies that provide shelter, food, and other assistance to the indigent.

XENOPHOBIA

Fear or hatred of foreigners or that which is foreign --------------------------------------------------- My mother's xenophobia is so great that she refuses to cross the border into Canada, and once told me that she'd rather die than try a mango because those foreign fruits are "sketchy."

SOLIDARITY

Fellowship in interests, feelings, responsibilities, etc., such as among a group of people or among classes, nations, etc. --------------------------------------------------- The governor attempted to outlaw collective bargaining by unions, but backed down once he was made aware of the union's solidarity with churches and community groups across the state.

DISABUSE

Free someone from a mistake in thinking --------------------------------------------------- Do you really believe that toilets flush one way in the Northern hemisphere and another way in the Southern? Any physicist would be happy to disabuse you of that silly notion.

LIVID

Furiously angry, enraged; dark bluish gray in color --------------------------------------------------- Diane was livid when she discovered that her daughter had borrowed her wedding dress to wear to an '80s party. "I have never been angrier in my life," she said. Livid bruise

RESTIVE

Impatient or uneasy under the control of another; resisting being controlled --------------------------------------------------- The company was purchased by a larger competitor, and the employees grew restive as the new bosses curtailed their freedoms and put a hold on their projects.

GARNER

Gather and store; amass, collect --------------------------------------------------- The publisher sent copies of the soon-to-be-published manuscript to reviewers, hoping to garner acclaim and publicity for the book.

ADUMBRATE

Give a rough outline of; foreshadow; reveal only partially; obscure --------------------------------------------------- When I took on the lead role in the movie, I agreed not to give away the plot, but I suppose I could give a brief adumbration of the premise.

RENDER

Give, submit, surrender; translate; declare formally; cause to become --------------------------------------------------- When you render your past due payments, we will turn your phone back on. / Only in her second year of Japanese, she was unable to render the classic poem into English. / The judge rendered a verdict that rendered us speechless.

VERDANT

Green, such as with vegetation, plants, grass, etc.; young and inexperienced --------------------------------------------------- Having grown up in Ethiopia, Dabir loved the lushness of the verdant forests in rainy Oregon. / The first-year associate was a little too verdant to be assigned to the big case.

REAP

Harvest, such as by cutting; gather; get as a result of one's effort --------------------------------------------------- He worked night and day in the strange new country, never stopping to rest, for he knew he would reap his reward when his family greeted him as a hero for all the money he had sent back home.

PERSPICACIOUS

Having penetrating insight or good discernment --------------------------------------------------- A good detective is shrewd and perspicacious, judging when someone is lying, noticing things the rest of us would ignore, and making connections that allow an investigation to move forward.

ENTITLEMENT

Having the right to certain privileges; believing, sometimes without cause, that one deserves or has a right to certain privileges --------------------------------------------------- Many bosses complain about young people's sense of entitlement—raised on a steady diet of praise from parents and teachers, these young people are shocked to be expected to "pay their dues" at a new job.

MAGNANIMOUS

High-minded, noble, lofty; generous in forgiving others, free of resentment --------------------------------------------------- The twins were so different from one another—while Andrea was petty and vengeful and would hold a grudge for years, Marina was quite magnanimous, easily forgiving insults or slights, and simply rising above the petty bickering and cliquish behavior of our high school.

PUGNACIOUS

Inclined to fight, combative --------------------------------------------------- Amy had hoped to avoid inviting Uncle Ed to the wedding, as he was a pugnacious fellow—and, sure enough, he managed to start a fistfight with the best man.

ERRATIC

Inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course --------------------------------------------------- When someone engages in erratic behavior, family members often suspect drug use or mental illness. However, sometimes the person is just building a top-secret invention in the garage!

DISINGENUOUS

Insincere, not genuine --------------------------------------------------- Christine used the fact that her mother spoke limited English as an opportunity to be disingenuous. When her mother asked, "Will there be boys at this sleepover?" she replied "There won't not be boys there!"

INVESTITURE

Investing; formally giving someone a right or title --------------------------------------------------- The former dean had her academic robes dry cleaned in preparation for her investiture as university president.

NETTLE

Irritate, sting, or annoy --------------------------------------------------- His first year in college, my little brother failed gym. How is that even possible? I always remind him about it just to nettle him. Of course, he usually strikes back by reminding me of that time I crashed an amusement park's go-cart.

GRATING

Irritating; harsh or discordant (of a noise); scraping --------------------------------------------------- Folding jeans at the mall finally became unbearable when her kindly old supervisor was replaced with a young woman whose grating tone made commands like "Fold faster and then clean up this display!" sound like nails on a chalkboard.

ARBITER

Judge, umpire, person empowered to decide matters at hand --------------------------------------------------- Professional mediators arbitrate disputes. / The principal said, "As the final arbiter of what is and is not appropriate in the classroom, I demand that you take down that poster of the rapper Ice-T and his scantily-clad wife Coco."

LOG

Keep a record of, write down; travel for or at a certain distance or speed (verb); a written record (noun) --------------------------------------------------- Lawyers who bill by the hour have to be sure to log all the time they spend on every client's case. / You cannot get your pilot's license until you have logged 40 hours of flight time.

ARCANE

Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret --------------------------------------------------- To win at Jeopardy, you must be full of arcane knowledge. / The wizard's shop was full of arcana, from Latin-to-Ancient Greek dictionaries to entire books on magic spells relating only to elephants.

DIFFIDENT

Lacking confidence, shy --------------------------------------------------- Natasha was so diffident that she never believed her comments could be worth anything in class, even when she knew the answer.

DIN

Loud, confused noise, esp. for a long period of time; loud, confused, continuous, generally unpleasant, and often potentially headache-inducing noise --------------------------------------------------- This hotel was described as "near all the hot spots," but I didn't realize that I wouldn't be able to sleep due to the all-night din from partygoers.

EMACIATE

Make abnormally thin, cause to physically waste away --------------------------------------------------- After 50 days floating on a raft at sea, he was quite emaciated—his family was elated that he was alive, but shocked to see a formerly 165-pound man looking skeletal at just 125 pounds.

INGRATIATE

Make an effort to gain favor with --------------------------------------------------- Ryan's attempts to ingratiate himself with the boss were quite transparent—no one really believes that a 25 year old loves the same cigars, classic rock, and AARP crosswords as the 65 year old company president.

ADULTERATE

Make impure by adding inappropriate or inferior ingredients --------------------------------------------------- Some bars adulterate top-shelf liquor by pouring cheaper brands into the more expensive brands' bottles.

SECULAR

Not religious or holy; pertaining to worldly things --------------------------------------------------- Forty years ago, American companies wished their employees "Merry Christmas"—even the employees who didn't celebrate Christmas. Today, the secular "Happy Holidays" is common. / Western governments have grown increasingly secular over the last century; many have laws prohibiting religious expression from being sponsored by the government.

PEDESTRIAN

Ordinary, dull, commonplace --------------------------------------------------- It was so amazing when you had us over to dinner and made that rack of lamb! I'm afraid neither of us is a professional chef like you are, though, so we hope you won't mind that we've made something more pedestrian: hot dogs and French fries.

IMPECUNIOUS

Poor, without money; no money even to pay for necessities --------------------------------------------------- Having grown up with impecunious parents who could barely keep the electricity on in the house, she was now obsessed with wealth and security.

LATENT

Potential; existing but not visible or active --------------------------------------------------- Certain experts believe that some people have a genetic propensity for addiction; however, if such a person never comes into contact with drugs, the propensity for addiction can remain latent for life.

SUPERSEDE

Replace, take the position of, cause to be disregarded as void or obsolete --------------------------------------------------- Of course, electric washing machines supplanted hand-powered ones many decades ago, but my great-grandmother used her hand-cranked washer until she died in the 1990s.

CANARD

Rumor, a false or baseless story --------------------------------------------------- The idea that we only use 10% of our brains is a tired, old canard; actually, even the dumbest people use all of their brains.

ECLECTIC

Selecting the best of everything or from many diverse sources --------------------------------------------------- Eclectic taste is helpful in being a DJ—crowds love to hear the latest hip-hop mixed with '80s classics and other unexpected genres of music. / The restaurant features an eclectic menu—if you don't like artisanal pasta or steak frites, try the chow mein!

SYCOPHANT

Servile flatterer, parasitic person who fawns in order to get ahead --------------------------------------------------- Stop being such a sycophant. I don't need you to compliment my tie or get me coffee; I just need you to do your job without bothering me.

FAWN

Show affection or try to please in the manner of a dog; try to win favor through flattery and submissive behavior --------------------------------------------------- Although he was only president of a chain of grocery stores, he was used to being fawned over like a king or rock star. "You are truly king of the low-priced produce world," said the regional manager. "May I wash your car for you?"

TOKEN

Sign, symbol, mark, badge; souvenir, memento; coin-like disk used as currency for subways, arcade games, etc.; sample, or person, thing, idea taken to represent an entire group (noun); of very little or merely symbolic value (adj) --------------------------------------------------- I am starting to realize that this law firm hired me to be its token woman. There I am, smiling in all the ads—but I never actually get to work on important cases. / Hollywood movies are often guilty of tokenism—many have exactly one black character (the "token minority"), often present to give advice to the (usually white) main characters. / I am giving you this "Best Friends Forever" necklace as a token of our friendship.

TORPOR

Sluggishness, lethargy, or apathy; a period of inactivity --------------------------------------------------- Sam had hoped to be able to play in the game after having his wisdom teeth out, but the anesthesia left him in such torpor that he obviously couldn't play soccer.

GREGARIOUS

Sociable, pertaining to a flock or crowd --------------------------------------------------- "We need to be a little more productive and a little less gregarious," said the chemistry teacher when he saw that the two-person lab groups had devolved into clusters of five and six students standing around talking and laughing.

INCENTIVE

Something that encourages greater action or effort, such as a reward --------------------------------------------------- A controversial program in a failing school system uses cash payments as an incentive for students to stay in school.

BUFFER

Something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions --------------------------------------------------- During the colonial era, England wanted Georgia as a buffer between its original colonies and Spanish Florida. / A railroad car has a buffer (similar to a bumper on a car) to absorb shock in case of contact with other cars. / When Joel came out to his family, he used his mother as a buffer—he knew she would be supportive, so he allowed her to relay the news to everyone else, and to relay their responses back to him.

LULL

Soothe or cause to fall asleep (as in a lullaby); quiet down; make to feel secure, sometimes falsely (verb); a period of calm or quiet (noun) --------------------------------------------------- Tisha always tried to be polite—if she had to slip out of class to use the bathroom, she waited for a lull in the action so as not to attract too much attention. / Grandma's singing lulled the baby to sleep—much as, in her work as a spy during World War II, Grandma used her beauty and charm to lull foreign dignitaries into giving up their secrets.

BOLSTER

Strengthen or support --------------------------------------------------- The general requested reinforcements to bolster the defensive line set up at the border. / Many people use alcohol to bolster their confidence before approaching an attractive person in a bar.

SURROGATE

Substitute, person who acts for another (noun); acting as a replacement (adj) --------------------------------------------------- A study found that baby monkeys, once separated from their mothers, preferred a surrogate mother made of cloth to a less comforting, rigid monkey doll, even when induced with treats to change their behavior.

EUPHEMISM

Substitution of a mild, inoffensive, or indirect expression for one that is considered offensive or too direct --------------------------------------------------- Many euphemisms surround death and disease; rather than "Joe died of cancer," many people feel better saying "Joe's suffering is finally over." / When potty training their children, some parents use hilarious euphemisms for body parts.

INCULCATE

Teach persistently, implant (an idea) in a person --------------------------------------------------- Parents spend years trying to inculcate morality in their children, constantly teaching and correcting them.

LACHRYMOSE

Tearful, mournful --------------------------------------------------- Accustomed to lachrymose occasions, the funeral home kept boxes of tissues near every seat.

ABEYANCE

Temporary suspension, inactivity --------------------------------------------------- The baseball player's contract negotiations are in abeyance while doctors try to determine whether his injuries will heal in time for the season.

TRANSITORY

Temporary, short-lived, not lasting --------------------------------------------------- While a few people marry their high school sweethearts, generally, our teenage years are full of transitory crushes.

COMMENSURATE

The same in size, extent, etc., equivalent; proportional --------------------------------------------------- According to the course catalog, you may take Advanced Japanese following Japanese III or commensurate experience with the language.

PRESUMPTUOUS

Too bold or forward; going beyond that which is proper --------------------------------------------------- I would never date that presumptuous jerk! I mean, I thought he was attractive until he walked up to me and said, "We should go out—I looked up your address on Google and I'll pick you up at 8." The nerve!

PEDDLE

Travel around while selling; sell illegally; give out or disseminate --------------------------------------------------- After an unsuccessful year spent peddling cutlery door-to-door, he turned to peddling drugs, thus landing himself in jail. / "I don't want these people peddling lies to our children," said Mrs. Hoffman, protesting an event in which fringe political candidates were invited to speak to kids.

ESOTERIC

Understood by or intended for only a few; secret --------------------------------------------------- In his first year of university-level physics, he felt he was merely memorizing information found in every textbook on the subject; by his fourth year, he spent his days poring over esoteric journal articles that few people had ever read or understood.

INDEFATIGABLE

Untiring, not able to become fatigued --------------------------------------------------- The boxer was indefatigable; round after round, he never lost speed or energy, even after he had thoroughly defatigated his opponent.

GOAD

Urge on (as cattle) with a pointed or electrically charged stick; spur on, stimulate, encourage --------------------------------------------------- He never forgave his friends for goading him into spray-painting the school with them. While the effect was temporarily hilarious, he lost a scholarship over the incident.

VOLATILE

Varying, inconstant, fleeting; tending to violence, explosive --------------------------------------------------- Following the sudden revolution, the political environment in the country was so volatile that anything could have started a riot. / Stock prices are by nature volatile—if you want a "safe and steady" investment, try mutual funds.

SAGACIOUS

Wise; showing good judgment and foresight --------------------------------------------------- It's important to choose a mentor who is not only successful, but also sagacious—plenty of people are successful through luck and have little insight about how to attack someone else's situation.

RACONTEUR

Witty storyteller --------------------------------------------------- Miguel was quite the raconteur—the laughing party guests naturally congregated in a cluster around him as he held court.

PROPAGATE

breed specimens of (a plant, animal, etc.) by natural processes from the parent stock. , spread, increase --------------------------------------------------- Hackers can take down a large computer system in days or even minutes as a virus propagates and infects all of the machines on a network. Try to propagate your own house plants from the cuttings i am giving you.