Barron's GRE with sentences - Complete Wordlist

Pataasin ang iyong marka sa homework at exams ngayon gamit ang Quizwiz!

stricture

critical comments; severe and adverse criticism His strictures on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted.

disband

dissolve; disperse The chess club disbanded after its disastrous initial season.

elixir

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

humid

damp She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area.

audacious

daring; bold Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death-defying leap to freedom and escaped Darth Vader's troops.

obscure

darken; make unclear At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

obituary

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

illusive

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

artifice

deception; trickery The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military might.

delusive

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

pious

devout The pious parents gave their children a religious upbringing.

conclusive

decisive; ending all debate When the stolen books turned up in John's locker, we finally had conclusive evidence of the identity of the mysterious thief.

avow

declare openly I must avow that I am innocent.

ordinance

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

consecrate

dedicate; sanctify We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose.

piety

devoutness; reverence for God Living her life in prayer and good works, Mother Teresa exemplifies the true sprit of piety.

mulct

defraud a person of something The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy.

demean

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

tarry

delay; dawdle We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.

sleight

dexterity The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.

malicious

dictated by hatred or spite The malicious neighbor spread the gossip.

disparity

difference; condition of inequality The disparity in their ages made no difference at all.

diverse

differing in some characteristics; various There are diverse ways of approaching this problem.

consign

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

disavowal

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

charisma

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

tractable

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

podiatrist

doctor who treats ailments of the feet He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches.

asceticism

doctrine of self-denial We find asceticism practiced in many monastries.

tenet

doctrine; dogma The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.

homespun

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

panoramic

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

inveigh

denounce; utter censure or invective He inveighed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his philosophy as dangerous.

gainsay

deny She was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report.

renege

deny; go back on He reneged on paying off his debt.

exodus

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

posterity

descendants; future generations We hope to leave a better world to posterity.

lineage

descent; ancestry He traced his lineage back to Mayflower days.

forsake

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

scurvy

despicable; contemptible Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew.

bent

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

dogged

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

loathe

detest We loathed the wicked villain.

swerve

deviate; turn aside sharply The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel.

acclimate

adjust to climate or environment One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travellers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments.

delve

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

discursive

digressing; rambling They were annoyed and bored by her discursive remarks.

incapacitate

disable During the winter, many people were incapacitated by respiratory ailments.

dissent

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

disapprobation

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

enfranchise

admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote) Although blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote until 1920.

concede

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

rebate

discount We offer a rebate of ten percent to those who pay cash.

indignation

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

symmetry

arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity The addition of a second tower will give this edifice the symmetry that it now lacks.

apprehend

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

incendiary

arsonist The fire spread in such an unusual manner that the fire department chiefs were certain that it had been set by an incendiary.

rhetoric

art of effective communication; insincere or grandiloquent language All writers, by necessity, must be skilled in rhetoric.

dictum

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

imposture

assuming a false identity; masquerade She was imprisoned for her imposture of a doctor.

premise

assumption; postulate Because Jack had based his argument upon a faulty premise, his opponent cheerfully pointed out the holes in his logic.

iconoclastic

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

offensive

attacking; insulting; distasteful Getting into street brawls is no minor offense for professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict their offensive impulses to the ring.

relegate

banish; consign to inferior position If we relegate these experts to minor posts because of their political persuasions, we shall lose their valuable services.

insolvent

bankrupt; lacking money to pay When rumors that he was insolvent reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the money due them.

fundamental

basic; primary; essential The committee discussed all sorts of side issues without ever getting down to addressing the fundamental problem.

disparate

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

seethe

be disturbed; boil The nation was seething with discontent as the nobleman continued their arrogant ways.

betroth

become engaged to marry The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any romance.

virus

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

condescend

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

indubitably

beyond a doubt Because her argument was indubitably valid, the judge accepted it.

preternatural

beyond that which is normal in nature John's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying struck him as almost preternatural.

partial

biased; having a liking for something I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs.

benison

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

hindrance

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

vendetta

blood feud The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

hierarchy

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

clientele

body of customers The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

guffaw

boisterous laughter The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committe had not yet settled down to a serious business.

hilarity

boisterous mirth The hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning.

venturesome

bold A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt.Annapurna.

harrow

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

breach

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

debacle

breaking up; downfall This debacle in the government can only result in anarchy.

succinct

brief; terse; compact His remarks are always succinct and pointed.

illuminate

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

expunge

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

revoke

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

outspoken

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

taper

candle He lit the taper on the windowsill.

venal

capable of being bribed The venal policeman accepted the bribe offered him by the speeding motorist whom he had stopped.

slough

cast off Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin.

cavalier

casual and offhand; arrogant Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's cavalier dismissal of her suggestion.

offhand

casual; done without prior thought Expecting to be treated with due propriety by her costs, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand manner.

grievance

cause of complaint When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union.

dissemble

disguise; pretend Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew there not to dance but to meet girls.

prompt

cause; provoke; provide a cue for an actor Whatever prompted you to ask for such a big piece of cake when you're on a diet?

carcinogenic

causing cancer Many supposedly harmless substances have been revealed to be carcinogenic.

downcast

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

unkempt

disheveled; with uncared-for appearance The beggar was dirty and unkempt.

appal

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

analgesic

causing insensitivity to pain The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief.

pestilential

causing plague; baneful People were afraid to explore the pestilential swap.

prudent

cautious; careful A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy.

insubordinate

disobedient The insubordinate private was confined to the barracks.

unruly

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

contumacious

disobedient; resisting authority The contumacious mob shouted defiantly at the police.

repudiate

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

disclaim

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

belittle

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

flaunt

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

mace

ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin.

innovation

change; introduction of something new She loved innovatins just because they were new.

progeny

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

indiscriminate

choosing at random; confused She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing and decided to restrict him to educational programs.

vociferous

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

limpid

clear A limpid stream ran through his property.

bouillon

clear beef soup The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold ocean breezes.

ingenious

clever He came up with a use for Styrofoam packing balls that was so ingenious that his business school professors declared it was marketable.

array

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

raiment

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

discount

disregard Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

buffoonery

clowning John Candy's buffoonery in Uncle Buck was hilarious.

fodder

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

embark

commence; go on board a boat; begin a journey In devoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost her her life.

annotate

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

mercantile

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

terse

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

pithy

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

finale

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

denounce

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

deign

condescend He felt that he would debase himself if he deigned to answer his critics.

contingent

conditional The continuation of this contract is contingent on the quality of your first output.

bestow

confer He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

parley

conference The peace parley has not produced the anticipated truce.

validate

confirm; ratify I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.

fluster

confuse The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.

turmoil

confusion; strife Conscious he had sinned, he was in a state of spiritual turmoil.

gourmet

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

epicure

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

subjugate

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

anoint

consecrate The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.

deliberate

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

prominent

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

despicable

contemptible Your despicable remarks call for no reply.

supercilious

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

vie

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

din

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

dissident

dissenting; rebellious In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tianamen Square, the government hunted down the dissident students and their supporters.

heterogeneous

dissimilar In a heterogeneous group, we have an unassorted assemblage, while in a homogeneous group we have people or things that have common traits.

orthography

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

depravity

corruption; wickedness The depravity of the tyrant's behavior shocked us all.

zany

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

lope

gallop slowly As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery.

hiatus

gap; pause Except for a brief two-year hiatus, during which she enrolled in the Peace Corps, Ms. Clements has devoted herself to her medical career.

glean

gather leavings After the crops had been harvested by the machines, the peasants were permitted to glean the wheat left in the fields.

muster

gather; assemble Washington mustered his forces at Trenton.

garner

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

garish

gaudy She wore a garish rhinestone necklace.

blithe

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

largess

generous gift Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.

bountiful

generous; showing bounty She distributed gifts in a bountiful and gracious manner.

zephyr

gentle breeze; west wind. When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail.

seminal

germinal; influencing future developments; related to seed or semen Although Freud has generally been regarded as a seminal thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his psychoanalytic methods have come under attack recently.

orient

get one's bearings; adjust Philip spent his first day in Denver orienting himself to the city.

grisly

ghastly She shuddered at the grisly sight.

apparition

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

morbid

given to unwholesome thought; gloomy These morbid speculations are dangerous; we must lighten our spirits by emphasizing more pleasant matters.

beatific

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

odoriferous

giving off an odor The odoriferous spices stimulated her jaded appetite.

shimmer

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

bantering

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

virtue

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

bureaucracy

government by bureaus Many people fear that the constant introduction of federal agencies will create a government by bureaucracy.

voluptuous

gratifying the senses The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.

pall

grow tiresome The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.

flourish

grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures The orange trees flourished in the sun.

arroyo

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

inebriety

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

banal

hackneyed; commonplace; trite His frequent use of cliches made his essay seem banal.

hirsute

hairy He was a hitsute individual with a heavy black beard.

satyr

half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus, portrayed as wanton and cunning He was like a satyr in his lustful conduct.

snicker

half-stifled laugh The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack.

maul

handle roughly The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans.

tilter

handle used to move the boat's rudder (to steer) Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tilter at all times.

hover

hang about; wait nearby The police helicopter hovered above the accident.

loiter

hang around; linger The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley.

defamation

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

innocuous

harmless Let him drink it; it is innocuous and will have no ill effect.

placebo

harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill In a controlled experiment, fifty volunteers were given erythromycin tablets; the control group received only placebos.

headlong

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

incubate

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

odious

hateful I find the task of punishing you most odious.

determinate

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

decollete

having a low-cut neckline Fashion decrees that evening gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.

wan

having a pale or sickly color; pallid. Suckling asked, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"

serrated

having a sawtoothed edge The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated leaves.

plausible

having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious Even though your argument is plausible, I still would like to have more proof.

capillary

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

tendentious

having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.

multiform

having many forms Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal.

flinch

hesitate; shrink He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely.

potpourri

heterogeneous mixture; medley He offered a potpourri of folk songs from many lands.

irony

hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing was merely irony; he was actually denouncing his opponent.

encomium

high praise; eulogy Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise.

virtuoso

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

impediment

hindrance; stumbling-block She had a speech impediment that prevented her from speaking clearly.

inkling

hint This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans.

insinuate

hint; imply What are you trying to insinuate by that remark?

innuendo

hint; insinuation I can defend myself against direct accusations; innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what trouble me.

tenacious

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

hermitage

home of a hermit Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world.

choleric

hot-tempered His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature.

firebrand

hothead; troublemaker The police triedto keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town.

parody

humorous imitation; travesty We enjoyed the clever parodies of popular songs that the chorus sang.

consort

husband or wife The search for a consort for the young Queen Victoria ended happily.

burly

husky; muscular The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.

mesmerize

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

supposition

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

drone

idle person; male bee Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.

evenhanded

impartial; fair Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females?

impalpable

imperceptible; intangible The ash is so fine that it is impalpable to the touch but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window ledge.

transitoriness

impermanence Conscious that all things pass, the psalmist relates the transitoriness of happiness and fame.

pert

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

vehement

impetuous; with marked vigor He spoke with vehement eloquence in defense of his client.

gamely

in a spirited manner; with courage Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena.

amok

in a state of rage The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.

oratorio

dramatic poem set to music The Glee Club decided to present an oratorio during their recital.

elicit

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

limn

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

primp

dress or groom oneself with care She primps for hours before a dance.

bedizen

dress with vulgar finery The witch doctors were bedizened in their gaudiest costumes.

imbibe

drink in The dry soil imbibed the rain quickly.

exorcise

drive our evil spirits By incantation and prayer, the medicine man sought to exorcise the evil spirits that had taken possession of the young warrior.

repellent

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

propulsive

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

flag

droop; grow feeble When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first period, the home team's spirits flagged.

lethargic

drowsy; dull The stuffy room made her lethargic; she felt as if she was about to nod off.

anodyne

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

bacchanalian

drunken Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.

carousal

drunken revel The party degenerated into an ugly carousal.

provender

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

desiccate

dry up A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.

arid

dry; barren The cactus had adapted to survive in an arid environment.

gullible

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

timid

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

lucid

easily understood; clear; intelligible Her explanation was lucid enought for a child to grasp.

accessible

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

facile

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

erode

eat away The limestone was eroded by the dripping water

omnivorous

eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything Some animals, including humans, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either carnivorous or herbivorous.

reverberate

echo; resound The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells.

economy

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

effectual

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

exertion

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

ovoid

egg-shaped At Easter she had to cut out hundreds of brightly colored ovoid shapes.

worldly

engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual. You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker.

gourmand

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

hyperbole

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

sublime

exalted; noble; uplifting Mother Teresa has been honored for her sublime deeds.

audit

examination of accounts When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the chief cashier.

ejaculation

exclamation He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard the news.

ostracize

exclude from public favor; ban As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection with the criminals, his friends began to ostracize him.

grueling

exhausting The marathon is a grueling race.

deprecate

express disapproval of; protest against; belittle A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.

gloat

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

decry

express strong disapproval of ; disparage The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.

condole

express sympathetic sorrow His friends gathered to condole with him over his loss.

prolong

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

physiognomy

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

visage

face; appearance The stern visage of the judge indicated that she had decided to impose a severe penalty.

laxative

facilitating evacuation of the bowels The effect of the constipation medicine is laxative; it empties the bowels.

relapse

fall back or sink again The economy relapsed into a depression from the peak.

plummet

fall sharply Stock prices plummeted as Wall Street reacted to the rise in interest rates.

windfall

fallen fruit; unexpected lucky event. This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.

deciduous

falling off, as of leaves The oak is a deciduous tree.

delusion

false belief; hallucination This scheme is a snare and a delusion.

perjury

false testimony while under oath When several witnesses appeared to challenge his story, he was indicted for perjury.

grotesque

fantastic; comically hideous On Halloween people enjoy wearing groteque costumes.

chimerical

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

bizarre

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

modish

fashionable She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish.

kismet

fate kismet is the Arabic word for "fate."

patriarch

father and ruler of a family or tribe In many primitive tribes, the leader and lawmaker was the patriarch.

jaded

fatigued; surfeited He looked for exotic foods to stimulate his jaded appetite.

commiserate

feel or express pity or sympathy for Her friends commiserated with the widow.

euphoria

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

witless

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

fatuous

foolish; inane He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.

extrude

force or push out Much pressure is required to extrude these plastics.

contrived

forced; artificial; not spontaneous Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws; James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.

harbinger

forerunner The crocus is an early harbinger of spring.

dissertation

formal essay In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to prepare a dissertation on some scholarly subject.

panegyric

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

predecessor

former occupant of a post I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my late predecessor in this office.

redoubtable

formidable; causing fear During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to offend the Russians because they could be redoubtable foes.

noisome

foul smelling; unwholesome I never could stand the noisome atmosphere surrounding the slaughter houses.

malodorous

foul-smelling The component heap was most malodorous in summer.

putrid

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

latitude

freedom from narrow limitations I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this matter.

impunity

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

berserk

frenzied Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.

outskirts

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

facade

front of the building The facade of the church had often been photographed by tourists because it was more interesting than the rear.

husbandry

frugality; thrift; agriculture He accumulated his small fortune by diligence and husbandry.

baffle

frustrate; perplex The new code baffled the enemy agents.

jollity

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

intermittent

periodic; on and off Our picnic was marred by intermittent rains.

tangential

peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing Despite Clark's attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: why couldn't he come out to dinner with Superman and her?

indissoluble

permanent The indissoluble bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved.

transparent

permitting to light to pass through freely; easily detected Your scheme is so transparent that it will fool no one.

heretic

person who maintains opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church She was punished by the Spanish Inquisition because she was a heretic.

poseur

person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others Some thought Dali was a brillant painter; others dismissed him as a poseur.

anarchist

person who rebels against the established order Only the total overthrow of all governmental regulations would satisfy the anarchist.

proponent

person who supports or proposes (an idea) After the bill had been amended and re-amended in committee, even its original proponents didn't want to vote in its favor.

tanner

person who turns animal hides into leather Using a solution of tanbark, the tanner treated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.

heckler

person who verbally harasses others The heckler kept interrupting the speaker with rude remarks.

induce

persuade; bring about After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again.

germinal

pertaining to a germ; creative Such an idea is germinal; I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations.

provincial

pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada.

horticultural

pertaining to cultivation of gardens When he bought his house, he beganto look for flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books dealing with horticultural matters.

pathological

pertaining to disease As we study the pathological aspects of this disease, we must not overlook the psychological elements.

thespian

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

seismic

pertaining to earthquakes The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances.

existential

pertaining to existence; pertaining to the philosophy of existentialism To the existential philosopher, human reason is inadequate to explain an irrational, meaningless universe.

valedictory

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

piscatorial

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

infernal

pertaining to hell; devilish They could think of no way to hinder his infernal scheme.

agrarian

pertaining to land or its cultivation As a result of its recent industrialization, the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions.

connubial

pertaining to maffige or the matrimonial state In his telegram, he wished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss.

marital

pertaining to marriage After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often consulted by married people on the verge of divorce.

conjugal

pertaining to marriage Their dreams of conjugal bliss were shattered as soon as their temperaments clashed.

mnemonic

pertaining to memory He used mnemonic tricks to master new words.

psychopathic

pertaining to mental derangement The psychopathic patient suffers more frequently from a disorder of the nervous system than from a diseased brain.

pecuniary

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

monetary

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

vitreous

pertaining to or resembling glass Although this plastic has many vitreous qualties such as transparency, it is unbreakable.

erotic

pertaining to passionate love The erotic passages in this novel should be removed as they are merely pornographic.

nautical

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

vernal

pertaining to spring We may expect vernal showers all during the month of April.

sartorial

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

metallurgical

pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores During the course of his metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous strength.

mandatory

obligatory These instructions are mandatory; any violation will be severely punished.

scurrilous

obscene; indecent Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.

hermetic

obscure and mysterious; occult It is strange to consider that modern chemistry originated in the hermetic teachings of the ancient alchemists.

procurement

obtaining The personnel department handles the procurement of new employees.

gazette

official publication He read the gazettes regularly for announcement of his promotion.

convert

one who has adopted a different religion or opinion On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the merits of American automobiles, he made few converts to his beliefs.

polygamist

one who has more than one spouse at a time He was arrested as a polygamist when his two wives filed complaints about him.

herpetologist

one who studies reptiles As a boy, Indiana Jones had a traumatic experience involving snakes; sensibly enough, he studies to be archaeologist, not a herpetologist.

cerebral

pertaining to the brain or intellect The content of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought.

ecclesiastic

pertaining to the church The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the pulpit.

eugenic

pertaining to the improvement of race It is easier to apply eugenic principles to the raising of racehorses or prize cattle than t the development of human beings.

lunar

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

tactile

pertaining to the organs or sense of touch His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.

dermatologist

one who studies the skin and its diseases I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne.

unilateral

one-sided This legislation is unilateral since it binds only one party in the controversy.

partisan

one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party On certain issues of conscience, she refused to take a partisan stand.

patent

open for the public to read; obvious It was patent to everyone that the witness spoke the truth.

broach

open up He did not even try to broach the subject of poetry.

aperture

opening; hole She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.

agape

openmouthed She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo.

adversary

opponent; enemy Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker.

controvert

oppose with arguments; contradict To controvert your theory will require much time but it is essential that we disprove it.

subsume

include; encompass Does the general theory of relativity contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity subsumed into Einstein's larger scheme?

increment

increase The new contract calls for a 10 percent increment in salary for each employee for the next two years.

pendant

ornament (hanging from a necklace, etc.) The grateful team presented the coach with a silver chain and pendant engraved with the school's motto.

demotic

pertaining to the people He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the nation's standards.

pretentious

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

wax

increase; grow. With proper handling, his fortunes waxed and he became rich.

irremediable

incurable; uncorrectable The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it.

circumlocution

indirect or roundabout expression He was afraid to call spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

opportunist

individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances Forget about ethics! He's such an opportunist that he'll vote in favor of any deal that will give him a break.

proselytize

induce someone to convert to religion or belief In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to proselytize; we must respect all points of view.

prevail

induce; triumph over He tried to prevail on her to type his essays for him.

futile

ineffective; fruitless Why waste your time on futile pursuits?

fledgling

inexperienced While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is not essential that we admire everything they write.

inerrancy

infallibility Jane refused to believe in the pope's inerrancy, reasoning: "All human beings are capable of error. The pope is a human being. Therefore, he pope is capable of error.

wreak

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

colloquy

informal discussion I enjoy our colloquies but I sometimes wish that they could be made more formal and more searching.

denizen

inhabitant of Ghosts are denizens of the land of the dead who return to earth.

incompatible

inharmonious The married couple argued incessantly and finally decided to separate because they were incompatible.

discordant

inharmonious; conflicting She tried to unite the discordant factions.

mayhem

injury to the body The riot was marked not only by mayhem, with its attendant loss of life and limb, but also by arson and pillage.

tesselated

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

effervescence

inner excitement; exuberance Nothing depressed her for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself.

deranged

insane He had to be institutionalized because he was deranged.

demented

insane She became increasingly demented and had to be hospitalized.

paltry

insignificant; petty This is a paltry sum to pay for such a masterpiece.

puny

insignificant; tiny; weak Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.

testy

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

sensuous

pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses He was stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells about him; he was enjoying his sensuous experience.

upshot

outcome The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his youth.

denouement

outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act.

hue

outcry When her purse was snatched, she raised such a hue and cry that the thief was captured.

minutiae

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

epistemologist

philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge "What is more important, a knowledge of nature of the nature of knowledge?" the epistemologist asked the naturalist.

cliche

phrase culled in meaning by repetition High school compositions are often marred by such cliches as "strong as an ox."

circumvent

outwit; baffle In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.

beneficent

kindly; doing good The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money and left himself with nothing.

trinket

knickknack; bauble Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.

imbalance

lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion Because of the great imbalance between the number of men and women invited, the dance was unsuccessful.

timidity

lack of self-confidence or courage If you are to succeed as a salesperson, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.

levity

lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity Stop giggling abd wriggling around in the pew; such levity is improper in church.

dispirited

lacking in spirit The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which I had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.

listless

lacking in spirit or energy We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his listless attitude.

pediatrician

physician specializing in children's diseases. The family doctor advised the parents to consult a pediatrician about their child's ailment.

mosaic

picture made of smell, colorful inlaid tiles The mayor compared the ciry to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth.

irreverent

lacking proper respect The worshippers resented her irreverent remarks about their faith.

inept

lacking skill; inadequate; inappropriate inept as a carpenter, Ira was all thumbs.

pine

languish, decline; long for, yearn Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather.

metropolis

large city Every evening this terminal is filled with the thousands of commuters who are going from this metropolis to their homes in the suburbs.

bevy

large group The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of startlets.

hieroglyphic

picture writing The discovery of the Rosetta Stone enabled scholars to read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

vignette

picture; short literary sketch The New Yorker published her latest vignette.

impale

pierce He was impaled by the spear hurled by his adversary.

perforate

pierce; put a hole through Before you can open the aspirin bottle, you must first perforate the plastic safety seal that covers the cap.

tome

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

salacious

lascivious; lustful Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.

scourge

lash; whip; severe punishment They feared the plague and regarded it as a deadly scourge.

languor

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

ultimatum

last demand; warning Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only recourse is to declare war.

terminus

last stop of railroad After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses.

enduring

lasting; surviving Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which outlast its creator's brief lives.

ludicrous

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

profusion

lavish expenditure; overabundant condition Seldom have I seen food and drink served in such profusion as at the wedding feast.

sumptuous

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

spawn

lay eggs Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams.

stratum

layer of earth's surface; layer of society Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt.

punctilious

laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; precise We must be punctilious in our planning of this affair, for any error may be regarded as a personal affront.

virile

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

gait

manner of walking or running; speed The lame man walked with an uneven gait.

variegated

many-colored Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.

cartographer

map-maker Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of the fictional world.

disfigure

mar the appearance of; spoil An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.

deface

mar; disfigure If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

peripheral

marginal; outer We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of the great city.

welt

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

checkered

marked by changes in fortune During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.

holster

pistol case Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm.

aphorism

pithy maxim An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific.

uproarious

marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy The uproarious comedy hit Home Alone featured Macaulay Culkin, whose mugging and comic antics provoked gales of uproarious laughter from audiences coast to coast.

ceremonious

marked by formality Ordinary dress would be in appropriate at so ceremonious an affair.

sheathe

place into a case As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends.

purgatory

place of spiritual expiation In this purgatory, he could expect no help from his comrades.

scenario

plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their customary scenario and began to improvise.

despoil

plunder If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.

predatory

plundering The hawk is a predatory bird.

elegy

poem or song expressing lamentation On the death of Edward King, Milton composed the elegy "Lycidas."

bard

poet The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.

solstice

point at which the sun is farthest from the equator The winter solstice usually occurs on December 21.

permeable

porous; allowing passage through Glass is permeable to light.

delineate

portray He is weakest when he attempts to delineate character.

depict

portray In this book, the author depicts the slave owners as kind and benevolent masters.

vantage

position giving an advantage They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find.

affirmation

positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath Despite Tom's affirmation of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

dogmatic

positive; arbitrary Do not be so dogmatic about that statement; it can be easily refuted.

mete

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

carnivorous

meat-eating The lion is a carnivorous animal.

alchemy

medieval chemistry The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy.

mirth

merriment; laughter Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.

jocund

merry Santa Claus is always vivacious and jocund.

lode

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

regime

method or system of government When a Frenchman mentions the Old Regime, he refers to the government existing before the revolution.

bourgeois

middle class The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois, who resented the aristocracy.

fallacious

misleading Your reasoning must be fallacious because it leads to a ridiculous answer.

projectile

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

knead

mix; work dough Her hands grew strong from kneading bread.

promiscuous

mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular, particularly sexually In the opera La Boheme, we get a picture of the promiscuous life led by the young artists of Paris.

garbled

mixed up; jumbled; distorted A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another; by the time it reaches the last player, the message has become totally garbled.

gibe

mock As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish thoughts?

scoff

mock; ridicule He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.

satirical

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

simian

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

mausoleum

monumental tomb His body was placed in the family mausolem.

low

moo From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely hear the cattle low.

undulate

move with a wavelike motion The flag undulated in the breeze.

amorous

moved by sexual love; loving Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures.

console

lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette.

fallible

liable to err I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.

unfettered

liberated; freed from chains Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered.

flick

light stroke as with a whip The horse needed no encouragement; only one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the animal to run at top speed.

giddy

light-hearted; dizzy He felt his giddy youth was past.

glacial

like a glacier; extremely cold Never a warm person, when offended hugo could seem positively glacial.

imperial

like an emperor; related to an empire When hotel owner Leona Helmsley appeared in ads as Queen Leona standing guard over the Palace Hotel, her critics mocked her imperial fancies.

enumerate

list; mention one by one Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws.

chameleon

lizard that changes color in different situations Like the chameleon, he assumed the political coloration of every group he met.

odyssey

long, evenful journey The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying odyssey.

aphasia

loss of speech due to injury or illness After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently.

strident

loud and harsh She scolded him in a strident voice

clangor

loud, resounding noise The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.

loll

lounge about They lolled around in their chairs watching television.

reciprocal

mutual; exchangeable; interacting The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.

occult

mysterious; secret; supernatural The occult rites of the organization were revealed only to members.

ravine

narrow valley with steep sides Steeper than a gully, less precipitous than a canyon, a ravine is, like them, the product of years of erosion.

insularity

narrow-mindedness; isolation The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anyuthing foreign.

indigenous

native Tobacco is one of the indigenous plants that the early explorers found in this country.

imminent

near at hand; impending Rosa was such a last-minute worker that she could never start writing a paper till the deadline was imminent.

impending

nearing; approaching The entire country was saddened by the news of his impending death.

derelict

neglectful of duty; abandoned The corporal who fell asleep while on watch was thrown into the guardhouse for being derelic in his duty.

altercation

noisy quarrel Throughout the altercation, not one sensible word was uttered.

placate

pacify; conciliate The teacher tried to placate the angry mother.

appease

pacify; soothe We have discovered that, when we try to appease our enemies, we encourage them to make additional demands.

optional

not compulsory; left to one's choice I was impressed by the range of optional accessories for my microcomputer that were available.

rudimentary

not developed; elementary His dancing was limited to a few rudimentary steps.

unearthly

not earthly; weird There is an unearthly atmosphere in her work that amazes the casual observer.

insatiable

not easily satisfied; greedy Welty's thirst for knowledge was insatiable; she was in the library day and night.

ineffectual

not effective; weak Because the candidate failed to get across his message to the public, his campaign was ineffectual.

motley

parti-colored; mixed The captain had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel.

penumbra

partial shadow (in an eclipse) During an eclipse, we can see an area of total darkness and a lighter area, which is the penumbra.

complicity

participation; involvement You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.

genre

particular variety of art or literature Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre.

forberance

patience We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.

authenticate

prove genuine An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.

maxim

proverb; a truth pithily stated Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.

defray

provide ofr the payment of Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.

marshal

put in order At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts before addressing their audience.

verbalize

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

interrogate

question closely; cross-examine Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover story that would help him meet their quesions.

centrifugal

radiating; departing from the center Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

foray

raid The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost.

ken

range of knowledge I cannot answer your question since this matter is beyond my ken.

incidence

rate of occurrence; particular occurrence Health professionals expressed great concern over the high incidence of infant mortality in major urban areas.

maniacal

raving mad His maniacal laughter frightened us.

perusal

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

entity

real being As soon as the charter was adopted, the United Nations became an entity and had to be considered as a factor in world diplomacy.

foster

rear; encourage According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf that raised the abandoned infants as her own.

insurgent

rebellious We will not discuss reforms until the insurgent troops have returned to their homes.

repercussion

rebound; reverberation; reaction I am afraid that this event will have serious repercussions.

debase

reduce to lower state Do not debase youself by becoming maudlin.

redress

remedy; compensation Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries?

commemorative

remembering; honoring The new commemorative stamp honors the late Martin Luther King, Jr.

compunction

remorse The judge was especially severe in this sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.

dislodge

remove (forcible) Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food caught in this throat.

penitent

repentant When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and penitent.

rote

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

alliteration

repetition of beginning sound in poetry "The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration.

supplant

replace; usurp Corazon Aquino supplanted Ferdinand Marcos as president of the Philippines.

sedentary

requiring sitting Because he had a sedentary occupation, he decided to visit a gymnasium weekly.

defeatist

resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed.

dutiful

respectful; obedient The dutiful child grew up to be a conscientious adult aware of his civic obligations.

procrastinate

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

effusive

pouring forth; gushing Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them.

indigence

poverty Neither the economists nor the political scientists have found a way to wipe out the inequities of wealth and eliminate indigence from our society.

adversity

poverty, misfortune We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

intuition

power of knowing without reasoning She claimed to know the truth by intuition.

mogul

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

potent

powerful; persuasive; greatly influential The jury was swayed by the highly potent testimony of the crime's sole eyewitness.

puissant

powerful; strong; potent We must keep his friendship for he will make a puissant ally.

impuissance

powerlessness; feebleness The lame duck President was frustrated by his shift from enormous power to relative impuissance.

pragmatic

practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French class.

feasible

practical This is an entirely feasible proposal. I suggest we adopt it.

pragmatist

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

eulogistic

praising To everyone's surprise, the speech was eulogistic rather than critical in tone.

regimen

prescribed diet and habits I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.

stymie

present an obstacle; stump The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation.

overweening

presumptuous; arrogant His overweening pride in his accomplishments was not justified.

sham

pretend He shammed sickness to get out of going to school.

feign

pretend Lady Macbeth feigned illness in the courtyard although she was actually healthy.

dissimulate

pretend; conceal by feigning She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude.

connivance

pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher.

forestall

prevent by taking action in advance By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce.

avert

prevent; turn away She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

asceptic

preventing infection; having a cleansing effect Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced asceptic conditions.

arrogance

pride, haughtiness The arrogance of the nobility was resented by the middle class.

haughtiness

pride; arrogance I resent his haughtiness because he is no better than we are.

conclave

private meeting He was present at all their conclaves as an unofficial observer.

caucus

private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy At the opening of Congress the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the majority leader of the House and the party whip.

idiosyncratic

private; peculiar to an individual Such behavior is idiosyncratic, it is as easily identifiable as a signature.

prerogative

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

dilemma

problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice.

cavalcade

procession; parade As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was motley group.

igneous

produced by fire; volcanic Lava, pumice, and other igneous rocks are found in great abundance around Mount Vesuvius near Naples.

visionary

produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized.

wince

shrink back; flinch. The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.

dwindle

shrink; reduce They spent so much money that their funds dwindled to nothing.

wither

shrivel; decay. Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither.

mawkish

sickening; insipid Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust.

winnow

sift; separate good parts from bad. This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don't bother.

portent

sign; omen; forewarning He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil.

inane

silly; senseless Such comments are inane because they do not help us solve our program.

fusilade

simultaneous firing or outburs (of missiles, questions, etc.) Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture concludes with a thunderous fusilade of cannon fire.

scuttle

sink The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.

ulterior

situated beyond; unstated and often questionable You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it.

dexterous

skillful The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow his movements as he performed his tricks.

gambol

skip; leap playfully Watching children gamboling in the park is a pleasant experience

azure

sky blue azure skies are indicative of good weather.

argot

slang In the argot of the underworld, she "was taken for a ride."

oblique

slanting; deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line The sergeant ordered the men to march "oblique right."

thrall

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

obsequious

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

somnambulist

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

slacken

slow up; loosen As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.

sloth

slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal Note how well the somewhat greenish coat of the sloth enables it to blend in with its arboreal surroundings.

sluggish

slow; lazy; lethargic After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion.

laggard

slow; sluggish The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders.

stealth

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

figurine

small ornamental statuette In the Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird.

steep

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

sodden

soaked; dull, as if from drink He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.

gregarious

sociable Typically, party-throwers are gregarious; hermits are not.

gaffe

social blunder According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a tactical mistake.

glutton

someone who eats too much When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton.

prate

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

inarticulate

speechless; producing indistinct speech He became inarticulate with rage and uttered sounds without meaning.

velocity

speed The train went by at considerable velocity.

tempo

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

celerity

speed; rapidity Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death.

dispatch

speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters, informing his commander of the great victory.

niggle

spend too much time on minor points; carp Let's not niggle over details.

regeneration

spiritual rebirth Modern penologists strive for the regeneration of the prisoners.

cleft

split Erosion caused a cleft in the huge boulder.

cleave

split asunder The lightening cleaves the tree in two.

polarize

split into opposite extremes or camps The abortion issue has polarized the country into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps.

bungle

spoil by clumsy behavior I was afraid you would bungle his assignment but I had no one else to send.

deadlock

standstill; stalemate The negotiations had reached a deadlock.

kindle

start a fire; inspire Her teacher's praise kindled a spark a hope inside her.

parallelism

state of being parallel; similarity There is a striking parallelism between the twins.

inclined

tending or leaning toward; bent Though I am inclined to be skeptical, the witness's manner inclines me to believe his story.

turbulence

state of violent agitation We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean during the storm.

nomenclature

terminology; system of names She struggled to master scientific nomenclature.

balk

stoop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area.

raconteur

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

bastion

stronghold; something seen as a source of protection The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrila raids.

contend

struggle; compete; assert earnestly In Revolt of the Black Athlete, sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes have been exploited by some college recruiters.

refractory

stubborn; unmanageable The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.

headstrong

stubborn; willful; unyielding Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called her a foolish, headstrong girl.

perverse

stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and unacceptable When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims.

anthropologist

student of the history and science of humankind Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric humans in this area.

pore

study industriously; ponder; scrutinize Determined to become a physician, Beth spends hours poring over her anatomy text.

philology

study of language The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an international language.

ethnology

study of mankind Sociology is one aspect of the science of ethnology.

stodgy

stuffy; boringly conservative For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you'd expect someone of his age to have a little more life.

asinine

stupid Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

dolt

stupid person I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself addressing a pack of dolts.

oaf

stupid, awkward person He called the unfortunate waiter a clumsy oaf.

hardy

sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh New England winters.

meek

submissive; patient and long-suffering Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.

rakish

stylish; sporty He wore his hat at a rakish and jaunty angle.

quash

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

subaltern

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

subsidiary

subordinate; secondary This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument.

abate

subside or moderate Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.

emetic

substance causing vomiting The use of an emetic like mustard is useful in cases of poisoning.

humus

substance formed by decaying vegetable matter In order to improve his garden, he spread humus over his lawn and flower beds.

spate

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

connotation

suggested or implied meaning of an expression Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.

indicative

suggestive; implying A lack of appetite may be indicative of a major mental or physical disorder.

forensic

suitable to debate or courts of law In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury.

expedient

suitable; practical; politic A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical.

pertinent

suitable; to the point The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.

dour

sullen; stubborn The man was dour abd taciturn.

conjure

summon a devil; proactive magic; imagine; invent He conjured up an image of a reformed city and had the voters completely under his spell.

redundant

superfluous; excessively wordy; repetitious Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce its length.

supererogatory

superfluous; more than needed or demanded We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be supererogatory.

preponderance

superiority of power, quantity, etc. The rebels sought to overcome the preponderance of strength of the government forces by engaging in guerrilla tactics.

satiate

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

conjecture

surmise; guess I will end all your conjectures; I admit I am guilty as charged.

outrtip

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

capitulate

surrender The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.

extradition

surrender of prisoner by one state to another The lawyers opposed the extradition of their client on the grounds that for more than five years he had been a model citizen.

vulnerable

susceptible to wounds Achilles was vulnerable only in his heel.

abeyance

suspended action The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

leery

suspicious; cautious Don't eat sushi at this restaurant; I'm a bit leery about how fresh it is.

bravado

swagger; assumed air of defiance The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.

miasma

swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud; noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible miasma.

bilk

swindle; cheat The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

bloated

swollen or puffed as with water or air Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water.

methodical

systematic An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records.

doff

take off A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady.

retroactive

taking effect before its enactment (as a law) or imposition (as a tax) Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in February she was eligible for the pension.

loquacious

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

blowhard

talkative boaster After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere, Sally decided he was just another blowhard.

soliloquy

talking to oneself The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions.

obelisk

tall column tapering and ending in a pyramid Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk in New York City's Central Park.

palpable

tangible; easily perceptible I cannot understand how you could overlook such a palpable blunder.

quip

taunt You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments.

pedagogue

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

pedagogy

teaching; art of education Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations in pedagogy, it took years before her teaching techniques became common practice in American schools.

list

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

yore

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

gratuity

tip Many service employees rely more on gratuities than on salaries for their livelihood.

apex

tip; summit; climax He was at the apex of his career.

caption

title; chapter heading; text under illustration I find the captions that accompany these cartoons very clever and humorous.

ethos

underlying character of a culture, group, etc. Seeing how tenderly Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how greatly children were valued in the Spanish ethos.

cede

transfer; yield title to I intend to cede this property to the city.

pellucid

transparent; limpid; easy to understand After reading these stodgy philosophers, I find his pellucid style very enjoyable.

conspiracy

treacherous plot Brutus and Cassius joined in the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar.

perifidious

treacherous; disloyal When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend.

exchequer

treasury He had been Chancellor of the exchequer before his promotion to the office he now holds.

lionize

treat as a celebrity She enjoyed being lionized and adored by the public.

tremor

trembling; slight quiver She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.

tremulous

trembling; wavering She was tremulous more from excitement than from fear.

confidant

trusted friend He had no confidants with whom he could discuss his problems at home.

veracious

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

kaleidoscope

tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc., produce interesting symmetrical effects People found a new source of entertainment while peering through the kaleidoscope; they found the ever- changing patterns fascinating.

deflect

turn aside His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

deviate

turn away from Do not deviate from the truth; you must face the facts.

deify

turn into a god; idolize Admire the rock star all you want; just don't deify him.

petrify

turn to stone His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her.

torque

twisting force; force producing rotation With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the nut the loosen it.

sojourn

temporary stay After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home.

reprieve

temporary stay During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent.

homeostasis

tendency of a system to maintain relative stability A breakdown of the body's immune system severely undermines the body's ability to maintain homeostasis.

contortions

twistings; distortions As the effects of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and demonstrated how much pain she was enduring.

bicameral

two-chambered, as a legislative body The United States Congress is a bicameral body.

equestrian

rider on horseback These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds.

derision

ridicule They greeted his proposal with derision and refused to consider it seriously.

lampoon

ridicule This article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls.

static

unchanging; lacking development Nothing had changed at home; things were static there

invincible

unconquerable Superman is invincible.

indomitable

unconquerable The founders of our country had indomitable willpower.

insensible

unconscious; unresponsive Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems insensible to shame.

bristling

rising like bristles; showing irritation The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

wallow

roll in; indulge in; become helpless. The hippopotamus loves to wallow in the mud.

dilapidated

ruined because of neglect We felt that the dilapidated building needed several coats of paint.

disconcolate

sad The death of his wife left him disconsolate.

jocular

said or done in jest Do not take my jocular remarks seriously.

emolument

salary; compensation In addition to the emolument this position offers, you must consider the social prestige it carries with it.

intersperse

scatter The molecules will intersperse throughout the space according to the second law of thermodynamics.

dispel

scatter; drive away; cause to vanish The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.

machinations

schemes I can see through your wily machinations.

pedant

scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities Her insistence that the book be memorized marked the teacher as a pedant rather than a scholar.

gastronomy

science of preparing and serving good food One of the by-products of his trip to Europe was his interest in gastronomy; he enjoyed preparing and serving foreign dishes to his friends.

postulate

self-evident truth We must accept these statements as postulates before pursuing our discussions any further.

deride

scoff at The people derided his grandiose schemes.

chide

scold Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.

berate

scold strongly He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.

shrew

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

despise

scorn I despise your attempts at a reconciliation at this time and refuse to meet you.

glower

scowl The angry boy glowered at his father.

clandestine

secret After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

surreptitious

secret News of their surreptitious meeting gradually leaked out.

inviolability

security from being destroyed, corrupted or profaned They respected the inviolability of her faith and did not try to change her manner of living.

collateral

security given for loan The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral.

pomposity

self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt Although the commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and general air of parading his own dignity.

continence

self-restraint; sexual chastity She vowed to lead a life of continence.

trigger

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

acuity

sharpness In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

tonsure

shaving of the head, especially by person entering religious orders His tonsure, even more than his monastic garb, indicated that he was a member of the religious order.

molt

shed or cast off hair or feathers The male robin molted in the spring.

manifest

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

disinterested

unprejudiced The only disinterested person in the room was the judge.

mirage

unreal reflection; optical illusion The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.

fantastic

unreal; grotesque; whimsical Your fears are fantastic because no such animal as you have described exists.

arbitrary

unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls.

earthy

unrefined; coarse His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in the audience.

mutinous

unruly; rebellious The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew.

slovenly

untidy; slipshod Such slovenly work habits will never produce good products.

inopportune

untimely; poorly chosen A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation.

apocryphal

untrue; made up To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.

ineffable

unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described.

disinclination

unwilingness Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed.

aloft

upward The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging.

suavity

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

exhort

urge The evangelist will exhort all sinners in his audience to reform.

goad

urge on He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes.

advocate

urge; plead for The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves.

coercion

use of force They forced him to obey, but only by great coercion.

wistful

vaguely longing; sadly pensive. With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study for her exam.

multifarious

varied; greatly diversified A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.

pied

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

diversity

variety; dissimilitude The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of ability are being served.

sundry

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

diverge

vary; go in different directionsfrom the same point The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub.

isotope

varying form of an element The study of the isotopes of uranium led to the development of the nuclear bomb.

conveyance

vehicle; transfer During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances.

tarantula

venomous spider We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.

plumb

vertical Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide.

execrable

very bad The anecdote was in execrable taste and shocked the audience.

gingerly

very carefully To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly.

wary

very cautious. The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.

pernicious

very destructive, harmful He argued that these books had a pernicious effect on young and susceptible minds.

munificent

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

lofty

very high They used to tease him about his lofty ambitions.

momentous

very important On this momentous occasion, we must be very solemn.

myriad

very large number myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight.

infringe

violate; encroach I think your machine infringes on my patent and intend to sue.

transgression

violation of a law; sin Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do.

impetuous

violent; hasty; rash We tried to curb his impetuous behavior because we felt that in his haste he might offend some people.

boisterous

violent; rough; noisy The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.

insomnia

wakefulness; inability to sleep He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he claimed it gave him insomnia.

vagabond

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

errant

wandering Many a charming tale has been written about the knights-errant who helped the weak and punished the guilty during the Age of Chivalry.

nomadic

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

vigilance

watchfulness Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

fluctuation

wavering Meteorologists watch the fluctuations of the barometer in order to predict the weather.

impotent

weak; ineffective Although he wished to break the nicotine habit, he found himself impotent in resisisting the craving for a cigarette.

enervate

weaken She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window evervated her.

foible

weakness; slight fault We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.

languid

weary; sluggish; listless Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

imponderable

weightless I can evaluate the data gathered in this study; the imponderable items are not so easily analyzed.

ponderous

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

eerie

weird In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings.

genteel

well-bred; elegant We are looking for a man with a genteel apperance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner.

fanciful

whimsical; visionary This is a fanciful scheme because it does not consider the facts.

maelstrom

whirlpool The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.

breadth

width; extent We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

pandemonium

wild tumult When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out among the passengers.

lurid

wild; sensational The lurid stories he told shocked his listeners.

vintner

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

adage

wise saying; proverb There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

astute

wise; shrewd That was a very astute observation.

malevolent

wishing evil We must thwart his malevolent schemes.

askance

with a sideways or indirect look Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

incognito

with identity concealed; using an assumed name The monarch enjoyed traveling throughthe town incognito and mingling with the populace.

apropos

with reference to; regarding I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent.

retraction

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

recession

withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the area.

incredulous

withholding belief; skeptical When Jack claimed he hadn't eaten the jelly doughnut, Jill took an incredulous look at his smeared face and laughed.

unique

without an equal; single in kind You have the unique distinction of being the first student whom I have had to fail in this course.

guileless

without deceit He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.

random

without definite purpose, plan, or aim; haphazard Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions when the grand prize went to the sponsor's brother-in-law.

categorical

without exceptions; unqualified; absolute Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally qualified his categorical denial; he was hardly ever sick at sea.

impassive

without feeling; not affected by pain The Native American has been incorrectly depicted as an impassive individual, undemonstrative and stoical.

artless

without guile; open and honest Red Riding Hood's artless comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" indicates the child's innocent surprises at her "grandmother's" changed appearance.

impromptu

without previous preparation Her listeners were amazed that such a thorough presentation could be made in an impromptu speech.

deadpan

wooden; impassive We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

verbatim

word for word He repeated the message verbatim.

epithet

word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing So many kings of France were named Charles that modern students need epithets to tell them apart: Charles the Wise, for example, was someone far different from Charles the Fat.

diffusion

wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas; try to be more compact.

verbose

wordy This article is too verbose; we must edit it.

opus

work Although many critics hailed his Fifth Symphony, he did not regard it as his major opus.

militate

work against Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion.

collaborate

work together Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.

mundane

worldly as opposed to spiritual He was concerned only with mundane matters, especially the daily stock market quotations.

secular

worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal The church leaders decided not interfere in secular matters.

solicitous

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

exacerbate

worsen; embitter This latest arrest will exacerbate the already existing discontent of the people and enrage them.

swathe

wrap around; bandage When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages.

miscreant

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

abject

wretched; lacking pride On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

extort

wring from; get money by threats, etc. The blackmailer extorted money from his victim.

subpoena

writ summoning a witness to appear The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness.

indite

write; compose Cyrano indited many letters for Christian.

annuity

yearly allowance The annuity he set up with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can live very comfortably without working.

jaundiced

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

compliant

yielding He was compliant and ready to go along with his friends' desires.

cession

yielding to another; ceding The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter.

submissive

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

whelp

young wolf, dog, tiger, etc. This collie whelp won't do for breeding, but he'd make a fine pet.

skulduggery

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

palatial

magnificent He proudly showed us through his palatial home.

formidable

menacing; threatening We must not treat the battle lightly for we are facing a formidable foe.

amble

moving at an easy pace When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble.

addle

muddle; drive crazy This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone.

augury

omen; prophecy He interpreted the departures of the birds as an augury of evil.

liquidate

settle accounts; clear up He was able to liquidate all his debts in short period of time.

ordeal

severe trial or affliction Terry Anderson spoke movingly of his long ordeal as a hostage in Lebanon.

rigor

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

polyglot

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

antiseptic

substance that prevents infection It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant.

propellant

substance that propels or drives forward The development of our missile program has forced our scientists to seek more powerful propellants.

serpentine

winding; twisting The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.

migratory

wandering The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring.

brazen

insolent Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

impertinent

insolent I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them.

wizardry

sorcery; magic. Merlin amazed the knights with his wizardry.

canto

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

derogatory

expressing a low opinion I resent your derogatory remarks.

potential

expressing possibility; latent The juvenile delinquent is a potential murderer.

laudatory

expressing praise The critics' laudatory comments helped to make her a star.

eloquence

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

bowdlerize

expurgate After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture's rating was changed from "R" to "PG."

splice

fasten together; unite Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly.

granulate

form into grains Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar.

extricate

free; disentangle He found that he could not extricate himself from the trap.

phobia

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

optimum

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

inverse

opposite There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance.

momentum

quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus The car lost momentum as it tried to ascend the steep hill.

bicker

quarrel The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents.

odium

repugnance; dislike I cannot express the odium I feel at your heinous actions.

solicit

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

discrete

separate; unconnected The universe is composed of discrete bodies.

estranged

separated; alienated The estranged wife sought a divorce.

casualty

serious or fatal accident The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

dismantle

take apart When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before restoring it.

anomalous

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

palpitate

throb; flutter As he became excited, his heart began to palpitate more and more erratically.

barrage

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

exasperate

vex Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks.

rile

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

chagrin

vexation; disappointment Her refusal to go with us filled us with chagrin.

imbecility

weakness of mind I am amazed at the imbecility of the readers of these trashy magazines.

tycoon

wealthy leader John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.

saccharine

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

voyeur

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

lout

clumsy person The delivery boy is an awkward lout.

gauche

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

centurion

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

befuddle

confuse thoroughly His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only on befuddling her further.

muddle

confuse; mix up His thoughts were muddled and chaotic.

confound

confuse; puzzle No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long.

discombobulated

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

hypothetical

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

bemused

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

empirical

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

throng

crowd Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles.

fell

cruel; deadly The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease

tureen

deep dish for serving soup The waiters brought the soup to the tables in silver tureens.

incipient

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

demeanor

behavior; bearing His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.

arrears

being in debt He was in arrears with his payments on the car.

fatalism

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

vituperative

abusive; scolding He became more vituperative as he realized that we were not going to grant him his wish.

chasm

abyss They could not see the bottom of the chasm.

mishap

accident With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.

dissection

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

graduated

arraged by degree (of height, difficulty, etc.) Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the smaller dolls into their larger counterparts.

codify

arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify We need to take the varying rules and regulations of the different health agencies and codify them into a national health code.

abet

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

lax

careless We dislike restaurants where the service is lax and inattentive.

cajole

coax; wheedle I will not be cajoled into granting your wish.

narcissist

conceited person A narcissist is his own best friend.

nexus

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

profound

deep; not superficial; complete Freud's remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound thinker.

dissolution

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

disaffected

disloyal Once the most loyal of Gorbachev's supporters, Shverdnaze found himself becoming increasingly disaffected.

savor

enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality Relishing his triumph, Costner especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure.

egoism

excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in others His egoism prevented him from seeing the needs of his colleagues.

meticulous

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

slapdash

haphazard; careless; sloppy From the number of typos and misspellings I've found on it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably slapdash fashion.

concurrent

happening at the same time In America, the colonists were resisting the demands of the mother contry; at the concurrent moment in France, the middle class was sowing the seeds of rebellion.

ardor

heat; passion; zeal Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause.

colossal

huge Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

levy

impose (a fine); collect (a payment) Crying "No taxation withouth representation," the colonists demonstrated against England's power to levy taxes.

cant

pious phraseology; jargon of criminals Angry that the president had slashed the education budget, we dismissed his speech on the importance of education as mere cant.

incentive

spur; motive Students who dislike school must be given an incentive to learn.

filch

steal The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.

molecule

the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance that has all the properties of that substance In chemistry, we study how atoms and molcules react to form new substances.

histrionic

theatrical He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to paly the role of Hamlet.

nullify

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

roil

to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.

rendition

translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc. The audience cheered enthusiastically as she completed her rendition of the aria.

trek

travel; journey The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game.

fractious

unruly The fractious horse unseated its rider.

insalubrious

unwholesome; not healthful The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion.

colander

utensil with perforated bottom used for straining Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it.

blurt

utter impulsively Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

refrain

v. abstain from; resist n. chorus Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could never refrain from joining in on the refrain.

generality

vague statement This report is filled with generalities; you must be more specific in you statements.

nebulous

vague; hazy; cloudy She had only a nebulous memory of her grandmother's face.

muggy

warm and damp August in New York City is often muggy.

chafe

warm by rubbing The collar chafed his neck.

admonish

warn; reprove He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.

context

writings preceding and following the passage quoted Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the message the author intended.

amiss

wrong; faulty Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss.

nirvana

Buddihist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an impersonal beatitude Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even the buzzing of a fly could distract him from his meditation.

arcade

a covered passageway, usually lined with shops The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.

disarray

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

psychiatrist

a doctor who treats mental diseases A psychiatrist often needs long conferences with his patient before a diagnosis can be made.

disquisition

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

legacy

a gift made by a will Part of my legacy from my parents is an album of family photographs.

scad

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

relinquish

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

ventral

abdominal We shall now examine the ventral plates of this serpent, not the dorsal side.

elaboration

addition of details; intricacy Tell what happened simply, without any elaboration.

addendum

addition; appendix to book Jane's editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an addendum on recent developments in literary criticism.

accessory

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

amiable

agreeable; lovable His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him.

palatable

agreeable; pleasing to the taste Neither Jack's underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to me.

haggle

argue about prices I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am never certain that I paid a fair price for the articles I purchased.

disputatious

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

stemfrom

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

cohorts

armed band Caesar and his Roman cohorts conquered almost all of the known world.

practical

based on experience; useful He was a practical man, opposed to theory

transpire

be revealed; happen When Austen writes the sentence "It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him," her meaning is not that the debts had just been incurred, but the the shocking news had just leaked out.

fructify

bear fruit This peach tree should fructify in three years.

temperament

characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Tod is calm, but Rod is excitable.

lateral

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

sacrilegious

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

reprehensible

deserving blame Your vicious conduct in this situation is reprehensible.

sedulous

diligent The young woman was so sedulous that she received a commendation for her hard work.

caricature

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

primordial

existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.

exegesis

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

default

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

equitable

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

equity

fairness; justice Our courts guarantee equity to all.

purchase

firm grasp or footing The mountaineer struggled to get a proper purchase on the slippery rock.

florid

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

influx

flowing into The influx of refugees into the country has taxed the relief agencies severely.

mellifluous

flowing smoothly; smooth Italian is a mellifluous language.

citadel

fortress The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

buxom

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

colossus

gigantic statue The legendary Colossus of Rhodes, bronze statue of the sun god that dominated the harbor of the Greek seaport, was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

ogle

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

raspy

grating; harsh The sergeant's raspy voice grated on the recruits' ears.

avarice

greed for wealth King Midas's avarice has been famous for centuries.

avid

greedy; eager for He was avid for learning and read everything he could get.

accretion

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

tutelage

guardianship; training Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.

trite

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

arduous

hard; strenuous Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.

eminent

high; lofty After his appointment to this emiment position, he seldom had time for his former friends.

intellect

higher mental powers He thought college would develop his intellect.

apogee

highest point When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.

aghast

horrified He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host.

enormity

hugeness (in a bad sense) He did not realize the enormity of his crime until he saw what suffering he had caused.

humility

humbleness of spirit He spoke with a humility and lack of pride that impressed his listeners.

metaphor

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

chaotic

in utter disorder He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs.

innate

inborn His innate talent for music was soon recognized by his parents.

nascent

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

nonchalance

indifference; lack of interest Few people could understand how he could listen to the news of the tragedy with such nonchalance; the mahority regarded him as callous and unsympathetic.

apathetic

indifferent He felt apathetic about the conditions he had observed and did not care to fight against them.

insouciant

indifferent; without concern or care Your insouciant attitude at such a critical moment indicates that you do not understand the gravity of the situation.

impregnable

invulnerable Until the development of the airplane as a military weapon, the fort was considered impregnable.

opalescent

iridescent The Ancient Mariner admired the opalescent sheen on the water.

anvil

iron block used in hammering out metals After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the anvil.

anomaly

irregularity A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

ineluctable

irresistable; not to be escaped He felt that his fate was ineluctible and refused to make any attempt to improve his lot.

juggernaut

irresistible crushin force Nothing could survive in the path of the juggernaut.

impiety

irreverence; wickedness We must regard your blasphemy as an act of impiety.

quarantine

isolation of a person, place, or ship to prevent spread of infection We will have to place this house under quarantine until we determine the nature of the disease.

seclusion

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

emanate

issue forth A strong odor of sulfur emanated from the spring.

agenda

items of business at a meeting We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

yoke

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

insubstantial

lacking substance; insignificant; frail His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role.

lavish

liberal; wasteful The actor's lavish gifts pleased her.

baleful

menacing; deadly Casting a baleful eye at his successful rival, the rejected suitor stole off, vowing to have his revenge.

medley

mixture The band played a medley of Gershwin tunes.

sacrosanct

most sacred; inviolable The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.

maternal

motherly Many animals display maternal instincts only while their offspring are young and helpless.

gesticulation

motion; gesture Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in whic they appear.

stagnant

motionless; stale; dull The stagnant water was a breeding ground for disease

waft

moved gently by wind or waves. Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window.

regicide

murder of a king or queen The beheading of Mary Queen of Scots was an act of regicide.

myopic

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

natty

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

impenitent

not repentant We could see by his brazen attitude that he was impenitent.

ironic

occurring in an unexpected and contrary manner It is ironic that his success came when he least wanted it.

sporadic

occurring irregularly Although there are still sporadic outbursts of shooting in the streets, the rebellion is essentially over.

eccentricity

oddity; idiosyncrasy Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to strangers as the eccentricity of genius.

piebald

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

senility

old age; feeble mindedness of old age Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the senility of the president.

trappings

outward decorations; ornaments He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet.

manifestation

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

elliptical

oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have been left out An elliptical billiad ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because it is not perfectly clear.

gloss

over explain away No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he had raised the taxes after all.

surmount

overcome He had to surmount many obstacles in order to succeed.

inundate

overflow; flood The tremendous waves inundated the town.

elated

overjoyed; in high spirits Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her Olympic victory.

beneficiary

person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy You may change your beneficiary as often as you wish.

reprobate

person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.

devout

pious The devout man prayed daily.

enrapture

please intensely The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.

luscious

pleasing to taste or smell The ripe peach was luscious.

troth

pledge of good faith especially in betrothal He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always.

fallow

plowed but sowed; uncultivated Farmers have learned that it is advisable to permit land to le fallow every few years.

martrix

point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization.

awl

pointed tool used for piercing She used an awl to punch additional holes in the leather belt she had bought.

muse

ponder For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thought soon changed as he recalled his own personal problems.

doggerel

poorverse Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel.

vogue

popular fashion Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.

presentiment

premonition; foreboding Hamlet felt a presentiment about his meeting with Laertes.

docket

program asfor trial; book where such entries are made The case of Smith v. Jones was entered in the docket for July 15.

interdict

prohibit; forbid Civilized nations must interdict the use of nuclear weapons if we expect out society to live.

inhibit

prohibit; restrain The child was not inhibited in her responses.

extrapolation

projection; conjecture Based on their extrapolation from the results of the primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted that George Bush would be the Republican candidate for the presidency.

salient

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

whiff

puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); hint. The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.

wrest

pull away; take by violence. With only ten seconds left to play, our team wrested victory from their grasp.

wrench

pull; strain; twist. She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap.

chastise

punish I must chastise you for this offense.

pillory

punish by placing in a wooden frame; subject to criticism and ridicule Even though he was mocked and pilloried, he maintained that he was correct in his beliefs.

punitive

punishing He asked for punitive measures against the offender.

castigation

punishment; severe criticism Sensitive even to mild criticism, Woolf could not bear castigation that she found in certain reviews.

retort

quick, sharp reply Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a retort.

cite

quote; commend She could cite passages in the Bible from memory.

compute

reckon; calculate He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate.

recumbent

reclining; lying down completely or in part The command "AT EASE" does not permit you to take a recumbent position.

reactionary

recoiling from progress; retrograde His program was reactionary since it sought to abolish many of the social reforms instituted by the previous administration.

reminiscence

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

sublimate

refine; purify We must strive to sublimate these desires and emotions into worthwhile activities.

meditation

reflection; thought She reached her decision only after much meditation.

abstain

refrain; withhold from participation After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race.

limbo

region near heaven or hell where certain souls are kept Among the divisions of Hell are Purgatory and limbo.

kindred

related; similar in nature or character Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two kindred spirits.

requite

repay; revenge The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.

venerate

revere In China, the people venerate their ancestors.

circuitous

roundabout Because of the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route.

conservatory

school of the fine arts (especiallymusic or drama) A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the conservatory.

sophistry

seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.

specious

seemingly reasonable but incorrect Let us not be misled by such specious arguments.

usurp

seize power; supplant The revolution ended when the victorious rebel leader usurped the throne.

confiscate

seize; commandeer The army confiscated all available supplies of uranium.

truism

self-evident truth Many a truism is well expressed in a proverb.

exemplary

serving as a model; outstanding Her exemplary behavior was praised at commencement.

ancillary

serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own.

premonitory

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

emancipate

set free At first, the attempts of the Abolitioninst to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well as in the South.

carillon

set of bells capable of being played The carillon in the bell tower of the Coca-Cola pavilion at the New York World's Fair provided musical entertainment every hour.

ensconce

settle comfortably The parents thought that their children were ensconced safely in the private school and decided to leave for Europe.

subside

settle down; descend; grow quiet The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.

parable

short, simple story teaching a moral Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this parable teaches.

ephemeral

short-lived; fleeting The mayfly is an ephemeral creature.

skiff

small, light sailboat or rowboat Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.

pallet

small, poor bed The weary traveler went to sleep on his straw pallet.

exiguous

small; minute Grass grew there, an exiguous outcropping among the rocks.

dolorous

sorrowfrl He found the dolorous lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could.

judicious

sound in judgment; wise At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.

capacious

spacious In the capacious areas of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train.

philatelist

stamp-collector When she heard the value of the Penny Black stamp, Phyllis was inspired to become a philatelist.

rout

stampede; drive out The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy

diligence

steadiness of effort; persisten hard work Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm.

plagiarize

steal another's ideas and pass them off as one's own The editor could tell that the writer had plagiarized parts of the article; he could recognize whole paragraphs from the original source.

embezzlement

stealing The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.

agitate

stir up; disturb Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

appurtenances

subordinate possessions He bought the estate and all its appurtenances.

reputed

supposed He is the reputed father of the child.

venison

the meat of a deer The hunters dined on venison.

larceny

theft Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand larceny to petit larceny.

motif

theme This simple motif runs throughout the score.

memento

token; reminder Take this book as a memento of your visit.

trivia

trifles; unimportant matters Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivia.

flippancy

trifling gaiety Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive.

jaunt

trip; short journey He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City.

despotism

tyranny The people rebelled against the despotism of the king.

unintimidating

unfrightening Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Joe Montana, he found the experience unintimidating and relaxing.

ingrate

ungrateful person That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him.

carat

unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold He gave her a diamond that weighed three carats and was mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band.

prophylactic

used to prevent disease Despite all prophylactic measures introduced by the authorities, the epidemic raged until cool weather set in.

foppish

vain about dress and appearance He tried to imitate the foppish manner of the young men of the court.

infinitesimal

very small In the twentieth century, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about the characteristics of infinitesimal objects like the atom and its parts.

mite

very small object or creature; small coin Gnats are annoying mites that sing.

iota

very small quantity She hadn't an iota of common sense.

sinuous

winding; bending in and out; not morally honest The snake moved in a sinuous manner.

gusty

windy The gusty weather made sailing precarious.

peripatetic

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

welter

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

ramble

wander aimlessly (physically or mentally) Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy wondered whether he'd ever get to his point.

dross

waste matter; worhtless impurities Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross.

haggard

wasted away; gaunt After his long illness, he was pale and haggard.

prodigal

wasteful; reckless with money The prodigal son squandered his inheritance.

vacillate

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

sinecure

well-paid position with little responsibility My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.

bedraggle

wet thoroughly We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing.

onomatopoeia

words formed in imitation of natural sounds Words like "rustle" and "gargle" are illustrations of onomatopoeia.

sallow

yellowish; sickly in color We were disturbed by his sallow complexion, which was due to jaundice.

succumb

yield; give in; die I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way.

debutante

yound woman making formal entrance into society As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

condign

adequate; deservedly severe The public approved the condign punishment for the crime.

assent

agree; accept It gives me great pleasure to assent to your request.

accord

agreement She was in complete accord with the verdict.

synthetic

artificial; resulting from synthesis During the twentieth century, many synthetic products have replaced the natural products.

append

attach I shall append this chart to my report.

prattle

babble The children prattle endlessly about their new toys.

encumber

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

tranquillity

calmness; peace After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests.

serenity

calmness; placidity The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion.

rescind

cancel Because of public resentment, the king had to rescind his order.

prehensile

capable of grasping or holding Monkeys use not only their arms and legs but also their prehensile tails in traveling through the trees.

viable

capable of maintaining life; practicable; workable The infant, though prematurely born, is viable and has a good chance to survive.

ambidextrous

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

vagary

caprice; whim She followed every vagary of fashion.

whimsical

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

coalesce

combine; fuse The brooks coalesce into one large river.

plenary

complete; full The union leader was given plenary power to negotiate a new contract with the employers.

integral

complete; necessary for completeness Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are complementary.

absolute

complete; totally unlimited; certain Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

fathom

comprehend; investigate I find his motives impossible to fathom.

constraint

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

egotism

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

smirk

conceited smile Wipe that smirk off your face!

obfuscate

confuse; muddle Do not obfuscate the issues by dragging in irrelevant arguments.

censorious

critical censorious people delight in casting blame.

anathematize

curse The high priest anathematized the heretic.

dank

damp The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.

inveterate

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

ingrained

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

slander

defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements Unless you can prove your allegations, your remarks constitute slander.

carnage

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

resolution

determination Nothing could shake his resolution to succeed despite all difficulties.

resolve

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

squalid

dirty; neglected; poor It is easy to see how crime can breed in such a squalid neighborhood.

calamity

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

discernible

distinguishable; perceivable The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog.

awry

distorted; crooked He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night.

perturb

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

dubious

doubtful He has the dubious distinction of being the lowest man in his class.

equivocal

doubtful; ambiguous Macbeth was misled by the equivocal statements of the witches.

misgivings

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

ferret

drive or hunt out of hiding She was ferreted out their secret.

rapport

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

libido

emotional urges behind human activity The psychiatrist maintained that suppression of the libido often resulted in maladjustment and neuroses.

exorbitant

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

fanaticism

excessive zeal The leader of the group was held responsible even though he could not control the fanaticism of his followers.

superfluous

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

pretext

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

impeccable

faultless He was proud of his impeccable manners.

gaudy

flashy; showy Her gaudy taste in clothes apalled us.

flux

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

glib

fluent He is a glib and articulate speaker.

voluble

fluent; glib She was a voluble speaker, always ready to talk.

retinue

following; attendants The queen's retinue followed her down the aisle.

quadruped

four-footed animal Most mammals are quadrupeds.

shard

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

porous

full of pores; like a sieve Dancers like to wear porous clothing because it allows the ready passage of water and air.

obsequy

funeral ceremony Hundreads paid their last respects at his obsequies.

hindmost

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

serendipity

gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity when the apple dropped on his head.

benefactor

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

mammoth

gigantic The mammoth corporations of the twentieth century are a mixed blessing

titanic

gigantic titanic waves beat aginst the shore during the hurricane.

pendulous

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

adamant

hard, inflexible He was adamant in his determination to punish the wrongdoer.

callous

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

partiality

inclination; bias As a judge, not only must I be unbiased, but I must also avoid any evidence of partiality when I award the prize.

proclivity

inclination; natural tendency The cross old lady has a proclivity to grumble.

daunt

intimidate Your threats cannot daunt me.

devoid

lacking He was devoid of any personal desire for gain in his endeavor to secure improvement in the community.

incontinent

lacking self-restraint His incontinent behavior off stage shocked many people and they refused to attend the plays and movies in which he appeared.

dirge

lament with music The funeral dirge stirred us to tears.

peon

landless agricultural worker; bond servant The land reformers sought to liberate the peons and establish them as independent farmers.

parlance

language; idiom All this legal parlance confuses me; I need an interpreter.

missive

letter The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State.

prevaricate

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

queue

line They stood patiently in the queue outside the movie theatre.

coeval

living at the same time as; contemporary coeval with the dinosaur, the pterodactyl flourished during the Mesozoic era.

vernacular

living language; natural style Cut out those old-fashioned "thee's" and "thou's" and write in the vernacular.

abominate

loathe; hate Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.

repugnance

loathing She looked at the snake with repugnance.

patois

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

yen

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

retrospective

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

introspective

looking within oneself We all have our introspective moments during which we examine our souls.

episodic

loosely connected Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic.

languish

lose animation; lose strength In stories, lovelorn damsels used to languish and pine away.

steadfast

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

fidelity

loyalty A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite household pet.

decoy

lure or bait The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy.

entice

lure; attract; tempt She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief.

lascivious

lustful Because they might arouse lascivious impulses in their readers, the lewd books were banned by the clergy.

libidinous

lustful They objected to his libidinous behavior.

bask

luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep.

supine

lying on back The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas.

calumny

malicious misrepresentation He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

ductility

malleability; flexibility; ability to be drawn out Copper wire has many industrial uses because of its extreme ductility.

inimitable

matchless; not able to be imitated We admire Auden for his inimitable use of language; he is one of a kind.

labyrinth

maze Tom and Becky were lost in the labyrinth of secret caves.

scanty

meager; insufficient Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.

denotation

meaning; distinguishing by name A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will always give us its connotation.

niggardly

meanly stingy; parsimonious The niggardly pittance the widow receives from the government cannot keep her from poverty.

cloister

monastery or convent The nuns lived in the cloister.

whinny

neigh like a horse. When he laughed through his nose, it sounded as if he whinnied.

patrician

noble; aristocratic We greatly admired her well-bred, patrician elegance

clamor

noise The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap.

passive

not active; acted upon Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance as he felt that it was more effective than violence and acts of terrorism.

nutrient

nourishing substance As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic nutrients.

docile

obedient; easily managed As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast.

missile

object to be thrown or projected Scientists are experimenting with guided missiles.

recalcitrant

obstinately stubborn Donkeys are reputed to be the most recalcitrant of animals.

indignity

offensive or insulting treatment Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the indignities heaped upon him, he was inwardly very angry.

immolate

offer as a sacrifice The tribal kind offered to immolate his daughter to quiet the angry gods.

tender

offer; extend Although no formal changes had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should tender his resignation.

auxiliary

offering or providing help; additional or sub-sidiary To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station.

incumbent

officeholder The newly elected public official received valuable advice from the present incumbent.

liaison

officer who acts as go-between for two armies; intermediary As the liason, he had to avoid offending the leaders of the two armies.

functionary

official As his case was transferred from one functionary to another, he began to despair of ever reaching a settlement.

unctous

oily; bland; insincerely suave Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his "'umility."

unguent

ointment Apply this unguent to the sore muscles before retiring.

passe

old-fashioned; past the prime Her style is passe and reminiscent of the Victorian era.

caste

one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society, social stratification; prestige The differences created by caste in India must be wiped out if true democracy is to prevail in that country.

pacifist

one opposed to force; antimilitarist The pacifists urged that we reduce our military budget and recall our troops stationed overseas.

apostate

one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.

malingerer

one who feigns illness to escape duty The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work.

optometrist

one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects Although an optometrist is qualified to treat many eye disorders, she may not use medicinesor surgery in her examinations.

reaper

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

introvert

one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself In his poetry, he reveals that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems.

agnostic

one who is skeptical of the existence of knowability of a god or any ultimate reality The agnostic demanded proof before she would accept the statement of the minister.

hireling

one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously) In a matter of such importance, I do not wish to deal with hirelings; I must meet with the chief.

seep

ooze; trickle During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards.

overt

open to view According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.

gape

open widely The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in.

gambit

opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed The player was afraid to accept his opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not see.

aria

operatic solo At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma.

provenance

origin or source of something I am not interested in its provenance; I am more concerned with its usefulness than with its source.

prototype

original work used as a model by others The crude typewriter on display in this museum is the prototype of the elaborate machines in use today.

epaulet

ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.) The shoulder loops on Sam Spade's trench coat are the nonmilitary counterparts of the fringed epaulets on George Washington's uniform.

frieze

ornamental band on a wall The frieze of the church was adorned with sculpture.

brooch

ornamental clasp She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.

flamboyant

ornate Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.

proscribe

ostracize; banish; outlaw Antony, Octavius and Lepidus proscribed all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.

travail

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

absolve

pardon (an offense) The father confessor absolved him of his sins.

whittle

pare; cut off bits. As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.

proscenium

part of stage in front of curtain In the theater-in-the-round there can be no proscenium or proscenium arch.

translucent

partly transparent We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.

faction

party; clique; dissension The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions within the club disturbed the majority of the members.

trajectory

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

resignation

patient submissiveness; statement that one is quitting a job If Bob Cratchit had not accepted Scrooge's bullying with timid resignation, he might have gotten up the nerve to hand in his resignation.

stipend

pay for services There is a nominal stipend for this position.

pseudonym

pen name Samuel Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain.

gentry

people of standing; class of people just below nobility The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the community.

divine

perceive intuitively; foresee the future Nothing infuriated Tom more than Aunt Polly's ability to divine when he was not telling the truth.

epitome

perfect example or embodiment Singing "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General Stanley proclaimed himself the epitome of an officer and a gentleman.

stickler

perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right The Internal Revenue Service agent was a stickler for accuracy; no approximations or rough estimates would satisfy him.

interregnum

period between two reigns Henry VIII desperately sought a male heir because he feared the civil strife that might occur if any prolonged interregum succeeded his death.

epoch

period of time The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of years.

problematic

perplexing; unsettled: questionable Given the many areas of conflict still awaiting resolution, the outcome of the peace talks remains problematic.

magnate

person of prominence or influence The steel magnate decided to devote more time to city politics.

founder

person who establishes (an organization, business) Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus chain.

arbiter

person with power to decide a matter in a dispute; judge As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

pontifical

pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious From the very beginning of his ministry it was clear from his pontifical pronouncements that John was destined for a high pontifical office.

rustic

pertaining to country people; uncouth The backwoodsman looked out place in his rustic attire.

inductive

pertaining to induction or preceeding from the specific to the general The discovery of the planet Pluto is an excellent example of the results that can be obtained from inductive reasoning.

linguistic

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

graphic

pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described I was particularly impressed by the graphic presentation of the storm.

stellar

pertaining to the stars He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance.

sylvan

pertaining to the woods; rustic His paintings of nymphs in sylvan backgrounds were criticized as oversentimental.

germane

pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand The lawyer objected that the testimony being offered was not germane to the case at hand.

relevant

pertinent; referring to the case in hand Teri was impressed by how relevant Virginia Woolf's remarks were to her as a woman writer; it was as if Woolf had been writing with Teri's situation in mind.

badger

pester; annoy She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.

carping

petty criticism; fault-finding Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexy appreciated her editor's comments, finding them free of carping.

topography

physical features of a region Before the generals gave the order to attack, they ordered a complete study of the topography of the region.

obstetrician

physician specializing in delivery of babies Unlike midwives, who care for women giving birth at home, obstetricians generally work in a hospital setting.

oculist

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

juxtapose

place side by side Comparison will be easier if you juxtapose the two objects.

arboretum

place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited Walking along the treelined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores.

gratify

please Her parents were gratified by her success.

pillage

plunder The enemy pillaged the quiet village and left it in ruins.

strut

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

prognosticate

predict I prognosticate disaster unless we change our wasteful ways.

endue

provide with some quality; endow He was endued with a lion's courage.

wrangle

quarrel; obtain through arguing; herd cattle. They wrangled over their inheritance.

haphazard

random; by chance His haphazard reading left him unaquainted with the authors of the books.

knavery

rascality We cannot condone such knavery in public officials.

allude

refer indirectly Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him.

thematic

relating to a unifying motif or idea Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss is underlying thematic import.

schematic

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

chronicle

report; record (in chronological order) The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities.

nemesis

revenging agent Captain Bligh vowed to be Christian's nemesis.

resurgent

rising again after defeat, etc. The resurgent nation surprised everyone by its quick recovery after total defeat.

exposure

risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the elements; unmasking; act of laying something open Exposure to sun and wind had dried out her hair and weathered her face.

fleece

rob; plunder The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.

dearth

scarcity The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

paucity

scarcity They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.

seminary

school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman Catholic seminary.

jurisprudence

science of law He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the law.

anchor

secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place.

primogeniture

seniority by birth By virtue of primogeniture, in some cultures the first-born child has many privileges denied his brothers and sisters.

touchy

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

sentinel

sentry; lookout Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around the encampment.

sunder

separate; part Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.

mangy

shabby; wretched We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed.

hovel

shack; small, wretched house He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel.

fetter

shackle The prisoner was fettered to the wall.

nuance

shade of difference in meaning or color The unskilled eye of the layperson has difficulty in dicerning the nuances of color in the paintings.

doddering

shaky; infirm from old age Although he is not as yet a doddering and senile old man, his ideas and opinions no longer can merit the respect we gave them years ago.

angular

sharp-cornered; stiff in manner His features, though angular, were curiously attractive.

acrid

sharp; bitterly pungent The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

hone

sharpen To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care.

whet

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

ostentatious

showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling place in the East: it easily outglitters its competitors.

scintilla

shred; least bit You have not produced a scintilla of evidence to support your argument.

hazy

slightly obscure In hazy weather, you cannot see the top of this mountain.

hummock

small hill The ascent of the hummock is not difficult and the view from the hilltop is ample reward tor the effort.

spangle

small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.

vent

small opening; outlet The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.

writhe

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

protrude

stick out His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves.

surrogate

substitute For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.

gouge

tear out In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes out.

tantalize

tease; torture with disappointment Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.

overhaul

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

gentility

those of gentle birth; refinement Her family was proud of its gentility and elegance.

trident

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

flail

thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about In medieval times, warriors flailed their foe with a metal ball attached to a handle.

frugality

thrift; economy In these economically difficult days businesses must practice frugality or risk bankruptcy.

improvident

thriftless He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to "save for a rainy day."

pulsate

throb We could see the blood vessels in his temple pulsate as he became more angry.

precipitate

throw headlong; hasten The removal of American political support appeared to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos regime.

embroil

throw into confusion He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.

jettison

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

fulminate

thunder; explode The people against whom she fulminated were innocent of any wrongdoing.

titillate

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

taut

tight; ready The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.

quisling

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

equable

tranquil; steady; uniform After the hot summers and cold winters of New England, he found the climate of the West Indies equable and pleasant.

disdain

treat with scorn or contempt You make enemies of all you disdain.

feint

trick; shift; sham blow The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and dropped his guard.

ruse

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

superficial

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

petty

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

pest

troublesome or annoying person He was a pest; always bothering people.

torso

trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk This torso, found in the ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.

veracity

truthfulness Trying to prove Hill a liar, Senator Spector repeatedly questioned her veracity.

irresolute

uncertain how to act; weak She had no respect for him because he seemed weak-willed and irresolute.

indeterminate

uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite That interest rates shall rise appears certain; when they will do so, however, remains indeterminate.

precarious

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

inequity

unfairness In demanding equal pay for equal work, women protest the basic inequity of a system that allots greater financial rewards to men.

adverse

unfavorable; hostile adverse circumstances compelled him to close his business.

hapless

unfortunate This hapless creature had never known a moment's pleasure.

untoward

unfortunate; annoying Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.

canard

unfounded rumor It is almost impossible to protect oneself from such a base canard.

inimical

unfriendly; hostile She felt that they were inimical and were hoping for her downfall.

unscathed

unharmed They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.

fusion

union; coalition The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of disgruntled groups and became an important element in the election.

fluke

unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune When Douglass defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, some sportscasters dismissed his victory as a fluke.

implausible

unlikely; unbelievable Though her alibi seened implausible, it in fact turned out to be true.

indifferent

unmoved; lacking concern Because she felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to his constant proposals.

derivative

unoriginal; obtained from another source Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

heterodox

unorthodox; unconventional To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun was disturbingly heterodox.

intractable

unruly; refractory The horse was intractable and refused to enter the starting gate.

unassuaged

unsatisfied; not soothed Her anger is unassuaged by your apology.

abortive

unsuccessful; fruitless We had to abandon our abortive attempts.

untenable

unsupportable I find your theory untenable and must reject it.

unsullied

untarnished I am happy that my reputation is unsullied.

rectitude

uprightness He was renowned for his rectitude and integrity.

integrity

uprightness; wholeness Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time.

instigate

urge; start; provoke I am afraid that this statement will instigate a revolt.

exigency

urgent situation In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies.

importunate

urging; demanding He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his allowance arrived.

substantiate

verify; support I intend to substantiate my statement by producing witnesses.

toga

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

saga

Scandinavian myth; any legend This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.

grimace

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

minion

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

pittance

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

incredulity

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

renounce

abandon; disown; repudiate Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her belief that her voices came from God.

prescience

ability to foretell the future Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan.

aberrant

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

anarchy

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

distrait

absentminded Because of his concentration on the problem, the professor often appeared distrait and unconcerned about routine.

assimilate

absorb; cause to become homogenous The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride.

riveting

absorbing; engrossing The reviewer described Byatt's novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, he had finished it in a single evening.

celibate

abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried Though the late Havelock Ellis wrote extensively about sexual customs and was considered an expert in such matters, recent studies maintain he was celibate throughout his life.

recondite

abstruse; profound; secret He read many recondite books in order to obtain the material for the scholarly thesis.

preposterous

absurd; ridiculous When the candidate tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled, we all thought, "What a preposterous excuse!"

plenitude

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

incarnation

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

vivisection

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

repulsion

act of driving back; distaste The repulsion of the enemy forces was not accomplished bloodlessly; many of the defenders were wounded in driving the enemy back.

orientation

act of finding oneself in society Freshman orientation provides the incoming students with an opportunity to learn about their new environment and their place in it.

summation

act of finding the total, summary In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses.

volition

act of making a conscious choice She selected this dress of her own volition.

diversion

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

vicarious

acting as a substitute; done by a deputy Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen.

formality

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

viscid

adhesive; gluey The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.

contiguous

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

compromise

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

espouse

adopt; support She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.

embellish

adorn My mother-in-law's stories about her journey from Russia made us laugh because she embellished the bare facts of her travels with humourous acecdotes.

enhance

advance; improve Your chances for promotion in this department will be enhanced if you take some more courses in evening school.

precocious

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

dissuade

advise against He could not dissuade his friend from joining the conspirators.

suffragist

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

mannered

affected; not natural Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.

mincing

affectedly dainty Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.

lackadaisical

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

gustatory

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

posthumous

after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death) The critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the posthumous publication of his last novel that they recognized his great talent.

catalyst

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

emissary

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

ferment

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

accede

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

concur

agree Did you concur with the decision of the court or did you find it unfair?

winsome

agreeable; gracious; engaging. By her winsome manner, she made herself liked by everyone who met her.

compact

agreement; contract The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government.

truculence

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

succor

aid; assistance; relief We shall be ever grateful for the succor our country gave us when we were in need.

dilettante

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

desultory

aimless; haphazard; digressing at random In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him reading was purposeful, not desultory.

omniscient

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

omnipotent

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

waylay

ambush; lie in wait. They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home.

rider

amendment or clause added to a legislative bill Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster's tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add an antipollution rider to the bill.

reparation

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

yield

amount produced; crop; income on investment. An experienced farmer can estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy.

disport

amuse The popularity of Florida as a winter resort is constantly increasing; each year, thousands more disport themselves at Miami and Palm Beach.

beguile

amuse; delude; cheat I beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.

concession

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

alias

an assumed name John Smith's alias was Bob Jones.

assay

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

progenitor

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

forebears

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

papyrus

ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant The ancient Egyptians were among the first to write on papyrus.

cherubic

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

wrath

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

irate

angry When John's mother found out that he had overthrown his checking account for the third month in a row, she was so irate that she could scarcely speak to him.

parasite

animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant The tapeworm is an example of the kind of parasite that may infest the human body.

gadfly

animal-biting fly; an irritating person Like a gadfly, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty eight hours, everyone regarded him as an annoying busybody.

fauna

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

harass

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

gall

annoy; chafe Their taunts galled him.

vex

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

nettle

annoy; vex Do not let him nettle you with his sarcastic remarks.

irksome

annoying; tedious He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to perform.

gyroscope

apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc. By using a rotating gyroscope, they were able to stabilize the vessel, counteracting the rolling movements of the sea. 114. - apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.

ostensible

apparent; professed; pretended Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products.

verisimilitude

appearance of truth; likelihood Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.

mitigate

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

propitiate

appease The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.

accost

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

apposite

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

approbation

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

ratify

approve formally; verify Before the treaty could go into effect, it had to be ratified by the president.

sanction

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

endorse

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

plauditory

approving; applauding The theatrical company reprinted the plauditory comments of the critics in its advertisement.

felicitous

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

conduit

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

fervid

ardent Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.

fervent

ardent; hot She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.

incite

arouse to action The demogogue incited the mob to take action into its own hands.

advent

arrival Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them.

hubris

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

presumptous

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

choreography

art of dancing Martha Graham introduced a form of choreography that seemed awkward and alien to those who had been brought up on classic ballet.

dialectic

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

treatise

article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.

sluice

artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water In times of drought, this sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation.

affected

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

factitous

artificial; sham Hollywood actresses often create factitious tears by using glycerine.

sophistication

artificiality; unnaturalness; act of employing sophistry in reasoning Sophistication is an acquired characteristic, found more frequently among city dwellers than among residents of rural areas.

attribute

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

ashen

ash-colored; deadly pale Her face was ashen with fear.

assail

assault He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

convene

assemble Because much is needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in special session by January 15.

acquiesce

assent; agree passively Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made.

consort

associate with We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort.

posture

assume an affected pose; act artificially No matter how much Arnold boasted or postured, I could not believe he was as important as he pretended to be.

supposititious

assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical I find no similarity between your supposititious illustration and the problem we are facing.

quiescent

at rest; dormant After this geyser erupts, it will remain quiescent for twenty-four hours.

moribund

at the point of death The doctors called the family to the bedside of the moribund patient.

heinous

atrocious; hatefully bad Hitler's heinous crimes will never be forgotten.

affix

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

engage

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

personable

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

comely

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

impute

attribute; ascribe If I wished to impute blame to the officers in charge of this program, I would state my feelings definitely and immediately.

magisterial

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

proxy

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

loath

averse; reluctant They were both loath for him to go.

antipathy

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

eschew

avoid He tried to eschew all display of temper.

shirk

avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.

temporize

avoid committing oneself; gain time I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today.

accolade

award of merit In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

unwieldy

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

hinterlands

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

thwart

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

equilibrium

balance After the divorce, he needed some time to regain his equilibrium.

equipoise

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

embargo

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

rusticate

banish to the country; dwell in the country I like city life so much that I can never understand how people can rusticate in the suburbs.

quizzical

bantering; comical; humorously serious Will Rogers' quizzical remarks endeared him to his audiences.

chaffing

bantering; joking Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us.

dote

be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the littel rascals, too.

appreciate

be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks ave her, whose value appreciated considerably over the years.

stint

be thrifty; set limits "Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements.

nib

beak; pen point The nibs of fountain pens often become clotted and corroded.

comport

bear one's self; behave He comported himself with great dignity.

fruition

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

ursine

bearlike; pertaining to a bear Because of its ursine appearance, the great panda has been identified with the bears; actually, it is closely related to the raccoon.

bestial

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

pummel

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

lambaste

beat; thrash verbally or physically It was painful to watch the champion lambaste his opponent, tearing into him mercilessly.

calligraphy

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

pulchritude

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

ingratiate

become popular with He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good graces.

degenerate

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

novice

beginner Even a novice can do good work if he follows these simple directions.

tyro

beginner; novice For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results.

subservient

behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious He was proud and dignified; he refused to be subservient to anyone.

decapitate

behead They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her.

ubiquitous

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

monotheism

belief in one God Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism.

pessimism

belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess The good news we have been receiving lately indicates that there is little reason for your pessimism.

hedonism

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

disparage

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

subliminal

below the threshold We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking.

genuflect

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

refraction

bending of a ray of light When you look at a stick inserted in water, it looks bent because of the refraction of the light by the water.

beleaguer

besiege As soon as the city was beleaguered, the life became more subdued as the citizens began their long wait for outside assitance.

indenture

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

astringent

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

obligatory

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

stringent

binding; rigid I think these regulations are too stringent.

mordant

biting; sarcastic; stinging Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.

diatribe

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

rancor

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

gall

bitterness; nerve The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall.

outlandish

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

necromancy

black magic; dealings with the dead Because he was able to perform feats of necromancy, the natives thought he was in league with the devil.

denigrate

blacken All attempts to denigrate the character of our late President have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.

reproach

blame; censure I want my work to be above reproach and without error

censure

blame; criticize He was censured for his inappropriate behavior.

unimpeachable

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

blanch

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

hallowed

blessed; consecrated She was laid to rest in hallowed ground.

beatitude

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

benediction

blessing The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

boon

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

chauvinist

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

filibuster

block legislation by making long speeches Even though we disapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to filibuster endlessly to keep an issue from coming to a vote.

gory

bloody The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre.

sanguinary

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

doldrums

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

brusque

blunt; abrupt She was offended by his brusque reply.

obtuse

blunt; stupid Because he was so obtuse, he could not follow the teacher's reasoning and asked foolish questions.

palette

board on which a painter mixes pigments At the present time, art supply stores are selling a paper palette that may be discarded after use.

vaunted

boasted; bragged; highly publicized This much vaunted project proved a disappointment when it collapsed.

braggart

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

magniloquent

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

vainglorious

boastful; excessively conceited She was a vainglorious and arrogant individual.

braggadocio

boasting He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio.

regatta

boat or yacht race Many boating enthusiasts followed the regatta in their own yachts.

revelry

boisterous merrymaking New Year's Eve is a night of revelry.

obstreperous

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

dauntless

bold Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.

temerity

boldness; rashness Do you have the temerity to argue with me?

stilted

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

catechism

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

churlish

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

abut

border upon; adjoin Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

verge

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

maritime

bordering on the sea; nautical The maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth.

blase

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

ennui

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

tedium

boredom; weariness We hope this radio will help overcome the tedium of your stay in the hospital.

overbearing

bossy; arrogant; decisively important Certain of her own importance and of the unimportance of everyone else, Lady Bracknell was intolerably overbearing in manner. "In choosing a husband," she said, "good birth is of overbearing importance; compared to that, neither wealth nor talent signifie

abysmal

bottomless His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

obeisance

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

pugilist

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

dichotomy

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

ramification

branching out; subdivision We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.

valor

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

fortitude

bravery; courage He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.

fray

brawl The three musketeers were in the thick of fray.

fracas

brawl; melee The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents.

respiration

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

fancier

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

concise

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

laconic

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

glossary

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

compendium

brief, comprehensive summary This text can serve as a compendium of the tremendous amount of new material being developed in this field.

resplendent

brilliant; lustrous The toreador wore a resplendent costume called a suit of lights.

nonplus

bring to a halt by confusion; perplex Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

incur

bring upon oneself His parents refused to pay any future debts he might incur.

rationalization

bringing into conformity with reason All attempts at rationalization at this time are doomed to failure; tempers and emotions run too high for intelligent thought to prevail.

farce

broad comedy; mockery Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce.

spatula

broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing The manufacturers of this frying pan recommended the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the specially treated surface.

sibling

brother or sister We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong to the same family.

contusion

bruise She was treated for contusions and abrasions.

atrocity

brutal deed In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

bugaboo

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

fabricate

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

voluminous

bulky; large Despite her family burdens, she kept up a voluminous correspondence with her friends.

browbeat

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

ruffian

bully; scoundrel The ruffians threw stones at the police.

sheaf

bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.

incubus

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

onus

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

onerous

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

cauterize

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

smolder

burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.

caustic

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

inter

bury They are going to inter the body tomorrow ar Broadlawn Cemetry.

entrepreneur

businessperson; contractor Opponents of our present tax program argue that it discourages entrepreneurs from trying new fields of business activity.

wheedle

cajole; coax; deceive by flattery. She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.

catastrophe

calamity The Johnstown flood was a catastrophe.

actuarial

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

fanfare

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

evoke

call forth He evoked much criticism by his hostile manner.

invoke

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

dispassionate

calm; impartial In a dispassionate analysis of the problem, he carefully examined the causes of the conflict and proceeded to suggest suitable remedies.

phlegmatic

calm; not easily disturbed The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.

allay

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

halcyon

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

imperturbable

calm; placid Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation in spite of the hyteria and panic all around him.

sedative

calming drug or influence It is dangerous to drive after taking the sedative; it brings drowsiness.

equanimity

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

reparable

capable of being repaired Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were reparable and our car looks brand new.

malleable

capable of being shaped by pounding Gold is a malleable metal.

tensile

capable of being stretched Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes.

enthrall

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

thrifty

careful about money; economical A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.

inadvertently

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

negligence

carelessness negligence can prove costly near complicated machinery.

scabbard

case for a sword blade; sheath The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.

quiver

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

descry

catch sight of In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

pander

cater to the low desires of others The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses' taste of violence.

bane

cause of ruin Lack of public transportation is the bane of urban life.

stultify

cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had stultified his mind.

supersede

cause to be set aside; replace This regulation will supersede all previous rules.

nauseate

cause to become sick; fill with disgust The foul smells began to nauseate him.

leaven

cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in volume.

germinate

cause to sprout; sprout After the seeds germinate and develop their permanent leaves, the plants may be removed from the cold frames and transplanted to the garden.

engender

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

pathetic

causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching Everyone in the auditorium was weeping by the time he finished his pathetic tale about the orphaned boy.

chary

cautious; sparing or restrained about giving A prudent, thrifty New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary compliments.

luminary

celebrity; dignitary A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical luminary whose name lives on.

reprove

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

pivotal

central; critical De Klerk's decision to set Nelson Mandela free was pivotal; without Mandela's release, there was no possibility that the African National Cogress would entertain talks with the South African government.

ordination

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

shackle

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

hap

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

veer

change in direction After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.

gerrymander

change in voting district lines in order to favor a political party The illogical pattern of the map of this congressional district is proof that the state legislature gerrymandered this area in order to favor the majority party.

metamorphosis

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

vicissitude

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

ossify

change or harden into bone When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he implied that his adversary's brain had ossified and that he was not capable of clear thinking.

transmute

change; convert to something different He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.

volatile

changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly The political climate today is extremely volatile: no one can predict what the electorate will do next.

fickle

changeable; faithless He discovered his supposedly faithful girlfriend was fickle

mutable

changing in form; fickle His opinion were mutable and easily influenced by anyone who had any powers of persuasion.

migrant

changing its habitat; wandering These migrant birds return every spring.

impeach

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

mountebank

charlatan; boastful pretender The patent medicine man was a mountebank.

quack

charlatan; impostor Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.

idyllic

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

babble

chatter idly The little girl babbled about her doll.

tawdry

cheap and gaudy He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island.

swindler

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

fraudulent

cheating; deceitful The government seeks to prevent fraudulent and misleading advertising.

stanch

check flow of blood It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.

stem

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

alacrity

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

sanguine

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

geniality

cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor, who tries to make everyone happy.

masticate

chew We must masticate our food carefully and slowly in order to avoid digestive disorders.

ruminate

chew the cud; ponder We cannot afford to wait while you ruminate upon these plans.

cardinal

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

puerile

childish His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.

infantile

childish; infantlike When will he outgrow such infantile behavior?

prelate

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

rotunda

circular building or hall covered with a dome His body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol.

obsidian

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

friction

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

talon

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

purge

clean by removing impurities; clear of changes If you are to be purged of the charge of contempt of Congress, you must be willing to answer the questions previously asked.

expurgate

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

exculpate

clear from blame He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal confessed.

vindicate

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

perspicuity

clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear.

repartee

clever reply He was famous for his witty repartee and his sarcasm.

shrewd

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

precipice

cliff; dangerous position Suddenly Indiana Jones found himself dangling from the edge of a precipice.

clamber

climb by crawling She clambered over the wall.

scale

climb up; ascend To locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.

compress

close; squeeze; contract She compressed the package under her arm.

bludgeon

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

maladroit

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

abusive

coarsely insulting; physically harmful An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.

bleak

cold; cheerless The Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts.

clavicle

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

amass

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

agglomeration

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

hue

color; aspect The aviary contained birds of every possible hue.

spectrum

colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.

pigment

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

militant

combative; bellicose Althoughat this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more militant attitude.

pugnacious

combative; disposed to fight As a child he was pugnacious and fought with everyone.

merger

combination (of two business corporations) When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't a marriage, it was a merger.

compound

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

amalgamate

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

synthesis

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

accrue

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

intervene

come between She intervened in the argument between her two sons.

converge

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

solace

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

malapropism

comic misuse of a word When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she confuses "allegory" and "allegator" in a typical malapropism.

travesty

comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous The ridiculous decision the jury has arrived at is a travesty of justice.

fiat

command I cannot accept government by fiat; I feel that I must be consulted.

ordain

command; arrange; consecrate The king ordained that no foreigner should be allowed to enter the city.

enjoin

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

memorialize

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

perpetrate

commit an offense Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.

plebeian

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

hackneyed

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

tumult

commotion; riot; noise She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.

analogous

comparable She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.

simile

comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as "My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile.

remunerative

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

lexicographer

compiler of a dictionary The new dictionary is the work of many lexicographers who spent years compiling and editing the work.

grouse

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

consummate

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

unanimity

complete agreement We were surprised by the unanimity with which our proposals were accepted by the different groups.

complement

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

imbroglio

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

improvise

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

sedate

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

brevity

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

coda

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

peroration

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

anemia

condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia.

compliance

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

disconcert

confuse; upset; embarrass The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.

hubbub

confused uproar The marketplace was a scene of hubbub and excitement.

scrupulous

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

flagrant

conspicuously wicked We cannot condone such flagrant violations of the rules.

collusion

conspiring in a fraudulent scheme The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

solecism

construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms.

trough

container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.) The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along in the trough between two waves.

tainted

contaminated; corrupt Health authorities are always trying to prevent the sale and use of tainted food.

antithesis

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

polemic

controversy; argument in support of point of view Her essays were, for the main part, polemics for the party's policy.

amenities

convenient features; courtesies In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler -- fax machines, modems, a health club -- the hotel offers the services of a butler versed in social amenities.

cogent

convincing She presented cogent arguments to the jury.

replica

copy Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom or in the auditorium?

facsimilie

copy Many museums sell facsimilies of the works of art on display.

transcribe

copy When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr.Smith and keep the original for our files.

rectify

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

disabuse

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

reconcile

correct inconsistencies; become friendly after a quarrel Every time we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite these monthly lovers' quarrels, we always manage to reconcile.

emend

correct, usually a text The critic emended the book by retranslating several passages.

amend

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

emendation

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

congruence

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

vitriolic

corrosive; sarcastic Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.

debauch

corrupt; make intemperate A vicious newspaper can debauch public ideals.

perversion

corruption; turning from right to wrong Inasmuch as he had no motive for his crimes, we could not understand his perversion.

barrister

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

mentor

counselor; teacher During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for the teacher was sympathetic and understanding.

recrimination

countercharges Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his accusations.

bogus

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

yokel

country bumpkin. At school, his classmates regarded him as a yokel and laughed at his rustic mannerisms.

pluck

courage Even the adversaries of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy's pluck in trying to rescue the archeological treasure they had stolen.

mettle

courage; spirit When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination to hold the lead.

tribunal

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

affable

courteous Although he held a position of responsibility, he was an affable individual and could be reached by anyone with a complaint.

deference

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

chivalrous

courteous; faithful; brave chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.

comity

courtesy; civility A spirit of comity should exist among nations.

fawning

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

glaze

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

pusillanimous

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

quail

cower; lose heart He was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

bovine

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

machiavellian

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

hurtle

crash; rush The runaway train hurtled toward disaster.

grovel

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

statutory

created by statute or legislative action The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes.

fissure

crevice The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.

malefactor

criminal We must try to bring these malefactors to justice.

juncture

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

animadversion

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

pan

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

askew

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

horde

crowd Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers.

diadem

crown The king's diadem was on display at the museum.

pulverize

crush or grind into very small particles Before sprinkling the dried herbs into the stew, Michael first pulverized them into a fine powder.

wily

cunning; artful. She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.

therapeutic

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

panacea

cure-all; remedy for all diseases There is no easy panacea that will solve our complicated international situation.

imprecation

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

malediction

curse The witch uttered maledictions against her captors.

execrate

curse; express abhorrence for The world execrates the memory of Hitler and hopes that genocide will never again be the policy of any nation.

aquiline

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

convex

curving outward He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

wont

custom; habitual procedure. As was his wont, he jogged two miles every morning before going to work.

excise

cut away; cut out When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit.

prune

cut away; trim With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her manuscript into publishable form.

retrench

cut down; economize If they were to be able to send their children to college, they would have to retrench.

dismember

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

amputate

cut off part of body; prune When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports.

truncate

cut the top off The top of the cone that has been truncated in a plane parallel to its base is a circle.

hew

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

trenchant

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

incisive

cutting; sharp His incisive remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans.

diurnal

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

quotidian

daily; commonplace; customary To Philip, each new day of his internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as merely quotidian routine.

marred

damaged; disfigured She had to refinish the marred surface of the table.

perdition

damnation; complete ruin Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition.

hazardous

dangerous Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your application.

swarthy

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

opaque

dark; not transparent The opaque window kept the sunlight out of the room.

obscure

dark; vague; unclear Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure.

eclipse

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

murkiness

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

reverie

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

defunct

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

stalemate

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

lethal

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

demise

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

libertine

debauched person, roue Although she was aware of his reputation as a libertine, she felt she could reform him and help him break his dissolute way of life.

decomposition

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

decadence

decay The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

guile

deceit; duplicity She achieved her high position by guile and treachery.

delude

deceive Do not delude yourself into believing that he will relent.

hoodwink

deceive; delude Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he was extremely cautious when he went to purchase a used car.

illusory

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

resolve

decide; settle; solve Homes resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between Irene Adler and the King.

hatch

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

manifesto

declaration; statement of policy The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism.

decipher

decode I could not decipher the doctor's handwriting.

garnish

decorate Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato.

adorn

decorate Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple.

infer

deduce; conclude We must be particularly cautious when we infer that a person is guilty on the basis of circumstantial evidence.

exploit

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

libelous

defamatory; injurious to the good name of a person He sued the newspaper because of its libelous story.

discredit

defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve The campaign was highly negative in tone; each candidate tried to discredit the other.

foil

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

rampart

defensive mound on earth "From the ramparts we watched" as the fighting continued.

apotheosis

deification; glorification The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too, would be exalted to the rank of a god.

respite

delay in punishment; interval of relief; rest The judge granted the condemned man a respite to enable his attorneys to file an appeal.

demur

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

belated

delayed He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just learned of her husband's untimely death.

dilatory

delaying Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the contract.

finesse

delicate skill The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon impressed the observers in the operating room.

filigree

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

render

deliver; provide; represent He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.

acquittal

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

cataclysm

deluge; upheaval A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries.

hallucination

delusion I think you were frightened by a hallucination that you created in you own mind.

peremptory

demanding and leaving no choice From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.

laborious

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

negation

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

nihilism

denial of traditional values; total skepticism nihilism holds that existence has no meaning.

centigrade

denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius) On the centigrade thermometer, the freezing point of water is zero degrees.

atheistic

denying the existence of God His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

abscond

depart secretly and hide The teller absconded with the bonds and was not found.

turpitude

depravity A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.

despondent

depressed; gloomy To the dismay of his parents, he became more and more depondent every day.

disenfranchise

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

bereft

deprived of; lacking The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.

devolve

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

deducible

derived byreasoning If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.

renegade

deserter; traitor Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade.

defection

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

venerable

deserving high respect We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.

invidious

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

annihilate

destroy The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

raze

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

obliterate

destroy completely The tidal wave obliterated several island villages.

defoliate

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

demolition

destruction One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the bombing of rail lines and the terminals.

holocaust

destruction by fire Citizens of San Francisco remember that the destruction of the city was caused not by the earthquake but by the holocaust that followed.

canvass

determine or seek opinions, votes, etc. After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his district.

depose

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

die

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

diabolical

devilish This scheme is so diabolical that I must reject it.

sensual

devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptous I cannot understand what caused him to drop his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.

lexicon

dictionary I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

divergent

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

fastidious

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

quarry

dig into They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside.

exhume

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

unearth

dig up When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.

disinter

dig up; unearth They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

quandary

dilemma When the two colleges to which he had applied accepted him, he was in a quandary as to which one he should attend.

assiduous

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

application

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

sap

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

refectory

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

protocol

diplomatic etiquette We must run this state dinner according to protocol if we are to avoid offending any of our guests.

subsidy

direct financial aid by government, etc. Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets.

dire

disastrous People ignored her dire predictions of an approaching depression.

exude

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

chasten

discipline; punish in order to correct Whom God loves, God chastens.

faze

disconcert; dismay No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.

disjointed

disconnected His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

dissonance

discord Some contemporary musicians deliberately use dissonance to achieve certain effects.

cacophony

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

dishearten

discourage His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him.

bandy

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

sardonic

disdainful; sarcastic; cynical The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people as amusing and others as rude.

unravel

disentangle; solve With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.

ignominious

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

fulsome

disgustingly excessive His fulsome praise of the dictator annoyed his listeners.

provident

displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies In his usual provident manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.

sanctimonious

displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.

clemency

disposition ot be lenient; mildness, as of the weather The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders.

refute

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

contest

dispute The defeated candidate attempted to contest the election results.

notoriety

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

profilgate

dissipated; wasteful; licentious In this profilgate company, she lost all sense of decency.

girth

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

cloying

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

unsavory

distasteful; morally offensive People with unsavory reputations should not be allowed to work with young children.

tribulation

distress; suffering After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through, we need this rest.

ramify

divide into branches or subdivisions When the plant begins to ramify, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches.

stratified

divided into classes; arranged into strata As the economic gap between the rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified.

bifurcated

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

stanza

division of a poem Do you know the last stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

severance

division; partition; separation The severance of church and state is a basic principle of our government.

schism

division; split Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.

vertigo

dizziness We test potential plane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo.

quay

dock; landing place Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

hegemony

dominance, especially of one nation over others As one Eastern European nation after another declared its independence, commentators marveled at the sudden breakdown of the once monolithic Soviet hegemony.

nocturnal

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

latent

dormant; hidden Her latent talent was discovered by accident.

potion

dose (of liquid) Tristan and Lsolde drink a love potion in the first act of the opera.

deplicity

double-dealing; hypocrisy People were shocked and dismayed when they learned of his duplicity in this affair, as he had always seemed honest and straightforward.

impugn

doubt; challenge; gainsay I cannot impugn your honesty without evidence.

skeptic

doubter; person who suspends judgment until he has examined the evidence supporting a point of view. In this matter, I am a skeptic; I want proof.

declivity

downward slope The children loved to ski down the declivity.

conscript

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

liability

drawback; debts Her lack of an extensive vocabulary was a liability that she was able to overcome.

pensive

dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness The pensive youth gazed at the painting for a long time and then sighed.

flotsam

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

tipple

drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently He found that his most enjoyable evenings occurred when he tippled with his friends at the local pub.

swill

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

quaff

drink with relish As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the gay songs of the students in the tavern.

apothecary

druggist In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills.

prosaic

dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual Though the ad writers had come up with a highly creative campaign to publicize the company's newest product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic, down-to-earth approach.

drab

dull; lacking color; cheerless The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore beneath it.

humdrum

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

dingy

dull; not fresh; cheerless Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and windows and hanging bright posters on the walls.

stolidity

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

effigy

dummy The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in effigy.

gnome

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

zeal

eager enthusiasm. Wang's zeal was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent enthusiasm for the cause.

levee

earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding As the river rose and threatened to overflow the levee, emergency workers rushed to reinforce the walls with sandbags.

bulwark

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

palliate

ease pain; make less severe or offensive If we cannot cure this disease at present, we can, at least try to palliate the symptoms.

assuage

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

brittle

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

combustible

easily burned After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible materials be kept in safe containers.

queasy

easily nauseated; squeamish As the ship left the harbor, he became queasy and thought that he was going to suffer from seasickness.

resonant

echoing; resounding; deep and full in sound The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particulary effective when he appears on stage.

periphery

edge, especially of a round surface He sensed that there was something just beyond the periphery of his vision.

articulate

effective; distinct Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.

maudlin

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

resilient

elastic; having the power of springing back Highly resilient, steel makes excellent bedsprings.

component

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

dismiss

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

manumit

emancipate; free from bondage Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil slavery in the country.

abash

embarrass He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

reek

emit (odor) The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke.

detached

emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with her patients' perssonal lives.

underscore

emphasize Adressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.

vacuous

empty; lacking in ideas; stupid The candidate's vacuous remarks annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes

embed

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

environ

enclose; surround Paris was environed by a wall

aviary

enclosure for birds The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

hortatory

encouraging; exhortive The crowd listened to his hortatory statements with ever-growing excitement; finally they rushed from the hall to carry to his suggestions.

interminable

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

incarnate

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

weather

endure the effects of weather or other forces. He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide.

gusto

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

amplify

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

prodigious

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

astronomical

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

incense

enrage; infuriate Unkindness to children incensed her.

mire

entangle; stick in swampy ground Their rear wheels became mired in mud.

regale

entertain John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.

verve

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

ovation

enthusiastic applause When Placido Domingo came on stage in the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous ovation.

devotee

enthusiastic follower A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

allure

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

gamut

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

entree

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

suppliant

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

ambience

environment; atmosphere She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

milieu

environment; means of expression His milieu is watercolors, although he has produced excellent oil paintings and lithographs.

tantamount

equal Your ignoring their pathetic condition is tantamount to the murder.

commensurate

equal in extent Your reward will be commensurate with your effort.

parity

equality; close resemblance I find your analogy inaccurate because I do not see the parity between the two illustrations.

accoutre

equip The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply

paraphernalia

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

quibble

equivocate; play on words Do not quibble; I want a straightforward and definite answer.

delete

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

blunder

error The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture.

misapprehension

error; misunderstanding To avoid msapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.

gist

essence she was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentence.

attribute

essential quality His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

substantive

essential; pertaining to the substance Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the substantive issues.

intrinsically

essentially; inherently; naturally Although my grandmother's china has intrinsically little value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it evokes.

appraise

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

assessment

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

elusive

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

perpetual

everlasting Ponce de Leon hoped to find perpetual youth.

biennial

every two years The group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones.

sinister

evil We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall.

gestate

evolve, as in prenatal growth While this scheme was being gestated by the conspirators, they maintained complete silence about their intentions.

precise

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

inflated

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

autopsy

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

scrutinize

examine closely and critically Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private's uniform.

collate

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

surpass

exceed Her SAT scores surpassed out expectations.

transcend

exceed; surpass This accomplishment transcends all our previous efforts.

plethora

excess; overabundance She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.

uxorious

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

hypercritical

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

obese

excessively fat It is advisable that obese people try to lose weight.

tightwad

excessively frugal person; miser Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check.

rapacious

excessively grasping; plundering Hawks and other rapacious birds prey on variety of small animals.

prude

excessively modest or proper person The X-rated film was definitely not for prudes.

ornate

excessively or elaborately decorated Furniture of the Baroque period can be recognized by its ornate carvings.

garrulous

excessively talkative, especially about unimportant subjects; loquacious; wordy Many club members avoided the company of the garrulous junior executive because his contant chatter bored them to tears.

iridescent

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

expatriate

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

egress

exit Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and instead found themselves in the street.

dilate

expand In the dark, the pupils of your eyes dilate.

distend

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

oust

expel; drive out The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office.

sustain

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

seasoned

experienced Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned players on the team.

belabor

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

elucidate

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

construe

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

explicate

explain; interpret; clarify Harry Levin explicated James Joyce's novels with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed comprehensible to his students.

legend

explanatory list of symbols on a map The legend at the bottom of the map made it clear which symbols stood for rest areas along the highway and which stood for public camp sites.

expository

explanatory; serving to explain The mannual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece of expository prose: its explanations were so garbled that I couldn't even figure out how to rewind a tape.

probe

explore with tools The surgeon probed the wound for foreign matter before suturing it.

detonation

explosion The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away.

debunk

expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule Pointing out that he conhsistently had voted afainst strenghtening antipollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate's claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.

traduce

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

jeopardy

exposure to death or danger Legally, one cannot be placed in double jeopardy.

vent

express; utter He vented his wrath on his class.

tirade

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

extrinsic

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

pterodactyl

extinct flying reptile The remains of pterodactyls indicate that these flying reptiles had a wingspan of as much as twenty feet.

ravenous

extremely hungry The revenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.

stentorian

extremely loud The town crier had stentorian voice.

blatant

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

virulent

extremely poisonous The virus is highly virulent and has made many of us ill for days.

destitute

extremely poor The costs of the father's illness left the family destitute.

minute

extremely small The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart.

lilliputian

extremely small Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale.

minuscule

extremely small Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for success?

astigmatism

eye defect that prevents proper focus As soon as his parents discovered that the boy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the optometrist for corrective glasses.

founder

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

philanderer

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

ravel

fall apart into tangles; unravel or untwist; entangle A sigle thread pulled loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.

spurious

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

renown

fame For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.

conversant

familiar with The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

zealot

fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal. It is good to have a few zealots in our group for their enthusiasm is contagious.

beget

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

captious

faultfinding His criticisms were always captious and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions.

propitious

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

authoritarian

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

auspicious

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

nepotism

favoritism (to a relative) John left his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepotism rather than ability.

intimidation

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

claustrophobia

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

hydrophobia

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

xenophobia

fear or hatred of foreigners. When the refugee arrived in America, he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there.

trepidation

fear; trembling agitation We must face the enemy without trepidation if we are to win this battle.

timorous

fearful; demonstrating fear His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment.

apprehensive

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

intrepid

fearless For his intrepid conduct in battle, he was promoted.

practicable

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

lineaments

features, especially of the face She quickly sketched the lineaments of his face.

feckless

feeble, ineffective; unthinking, irresponsible Einstein was noted for his extraordinary inspirations; on the other hand, he was noted for being feckless in his daily chores.

simulate

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

visceral

felt in one's inner organs She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster.

vixen

female fox; ill-tempered woman Aware that she was right once again, he lost his temper and called her a shrew and a vixen.

ewe

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

amazon

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

frond

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

luxuriant

fertile; abundant; ornate Farming was easy in this luxuriant soil.

fecundity

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

febrile

feverish In his febrile condition, he was subject to nightmares and hallucinations.

mercurial

fickle; changing He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.

capricious

fickle; incalculable The storm was capricious and changed course constantly.

demoniac

fiendish The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture.

melee

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

dossier

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

replenish

fill up again Before she could take another backpacking trip, Carla had to replenish her stock of freeze-dried foods.

fraught

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

replete

filled to capacity; abundantly supplied The book is replete with humorous situations.

sordid

filthy; base; vile The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless.

ultimate

final; not susceptible to further analysis Scientists are searching for the ultimate truths.

aversion

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

inherent

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

spasmodic

fitful; periodic The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers.

propriety

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

aptitude

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

moodiness

fits of depression or gloom We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness.

rig

fix or manipulate The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked in his candidate's favor.

obsession

fixed idea; continued brooding This obsession with the supernatural has made him unpopular with his neighbors.

flaccid

flabby His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.

panache

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

meretricious

flashy; tawdry; falsely attractive Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious.

delta

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

blandishment

flattery Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

adulation

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

sherbet

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

excoriate

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

armada

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

fugitive

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

evanescent

fleeting; vanishing For a brief moment, the entire skyline was bathed in an orange-red hue in the evanescent rays of the sunset.

carnal

fleshly The public was more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters.

limber

flexible Hours of ballet classes kept him limber.

pliant

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

supple

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

lithe

flexible; supple Her figure was lithe and willowy.

pliable

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

sleazy

flimsy; unsubstantial This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well.

levitate

float in the air (especially by magical means) As the magician passed his hands over the recumbent body of his assistant, she appeared to rise and levitate about three feet above the table.

deluge

flood; rush When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

parquet

floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosic-like pattern. In laying the floor, the carpenters combined redwood and oak in an elegant parquet.

confluence

flowing together; crowd They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.

flit

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

balk

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

ensue

follow The evils that ensued were the direct result of the miscalculations of the leaders.

subsequent

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

endearment

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

victuals

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

viand

food There was a variety of viands at the feast.

ambrosia

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

duress

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

prognosis

forecasted course of a disease; prediction If the doctor's prognosis is correct, the patient will be in a coma for at least twenty-four hours.

paramount

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

precursor

forerunner Though Gray and Burns share many traits with the Romantic poets who followed them, most critics consider them precursors of the Romantic Movement, not true Romantics.

vanguard

forerunners; advance forces We are the vanguard of a tremendous army that is following us.

bode

foreshadow; portend The gloomy skies and the sulfurious odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.

presage

foretell The vultures flying overhead presaged the discovery of the corpse in the desert.

portend

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

oracular

foretelling; mysterious Oedipus could not understand the oracular warning he received.

premonition

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

oblivion

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

venial

forgivable; trivial We may regard a hugry man's stealing as a venial crime.

polity

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

satire

form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking human folly.

discourse

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

rubble

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

aromatic

fragrant Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

redolent

fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor Even though it is February, the air is redolent of spring.

chassis

framework and working parts of an automobile Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the chassis was unharmed.

candor

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

gratis

free The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products.

congeal

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

frenetic

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

furor

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

scruple

fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary.

repine

fret; complain There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.

querulous

fretful; whining His classmates were repelled by his querulous and complaining statements.

amicable

friendly The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words.

debonair

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

amity

friendship Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.

purveyor

furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell.

nugatory

futile; worthless This agreement is nugatory for no court will enforce it.

consensus

general agreement The consensus indicates that we are opposed to entering into this pact.

fester

generate pus When her finger began to fester, the doctor lanced it and removed the splinter that had caused the pus to form.

magnanimity

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

benevolent

generous; charitable His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.

unfeigned

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

spectral

ghostly We were frightened by the spectral glow that filled the room.

vampire

ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampires.

burlesque

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

foreshadow

give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure In retrospect, political analysts realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his emergence as the dominant figure of the new Russian republic.

relent

give in When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor.

yield

give in; surrender. The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe.

waive

give up temporarily; yield. I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision.

forgo

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

gratuitous

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

jocose

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

carafe

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

saturnine

gloomy Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.

somber

gloomy; depressing From the doctor's grim expression, I could tell he had somber news.

fervor

glowing ardor Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love.

disembark

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

retrograde

go backwards; degenerate Instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture.

traverse

go through or across When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.

objective

goal; aim A degree in medicine was her ultimate objective.

chalice

goblet; consecrated cup In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous European goldsmiths were on display.

devious

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

transition

going from one state of action to another During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.

bullion

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

prosperity

good fortune; financial success; physical well-being Promising to stay together "for richer, for poorer," the newlyweds vowed to be true to one another in prosperity and hardship alike.

jovial

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

camaraderie

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

oligarchy

government by a few The feudal oligarchy was supplanted by an autocracy.

theocracy

government of a community by religious leaders Some Pilgrims favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England.

gerontocracy

government ruled by old people Gulliver visited a gerontocracy in which the young people acted as servants to their elders, all the while dreaming of the day they would be old enough to have servants of their own.

monarchy

government under a single hereditary ruler with varying degrees of power England today remains a monarchy.

encroachment

gradual intrusion The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate.

attrition

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

herbivorous

grain-eating Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food.

vouchsafe

grant condescendingly; guarantee I can safely vouchsafe you fair return on your investment.

demure

grave; serius; coy She was demure and reserved.

conflagration

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

clout

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

cataract

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

magnitude

greatness; extent It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.

patina

green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly taken by varnished painting Judging by the patina on this bronze statue, we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist.

lament

grieve; express sorrow Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in combat.

gruesome

grisly People screamed when her gruesome appearance was flashed on the screen.

lechery

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

killjoy

grouch; spoilsport At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that killjoy John started talking about how bad animal fats and cholesterol were for our health.

archipelago

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

junta

group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the junta.

trilogy

group of three works Romain Rolland's novel Jean Christophe was first published as a trilogy.

burgeon

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

wane

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

proliferate

grow rapidly; spread; multiply Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage countless get-rich-quick schemes to proliferate

macabre

gruesome; grisly The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated.

warranty

guarantee; assurance by seller. The purchaser of this automobile is protected by the manufacturer's warranty that he will replace any defective part for five years or 50,000 miles.

surmise

guess I surmise that he will be late for this meeting.

remorse

guilt; self-reproach The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.

recidivism

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

taciturn

habitually silent; talking a little New Englanders are reputedly taciturn people.

hackles

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

coiffure

hairstyle You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the 60's many African-Americans affirmed their racial heritage by wearing their hair in Afros.

somnolent

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

factotum

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

pendant

hanging down from something Her pendant earrings glistened in the light.

compatible

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

concord

harmony Watching Tweediedum and Tweedledee battle, Alice wondered why the two brothers could not manage to life in concord.

consonance

harmony; agreement Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm.

conformity

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

raucous

harsh and shrill His raucous laughter irritated me and grated on my ears.

severity

harshness; plainness The newspapers disapproved of the severity of the sentence.

expedite

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

misogynist

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

misogamy

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

concentric

having a common center The target was made of concentric circles.

malignant

having an evil influence; virulent This is a malignant disease; we must have to use drastic measures to stop its spread.

odorous

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

clairvoyant

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

anthropomorphic

having human form or characteristics Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics.

perspicacious

having insight; penetrating; astute The brillant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions.

multilingual

having many languages Because they are bordered by so many countries, the Swiss people are multilingual.

versatile

having many talents; capable of working in many fields He was a versatile athlete; at college he had earned varsity letters in baseball, football, and track.

ciliated

having minute hairs The paramecium is a ciliated, one-celled animal.

monochromatic

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

preempt

head off; forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself; supplant Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue, the candidate set out her own plan to revitalize the public schools.

promontory

headland They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their nearness to the shore.

precipitate

headlong; rash Do not be precipitate in this matter; investigate further.

salubrious

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

hale

healthy After a brief illness, he was soon hale.

pyre

heap of combustible material, esp. for burning a corpse. The mortician put pyre on the corpse before burning a corpse.

calorific

heat-producing Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

celestial

heavenly She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter.

ballast

heavy substance used to add stability or weight The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an even keel.

communal

held in common; of a group of people When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property.

recluse

hermit The recluse lived in a hut in the forest.

halting

hesitant; faltering Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words.

falter

hesitate When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once.

secrete

hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism. The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans.

cache

hiding place The detectives followed the suspects until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot.

glaring

highly conspicuous; harshly bright glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume will unfavorably impress potential employers.

agog

highly excited; intensely curious We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a monastery.

prodigy

highly gifted child; marvel Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.

baroque

highly ornate Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing.

impede

hinder; block The special prosecutor determined that the Attorney General, though inept, had not intentionally set out to impede the progress of the investigation.

intimate

hint She intimated rather than stated her preferences.

tenure

holding of an office; time during which such an office is held He was permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired.

retentive

holding; having a good memory The pupil did not need to spend much time in study as he had a retentive mind.

concave

hollow The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff.

domicile

home Althoughhis legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away from his residence for many years.

waif

homeless child or animal. Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif.

vagrant

homeless wanderer Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a vagrant.

nostalgia

homesickness; longing for the past The first settlers found so much work to do that they had little time for nostalgia.

fete

honor at a festival The returning hero was feted at a community supper and dance.

kudos

honor; glory; praise The singer complacently received kudos on his performance from his entourage.

homage

honor; tribute In her speech she tried to pay homage to a great man.

ghastly

horrible The murdered man was a ghastly sight.

animus

hostile feeling or intent The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

antagonistic

hostile; opposed Despite his lawyers' best efforts to stop him, the angry prisoner continued to make antagonistic remarks to the judge.

behemoth

huge creature; something of monstrous size or power Sportcasters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth."

gargantuan

huge; enormous The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice.

mortify

humiliate; punish the flesh She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.

indulgent

humoring; yielding; lenient indulgent parents spoil their children by giving in to their every whim.

facetious

humorous; jocular Your facetious remarks are not appropriate at this serious moment.

scavenge

hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers' yards.

quixotic

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

ideology

ideas of a group of people That ideology is dangerous to this country because it embraces undemocratic philosophies.

contraband

illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods The coast guard tries to prevent contraband in U.S. waters.

paramour

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

fictitious

imaginary Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious.

utopia

imaginary land with perfect social and political system Shangri-la was the name of James Hilton's Tibetan utopia.

ape

imitate or mimic He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.

mimicry

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

pastiche

imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing We cannot even say that her music is a pastiche of this or that composer; it is rather, reminiscent of many musicians.

incorporeal

immaterial; without a material body We must devote time to the needs of our incorporeal mind as well as our corporeal body.

unfledged

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

sophomoric

immature; shallow Your sophomoric remarks are a sign of your youth and indicate that you have not given much thought to the problem.

inscrutable

impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards behind a so-called poker face.

impermeable

impervious; not permitting passage through its substance This new material is impermeable to liquids.

causal

implying a cause-and-effect relationship The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood experiences and one's adult personality.

grandiose

imposing; impressive His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.

prestige

impression produced by achievements or reputation The wealthy man sought to obtain social prestige by contributing to popular charities.

susceptible

impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease He was a very susceptible young man, and so his parents worried that he might fall into bad company.

august

impressive; majestic Visiting the palace at Versailes, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

grandeur

impressiveness; stateliness; majesty No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada range.

incarcerate

imprison The warden will incarcerate the felon after conviction.

immure

imprison; shut up in confinement For the two weeks before the examination, the student immureed himself in his room and concentrated upon his studies.

implacable

incapable of being pacified Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family.

invulnerable

incapable of injury Achilles was invulnerable except in his heel.

sadistic

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

factious

inclined to form factions; causing dissension. Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists.

prone

inclined to; prostrate She was prone to sudden fits of anger.

comprise

include; consist of If the District of Columbia were to be granted a statehood, the United States of America would comprise fifty-onestates, not just fifty.

irreconsilable

incompatible; not able to be resolved Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce.

partial

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

unobtrusive

inconspicuous; not blatant The secret service agents in charge of protecting the President tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

augment

increase How can we hope to augment our forces when our allies are deserting us?

aggrandize

increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank or honor The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.

bawdy

indecent; obscene She took offense at his bawdy remarks.

allusion

indirect reference the allusions to mythological characters in Milton's poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin.

mealymouthed

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

incontrovertible

indisputable We must yield to the incontrovertible evidence that you have presented and free your client.

unerringly

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

opprobrium

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

contagion

infection Fearing contagion, they took drastic steps to prevent the spread of the disease.

illimitable

infinite Human beings, having explored the far corners of the earth, are now reaching out into illimitable space.

apprise

inform When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.

impinge

infringe; touch; collide with How could they be married without impinging on one another's freedom?

epitaph

inscription in memory of a dead person In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone.

interpolate

insert between She talked so much that I could not interpolate a single remark.

foist

insert improperly; palm off I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group.

perceptive

insightful; aware; wise Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic, she had her blind sports: she could never see flaws in the work of her friends.

inconsequential

insignificant; unimportant Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken the wine glass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's inconsequential."

vapid

insipid; inane She delivered an uninspired and vapid address.

edify

instruct; correct morally Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused and not enlightened.

slur

insult to one's character or reputation; slander Polls revealed that the front-runner's standing had been damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by his opponent's staff.

slight

insult to one's dignity; snub Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary slights.

affront

insult; offend Accustomed to being treated with respect, Miss Challoner was affronted by Vidal's offensive behavior.

insuperable

insurmountable; invincible In the face of insuperable difficulties they maintained their courage and will to resist.

intelligentsia

intellectuals; members of the educated elite She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia.

frigid

intensely cold Alaska is in the frigid zone.

purport

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

willful

intentional; headstrong. Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder, not a crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful youth unable to foresee the consequences of his deeds.

symbiosis

interdependent relationship (between groups, species), often mutually beneficial Both the crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis; pecking away at food particles embedded in the crocodile's teeth, the bird derives nourishment; the crocodile, meanwhile, derives proper dental hygiene.

meddlesome

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

expletive

interjection; profane oath The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that offended the new recruits.

misconstrue

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

knotty

intricate; difficult; tangled What to Watson had been a knotty problem to Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself.

incorporate

introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite Breaking with precedent, President Truman ordered the military to incorporate blacks into every branch of the armed services.

prelude

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

prefactory

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

preamble

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

withdrawn

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

interloper

intruder The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade.

figment

invention; imaginary thing That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination.

energize

invigorate; make forceful and active Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing energized her.

tonic

invigorating medicine The tonic water invigorated her, contrary to the enervating effect of the alcohol.

impious

irreverent The congregation was offended by her impious remarks.

irascible

irritable; easily angered Her irascible temper frightened me.

rankle

irritate; fester The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.

pique

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

retain

keep; employ Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection campaign.

decimate

kill, usually one out of ten We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.

humane

kind His humane and considerate treatment of the unfortunate endeared him to all.

ignite

kindle; light When Desi crooned, "Baby, light my fire," literal-minded Lucy looked around for some paper to ignite.

benign

kindly; favorable; not malignant The old man was well liked because of his benign attitude toward friend and stranger alike.

realm

kingdom; sphere The realm of possibilities for the new invention was endless.

affinity

kinship She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains.

consanguinity

kinship The lawsuit developed into a test of the consanguinity of the claimant to the estate.

cognizance

knowledge During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international situation.

apathy

lack of caring; indifference A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote.

discrepancy

lack of consistency; difference The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.

incongruity

lack of harmony; absurdity The incongruity of his wearing sneakers with formal attire amused the observers.

imprudent

lacking caution; injudicious It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and become overheated when you are unwell.

insipid

lacking in flavor; dull Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle.

frivolous

lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he could ever be serious.

spartan

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

jargon

language used by special group; gibberish We tried to understand the jargon of the peddlers in the market place but could not find any basis for comprehension.

lassitude

languor; weariness The hot, tropical weather created a feeling of lassitude and encouraged drowsiness.

galleon

large sailing ship The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the British, on the smaller and faster pinnace.

statute

law We have many statutes in our law books which should be repealed.

litigation

lawsuit Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to start litigation.

shyster

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

laity

laypersons; persons not connected with the clergy The laity does not always understand the clergy's problems.

indolence

laziness He outgrew his youthful indolence to become a model of industry and alertness on the job.

sloth

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

sluggard

lazy person "You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite," the angry father shouted at his lazy son.

inveigle

lead astray; wheedle She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance.

livid

lead-coloredl; black and blue; ashen; enraged His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.

gaunt

lean and angular; barren His once-round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weight.

pundit

learned Hindu; any learned person; authority on a subject Even though he discourses on the matter like a pundit, he is actually rather ignorant about this topic.

erudite

learned; scholarly His erudite writing was difficult to read because of the many allusions which were unfamiliar to most readers.

bequeath

leave to someone by means of a will; hand down In his will, Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy.

lien

legal claim on a property There was a delay before Ralph could take possession of his late uncle's home; apparently, another claimant had a lien upon the estate.

moratorium

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

usury

lending money at illegal rates of interest The loan shark was found guilty of usury.

depreciate

lessen in value If you neglect this properly, it will depreciate.

diminution

lessening; reduction in size The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as soon as the diminution of the enemy's supplies became serious.

bate

let down; restrain Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity.

anticlimax

letdown in thought or emotion After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.

torpor

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

equivocate

lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his remarks.

inanimate

lifeless she was asked to identify the still and inanimate body.

ethereal

light; heavenly; fine Visitors were impressed by her ethereal beauty, her delicate charm.

jaunty

lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree In Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way throughtthe lighthearted title number in a properly jaunty style.

cadaverous

like a corpse; pale From his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.

rabid

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

vulpine

like a fox; crafty She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence.

leonine

like a lion He was leonine in his rage.

avuncular

like an uncle Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.

ligneous

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

diorama

like-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history Because they dramatically pose actual stuffed animals against realistic painted landscapes, the dioramas at the Museum of Natural History particularly impress high school biology students.

labile

likely to change; unstable Because the hormonal changes they undergo affect their spirits, adolescents may become emotionally labile and experience sudden shifts of mood.

circumscribe

limit; confine Although I do not wish to circumscribe your activities, I must insist that you complete this assignment before you start anything else.

parameter

limit; independent variable We need to define the parameters of the problem.

finite

limited It is difficult for humanity with its finite existence to grasp the infinite.

modicum

limited quantity Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.

qualified

limited; restricted Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement.

concatenate

link as in a chain It is difficult to understand how these events could concatenate as they did without outside assistance.

roster

list They print the roster of players in the season's program.

repertoire

list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.

compilation

listing of statistical information in tabular or book form The compilation of available scholarships serves a very valuable purpose.

stygian

literary dark The stygian room reminded him of an empty space.

knoll

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

vegetate

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

animated

lively Her animated expression indicated a keenness of intellect.

vivacious

lively or animated; sprightly She had always been vivacious and sparkling.

skittish

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

rousing

lively; stirring "And now, let's have a rousing welcome for TV's own Roseanne Arnold, who'll lead us in a rousing rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"

venue

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

syllogism

logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument There must be a fallacy in this syllogism; I cannot accept its conclusion.

valid

logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable You're going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is valid.

dawdle

loiter; waste time Inasmuch as we must meet a deadline, do not dawdle over this work.

lank

long and thin lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln was a striking figure.

chronic

long established, as a disease The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas in his apartment.

epic

long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of robbers.

longevity

long life When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

eon

long period of time; an age It has taken eons for our civilization to develop.

harangue

long, passionate, and vehement speech In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders.

imperiousness

lordliness; domineering manner; arrogance His imperiousness indicated that he had long been accustomed to assuming command.

amnesia

loss of memory Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

sybarite

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

philanthropist

lover of mankind; doer of good As he grew older, he became famous as a philanthropist and benefactor of the needy.

nether

lower Tradition locates hell in the nether regions.

abase

lower; degrade; humiliate Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however she refused to abase herself.

degraded

lowered in rank; debased The degraded wretch spoke only of his past glories and honors.

nadir

lowest point Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.

mendacious

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

centrifuge

machine that separates substances by whirling them At the dairy, we employ a centrifuge to separate cream from milk.

rarefied

made less dense [of a gas] The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere.

osseus

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

frenzied

madly excited As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their cages.

mutilate

maim The torturer threatened to mutilate his victim.

adulterate

make impure by mixing with baser substances It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer.

stupefy

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

preen

make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction As Kitty preened before the mirror, carefully smoothing her shining hair, she couldn't help preening herself on her good looks.

indemnify

make secure against loss; compensate for loss The city will indemnify all home owners whose property is spoiled by this project.

burnish

make shiny by rubbing; polish The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.

annul

make void The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

yeoman

man owing small estate; middle-class farmer. It was not the aristocrat but the yeoman who determined the nation's policies.

lacerate

mangle; tear Her body was lacerated in the automobile crash.

megalomania

mania for doing grandiose things Developers who spend millions trying to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.

anthropoid

manlike The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.

striated

marked with parallel bands; grooved The glacier left many striated rocks.

array

marshal; draw up in order His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him.

requiem

mass for the dead; dirge They played Mozart's Requiem at the funeral.

floe

mass of floating ice The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes.

conglomeration

mass of material sticking together In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis.

foliage

masses of leaves Every autumn before the leaves fell he promised himself he would drive though the New England to admire the colorful fall foliage.

monumental

massive Writing a dictionary is a monumental task.

sustenance

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

dint

means; effort By dint of much hard work, the volunteers were able to control the raging forest fire.

interim

meantime The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the interim, let us proceed as we have in the past.

automaton

mechanism that imitates actions of humans Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were creating stories of automation who could outperform humans.

officious

meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services After her long flight, Jill just wanted to nap, but the officious bellboy was intent on showing her all the special features of the deluxe suite.

tryst

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

rendezvous

meeting place The two fleets met at the rendezvous at the appointed time.

molten

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

proletarian

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

minatory

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

drudgery

menial work Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of drudgery.

composure

mental calmness Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

psychosis

mental disorder We must endeavor to find an outlet for the patient's repressed desires if we hope to combat this psychosis.

delirium

mental disorder marked by confusion The drunkard in his delirium saw strange animals.

acumen

mental keenness His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

faculty

mental or bodily powers; teaching staff As he grew old, he feared he might lose his faculties and become useless to his employer.

discerning

mentally quick and observant; having insight Because he was considered the most discerning member of the firm, he was assigned the most difficult cases.

euthanasia

mercy killing Many people support euthanasia for terminally ill patients who wish to die.

euphemism

mild expression in place of an unpleasant one The expression "he passed away" is a euphemism for "he died."

balmy

mild; fragrant A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

leniency

mildness; permissiveness Considering the gravity of the offense, we were surprised by the leniency of the sentence.

misdemeanor

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

skirmish

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

squabble

minor quarrel; bickering Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let the children work things out on their own.

misadventure

mischance; ill luck The young explorer met death by misadventure.

urchin

mischievous child (usually a boy) Get out! This store is no place for grubby urchins!

waggish

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

skinflint

miser The old skinflint refused to give her a raise.

qualms

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

illusion

misleading vision It is easy to create an optical illusion in which lines of equal length appear different.

erroneous

mistaken; wrong I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.

alloy

mixture as of metals alloy of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

miscellany

mixture of writings on various subjects This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.

paragon

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

paradigm

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

temper

moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel) Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.

sobriety

moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness Neither drunkards nor comics are noted for sobriety.

unassuming

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

retiring

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

lull

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

transient

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

autocrat

monarch with supreme power He ran his office like an autocrat, giving no one else any authority.

potentate

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

lucre

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

hybrid

mongrel; mixed breed Mendel's formula explains the appearance of hybrids and pure species in breeding.

actuate

motivate I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.

mercenary

motivated solely by money or gain "I'm not in this war because I get my kicks waving flags," said the mercenary soldier. "I'm in it for the dough."

plaintive

mournful The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call

lugubrious

mournful The lugabrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.

orifice

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

impetus

moving force; incentive; stimulus A new federal highway program would create jobs and five added impetus to our economic recovery.

turbid

muddy; having the sediment disturbed The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.

propagate

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

mutter

murmur or grumble The child muttered at the doll.

brawn

muscular strength; sturdiness It takes brawn to become a champion weight-lifter.

maim

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

concerted

mutually agreed on; done together The girl scouts in the troop made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing, and emitted a concerted sigh when their leader announced that they had reached their goal.

internecine

mutually destructive The rising death toll on both sides indicates the internecine natire of his conflict.

runic

mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet Tolkien's use of Old English words and inscriptions in the runic alphabet give The Lord of the Rings its atmosphere of antiquity.

centaur

mythical figure, half man and half horse I was particularly impressed by the statue of the centaur in the Roman Hall of the museum.

ingenuous

naive; young and unsophisticated Although she was over forty, the movie star still insisted that she be cast as an ingenuous sweet young thing.

appellation

name; title He was amazed when the witches hailed him with his correct appellation.

recount

narrate or tell; count over again About to recount the latest adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Watson lost track of exactly how many cases Holmes had solved and refused to begin his tale until he'd recounted them one by one.

gorge

narrow canyon; steep, rocky cleft Terrified of heights, George could not bring himself to peer down into the gorge to see the rapids below.

parochial

narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes Although Jane Austen writes novels set in small rural communities, her concerns are universal, not parochial.

isthmus

narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land In a magnificent feat of engineering, Goethals and his men cut through the isthmus of Panama in constructing the Panama Canal.

philistine

narrow-minded person, uncultured and exculsively interested in material gain We need more men of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among us.

sectarian

narrow-minded; limited in scope As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to mere sectarian concerns.

propensity

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

sextant

navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude Given a clear night, with the aid of his sextant and compass, he could keep the ship safely on course.

proximity

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

propinquity

nearness; kinship Their relationship could not be explained as being based on mere propinquity: they were more than relatives; they were true friends.

spruce

neat and trim Every button buttoned, tie firmly in place, young Alex Keaton looked spruce and tidy for his job interview at the bank.

dapper

neat and trim In "The Odd Couple," Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.

deft

neat; skillful The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.

requisite

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

tautological

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

pejorative

negative in connotation; having a belittling effect. Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character.

remiss

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

titter

nervous laugh Her aunt's constant titter nearly drove her mad.

seine

net for catching fish When the shad run during the spring, you may see fishermen with seines along the banks of our coastal rivers.

noncommittal

neutral; unpledged; undecided We were annoyed by his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his approval.

neologism

new or newly coined word or phrase As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also invent neologisms such as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them.

subtlety

nicety; cunning; guile; delicacy The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.

agility

nimbleness The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

outmoded

no longer stylish; old-fahioned Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.

aspiration

noble ambition Youth's aspirations should be as lofty as the stars.

irrelevant

not applicable; unrelated This statement is irrelevant and should be disregarded by the jury.

extraneous

not essential; external Do not pad your paper with extraneous matters; stick to essential items only.

incidental

not essential; minor The scholarship covered his major expenses at college and some of his incidental expenses as well.

disingenuous

not naive; sophisticated Although he was young, his remarks indicated that he was disingenous.

exotic

not native; strange Because of his exotic headdress, he was followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange appearance.

heedless

not noticing; disregarding He drove on, heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous.

impervious

not penetrable; not permitting passage through You cannot change their habits for their minds are impervious to reasoning.

extemporaneous

not planned; impromtu Because his extemporaneous remarks were misinterpreted, he decided to write all his speeches in advance.

theoretical

not practical or applied; hypothetical Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical objections to your plan, you've convinced me of its basic soundness.

unrequited

not reciprocated Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hard-heartedness.

incommodious

not spacious; inconvenient In their incommodious quarters, they had to improvise for closet space.

inalienable

not to be taken away; nontransferable The Declaration of Independence mentions the inalienable rights that all of us possess.

unprecedented

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

effluvium

noxious smell Air pollution has become a serious problem in our major cities; the effluvium and the poisons in the air are hazards to life.

quorum

number of members necessary to conduct a meeting The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.

manifold

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

beholden

obligated; indebted Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone, I cannot accept this favor.

enigmatic

obscure; puzzling Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa.

phenomena

observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.

antiquated

obsolete; outdated Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.

hamper

obstruct The minority party agreed not to hamper the efforts of the leaders to secure a lasting peace.

engross

occupy fully John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.

erratic

odd; unpredictable Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic.

eccentric

odd; whimsical; irregular The comet passed close by the earth in its eccentric orbit.

ignoble

of lowly origin; unworthy This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it.

homogeneous

of the same kind Many educators try to put pupils of similar abilities in the same class because they believe that his homogeneous grouping is advisable.

obnoxious

offensive I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.

ellipsis

omission of words from a text Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as in the sentence "Once dressed, you should refrigerate the potato salad.

terrestrial

on or relating to the earth We have been able to explore the terrestrial regions much more thoroughly than the aquatic or celestial regions.

marsupial

one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch The most common marsupial in North America is the opposum.

saboteur

one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.

misanthrope

one who hates mankind We thought the hermit was a miantrope because he shunned our society.

rift

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

manipulate

operate with the hands; control or change by artful means How do you manipulate these puppets?

diva

operatic singer; prima donna Although world famous as a diva, she did not indulge in fits of temerament.

heresy

opinion contrary to popular belief or to accepted religion He was threatened with excommunication because his remarks were considered to be pure heresy.

converse

opposite The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

tyranny

oppression; cruel government Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life.

mandate

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

mediocre

ordinary; commonplace We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.

conventional

ordinary; typical His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccentric family.

pedestrian

ordinary; unimaginative Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose.

chase

ornament a metal surface by indenting With his hammer, he carefully chased an intricate design onto the surface of the chalice.

rococo

ornate; highly decorated The rococo style in furniture and architecture, marked by scrollwork and excessive decoration, flourished during the middle of the eighteenth century.

perimeter

outer boundary To find the perimeter of any quadrilateral, we add the lengths of the four sides.

uncouth

outlandish; clumsy; boorish Most biographers portray Lincoln as an uncouth and ungainly young man.

obsolete

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

outwit

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

preeminent

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

semblance

outward appearance; guise Although this book has a semblance of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many errors and omissions.

amphitheater

oval building with tiers of seats The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.

condone

overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse Unlike Widow Douglass, who condoned Huck's minor offenses, Miss Watson did nothing but scold.

compelling

overpowering; irresistible in effect The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for leniency won over the jury.

censor

overseer of morals; person who eliminates inappropriate matter Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution.

simplistic

oversimplified Though Jack's solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to consider various complicating factors that might arise.

streotyped

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

glut

overstock; fill to excess The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the many articles they had produced.

rave

overwhelmingly favorable review Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say about contemporary plays, his review of All in the Timing was a total rave.

stipple

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

fresco

painting in plaste (usually fresh) The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Glotto.

mauve

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

pallid

pale; wan Because his occupation required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally pallid complexion.

mollycoddle

pamper; indulge excessively Don't mollycoddle the boy, Maud! You'll spoil him.

brochure

pamphlet This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.

tract

pamphlet; a region of indefinite size The King granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World.

larder

pantry; place where food is kept The first thing Bill did on returning home from school was to check what snacks his mother had in the larder.

sere

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

palimpsest

parchment used for second time after original writing has been erased Using chemical reagents, scientists have been able to restore the original writings on many palimpsests.

amnesty

pardon When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

predilection

partiality; preference Although the artist used various media from time to time, she had a predilection for watercolors.

infiltrate

pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily In order to infiltrate enemy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore black coveralls.

madrigal

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

acme

peak; pinnacle; highest point Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim.

idiosyncrasy

peculiarity; eccentricity One of his personal idiosyncrasies was his habit of rinsing all cutlery given him in a restaurant.

podium

pedestal; raised platform The audience applauded as the conductor made his way to the podium.

contrite

penitent Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence.

equinox

period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn The vernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms.

extrovert

person interested mostly in external objects and actions A good salesperson in usually an extrovert, who likes to mingle with people.

nonentity

person of no importance; nonexistence Don't dismiss John as a nonentity; in his quiet way, he's very important to the firm.

supernumerary

person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra His first appearance on the stage was as a supernumerary in a Shakespearean tragedy.

hypochondriac

person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypocondriac.

ragamuffin

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

demagogue

person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader He was accused of being a demogogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

numismatist

person who collects coins The numismatist had a splendid collection of antique coins.

masochist

person who enjoys his own pain The masochist begs, "Hit me." The sadist smiles and says, "I won't."

kleptomaniac

person who has a compulsive desire to steal They discovered that the wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap trinkets.

stoic

person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain The doctor called her patient a stoic because he had borne the pain of the examination without whimpering.

optimist

person who looks on the bright side The pessimist says the glass is half-empty; the optimist says it is half-full.

millinery

person who makes or sells women's hats The millinery displayed fashionable hats in the street where many women passed by.

pyromaniac

person with an insane desire to set things on fire The detectives searched the area for the pyromaniac who had set these costly fires.

suborn

persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury) In the Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone.

pharisaical

pertaining to Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical Walter Lippmann has pointed out that moralists who do not attempt to explain the moral code they advocate are often regarded as pharisaical and ignored.

filial

pertaining to a son or daughter Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents.

traumatic

pertaining to an injury caused by violence In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle.

colloquial

pertaining to conversational or common speech Your use of colloquial expressions in a formal essay such as the one you have presented spoils the effect you hope to achieve.

thermal

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

alluvial

pertaining to soil deposits left by running water The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile.

metaphysical

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

auroral

pertaining to the aurora borealis The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening.

somatic

pertaining to the body; physical Why do you ignore the spiritual aspects and emphasize only the corporeal and the somatic ones?

pulmonary

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

physiological

pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms To understand this disease fully, we must examine not only its physiological aspects but also its psychological elements.

supplicate

petition humbly; pray to grant a favor We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty.

conifer

pine tree; cone-bearing tree According to geologists, the conifers were the first plants to bear flowers.

apothegm

pithy, compact saying Proverbs are apothegms that have become familiar sayings.

ruthless

pitiless The escaped convict was a dangerous and ruthless murderer.

asylum

place of refuge or shelter; protection The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.

superimpose

place over something else Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of our government.

ford

place where a river can be crossed on foot Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a half-mile downstream until he came to the neartest ford.

unequivocal

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

perspicuous

plainly expressed Her perspicuous comments eliminated all posibility of misinterpretation.

premeditate

plan in advance She had premeditated the murder for months, reading about common poisons and buying weed killer that contained arsenic.

itinerary

plan of a trip Before leaving for his first visit to France and England, he discussed his itinerary with people who had been there and with his travel agent.

flora

plants of a region or era Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying the flora of the desert.

rostrum

platform for speech-making; pulpit The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was approaching the rostrum.

staccato

played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt, sharp sound His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.

sportive

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

entreat

plead; ask earnestly She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight.

congenial

pleasant; friendly My father loved to go out for a meal with congenial companions.

piquant

pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal.

ravage

plunder; despoil The marauding army ravaged the countryside.

depredation

plundering After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless.

douse

plunge into water; drench; extinguish They doused each other with hoses and balloons.

zenith

point directly overhead in the sky; summit. When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as strong as at sunrise and sunset.

perigee

point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth The rocket which was designed to take photographs of the moon was launched as the moon approached its perigee.

prod

poke; stir up; urge If you prod him hard enough, he'll eventually clean his room.

contaminate

pollute The sewage system of the city so contaminated the water that swimming was forbidden.

defile

pollute; profane The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

verbiage

pompous array of words After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little.

bombast

pompous, inflated language Filled with bombast, the orator's speech left the audience more impressed with his pomposity than with his logic.

grandiloquent

pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language The politician could bever speak simply; she was always grandiloquent.

consequential

pompous; self-important Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air.

decant

pour off gently Be sure to decant this wine before serving it.

effusion

pouring forth The critics objected to her literary effusion because it was too flowery.

efficacy

power to produce desired effect The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the dosage.

precept

practical rule guiding conduct "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile precept.

ascetic

practicing self-denial; austere The wealthy young man could not understand the ascetic life led by the monks.

eulogy

praise All the eulogies of his friends could not remove the sting of the calumny heaped upon him by his enemies.

extol

praise; glorify The astronauts were extolled as the pioneers of the Space Age.

laudable

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

encomiastic

praising; eulogistic Some critics believe that his encomiastic statements about Napoleon were inspired by his desire for material advancement rather than by an honest belief in the Emperor's genius.

escapade

prank; flighty conduct The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.

frolicsome

prankish; gay The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master.

antecede

precede The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.

antecedents

preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; early life; ancestors Before giving permission for Drummie to marry Estella, Miss Havisham had a few questions about the young man's birth and antecedents.

precedent

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

nicety

precision; minute distinction I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning.

impasse

predicament from which there is no escape In this impasse, all turned to prayer as their last hope.

foreboding

premonition of evil Caeser ridiculed his wife's foreboding about the Ides of March.

materialism

preoccupation with physical comforts and things By its nature, materialism is opposed to idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the body, the idealist emphasizes the needs of the soul.

concoct

prepare by combining; make up in concert How did the inventive chef ever concoct such strange dish?

hypocritical

pretending to be virtuous; deceiving I resent his hypocritical posing as a friend for I know he is interested only in his own advancement.

bluff

pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff, she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff into the waters below.

subterfuge

pretense; evasion As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy.

mode

prevailing style She was not used to their lavish mode of living.

endemic

prevailinig among a specific group of people or in a specific are or country This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one time or another affected by it.

kinetic

producing motion Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest obstacle lies in the development of light and efficient storage batteries, the source of the kinetic energy needed to propel the vehicle.

lachrymose

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

artifacts

products of primitive culture Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor and came to no conclusion.

blasphemous

profane; impious The people in the room were shocked by his his blasphemous language.

desecrate

profane; violate the sanctity of The soldiers desecrated the temple.

lucrative

profitable He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.

wastrel

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

protract

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

assurance

promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence When Gutherie gave Guiness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guiness was convinced.

seemly

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

sibylline

prophetic; oracular Until their destruction by fire in 83 B.C., the sibylline books were often consulted by the Romans.

apocalyptic

prophetic; pertaining to revelations; especially of disaster His apocalyptic remarks were dismissed by his audience as wild surmises.

decorum

propriety; seemliness Shocked by the unruly behavior, the teacher criticized the class for its lack of decorum.

thrive

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

tutelary

protective; pertaining to a guardianship I am acting in my tutelary capacity when I refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus.

remonstrance

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

expostulation

protest; remonstrance Despite the teacher's scoldings and expostulations, the class remained unruly.

archetype

prototype; primitive pattern The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

protuberance

protrusion; bulge A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor (generally benign) that develops near a joint membrane or tendon sheath, and that bulges beneath the skin, forming a protuberance.

harbor

provide a refuge for; hide The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees.

skimp

provide scantily; live very economically They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter.

document

provide written evidence She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm.

synoptic

providing a general overview; summary The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new in the field.

tentative

provisional; experimental Your tentative plans sound plausible; let me know when the final details are worked out.

discretion

prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss it with anyone.

circumspect

prudent; cautious Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.

paranoia

psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution Suffering from paranois, he claimed everyone was out to get him; ironically, his claim was accurate; even paranoids have enemies.

archives

public records; place where public records are kept These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the future.

chaste

pure Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion.

immaculate

pure; spotless The West Point cadets were immaculate as they lined up for inspection.

platonic

purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire Accused of impropriety in his dealings with female students, the professor maintained he had only a platonic interest in the women involved.

quintessence

purest and highest embodiment Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

cathartic

purgative Some drugs act as laxatives when taken in small doses but act as cathartics when taken in much larger doses.

catharsis

purging or cleansing of any passage of the body Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts.

distill

purify; refine; concentrate A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips.

obtrusive

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

quell

put down; quiet The police used fire hoses and teat gas to quell the rioters.

propound

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

execute

put into effect; carry out The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute a pirouette.

implement

put into effect; supply with tools The mayor was unwilling to implement the plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing.

don

put on When Clark Kent had to don his Superman outfit, he changed clothes in a convenient phone booth.

discomfit

put to rout; defeat; disconcert This ruse will discomfit the enemy.

entrance

put under a spell; carry away with emotion Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound.

septic

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

enigma

puzzle Depite all attempts to decipher the code, it remained an enigma.

rebus

puzzle in which pictures stand for words A coven of witches beside a tree is a possible rebus for the town Coventry.

charlatan

quack; pretender to knowledge When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends were sure they'd been duped by a charlatan.

timbre

quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument We identify the instrument producing a musical sound by its timbre.

poignancy

quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the poignancy of the scene.

naivete

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

contentious

quarrelsome We heard loud and contentious noises in the next room.

belligerent

quarrelsome Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers.

droll

queer and amusing He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.

slake

quench; sate When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.

grill

question severely In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several hours before reading him his rights.

nostrum

questionable medicine No quack selling nostrums is going to cheat me.

inquisitor

questioner (specially harsh); investigator Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her inquisitors with trepidation.

receptive

quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc. Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved a receptive audience for Tom's tales of buried treasure and piracy.

exalt

raise in rank or dignity; praise The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the Queen; he now is known as Sir Alec Guinness.

dais

raised platform for guests of honor When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.

fester

rankle, produce irritation or resentment Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.

rummage

ransack; thoroughly search When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days.

ecstasy

rapture, joy; any overpowering emotion The announcement that the war had ended brought on an ecstasy that resulted in many uncontrolled celebrations.

foolhardy

rash Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture.

rant

rave; speak bombastically As we heard him rant on the platform, we could not understand his strange popularity with many people.

voracious

ravenous The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.

amenable

readily managed; willing to be led He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his inferiors.

lectern

reading desk The chaplain delivered his sermon from a hastily improvised lectern.

rampant

rearing up on hind legs; unrestrained The rampant weeds in the garden killed all the flowers that had been planted in the spring.

rationalize

reason; justify an improper act Do not try to rationalize your behavior by blaming your companions.

ratiocination

reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises While Watson was a man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made him a superb detective.

maverick

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

insurrection

rebellion; uprising Given the current state of affairs in South Africa, an insurrection seems unavoidable.

comeuppance

rebuke; deserts After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance.

ebb

recede; lessen His fortunes began to ebb during the recession.

recipient

receiver Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful to his benefactor.

neophyte

recent convert; beginner This monuntain slope contains slides that will challenge esperts as well as neophytes.

inchoate

recently begun; rudimentary; elementary Before the Creation, the world was an inchoate mass.

desperado

reckless outlaw Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head.

conciliatory

reconciling; soothing She was still angry despite his conciliatory words.

genealogy

record of descent; lineage He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievements of his ancestors.

annals

records; history In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

recuperate

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

retrieve

recover; find and bring in The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter.

reprise

recurrent action; musical repetition; repeat performance At Waterloo, it was not the effect of any one skirmish that exhausted Colonel Audly; rather it was the cumulative effect of the constant reprises that left him spent.

ruddy

reddish; healthy-looking His ruddy features indicated that he had spent much time in the open.

anneal

reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking.

deplete

reduce; exhaust We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.

advert

refer to Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important.

ascribe

refer; attribute; assign I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

rebuttal

refutation; response with contrary evidence The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his arguments in her rebuttal.

clime

region; climate His doctors advised him to move to a milder clime.

deplore

regret Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

rueful

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

narrative

related to telling a story A born teller of tales, Olsen used her impressive narrative skills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here Ironing."

astral

relating to the stars She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.

inexorable

relentless; unyielding; implacable After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law.

alleviate

relieve This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.

icon

religious image; idol The icons on the walls of the church were painted in the 13th century.

averse

reluctant He was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

remnant

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

residue

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

remediable

reparable Let us be grateful that the damage is remediable.

restitution

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

reimburse

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

reciprocate

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

retaliate

repay in kind (usually for bad treatment) Fear that we will retaliate immediately deters our foe from attacking us.

reiterate

repeat He reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.

esteem

repect; value; judge I esteem Ezra Pound both for his exciting poetry and for his acute comments on literature.

replicate

reproduce; duplicate To the chagrin of the scientists, they were unable to replicate the results of their controversial experiment.

reprimand

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

recant

repudiate; withdraw previous statement Unless you recant your confession, you will be punished severely.

salvage

rescue from loss All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.

atavism

resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback Martin seemed an atavism to his Tuscan ancestors who lavished great care on their small plots of soil.

equine

resembling a horse His long, bony face had an equine look to it.

begrudge

resent I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings.

umbrage

resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult She took umbrage at his remarks and stormed away in a huff.

distant

reserved or aloof; cold in manner His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome from the start.

reticent

reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones, noting that the formers' dislike of idle chatter might ensure their discretion about his affairs.

slag

residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.

sedition

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

sonorous

resonant His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.

recourse

resorting to help when in trouble The boy's only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.

reputable

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

reverent

respectful His reverent attitude was appropriate in a house of worship.

paraphrase

restate a passage in one's own words while retaining thought of author In 250 words or less, paraphrase this article.

restive

restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control Waiting impatiently in the line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to fidget.

renovate

restore to good condition; renew They claim that they can renovate worn shoes so that they look like new ones.

rehabilitate

restore to proper condition We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.

pinion

restrain They pinioned his arms against his body but left his legs free so that he could move about.

repress

restrain; crush; oppress Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.

manacle

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

temperate

restrained; self-controlled Noted for his temperate appetite, he seldom gained weight.

reprisal

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

sequester

retire from public life; segregate; seclude Although he had hoped for a long time to sequester himself in a small community, he never was able to drop his busy round of activities in the city.

superannuated

retired or disqualified because of age The superannuated man was indignant because he felt that he could still perform a good day's work.

rejoinder

retort; comeback; reply When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.

resuscitate

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

repeal

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

cadence

rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

brocade

rich, figured fabric The sofa was covered with expensive brocade.

ramshackle

rickety; falling apart The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.

conundrum

riddle; difficult problem During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

franchise

right granted by authority The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for ninety-nine years.

title

right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.) Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as head of one of England's oldest families.

whorl

ring of leaves around stem; ring. Identification by fingerprints is based on the difference in shape and number of whorls on the fingers.

emulate

rival; imitate As long as our political leaders emulate the virtues of the great leaders of this country, we shall flourish.

desolate

rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest.

tundra

rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America Despite the cold, many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.

leeway

room to move; margin When you set a deadline, allow a little leeway.

extirpate

root up The Salem witch trials were a misguided attempt to extirpate superstition and heresy.

roseate

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

carrion

rotting flesh of a dead body Buzzards are nature's scavengers; they eat the carrion left behind by other predators.

gruff

rough-mannered Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children.

rotundity

roundness; sonorousness of speech Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.

regal

royal Prince Albert had a regal manner.

efface

rub out The coin had been handled so many times that its data had been effaced.

abrasive

rubbing away; tending to grind down Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience.

debris

rubble A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, workers were still carting away the debris.

surly

rude; cross Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company.

boorish

rude; insensitive Though Mr. Potts constantly interrupted his wife, she ignored his boorish behavior, for she had lost hope of teaching him courtesy.

domineer

rule over tyrannically Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer.

snivel

run at the nose; snuffle; whine Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother.

seedy

run-down; decrepit; disreputable I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy downtown hotel.

pastoral

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

torrent

rushing stream; flood Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents.

bucolic

rustic; pastoral The meadow was the scene of bucolic gaiety.

funereal

sad; solemn I fail to understand why there is such a funereal atmosphere; we have lost a battle, not a war.

imbue

saturate, fill His visits to the famous Gothic cathedrals imbued him with feelings of awe and reverence.

relish

savor; enjoy I relish a good joke as much as anyone else.

meager

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

disperse

scatter The police fired tear gas into crowd to disperse the protesters.

disseminate

scatter (like seeds) The invention of the radio helped propagandists to disseminate their favorite doctrines very easily.

savant

scholar Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants.

ornithologist

scientific student of birds Auduborn's drawings of American bird life have been of interest not only to the ornithologists but also to the general public.

rail

scold; rant You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.

upbraid

scold; reproach I must upbraid him for his unruly behavior.

contempt

scorn; disdain Even if you feel superior to others, it is unwise to show your contempt for them.

sarcasm

scornful remarks, stinging rebuke His feelings were hurt by the sarcasm of his supposed friends.

conscientious

scrupulous; careful A conscientious editor checked every definition for its accuracy.

hermetic

sealed by fusion so as to be airtight After these bandages are sterilized, they are placed in hermetic containers.

condiments

seasonings; spices Spanish food is full of condiments.

avocation

secondary or minor occupation His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.

cipher

secret code Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher.

privy

secret; hidden; not public We do not care for privy chamber of government.

arcane

secret; mysterious What was arcane to us was clear to the psychologist.

silt

sediment deposited by running water The harbor channel must be dredged annually to remove the silt.

dregs

sediment; worthless residue David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs.

aspirant

seeker after position or status Although I am as aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses.

excerpt

selected passage (written or musical) The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a clip from a film.

eclectic

selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods, strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique color.

reserve

self-control; formal but distant manner Although some girls were attracted by Mark's reserve, Judy was put off by it, for she felt his aloofness indicated a lack of openness.

axiom

self-evident truth requiring no proof Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles or axioms.

autonomous

self-governing This island is a colony; however, in most matters, it is autonomous and receives no orders from the mother country.

penance

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

complacent

self-satisfied There was a complacent look on his face as he examined his paintings.

vendor

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

dotage

senility In his dotage, the old man bored us with long tales of events in his childhood.

gravity

seriousness We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of her expression.

solemnity

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

homily

sermon; serious warning His speeches were always homilies, advising his listeners to repent and reform.

sycophant

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

toady

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

mediate

settle a dispute through the services of an outsider Let us mediate out differences rather than engage in a costly strike.

reprobation

severe disapproval The students showed their reprobation of his act by refusing to talk with him.

lagoon

shallow body of water near a sea; lake They enjoyed their swim in the calm lagoon.

shoddy

sham; not genuine; inferior You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material.

effrontery

shameless boldness She had the effrontery to insult the guest.

barefaced

shameless; bold; unconcealed Shocked by Huck Finn's barefaced lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his unregenerate wickedness.

amorphous

shapeless; vague; indeterminate John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague, amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified, but could neither define nor explain the cause of his terror.

barb

sharp projection form fishhook, etc.; pointed comment The barb from the fishhook caught in his finger as he grabbed the fish.

acclivity

sharp upslope of a hill The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.

asperity

sharpness (of temper) These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

pungency

sharpness; stinging quality The pungency of the cigarette smoke made me cough.

gossamer

sheer; like cobwebs Nylon can be woven into gossaner or thick fabrics.

diaphanous

sheer; transparent They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain.

carapace

shell covering the back (of a turtle, crab, etc) At the children's zoo, Richard perched on top of the giant turtle's hard carapace as it slowly made its way around the enclosure.

cameo

shell or jewel carved in relief Tourists are advised not to purchase cameos from the street peddlers of Rome who sell poor specimens of the carver's art.

aegis

shield; defense Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights, we enjoy our most treasured freedoms.

glimmer

shine erratically; twinkle In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars.

luster

shine; gloss The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing.

lustrous

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

luminous

shining; issuing light The sun is a luminous body.

canny

shrewd; thrifty The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

clarion

shrill, trumpetlike sound We woke to the clarion to muffle its striking.

occlude

shut; close A blood clot occluded an artery to the heart.

diffidence

shyness You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson.

import

significance I feel that you have not grasped the full import of the message sent tous by the enemy.

muted

silent; muffled; toned down In the funeral parlor, the mourners' voices had a muted quality.

analogy

similarity; parallelism Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar.

synchronous

similary timed; simultaneous with We have many examples of scientists in different parts of the world who have made synchronous discoveries.

warble

sing; babble. Every morning the birds warbled outside her window.

incantation

singing or chanting of magical formula Uttering incantations to make the brew more potent, the witch doctor stirred the liquid in the caldron.

adroit

skillful His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers.

vilify

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

obloquy

slander; disgrace; infamy I resent the obloquy that you are casting upon my reputation.

revile

slander; vilify He was avoided by all who feared that he would revile and abuse them if they displeased him.

detraction

slandering; aspersion He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.

aspersion

slanderous remark Do not cast aspersions on her character.

shambles

slaughterhouse; scene of carnage By the time the police arrived, the room was a shambles.

servitude

slavery; compulsory labor Born a slave, Douglass resented his wife of servitude and plotted to escape to the North.

servile

slavish; cringing Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature.

opiate

sleep producer; deadener of pain By such opiates, she made the people forget their difficulties and accept their unpleasant circumstances.

soporific

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

hibernate

sleep throughout the winter Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate.

dormant

sleeping; lethargic; torpid Sometimes dormant talents in our friends surprise those of us who never realize how gifted our acquaintances really are.

legerdemain

sleight of hand The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.

smattering

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

peccadillo

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

acidulous

slightly sour; sharp; caustic James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

catapult

slingshot; hurling machine Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults.

slither

slip or slide During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station.

ramp

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

incline

slope; slant The architect recommended that the nursing home's ramp be rebuilt because its incline was too steep for wheelchairs.

dowdy

slovenly; untidy She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a fashionable new wardrobe.

decelerate

slow down Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.

canter

slow gallop Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won in a canter.

dinghy

small boat (often ship's boat) In the film Lifeboat, an ill-assorted group of passengers from a sunken ocean liner are marooned at sea in a dinghy.

satellite

small body revolving around a larger one During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United States.

grotto

small cavern The Blue Grotto in Capri can be entered only by small boats rowed by natives through a natural opening in the rocks.

cabal

small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests The cabal was defeated when its scheme was discovered.

facet

small plane surface (of a gem); a side The stonecutter decided to improve the rough diamond by providing it with several facets.

asteroid

small planet asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction magazines.

circlet

small ring; band This tiny circlet is very costly because it is set with precious stones.

mote

small speck The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.

rivulet

small stream As the rains continued, the trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to wash away a portion of the slope.

cascade

small waterfall We could not appreciate the beauty of the many cascades as we made detours around each of them to avoid getting wet.

microcosm

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

clique

small, exclusive group She charged that a clique had assumed control of school affairs.

whit

smallest speck. There is not a whit of intelligence or understanding in your observations.

daub

smear (as with paint) From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils.

simper

smirk; smile affectedly Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered.

glossy

smooth and shining I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte.

fluency

smoothness of speech He spoke French with fluency and ease.

rebuff

snub; beat back She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed.

negligible

so small, trifling, or unimportant as to be easily disregarded Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the matter to his insurance company.

saturate

soak Their clothes were saturated by the rain.

staid

sober; sedate Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.

convention

social or moral custom; established practice Flying in the face of convention, George Sand (Amandine Dudevant) shocked her contemporaries by taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.

pariah

social outcast I am not a pariah to be shunned and ostracized.

plutocracy

society ruled by the wealthy From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a plutocracy rather than a democracy.

quagmire

soft, wet, boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.

macerate

soften by soaking in liquid; waste away The strawberries had been soaking in the champagn for so long that they had begun to macerate: they literally fell apart at the touch of a spoon.

besmirch

soil, defile The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.

anathema

solemn curse; someone or something that is despised He heaped anathema upon his foe.

adjuration

solemn urging Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony.

awe

solemn wonder The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

monolithic

solidly uniform; unyielding Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.

dupe

someone easily fooled While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool.

scapegoat

someone who bears the blame for others After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.

ventriloquist

someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing This ventriloquist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.

spendthrift

someone who wastes money Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop. 193. sphinx-like enigmatic; mysterious The Mona Lisa's sphinx-like expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries.

pacify

soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.

poultice

soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body He was advised to apply a flaxseed poultice to the inflammation.

bland

soothing; mild She used a bland ointment for her sunburn.

seamy

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

commodious

spacious and comfortable After sleeping in a small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.

scintillate

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

fitful

spasmodic; intermittent After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.

idiom

spcial usage in language I could not understand their idioms because literal translation made no sense.

enunciate

speak distinctly How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?

taxonomist

specialist in classifying (animals, etc.) Dental patterns often enable the taxonomist to distinguish members of one rodent species from those of another.

expertise

specialized knowledge; expert skill Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in computer programming.

rend

split; tear apart In his grief, he tried to rend his garments.

vitiate

spoil the effect of; make inoperative Fraud will vitiate the contract.

maculated

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

strew

spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.

pervasive

spread throughout Despite airing them for several hours, she could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothbals that clung to them.

espionage

spying In order to maintain its power, the government developed a system of espionage that penetrated every hosehold.

spat

squabble; minor dispute What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.

dissipate

squander The young man quickly dissipated his inheritance and was soon broke.

adjutant

staff officer assisting the commander; assistant Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no doubt as to who made all major decisions.

musty

stale; spoiled by age The attic was dark and musty.

scotch

stamp out; thwart; hinder Heather tried to scotch the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiance.

gawk

stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city.

inception

start; beginning She was involved with the project from its inception.

quirk

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

aver

state confidently I wish to aver that I am certain of success.

stupor

state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him.

bereavement

state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.

immobility

state of being immovable Modern armies cannot afford the luxury of immobility, as they are vulnerable to attack while standing still.

impropriety

state of being inappropriate Because of the impropriety of his costume, he was denied entrance into the dining room.

inertia

state of being inert or indisposed to move Our inertia in this matter may prove disastrous; we must move to aid our allies immediately.

anonymity

state of being nameless; anonymousness The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his anonymity.

multiplicity

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

inconsistency

state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? Where lawyers check inconsistencies in witnesses' statements, agricultural inspectors check inconsistencies in Grade A eggs.

decrepitude

state of collagse caused by illness or old age I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.

responsiveness

state of reacting readily to appeals, order, etc. The audience cheered and applauded, delighting the performers by its responsiveness.

intransigence

state of stubborn unwillingness to compromise The intransigence of both parties in the dispute makes an early settlement almost impossible to obtain.

furtive

stealthy; sneaky The boy gave a furtive look at his classmate's test paper.

precipitous

steep; overhasty This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as well.

austerity

sternness; severity; lack of luxuries The austerity and dignity of the court were maintained by the new justices, who were a strict and solemn group.

cohere

stick together Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.

viscous

sticky, gluey Melted tar is a viscous substance.

glutinous

sticky; viscous Molasses is a glutinous substance.

rigid

stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society's most rigid rule of respectable behavior.

incandescent

stikingly bright; shining with intense heat If you leave on an incandescent light bulb, it quickly grows too hot to touch.

extant

still in existence Although the authorities suppressed the book, many copies are extant and may be purchased at exorbitant prices.

galvanize

stimulate by shock; stir up The entire nation was galvanized into strong military activity by the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

acrimonious

stinging, caustic His tendency to utter acrimonious remarks alienated his audience.

parsimonious

stingy; excessively frugal His parsimonious nature did not permit him to enjoy any luxuries.

miserly

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

penurious

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

proviso

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

stoke

stir up a fire; feed plentifully As a Scout, Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to extinguish it completely.

provoke

stir up anger; cause retaliation In order to prevent a sudden outbreak of hostilities, we must not provoke our foe.

foment

stir up; instigate This report will foment disssension in the club.

suture

stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals.

hoard

stockpile; accumulate for future use Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, people are tempted to hoard food.

squat

stocky; short and thick Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good food.

touchstone

stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person?

check

stop motion; curb or restrain Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better check your temper."

cessation

stopping The workers threatened a cessation of all activities if their demands were not met.

repository

storehouse Libraries are repositories of the world's best thoughts.

granary

storehouse for grain We have reason to be thankful, for our crops were good and our granaries are full.

inclement

stormy; unkind I like to read a good book in inclement weather.

allegory

story in which characters are used as symbols; fable Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul.

cantata

story set to music, to be sung by a chorus The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.

portly

stout; corpulent The salesclerk tactfully referred to the overweight customer as portly rather than fat.

forthright

straightforward; direct; frank I prefer Jill's forthright approach to Jack's tendency to beat around the bush.

uncanny

strange; mysterious You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.

throttle

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

vagrant

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

stamina

strength; staying power I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.

undergird

strengthen the base of Whereas relativity theory undermined the Newtonian mechanics, cosmology was undergirded by it.

prostrate

stretch out full on ground He prostrated himself before the idol.

martinet

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

austere

strict, stern His austere demeanor prevented us from engaging in our usual frivolous activities.

clapper

striker (tongue) of a bell Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle its striking.

percussion

striking one object against another sharply The drum is a percussion instrument.

flay

strip off skin; plunder The criminal was condemned to be flayed alive.

divest

strip; deprive He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern.

apoplexy

stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis He was crippled by an attack of apoplexy.

saunter

stroll slowly As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.

transport

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

penchant

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

forte

strong point or special talent I am not eager to play this rather seious role, for my forte is comedy.

stalwart

strong, brawny; steadfast His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member.

conviction

strongly held belief Nothing could shake his conviction that she was innocent.

scuffle

struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry. The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, "Let go of my Gameboy!" they scuffled off down the hall.

obdurate

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

obstinate

stubborn We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change.

bigotry

stubborn intolerance Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

pertinacious

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

archaeology

study of artifacts and relics of early mankind The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

ichthyology

study of fish Jacques Cousteau's rpograms about sea life have advanced the cause of ichthyology.

entomology

study of insects I found entomology the least interesting part of my course in biology; studying insects bored me.

paleontology

study of prehistoric life The professor of paleontology had a superb collection of fossils.

etymology

study of word parts A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English tests.

gorge

stuff oneself The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten for days.

urbane

suave; refined; elegant The courtier was urbane and sophisticated

anesthetic

substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep.

revulsion

sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what Hitler and Mussolini were trying to do.

blighted

suffering from a disease; destroyed The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

dyspeptic

suffering from indigestion All the talk about rich food made him feel dyspeptic.

bilious

suffering from indigestion; irritable His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

imply

suggest a meaning not expressed Even though your statement does not declare that you are at war with that country, your actions imply that that is the actual situation.

potable

suitable for drinking The recent drought in the Middle Atlantic States has emphasized the need for extensive research in ways of making sea water potable.

menial

suitable for sevants; low I cannot understand why a person of your ability and talent should engage in such menial activities.

aggregate

sum; total The aggregate wealth of this country is staggering to the imagination.

recapitulate

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

vertex

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

aureole

sun's corona; halo Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureols around their heads.

perfunctory

superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm The auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.

codicil

supplement to the body of a will This codicil was drawn up five years after the writing of the original will.

litany

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

stint

supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work He performed his daily stint cheerfully and willingly.

alimentary

supplying nourishment The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there.

champion

support militantly Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize because he championed the oppressed in their struggle for equality.

fulcrum

support on which a lever rests If we use this stone as a fulcrum and the crowbar as a lever, we may be able to move this boulder.

patronize

support; act superior toward Experts in a field sometimes appear to patronize people who are less knowledgeable of the subject.

buttress

support; prop up Just as architects buttress the walls of cathedrals with flying buttresses, debates buttress their arguments with facts.

bolster

support; reinforce The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments.

constituent

supporter The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass.

adherent

supporter; follower In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherent quietly deserted him.

strut

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

putative

supposed; reputed Although there are some doubts, the putative author of this work is Massinger.

stifle

suppress; extinguish; inhibit Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.

disgorge

surrender something; efect; vomit Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

encompass

surround Although we were encompassed by enemy forces, we were cheerful for we were well stocked and could withstand a siege until our allies joined us.

reconnaissance

survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering If you encounter any enemy soldiers during your reconnaissance, capture them for questioning.

relic

surviving remnant; memento Egypt's Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of the country.

euphony

sweet sound Noted for its euphony even when it is spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung.

dulcet

sweet sounding The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel.

sultry

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

meteoric

swift; momentarily brilliant We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame.

natation

swimming The Red Cross emphasizes the need for courses in natation.

eddy

swirling current of water, air, etc. The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.

turgid

swollen; distended The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the contryside.

tumid

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

resumption

taking up again; recommencement During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure.

flair

talent She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.

expatiate

talk at length At this time, please give us a brief resume of your work; we shall permit you to expatiate later.

drone

talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee On a gorgeous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone?

garrulity

talkativeness The man who married a dumb wife asked the doctor to make him deaf because of his wife's garrulity after her cure.

prey

target of a hunt; victim In Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons has as his prey not wild beasts but wild plants.

sully

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

savory

tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.

brindled

tawny or grayish with streaks or spots He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled; he had hoped for animals of uniform color.

tribute

tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.

tithe

tax of one-tenth Because he was an agnostic, he refused to pay his tithes to the clergy.

sophist

teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning You are using all the devices of a sophist in trying to prove your case; your argument is specious.

didactic

teaching; instructional; preaching or moralizing The didactic qualities of his poetry overshadow its literary qualities; the lesson he teaches is more memorable than the lines.

rent

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

badinage

teasing conversation Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.

bivouac

temporary encampment While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars.

incursion

temporary invasion The nightly incursions and hit-and-run raids of our neighbors across the border tried the patience of the country to the point where we decided to retaliate in force.

remission

temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; forgiveness or pardon Though Senator Tsongas had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he was considered fit to handle the strains of a Presidential race.

scaffold

temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.

cohesion

tendency to keep together A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the emperor, by lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the cohesion ofthe free nations.

pathos

tender to sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings. The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly sentimental.

salutary

tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.

inclusive

tending to include all The comedian turned down the invitation to join the Player's Club, saying any club that would let him in was too inclusive for him.

subversive

tending to overthrow; destructive At first glance, the notion that Styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups strikes most environmentalists as subversive.

centripetal

tending toward the center Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface?

provisional

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

terminology

terms used in a science or art The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse laypersons than to enlighten them.

enclave

territory enclosed within an alien land The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy.

sententious

terse; concise; aphoristic After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particulary pleasing.

attest

testify; bear witness Having served as a member of a grand jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.

deposition

testimony under oath He made his deposition in the judge's chamber.

libretto

text of an opera The composer of an opera's music is remembered more frequently than the author of its libretto.

ambivalence

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.

comprehensive

thorough; inclusive This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.

cerebration

thought Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

millenium

thousand-year period; period of happiness and prosperity I do not expect the milennium to come during my lifetime.

ominous

threatening Those clouds are ominous; they suggest that a severe storm is on the way.

tether

tie with a rope Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night.

compact

tightly packed; firm; brief His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball.

heyday

time of greatest success; prime In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running.

opportune

timely; well chosen You have come at an opportune moment for I need a new secretary.

indefatigable

tireless He was indefatigable in his constant efforts to raise funds for the Red Cross.

harping

tiresome dwelling on a subject After he had reminded me several times about what he had done for me I told him to stop his harping on my indebtedness to him.

rubric

title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol In ordaining the new priests, the bishop carefully observed all the rubrics for the ordination service.

terminate

to bring to an end When his contract was terminated unexpectedly, he desperately needed a new job.

commandeer

to draft for military purposes; to take for public use The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.

sinewy

tough; strong and firm The steak was too sinewy to chew

vestige

trace; remains We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave.

barterer

trader The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs.

orthodox

traditional; conservative in belief Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone.

turncoat

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

insidious

treacherous; stealthy; sly The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.

coddle

treat gently; pamper Don't coddle the children to much; they need a taste of discipline.

chicanery

trickery Your deceitful tactics in this case are indications of chicanery.

dally

trifle with; procrastinate Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet could only dally with her affections.

bauble

trinket; trifle The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

junket

trip, especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense Though she maintained she had gone abroad to collect firsthand data on the Common Market, the opposition claimed that her trip was merely a political junket.

platitude

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

verity

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

complaisant

trying to please; obliging The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner.

warren

tunnels in which rabbits live; crowded conditions in which people live. The tenement was a veritable warren, packed with people too poor to live elsewhere.

welter

turmoil; bewildering jumble. The existing welter of overlapping federal and state proclaims cries out for immediate reform.

shunt

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

invert

turn upside down or inside out When he inverted his body in a hand stand, he felt the blood rush to his head.

gnarled

twisted The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several deeds.

wry

twisted; with a humorous twist. We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wry wit.

distortion

twisting out of shape It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of this event because of the distortions and exaggerations of the reporters.

unprepossessing

unattractive During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance is unprepossessing.

inevitable

unavoidable Death and taxes are both inevitable.

unseemly

unbecoming; indecent Your levity is unseemly at this time of mourning.

infidel

unbeliever The Saracens made war against tne infidels.

immutable

unchangeable Scientists are constantly seeking to discover the immutable laws of nature.

ambiguous

unclear or doubtful in meaning His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.

incorrigible

uncorrectable Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible and said he would come to no good end.

disengage

uncouple; separate; disconnect A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving train.

inquisitive

unduly curious; prying; seeking knowledge We need more inquisitive students in this school; lectures are dull.

malaise

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

infallible

unerring We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes.

incoherent

unintelligible; muddled; illogical The bereaved father sobbed and stammered, his words becoming almost incoherent in his grief.

unwitting

unintentional; not knowing She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers

incessant

uninterrupted The crickets kept up an incessant chirping that disturbed our attempts to fall asleep.

iniquitous

unjust; wicked I cannot approve of the iniquitous methods you used to gain your present position.

unwarranted

unjustified; groundless; undeserved We could not understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.

uninhibited

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

inordinate

unrestrained; excessive She had an inordinate fondness for candy.

wanton

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

unconscionable

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

altruistic

unselfishly generous; concerned for others In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed.

studied

unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful Given Jill's previous slights, Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult.

disheveled

untidy Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

grudging

unwilling; reluctant; stingy We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.

probity

uprightness; incorruptibility Everyone took his probity for granted; his defalcations, therefore, shocked us all.

distraught

upset; distracted by anxiety The distraught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child.

retribution

vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.

prolix

verbose; drawn out Her prolix arguments irritated and bored the jury.

protean

versatile; able to take on many forms A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness could take on any role.

mammal

vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.

nefarious

very wicked He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.

infraction

violation Because of his many infractions of school regulations, he was suspended by the dean.

unbridled

violent She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.

throes

violent anguish The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain.

digression

wandering away from the subject Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their offical theme; his digressions were always more fascinating than the topic of the day.

itinerant

wandering; traveling He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his wares.

licentious

wanton; lewd; dissolute The licentious monarch helped bring about his country's downfall.

ribald

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

parry

ward off a blow He was content to wage a defensive battle and tried to parry his opponent's thrusts.

bellicose

warlike His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.

martial

warlike The sound of marital music was always inspiring to the young poet.

ablution

washing His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

fritter

waste He could not apply himself to any task and frittered away his time in idle conversation.

squander

waste The prodigal son squandered the family estate.

atrophy

wasting away Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs.

surveillance

watching; guarding The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of capturing all the criminals at one time.

gargolye

waterspout carved in groteque figures on a building The gargoyles adorning the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris are amusing in their grotesqueness.

invalidate

weaken; destroy The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had not been in his right mind when he signed the document.

debilitate

weaken; enfeeble Overindulgence debilitates character as well as physical stamina.

extenuate

weaken; mitigate It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of others.

undermine

weaken; sap The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city government.

infirmity

weakness Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower.

frailty

weakness The doctor prescribed vitamin and mineral supplements for the sick old woman because of her frailty.

caprice

whim She was an unpredictable creature, acting on caprice, never taking thought of the consequences.

conceit

whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor He was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.

vortex

whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz.

hoary

white with age The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70.

pandemic

widespread; affecting the majority of people They feared the AIDS epidemic would soon reach pandemic proportions.

prevalent

widespread; generally accepted A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.

wangle

wiggle out; fake. She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.

frantic

wild At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.

tortuous

winding; full of curves Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.

dormer

window projecting from roof In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient ventilation for the new room.

hibernal

wintry Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating.

secession

withdrawal The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration.

wizened

withered; shriveled. The wizened old man in the home for the aged was still active and energetic.

insensate

without feeling She lay there as insensate as a log.

impecunious

without money Now that he was wealthy, he gladly contributed to funds to assist impecunious and disbled persons.

witticism

witty saying; facetious remark. What you regard as witticisms are often offensive to sensitive people.

epigram

witty thought or saying, usually short Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous.

matriarch

woman who rules a family or larger social group The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand.

fleece

wool coat of a sheep They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool.

toil

work laboriously; make slow painful progress You must toil through 3500 words list in order to achieve a high score on GRE.

collage

work of art put together from fragments Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage.

effete

worn out; exhausted; barren The literature of the age reflected the effete condition of the writers; no new ideas were forthcoming.

impair

worsen; diminish in value This arrest will impair her reputation in the community.

idolatry

worship of idols; excessive admiration Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical of the excessive enthusiasm of youth.

chaff

worthless products of an endeavor When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

grapple

wrestle; come to grips with He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him.

writ

written command issued by a court. The hero of Leonard's novel is a process server who invents unorthodox ways of serving writs on reluctant parties.

affidavit

written statement made under oath The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit.

misnomer

wrong name; incorrect designation His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.

malfeasance

wrongdoing The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled.

callow

youthful; immature In that youthful movement, the leaders were only a little less callow than their immature followers.

asunder

into parts; apart Their points of view are poles asunder.

pantomime

acting without dialogue Because he worked in pantomime, the clown could be understood wherever he appeared.

animosity

active enmity He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

vigor

active strength Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime.

dynamic

active; efficient A dynamic government is necessary to meet the demands of a changing society.

tangible

able to be touched; real; palpable Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets--a car, a television, a PC--that he could sell if he needed cash.

ungainly

awkward He is an ungainly young man; he trips over everything.

affluence

abundance; wealth Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

talisman

charm She wore the talisman to ward off evil.

ample

abundant He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him.

amulet

charm; talisman Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her.

rife

abundant; current In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent.

exuberant

abundant; effusive; lavish His speeches were famous for his exuberant language and vivid imagery.

olfactory

concerning the sense of smell The olfactory organ is the nose.

prolific

abundantly fruitful She was a prolific writer who produced as many as three books a year.

invective

abuse He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal.

anguish

acute pain; extreme suffering Visiting the site of explosion, Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.

spoonerism

accidental transposition of sounds in sucessive words When the radio announcer introduced the President as Hoobert Herver, he was guilty of spoonerism.

cadaver

corpse In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.

collation

a light meal Tea sandwiches and cookies were offered at the collation.

artisan

a manually skilled worker Artists and artisans alike are necessary to the development of a culture.

fortuitous

accidental; by chance There is no connection between these two events; their timing is entirely fortuitous.

apiary

a place where bees are kept Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.

adventitious

accidental; casual He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate.

plasticity

ability to be molded When clay dries out, it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable.

foresight

ability to foresee future happenings; prudence A wise investor, she had the foresight to buy land just before the current real estate boom.

empathy

ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and feel his emotions as if they were her own.

motility

ability to move spontaneously Certain organisms exhibit remarkable motility; motile spores, for example, may travel for miles before coming to rest.

discrimination

ability to see differences; prejudice They feared he lacked sufficient discrimination to judge complex works of modern art.

caliber

ability; capacity A man of such caliber should not be assigned such menial tasks.

amphibian

able to live both on land and in water Frogs are classified as amphibian.

solvent

able to pay all debts By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings.

ambulatory

able to walk He was described as an ambulatory patient because he was not confined to his bed.

abrogate

abolish He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

consistency

absence of contradictions; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency; he liked his puddings without lumps and his explanations without improbabilities.

incriminate

accuse; serve as evidence against The witness's testimony against the racketeers incriminates some high public officials as well.

wean

accustom a baby not to nurse; give up a cherished activity. He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.

inured

accustomed; hardened She became inured to the Alaskan cold.

appropriate

acquire; take possession of for one's own use The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

exonerate

acquit; exculpate I am sure this letter naming the actual culprit will exonerate you.

arbitrate

act as judge She was called upon to arbitrate the dispute between the union and the management.

archaic

antiquated "Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

antediluvian

antiquated; ancient The antediluvian customs had apparently not changed for thousands of years.

perquisite

any gain above stipulated salary The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates.

canker

any ulcerous sore; any evil Poverty is a canker in the body politic; it must be cured.

aloof

apart; reserved Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

guise

appearance; costume In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case.

swelter

be oppressed by heat I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another hot and humid summer.

behoove

be suited to; be incumbent upon In this time of crisis, it behooves all of us to remain calm and await the instructions of our superiors.

implore

beg He implored her to give him a second chance.

importune

beg persistently Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for contributions so frequently that she decided to give nothing to either party.

mendicant

beggar From the moment we left the ship, we were surrounded by mendicants and peddlers.

inaugurate

begin formally; install in office The candidate promised that he would inaugurate a new nationwide health care plan as soon as he was inaugurated as president.

initiate

begin; originate; receive into a group The college is about to initiate a program for reducing math anxiety among students.

conception

beginning; forming of a idea At the first conception of the work, he was consulted.

genesis

beginning; origin Tracing the genesis of a family is the theme of "Roots."

sear

char or burn; brand Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.

generic

characteristic of an entire class or species Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she began to think that playing Dungeon & Dragons was a generic trait.

pristine

characteristic of earlier times; primitive, unspoiled This area has been preserved in all its pristine wildness.

universal

characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere At first, no one shared Christopher's opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal disdain.

indict

charge If the grand jury indicts the suspect, he will go to trial.

arraign

charge in court; indict After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

knit

contract into wrinkles Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown.

belie

contradict; give a false impression His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity.

contravene

contradict; oppose: infringe on or transgress Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert Browning.

foil

contrast In "Star Wars," dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker.

restraint

controlling force She dreamt of living an independent life, free of all restraints.

ascendancy

controlling influence President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendency over Philippines.

mores

customs The mores of Mexico are those of Spain with some modifications.

lackluster

dull We were disappointed by the lackluster performance.

subsistence

existence; means of support; livelihood In those days of inflated prices, my salary provided mere subsistence.

congenital

existing at birth His congenital deformity disturbed his parents.

politic

expedient; prudent; well devised Even though he was disappointed, he did not think it politic to refuse the offer.

penury

extreme poverty When his pension fund failed, George feared he would end his days in penury.

opulence

extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away.

jingoism

extremely aggressive and militant patriotism We must be careful to prevent a spirit of jingoism from spreading at this time.

overwrought

extremely agitated; hysterical When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave the office early.

exacting

extremely demanding The colonies rebelled against the exacting financial claims of the mother country.

parched

extremely dry; very thirsty The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.

prohibitive

extremely high (of prices etc.) The super computer's price was prohibitive.

tenacity

firmness; persistency; adhesiveness It is extremely difficult to overcome the tenacity of a habit such as smoking.

arable

fit for plowing The land was no longer arable; erosion had removed the valuable topsoil.

tantrum

fit of petulance; caprice The child learned that he could have almost anything if he went into tantrums.

paroxysm

fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage When he heared of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a paroxysm of rage.

verdigris

green coating on copper which has been exposed to the weather Despite all attempts to protect the statue from the elements, it became coated with verdigris.

verdant

green; lush in vegetation Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green.

felicity

happines; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.) She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.

harry

harass, annoy, torment; raid The guerrilla band harried the enemy nightly.

bait

harass; tease The soldiers baited the prisoners, terrorizing them.

beset

harass; trouble Many problems beset the American public school system.

esoteric

hard to understand; known only to the chosen few New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is if you are in the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won't.

privation

hardship; want In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.

injurious

harmful Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to your health.

noxious

harmful We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.

deleterious

harmful Workers in nuclear research must avoid the deleterious effects of radioactive substances.

detrimental

harmful; damaging Your acceptance of her support will ultimately prove detrimental rather than helpful to your cause.

musky

having the odor of musk She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.

rancid

having the odor of stale fat A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the crew.

titular

having the title of an office without the obligations Although he was the titular head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager.

authoritative

having the weight of authority; dictatorial We accepted her analysis of the situation as authoritative.

civil

having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite Although internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax evaders.

cognitive

having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental precesses Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced intellectually.

prophetic

having to do with predicting the future In interpreting Pharaoh's prophetic dream, Joseph said that the seven fat cows eaten by the seven lean cows represented seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

fluted

having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar) All that remained of the ancient building were the fluted columns.

effeminate

having womanly traits His voice was high-pitched and effeminate.

conducive

helpful; contributive Rest and proper diet are conducive to good health.

aristocracy

hereditary nobility; privileged class Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy:

mischance

ill luck By mischance, he lost his week's salary.

enmity

ill will; hatred At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented Egypt and Israel from living in peace.

cantankerous

ill-humored; irritable Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.

morose

ill-humored; sullen When we first meet Hamlet, we find him morose and depressed.

illicit

illegal The defense attorney claimed that the police had entrapped his client; that is, they had elicited the illicit action of which they now accuse of him.

fancied

imagined; unreal You are resenting fancied insults. No one has ever said such things about you.

ameliorate

improve Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

insolence

imprudent disrespect; haughtiness How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of you insolence.

spontaneity

impulsiveness; absence of premeditation What I liked best about Dale's parties was their spontaneity: a couple of friends would drop by, someone would pull out a fiddle or guitar, and before you knew it the party would be in full swing.

comatose

in a coma; extremely sleepy The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state.

pellmell

in confusion; disorderly The excited students dashed pellmell into the stadium to celebrate the victory.

virtual

in essence; for practical purposes She is a virtual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.

vassal

in feudalism, one who held land of a superior lord The lord demanded that his vassals contribute more to his military campaign.

enamored

in love Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.

nominal

in name only; trifling He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominal fee.

affiliation

joining; associating with His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues.

peregrination

journey Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tiajuana to Timbuctoo.

festive

joyous; celebratory Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion.

succulent

juicy; full of richness To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California.

warrant

justify; authorize. Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this action is warranted.

sagacious

keen; shrewd; having insight He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a trick like that.

shun

keep away from Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human beings.

tepid

lukewarm During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one.

careen

lurch; sway from side to side The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

lewd

lustful They found his lewd stories objectionable.

grate

make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves.

expiate

make amends for (a sin) He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.

atone

make amends for; pay for He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

disgruntle

make discontented The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.

stipulate

make express conditions, specify Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams be allowed to inspect Soviet bases.

cavil

make frivolous objections I respect your sensible criticisms, but I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant details.

alienate

make hostile; separate Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

preclude

make impossible; eliminate This contract does not preclude my being employed by others at the same time that I am working for you.

promulgate

make known by official proclamation or publication As soon as the Civil Service Commission promulgates the names of the successful candidates, we shall begin to hire members of our staff.

dilute

make less concentrated; reduce in strength She preferred her coffee diluted with milk.

facilitate

make less difficult He tried to facilitate repayment of the loan by getting a part-time job.

attenuate

make thin; weaken By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

obviate

make unnecessary; get rid of I hope this contribution will obviate any need for further collections of funds.

exploit

make use of, sometimes unjustly Caesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farmworkers in California.

integrate

make whole; combine; make into one unit She tried to integrate all their activities into one program.

rejuvenate

make young again The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.

optician

maker and seller of eyeglasses The patient took the prescription given him by his oculist to the optician.

testator

maker of a will The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator.

compensatory

making up for; repaying Can a compensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

fetid

malodorous The neglected wound became fetid.

nubile

marrigeable Mrs. Bennet, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, was worried about finding suitable husbands for her five nubile daughters.

definitive

most reliable or complee Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.

mobile

movable; not fixed The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today.

scurry

move briskly The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.

accelerate

move faster In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

skulk

move furtively and secretly He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former friends.

lumber

move heavily of clumsily Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear lumbered through the woods.

deploy

move troops so that the battle line is extended at the expense of depth The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the offensive of the enemy.

amoral

non-moral The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral.

cipher

nonentity; worthless person or thing She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.

gibberish

nonsense; babbling Did you hear that foolish boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space?

alcove

nook; recess Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple.

irreparable

not able to be corrected or repaired Your apology cannot atone for the irreparable damage you have done to her reputation.

intangible

not able to be perceived by touch; vague Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible rewards: prestige, intellectual freedom, the fellowship of his peers.

impenetrable

not able to be pierced or entered How could the murderer have gotten into the locked room? To Watson, the mystery, like the room, was impenetrable.

evasive

not frank; eluding Your evasive answers convinced the judge that you were witholding important evidence.

asymmetric

not identical on both sides of a dividing central line Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric appearance.

objective

not influenced by emotions; fair Even though he was her son, she tried to be objective about his behavior.

temporal

not lasting forever; limited by time; secular At one time in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.

figurative

not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech "To lose one's marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects you to rush out to buy him a replacement set.

impolitic

not wise I think it is impolitic to raise this issue at the present time because the public is too angry.

marked

noticeable; targeted for vengeance He walked with a marked limp, a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a marked man.

egregious

notorious; conspicuously bad; shocking She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.

infamous

notoriously bad Jesse James was an infamous outlaw.

nurture

nourish; educate; foster The head Start program attempts to nurture prekindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter public school.

recurrent

occurring again and again These recurrent attacks disturbed us and we consulted a physician.

coincident

occurring at the same time Some people find the coincident events in Hardy's novels annoyingly improbable.

subjective

occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your thinking.

quaint

odd; old-fashioned; picturesque Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

disburse

pay out When you disburse money on the company's behalf, be sure to get a receipt.

alimony

payments make to an ex-spouse after divorce Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award him a month in alimony.

placid

peaceful; calm After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested.

pinnacle

peak We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the mountain lay in shadow.

sage

person celebrated for wisdom Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage.

connoisseur

person competent to act as judge of art, ect.; a lover of an art She had developed into a connoisseur of fine china.

ecologist

person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment The ecologist was concerned that the new dam would upset the natural balance of the creatures living in Glen Canyon.

felon

person convicted of a grave crime A convicted felon loses the right to vote

malcontent

person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs He was one of the few malcontents in the Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the Presidential program.

aplomb

poise; composure Wellington's nonchalance and aplomb in the heat of battle always heartened his followers.

toxic

poisonous We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten.

viper

poisonous snake The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the Sinai peninsula.

tout

publicize; praise excessively I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment.

flout

reject; mock The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.

spurn

reject; scorn The heroine spurned the villain's advances.

exult

rejoice We exulted when our team won the victory.

jubilation

rejoicing There was great jubilitation when the armistice was announced.

cognate

related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature The English word "mother" cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words "maternal" and "maternity."

canine

related to dogs; doglike Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population.

nuptial

related to marriage Their nuptial ceremony was performed in Golden Gate Park.

monastic

related to monks Wanting to live a religious life, he took his monastic vows.

demographic

related to population balance In conducting a survey, one should take into account demographic trends in the region.

elysian

relating to paradise; blissful An afternoon sail on the bay was for her an elysian journey.

ethnic

relating to races Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is based on lack of information.

spatial

relating to space It is difficult to visualize the spatial extent of our universe.

dorsal

relating to the back of an animal A shark may be identified by its dorsal fin, which projects above the surface of the ocean.

climactic

relating to the highest point When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading.

sidereal

relating to the stars Although hampered by optical and mechanical flaws, the orbiting Hubble space telescope has relayed extraordinary images of distant sidereal bodies.

dehydrate

remove water from; dry out Vigorous dancing quickly dehydrates the body; between dances, be sure to drink more water than normal.

abjure

renounce upon oath He abjured his allegiance to the king.

forswear

renounce; abandon The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.

abdicate

renounce; give up When Edward VII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.

refurbish

renovate; make bright by polishing The flood left a deposit of mud on everything; it was necessary to refurbish our belongings.

abnegation

renunciation; self-sacrifice Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom.

solder

repair or make whole by using a metal alloy The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.

disclose

reveal Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company's forthcoming product.

divulge

reveal I will not tell you this news because I am sure you will divulge it prematurely.

vindictive

revengeful She was very vindictive and never forgave an injury.

saline

salty The slightly saline taste of this mineral water is pleasant.

monotony

sameness leading to boredom He took a clerical job, but soon grew to hate the monotony of his daily routine.

uniformity

sameness; consistency; monotony After a while, the uniformity of TV situation comedies becomes boring.

surfeit

satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats.

sate

satisfy to the full; cloy Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.

anecdote

short account of an amusing or interesting event Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Raegan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.

epilogue

short speech at conclusion of dramatic work The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.

abbreviate

shorten Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

jostle

shove; bump In the subway he was jostled by the crowds.

exemplify

show by example; furnish an example Three-time winner of the Super Bowl, Joe Montana exemplifies the ideal quarterback.

evince

show clearly When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter.

ebullient

showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm His ebullient nature could not be repressed.

painstaking

showing hard work; taking great care The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.

pedantic

showing off learning; bookish Leaving his decisions with humorous, down-to-earth anecdotes, Judge Walker was not at all pedantic legal scholar.

adjunct

something attached to but holding an inferior position I will entertain this concept as an adjunct to the main proposal.

comestible

something fit to be eaten The roast turkey and other comestibles, the wines, and the excellent service made this Thanksgiving dinner particularly memorable.

perennial

something long-lasting Tese plants are hardy perennials and will bloom for many years.

novelty

something new; newness The computer is no longer a novelty around the office.

anachronism

something or someone misplaced in time Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.

sleeper

something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper.

precedent

something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action This decision sets a precedent for future cases of a similar nature.

assumption

something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her Assumption of power.

deterrent

something that discourages; hindrance Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?

waffle

speak equivocally about an issue. When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary waffled, talking all around the issue.

malign

speak evil of; defame Because of her hatred of the family, she maligns all who are friendly to them.

balm

something that relieves pain Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

brackish

somewhat saline He found the only wells in the area were brackish; drinking the water made him nauseous.

paean

song of praise or joy paeans celebrating the victory filled the air.

mollify

soothe We tried to mollify the hysterical child by promising her many gifts.

emollient

soothing or softening remedy He applied an emollient to the inflamed area.

fleck

spot Her cheeks flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.

dappled

spotted The sunlight filtering though the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.

mottled

spotted When he blushed, his face took on a mottled hue.

suffuse

spread over A blush suffused her cheeks when we teased her about her love affair.

assert

state strongly or positively; insist on or demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc). When Jill asserted that nobody else in the junior class had such an early curfew, her parents Asserted themselves, telling her that if she didn't get home by nine o'clock she would be grounded for the week.

allege

state without proof It is alleged that she had worked for the enemy.

paradox

statement that looks false but is actually correct; a contradictory statement Wordworth's "The child is father to the man" is an example of paradox.

unfaltering

steadfast She approached the guillotine with unfaltering steps.

lurk

stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived "Who knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men? The shadow knows."

concomitant

that which accompanies Culture is not always a concomitant of wealth.

implication

that which is hinted at or suggested If I understand the implications of your remark, you do not trust our captain.

galaxy

the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities The deaths of such famous actors as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, and Marlene Dietrich demonstrate that the galaxy of Hollywood superstars is rapidly disppearing.

occident

the West It will take occident to understand the ways and customs of the orient.

unction

the act of anointing with oil The anointing with oil of a person near death is called extreme unction.

prosody

the art of versification This book on prosody contains a rhyming dictionary as well as samples of the various verse forms.

abstract

theoretical; not concrete; non-representational To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

pachyderm

thick-skinned animal The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm.

coagulate

thicken; congeal; clot Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands.

emaciated

thin and wasted His long period of starvation had left him emaciated.

veneer

thin layer; cover Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to recognize his fundamental shallowness.

gruel

thin, liquid porridge Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable.

tenuous

thin; rare; slim The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties; let us hope they will remain loyal.

wispy

thin; slight; barely discernible. Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair, Walter carefully massaged his scalp and applied hair restorer every night.

cogitate

think over cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.

tertiary

third He is so thorough that he analyzes tertiary causes where other writers are content with primary and secondary reasons.

fret

to be annonyed or vexed To fret over your poor grades is foolish; instead, decide to work harder in the future.

quietude

tranquillity He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.

caulk

to make watertight (by plugging seams) When water from the shower leaked into the basement, we knew it was time to caulk the tiles at the edges of the shower stall.

sepulcher

tomb Annabel Lee was buried in a sepulcher by the sea.

rhapsodize

to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.

unfrock

to strip a priest or minister of church authority To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to suspend a doctor's license to practice--these are extreme steps that the authorities should take only after careful consideration.

defrock

to strip a priest or minister of church authority We knew the minister had violated church regulations, but we had not realized his offense was serious enough to cause him to be defrocked.

modulation

toning down; changing from one key to another When we she spoke, it was with quiet modulation of voice.

meander

to wind or turn in its course It is difficult to sail up this stream because of the way it meanders through the countryside.

stigma

token of disgrace; brand I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted clears you completely.

brook

tolerate; endure The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions.

knell

tolling of a bell, especially to indicate a funeral, disaster, etc.; sound of the funeral bell "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day."

indisputable

too certain to be disputed In the face of these indisputable statements, I withdraw my complaint.

finicky

too particular; fussy The old lady was finicky about her food and ate very little.

vise

tool for holding work in place Before filling its edges, the keysmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.

pestle

tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl From the way in which the elderly pharmacist pounded the drug with his pestle, young George could tell that his employer was agitated about something.

cog

tooth projecting from a wheel A bicycle chain moves through a series of cogs in order to propel the bike.

fiasco

total failure Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.

explicit

totally clear; definite; outspoken Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied: be explicit about what's bugging you.

petulant

touchy; peevish The feverish patient was petulant and restless.

intrude

trespass; enter as an uninvited person She hesitated to intrude on their conversation.

hoax

trick; practical joke Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room.

unsightly

ugly Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced with a particularly unsightly injury.

irrepressible

unable to be restrained or held back Her high spirits were irrepressible.

doctrinaire

unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.

unwonted

unaccustomed He hesitated to assume the unwonted role of master of ceremonies at the dinner.

irrevocable

unalterable Let us not brood over past mistakes since they are irrevocable.

litotes

understatement for emphasis To say, "He little realizes," when we mean that he does not realize at all, is an example of the kind of understatement we call litotes.

implicit

understood but not stated Jack never told Jill he adored her; he believed his love was implicit in his deeds.

tacit

understood; not put into words We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.

mortician

undertaker The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.

embryonic

undeveloped; rudimentary The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated while it is still in an embryonic state; otherwise, it may grow to dangerous proportions.

nondescript

undistinctive; ordinary The private detective was a short, nondescript fellow with no ourstanding features, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.

singular

unique; extraordinary; odd Though the young man tried to understand Father William's singular behavior, he still found it odd that the old man incessantly stood on his head.

lumen

unit of light energy (one candle's worth) In buying light bulbs, she checked not only their power, as measured in watts, but their brightness, as measured in lumens.

unison

unity of pitch; complete accord The choir sang in unison.

catholic

universal; wide-ranging liberal He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library.

omnipresent

universally present; ubiquitous On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is omnipotent.

pauper

very poor person Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a pauper.

prim

very precise and formal; exceedingly proper Many people commented on the contrast between the prim attire of the young lady and the inappropriate clothing worn by her escort.

vital

vibrant and lively; critical; living, breathing The vital, highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note their vital signs.

oscillate

vibrate pendulumlike; waver It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.

onslaught

vicious assault We suffered many casualties during unexpected onslaght of the enemy troops.

quarry

victim; object of a hunt The police closed in on their quarry.

robust

vigorous; strong The candidate for the football team had a robust physique.

spry

vigorously active; nimble She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.

profane

violate; desecrate Tourists are urged not to profane the sanctity of holy places by wearing improper garb.


Kaugnay na mga set ng pag-aaral

FDA Drug Approval Process and Regulations

View Set

CHAPTER 14 - MUSCULOSKELETAL IMAGING, BREAST AND SUPERFICIAL STRUCTURES

View Set

International Business Final 1-60

View Set

Intro to Business - Ch 8: Accounting: Decision Making by the Numbers

View Set

the integumentary system ~ layers of epidermis

View Set