Barrons GRE Word List (1-1991)

graze

(of an animal) feed on growing grass; cause (an animal) to feed on grass; scrape (esp. the skin) or touch lightly in passing; brush; Ex. We can't graze the cattle till summer; N: surface wound "I wouldn't let Palin graze with my goats, I wish she would use that bridge she built going nowhere"

feral

(of an animal) not domestic; wild

dull

(of colors or surfaces) not bright; cloudy; overcast; boring; (of edge or sound) not sharp; not rapid; sluggish; slow in thinking and understanding; stupid; V.

exorbitant

(of costs or demands) excessive; exceeding reasonable bounds

arid

(of land) dry; barren; unproductive "Still, the book is often read in arid isolation, as merely a prophetic anticipation of more modern economic theory."

fallow

(of land) plowed but not sowed (to improve the quality); uncultivated

centurion

Roman army officer (commanding a company of about 100 soldiers) "We had been told, on leaving our native soil," wrote the centurion Marcus Flavius to a cousin back in Rome, "that we were going to defend the sacred rights conferred on us by so many of our citizens [and to aid] populations in need of our assistance and our civilization."

arcade

a covered passageway usually lined with shops "The first covered shopping street to be built in Britain, the arcade is at Piccadilly in London's bustling West End shopping district."

collation

a light meal; collating "Employment statistics will never be a good vehicle, as collation of data is difficult, and it tells little about Payroll dispersion."

artisan

a manually skilled worker "The Oaxaca artisan is a master of Mexican folk art."

affluence

abundance; wealth "We know that the present world population of about three billion people is living, whether in affluence or hardship, due to the efforts of an active population of approximately one billion."

chasm

abyss; very deep crack "Now, economic worries are rising fastest in households with smaller paychecks, and that chasm is widening."

fortuitous

accidental; by chance; N. fortuity

adventitious

accidental; casual; happening by chance "Things he did, no matter how adventitious or spontaneous, struck the popular imagination as remarkable."

apiary

a place where bees are kept "They also created two guest cottages, greenhouses, an apiary and vegetable, flower and berry gardens."

carillon

a set of bells (often in a tower) capable of being played "It was a carillon, that is, a continued mass of real music, in which whole tunes, songs, and elaborate pieces of such length, mass and harmony, as only a choir of many voices, a band of music, or an orchestra of many performers could produce."

flail

beat with or as if with a flail; move wildly; thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about; N: threshing tool consisting of a stick swinging from the end of a long handle

finery

beautiful clothes for a special occasion "All of that finery is hidden under their look-alike robes."

calligraphy

beautiful writing; excellent penmanship "The technique and artistic style of his painting and calligraphy is largely self-taught, as brushwork is not a part of formal monastic training, but part of his cumulative experience."

betroth

become engaged to marry "Every sister of mine is married to a lord, except for Katherine, where I go one better and betroth her to a duke."

blush

become red in the face (from embarrassment or shame); become red or rosy; N.

degenerate

become worse in quality; deteriorate; ADJ: having become worse; Ex. a degenerate species; N: depraved or corrupt person

stoop

bend forward and down; lower or debase oneself; fall to a lower standard of behavior by doing something; condescend; Ex. stoop to lying

droop

bend or hang downward; become weakened; Ex. His shoulders drooped with tiredness; N.

genuflect

bend the knee as in worship

beleaguer

besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset "A short time will be occupied in misleading those British ships that beleaguer us; then we concentrate ours, and command the Channel; if only for three days, that will be enough."

covenant

binding agreement between two groups or people; compact; V: enter into a covenant; promise

astringent

binding; causing contraction (stopping bleeding); harsh or severe; stringent; Ex. astringent criticism "A far better film on a similar subject, and more astringent, is Shadow of A Doubt."

acrid

bitter (to the taste or smell); sharp; bitterly pungent "It was more a thing of his head than his heart, revealing itself mainly in short, acrid speeches, meant to be clever, and indubitably disagreeable."

diatribe

bitter scolding or denunciation; invective; abuse

gall

bitterness of feeling; nerve; effrontery; CF. gall bladder

acerbity

bitterness of speech and temper; ADJ. acerbic: bitter; acrid (in taste, manner, or tone) "In the other countries of Europe, racial and religious acerbity is intensified by economic and political agitation."

denigrate

blacken; defame

censure

blame; criticize; express strong disapproval; N: severe criticism; strong disapproval "Much of the censure is coming from an "infrastructure ü ber alles" crowd that too readily ignores that the costs of these big projects are often grossly underestimated and their benefits significantly exaggerated."

blanch

bleach; whiten; make white or pale "Most were in their 50s, an age that can cause a would-be employer to blanch."

beatitude

blessedness; state of great happiness "Whenever we meet with the positive element of human personality, we experience this feeling of beatitude, which is the aesthetic emotion."

benison

blessing "The gods owe him their benison and support because, like them, he is old and a monarch."

benediction

blessing "We have here an apostolic benediction on those who should give a due regard to this divine revelation; and this benediction is given more generally and more especially."

boon

blessing; benefit; something very helpful "While an empty storefront might not help in the short run, securing better tenants is a long-term boon for the neighborhood, he says."

chauvinist

blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group, cause, or sex; ADJ. chauvinistic; CF. chauvinism; Nicolas Chauvin "In the book - written by a ghostwriter who conducted 50 hours of interviews with the WikiLeaks chief - Assange says "I may be a chauvinist pig of some sort but I am no rapist."

filibuster

block legislation or prevent action in a lawmaking body by making very slow long speeches; N; freebooter

bluster

blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully; speak in a noisy or bullying manner; CF. breeze, gust, gale "But, beyond the posturing and the bluster are the numbers, which if you look at them, support the open system in MLB that exists today (see"

doldrums

blues; listlessness(lack of spirit or energy); slack(inactive) period; period of stagnation; ocean area near the equator where ships cannot move because there is no wind; Ex. in the doldrums

brusque

blunt; abrupt; curt; not wanting to waste time being nice "There is a kind of brusque humor in his address, a downright heartiness, which reminds one of western character."

braggadocio

boasting "Often at the end of a day when they had successfully charged a suspect he would lapse into a kind of braggadocio, the thin, frangible coating of allure that he often put on would disappear totally, and his pugilist walk would become more pronounced."

corporeal

bodily (rather than spiritual); of a bodily form; material; tangible

clientele

body of customers "Mr. Sire says tennis appeals to an elite clientele, which is important when building up corporate relations, but also has the mass appeal vital for creating awareness among retail customers because it is played around the world."

bugaboo

bugbear; object of baseless terror "His bugaboo has been the five home runs allowed in four starts, and he gave up another on Adrian Gonzalez's two-run shot in the first."

fabricate

build; lie; make up (a story) in order to deceive; Ex. fabricate the whole story; CF. fabric: underlying structure; Ex. fabric of society

edifice

building (of imposing size)

browbeat

bully; intimidate "Spitzer thought the voters had given him a mandate to deliver his agenda, and he tried quickly and publicly to browbeat the legislature into submission."

encumber

burden; N. encumbrance

cauterize

burn (a wound or snakebite, etc.) with hot iron or caustic substance to stop bleeding and prevent infection "But the very austerity programs intended to cauterize the rise in debt are as likely to make it worse, as domestic spending is depressed, tax revenue falls and more citizens become dependent on state welfare."

flicker

burn unsteadily or fitfully; move waveringly; N: flickering movement or light; brief sensation; Ex. flicker of excitement

caustic

burning; corrosive; able to burn by chemical action; sarcastically biting; (of remarks) intended to hurt; bitter; harmful; OP. harmless "Mr. Savage, 68 years old, is best known as the caustic conservative radio-show host."

entrepreneur

businessperson (who assumes the risk of a business venture); contractor; ADJ. entrepreneurial

ambidextrous

capable of using either hand with equal ease "Shooting left handed has also developed a certain degree of ambidextrous ability in a lot of other things I do."

formality

ceremonious quality; ceremonious adherence to rules; something done just for form's sake; Ex. mere formality

certitude

certainty "It's probably the only drink you'll serve in it, but an ordinary mug is just too unceremonious and your drink won't look like a mini pint of Guinness."

curb

chain or strap used with a bit to restrain a horse; something that checks; V: check; restrain

shift

change position or place; exchange (one thing) for another; change in direction or position; Ex. shift the stolen goods; N. group of workers which takes turns with other groups; working period of such a group

gerrymander

change voting district lines in order to favor a political party; N. CF. Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander

fickle

changeable (in affections or friendship); faithless

padre

chaplain (in the armed forces)

generic

characteristic of an entire class or species; of a genus

arraign

charge in court; indict "According to sources, Libyan officials plan to immediately arraign Gaddafi and put him on trial, but have agreed to let him finish a quick game to 100."

amulet

charm; talisman; an object worn believed to protect against evil, bad luck "Unarmed and injured, Locke must have thought that giving him the amulet was a worthy last resort."

engaging

charming; attractive

babble

chatter idly or foolishly; make continuous sounds like water running gently over rounded stone; N. "The outcome of her babble is either incoherent or a blatant lie."

cozen

cheat; hoodwink; swindle

fraudulent

cheating; deceitful; Ex. fraudulent means; N. fraud: deception; swindle

alacrity

cheerful promptness without reluctance "It can't happen with that kind of alacrity without real effort on the part of the business community, and I would say the community has defaulted to government in the last little while and allowed government to take the lead."

geniality

cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy; ADJ. genial: cheerful and good-tempered

fermentation

chemical reaction that splits complex organic compounds; unrest; agitation

arch-

chief; first; Ex. archbishop

cardinal

chief; most important; N: priest; cardinal number: number that shows quantity rather thatn order "Those who recite the Divine Office find constantly recurring what seems to be the earliest instance of the word cardinal as applied to the virtues."

chortle

chuckle with delight; N. "But it seems a bit of a stretch for Prime Minister José Sócrates, a candidate for re-election on June 5, to chortle that the bailout is "a big success."

curmudgeon

churlish, miserly individual; bad-tempered old person

friction

clash or conflict in opinion; rubbing against

expurgate

clean; remove offensive parts of a book

bouillon

clear beef (or meat) soup "The flavorful broth or bouillon is often served first, dotted with croutons and sprinkled with Gruy è re cheese."

exculpate

clear from blame or guilt

distinctive

clearly different from others of the same kind

distinct

clearly different; clearly noticed

chaplain

clergyman attached to a chapel

sly

clever in deceiving; secretive; not telling one's intentions

clime

climate "He is deeply tanned, his skin drinking in the sun even in our northern clime."

clamber

climb by crawling with difficulties; scramble "After a day of rest on middle Sunday another Wimbledon eccentricity, all 32 men and women remaining in the singles draws clamber back to the lawns, anxious and refreshed, to fight for a spot in the quarterfinals."

circuit

closed circular line around an area; circumference; regularly repeated journey from place to place

outfit

clothing or equipment for a special purpose; Ex. cowboy outfit

buffoonery

clowning "Somewhere in the buffoonery is a well-reasoned argument for Michael to call it off with Pam's mom, something about Michael's desire to visit Italy, start a family and do all the things that Helene has already done and has no interest in doing again."

fiat

command; arbitrary order; Ex. presidential fiat; CF. let it be done

enjoin

command; order; forbid

bid

command; utter (a greeting); offer as a price; N: offer of a price; amount offered; earnest effort to gain something; Ex. bid for freedom

embark

commence; go on board a boat; begin a journey

annotate

comment; make explanatory notes "We all know that annotation requires such rigor of selection that one might say that to annotate is to omit."

brevity

conciseness; shortness of duration "The instant this question is proposed, I hear myself replied to from all quarters: What is there so well known as the brevity of human life?"

coda

concluding section of a musical or literary composition "A tragic coda is that although Saro-Wiwa was widely admired in the West, the oil-dependent democracies that profess their devotion to human rights did little to save him."

finale

conclusion; concluding part

denounce

condemn; criticize; N. denunciation

abridge

condense or shorten "David Axelrod, a senior campaign adviser to President Barack Obama, said the administration had heard the Roman Catholic Church's concerns and never intended to "abridge anyone's religious freedom."

deign

condescend; stoop

anemia

condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles; ADJ. anemic "Without a transplant, the average life expectancy for a child with Fanconi anemia is 14 to 16, Flynn says."

analgesia

condition of being unable to feel pain "A team of psychological scientists, headed up by Jason Buhle of Columbia University, decided to investigate this explanation for placebo analgesia."

standstill

condition of no movement or activity; stop

florescence

condition or period of flowering

bestow

confer; to apply "That's a title we bestow on athletes in any sport who like to get bloody."

corroborate

confirm; support; strengthen

discord

conflict; lack of harmony; dissonance (when musical notes are played)

compliance

conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield; disposition to yield to others; V. comply

befuddle

confuse thoroughly "Personally, because I know seniors who are computer masters and middle-age people whose PCs befuddle them, I'd say such a machine might appeal to anyone of any age who needs or craves greater simplicity in a PC."

fluster

confuse; make nervous and confused; N.

confound

confuse; puzzle

disconcert

confuse; upset; embarrass; perturb

bemused

confused; lost in thought; preoccupied "I adapt with relative ease to the people I meet in the new places I visit and inhabit, although certain unwritten social rules continuously bemuse me."

coagulate

congeal; thicken; clot; N. coagulant "Fresh cheese curds are nothing more than the solid part of milk after cultures and rennet have been added, causing the milk to curdle and separate and the solids to coagulate."

natal

connected with birth; CF. prenatal; CF. postnatal

epicure

connoisseur of food and drink; gourmet; ADJ. epicurean; CF. Epicurus

anoint

consecrate; put oil on (in a religious ceremony) "CLEVELAND -- In days long gone, Roman Catholic priests regularly made deathbed house calls, even in the middle of the night with little notice, to pray over the dying and anoint them with holy oils."

deliberate

consider; ponder; ADJ: done on purpose; slow

flagrant

conspicuously wicked, bad, or offensive; blatant; outrageous

collusion

conspiring in a fraudulent scheme to cheat or deceive others; V. collude "You have public officials in collusion, practicing an illegal act that costs taxpayers money,' McDonough said in an interview Tuesday."

constitution

constituting; system of laws; composition of something; physical makeup or structure of a person; Ex. men with strong constitutions

persevere

continue steadily in spite of difficulties

din

continued loud noise; V: make a din; instill by wearying repetition

belie

contradict; give a false impression; disguise; Ex. The poor sales belied our high hopes; Ex. Her smile belies her true feeling of displeasure. "But these examples belie a consistent lack of interest in, understanding of, or even downright hostility toward women's issues."

contravene

contradict; oppose; violate (a rule, law, or custom); N. contravention

antithesis

contrast; direct opposite of or to; ADJ. antithetic or antithetical "Our various governments today act in a way that can fairly be described as the antithesis of that aircraft carrier - much to our detriment."

foil

contrast; one that by contrast enhances the distinctive characteristics of another

dominate

control; rule; enjoy a commanding position in; overlook from a height

ascendancy

controlling influence; position of controlling influence; CF. in the ascendant "Christianity was in ascendancy, and its power was secured when Constantine made it the official state religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century."

cogent

convincing "Holbrooke's flattery, though, did not deter Podesta, who kept insisting on some kind of cogent answer about objectives and metrics."

comity

courtesy; civility; Ex. comity of nations "Work develops the qualities of accountability and urgency, including the need for comity with others as a means for the accomplishment of tasks."

fawning

courting favor by cringing and flattering; V. fawn: exhibit affection as a dog; seek favor or attention by obsequiousness

glaze

cover with a thin and shiny surface; apply a glaze to; N: thin, smooth, shiny coating (as for pottery); Ex. unglazed pottery

gild

cover with a thin layer of gold

craven

cowardly

bovine

cowlike; placid and dull; slow-thinking; calm "Ox are cheap and easy to train but they're essentially bovine, which is to say, smart but slow," he said."

crevice

crack; fissure

credo

creed

fissure

crevice; crack

animadversion

critical remark; V. animadvert: comment critically with disapproval "Thus he put the most unfavorable of his friend, because he found himself justly fallen under the lash of his animadversion."

askew

crookedly; slanted; at an angle "Something is very askew if Mick Jones' sensational post-Clash outfit are playing two bands below Crystal Castles on The Other Stage."

diadem

crown

fell

cruel; (of a disease) deadly

exclaim

cry out suddenly; N. exclamation; ADJ. exclamatory

elixir

cure-all; panacea; something invigorating

draught

current of air (through a room or to a fire); act of pulling roads; act of swallowing liquid or amount of liquid swallowed at a time "Just as she was about to speak a draught blew across her face, and she at once stepped to the window and closed it."

execrate

curse; express abhorrence for; detest

aquiline

curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; Ex. aquiline nose "Being Eskimo, she should have a little flat excuse for a nose, and lo, it is neither broad nor flat, but aquiline, with nostrils delicately and sensitively formed as any fine lady's of a whiter breed — the Indian strain somewhere, be assured, Avery"

convex

curving outward

excise

cut away; cut out; N: government tax on good produced and used inside a country; N. excision

dismember

cut into small parts; cut (a body) apart limb from limb

clip

cut off with shears; fasten; N: something clipped off (as a short extract from film); clasp or fastener

fell

cut or knock down (a tree or a person); bring down (with a missile)

abscission

cutting off; separation "-- Your sad predictions were well founded; the painful abscission has been made; we bore it at least with good sense and dignity."

declivity

downward slope

conscript

draftee; person forced into military service; V.

elicit

draw out fact or information (by discussion or from someone)

bedizen

dress with vulgar finery "They bedizen themselves with finery and flaunt through the streets in velvets and satins."

flotsam

drifting wreckage

nectar

drink of the gods; sweet liquid collected by bees "A tangle of honeysuckle blossoms for Jules and the entire family - the sweet nectar is there inside, though we sometimes have to work to find it."

urge

drive or force forward (by causing impulses); drive to take action; impel; entreat earnestly; Ex. urge horses; N: impulse that prompts action

ferret

drive or hunt out of hiding; hunt with ferrets; drive out (as from a hiding place); expel; uncover or discover by searching; Ex. ferret out the secret; N. small fierce animal which catches rats and rabbits by going into their holes

exorcise

drive out evil spirits

flag

droop; grow feeble; decline in vigor or strength; ADJ. flagging; CF. unflagging

anodyne

drug that relieves pain or trouble; opiate; ADJ. Ex. anodyne statement "She had this quote in her convention speech, a kind of anodyne quote about how small towns are good."

apothecary

druggist; pharmacist "Soviet agents want the book, and when they barge the shop and the apothecary vanishes, Janie and Benjamin embark on a wild and eventful rescue mission."

bacchanalian

drunken "Naturally, such bacchanalian and sybaritic efforts resulted in rock n' roll suicides -- so to speak -- indigenous to the region, such as the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Steve Took of '70s glam duo T."

carousal

drunken revel; V. carouse "But when Homer accidentally lights the renovated carousal on fire, stirring up an angry mob of townspeople, more than just waves come crashing down."

conclusive

decisive; ending all debate

avow

declare openly; N. avowal "They openly avow their objective is to institute Sharia law wherever they rule."

decipher

decode; CF. indecipherable

adorn

decorate "Pietre dure," which means "hard stones" in Italian, adorn everything from small vases to giant cabinets."

embroider

decorate with needlework; ornament (a story) with fancy or fictitious details; embellish

garnish

decorate; add a garnish to; decorate (food or drink) with small items such as lemon slices; N.

fringe

decorative edge of hanging threads; edge

edict

decree (especially one issued by a sovereign); official command

consecrate

dedicate; sanctify; declare as sacred; Ex. consecrate one's life to helping the poor

coma

deep prolonged unconsciousness caused by disease, poison, or a severe blow

discredit

defame; disgrace; destroy confidence in; disbelieve; N. CF. discreditable: causing discredit; shameful

foil

defeat; frustrate; prevent from being successful; thwart; CF. fail

debase

degrade; reduce in quality or value; degenerate; lower in esteem; disgrace; N. debasement

crestfallen

dejected; dispirited

belated

delayed "Byron later snags one of the Mormons, who is wallowing in belated guilt for his romp in the land of alternative lifestyles, and stuff him with an LSD-laced hot dog."

dilatory

delaying; tending to delay

filigree

delicate ornamental lacelike metalwork

finesse

delicate skill; V: handle with finesse

acquittal

deliverance from a charge; V. acquit: free from a charge or accusation; discharge from a duty; conduct (oneself) in a specified manner "The acquittal is a sign that Malaysia is moving forward and a win for several key players."

cataclysm

deluge; upheaval; earthquake; violent and sudden event or change "So it came about that the outcome of the cataclysm was a thing which happens often enough in a conventionalized world."

exact

demand and obtain by force; Ex. exact a promise from him; N. exaction

disavowal

denial; disclaiming; repudiating; disowning; V. disavow; CF. disclaim

gainsay

deny

atheistic

denying the existence of God; N. atheism "Although Buddhism does not assert God as an individual being and is therefore sometimes characterized as atheistic, it is officially recognized because of its assertion of Adibuddha."

abscond

depart secretly and hide "You know the food is really good when a bunch of foodies are devising clever ways to abscond with a whoopie pie after an epic 20-dish meal."

exodus

departure (of a large number of people)

contingent

dependent on something uncertain or in the future; conditional; happening by chance; accidental; N: a group of soldiers, ships to a larger force; CF. contingency: future event that may or may not occur; possibility; Ex. prepare for every contingency

bearing

deportment; connection

bent

determined; Ex. bent on advancing in the business; N: natural talent or inclination "Thus, we should not be surprised that their ideological bent is toward modern liberalism, which translates this personal preference into a political platform."

dogged

determined; stubborn; stubbornly persevering; tenacious; Ex. Inspector Javert's dogged pursuit of Jean Valjean

abhor

detest; hate "Can't say I fancy the job much, but the only thing I positively abhor is 'faking' a society letter."

abominable

detestable; extremely unpleasant The word abominable has appeared in 3 Times articles over the past year, including in an April 29, 2009 music review of The Grateful Dead titled"

depose

dethrone; remove from office; give a deposition; testify

aberration

deviation from the normal; mental disorder "We really believe our customer and our brand should stay the course," Chief Operating Officer Roger Farah said, calling the volatility a "short-term aberration."

diabolical

diabolic; devilish; fiendish

dissection

analysis; cutting apart in order to examine

assay

analyze (to discover what materials are present); evaluate (soil or ore)

forebears(forbears)

ancestors

acclaim

applaud; praise; greet with great approval; announce with great approval; N: strong expression of approval and praise Ex. The new drung has been acclaimed as the most important discoveries for years;

accost

approach and speak first to a person "Well, actually, I chose not to accost people during their dinner, but I did end up asking about 300 people both inside education and outside education what they thought the purpose of public education was."

converge

approach; tend to meet; come together

beeline

direct quick route "As spectators in sunglasses and sundresses dangled their legs over the brick walls, a pack of would-be student challengers in sneakers and t-shirts made a beeline to the free-throw line, where the first five to sink shots would earn the right to play."

smudge

dirty mark with unclear edges made by rubbing; V.

dissent

disagree

dissension

disagreement of opinions causing strife within a group

disapprobation

disapproval; condemnation

calamity

disaster; misery "When deviant behaviour exists with the cowardly behaviour of leaders, calamity is the next step."

chasten

discipline; punish in order to correct; CF. castigate "We need to place the blame where it belongs, to chasten our policy elites."

discombobulated

discomposed; confused

faze

disconcert; dismay; embarrass

disjointed

disconnected; lacking coherence; V. disjoint: disconnect; disjoin

dissonance

discord

cacophonous

discordant; inharmonious; N. cacophony: unpleasant mixture of loud sounds "William Brice's work has been a low key yet persistent force in the increasingly cacophonous Los Angeles art landscape over the decades."

dishearten

discourage

bandy

discuss lightly or glibly; discuss in a frivolous manner; exchange (words) heatedly; quarrel; Ex. bandy words with "Finally, even the most optimistic figures scientists bandy about are based explicitly on converting biomass into charcoal and energy in the places where it is grown."

disenfranchise

disfranchise; deprive of a civil right; OP. enfranchise

dishonor

disgrace; N. ADJ. dishonorable

demean

disgrace; humiliate; debase in dignity; behave

dissemble

disguise; hide the real nature of; pretend

fulsome

disgustingly excessive; offensively flattering; Ex. fulsome praise/expressions of admire

downcast

disheartened; dejected; sad; directed downward

dissolution

disintegration; reduction to a liquid form; looseness in morals; sensual indulgence; debauchery; ADJ. dissolute: lacking in moral restraint; leading an immoral life

caricature

distortion; burlesque "Hostile caricature is not characterization, and by treating the characters dishonestly the author is damaging the artistic integrity of their work."

apposite

appropriate; fitting "Also, that Woody Allen story that Antid linked is kind of apposite, and funny. jhupp Says:"

approbation

approval "I have lain awake for hours crying because I had a morbid fear of her death; her approbation was my greatest reward, her displeasure my greatest punishment."

countenance

approve; support; tolerate; Ex. countenance his rude behavior; N: face; appearance

endorse

approve; support; write one's signature on the back of; N. endorsement; CF. dorsal

conduit

aqueduct; passageway for fluids

fervent

ardent; zealous; hot

fervid

ardent; zealous; hot

callus

area of thick hard skin "A callus is an unorganized network of woven bone that forms quickly at a fracture site."

disputatious

argumentative; fond of argument

battalion

army unit made up of four or more companies

codify

arrange (laws or rules) as a code; classify; N. code: system of words used instead of ordinary writing; "However, it is imperative that what we do does not worsen the current economic climate or codify the circumstances that led to the last financial crisis."collection of laws, rules, established social customs

apprehend

arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive; N. apprehension "The central concept I want them to apprehend is the connection between the manner in which God created us, and His will that we participate in the life of the Trinity through grace."

advent

arrival; A coming into place, view, or being; "To await its advent is to adopt a policy of indefinite drift, and possibly lose an opportunity that may never be so favourable again."

gastronomy

art and science of preparing and serving good food; CF. gastronome

choreography

art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances

culvert

artificial channel for water; drain crossing under a road

affected

artificial; pretended, speaking or behaving in an artificial way to make an impression "He's using this term 'affected' to cloud the interpretation."

factitious

artificial; produced artificially; sham; false; Ex. factitious tears

aesthetic

artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful (of a person or building); CF. aesthete; CF. aesthetics "Kenneth Cole, the American designer known for his modern, urban aesthetic, is hawking $35 T-shirts that read I clean up well."

ashen

ash-colored; deadly pale "That afternoon I walked past acres of forest that had been burned, leaving black, ashen remains on trees and the heavy scent of sulfur in the air."

assail

assault "The Republican nominee will assail Obama's fiscal record and promise a determined assault on the debt."

compile

assemble; gather; accumulate; make (a report or a book) from facts and information found in various places; Ex. compile a dictionary

acquiesce

assent; agree passively; comply without protest "Brown will not acquiesce to Palmer, even if it may become the popular thing to do."

contention

assertion; claim; thesis; struggling; competition

antipathy

aversion; dislike or opposition "But he says older, white fans have a built-in antipathy to all of that: "They look at these highly visible young black men and they see them as spoiled, rich, athletically talented gangsters."

eschew

avoid habitually; Ex. eschew alcoholic drinks

accolade

award of merit; strong praise and approval "The accolade was a rarity in the world, and even in the Hermitage a very great rarity among so many top-class treasures."

squeamish

easily shocked or sickened by unpleasant things; fastidious; Ex. A nurse should not be squeamish.

erode

eat away; wear away gradually by abrasion; Ex. The sea erodes the rocks.

gobble

eat very quickly "But friends who gobble up those shows on PBS and the like say this adaptation of the best-selling novels about Italian detective Aurelio Zen are top-notch and a great fit for actor Rufus Sewell."

corrosive

eating away by chemicals or disease; (of language) fierce

ecclesiastic

ecclesiastical; pertaining to the church; N: minister; priest; cleric; clergyman

ecosystem

ecological community together with its environment

devoid

empty; lacking

embed(imbed)

enclose; place in something; fix firmly in a surrounding mass

environ

enclose; surround; N. environs: surrounding area (as of a city)

aviary

enclosure for birds; large cage "Home is an aviary, which is not sealed, where the 2-year-old that stands about 30 inches tall and measures about 48 to 56 inches from beak to tail lives with two peahens the female version of peafowl."

encipher

encode; convert a message into code; put into cipher

dynamic

energetic; vigorously active

abyss

enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit "Drawing them back from the abyss is the real challenge that confronts us."

astronomical

enormously large or extensive "In addition, it took 11 years of observing to tease out the presence of the habitable zone planet, a short time in astronomical terms."

ample

enough; abundant; spacious; large in size; Ex. ample opportunity/garden; N. amplitude: quality of being ample; abundance; largeness of space "Beyond the run-and-gun fun shared by the Kings and Mavericks, unpleasant sights have been in ample supply."

devotee

enthusiastic follower; enthusiast; Ex. devotee of Bach

allure

entice; attract; tempt "Part of the allure is the prospect of the small-market, unadorned Kings actually overthrowing the high-wattage champions."

gamut

entire range

entree(entr\'ee)

entrance; a way in; right to enter; main dish of a meal; Ex. entree into the exclusive circle

elusive

evasive; not frank; baffling; hard to grasp, catch, or understand; V. elude: escape from; escape the understanding or grasp of; Ex. elude the hunter; Ex. His name eludes me.

biennial

every two years "The biennial is the Olympics of the contemporary art world, a century-old tradition in which countries send in their best artists to exhibit in pavilions and palazzos across the city."

fiend

evil spirit; devil

baleful

evil; malignant in intent or effect; deadly; having a malign influence; portending evil; ominous; threatening; Ex. baleful look "Europe's endless debt problems continue to have a baleful impact on stock-market sentiment across a nervously interconnected financial world."

gestate

evolve as in prenatal growth; N. gestation: period of development from conception until birth

collate

examine and compare in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order (the sheets of a book before they are bound) "On the day of a protest, founders collate information from individual protesters - tweets, texts and GPS positions - about what is happening on the ground."

self-indulgence

excessive indulgence of one's own desire

egoism

excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in others; selfishness; ADJ. egoistic, egoistical

fanaticism

excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause; N. fanatic; ADJ. fanatic

interjection

exclamation; Ex. "Ouch''

ejaculation

exclamation; abrupt ejection (to discharge sperm); V. ejaculate

except

exclude; N. exception: objection; exclusion; ADJ. exceptional: unusual; of unusually high quality

blatant

extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; Ex. blatant lie; N. blatancy "This is in blatant contravention of nationally agreed NHS guidelines designed specifically to cement "understanding and trust" between the NHS and the voluntary sector."

exacting

extremely demanding; Ex. exacting standard of safety

destitute

extremely poor; lacking means of subsistence; utterly lacking; devoid; Ex. destitute of any experience

draconian

extremely severe; Ex. draconian punishment; CF. Draco: Athenian politician

astigmatism

eye defect which prevents proper focus; OP. stigmatism "If your eye is squished on one side, called an astigmatism, your lenses should compensate for that."

founder

fail completely; sink; CF. flounder

default

failure to act; failure to perform a task or be present; V.

equitable

fair; impartial; OP. inequitable

equity

fairness; justice; OP. inequity

apprehensive

fearful; discerning "I was originally kind of apprehensive in contacting an author for a Q&A session out of the blue 'being that this is my first time out with this kind of thing."

commiserate

feel or express pity or sympathy for "Off to explore the possibilities under the sink to commiserate with the demise of British boxing this year."

euphoria

feeling of exaggerated or unfounded(ungrounded; baseless) well-being; feeling of great happiness or well-being (when unreasonable); ADJ. euphoriaric

affinity

feeling of kinship; similarity; Ex. strong affinity for her; Ex. many affinities between two languages "Egyptian officials and several foreign-policy analysts say the new diplomacy isn't so much an expression of affinity with Iran as it is a broader effort to reclaim lost diplomatic prestige."

ewe

female sheep

amazon

female warrior "The other was his clerk, assistant, housekeeper, secretary, confidential plotter, adviser, intriguer, and bill of cost increaser, Miss Brass -- a kind of amazon at common law, of whom it may be desirable to offer a brief description."

frond

fern leaf; palm or banana leaf

fecundity

fertility; fruitfulness; ADJ. fecund: very productive of crops or young

febrile

feverish

demoniac(demoniacal)

fiendish; cruel; N. demon: evil supernatural being; devil

ferocious

fierce; violent; N. ferocity

dossier

file of documents on a subject or person; file; CF. bundle of papers labeled on the back

fraught

filled (with something unpleasant); full; Ex. fraught with danger and difficulties; CF. freight

elated

filled with excited joy and pride; overjoyed; in high spirits; joyful and proud; Ex. elated crowd; V. elate; N. elation

aghast

filled with great surprise or fear; horrified "South Carolina politicians were aghast and ordered them removed."

d\'enouement

final outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work; the end of a story when everything is explained

ascertain

find out for certain; make certain "Frantic phone calls ascertain that "Somebody forgot to press a key," when I signed on, and so my payment did not go through."

aversion

firm dislike "When Cesar gets orders from the outside to kill a witness named Reyeb, who is being held in isolation, he has a problem: Reyeb (Hichem Yacoubi) rarely leaves his cell and, being an Arab, has a healthy aversion to the larger prison population."

draft

first rough form; conscription; draught; V: make a draft of; conscript

arable

fit for growing crops; Ex. arable land "His three acres lay tilted skyward at the point where the rocks of the Honan mountains met what might charitably be called the arable fields."

aptitude

fitness; talent "If a young child in South Korea shows any kind of aptitude at all for wielding a golf club, their parents hone their skills with a powerful zealousness, finding the best coaches for them."

flaccid

flabby; lacking firmness; weak; Ex. flaccid muscles

gaudy

flashy; showy

floe

flat mass of floating ice

delta

flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river

blandishment

flattery "But he resisted the blandishment, and lifting his hat as he passed, with a smile in return, he soon disappeared from her presence, and joined the two who awaited him."

adulation

flattery; admiration that is more than is necessary or deserved "I wonder what will happen when the feel-good adulation is dissolved by reality and the dumbed-down true believers awaken to the painful fact that nothing will change?"

austere

forbiddingly stern; ascetic; without comfort or enjoyment; severely simple and unornamented; Ex. a monk's austere life; Ex. austere grandeur of the cathedral; N. austerity "Often described as austere, Mr Brown has been trying to show a more sensitive side to voters."

compress

force into less space; squeeze; contract; put into fewer words; N: thick mass of cloth pressed to part of the body to stop bleeding or swelling, reduce fever, etc.

extrude

force or push out; thrust out; shape (plastic or metal) by forcing through a die

duress

forcible restraint, especially unlawfully; coercion by threat; illegal coercion; Ex. a promise made under duress

bode

foreshadow; portend "The brighter production picture could bode well for other Japan's auto makers that have yet to issue their earnings and output forecasts."

concordat

formal agreement

dissertation

formal essay; treatise

disquisition

formal systematic inquiry; explanation of the results of a formal inquiry; long formal speech or written report

amity

friendship; peaceful relationship as between nations "Until quite recently, West Beirut, traditionally Sunni, remained the one region where Moslems and members of other communities still lived in amity."

facade(fa\c{c}ade)

front or face (of building); superficial or false appearance

baffle

frustrate; perplex "Women who state that they "don't like other girls" and "can only be friends with men" kind of baffle me."

discomfit

frustrate; put to rout; defeat; disconcert; embarrass; perturb

flowery

full of flowers; full of ornate expressions

enterprising

full of initiative; showing enterprise

vain

full of self-admiration; conceited; without result; unsuccessful; N. vanity

buxom

full-bosomed; plump; jolly "In the former, Hagar, a buxom young woman in red, and her anxious son, Ishmael, are ushered from the house by a turbaned Abraham, while Sarah shrieks from an upstairs window."

dirge

funeral song; slow mournful piece of music (sung over a dead person)

glean

gather leavings; gather grain left behind by reapers; gather bit by bit (facts or information) often with difficulty

garner

gather; store up; amass

blithe(blithesome)

gay; joyous "In 2000, he was in blithe denial about global warming, although by 2001, he was ready to admit that there might be something to it after all."

consensus

general agreement; opinion reached by a group

dynamo

generator for producing electricity; energetic person

benevolent

generous; charitable; having a wish to do good "Most importantly, it aims to demonstrate that while times are tough and outcomes are uncertain, we can still bend the future in benevolent ways if we embrace change and steer its momentum in the right direction."

bountiful

generous; graciously generous; showing bounty "Barron's highlights that, though the Apple relationship may be nearing an end, investors may be overlooking other positives such as bountiful cash flow, 6. 3% dividend yield, other attractive Smartphones, and a solid management team."

desiccate

dry up

drab

dull; lacking color; cheerless ; Ex. drab coat/life

effigy

dummy; likeness of a person made of wood, paper, or stone; Ex. burn an effigy of the President

avalanche

great mass of falling snow and ice "It's that magical time of year when you're finally done shoveling snow and now must instead prepare for a different kind of avalanche: the piles of thick acceptance letters your child will receive from top universities and colleges."

consternation

great shock; dismay

cataract

great waterfall; eye abnormality (causing a gradual loss of eyesight) "A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens that causes vision to become foggy and dull, sometimes to the point that it interferes with daily activities."

cupidity

greed (for wealth); CF. cupid; CF. Cupid

avarice

greediness for wealth "Hypocrisy I shall never justify or palliate; but I will dare to observe, that the odious vice of avarice is of all others most hastily arraigned, and most unmercifully condemned."

avid

greedy; extremely eager for; Ex. avid learner; N. avidity "For example, Bloomberg reports, Deputy Minister Yaprak Baltacioglu is described as an avid cook and working with her will result in weight gain."

archipelago

group of closely located islands "Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire."

cohorts

group of people who share some common quality; armed band; a group of between 300 and 600 soldiers under one commander (in the ancient Rome) "It's good to see that some journalists actually have ethics after all and realize how dangerous it is when the media and the administration are working in cohorts with eachother."

coterie

group that meets socially; select circle; close group of people with shared interests

burgeon

grow rapidly; grow forth; send out buds; Ex. burgeoning computer industry; CF. bludgeon "I like the idea of when rock 'n' roll started to burgeon, push the envelope and speak on behalf of people who were trying to have a revolution."

flourish

grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures; wave; brandish; Ex. The trees flourished in the sun. N: showy movement or gesture; embellishment or ornamentation (esp. in handwriting)

cumulative

growing by addition; accumulative

accretion

growth or increase in size by gradual addition; growth; increase; increase by natural growth; Ex. towers and other accretions of the castle; V. accrete "The Reserve's marshes and beaches are among the best-studied sites nationally with regard to long-term accretion and erosion (over thousands of years)."

arroyo

gully; narrow channel formed by rainwater "Lots of people living along the main arroyo have lost everything and I think some folks are still missing - very sad, it is such a lovely little town."

banal

hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality; clich\'ed "In this sense, we are back to the same kind of banal journalism during the run-up to the war in Iraq."

crone

hag; ugly old woman

coiffure

hairstyle "Yes, the Lone Starvernator has an impressive coiffure, if you want a president who looks like George Stephanopoulos and John Stossel collaborated on a wig."

clot

half-solid lump formed from a liquid (or blood); V.

gavel

hammerlike tool; mallet(wooden hammer) used by a presiding officer or an auctioneer; V.

factotum

handyman; person who does all kinds of work; CF. do everything

concurrent

happening at the same time; in agreement

forthcoming

happening in the near future; ready; willing to help; Ex. No answer was forthcoming.

felicity

happiness; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.); quality of being felicitous

beset

harass or trouble from all directions; hem in "The Vermont Yankee, Vermont's aging nuclear reactor that sits roughly where the borders of Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts meet, is beset with problems -- including multiple leaks of radioactivity."

bait

harass; tease; torment; Ex. badger baiting; N: food or other lure used to catch fish or trap animals "Clearly he was enjoying himself at her expense and frustrating him by not rising to the bait was the safer course."

brittle

hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable; Ex. brittle situation "Beach brittle, which is why course workers were busy spraying water on the greens early in the morning in an attempt to keep things from drying out too much."

crust

hard outer covering (as of earth or snow)

esoteric

hard to understand; known only to the chosen few, esp. initiates; N. esoterica

drudgery

hard unpleasant work; menial work

adamant

hard; inflexible "While some analysts believe the Fed's move has been largely priced in, others remain adamant that the U.S. currency will suffer as long as policy is eased further."

arduous

hard; strenuous; Ex. arduous work "Backers of the confirmation measure say they want to ease what they call an arduous chore for midlevel nominees trying to navigate the Senate in a supercharged partisan era."

callous

hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind "The summit also strongly condemned what it called a callous attack on the United Nations refugee camp at Gatumba on Friday in which about 160 people were killed."

defame

harm someone's reputation; malign; speak evil of; slander; N. defamation; ADJ. defamatory

deleterious

harmful

detrimental

harmful; damaging; N. detriment

consonant

harmonious; in agreement; N.

compatible

harmonious; in harmony with; able to exist together

concord

harmony; accord

consonance

harmony; agreement

conformity

harmony; agreement with established rules or customs; similarity; Ex. behave in conformity with; V. conform: be similar; act in agreement; comply; Ex. conform to the rule; CF. conformance

belabor

harp on; dwell on tediously; explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally; beat severely; attack physically "There's no need to belabor criticism of the failed system of public education, which services 50 million American students and dispenses disparate results along racial lines readily seen when relevant data are reviewed."

clairvoyant

having foresight; fortuneteller; N. clairvoyance "Possibly certain persons in sympathy with each other may be able to act upon each other from a distance, especially when thrown into the sort of trance which is known as the clairvoyant state."

anthropomorphic

having human form or characteristics "An excited Mr Gates described the main footprint as anthropomorphic, meaning it had human characteristics."

effeminate

having womanly traits

calorific

heat-producing; N. calorie "The company said its reserves in Colombia have high calorific value, low sulfur and low ash."

ardor

heat; passion; zeal; ADJ. ardent "His ardor was a little dampened when she went directly to the poor beast and said, "This horse is a rather severe indictment against you, Mr. Scofield."

celestial

heavenly "Optatianus Porphyrius mentions more than once the monogram of Christ, which he calls the celestial sign, in the panegyric of Constantine which he wrote in Latin verse, but not"

cumbersome

heavy and awkward to carry or wear; burdensome; Ex. cumbersome parcel/uniform

ballast

heavy substance used to add stability or weight; V. supply with ballast "When this happens, ETFs can provide some short-term ballast for rebalancing, such as moving cash or selling one investment to move back toward another."

communal

held in common; public; of a group of people; of a commune "Thus, those who participate more regularly in communal rituals should be more strongly bonded to their groups and therefore more likely to support violent attacks against out-groups."

facilitate

help bring about; make less difficult

conducive

helpful; contributive; V. conduce; Ex. conduce to/towards

aristocracy

hereditary nobility; privileged class; government by nobility; N. aristocrat "If you want that maybe you should hop in a time machine and go back to pre-revolutionary France where aristocracy is the goverment of choice."

flinch

hesitate; shrink back (in fear of something unpleasant); Ex. She did not flinch in the face of danger.

falter

hesitate; weaken in purpose or action; walk or move unsteadily through weakness; N.

cache

hiding place; V. "Once the cache is discovered, it is traditional for finders to choose a trinket from the box and to leave something behind."

culmination

highest point; climax; V. culminate in: reach the highest point in; end in; Ex. a series of minor clashes culminating in war

apogee

highest point; the point farthest from the earth; OP. perigee "The apogee was the victorious entry into Baghdad, and the TV pictures of crowds cheering the felling of a statue of Saddam Hussein."

agog

highly excited; intensely curious "I'm kind of agog here that the developers in this thread don't seem to care about that, or regard it all as pointless whining by aggrieved forum ranters."

baroque

highly ornate "A lesser known bit of Clinton trivia is his collection, in the form of a list, of what might be termed baroque country song titles."

coup

highly successful action or sudden attack; coup(s) d'\'etat; CF. coup de gr\^ace: deathblow or shot which kills

alloy

mixture as of metals; something added that lowers in value or purity; V: mix; make less pure; lower in value or quality; spoil; CF. unalloyed: not in mixture with other maetals; pure; complete; unqualified; Ex. unalloyed happiness "Old-line jeweler acquaintances have given him a hard time about the cleverly titled alloy, Mr. Weaver admits."

gibe

mock; make jeering remarks; N: jeering remarks

cloister

monastery or convent "Provided by Charlotte Moss The fountain at the center of the cloister is a place for meditation, surrounded by four domed seats made of coppiced chestnut wood above."

chaste

morally pure; virginal; abstaining from illicit sexual acts; modest; simple (of a style of writing); not highly decorated; austere "Besides, a feeling of uneasiness was returning to him, a kind of chaste terror at the thought that the world and the flesh were there taking their revenge, amidst all the mystical enthusiasm which he could feel around him."

definitive

most reliable; authorative and complete; that cannot be improved; conclusive; decisive; definite; Ex. definitive decision by the supreme court

gesticulation

motion; gesture; V. gesticulate: make gestures (while speaking)

actuate

motivate; activate; cause to act "Not only does he have excellent medical credentials but he fits what Obama wants in someone who has the ability to "actuate" change."

dart

move or throw suddenly and quickly "Be mine, and you shall accompany me on my midnight rides; shall watch the fleet stag dart over the moonlight glade, or down the lengthened vista."

dapper

neat and trim (in appearance); (of small men) neat in appearance and quick in movements; neat; spry

deft

neat; skillful

dereliction

neglect of duty; abandonment

derelict

negligent; (of someone) neglectful of duty; (of something) deserted by an owner; abandoned; N: abandoned property; homeless or vagrant person

aerie(aery,eyrie,eyry)

nest of a large bird of prey "Wednesday, from the stuffy chambers of the U.S. bankruptcy court to the stark aerie of a Manhattan law firm, the auction for video-store chain Blockbuster Inc. at times became like a "cage match," said one person who was there."

shoot

new growth from a plant

agility

nimbleness; ability to move quickly "Boozer tested better in agility drills than most would have expected at"

bacchanal

noisy party with a lot of drinking "Next week, to mark Lundi Gras, on the eve of the city's annual Fat Tuesday bacchanal, the quintet will do a midnight-to-sunrise performance at the famed uptown club Tipitina's."

brawl

noisy quarrel "A similar brawl is taking place in the Ninth, a sprawling pie-shaped district that radiates from Bloomington to the Ohio River."

altercation

noisy quarrel "I find it interesting that the video starts just as the altercation is ending."

cipher

nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; V. "A municipal declared that she was showing her son how to talk in cipher, and they made her renounce the lessons in arithmetic."

amoral

nonmoral; having no understanding of right and wrong "I read harold saying that the Democrats have been depicted as being sexually amoral, which is something quite distinct from promoting equal rights."

drivel

nonsense; foolishness; V: talk nonsense

gibberish

nonsense; nonsensical or unintelligible talk or writing; babbling

alcove

nook; recess "In one wing is a little alcove that serves as the children's play area; in the other is the bathroom."

unceremonious

not done politely without due formalities

extraneous

not essential; irrelevant; superfluous; external; coming from the outside; Ex. extraneous details/noise/to the subject

evasive

not frank; trying to hide the truth; eluding; evading; V. evade: avoid (a duty or responsibility) or escape from by deceit

homely

not good-looking; unattractive "Scott started to confide in a woman he worked with, a woman he describes as homely, someone he could safely talk to without the risk of straying."

discordant

not harmonious; conflicting

figurative

not literal but metaphorical; using a figure(impression) of speech

disingenuous

not naive; not candid; sophisticated; worldly wise; OP. ingenuous

exotic

not native; from another part of the world; strange; intriguingly unusual; Ex. exotic flower/dress

atypical

not normal; not typical "Zyprexa and Seroquel both belong to a class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics, which analysts say is widely prescribed off-label."

extemporaneous

not planned; impromptu; extempore

mat

not shiny; matte; having a dull finish; N: flat piece of material used as a floor covering; V.

exempt

not subject to a duty or obligation; free from a duty; V.

egregious

notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking

causal

implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality "Dale thought literary history mattered mainly as a connected narrative of improvement, and he accordingly asked students to explain causal connections in that narrative."

august

impressive; majestic "For once, this blog's claims about moving in august circles can be substantiated."

ameliorate

improve "Can activity ameliorate its slow advance - and maintain vocabulary retrieval skills, so that the word "ameliorate" leaps to mind when needed?"

comatose

in a coma; extremely sleepy "Alternately, some people wonder if awareness of this tendency will prompt Biden and his handlers to overcompensate in their debate preparations, essentially neutering Biden and producing the kind of comatose performance that Al Gore turned in eight years ago after he was shown a video of Darryl Hammond's devastating impersonation of him."

gamely

in a spirited manner; with courage; Ex. fight gamely against a superior boxer; ADJ. game

amok(amuck)

in a state of rage; Ex. run amok "It is, I know, just my Catholic guilt running a bit amok, which is also why I refuse to lie and say I am going - well, um - strictly for professional reasons."

congruent

in agreement; harmonious; corresponding; coinciding exactly; CF. congruous

enamored

in love; Ex. enamored of his own beauty; V. enamor: inspire with love

chaotic

in utter disorder

factious

inclined to form factions; causing dissension

comprise

include; consist of

amplify

increase in size or effect; expand; broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger; Ex. amplify one's remarks with a graph "The psychological effects of pain amplify the trauma, contributing to depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and suicide."

crescendo

increase in the volume or intensity as in a musical passage; climax; CF. crescent

cant

insincere speech or expression of piety; jargon of thieves; special words used by a particular group of people "Gail Collins notes the strange switch in sentiment for patriotic cant from the right-wing."

brazen

insolent; without shame; bold; Ex. brazen lie; V: face with bold self-assurance or with unshamed confidence "Women instinctively hide much of themselves, & are called brazen huzzies if they don't."

institution

instituting; (building for the) organization; established custom, practice, or relationship in a society; mental hospital; Ex. institution of marriage

edify

instruct; correct morally

frigid

intensely cold; cold in manner; Ex. frigid zone

daunt

intimidate; frighten; discourage; dishearten

asunder

into parts; apart; V. sunder "Where was solid water beneath it is now air, and for the first time it feels the grip of gravity, and down it falls, at the same time being torn asunder from the lagging bottom of the wave and being flung forward."

cognizance

knowledge; ADJ. cognizant; having knowledge; aware "Any kind of cognizance of an indescribable excess in the joy of the bath, any kind of ardour or thirst which perpetually impels the soul out of night into the morning, and out of gloom, out of "affliction" into clearness, brightness, depth, and refinement: -- just as much as such a tendency DISTINGUISHES -- it is a noble tendency -- it also"

apathy

lack of caring; indifference; lack of concern or interest in important matters; Ex. He was sunk in apathy after his failure; ADJ. apathetic "Arab youth's indifference and apathy is a direct result of the massive failure of their parent's generation."

discrepancy

lack of consistency or agreement as between facts; difference; Ex. discrepancy between two descriptions

frivolous

lacking in seriousness; flippant; self-indulgently carefree; unworthy of serious attention; relatively unimportant; trivial

dispirited

lacking in spirit

flippant

lacking proper seriousness; Ex. flippant remarks about death; N. flippancy

arrhythmic

lacking rhythm or regularity; N. arrhythmia "A stint as the chief executive of Barclays PLC, the large U.K. bank, ended after two months in 1999, when Mr. O'Neill, who had developed an arrhythmic heartbeat following a bout with the flu, was forced to resign."

bemoan

lament; moan for; express sorrow or disapproval of "Mourinho described the second leg in Barcelona as "mission impossible" as he continued to bemoan his side's treatment by the referee."

depreciate

lessen in value; belittle; represent as of little value

console

lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort; allay the sorrow of; N. consolation

diminution

lessening; reduction in size; V. diminish

bate

let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain; Ex. with bated breath; CF. abate "She ignored him, grabbed the door handle, and took a deep breath, half expecting Cassidy to have wound Scully up into a bate in her absence."

anticlimax

letdown in thought or emotion; something unexciting, ordinary, or disappointing coming after something important or exciting "Given the Greek parliament last week passed a vote of confidence, Mizuho credit analyst Anke Richter noted this week's test is likely to end positively as well, with the heated anticipation resulting in an anticlimax."

fallible

liable to err

hereafter

life after death "The choice hereafter is more nearly up to us as individuals than it has ever been before, which is to say that our responsibilities have never been greater."

diorama

life-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history; three-dimensional scene with modeled figures against a painted background

boost

lift by pushing up from below; increase; raise; N: push upward; increase

flick

light stroke as with a whip; V: move with a light quick blow; strike with a light quick blow (as from a whip); Ex. flick the switch

giddy

light-hearted; not serious; frivolous; dizzy; causing dizziness; Ex. giddy youth; Ex. giddy climb/height

glacial

like a glacier; of an ice age; extremely cold; Ex. glacial epoch; CF. iceberg

ethereal

like a spirit or fairy; unearthly light; heavenly; unusually refined; Ex. She has an ethereal beauty; CF. ether: upper air

circumscribe

limit; confine; draw a line around "Given that view, the best strategy for limiting risk is to circumscribe the activities of banks by banning proprietary trading."

finite

limited

clamor

loud continous noise; continuous demand or complaint made by a large number of people; V: make a clamor; express (a demand) continually and loudly; ADJ. clamorous "In a typical downturn the students will kind of clamor to us in career services and ask us to find other companies. ..."

blare

loud or harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light "The air was thick with the sound of crickets -- a noise foreign to a metropolitan girl like me more accustomed to the sudden blare of fire engines and the bicycle bells of impatient delivery boys."

clangor

loud resounding noise; sound of repeated clanging "With a roar, Gromek leaped to meet him, and the clashing clangor of steel rang out as the adversaries engaged in mortal combat."

galley

low ship with sails (rowed along by slaves)

murmur

low, indistinct, continuous sound; V. CF. mumble

abase

lower; degrade; humiliate; make humble; make (oneself) lose self-respect "Lewis has now been forced to abase himself in front of the world's media, and apologise for lying."

bourgeois

middle class; selfishly materialistic; too interested in material possessions "She laughed heartily, teased Paul about his accent and what she called his bourgeois ideas."

euphemism

mild expression in place of an unpleasant one; ADJ. euphemistic

prank

mischievous trick

allegiance

loyalty "It was Kirchner who did the hard work of managing relationships with labor unions, activist groups, governors and mayors - the political players who move thousands of voters and whose allegiance is vital to maintaining public order."

fidelity

loyalty; accuracy

careen

lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger "They careen through our lives knocking things over, chewing things up and creating unpleasant smells, trails of mud and a level of confusion unknown to canine-free environments."

decoy

lure or bait; V.

entice

lure; persuade to do (something wrong); attract; tempt

bask

luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth "Many Repubs and Tea Partyers bask in their issue-free campaigns, betting that the distemper of the electorate will carry them through."

berserk

mad with violent anger; frenzied; madly excited "Do you worry, every time you see a cop ... that he will go berserk and shoot everyone around?"

functional

made for practical use only (without decoration); functioning; Ex. functional modern furniture; CF. functionalism

frenzied

madly excited; N. frenzy: violent wild excitement

brunt

main impact or shock (of an attack or blow); Ex. brunt of the argument "The main brunt falls on the Army and the Civil Police, but I would make it clear that without the assistance of the Air Force, operations in Malaya would be very much more difficult."

dilute

make (a liquid) less concentrated; reduce in strength; Ex. dilute the influence of the president

falsify

make (something written) false by changing

expiate

make amends for (a sin)

atone

make amends for; pay for; Ex. atone for "Mary Surratt was found guilty and hanged, joining three men on the gallows to atone for the life of our 16th President."

endear

make beloved; Ex. endear her to everyone; ADJ. dear: loved; cherished; high-priced

embitter

make bitter; fill with painful or bitter feelings; make sad and angry; Ex. He was embittered by many disappointments.

dazzle

make blind with a sudden intense light; amaze; fill with wonder "During player introductions and at halftime, we feature the popular and award-winning Sky Drumline, who dazzle and help whip the crowd into a frantic frenzy as well."

coin

make coins; invent or fabricate (a word or phrase); N. coinage: word or phrase recently invented

desolate

make desolate; forsake; abandon and desert

disgruntle

make discontented

aggrandize

make greater; increase in power, wealth, rank, or honor; N. aggrandizement "But not only does he disaggregate the issue, he, along with others failed to aggrandize the issue."

adulterate

make impure or of poorer quality by adding inferior or tainted(contaminated) substances "Meanwhile anti-foreign sentiments grew in the Tang court culminating in a decree in 845 ordering monks of the 'Religion of Light' to return to lay life 'so that they will not adulterate the customs of China.'"

institutionalize

make into an institution; put or confine in an institution

assuage

make less severe; ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger) "Paris insisted right after the ***ushima accident that French plants were safe, but wanted inspections as a precautionary measure to assuage any fears in the French population."

trim

make neat or tidy by clipping; reduce by removing what is unnecessary; ornament; decorate (round the edges); Ex. trim the cost; Ex. jacket trimmed with fur; N. ADJ: tidy; in good order

entail

make necessary; require; necessitate; involve; limit the inheritance of (property) to a specified succession of heirs; Ex. entail A on/upon B

addle

make or become confused; muddle; drive crazy; become rotten (egg) Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu agreed and messaged back it was probably just "planted intelligence of the enemy designed to addle us," but he ordered his embassies to check it out further."

impoverish

make poor; deprive of natural strength or something important; Ex. impoverished soil

intrigue

make secret plans; plot; arouse the curiosity of; N: secret scheme; plot; secret love affair

burnish

make shiny by rubbing; polish "In part, they do it to burnish their reputation and give back to the communities in which their customers live."

slick

make smooth or glossy; N: smooth surface; Ex. oil slick; ADJ: smooth; glossy; deftly executed; adroit; glib

fuddle

make stupid or confused as with alcholic drink; N. in a fuddle: confused "I don't want to fuddle the pathway they want to go down, down toward the Europe of the past, with big government, big brother telling us how to live our lives, big taxes."

attenuate

make thin; weaken "Reforming divorce laws likely would attenuate the divorce rate as well as the risks inherent to later births with new partners."

alienate

make unfriendly or hostile; estrange; separate; change the ownership of "Chinese relationship, mainly as a counterweight to the Soviet relationship, but Cy Vance worried that an opening to China would alienate the Soviets and subvert our negotiations over nuclear weapons."

exploit

make use of, sometimes unjustly; N. exploitation

annul

make void "Mr. de Maizi è re said Germany's supreme court would annul any deal raising debt with EU bonds."

caulk(calk)

make watertight (by blocking up cracks as in a ship) "Once you've identified the spots that need caulking, be sure to pick the right kind of caulk for the job."

botch

mismanage; blow "To completely botch this momentous occasion in one of this country's most important patriotic superheroic icons isn't just the height of stupidity for the entire comic industry ... it's downright un-American."

bungle

mismanage; blunder; botch; blow; spoil by clumsy behavior "Why do governments, and the military, bungle things all the time?"

erroneous

mistaken; wrong; incorrect

jumble

mix in a confused way

mingle

mix together in close association

garbled

mixed up; jumbled; distorted; V. garble: mix up or distort (a message) to such an extent as to make misleading or unintelligible

unregenerate

making no attempt to change one's bad practices "And real capitalists have no patience for unregenerate liars like Mitch McConnell who say that tax cuts pay for themselves by stimulating economic growth."

compensatory

making up for; repaying

ram

male sheep; V. strike or drive against with a heavy impact

calumny

malicious misrepresentation; slander "It was the word calumny that offended him most, that, and the idea that he, the Marquis of Trowbridge, should be called upon to promise not to commit an offence!"

ductile

malleable; pliable; (of metals) easily pulled into shape; flexible; (of someone) easily influenced or controlled

fetid(foetid)

malodorous; foul

anthropoid

manlike; resembling a human being; N. "But there is one group of this great tribe in which this resemblance is greatest, and they have hence been called the anthropoid or man-like apes."

gait

manner of walking or running; speed

cartographer

map-maker "Using all of the freshly generated documentation, a German cartographer named Martin Waldseemuller prepared the first map of the New World in 1507."

disfigure

mar the appearance of; spoil

deface

mar; disfigure

ceremonious

marked by formality; extremely formal and polite; CF. ceremony: conventional social courtesy "I love the president, and some ceremonious church thing is NOT what I want from him, I want him to enjoy HIS holiday with his family and take a break ... he deserves it!"

checkered(chequered)

marked by great changes in fortune; with many changes of fortuene; CF. checked: having a pattern of squares "The story was that those economies with what one might call a checkered past would be put on the straight and narrow by Germany, which, for reasons of history, had a deep aversion to fiscal irresponsibility and high inflation."

array

marshal; draw up in order; arrange in order; clothe splendidly; adorn; N: fine clothes; ordered group; Ex. in battle array "One is Pellican Imaging Corp., which in February announced a prototype of what it calls an array camera for use in mobile devices."

conglomeration

mass of material sticking together

foliage

masses of leaves; CF. defoliate

bout

match; short period of great activity; Ex. wrestling bout; bout of drinking/flu

denotation

meaning; distinguishing by name; V. denote: indicate; refer to directly; mean; CF. connotation

expletive

meaningless word; interjection; profane oath; swear-word

dint

means; effort; Ex. by dint of hard work

automaton

mechanism that imitates actions of humans; machine that works by itself "Indeed Rivera manages to capture not just the feeling of intense activity in an automobile plant but the kind of automaton-like rhythm we associate with assembly-line production."

geriatrics

medical treatment and care of old age

alchemy

medieval chemistry "It couldn't be further from the kind of alchemy practiced by most of the Sage of Omaha's rumored financial targets."

formidable

menacing; arousing fear; threatening; difficult to defeat; Ex. formidable foe/question

composure

mental calmness

delirium

mental disorder marked by confusion; uncontrolled excitement; ADJ. delirious

acumen

mental keenness; sharpness of judgment; ability to judge quickly and well; Ex. business acumen "That business acumen is particularly important these days as Volcom has been hit hard by the drop in consumer spending."

faculty

mental or bodily powers; teaching staff

discerning

mentally quick and observant; having insight; perceptive; able to make good judgments; V. discern: perceive

euthanasia

mercy killing

courier

messenger

die

metal block used for shaping metal or plastic; device for stamping or impressing; mold; CF. dice

compelling

overpowering; irresistible in effect; holding one's attention; that compels one to do something; Ex. a compelling adventure story; V. compel

bureaucracy

overregulated administrative system marked by red tape; ADJ. bureaucratic "At the moment I don't think this conclusion entails the usual host of anti-democratic arguments made regarding the legal system since the bureaucracy is at bottom a creature of the executive and the legislature."

appease

pacify or soothe; Ex. appease a crying baby; N. appeasement "In light of the incident on Tuesday night, we heightened security, as much in an effort to kind of appease any potentially frazzled nerves than anything else," said Lucy Slosser, a spokeswoman for the Marriott Copley."

fresco

painting on wet plaster (usually fresh)

amnesty

pardon (allowed by government to political criminals) "The term amnesty comes from the 1986 immigration bill, supported and signed by Ronald Reagan, which gave many illegal immigrants in the United States immediate permanent residency — green cards — with few requirements, a tiny fee and a fast-tracked application process."

absolve

pardon (an offense) "They're supposed to absolve our leaders of blame for the consequences of their actions."

complicity

participation; involvement (in a questionable act or a crime)

filing

particle removed by a file

genre

particular variety of art or literature

accomplice

partner in crime "Your accomplice is a flaming skull with the ability to transform into anything from a shotgun to a motorbike."

coalition

partnership; league; union of separate political parties

faction

party; clique (within a large group); dissension

pastry

paste of flour and water (eaten when baked)

plaster

paste that hardens to a smooth solid and is used for coating walls; V.

ecliptic

path of the sun and the planets

forbearance

patience; forgiveness; V. forbear: refrain from (in a generous and forgiving way); be patient; Ex. forbear to send him to prison

disburse

pay out (as from a fund); N. disbursement; CF. purse

expenditure

payment or expense; expending; something expended; output; Ex. receipt for the expenditure; Ex. expenditure of all the energy

alimony

payments made regularly to an ex-spouse after divorce "The other thing to bear in mind is that in a long-term marriage of 30, 35 or 40 years, long term alimony often doesn't mean "long term" for the simple reason that people in their mid- to late 50's are often approaching retirement age."

arbiter

person with power to decide a matter in dispute; judge who is in a position to make influential judgments; Ex. supreme arbiter of fashion in beachware "The arbiter is the Yemeni people and not the U.S. embassy, the United States or the EU," he said."

coax

persuade by flattery "Keating is even the kind of educator who can coax from a shy, stuttering student (Ethan Hawke) Walt Whitman's famed "barbaric yawp."

cajole

persuade by praise or false promise; coax; wheedle "And then kind of cajole and push and say why certain things should work and certain things wouldn't work."

dissuade

persuade not to do; discourage; N. dissuasion

germinal

pertaining to a germ; creative; Ex. germinal idea

colloquial

pertaining to conversational or common speech; informal; N. colloquialism: colloquial expression "The research on attachment and child development has been showing that this sensitivity is more than "emotional" in the colloquial sense."

existential

pertaining to existence; pertaining to the philosophy of existentialism

agrarian

pertaining to land or its cultivation; Ex. agrarian reform "I went to live on a kibbutz, and I'd idealized the world of collective agrarian work, where everyone was equal, everyone contributed, that all this awful European intellectual stuff just fell away."

conjugal

pertaining to marriage

connubial

pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state

filial

pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter; Ex. filial respect

erotic

pertaining to passionate love or sexual love

alluvial

pertaining to soil deposits left by running water "Diamonds occur in alluvial lands mostly open and comparatively level, as in India, the Brazil and the Cape."

cerebral

pertaining to the brain or intellect; intellectual rather than emotional; CF. cerebrum "Dowd writes, the president, who she calls the cerebral one, might want to take lessons from Palin, the visceral one."

eugenic

pertaining to the improvement of race; N. eugenics: study of hereditary improvement of the human race

cosmic

pertaining to the universe; vast

germane

pertinent; bearing upon(having connection with) the case at hand; appropriate

badger

pester; annoy continually with demands; persuade by asking again and again; Ex. The children badgered me into taking them into the cinema; N: a kind of mountain animal

carping

petty criticism; fault-finding; fretful complaining; quibble "Until then all the carping is nothing more than demanding that we continue to do nothing until the perfect solution is found, which will of course be on the twelfth ofnever."

epistemologist

philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge; N. epistemology

cliché

phrase dulled in meaning by repetition; platitude; ADJ. clichéd

cull

pick out from others (to kill the weakest members); reject; select; collect (information); N.

firebrand

piece of burning wood; hothead; troublemaker; person who stirs up trouble

bust

piece of sculpture showing a person's head, shoulders, and upper chest; V: break up; arrest; Ex. crimebuster

conifer

pine tree (usu. evergreen); cone-bearing tree; ADJ. coniferous; CF. deciduous; CF. evergreen

devout

pious; deeply religious; sincere; earnest; Ex. my devout hope

buccaneer

pirate "Pirates brought to shore an antiwork, libertine ethos that was eloquently stated by Bartholomew Roberts, better known as Black Bart, a famed buccaneer who prowled the Atlantic coast from the West Indies to Newfoundland."

freebooter

pirate or plunderer who makes war in order to grow rich

aphorism

pithy maxim or saying; ADJ. aphoristic "A maxim, sometimes called an aphorism or proverb, is "an observation on behavior, abstracted and generalized, laid to the account of humanity at large, and expressed with the utmost concision."

apothegm(apophthegm)

pithy, compact saying "He concludes with an apothegm for the president -- "When you're cooking up a more perfect Union, sometimes you've got to break some eggs" -- apparently innocent of the provenance of this saying in apologetics for Stalin's mass killings of Russian peasants and political enemies: "You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."

Elysium

place or condition of bliss

ford

place where a river can be crossed on foot; V.

arboretum

place where different trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited "The arboretum was a serious ongoing project dedicated to cultivating and growing plants from all three worlds, but it was also designed to be enjoyed."

blight

plant disease; V: infect with blight; ruin; destroy "One person's blight is another's period building, vintage streetscape, or perfectly functional buildings that property owners and tenants wish tokeep."

sow

plant or scatter seed

flora

plants of a region or era

bromide

platitude; chemical compound used to calm excitement

frolic

play and jump about happily; frisk; Ex. frolicking young lambs

romp

play or frolic boisterously; gambol; N.

entreat

plead; ask earnestly

antiquated

obsolete; old-fashioned; outdated "Except to a certain antiquated ideology embraced in biology, which apparently has to be protected in academia by an 'orthodox' priesthood and imposed on society by force of law."

engross

occupy fully; absorb

erratic

odd; irregular in movement or behavior; unpredictable

eccentricity

oddity; idiosyncrasy

feline

of a member of the cat family; N.

airy

of air; high in the air; lofty; immaterial; unreal

well-bred

of good upbringing; well-mannered and refined

mystic

of hidden meaning and spiritual power; Ex. mystic ceremonies; N. CF. mysticism "Mysticism is a particularly focused part of spirituality; the mystic is a person who aims at and believes in the attainment of such union."

nuptial

of marriage or the wedding ceremony; N; nuptials; wedding ceremony

avuncular

of or like an uncle; kind; genial "The former justice minister is known as an avuncular and soft-spoken man who quit the cabinet in the early days of the uprising and immediately joined the rebels in Benghazi."

arboreal

of or living in trees "He then unveiled more elements of the arboreal conspiracy: The Apollo Alliance, funded by Soros, wrote Obama's stimulus bill!"

demotic

of or pertaining to the people

galvanic

of the production of electricity by the action of an acid on a metal; having the effect of an electric shock; Ex. galvanic cell; galvanic effect; CF. Luigi Galvani

earthly

of this earth; terrestrial; worldly; not divine; possible; Ex. no earthly reason

auxiliary

offering or providing help; additional or subsidiary; N: helper; assistant "So they fire up what are called auxiliary power units, run on hydrazine, which power those hydraulics."

functionary

official (who performs a particular function)

gazette

official periodical publication; newspaper

chaperon

older person who accompanies and supervises a young unmarried woman "To their minds a chaperon was a necessary piece of furniture, but of only a momentary interest."

augury

omen; prophecy; sign of coming events; V. augur: predict; foretell; be a sign of (something in future) "This is a kind of augury, which consists of an enquiry whether the god allows them to request welfare for the State, as if it were unholy even to make a request for it until the action received sanction."

ellipsis

omission of words from a text; mark used to indicate an omission (when the meaning can be understood without them); PL. ellipses

culprit

one guilty of a crime

compartment

one of the parts into which an enclosed space is divided

apostate

one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs; N. apostasy "Why should I be looked upon as advancing something dangerous and heterodox, or as an apostate from the faith and worship of the Jewish church, when I agree with them in this fundamental article?"

convert

one who has adopted a different religion or opinion; V: change into another form; (persuade to) adopt a particular religion or belief

bully

one who is habitually cruel to weaker people; V. "But cutting a deal with a bully is a different story, particularly if the 'deal' means helping him steal others 'money as the price of protecting your own."

bigot

one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics) "Brown has apologized to Duffy, the woman he called a bigot, and also to his own colleagues."

agnostic

one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality "New York City water officials remain agnostic on the question of whether technology can replicate whatever is distinctive in the tap water."

dermatologist

one who studies the skin and its diseases

apologist

one who writes in defense of a cause or institution; N. apologia "An apologist is somebody that defends the actions of another."

ego

one's opinion of oneself; self-esteem

gape

open widely; open the mouth wide; stare wonderingly with the mouth open; CF. agape

gambit

opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed; action made to produce a future advantage

aperture

opening; hole; adjustable opening in a camera that limits the amount of light "On the other side of the aperture was a drop; Gren slid down a slope of rubble into a room, cutting himself on glass as he went."

agape

openmouthed "According to the article, "all official Washington was agape" over Wilson's move, which forced members of the House and Senate to "delve into old tomes to learn proper course of procedure."

diva

operatic singer; prima donna

aria

operatic solo; a song sung by one person in an opera or oratorio "It's very much last century, influenced by Massenet and Strauss—except the very last aria, which is a very soulful piece and as much like [Mr. Wainwright's] pop songs as [the opera] comes.

thesis

opinion put forward and supported by reasoned arguments

dogmatic

opinionated; holding stubbornly to one's opinion; arbitrary; doctrinal

adversary

opponent; enemy "Their adversary is Max (Jason Patrick) a loon of a CIA operative who wants to embroil the world in a new high-tech global war."

controvert

oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict; ADJ. controversial; N. controversy

converse

opposite; ADJ.

conventional

ordinary; typical; not nuclear; Ex. conventional weapons

institute

organization for a special purpose; V: establish

chase

ornament a metal surface by indenting; follow rapidly to catch

emblazon

ornament richly (a shield or flag); N. emblazonment

epaulet(epaulette)

ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.)

brooch

ornamental clasp; pin "For the brooch is an engagement present from Tsar Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia, to then Princess Alix of Hesse who was to become his wife in 1894."

frieze

ornamental horizontal band on a wall

flamboyant

ornate; highly elaborate; richly colored; ostentatious; showy; CF. flame

zest

outer skin of an orange used for giving a special taste to food; spice; interest; flavor; spirited enjoyment; Ex. add a certain zest to the affair; Ex. zest for life

token

outward sign; Ex. a token of our gratitude "That is your business, not mine, he said conclusively, rising in token that the interview was at an end."

circumvent

outwit; defeat by behaving more cleverly; outsmart; baffle; avoid; get around "I drove home that night thinking maybe we could circumvent Judiciary and find a way to get this done."

amphitheater

oval building with tiers of seats; CF. arena "The urns, carved with eagles, serpents and rams' heads, were a key part of the amphitheater, which is adjacent to the Tomb of the Unknowns."

garish

overbright in color; unpleasantly bright; gaudy

exuberance

overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance; lavishness; ADJ. exuberant: high-spirited and lively; growing abundantly and strongly

condone

overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse

dearth

scarcity

disperse

scatter; Ex. disperse the cloud/crowd

dispel

scatter; drive away; cause to vanish

conservatory(conservatoire)

school of the fine arts (especially music or drama); glass-enclosed area; CF. conservancy

acoustics

science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in "It was at the Opera House, so of course the acoustics were amazing."

berate

scold strongly "Waxman can berate them for it all he wants, they can go up there and say with a straight face that their lawyers absolutely said they must do so and that Waxman is free to provide them with a contrary legal opinion if he likes."

excoriate

scold with biting harshness; censure strongly; strip the skin off

chide

scold; rebuke (someone who has done wrong) "He made the effort to know us, to talk to us, reassure us, chide us gently when he had to, deal with the mundane worries we sometimes thrust on him, sometimes take the rap for the faults of his devotees, but he was always there."

contempt

scorn; disdain; ADJ. contemptuous; CF. contemptible

conscientious

scrupulous; through and careful; Ex. conscientious worker

condiments

seasonings; spices

avocation

secondary or minor occupation "Democrat are by avocation democratic, so if the majority is leaning politically right they are more likely to accept a right wing future than Republicans are to accept a politically left leaning future."

clandestine

secret "Turkey has been highlighted as a partner in crime with this kind of clandestine transfer of nuclear technology and materials and as one of the gateways for this material to be funneled into all kinds of peoples 'hands who should not be allowed to handle this."

crypt

secret recess or vault usually used for burial; underground room (under a church)

covert

secret; hidden; implied; OP. overt

anchor

secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place; N. anchorage "Attached diagonally to a corner of each rectangle, and weighting it like an anchor, is a softly stepped cast-bronze form suggesting stone or relic, but also swinging pendulum and parasite.

collateral

security given for loan; ADJ: secondary; descended from the same person but through different sons or daughters "Schmidt, on the other hand, never used the term collateral damage -- or any similar term, because that would have completely undermined her fairy tale of righteous indignation."

dregs

sediment in a liquid; lees; worthless residue

aspire

seek to attain (position or status); long for; Ex. aspire to become president; Ex. aspire to/after the leadership "Love is this thing that we all kind of aspire to receiving and giving, it's the one thing we're all kind of hungry for."

aspirant

seeker after position or status "The character of Sophia's flat, instead of repelling the wrong kind of aspirant, infallibly drew just that kind."

confiscate

seize; take possession of (private property) by official order (usu. as a punishment); commandeer

excerpt

selected passage (written or musical) taken from a longer work; V.

eclectic

selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources; selecting individual elements from a variety of sources; N. eclecticism

confidence

self-assurance; calm unworried feeling based on a strong belief in one's abilities; strong belief in the ability of a person or plan; trust or faith in a person or thing; something confided; secret; Ex. confidence in your ability; Ex. I'm telling you this in confidence; Ex. exchange confidences about their boyfriends; ADJ. confident

feasible

practical; able to be carried out; practicable

ascetic

practicing self-denial; avoiding physical pleasures and comforts; austere; Ex. ascetic life of Buddhist monks; N. asceticism "He devoted a kind of ascetic energy to subduing his own will, and I remember no other outbreak."

extol

praise very highly; glorify

encomiastic

praising; eulogistic; N. encomium: very high praise; eulogy

eulogistic

praising; full of eulogy

escapade

prank; flighty conduct; reckless adventure that disobeys rules

frolicsome

prankish; gay; playful; merry; frisky

antecede

precede "These are foods that antecede and later accompany the nicotine and alcohol that youth will graduate to further stimulate the reward centers of the brain."

antecedents

preceding events that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background "Neither citizenship nor location is relevant to that clause, which, unhappily, never addresses the antecedent question of when habeas corpus is available in the first place."

forerunner

predecessor; one that comes before and indicates the approach of another

foreboding

premonition of evil; feeling of coming evil; V. forebode: be a warning of (something unpleasant)

concoct

prepare by mixing or combining; make up in concert; devise (something false) so as to deceive; Ex. concoct an elaborate excuse for being late; N. concoction

pass_off

present falsely; represent falsely to be

circumspect

prudent; cautious; acting after careful thought "But Rep. Barney Frank D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, said that Republicans are likely to be more circumspect now that they are in charge and that any precipitous move to disrupt the housing market could cost homeowners in their districts."

archives

public records; place where public records are kept "But if you only save the things you love, your archive is a very poor reflection indeed."

expos\'e

public revelation of something discreditable

forum

public square of an ancient Roman city; public place for open discussion; court of law

chastise

punish as by beating; criticize severely "Instead of calling police, they form a circle around the perpetrator and chastise him or her or chase him or her out into the rest of the city to do who knows what to who knows whom," Mr. Bloomberg said."

castigation

punishment; severe criticism or disapproval "February 2nd, 2009 3: 20pm sanchez-I was actually saying that you cause an amount of amusement with your never ending castigation of Israel."

cathartic

purgative; medicine that causes the bowels to empty; ADJ. "In the 1990s, that meant that the government encouraged banks to sit on bad loans rather than undergo the kind of cathartic restructuring the U.S. is now undergoing."

catharsis

purging or cleansing of any passage of the body; purging and weakening of strong emotions as a result of experiencing a dramatic work of art "Reading those feelings offers a kind of catharsis they may not be able to achieve on their own."

execute

put into effect; carry out; kill as a lawful punishment; N. execution

don

put on; OP. doff

entrance

put under a spell(condition caused by magical power); carry away(fill with strong feeling) with emotion; put into a trance; fill with delight

enigma

puzzle; mystery; ADJ. enigmatic: obscure; puzzling

charlatan

quack; pretender to knowledge (esp. in medicine) "I swear I don't know what's wrong with the people in Connecticut but to keep re-electing this charlatan is beyond me."

bicker

quarrel "Do you bicker endlessly over who packs the dishwasher better?

scrappy

quarrelsome "And he's known as a scrappy fighter, somebody who really works hard on the Senate floor quietly."

belligerent

quarrelsome "That kind of belligerent language on the New York Times front page adds fuel to the self-defense rationale for a future military assault against the Iranian state based on spurious accounts like Gordon's as justification."

contentious

quarrelsome; controversial; likely to cause arguments

droll

queer and amusing

dubious

questionable; (of something) causing doubt; (of someone) filled with doubt; N. dubiety

cavil

quibble; make frivolous objections; find fault unnecessarily "One can cavil that Mr. Hamner relies too much on instances of big-army conventional warfare to argue this assertion."

brisk

quick and active; marked by liveliness and vigor

cite

quote; commend; Ex. cited for bravery in an official record

centrifugal

radiating; departing from the center "And this yielding of the centripetal power to that which we call centrifugal can only take place in a condition of human society where the idea of communism has been accepted as the ideal and, in some effective measure, realized in fact."

foray

raid; sudden raid or military advance; V.

exalt

raise in rank or dignity; praise highly; inspire; Ex. exalt the imagination; ADJ. exalted; N. exaltation

dais

raised platform for speakers or other important people

fester

rankle; produce irritation or resentment; (of a cut or wound) generate pus or rot; Ex. His insult festered in my mind for days.

ecstasy

rapture; very strong feeling of joy and happiness; any overpowering emotion; ADJ. ecstatic: causing or experiencing ecstasy

foolhardy

rash; reckless; foolishly daring

compliant

readily acting in accordance with a rule, order, or the wishes or others; yielding; comforming to requirements

entity

real being

foster

rear; bring up (for a certain period only); encourage; promote the development of (feelings or ideas); Ex. help foster friendly relations; ADJ: giving parental care although not related by blood; Ex. foster parents

desperado

reckless, desperate outlaw

compute

reckon; calculate

conciliatory

reconciling; soothing; V. conciliate: reconcile; soothe; win the friendly feelings (by removing anger)

genealogy

record of descent; lineage; ancestry; study of ancestry

annals

records arranged in yearly parts; history "Such a shocking affair has never found a place in English annals," wrote the surgeon's young relative,"

corpuscle

red or white cell in the blood

flush

redden; blush; flow suddenly and abundantly; wash out by a rapid brief flow of water; N: reddish tinge; blush; brief rush; rush of strong feeling; Ex. flush of pride; ADJ: having surfaces in the same plane; even; blushing

deplete

reduce; exhaust

allude

refer indirectly; N. allusion: indirect reference "And actually, what they say on their Web site, they almost kind of allude to that, that you should be careful."

advert

refer; To call attention "And while I agree that the advert is sexist and an insult to the intelligence to make that suggestion, I must confess that I find it really hard to understand why the colour pink has these connotations."

ascribe

refer; attribute; assign "So we have little reason to ascribe the recent crime decline to jobs, the labor market or consumer sentiment."

distill

refine (a liquid by evaporating and subsequent condensation); concentrate; separate the most important parts from; Ex. distill fresh water from sea water; CF. brew

defiance

refusal to yield; resistance; V. defy; ADJ. defiant

deplore

regret; express sorrow and severe disapproval for something bad; Ex. deplore their violent behavior; ADJ. deplorable: very bad; deserving severe disapproval; Ex. deplorable living condition

flout

reject; mock; show contempt for; scorn; Ex. flout the rules

exult

rejoice

canine

related to dogs; doglike "The starting point for this scientific reconsideration of matters canine is an extremely modest effort, colloquially known as the Dog Genome Project."

demographic

related to population balance; N. demography: statistical study of human population

culinary

relating to cooking or kitchen

elysian

relating to paradise; blissful

ethnic

relating to races

dialectical

relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal; Ex. dialectical situation; N. dialectic: art of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments

dorsal

relating to the back of an animal; Ex. dorsal fin

climactic

relating to the highest point; N. climax; CF. climatic "Barack Obama's speech on race recalled the climactic scene from "The American President" when Michael Douglas decries the politics of division and urges "serious people" to address"

astral

relating to the stars "Sometimes it moves around in this lifetime, too; this is called astral projection."

alleviate

relieve (pain) "I'm sure Delta has done the same, just kind of alleviate the situation a little bit."

averse

reluctant; disinclined; not liking or opposed; Ex. averse to cats/doing the house work "More than that, if the policy issues raised by the Shell-BOC row are not resolved and firmed up government positions will continue to be characterized as averse to efficient good governance and the permanent good of our republic."

antidote

remedy to counteract a poison or disease; Ex. antidote to the economic troubles "In fact, the best short term antidote is a solid 2 week vacation."

commemorative

remembering; honoring the memory of; Ex. commemorative stamp "To mark its 150th anniversary season, which kicks off Sept. 18, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is celebrating with a 16-month series of performances, special events, publications, fund-raising initiatives and commemorative merchandising."

compunction

remorse; strong uneasiness caused by guilt

shear

remove (fleece or hair) by cutting; remove the hair or fleece from; cut with or as if with shears; N: shears; pair of scissors

dislodge

remove (forcibly); force out of a position; Ex. dislodge the food caught in his throat; CF. lodge

castrate

remove the sex organs (of a male animal or person)

dehydrate

remove water from; dry out

forswear

renounce under oath; abandon; make a solemn promise to give up; CF. abjure

abjure

renounce upon oath; formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure "Pak has evidence about India's involvement in Balochistan' today said Government was willing to open talks with the Maoists provided they "abjure" violence which, he said, was the only hurdle to hold"

abdicate

renounce; give up (position, right, or responsibility) "And, opinion polls have suggested, done by various television networks that over 55 percent still want her to stay on the throne and not to retire or even to abdicate, which is not in our constitution anyway."

abnegation

renunciation; self-sacrifice; self-abnegation "And this isn't always the easiest thing because a great deal of self-discipline and even self-abnegation is called for."

alliteration

repetition of beginning sound in poetry "An alliteration addict from Brazil has asked whether the notion of alliteration has to be purely sound-based."

chronicle

report; record (in chronological order) "A history, as opposed to a chronicle, is a running narrative that depends to a large extent on the imagination of the historian."

atavism

resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback; ADJ. atavistic "Lombroso, and the Italian school of criminologists generally, attribute crime chiefly to atavism, that is, reversion to primitive types."

equine

resembling a horse; Ex. equine face

distant

reserved or aloof; cold in manner; Ex. distant greeting; ADV. distantly

cistern

reservoir or water tank "The cistern is the central part of our grey water system, collecting rainwater that we then use in the greenhouse and elsewhere."

defeatist

resigned to defeat or failure; accepting defeat or failure as a natural outcome; N. CF. defeatism

determination

resolve; firmness of purpose; measurement or calculation; decision

esteem

respect; value; judge; N.

constraint

restraint; compulsion; repression of feelings; reticence; V. constrain: hold back; restrain; compel; oblige; confine forcibly; imprison

compulsive

resulting from compulsion

divulge

reveal

disclose

reveal; N. disclosure

cadence

rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat; regular beat of sound; rhythm "Light pulsed their length in cadence with the wings, indicating the transmitter within the creature was functional.

brocade

rich, figured(patterned) fabric "History served as a kind of brocade curtain, against which ordinary people (for the most part) strutted their stuff."

conundrum

riddle; difficult problem

equestrian

rider on horseback; ADJ.

derision

ridicule; ADJ. derisive; CF. derisory

deride

ridicule; treat with contempt; make fun of; OP. respect

franchise

right or privilege granted by authority; right to vote; license to sell a product in a particular territory

eminent

rising above others; high; lofty; distinguished; Ex. eminent position

bristling

rising like bristles; showing irritation "It's warm and muscular and covered in bristling needles of short white and brown hair."

exposure

risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the elements; unmasking; act of laying something open; Ex. exposure of governmental corruption

gambol

romp; skip about; leap about playfully; frolic; N.

extirpate

root up; uproot; destroy completely

carrion

rotting flesh of a dead body; CF. vulture "It's bald for one reason only, no feathers, because when it gets down to carrion, which is a dead animal they start eating, bacteria cannot grow on its head, cannot grow in the feathers."

circuitous

roundabout "Finally, it's hard to imagine why the book's editors would release it without a sequence of maps to help the reader navigate this circuitous history."

devious

roundabout; erratic; deviating from the straight course; not straightforward; not completely honest; Ex. devious route

efface

rub out; remove the surface of

attrition

rubbing away by friction; gradual decrease in numbers or strength; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment; Ex. a war of attrition "Some of this attrition is due to financial factors indeed, but a majority of the attrition is due to other factors such as poor academic preparation."

abrasive

rubbing away; tending to grind down "She is trying hard not to be negative, although her supporters remain abrasive and insulting."

d\'ebris

rubble; wreckage; scattered remains of something broken or destroyed

florid

ruddy; (of a complexion) reddish; flowery; very ornate; CF. rose

boor

rude, insensitive person

boorish

rude; insensitive "Philadelphia fans are known as boorish and hate-filled, frequently vilified by columnists too lazy to come up with something other than an incident when fans threw snowballs at Santa."

effrontery

rudeness without any sense of shame; shameless boldness; presumptousness; nerve; cheek

domineer

rule over tyrannically

sovereign

ruler in a monarchy; ADJ: (of a country) independent and self-governing; having supreme power; supreme; excellent

elope

run away secretly with the intention of getting married "There is a company in Japan whose business is helping people disappear to elope or to escape moneylenders or abusive situations."

career

rush wildly; go at full speed "Taking no risks in your career is the biggest - and worst - risk of them all."

bucolic

rustic; pastoral; countryside "We had a perfect ceremony on a covered bridge in bucolic upstate New York, which was followed by a fun and lively reception filled with the best of friends and — of course — Long Island wines."

forlorn

sad and lonely; wretched; desolate

funereal

sad; solemn; suitable for a funeral

clipper

sailing vessel built for great speed

emolument

salary; payment for an office; compensation

axiom

self-evident truth requiring no proof; an established principle "That simple axiom is a radical critique of an age in which ideological lines are hardening and real dialogue diminishing in the public arena."

autonomous

self-governing; independent N. autonomy "Last summer, News Corp. established what it calls an autonomous committee to liaise with police and provide any documents requested."

consequential

self-important; significant; consequent; following as a result; Ex. consequential air; CF. subsequent

continence

self-restraint; sexual chastity; sexual abstinence; voluntary control over bladder and bowel functions; ADJ. continent

complacency

self-satisfaction; smugness; ADJ. complacent

smug

self-satisfied; complacent

flip

send (something) spinning, often into the air, by striking with a light quick blow; turn over; Ex. flip over

deport

send out of the country; behave; N. deportation, deportment

consign

send to a person or place for sale; deliver officially; entrust; put into the care of another; set apart (for a special purpose); N. consignment; CF. consignor, consignee

dotage

senility; feeblemindedness of old age; Ex. In one's dotage

discrete

separate; unconnected

estranged

separated; alienated; V. estrange: alienate (people in a family); N. estrangement

barb

sharp projection from fishhook, arrow, or other object; openly cutting remark "DNC spox Hari Sevugan responds with a barb about the RNC cash spent at the bondage-themed nightclub:"

acclivity

sharp upslope of a hill; OP. declivity "As I stood looking at it from near the top of a gentle acclivity a boy with a team, whom I had passed a little time before, came up."

angular

sharp-cornered; having an angle; not rounded (body); bony; lean; gaunt; stiff in manner "For, in all charity, it is not to be denied that Miss Primleigh is what the world is pleased to call angular -- painfully angular, I am afraid."

acuity

sharpness (of mind or senses of sight or hearing) "But sleeplessness robbed me of the last 5-10 per cent of my mental acuity, which is where I find the motivation to actually accomplish things."

asperity

sharpness; roughness; severity (of temper or weather); Ex. asperities of a Russian winter "The New York Times noted his asperity when dealing with Apple's competitor, Microsoft, "The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste," he said."

diaphanous

sheer; transparent

carapace

shell covering the back (of a turtle, tortoise, crab, etc.) "He was a blue lobster, and his carapace was the color of a beautiful deep midnight frost."

cameo

shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film "One of the great pleasures of Barney's Version, the opening night feature of the Hamptons International Film Festival, was the parade of Canadian filmmakers in cameo roles: David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, among them."

aegis

shield; protection; defense "The extraordinary successes Israelis have demonstrated through a nearly peerless intellectual aegis is something all of us must learn from, particularly within the surrounding region."

glitter

shine brightly with flashing points of light; Ex. glittering diamond ring; N: sparkling light; attractiveness; glamor; Ex. glitter of the sun on the waves

glow

shine brightly without a flame (as of eyes or metals); show redness and heat (in the face) after hard work or because of strong feelings; N: light produced by a heated body; brilliance of a color

glimmer

shine erratically; twinkle; N: dim or unsteady light; faint indication; Ex. glimmer of hope

glare

shine intensely and blindingly; stare fixedly and angrily; N.

effulgent

shining brightly; brilliant

epilogue

short speech at conclusion of dramatic work

anecdote

short story of an amusing or interesting event "In short, anecdote is always easier to sell than statistics, except, perhaps, when you're writing a book for statisticians."

ephemeral

short-lived; fleeting

defect

shortcoming; V: desert (in order to join the opposite one)

abbreviate

shorten

curtail

shorten; reduce

catcall

shout of disapproval or displeasure (made at the theater or a sports match); boo; V. "I think I know the reason why some women prefer not to have men catcall them while other women have no problem with men catcalling them."

exemplify

show by example; furnish an example; serve as an example of; Ex. His pictures exemplify that sort of painting.

evince

show clearly

ebullient

showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm; boiling; N. ebullience; N. ebullition: state of boiling

flashy

showy; gaudy; giving a momentary brilliance

canny

shrewd in money matters; thrifty "But I also do think that she's kind of canny, too, because I think she understands that her own celebrity right now is sort of bigger than politics."

clarion

shrill, trumpetlike sound; kind of trumpet used in former times These are daunting obstacles but they also represent the kind of clarion call that brings out the best in the American spirit ... creativity and invention."

cringe

shrink back as if in fear; cower

cower

shrink quivering as from fear; cringe

dwindle

shrink; reduce gradually

confine

shut in an enclosed space; restrict; keep within limits; N. confinement

coy

shy (flirtatiously); showing a (pretended) lack of self-confidence; modest; coquettish; CF. job offer¸¦ ¹Þ¾Ã'À» ¶§

sleek

smooth and shining (as from good health); V.

glossy

smooth and shining; N. gloss: shiny brightness on a surface; superficially attractive appearance; Ex. gloss of good manners

paste

smooth viscous mixture as of flour(powder made by crushing grain) and water (used as an adhesive); V: cause to adhere by applying paste

fluency

smoothness of speech; ADJ. fluent

fatuous

smugly and unconsciously foolish; inane; silly; N. fatuity, fatuousness

hurl

throw forcefully; shout out violently "It flailed back and forth upon the sands, trying to hurl its attacker away, but Caithe held on."

embroil

throw into confusion; involve in strife, dispute, or quarrel; entangle; CF. imbroglio

toss

throw lightly; move or lift (the head) with a sudden motion; flip (a coin) to decide something

fulminate

thunder; explode; issue a severe denunciation

frustrate

thwart; defeat; prevent from accomplishing a purpose

apex

tip; summit; climax; highest point "The African National Congress (ANC) is pushing ahead with its plan for the constitutional court to become the so-called apex court in South Africa, it emerged on Saturday."

outgoing

sociable; eager to mix socially with others

gaffe

social blunder

convention

social or moral custom; established practice; formal meeting; international agreement

balmy

soft and mild (of air); fragrant "It's officially autumn today, but it still feels like summer here in balmy southern Ontario."

besmirch

soil; defile; make dirty "Any allusions to ties with Jack Abramoff are completely unfounded and are clearly partisan attacks meant to besmirch his stellar reputation."

anathema

solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse; V. anathematize "It's kind of anathema - the things I hate and fear and despise are the same things I need and crave and love."

oath

solemn promise; blasphemous use of sacred words to express strong feelings; swear-word; Ex. "For Christ's sake''

adjuration

solemn urging; V. adjure: entreat earnestly; enjoin solemnly "The other kind of adjuration is by way of compulsion: and, seemingly, neither is it lawful to use this towards them, because we have not the power to command irrational creatures, but only He of"

awe

solemn wonder; feeling of respect mixed with wonder and fear; V: fill with awe; ADJ. awesome "I was in awe of you, thinking you were going to be the next American Hero!"

dupe

someone easily fooled or deceived; V: deceive

actuary

someone who advises insurance companies

adjunct

something attached to but holding an inferior position "Science is not only cool, it's really important for the future of this country, and it's great to have people we call adjunct professors here, to help lend their real-life experiences to stimulate junior high students to the wonders of science."

contrivance

something contrived; machine or apparatus; clever deceitful plan; scheme

comestible

something fit to be eaten "Clearly, this was not your found Virgin Mother in the swirls of a toasted tortilla: a lot of work goes into making a comestible and commendable work of art."

forfeit

something surrendered as punishment for a crime or breach of contract; V: lose as a forfeit; N. forfeiture

assumption

something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of; Ex. her assumption of power; V. assume "A common problem encountered with this assumption is the many variables that such a designer introduces to the investigation."

deterrent

something that discourages or deters

balm

something that relieves pain; oily liquid with a pleasant smell from trees "But there was no indication that the move would be more than a short-term balm for the crisis engulfing the Eurozone."

brackish

somewhat saline "You should rinse your tackle completely after each trip to the coast, even if you've been fishing in brackish water that is more fresh than salt."

allege

state without proof "Allegedly, flood waters were diverted to save Shahbaz, which houses fighter aircrafts, and some groups allege is used by the U.S. to launch drone strikes."

diligence

steadiness of effort; persistent hard work

filch

steal (things of small value)

pilfer

steal things of small value; filch; snitch

furtive

stealthy; quiet and secret (trying to escape notice); sneaky; Ex. furtive glance

adhere

stick fast; be a devotd follower; N. adhesion: adhering; devotion; loyality

cohere

stick together "They must recognize that it is possible to work with Tehran where their interests cohere, even as they seek to counter it at other points."

clap

strike the palms of the hands together with a sudden explosive sound; come together suddenly with a sharp sound; put or send promptly; Ex. clap the thief in jail; N: clapping; loud or explosive sound; CF. applause

clapper

striker (tongue) of a bell

divest

strip (as of clothes); deprive (as of rights); dispossess; N. divestiture(divestment)

defrock

strip a priest or minister of church authority; unfrock

flay

strip off skin; plunder; remove the skin from; criticize harshly

apoplexy

stroke; loss of consciousness caused by too much blood in the brain "You really should restrain yourself, too much excitement in a man of your age could lead to apoplexy, that is if you are not already there?"

flounder

struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter (as in water, mud, snow, etc.); proceed in confusion

contend

struggle; compete; assert earnestly; state strongly

contumacious

stubborn and disobedient; resisting authority (esp. disobedient to an order made by a court)

bigotry

stubborn intolerance "That kind of bigotry is not accepted anymore, and soon the bigotry against homosexuals will be a crime, if it is not already."

anthropologist

student of the history and science of humankind "That afternoon Karen Burns, a forensic anthropologist from the United States, was sworn in."

archaeology

study of artifacts and relics of early mankind "For many, the purpose of archaeology is to explain and to prove what is contained in the Bible."

ethnology

study of humankind; study of the different races of human beings; CF. anthropology

entomology

study of insects

gerontology

study of the sociological phenomena associated with old age

etymology

study of word parts; study of the origins of words

buffoon

stupid person; clown "This buffoon is making a mockery of the judicial system, and there are people that are STUPID ENOUGH to support this moron."

sturdy

strong and firm (in the body) "Dennis M. Sabangan/EPA More than 3,600 Filipinos rode out the typhoon in sturdy school buildings, town halls, churches and relatives 'homes."

forte

strong point or special talent in a person's character

bulwark

strong wall built for defense; earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends "The League of Nations can now restore its falling prestige by performing that inherent function, but it is as yet the main bulwark of the Treaty of Versailles."

drastic

strong; violent and severe; Ex. drastic changes/measures

bastion

stronghold; something seen as a source of protection; Ex. the last bastion of male chauvinism "He has decried what he characterized as a bastion of lobbyists for seeking special carve outs to limit the effect of proposed financial regulation."

asinine

stupid; Ex. asinine remarks "It's just plain asinine to think that by concious efforts alone you can stop all the spyware/viruses on the internet from infecting your computer."

cuisine

style of cooking; Ex. French cuisine

appurtenances

subordinate possessions; something added to a more important thing "The first thermodynamic law of sidekicks tells us that sidekicks make for popular appurtenances in both dramas and comedies because they offer a counterpoint -- often offbeat and comic -- to the hero."

authoritarian

subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another's will; Ex. authoritarian regime/father "Georgians once widely admired Saakashvili, 41, as an energetic, pro-Western reformist, but many were disillusioned by what they describe as his authoritarian bent."

abate

subside or moderate "The declines came after a strong week for the euro as worries about Greece appeared to abate."

emetic

substance causing vomiting; ADJ.

antiseptic

substance that prevents infection in a wound; ADJ. "African Americans, especially, have always used humor as a kind of antiseptic to heal past traumas that have seeped into the present."

anesthetic

substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness; N. anesthesia "She only wanted it as a kind of anesthetic, to keep the pain of the moment at bay."

d\'eb\^acle

sudden disastrous downfall or defeat; complete disaster

fit

sudden outburst of an illness or feeling; convulsion caused by epilepsy

pang

sudden sharp feeling of pain "Julia felt a certain pang at the thought of judgment being passed so lightly upon all those months or years of hard authorial labour."

blighted

suffering from a disease; destroyed "Essentially, Tax Increment Financing has historically been used as a way to generate new development in blighted areas, most often in the urban core."

dyspeptic

suffering from indigestion; N. dyspepsia: indigestion; difficulty in digesting food

bilious

suffering from indigestion; sick from having too much bile; irritable; easily irritated "He doesn't care what kind of bilious lies he spreads."

connotation

suggested or implied meaning of an expression; V. connote

expedient

suitable (for a particular purpose although not necessarily morally correct); practical; politic(prudent); N: something expedient

forensic

suitable to debate or courts of law; of or used in legal proceedings and the tracking of criminals; Ex. forensic science/medicine

dour

sullen; gloomy; stubborn

aggregate

sum; total; ADJ. V: gather into a mass or whole; accumulate; add up to; Ex. aggregate 100 dollars "And while this potential drop in aggregate demand is easily offset by a simple fiscal response, the odds of our current gaggle of regulators and elected officials getting it right with an appropriate fiscal response seems slim and none."

aureole

sun's corona; halo; bright circle of light "Far off and far up there was a glow of rosy light, and within the aureole was her face, full of sorrow, looking at me with pity in every feature."

curator

superintendent; manager (in charge of a museum or a library)

codicil

supplement to the body of a will; later addition to a will "But you may not know the codicil, which is that if you don't own a boat, all you get is a mouthful of salt water."

alimentary

supplying nourishment "The tomato is only a small chapter in the long history of alimentary innovation and globalization, which has generally worked out well for Italy—from Chinese influences on contemporary pasta to the Asian water buffalo's medieval introduction to Italy."

champion

support militantly; fight for; N: person who fights for or supports strongly (a principle, movement, person, etc.)

fulcrum

support on which a lever rests or pivots

prop

support placed under or against something; V "In this sense it is that your union ought to be considered as a main prop of your liberty, and that the love of the one ought to endear to you the preservation of the other."

advocacy

support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something "And while $100 million is an incredible amount of money, conditional gifts should still be treated with healthy skepticism, because usually they are given in advocacy of one side of the debate or the other."

buttress

support; prop up; N. stationary structure to support wall; Ex. flying buttress "To the right of the buttress is a long two-cusped lancet light; to the left may be traced, perhaps, the outline of an original round-arched window; while on both sides there are sloping lines in the masonry, as if there had been an acutely-pointed gable here."

bolster

support; reinforce "So they're aware of that in the Clinton camp, that both of those arguments -- the pledged delegates and the popular vote -- she's going to have to be able to show something in order to kind of bolster her case, as well I can win in the big states, which is what her argument is now."

adherent

supporter; follower

constituent

supporter; voter; member of a constituency; component

finish

surface texture; completeness of execution

conjecture

surmise; guess; V.

extradition

surrender of prisoner by one state to another; Ex. extradition treaty; V. extradite

disgorge

surrender something (stolen); eject; vomit; OP. gorge

capitulate

surrender; give up all resistance "Rio also won't want to be forced to capitulate and walk away from an acquisition having only revived its image following the badly timed US$3.8 billion acquisition of aluminum producer Alcan at the top of the market."

encircle

surround

hem

surround tightly so that movement is impossible; Ex. hem in; N. "I like strong, protective and determined heroes who don't hem their heroines personality."

besiege

surround with armed forces; harass (with requests); annoy continually "Syria's "reformer" responded in character, allowing pro-Assad demonstrators to besiege the U.S. and French embassies."

encompass

surround; include; Ex. His activities encompass publishing and computers.

abeyance

suspended action "The charge is being held in abeyance under the terms of an agreement between the State and Mr. Limbaugh."

bravado

swagger; assumed air of defiance; false show of bravery "The difference here from the fool's paradise of hip-hop bravado is that it's all too real, and that the protagonists who confide in Asger Leth are now all dead."

euphony

sweet sound; ADJ. euphonious

dulcet

sweet sounding; pleasing to the ear; melodious

billowing

swelling out in waves; surging "Fire is billowing from the Windsor House apartments on Rhode Island Avenue NW, Capital Business reporter Jonathan O'Connell tells us."

chisel

swindle or cheat; N: wedgelike tool for cutting "It's great that we have a company, but I just like to chisel on my little poems for whatever it's worth."

bilk

swindle; cheat "The document filed Monday called Rizzo a "godfather of sorts" who was able to bilk the city that employed him for years because he used nearly $2 million of public money to make loans to dozens of people, including Hernandez and Artiga, when they were going through hard economic times."

sway

swing from side to side; influence (someone) to change one's opinion; N. "I personally don't think it automatically spells doom for a movie to sway from the original text and this is one adaptation that I look forward to since I enjoyed the books so much."

eddy

swirling current of water, air, etc.; V.

compassion

sympathy for the suffering of others; ADJ. compassionate

creed

system of religious or ethical belief

distract

take (one's attention) off something; upset emotionally; make anxious; ADJ. distracted

commandeer

take (private property) for military use without needing permission or giving payment; draft for military purposes "Do they have to commandeer every park bench, every fountain, every public space, and then display acres and acres of their gleaming, repellent carcasses?"

dismantle

take apart; disassemble

doff

take off; OP. don

conspire

take part in a conspiracy; (of events) work together; combine; Ex. Events conspired to produce great difficulties.

luxuriate

take pleasure in great comfort "I suspect in the end the show will be critic-proof and people will go to see both the winner of the TV talent contest and to luxuriate in the sumptuous visuals."

expropriate

take possession of (often for public use and without payment)

cohesion

tendency to keep together "If we believe that any amount of unit cohesion is enough to end the debate, we thus, by definition, believe continuing the policy is merited."

egotism

tendency to speak or write of oneself excessively; conceit; self-importance

evocative

tending to call up (emotions, memories)

centripetal

tending toward the center "This deglobalization of banking has been long anticipated, but the way that it is now playing out has ensured the centripetal forces are being felt well beyond the euro zone."

enclave

territory enclosed within an alien land

cow

terrorize; intimidate

attest

testify; bear witness "Cambridge is a beautiful University Town to which I can attest from a recent visit there and it has an atmosphere almost compelling one to become an academic."

deposition

testimony under oath; deposing; dethroning

concomitant

that which accompanies; Ex. Deafnes is a frequent concommitant of old age; ADJ: existing or happening together with something else

Bacchanalia

the ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus; n. A riotous, boisterous, or drunken festivity; a revel "And as they repent for their credit-driven Bacchanalia, the foundering U.S. economy is left to pick up the pieces."

coincidence

the chance occurrence, at the same time, of two or more seemingly connected events; V. coincide: happen at the same time; be in agreement; CF. coincident; CF. coincidental

ambivalence

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes or opinions "Many Americans these days are buying their first gold shares — but with a certain ambivalence, all too aware that the metal 's price can move suddenly."

brook

tolerate; endure; Ex. brook no interference; N: small stream "I called the brook "Beames's Brook," in acknowledgment of the liberal support I received from Walter Beames, Esq. of Sydney."

fathomless

too deep to be measured or understood; unfathomable

far-fetched

too improbable to be believed; implausible; Ex. far-fetched story

finicky

too particular; fussy; difficult to please; too concerned with unimportant details or quality; Ex. finicky about her food

cog

tooth projecting from a wheel "It is only the working class, in which organised workers in general, and Cosatu in particular, is a vital cog, that is best capable to carry this task to its conclusion."

crest

top (as of a hill or wave); showy feathers on the head of a bird

fiasco

total failure; CF. bottle

explicit

totally clear; definite; outspoken

barterer

trader; V. barter: trade; exchange good for other goods rather than money "As I looked, some hard and sinful thoughts did visit my heart concerning the bounty that the Lord had lavished upon one who was a barterer of wine, when I, who had lived ever a temperate and (in so far as was in my power) a godly life, should remain childless."

complaisant

trying to please; obliging; willing to please others

deflect

turn aside; turn away from a straight course

deviate

turn away from (a principle, norm); move away from an accepted standard; swerve; depart; diverge; N. deviation; Ex. deviation of the path of light by a prism

deify

turn into a god; make a god of; idolize; Ex. Kings were deified; CF. deity

wring

twist (to extract liquid); extract by twisting; wrench painfully (necks or hands)

distort

twist out of shape; give a false account of; misrepresent; N. distortion

contortions

twistings; distortions; V. contort: twist violently out of shape; CF. contortionist

bicameral

two-chambered as a legislative body In just the past few minutes, new developments in our report tonight on the Republican calls a bicameral investigation into the leak of secret intelligence on CIA prisons overseas."

despot

tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler; CF. despotism

doctrinaire

unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding; marked by inflexible attachment to a doctrine without regard to its practical difficulties

fractious

unruly; peevish; cranky; bad-tempered; Ex. fractious horse

altruistic

unselfishly generous; concerned for others; N. altiruism: unselfish concern for the welfare of others; unselfishness; OP. egoism "But transplant centers are increasingly accepting non-blood-related donors, such as spouses, close friends and so-called altruistic donors, who offer to donate a kidney with no particular recipient in mind."

abortive

unsuccessful; fruitless "Mitt Romney, as Governor of Massachussetts, vetoed a contraception bill claiming the emergency contraception was an "abortive" drug."

dowdy

untidy (of a woman or clothes); slovenly; dressed in an unattractive way; shabby; CF. unattractive woman

disheveled

untidy (of hair or clothing); V. dishevel

disinclination

unwillingness

distraught

upset; distracted by anxiety; very anxious and troubled almost to the point of madness; Ex. distraught with grief/worry

aloft

upward; high up in the air "Young birds may remain aloft for two or even three years at a time."

exhort

urge (by strong argument or advice); Ex. The general exhorted his men to fight bravely; N. exhortation

exigency

urgent situation; ADJ. exigent

dowse

use a divining rod to search for underground water or minerals

equivocate

use equivocal language to deceive people; lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth; N. equivocation

coercion

use of force to get someone to object; compelling; V. coerce "Do you really think coercion is needed to reach a solution to coordination problems?"

corpulent

very fat; N. corpulence

crass

very unrefined; grossly insensible; crude and undiscriminating; Ex. crass behavior

exasperate

vex; annoy or make angry (by testing the patience)

acetic

vinegary "There's a wall of silence and the quantities they bring in of a substance called acetic anhydride has to be at a high level and highly organised," he said."

convulsion

violent uncontrollable shaking movement (caused by illness); V. convulse; ADJ. convulsive

boisterous

violent; rough; noisy "He fairly leaped through the open door, and again the storm roared about him with a kind of boisterous fellowship."

constituency

voters represented by an elected official; district so represented; group of supporters (or constituents)

swear

vow; promise; use profane oaths; use offensive words

limp

walk lamely; ADJ: lacking firmness; weak

swagger

walk or behave with an over-confident manner "' If you want to call it swagger, yes we have the confidence that we know we can go out and beat teams, '' said Owens, who broke the game open with second-half TD catches of 25 and 50 yards."

amble

walking at an easy unhurried pace; V: walk slowly and aimlessly "But this quiet pace did not last, for, the road becoming level, the pony took to a kind of amble which seemed its natural pace, and was soon urged from that into a gallop by its driver."

errant

wandering (esp. in search of adventure); straying from proper moral standards; Ex. knight-errant

digression

wandering away from the subject; V. digress

bellicose

warlike "John sometimes ... [is] given to this kind of bellicose rhetoric, which has a tendency to inflame conflicts rather than to diffuse them."

categorical

without exceptions; made without any doubt in mind; unqualified; absolute "Bromwich and other officials stressed that the policy announced Monday was not a reversal of its previous plans not to grant waivers known as categorical exclusions for deepwater projects."

artless

without guile; open and honest "The wild circle of some species of creepers was very agreeable; and conveyed a sensible pleasure to every one who delighted in this kind of artless harmony."

despondent

without hope and courage; depressed; gloomy; N. despondency: loss of hope with gloom; dejection

epigram

witty thought or saying, usually short

deadpan

wooden; impassive; with no show of feeling; with an expressionless face

fleece

wool coat of a sheep; V: shear the fleece from; rob by a trick; swindle; plunder

dyslexia

word blindness; learning disorder marked by impairment of the ability to read

swear-word

word considered offensive; Ex. "bloody''

epithet

word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing; descriptive phrase to characterize a person (often contemptous)

diffuse

wordy; verbose; rambling; spread out (like a gas); V: spread out in all directions; disperse; N. diffusion; CF. suffuse

dabble

work at in a nonserious fashion; splash around; move noisily in a liquid

collage

work of art put together from fragments "One of the best things about collage is that most of what you need will already be in the home or bought inexpensively."

deputize

work or appoint as a deputy; N. deputy: person who has the power to take charge when the leading person is away

elaborate

work out carefully; add more detail or information; ADJ.

collaborate

work together; cooperate treasonably with the enemy

exacerbate

worsen; aggravate; embitter

chaff

worthless products of an endeavor; husk(outer seed cover) separated from grain; Ex. separate the wheat from the chaff "But with literally a world of choices at your fingertips, how you can separate the weak from the chaff is a problem."

extort

wring from; get money by threats, etc.; obtain by force or threats; CF. extortionate: exorbitant

crinkle

wrinkle

corrugated

wrinkled; ridged

context

writings preceding and following the passage quoted; circumstance in which an event occurs

affidavit

written statement made under oath (for use as proof in a court of law) "The person signing the affidavit is swearing under oath that they have reviewed the case, and that everything is accurate."

figure

written symbols; number; amount represented in numbers; outline or silhouette of a thing or human body; person (well-known); impression; diagram; pattern; group in a dance; Ex. figure of speech; V. calculate with numbers; adorn with figures; appear; consider; Ex. My name did not figure in the list.

amiss

wrong; faulty; Ex. something amiss; ADV. "The disputes panel eventually concluded yesterday evening that nothing had been amiss, which is why we're still where we were nine days ago."

annuity

yearly allowance "In its most basic form, an immediate annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company."

cede

yield (title or territory) to (esp. after losing a war); surrender formally; N. cession "Doesn't this comment really kind of cede that it's all about sex, and not about the personhood of the fetus?"

cession

yielding to another; ceding; giving away "If Israel embarks seriously on peace negotiations, to include the cession of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the removal of settlements, then it will rally more support for its efforts to defend itself."

debutante

young woman making formal entrance into society

callow

youthful; immature; inexperienced "He suddenly recalled a callow boy telling his tutor that he dreaded the sea voyage home, because he would have to be among common men rather than thoughtful acolytes like himself."

affront

insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect; V: insult or hurt the feelings of intentionally "The U.S. hid the operation from Pakistan for fear that the raid plans would leak to militants, but the unilateral action brought protests from Pakistani leaders over what they called an affront to their sovereignty."

academic

related to a school; not practical or directly useful

contiguous

adjacent to; touching upon

explicate

explain in detail; interpret; clarify; CF. explicable

epitaph

inscription in memory of a dead person (as on a tombstone)

foist

insert improperly; impose upon another by coercion; palm off; pass off as genuine or worthy; CF. fist

circlet

small ring; band of gold, silver, jewel, etc. (worn on the head, arms, or neck as decoration)

siren

apparatus for making sounds; womanlike creature "The siren is another name for mermaids who lure sailors to their deaths upon the rocks of the tumultuous ocean."

covetous

avaricious; desirous of (someone else's possessions); V. covet: desire eagerly (someone else's possessions)

thrash

beat with a whip or flail; defeat utterly; talk about thoroughly in order to find the answer; move wildly or violently; Ex. The fishes thrashed about in the net.

farce

broad comedy; mockery; humorous play full of silly things happening; ADJ. farcical

comprehensive

broad; including a lot or everything; thorough; inclusive

cascade

small waterfall "Essentially, this antibody cascade is endless successively adding new specific properties to the immune system."

foible

small weakness of character; slight fault; CF. feeble

tawny

brownish yellow "I remember being surprised by her tawny golden eyes; at the way she held my gaze - like a challenge - but that was not the moment."

contusion

bruise

atrocity

brutal deed; ADJ. atrocious "His transformation, his finding himself, after witnessing a horrible atrocity, is a miracle."

denizen

(animal, person, or plant) inhabitant or resident of a particular place; regular visitor

condescend

(derog.) bestow courtesies with a superior air; descend to the level of one considered inferior

flighty

(esp. of a woman's behavior) capricious; often changing, esp. from one lover to another; impulsive

censor

(in ancient Rome) overseer of morals (also taking the census); person who eliminates inappropriate matter; V. "Freedom of speech only applies when the censor is a governmental entity."

flutter

(of a bird with large wings) wave (the wings) lightly, rapidly, and irregularly; vibrate rapidly or erratically; fly by waving quickly; flitter; N.

abject

(of a condition) wretched; as low as possible; lacking pride; very humble; showing lack of self-respect; Ex. abject apology "People in abject poverty are less happy than people who are modestly well-off, but people who are modestly well-off are not less happy than very rich people."

d\'ecollet\'e

(of a dress) having a low-cut neckline; CF. d\'ecolletage: low neckline (on a dress)

erudite

(of a person or book) learned; full of learning; scholarly; N. erudition

discursive

(of a person or writing) digressing; rambling (without any clear plan)

expansive

(of a person) outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size

desolate

(of a place) deserted; unpopulated; (of a person) lonely; forlorn; joyless

episodic

(of a story or play) loosely connected; made up of separate and loosely connected parts; N. episode: incident in the course of an experience

apocryphal

(of a story) widely believed but untrue "And, of course, to label any region or the literary representation of a region as legitimate or apocryphal, is best left to the polemicists."

ooze

(of a thick liquid) pass or flow slowly; N: mud or thick liquid as at the bottom of a river

demure

(of a woman or child) grave; quiet and serious; coy; pretending to be demure

felicitous

(of a word or remark) apt; suitably expressed; well chosen

catholic

(of likings and interests) universal; general; broad; including many different parts; wide-ranging liberal; Ex. catholic opinions/tastes "I don't know if he could really be called a catholic novelist if he no longer practices, although there may catholic themes in his style, just as one could find in the works of philosophers, artists and other people who may have transferred their experiences in faith into the work... sometimes even unwittingly."

gush

(of liquid) pour out in large quantities from a hole; make an excessive display of feeling (without true feeling); Ex. Blood gushed from the wound.

debonair

(of men) friendly, charming, and fashionably dressed; aiming to please; CF. of good disposition

dutiful(duteous)

(of people or their behavior) respectful; obedient (filled with a sense of duty)

amalgamate

(of societies or groups) combine; unite in one body "Drawn to the particulars, we try to amalgamate them into an illusionistic head, then get seduced by details again, unable to reconcile the two readings."

crotchety

(of someone old) eccentric; odd; whimsical; bad-tempered; N. crotchet: odd or whimsical notion

glaring

(of something bad) highly conspicuous; harshly bright; shining intensely and blindingly

extant

(of something written or painted) still in existence

didactic

(of speech or writing) intended to teach a moral lesson; teaching; instructional; N. didacticism

impassioned

(of speech) filled with passion; fervent

ebb

(of the tide) recede; lessen; diminish; N. OP. flow: rise of tide

dingy

(of things and place) dirty and dull; Ex. dingy street/curtain

equivocal

(of words or statements) ambiguous; intentionally misleading; (of behavior) questionable; OP. unequivocal

cursive

(of writing) flowing; running; having the successive letters joined

artifice

deception; trickery "The artifice was a new one, and showed that the fugitives were assisted by men with intellect far in advance of their own."

delusive

deceptive; likely to delude; misleading; raising vain hopes; Ex. delusive promises

cleft

N: split

auroral

Of or pertaining to the dawn or a new beginning "A powerful solar eruption on Valentine's day Feb. 14, the strongest solar flare in four or five years, led to to brilliant auroral displays and some disruptions in radio communications."

consanguinity

kinship; relationship by birth

bowdlerize

To expurgate, as a book, by omitting or modifying the parts considered offensive; to remove morally objectionable parts "It doesn't matter whether we bowdlerize the lyrics, the musical style has nothing familiar to them other than a major scale and it will not strike them as comfortable or familiar unless they are lapsed Luterans."

anneal

To strengthen or harden "Clearly, the development team continue to anneal and case harden an otherwise good product in openSUSE 11.0 such that this beta 4 is almost stable enough for production use."

regent

a person who governs in place of a ruler who is ill, absent, or still a child; ADJ. Ex. the Prince regent "He's thought to be a key figure, a kind of regent who could shepherd through the transition."

celibate

abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried; N. celibacy "And what is happening is an unraveling of the whole, what I call the celibate sexual system."

foresight

ability to foresee future happenings; prudence in providing for the future

empathy

ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc.; identification with and understanding of another's feelings; V. empathize; CF. sympathy

caliber

ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a round cylinder; Ex. work of very high caliber "In my opinion the caliber is at its best when shots present themselves at 100 yards or more, although I have killed several dear at less than 50 with it."

buoyant

able to float; cheerful and optimistic; N. buoyancy; Ex. buoyancy of wood/water/American market "A few moments later he was looking into the depressed eyes of a youth he had only known as the buoyant, headstrong, north-bred son of Allan"

amphibian

able to live both on land and in water; N. "Colombia is one of the worlds richest countries in amphibian diversity with more than 583 species."

effectual

able to produce a desired effect; valid

discriminating

able to see differences; discerning; prejudiced; N. discrimination

ambulatory

able to walk "Those who are ambulatory can traverse the hallways and exit stairwells between them."

aberrant

abnormal or deviant "Felipe Calderon went on Twitter to express dismay over what he called an "aberrant act of terror and barbarity."

dys-

abnormal; impaired

anomalous

abnormal; irregular "The anomalous is more surprising - thus often a lot more interesting - than the normal and mundane."

abrogate

abolish "In Bolivia, the leftist government of Evo Morales government moved to abrogate contracts of foreign energy companies like Brazil's Petrobras."

consistency

absence of contradictions; uniformity; degree of thickness or firmness; Ex. consistency of thick cream; CF. viscous

anarchy

absence of governing body; state of disorder "But I have never accepted any power over me, and I have always thought that anarchy, which is to say a society without powers, must be brought about."

distrait

absentminded; distracted

assimilate

absorb; take (food) into the body and digest it; understand (knowledge) completely and be able to use properly; cause to become homogeneous (the people of a country or race in the ways of behaving or thinking) "So to eat without giving nature time to assimilate is to rob her, first of health, then life; so to read without reflecting is to cram the intellect and paralyze the mind."

appropriate

acquire; take possession of for one's own use without permission; set aside for a particular purpose; allocate; CF. misappropriate

exonerate

acquit; exculpate; free from blame or guilt

arbitrate

act as judge (at the request of both sides) "You see the philosophical problem here of wanting a purpose in life, and one without ... I can't arbitrate which is right, but both sides are practicing religion"

outrage

act of extreme violence or viciousness; resentful anger; V: commit an outrage on; produce anger in; ADJ. outrageous: offensive

diversion

act of turning aside; pastime; V. divert: turn aside from a course; distract; amuse

disjunction

act or state of separation; disunity; CF. disjunctive: expressing a choice between two ideas; CF. conjunction; CF. conjunctive

animosity

active enmity/hatred "Some of the animosity is personal: Republicans in both chambers and K Street attorneys say Jackson and her staff are too dismissive of opposing views and other stakeholders."

anguish

acute pain; extreme suffering "The film is steeped in anguish, disappointment and tears; yes, real tears from grown men of steel."

proverb

adage; someone or something well known for notoriety; ADJ. proverbial: of a proverb; widely known; ADV. proverbially

elaboration

addition of details; intricacy

addendum

addition; appendix to book; something that is added (as at the end of a speech or book) "His piece additionally featured a 121-word addendum directly attacking the free-ticket protocol violated by Gerard and Winer:"

condign

adequate; (of punishment) severe and well deserved

adjacent

adjoining; neighboring; close by "It is not a snooty place to live," said Louis Andors, an agent with Keller Williams who lives in adjacent Aurora Hills."

compromise

adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of; put into danger, disrepute, or a dishonorable position; Ex. compromise one's principle; N.

acclimate

adjust to climate or environment; adapt "But, you know, in truth this is a guy who was raised blue collar, Roman Catholic, conservative in Brooklyn and has tried to kind of acclimate himself to the political environment as he's gone along."

enfranchise

admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote); CF. franchise

concede

admit; acknowledge as being true (often reluctantly); yield; grant; Ex. concede a goal

espouse

adopt; support (an idea or aim); marry; N. espousal

embellish

adorn; ornament; enhance as a story (by adding fictitious details)

emissary

agent (sent on a mission to represent another); messenger

ferment

agitation; commotion(noisy and excited activity); unrest (of a political kind); V. produce by fermentation; undergo fermentation; cause (a state of trouble)

accede

agree "This in no way absolves those who would pervert that power for personal gain, nor does it excuse the outright blackmail-type pressures that have been brought to bear upon many of us to accede."

assent

agree; accept; N. assessment "For those nodding vigorously in assent by this point, the Decades Halloween party will include a contest for best decade-themed costume and a P-Funk tribute performance by the Clones of Funk."

concur

agree; coincide; happen at the same time

amiable

agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly "At times, they moved in amiable opposition, one pausing watchfully while the other spiraled to higher altitudes."

accord

agreement "You guys demanded NOT ONLY that he turn things around on a dime, but that he also do it in accord with your own twisted values."

bargain

agreement between two groups or people; something for sale at a price advantageous to the buyer; V: negotiate; trade; Ex. bargaining power

compact

agreement; contract; ADJ: tightly packed; firm; brief; concise; Ex. compact statement

dilettante

aimless follower of an art or a field of knowledge (not taking it seriously); amateur; dabbler; CF. delight

desultory

aimless; haphazard; digressing at random

disport

amuse; Ex. disport oneself; CF. divert

concession

an act of yielding; conceding; something conceded; point, right, etc. given unwillingly; privilege of maintaining a business in a certain place; Ex. oil concessions in the North sea; CF. concessionaire

alias

an assumed name esp. by a criminal (usually to mislead people); ADV. alias "Second, you may choose to use some kind of alias, because youʼre afraid of the Internet and stalkers."

anachronism

an error involving time in a story; something or someone misplaced in time; ADJ. anachronistic "We met to talk about Bohnett's support for a group campaigning to amend 1978's Proposition 13, which he has described as an anachronism and an "unmitigated disaster" for California's fiscal health that has crippled schools, universities, fire and police departments and other public institutions."

cherubic

angelic; innocent-looking; N. cherub; CF. seraph: winged angel of the highest order "Child development experts, meanwhile, question the impact on the cherubic infant later in life and whether the couple has gone too far in their quest for gender neutrality."

gadfly

animal-biting fly; irritating person

fauna

animals of a period or region; CF. flora

enunciate

announce; proclaim; utter or speak, especially distinctly; pronounce clearly; articulate; Ex. This theory was first enunciated by him.

gall

annoy; exasperate; chafe; N: skin sore caused by rubbing (as on the skin of a horse); exasperation

chagrin

annoyance and disappointment; vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride) "But she dumped another backhand into the net on match point, then walked off the court shaking her head and smiling in chagrin."

antediluvian

antiquated; extremely ancient "In Israel, much of the terrain outside her cities is rocky and sere, antediluvian rubble baking in the sun, crisp brush clinging to crags in stone walls."

archaic

antiquated; no longer used; belonging to the past; N. "Our public schools have fallen behind and our ability and willingness to innovate has been shoved aside by moneyed interests entrenched in archaic industries."

canker

any ulcerous sore; ulcer; any evil; CF. cancer "The canker is a very destructive disorder, and extremely difficult to eradicate."

aloof

apart; not open in one's relationship with other people; reserved; ADV. "We cannot afford to remain aloof from the constitutional debate."

allocate

assign; set apart for a particular purpose "Strictly speaking, we allocate people to pews on the basis of the religious identification of the people, not on the basis of what pews they are actually sitting in."

abet

assist usually in doing something wrong; encourage "It will likely mark a turning point in the government's effort to pursue those who aid and abet organized crime and mark a new low for public trust in the government's ability to address the problem."

consort

associate with; keep company; N: husband or wife (or a ruler)

dumbfound(dumfound)

astonish (making dumb); ADJ. dumbfounded, dumfounded, dumbstruck

append

attach "In December 2011, just append your name to the original senders' and mail the cards to friends, relatives and colleagues."

annex

attach; add to a large thing; take possession of; incorporate (territory) into a larger existing political unit (by force); N: building added to a large one "There is a kind of annex to the house that at one time had been used for a billiard-room, and this was to be his office."

bombardment

attack (as with missiles or bombs); V. bombard "On the 29th of June, the bombardment from the French camp was very heavy, shells and grenades falling in every part of the city."

court

attempt to gain; seek; woo; risk; behave so as to invite; attempt to gain the favor of by attention; Ex. court disaster

engage

attract; employ; hire; pledge oneself; confront; fight; enter into confliction; interlock; lock together; participate; N. engagement: agreement to marry; arrangement to meet someone or to do something; battle

comely

attractive; agreeable; having a pleasing appearance "And when they had taken it out, the body was so firm that it bent not on either side, and the flesh so firm and comely, that is seemed as if he were yet alive."

dictum

authoritative and weighty statement (made by a judge in court); saying; maxim; CF. obiter dictum: incidental, nonbinding remark (something said in passing)

decree

authoritative order; edict; judgment of a court of law; V: order or judge by decree

peevish

bad-tempered; irritable; V. peeve: make angry

puzzle

baffle or confuse by a difficult problem; ponder over a problem in an effort to solve; clarify or solve by reasoning; Ex. puzzle out the answer; N.

equilibrium

balance of opposing forces; balance of the mind; equanimity

equipoise

balance; balancing force; equilibrium

embargo

ban on commerce or other activity

chaffing

bantering; joking Well, I'm still kind of chaffing at the idea that they can't ask one another questions, and offer rebuttal to one another's statement."

barrage

barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statements; Ex. a barrage of criticism "The local residents here believe there was a breach further north, either on a barrage, which is a water barrier, or a canal or the river embankment further north - just overflowed."

empirical

based on experience

fundamental

basic; primary; essential

disparate

basically different; impossible to compare; unrelated

prefigure

be a sign of; foreshadow

fret

be annoyed or vexed; Ex. fret over your poor grades; N: irritation of mind; ADJ. fretful

dote

be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline

behoove(behove)

be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary; Ex. It behooves one to do. "It will behoove republicans not to make this an issue when they clearly are out of touch with the african-american and latin american communities."

fructify

bear fruit; produce fruit

comport

bear one's self; behave; Ex. comport oneself; N. comportment

fruition

bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization; Ex. come to/be brought to fruition

bestial

beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel "And he had cherished in his heart, cherished in his flesh, cherished on his lips, cherished even to the very tips of his murderous fingers, a kind of bestial love, as well as a feeling of crushing horror, towards this little girl surprised by him and basely killed."

thresh

beat (cereal plants) with a machine or flail to separate the grains from the straw

apiculture

bee-keeping "Farmers in Tabi struggle to keep up with the pace of that change, seeking alternatives to feed their families, such as apiculture and selling firewood, while women are doing crafts to earn extra money."

beseech

beg; plead with "Her piercing stare seems to beseech the earnest Americans pouring blood and treasure into their war-torn nation, the last hope for the forsaken masses."

sprout

begin to grow; give off shoots or buds; N: new growth on a plant; shoot

conception

beginning; forming of an idea; fertilization; V. conceive: form an idea in the mind; devise; become pregnant; CF. inception

genesis

beginning; origin

flirt

behave in a way that attracts (sexual) attention; deal triflingly with; N: one (or woman) given to flirting; ADJ. flirtatious

mischief

behavior (of children) causing trouble with no serious harm; damage; harm; Ex. mischief to the crops; ADJ. mischievous: causing mischief; playfully troublesome

demeanor

behavior; bearing

decapitate

behead

arrears

being in debt; money that should have been paid; work that should have been done "And when I was writing my story, I visited Kansas City, a pretty working-class crowd, and I talked to a lot of men who had been in arrears in child support."

aboriginal

being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native; indigenous; N. aborigine "Whatever, however, may have been the train of ideas which led the Hindú to regard the monkey as a being half human and half divine, there can be little doubt that in the Rámáyana the monkeys of southern India have been confounded with what may be called the aboriginal people of the country."

credence

belief

credulity

belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivet\'e; ADJ. credulous

fatalism

belief that events are determined by forces or fates beyond one's control; ADJ. fatalistic; CF. fatal: causing death

Epicurean

believing that pleasure is good and suffering is bad and should be avoided; N.

disparage

belittle

dauntless

bold; fearless

catechism

book for religious instruction in question-and-answer form; religious instruction by question and answer; V. catechize "I was rather pleased at the first question in the Church catechism, which is certainly quite on the level of any child's understanding, -- 'What is your name?"

anthology

book of literary selections by various authors; CF. omnibus "My contribution to the anthology is a Professor Challenger story called The Disintegration Machine (adapted by Rod Lott from the story by Arthur Conan Doyle)."

churlish

boorish; rude; N. churl: boor; yahoo "When it comes to band reformations, it seems impossibly churlish to complain about musicians earning a living by doing their jobs."

abut

border upon; adjoin "Two other senators on the panel, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) also had questions abut the role of the ODNI, which was created in 2004."

blasé

bored with pleasure or dissipation; uninterested or bored "Maybe you can live with that kind of blase, uncritical acceptance of whatever you feel or are taught by scripture and the church is "God" in your life, but I can't."

ennui

boredom; listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; CF. annoy

abysmal

bottomless "In the 1930s people around him lived in abysmal poverty, most of them eating less than one rice - gruel meal a day."

hive

box for bees; V: cause to go in a hive "The resulting collective identity is known as a hive mind, in which all indications of individual thought and identity are non-existant."

exploit

brave and successful act; deed or action, particularly a brave deed; CF. crossing the Atlantic ocean

fortitude

bravery; courage; strength of mind

fracas

brawl(noisy quarrel or fight) in which a number of people take part; melee

fray

brawl; fight; V: wear away or unravel by rubbing; have loose threads developing; cause to become worn out (a person's temper or nerves); CF. rub

violate

break (a law); defile; desecrate; assault sexually; Ex. violate graves

breach

breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap; opening; V. "But task team chairman Andre Bartlett said on Tuesday he had given notice of his intention to resign over what he described as a breach of faith."

exhale

breathe out; OP. inhale

fancier

breeder or dealer of animals; one who has a special interest, as for raising specific plant or animal

concise

brief and compact

gloss

brief explanation note or translation of a difficult expression; V.

glossary

brief explanation of words used in the text

compendium

brief, comprehensive summary; ADJ. compendious

chivalrous

courteous; faithful; brave; N. chivalry "He is showy in appearance, brave, daring, attentive to females, and, above all, chivalrous, that is, inclined to show disinterested courtesy to the weaker sex, as we have just seen."

catastrophe

calamity ; disaster "This month, the center began running what it calls catastrophe studies to predict the consequences of an automaker's failure."

actuarial

calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics "And it would include observations like this: Long-term actuarial balance for Social Security can be accomplished with minor adjustments."

fanfare

call by bugles or trumpets; showy display; spectacular public display

evoke

call forth (memory or feeling); Ex. That old film evoked memories of my childhood; N. evocation

convoke

call together; Ex. convoke Parliament; N. convocation

dispassionate

calm; impartial; not influenced by personal feelings

allay

calm; pacify "The CPSC has done what it can to allay the fiasco of unintended costs and disruptions for small businesses, including staying large portions of the law."

equanimity

calmness of temperament; composure

abolish

cancel; put an end to "But the fair tax also fits into Mr. Huckabee's populist pitch as a way to "abolish" the hated IRS."

expunge

cancel; remove a word or name (from a book or list); erase

countermand

cancel; revoke (an order)

enthrall

capture; enslave; captivate; hold the complete attention of (as if magic); hold spellbound

cavalier

casual and offhand; arrogant; N: knight "And its basketball team's approach to winning truly was cavalier, which is why LeBron James shouldn't be taking heat for going to the Heat."

cursory

casual; hastily done with little attention to detail

descry

catch sight of (something distant)

indoctrinate

cause to accept a doctrine without questioning it; Ex. indoctrinated with mindless anti-communism

conjure

cause to appear by magic; summon (a devil or a spirit) by magical power; practice magic (esp. by very quick movement of the hands); evoke; conjure up: bring into the mind; Ex. The magician conjured a rabbit out of his hat.

germinate

cause to sprout; sprout

generate

cause; produce; create

engender

cause; produce; give rise to

carcinogenic

causing cancer; N. carcinogen "However, Johnston - a Canadian researcher based in London - said she could not rule out the possibility of a long-term carcinogenic hazard in the future."

analgesic

causing insensitivity to pain; N. "One possibility is that when sufferers expect relief, they are able to redirect their attention away from their pain, creating an analgesic effect."

chary

cautious; unwilling to take risks; sparing or restrained about giving; OP. bold "At a minimum, the White House wants to jam the trade agreements through Congress before the Occupy Wall Street movement grows to a size at which politicians get chary of defying their calls for economic and environmental justice."

bludgeon

club; heavy-headed weapon; V. "He will use the Senate bill to kind of bludgeon the Democrats, if you will, in the House and say, look, you can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."

gauche

clumsy (in social behavior); coarse and uncouth

fodder

coarse food for cattle, horses, etc.; feed for livestock; CF. food

convoluted

coiled around; twisted; involved; complicated; intricate; complex; N. convolution: twist; one of the convex folds of the surface of the brain

bleak

cold or cheerless; frigid; unlikely to be favorable; depressing "I would later find out that those kind of "internal" Committee polls are skewed to help fundraising efforts in bleak election years."

clavicle

collarbone

amass

collect (gradually, in a very large amount) "Since his 1998 appointment as forestry minister, Obiang used his title to amass much of his fortune, prosecutors say."

corpus

collection (of writings or information); Ex. the corpus of Shakespear's works; Cf. corpse

agglomeration

collection; heap; V. agglomerate: gather into a rounded mass; N. aggolmeate: jumbled mass; heap "Surprisingly, the specialty served amid this agglomeration of Old World architecture was Southern fried chicken."

amalgam

combination of different things; mixture of metals (containing mercury) used for filling holes in teeth "Kors: You wrote Spanglish, arguing that this amalgam is a valid form of expression, not a slumland corruption of two great languages."

coalesce

combine; fuse; N. coalescence "They may wish to build their home back up, but it's going to require an entire neighborhood to kind of coalesce and that's a difficult thing to get together, isn't it?"

compound

combine; produce by combining; increase; make worse by adding to or increasing; exacerbate; Ex. compound an error; ADJ: consisting of two or more parts; N: combination of two or more parts; area enclosed by a wall containing a group of buildings; Ex. factory compound; CF. complex

accrue

come to one as a gain; accumulate over time; come about by addition; Ex. benefits that accrue from scientific research; Ex. interest accruing in a bank account; N. accrual

convene

come together; assemble; call to meet; Ex. convene the council

analogous

comparable; similar "To say the two parties' situations are truly analogous is silly."

glamor

compelling charm; ADJ. glamorous

urgent

compelling immediate action; pressing; persistent; importunate; Ex. urgent in his demands

compulsion

compelling; strong desire that is difficult to control; irresistible impulse

sovereignty

complete independence and self-government (of a country); supremacy of authority; power to govern

consummate

complete; V.

complement

complete; consummate; make perfect; N.

fathom

comprehend; investigate; determine the depth of; N. unit of measurement for the depth of water

palm

conceal in the palm of the hand; palm off: pass off; Ex. palm off some bad oranges onto the lady/the painting as a real Renoir

facsimile

copy

lace

cord used to draw and tie together two opposite edges (as of a shoe); delicate fabric made of fine threads; V: draw together by tying a lace

conglomerate

corporation made up of several different companies in diversified fields; mass of various material gathered together; rock consisting of small stones held together by clay; V.

emend

correct (usually a text); N. emendation: correction of errors; improvement

disabuse

correct a false impression; undeceive; free from a wrong belief

amend

correct; change ; generally for the better "With new 100 words in the dictionary peek and phrase amend features, a archetypal planner can treat maintained."

congruence

correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship; CF. congruity

debauch

corrupt morally; seduce from virtue; N. debauchery: wild behavior (with sex and alcohol)

barrister

counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law; CF. bar "The barrister was the first to regain his self-command, for the mirth of the young mariner was joyous, and without the least restraint."

reckon

count; calculate; regard as; think; suppose

bogus

counterfeit; not authentic; intentionally false; Ex. bogus interview "They both have achieved amazing things despite both being occupied countries and saddled with paying billions in bogus reparations."

forge

counterfeit; reproduce fraudulently; form by heating in a forge and hammering into shape; move with a sudden increase of speed or power; Ex. forged ahead in the last two years; N: furnace where metals are heated

deference

courteous regard for another's wish; courteous yielding to another's wish or opinion (showing respect); ADJ. deferential; OP. effrontery

debut

d\'ebut; first public appearance; formal presentation of a young woman to society

chore

daily domestic task (such as cleaning, cooking, and shopping); unpleasant task

diurnal

daily; occurring during the daytime

dank

damp; unpleasantly wet

audacious

daring; bold; N. audacity "He is part of what some here are calling an audacious solution to a massive problem: the budget deficit."

eclipse

darken; extinguish; outshine; surpass; cause an eclipse

defunct

dead; no longer in use or existence

demise

death

disembark

debark; go ashore (from a ship); unload cargo from a ship; CF. embark

decomposition

decay; V. decompose: decay; break and separate into simple parts

decadence

decay; fall to a lower level (of morality, civilization, or art); ADJ. decadent

delude

deceive

beguile

deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly; charm or attract; Ex. beguiling smile "So simple that a child can love it, yet sophisticated enough to beguile adults, this is a masterpiece whose beauty cannot be fully appreciated in photographs or in a thousand words of praise."

bereft

deprived of (something valuable); lacking "It made me sad to see the girl looking so bereft -- and stuffing her face with mounds of sugar while Addict Mommie's eyes bored into the screen affixed to her palm."

devolve

deputize; pass or be passed to others (power, work, or property); Ex. devolve on/upon/to

deducible

derived by reasoning; V. deduce: infer; derive by reasoning

derivation

deriving; origin or source of something; Ex. the derivation of the word

forsake

desert; abandon; renounce

defection

desertion

comeuppance

deserts; well-deserved punishment or misfortune; rebuke "But because Tim is such a true-blue guy, he endures these irritants patiently, at one point confessing that he deserved just that kind of comeuppance for his willingness to embarrass Barry."

merit

deserve; ADJ. meritorious: deserving reward or praise

culpable

deserving blame; blameworthy

annihilate

destroy "It was as if the god Balthazar had run his finger through camp and fort—a boy mixing black ants with red—so that human and charr would annihilate each other."

defoliate

destroy leaves; deprive of leaves (by the use of chemicals); N. defoliant

corrode

destroy or wear away gradually by chemical action (over a long period)

carnage

destruction of life; slaughter; killing of large numbers of people or animals "The carnage was the latest in a string of bombings and assassinations that have left at least 100 people dead in the past seven days."

demolition

destruction; V. demolish

canvass

determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.; go through (a region) to solicit votes or orders; conduct a survey; N. "She claimed that the canvass was a "open and transparent" process, yet she found the error at noon on Wednesday and sat on the information for 29 hours, not even telling top election officials at the Government Accountability Board."

disparity

difference; condition of inequality; OP. parity

diverse

differing in some characteristics (from each other); various; N. diversity: variety; dissimilitude; lack of resemblance

fastidious

difficult to please; squeamish; fussy; finicky

exhume

dig out of the ground; remove from a grave

disinter

dig up; unearth; OP. inter

delve

dig; search deeply; investigate

assiduous

diligent "Mr. Yaffe's boisterous style, approaching at times the intensity of prose poetry, would have benefited from a more assiduous editor."

application

diligent attention; diligence; V. apply oneself

reduce

diminish; bring to a weaker or more difficult condition; demote; lower in rank; separate into components by analysis; Ex. reduced to the ranks; Ex. reduce the house to rubble; N. reduction

disaffected

disloyal; lacking loyality; V. disaffect: cause to lose affection or loyalty

appall

dismay; shock deeply "When they look at him, they see the Enlightenment and it appalls them in the same way that creationists appall the enlightened."

scrimmage

disorderly fight between two or more people "The outcome of the scrimmage is no longer in the slightest doubt, except for one thing: whether or not somone on the starting five will suffer a torn ACL, or dislocate their shoulder, or simply be too banged up and exhausted to compete effectively against Duke."

disclaim

disown; renounce claim to; deny; CF. disclaimer

belittle

disparage; depreciate "Allow me to just kind of belittle you for a minute then write you off because now I feel better than you. "game."

flaunt

display ostentatiously; Ex. ``Honey, if you've got it, flaunt it !''

clemency

disposition to be lenient in deciding punishments; mildness as of the weather; ADJ. clement "Just days after Mr. Liu's sentence, Beijing infuriated the British government by executing a British national for drug smuggling, despite repeated appeals for clemency on mental-health grounds."

contest

dispute; argue about the rightness of; compete for; try to win; Ex. contest the election results; Ex. contest a seat in Parliament; N.

discount

disregard; regard (a story or news) as unimportant; deduct from a cost

dissident

dissenting (with an opinion, a group, or a government); rebellious; N.

disband

dissolve; disperse; (of a group) break up and separate; Ex. The club has disbanded.

girth

distance around something; circumference

cloying

distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental; V. cloy: become unpleasant through too much sweetness or excess "Amy, I used to wear White Shoulders too, but it got kind of cloying to me after a while."

discriminate

distinguish; make distinctions on the basis of preference

discernible

distinguishable; perceivable; Ex. discernible improvement

awry

distorted; crooked; bent; Ex. Our plans have gone awry. "She fought tears after finishing her balance beam routine that went awry from the start."

dispense

distribute; prepare and give out (medicines); N. dispensation: dispensing; religious system; official exemption from an obligation or a rule

disseminate

distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds)

discompose

disturb the composure of; confuse

bifurcated

divided into two branches; forked "Still, Mr. Brodsky welcomed the chance to rationalize what he called a bifurcated regulatory framework that allows for loopholes and "particularly disadvantages the securities options business."

charisma

divine gift; great popular charm or appeal; magnetism "With an 80 percent approval rating after eight years in office, the bearded, roly-poly former union leader who oozes charisma is everywhere, virtually assuring victory for his handpicked successor, Dilma Rousseff."

dichotomy

division into two opposite parts; split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)

canto

division of a long poem "Delivering a stunning display of bel canto lyricism in that aria, Machaidze garnered the largest applause of the evening on opening night."

genus

division of animals or plants, below a family and above a species

drudge

do drudgery; N: person who drudges

underhand(underhanded)

done slyly and secretly (being dishonest)

expeditious

done with speed; quick; N. expedition

duplicity

double-dealing; hypocrisy; being dishonest and deceitful; ADJ. duplicitous

detached

emotionally removed; free from emotional involvement; calm and objective; physically separate; N. detachment; CF. attachment

germ

earliest form of an organism; seed or bud; something that may develop into something larger or more important; microbe

facile

easily accomplished; ready or fluent; superficial; not deep; Ex. facile solution to a complex problem; Ex. facile speaker; N. facility: ability to do something easily and well; ease in doing resulting from skill or aptitude; something that facilitates an action; amenity; Ex. with great facility

affable

easily approachable; easy to talk to; warmly friendly "In profiles, Mr. Athey was called affable and well-liked among legislators."

combustible

easily burned; N. CF. combustion

engaged

employed; busy; betrothed; involved in conflict

effectuate

effect; produce; achieve; Ex. effectuate a reconciliation

articulate

effective; distinct; expressing ideas clearly; having clear sounds; having joints; Ex. articulate speech; V: express thoughts and feeling clearly; pronounce clearly; unite by joints "Let's face it; the man, while personable and articulate is laboring under the arrogant and false assumption that because so many people like him personally, his inexperience and general clueless won't matter."

effective

effectual; producing a strong response; striking; in operation; in effect; Ex. effective speech/photograph

economy

efficiency or conciseness in using something; thrifty management of resources

exertion

effort; expenditure of much physical work; V. exert oneself: make a great effort

egotistical

egotistic; excessively self-centered(egocentric); self-important; conceited

correlate

either of the correlated things; V.

component

element; ingredient

apotheosis

elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something "Horrified and fascinated, I saw what might be called the apotheosis of Slippy McGee, so far above him was it, come back and subtly and awfully blend with my scientist."

dismiss

eliminate from consideration; no longer consider; put out of court without further hearing; reject; discharge from employment; direct to leave; ADJ. dismissive; N. dismissal

elliptical

elliptic; oval; of an ellipse; containing an ellipsis; ambiguous either purposely or because key words have been left out

abash

embarrass "A chaplain of the bishop, standing by, turned the poor man about and thinking to abash him, said, in mocking wise, "What have we here -- a player!"

gloss_over

explain away with the intention of deceiving or hiding faults

ambience

environment; atmosphere; Ex. restaurant with a pleasant ambience; ADJ. ambient: completely surrounding; Ex. ambient temperature "Sorry to say that despite how great the ambience is and enjoyable the food and service was, I would not go back so fast given the negative feelings we all had related to exorbitant gouging with NO heads-up from our waiter. john Says:"

begrudge

envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; Ex. We shouldn't begrudge him his success. "You certainly wouldn't begrudge Monahan the break; he's always been highly entertaining, with an engaging, freewheeling style."

commensurate

equal in extent; of the same size "If I am reviewing a book should I withhold my judgment of that book or fail to express it in terms commensurate with my evaluation?"

accoutre

equip; N. accoutrement Today is St. Patrick's Day — you know, that day when you accoutre yourself with assorted green items raided from the local Poundland or EuroSt.re and imbibe vast quantities of a black alcoholic beverage with lots of froth on top."

delete

erase; strike out

blunder

error; stupid mistake "If we want to share with somebody, we might say 'mi casa es su casa'; many of us live in a cul de sac and a social blunder is known as a faux pas."

arcane

esoteric; secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated; Ex. arcane ritual; Ex. arcane process closed to the uninitiated listener

gist

essence; main point; substance

crux

essential or main point; Ex. the crux of the problem; ADJ. crucial: of deciding importance

attribute

essential quality; V: ascribe; explain "Perhaps Mr. Fessenden's best-known attribute is his habit of getting killed in mainstream Hollywood movies."

dominant

exercising the most influence; high and easily seen; stronger than the other part of a system; not recessive

expatriate

exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land; V: exile; banish; leave one's country

congenital

existing at birth

egress

exit; opening for going out; act of going out; OP. ingress

dilate

expand; dilate on/upon: speak or write at length on (a subject)

distend

expand; swell out

adept

expert at; very skilled "Williams was known as an adept improviser who effortlessly switched between classical, jazz and pop styles."

expound

explain

construe

explain; interpret; Ex. construe her silence as meaning that she agreed; CF. misconstrue

elucidate

explain; make clear; clarify; enlighten; CF. lucid

exegesis

explanation, especially of biblical(of the bible) passages

expository

explanatory; serving to explain; N. exposition: explaining; exhibition

detonation

explosion

debunk

expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule

condole

express condolences; N. condolence: sympathy for someone who has experienced great sorrow

deprecate

express disapproval of; deplore; protest against; belittle; ADJ. deprecatory

gloat

express evil satisfaction; look at or think about with evil satisfaction; view malevolently; Ex. The thief gloated over the stolen jewels.

decry

express strong disapproval of; condemn openly (something dangerous to the public); disparage; Ex. decry the violence of modern films

derogatory

expressing a low opinion; disparaging; V. derogate: detract; disparage

eulogy

expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death; V. eulogize

eloquence

expressiveness; persuasive speech; ADJ. eloquent: movingly expressive; expressing ideas well so that the hearers can be influeneced

cordon

extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress;

extrinsic

external; not essential or inherent; extraneous; OP. intrinsic

depravity

extreme corruption; wickedness; V. deprave

drip

fall or let fall in drops; shed drops; N: action or sound of falling in drops; liquid that falls in drops

deciduous

falling off at a specific season or stage of growth as of leaves; Ex. deciduous tree/teeth

dilapidated

falling to pieces; in a bad condition; ruined because of neglect; Ex. dilapidated old car/castle; N. dilapidation

delusion

false belief; hallucination; deluding; Ex. delusions of grandeur; Ex. under the delusion that

fallacious

false; based on a fallacy; misleading; N. fallacy: false idea or notion; false reasoning; Ex. popular fallacy; Ex. fallacy of the argument

conversant

familiar with; having knowledge of

ancestry

family descent; ADJ. ancestral

bizarre

fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly unconventional

chimerical

fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; N. chimera: unreal fancy; fire-breathing female creature "What is clear, is that returning to industrial-age conditions and equilibriums is chimerical."

fleet

fast; rapid; N. ADJ. fleeting: passing quickly; ephemeral

fussy

fastidious; finicky; easily upset

beget

father; become the father of; produce; give rise to "He says that, strange though it may sound, the disposal program will beget new opportunities."

captious

faultfinding; too critical "I find it outrageous to raise such captious discussions under the current circumstances."

auspicious

favoring success; giving signs of future success; Cf. auspices "Perhaps the excitement of the crowd and the hurried pace of the show clouded my judgment, but the previews were auspicious."

claustrophobia

fear of being locked in "Mr. Vann's feat is to make all this grubbiness feed Irene's claustrophobia until it explodes in a tremendously disturbing conclusion."

acrophobia

fear of heights "The Episcopal church is for fallen-away Catholics with acrophobia."

armada

fleet of warships "And then she was helped back over the side of the boat, to the cheers of the ragtag armada all around them."

fugitive

fleeting or transitory; lasting only a short time; roving(wandering); running away or fleeing as from the law; N: one who flees; Ex. fugitives at large

evanescent

fleeting; vanishing; soon disappearing; V. evanesce

carnal

fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body "Adultery is defined as carnal connection between a married person and one unmarried, or between a married person and the spouse of another."

coquette

flirt; flirtatious woman; woman who tries to attract the admiration of men without sincere feelings; V.

deluge

flood; rush; V.

trickle

flow in drops or in a thin stream; N.

dribble

flow or fall in drops; let saliva flow out slowly from the mouth; move a ball; N.

exude

flow out slowly; discharge (gradually); give forth; N. exudation

confluence

flowing together; the place where two rivers flow together; crowd; gathering together

flux

flowing; series of changes; fluctuation; Ex. in a state of flux

glib

fluent (with insincerity or superficiality); facile; slick

flit

fly; fly or move lightly or quickly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by; Ex. a bee flitting from flower to flower

ensue

follow (as a result)

endearment

fond word or act; expression of affection

ambrosia

food of the gods "When ambrosia is in my cup and the delightful smell is wafting in my nose, I sit down at my computer and ignore my children arguing over who gets the last Poptart and who is stuck with plain old cornflakes."

amorphous

formless; lacking shape or definition "The water molecules would have stuck together much more haphazardly, forming so-called amorphous ice."

citadel

fortress "A fortress brigade of elite fanatics holds this citadel, which is dug into the bedrock below, and protected above with reinforced concrete, and has all around fire from machine guns, cannon, mortars, and grenade throwers housed in steel turrets."

aromatic

fragrant; having a sweet smell; N. aroma: strong pleasant smell "Now, there were, among the gifts, certain aromatic roots of which he would have the merchant acquaint him with the names and uses; so he said to him,"

chassis

framework and working parts of an automobile; framework to which components are attached "But he makes a few incisive edits to the camera's body — tidies it up visually — and mills the chassis from a solid block of titanium."

candor

frankness; open honesty; ADJ. candid "My wife, in all candor, is busier than I and really isn't drawn to the same outdoor activities, though we camped regularly before the kids came along and a time or two after."

extricate

free from an entanglement or difficulty; disentangle

carefree

free from worries; having no problems

congeal

freeze; coagulate

frenetic(phrenetic)

frenzied; frantic

furor

frenzy; great anger and excitement; CF. fury

apparition

ghost; phantom "It turns out she's read "The Anatomy of Ghosts," a tract Holdsworth wrote to debunk the claims of spiritualism, and she hopes he can convince her anxious son that the apparition was a delusion."

benefactor

gift giver; patron; person who does good or who gives money for a good purpose "To boil his career, beliefs, and impact down to a rich benefactor is to discredit a great contributor to American history."

colossus

gigantic statue; person or thing of great size or importance "President Abdoulaye Wade was joined by scores of dignitaries, including African heads of state and representatives from around the world, at the base of the bronze colossus, which is higher than the US Statue of Liberty."

embody

give a bodily form to; incorporate; include

tinge

give a slight degree of a color or quality to; N: slight degree of a color or quality; Ex. tinged with grey/jealousy

burlesque

give an imitation that ridicules; imitate mockingly "It's perhaps telling that burlesque is enjoying a revival now, even as our culture's free-for-all culture seems to push the boundaries of good taste and common sense on a daily basis."

foreshadow

give an indication beforehand; be a sign of (what is coming); portend; prefigure

defer

give in respectfully; submit; delay till later; exempt temporarily; N. deferment; CF. show respect, comply with, courteous

forgo(forego)

give up; do without

beatific

giving or showing bliss; blissful "In Mahayana Buddhist teaching, it is proposed that a perfectly enlightened buddha has three bodies: a truth body (dharmakaya), a beatific body (sambhogakaya), and an emanation body (nirmanakaya)."

carafe

glass water bottle; decanter "The boy returns bearing a carafe of Rhenish wine, several tankards of ale, a serving of sausages, and something I have never seen before, a small, crystal vial set alone on a pewter plate."

fervor

glowing ardor; intensity of feeling; quality of being fervent or fervid; zeal; intense heat

kneel

go down on one's knee(s)

chalice

goblet; consecrated cup "Rebbetzin now carried an enormous silver chalice, much bigger than even the one which her husband the Rabbi carried."

adverse

going against; opposing; unfavorable; hostile "Although these drugs do not have many acute side effects, there may be more long-term adverse effects."

bullion

gold and silver in the form of bars "Most reputable advisors will tell you that the bullion is best for short term (less than 2 years) trading but if you want a less volatile, long-term investment then the Proofs are definitely the way to go."

poise

good judgment with composure; balance; V: place in a carefully balanced position "Then, you throw in poise, command and makeup, and you know why it isn't easy to find a good lefty."

camaraderie

good-fellowship; CF. comrade "Now, the camaraderie is one of the best things around here because we really do pull for each other, we really do get along, and we really do want to see everyone have success."

gerontocracy

government ruled by old people

encroachment

gradual intrusion; Ex. I resent all these encroachments on my valuable time; V. encroach: take another's possessions or right gradually or stealthily; intrude; Ex. encroach on/upon

bombast

grandiloquent, pompous speech "We have reacted like frightened sheep to the onslaught of ads and bombast from the likes of Sarah Palin, who catered to our racism in the face of a potential black president, and to our fears of making grandma "shovel ready" during the health care reform debates."

conflagration

great fire

adversity

great hardship or affliction; misfortune; calamitous event "That is typical of Bent, uncrushed by disappointment, enthusiastic even in adversity, and not at all ready to give up on his England dream."

clout

great influence (especially political or social); hard blow with fist "The Chinese military's political clout is expected to grow as the Communist Party's ruling Politburo Standing Committee — whose nine members are all civilians and don't include a foreign-policy specialist — prepares for China's change to new leadership in 2012."

rapture

great joy and delight; ecstasy; ADJ. rapturous

expedite

hasten; make go faster

consanguineous(consanguine)

having a common ancestor

concentric

having a common center

cognate

having a common origin; related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature; Ex. cognate languages; N. "The very word "islam" comes from a word cognate to shalom, which means peace in Hebrew [and which sounds less threatening to agnostics and atheists than the Arabic-to-English translation]."

determinate

having a fixed order of procedure; precisely defined; invariable; fixed; conclusive; final

capillary

having a very fine bore; resembling a hair; fine and slender; Ex. capillary attraction; N: very fine hairlike tube; CF. capillarity "It was so friendly that Bates mentioned to Pettersson their Cambridge stock in capillary spent radon tubes from hospitals used in the preparation of polonium."

autocratic

having absolute unchecked power; dictatorial; N. autocrat, autocracy "Zambian President Fredrick Chiluba, currently on a collision course with opposition parties over what they call his autocratic style of rule, has added fuel to the fire by signing into law a controversial land reform bill."

apolitical

having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs "It's vital — both as a matter of perception and reality — that those institutions remain apolitical, separate and detached from partisan wars."

daub

smear (as with paint); cover with something sticky; Ex. daub one's clothes with mud/paint; N: small bit of sticky substance; Ex. a daub of paint

desperate

having lost all hope; despairing; reckless and violent because of loss of hope or despair; undertaken as a last resort

effete

having lost one's original power; barren; worn out; exhausted

ciliated

having minute hairs; CF. cilium; CF. cilia: eyelash

civil

having to do with citizens; not military or religious; courteous and polite; Ex. married in a civil ceremony; Ex. civil strife/disorder/law; N. civility; CF. civic

cognitive

having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental processes; N. cognition: the mental process of knowing "We see what we call cognitive constriction within the clinical field, which is - it's sort of like tunnel vision, an inability to solve problems and to kind of think of options and select a solution that would be optimal."

fluted

having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar); V. flute: make long parallel inward curves in; N. flute: long rounded groove incised on the shaft of a column

apiarist

person who keeps bees "Parivartan Sharma/Reuters An apiarist collected honey from a beehive in Madalpur village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Wednesday."

clasp

hold firmly within arms

concave

hollow; curved inwards; OP. convex

domicile

home; V. ADJ. domiciled: having one's domicile; Ex. He is domiciled in Britain.

fete(f\^ete)

honor at a festival; celebrate or honor with a feast; N. (outdoor) festival or feast; CF. feast

commemorate

honor the memory of; serve as a memorial to; Ex. commemorate the 100th anniversary/those who died in the war

distinction

honor; excellence; difference; contrast; discrimination; Ex. graduated with distinction; Ex. a writer of real distinction

disconsolate

hopelessly sad (at the loss of something)

cornucopia

horn (or horn-shaped container) overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance; horn of plenty

ghastly

horrible; terrifying; resembling ghosts; CF. aghast

animus

hostile feeling or intent; animosity; hostility; disposition "And the kind of animus she demonstrated while in the room seemed to grow as the discussion went on."

antagonism

hostility; active opposition; V. antagonize: cause to become an enemy; N. antagonist: person who is opposed to another; opponent; adversary; principal character in oppostion to the protagonist "The left thinks Israel is partly if not largely responsible for the world's hostility while the right argues that the antagonism is a result of anti-Semitism and opposition to Israel's existence."

pudding

hot sweet dish

choleric

hot-tempered; bad-tempered; irritable; easily angered; CF. cholera "Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens is irascible, choleric and was the longest serving Republican in the Senate."

embrace

hug; clasp with the arms; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encircle; include; Ex. embrace the cause/socialism; Ex. all-embracing; CF. brace; CF. bracelet

colossal

huge "Plus, former President Bill Clinton warning fellow Democrats against what he calls a colossal blunder."

behemoth

huge creature; something of monstrous size or power "That seems to be the thinking of Best Buy, the U.S. electronics behemoth, which is due to land in the U.K. early in 2009."

gargantuan

huge; enormous; gigantic; CF. the hero of Gargantua and Pantagruel

enormity

hugeness (in a bad sense); excessive wickedness; Ex. enormity of the crime; ADJ. enormous

brawn

human muscle; muscular strength; sturdiness "People think in farming community you don't need a brain, only brawn, which is why Gandhi said you must marry intellect and labor."

degradation

humiliation; debasement; degeneration; V. degrade: debase; disgrace; degenerate; reduce (something) in worth; demote (someone); reduce in rank

crossbreed

hybridize; N: hybrid; CF. interbreed; CF. inbreed

trance

hypnotic state; ecstatic state; detachment from one's physical surrounding (as in contemplation or daydreaming); CF. transition

drone

idle person who lives on other people's work; male bee

enmity

ill will; hatred; hostility

cantankerous

ill-humored; irritable "Getty Images Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who once hosted a foul-mouthed television cooking show, has been called cantankerous and crude."

contraband

illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods; ADJ.

fictitious

imaginary; non-existent; purposely invented to deceive; untrue; Ex. fictitious name/boyfriend; CF. fictional

fancy

imagination (of a whimsical or fantastic nature); capricious liking; V: imagine; be fond of; ADJ. decorative; elaborate

fancied

imagined; unreal

ape

imitate or mimic (a person's behavior or manner) "Plus, a puzzle in the Congo, evidence of a new kind of ape not yet identified by science."

emulate

imitate; rival; try to equal or excel (through imitation)

dummy

imitation of a real object used as a substitute; effigy

evenhanded

impartial; fair

demented

insane

augment

increase; add to "And he sent the league's security staff to augment the Dodgers' staff after the fan was beaten."

enhance

increase; make greater (as in value, reputation, or usefulness); improve

bawdy

indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd "It's been described as bawdy — the heroine is a prostitute — but this novel of 19th-century England is about class, medicine, manners and hypocrisy."

circumlocution

indirect or roundabout expression (by using an uncecessarily large number of words esp. when trying to avoid answering a difficult question directly) "The present shiftiness, circumlocution and evasion is doing the party nothing but harm."

hypnosis

induced sleeping state; ADJ. hypnotic; V. hypnotize

fledgling(fledgeling)

inexperienced; N: young bird that has acquired wing feathers and is learning to fly; inexperienced person

contagion

infection (by contact); ADJ. contagious; CF. infectious: that can be passed by infection in the air

dysentery

inflammatory disorder of the lower intestinal tract

apprise

inform "She met with alumni Jan. 22 to apprise them of costs and funding strategies."

colloquy

informal discussion; conversation "But just as she was getting quiet again, came the tread of Mrs. Nettley's foot behind her, and Elizabeth knew another colloquy was at hand."

bruise

injure without breaking the skin; N.

effervescence

inner excitement or exuberance; showing high spirits; emitting bubbles forming inside; bubbling from fermentation or carbonation; ADJ. effervescent; V. effervesce

deranged

insane

broach

introduce as a subject; moot; open up "With both sides looking to make spending cuts, neither has been overly anxious to broach the idea of cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, even though most of those involved acknowledge those programs need to be on the table in order to make significant cuts."

contrive

invent or fabricate in a clever way (by improvisation); manage; Ex. contrive to attract his attention

figment

invention; something invented; imaginary thing; Ex. figment of your imagination

energize

invigorate; give energy to; make forceful and active

exhilarating

invigorating and refreshing; cheering; V. exhilarate: make cheerful and excited; Ex. exhilarated by the ride in the sports car

anvil

iron block used in hammering out metals "And in that disk, they can't have thunderstorms reported or those so-called anvil clouds, which essentially are a thunder head buildup that has kind of gotten the head of it sheered off."

eccentric

irregular; odd; unconventional; whimsical; bizarre; not concentric

anomaly

irregularity "The other interesting anomaly is that Macs comprise just over 20% of my traffic."

blasphemy

irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; V. blasphem; ADJ. blasphemous; CF. sacrilege "In July, clashes between Muslims and Christians broke out after a Muslim man shot dead two Christians who were attending court on charges of blasphemy, which is illegal in Pakistan."

emanate

issue forth; come out

agenda

items of business at a meeting

couple

join; unite; OP. uncouple

facetious

joking (often inappropriately); unserious; humorous

bantering

joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter "They take a pride and pleasure in bantering all mankind; they are pests of the country, for they neither fear God nor regard man."

festive

joyous; celebratory; relating to a feast or festival

conviction

judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief

judiciary

judicial branch of government

treasure

keep as precious; cherish

detain

keep waiting; prevent from leaving or going; N. detention

decimate

kill (usually one out of ten or every tenth man); destroy or kill a large part of

gracious

kind in a generous way (to someone less important) "The good news is that after Sen. Obama was elected President Obama, he first did something very big and gracious, which is he urged Sen."

beneficent

kindly; doing good "Iran diplomacy had broken up and Obama in Oslo reclaimed for America the title of beneficent world garrison state."

benign

kindly; favorable; not malignant (disease); Ex. benign tumor "The figures suggest inflationary pressures remain benign in the currency area and should allow the ECB to keep its interest rates at record lows for some time."

gentle

kindly; soft; mild; of good family

bevy

large group; Ex. a bevy of starlets "In one room sat the computers -- that is, a bevy of mathematically gifted women toiling away on regression analysis with sharp pencils."

galaxy

large isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way; collection of brilliant personalities

caldron(cauldron)

large kettle "Out of the caldron of personal experience, Jack Watts shares the insights of his journey in an easy-to-follow, yet powerful format."

galleon

large three-masted sailing ship

billow

large wave of water; a great swell or surge (of smoke); V: surge, swell, roll in billows "Made from 100% old-vine Roussanne, it's rich and weighty but not ponderous — and its exotic aromas of flowers, fruits and spice simply billow from the glass."

enduring

lasting; surviving; V. endure: bear (pain or suffering) for a long time; remain alive (in spite of difficulties); last; survive

chuckle

laugh quietly "HOUSTON Jake Delhomme has to laugh, a Cajun chuckle from the heart."

solicitor

lawyer in the lower court of law "The solicitor, which is also the prosecutor on the case, he is saying that they are expecting a DNA profile as early as tomorrow."

seduce

lead away from proper conduct; entice; ADJ. seductive

gaunt

lean and angular; thin and bony; emaciated; barren

maroon

leave helpless on a deserted island or coast; ADJ. red brown

bequeath

leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. bequest "In fact they are many of you, your children, your grandchildren and the legacy we bequeath must not be defeat and denial but glory and the celebration of their genius and ingenuity."

scraps

leftover food "My uncle allows me to see, as one of the initiated, what you call your scraps, which are delicious feasts to us."

chancellor

legal official of high rank; CF. chancellery(chancellory): position of a chancellor

legislature

legislating branch of government; CF. legislate: make laws

duration

length of time something lasts

concatenate

link as in a chain

enumerate

list; mention one by one

compilation

listing of information in tabular or book form; compiling

cohabit

live together "No amount of yogic incantation can harmonize these split personae; the solution is to break the banks into functional units, so that merger experts, market makers and proprietary traders no longer cohabit."

animated

lively; spirited "We can always rely on NMA News to bring us the latest headlines in animated form."

coeval

living at the same time as; existing during the same period of time; contemporary; of the same age "War is coeval with human civilization and pervasive in human history."

chameleon

lizard that changes color in different situations "Many other kinds of lizards are found, but the most remarkable is the chameleon, which is often seen on the branches of trees."

abominate

loathe; hate "I abominate obscenities, but she is a bitch—a stringy, fawning female dog."

dawdle

loiter; hang around; waste time doing nothing

chronic

long established as a disease "Temperance advocates (and they were legion) argued that moderate drinking inevitably led to alcoholism (which they called chronic drunkenness or inebriation) in the same way that Alcoholics Anonymous today says alcohol effects the minority of drinkers who are alcoholics."

epic

long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art (celebrating the feats of a hero); ADJ: (of stories or events) resembling an epic; grand

frock

long loose garment (worn by monks)

groove

long narrow channel made in a surface to guide the movement of something; Ex. groove of the record

eon(aeon)

long period of time; an age; longest division of geologic time containing two or more eras

swell

long wave of water that moves continuously without breaking; V. "Miami saw the margin swell to 12 midway through the second quarter and then to 15 when Wade soared past Desmond Mason and Collison for what became a three-point play with 2.8 seconds remaining in the third, as cries of ` ` M-V-P!"

despise

look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful; ADJ. despicable: contemptible

mantle

loose sleeveless outer garment; cloak; something that covers or envelops; the layer of the earth between the crust and the core

garrulous

loquacious; wordy; talkative; N. garrulity

chip

lose a small piece from the surface or edge; N: small piece broken off something; CF. French fry; Potato chip/crisp

amnesia

loss of memory "When it comes to the pain of childbirth, a little amnesia is a good thing."

aphasia

loss of speech due to injury or illness "She actually had a condition known as aphasia, which is a sort of a big term."

anarchist

person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority "We now know he's some kind of anarchist who liked the Communist Manifesto."

fumble

move the fingers and hands awkwardly (in search of something); mishandle or drop a ball that is in play; bungle; botch; spoil by mishandling; N.

sneak

move, give, or take in a quiet, stealthy way; N: one who sneaks; ADJ. sneaky

amorous

moved by sexual love; loving; of sexual love; Ex. amorous advances "It used to be that I didn't think I could go to sleep if I wasn't involved in some kind of amorous contact or another."

brawny

muscular; having well-developed muscles "The Granite has what I would call a brawny look to it with muscular shoulders, a wide mouth of a grill, and an interior that conveys a solidness in tri-tone color."

overture

musical introduction to a long musical piece; first offer or proposal (to begin talks in the hope of reaching an agreement); Ex. overtures for peace

correlation

mutual relationship

concerted

mutually agreed on; done together by agreement; Ex. concerted effort; CF. in concert: working together

cryptic

mysterious; hidden; secret

centaur

mythical figure, half man and half horse "This was fun, actually, though Surprise knew she would not be able to become the same kind of centaur again unless she fathomed a different spell to accomplish it."

appellation

name; title "Yet an obstinate remnant still adhered to the religion and liberty of their ancestors, and the war of Honain derived a proper appellation from the idols, whom Mahomet had vowed to destroy, and whom the confederates of Tayef had sworn to defend."

corollary

natural consequence (which naturally follows from something else)

deploy

spread out (troops) in an extended though shallow battle line; distribute (persons or forces) systematically or strategically

fertile

producing many young, fruits, or seeds; (of land) producing good crops; V. fertilize

fruitful

producing results; profitable; prolific; producing in abundance

desecrate

profane; violate the sanctity of

exiguous

small in amount; minute

figurine

small ornamental statuette(very small statue)

demagogue

person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people; CF. demagoguery

trickster

person who cheats people

hothead

person who does things too quickly without thinking; ADJ. hotheaded

founder

person who establishes (an organization or business)

effluvium

noxious(harmful) smell

amenable

obedient; compliant; readily managed; responsive; willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally; responsible; able to be tested by; Ex. amenable to sensible suggestions; Ex. He is very amenable; Ex. amenable to the usual tests "I probably would have left the house more than I did over those ten days, had the weather been more amenable."

docile

obedient; easily managed; submissive

demur

object (because of doubts, scruples); raise an objection (showing qualms); hesitate; Ex. demur at the idea of working on Sunday

fetish(fetich)

object believed to have spiritual powers; object of excessive attention or reverence; CF. fetishism

artifacts

object made by human beings, either hand-made or mass-produced "His students learn beyond the covers of their textbooks because Weiland, a teacher at Georgetown High School in rural Texas, incorporates his personal life into the classroom: artifacts from a lifelong collection and anecdotes from his 20 years in the U.S."

cynosure

object of general attention; person or thing that is a center of attention; CF. Ursa Minor

exceptionable

objectionable; likely to cause dislike; offensive; CF. unexceptionable: entirely acceptable

beholden

obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted from gratitude "Until these issues are addressed, the U.S. economy will remain beholden to Wall Street's bonus-crazed whims."

compulsory

obligatory; that must be done

abstruse

obscure; profound; difficult to understand "Many hedge funds piled up fortunes with abstruse mathematical trading strategies that paid little attention to the individuals or companies underlying their trades."

facet

small plane surface (of a gem(precious stone)); a side

amicable

peaceful; politely friendly; not quarrelsome; Ex. amicable settlement "The British Government of India had acknowledged this Regency, and was desirous to retain amicable relationship with the Punjaub, but in the middle of the year 1845, so unruly and clamorous for war was the Sikh army, all negotiations terminated, and a state of uncertainty ensued which made it necessary for British India, without declaring hostility, to place itself on a footing to resist it, should so mad an enterprise ensue."

acme

peak; pinnacle; highest point "For its purpose the position chosen was ideal, but it could hardly be called the acme of comfort."

contrite

penitent; repentant; N. contrition

gentry

people of standing(rank or position); people of good family or high social position; class of people just below nobility

divine

perceive intuitively (by or as if by magic); foresee the future; foretell; dowse; ADJ. N. divination

epitome

perfect example or embodiment; brief summary; Ex. epitome of good manners; V. epitomize: make an epitome of; be an epitome of; embody

equinox

period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn; Ex. vernal/autumnal equinox; ADJ. equinoctial

epoch

period of time

executioner

person administering capital punishment

connoisseur

person competent to act as a judge of art, etc. (whose judgments are respected); a lover of an art

ecologist

person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment; person concerned with the detrimental effects of human civilization on the environment; CF. ecology

felon

person convicted of a grave crime; CF. felony: serious crime

executor

person designated to execute the terms of a will

beneficiary

person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will "The main political beneficiary is the Green Party, which political analysts say is eating into Ms. Merkel's middle-class base."

executive

person having administrative authority; one branch of government executing laws; ADJ: relating to executing

extrovert

person interested mostly in external objects and actions

congenial

pleasant; friendly; in agreement with one's tastes and nature; Ex. congenial weather

plump

pleasantly fat; nicely rounded "America leads the world in obesity, and while you might prefer the term pleasingly plump, that extra weight is overtaxing your heart and joints, hardening your arteries and inviting diabetes."

convivial

pleasantly merry; festive; joyous; gay; characterized by joviality; jovial

enrapture

please intensely; fill with rapture and delight

copious

plentiful

despoil

plunder; sack; Ex. despoil the village

depredation

plundering; destruction

douse

plunge into water or liquid; dip; immerse; drench; wet throughly; extinguish; throw water over; dowse

elegy

poem or song expressing lamentation (for the dead); ADJ. elegiacal, elegiac

bard

poet "The bard was a storyteller-singer who according to Keyes, chronicles history and transmits cultural traditions through performance."

awl

pointed tool used for piercing "Their points, closely examined, were seen to be finely bearded or barbed, and shaped like an awl, that is, a little concave, to give the barbs effect."

aplomb

poise; composure in difficult situations; assurance; self-confidence "Doug Eskew is simply a rock as George and holds the stage with aplomb, which is not easy to do when Brenda Braxton is commandeering it as Billie, the heart and soul of the show."

contaminate

pollute

defile

pollute; make filthy or dirty; corrupt morally; profane; desecrate; N: narrow passage or gorge through mountains

bombastic

pompous; using inflated language "The music itself is kind of bombastic and really accessible to people in the orchestra and the audience as well," he said."

doggerel

poor verse

depict

portray

delineate

portray; depict; sketch; describe; N. delineation

bane

posion; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous "His bane was a morbid temperament, which he could no more help than his sallow face and weedy person; even his vanity was directly traceable to the early influence of an eccentric and feckless father with experimental ideas on the upbringing of a child."

championship

position of champion; defense or support; competition held to determine a champion

affirmation

positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath; V. affirm; ADJ. affirmative; CF. affirmative action: positive discrimination "One reason for this affirmation is that it was believed that only a Christian would understand that government office holder is responsible to God."

decant

pour off gently (wine or liquid)

effusion

pouring forth; unrestrained outpouring of feeling; V. effuse: pour out; ADJ. effusive: pouring forth; gushing

efficacy

power to produce desired effect; ADJ. efficacious: effectual

surge

powerful movement of or like a wave; V. "If the surge is all you have got then you have got nothing to offer. —"

asteroid

small planet "CNN would poll the public opinion by asking the question "Do you fear that Obama's plan to blow up the asteroid is too expensive and might not work?"

feign

pretend

dissimulate

pretend; conceal by feigning; dissemble

bluff

pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff; ADJ: rough but good "I live in bluff country, and 20-plus years of hunting this terrain have convinced me that valley bottoms are bad news."

connivance

pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend; V. connive: feign ignorance (of a wrong); cooperate secretly in an illegal action; conspire

endemic

prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country; peculiar to a particular region or people; CF. pandemic

forestall

prevent by taking action in advance

avert

prevent; avoid; turn away (eyes or thought); Ex. An accident was averted by his quick thinking; Ex. She averted her eyes from the terrible sight. "And with the country's fledgling security forces still unable to reign them in, if the militias decide that enough is enough, experts believe civil war would be near impossible to avert, that is, if it hasn't already begun."

aseptic

preventing infection; having a cleansing effect "But the true innovation to celebrate today is the very distant relative of the bottle -- the shelf stable aseptic milk carton that predominates in the rest of the world."

arrogance

pride; haughtiness; ADJ. arrogant: unpleasantly self-important (with a strong confidence in one's own importance and a lack of respect for other people) "Your arrogance is astonishing as is your capacity for self delusion."

caucus

private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy; CF. the Caucus club of Boston "Winning in caucus is not democratic, its more like a boiling room brawl, muscling people."

conclave

private secret meeting

cavalcade

procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages; parade; CF. cavalry "The rosy estimates have led them to provide insufficient sums of rescue aid, requiring a cavalcade of revisions and adjustments to make the numbers line up."

emboss

produce a design in raised relief; decorate with a raised design

breed

produce young; rear; bring up; produce (an undesirable condition); N: kind or sort of animal or plant

wrinkle

small ridge on a smooth surface (face or cloth); V.

docket

program as for trial; book where such entries are made; list of things to be done; agenda; label fixed to a package listing contents or directions; V: describe in a docket

cornice

projecting molding on building (usually above columns or pillars)

extrapolation

projection; conjecture; V. extrapolate: infer (unknown information) from known information

decorous

proper (in behavior, conduct, or appearance)

finished

properly made and complete; Ex. finished product/performance

patrimony

property inherited from a father

apocalyptic

prophetic; pertaining to revelations especially of disaster; N. apocalypse "This difference is expressed in what can only be described as the apocalyptic worldview of Iran's present rulers. "and" In this context, mutual assured destruction, the deterrent that worked so well during the Cold War, would have no meaning."

decorum

propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners; appropriateness of behavior or conduct

expostulation

protest; remonstrance; reasoning with someone to correct or dissuade; V. expostulate

archetype

prototype; primitive pattern; An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned "Astrology is an ancient and elegant language steeped in archetype and symbolism and capable of providing a tremendous amount of personal insight."

authenticate

prove genuine "And she says she can't prove or authenticate, which is shameful for someone who has won the kind of distinction she has in the past."

defray

provide for the payment of; undertake the payment of; pay

endue

provide with some quality; endow

document

provide written evidence (for a claim); record with documents; N.

discretion

prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances; freedom of action or judgment; ADJ. discreet; CF. discretionary

discourse

serious speech, writing, or conversation; formal discussion (either written or spoken); conversation; V.

exemplary

serving as a model; outstanding; Ex. exemplary punishment/behavior; N. exemplar: typical example; model

ancillary

serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary; N. "Ryanair's business model is based on offering inexpensive tickets to generate traffic and then selling other products and services, known as ancillary revenue."

complementary

serving to complete something

emancipate

set free; liberate

ensconce

settle comfortably; place comfortably (in a secure place)

censorious

severely critical "Mr. Sibal and other censorious politicians claim such steps are necessary to preserve a fragile peace, but there's usually a narrow political motive."

fetter

shackle; restrict the freedom of; N. chain or shackle for the foot of a prisoner; CF. foot

doddering

shaky; infirm from old age; V. dodder

barefaced

shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed; having no covering on the face; Ex. barefaced lie "It's the most amateurish approach to 'government' I've ever beheld, and this shameless abrogation of responsibility is justified with nothing but barefaced lies."

diffidence

shyness; lack of self-confidence; timidity; ADJ. diffident

betoken

signify; indicate; be a sign of "Does that, once the smiles of victory and defeat have faded, betoken a fresh generation of Labour comradeship?"

sullen

silently showing ill humor or resentment; dark; gloomy

analogy

similarity; parallelism; comparing two similar things "Neither analogy is accurate, neither brings our country honor."

fusillade

simultaneous firing or outburst (of missiles, questions, etc.)

brood

sit on in order to hatch; think deeply or worry anxiously; N: the young of certain animals; group of young birds hatched at one time

dilemma

situation that requires a choice between equally unfavorable options; problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives

cynical

skeptical or distrustful of human motives; N. cynicism; CF. cynic: person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness

adroit

skillful (in using mind or hand) "General Petraeus showed a dazzling adroit political strategy in Iraq when he pulled back the tumultuous country from the brink of a collapse in 2007 and 2008."

dexterous

skillful; skill in using hands or mind; N. dexterity

acne

skin disease (on the face)

azure

sky blue "The blue appears firm as if solid above the angle of the stonework, for while looking towards it -- towards the north -- the rays do not come through the azure, which is therefore colour without life."

detraction

slandering; aspersion; detracting; CF. detractor

aspersion

slanderous remark; An unfavorable or damaging remark Ex. cast aspersions on "I don't know if I am more insulted by the aspersion cast on my ability to turn an insulting phrase in English, or by the lie itself."

argot

slang; speech spoken by only a small group of people "The 'argot' to which you doubtless refer was the invention of certain of your literary"

dormant

sleeping; temporarily inactive; lethargic; latent

tint

slight degree of color; V: give a tint to

acidulous

slightly sour (in taste or manner); sharp; caustic "Raucous, acidulous, decidedly impolite, yet stylistically arresting, this book is bloody brilliant and if it's way over the top, that's what makes Chabon such a great writer."

catapult

slingshot; hurling machine; V: fire from catapult ""See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.""

decelerate

slow down

canter

slow gallop; V. CF. trot "There are two types of vehicles that go on the safari rides, the quiter and smaller jeep (which holds about 4 people) and the canter which is really loud and can hold up to 20 people."

dolt

slow-thinking stupid person; CF. dull

commune

small (often rural) community whose members share work and income; V: exchange thoughts or feelings; Ex. commune with nature

scrap

small bit or fragment; discarded waste material; fight; Ex. a scrap of paper/cloth; V: break into parts for disposal; discard as worthless; fight; quarrel

pinnace

small boat

dinghy

small boat (often ship's boat)

cubicle

small chamber used for sleeping or work

chapel

small church (in a prison, college, or hospital)

clique

small exclusive group of people "Once the clique is born, members communicate with each other via e-mail, chat, discussion boards and instant messaging."

cabal

small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests "The number of Republicans who support this man and his cabal is astonishing, but nothing will change the minds of that percentage."

bland

soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offense ""There are some questions I wanted to ask her, not being invited to attend the postmortem ..." He kept his expression bland, standing on his dignity."

emollient

soothing or softening remedy (for the skin); ADJ.

dolorous

sorrowful; N. dolor

crabbed

sour; bad-tempered; peevish; difficult to read as handwriting

capacious

spacious "Bottega Veneta's Scarabee convertible bag in light iridescent leather £ 2,450: Amazingly light, stylish and capacious, you could pack a baby elephant in here — well, OK, maybe a couple of kittens and a hair dryer."

commodious

spacious and comfortable "But the beauty, the greatness, the glory — Mr. Meagher employed the word "majestic" to describe these mute but far from personality-free bar workers — of Old Town's urinals is that they're almost as commodious as a stall."

abstemious

sparing in eating and drinking; temperate "In food and drink he was abstemious as a monk, while exercise was a thing abhorrent."

fitful

spasmodic; intermittent; irregular

advocate

speak in favor of; support (an idea or plan); urge; plead for "One of the great purposes of the procedure which I am about to advocate is to give support and strength to these brilliant and patriotic members and to proclaim to them that the whole nation stands behind them."

stammer

speak with involuntarily pauses or repetitions

expertise

specialized knowledge (in a particular field); expert skill

nonsense

speech or writing with no meaning; foolish behavior or language; Ex. make (a) nonsense of: spoil; cause to fail

celerity

speed; rapidity "But the defenders have a way of massing upon each point thus attacked, and that with a celerity which is truly marvellous, and the result is the same."

dispatch

speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed; V: send to a specified destination; finish promptly; kill

cleave

split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to; N. cleavage; ADJ. cloven

mar

spoil the appearance of

confidential

spoken or written in secret; trusted with private matters; Ex. confidential secretary

fleck

spot; mark with flecks; N: small mark or spot

dappled

spotted

smear

spread or cover with a sticky substance; N: mark made by smearing

espionage

spying

dissipate

squander; waste foolishly; scatter

adjutant

staff officer assisting the commander; assistant "Unlike the federal military services, the Arizona National Guard has a single person who commands all of the state military branches called the adjutant general."

criteria

standards used in judging; CF. criterion

deadlock

standstill resulting from the opposition of two unrelenting forces; stalemate

gawk

stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe

aver

state confidently; declare as true "I hereby aver that if I divorce my wife on her deathbed, I will subsequently surrender any claim to being a "family values candidate."

bereavement

state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved; state of being bereaved or bereft "Some of the stigma is taken away when someone like him talks about bereavement, which is very helpful for the charity. "

matrimony

state of being married

anonymity

state of being nameless; anonymousness; ADJ. anonymous; n. The quality or state of being unknown or unacknowledged "As David Corn observes, questioning the intent of major donors who wish to attack candidates while hiding in anonymity is hardly an enemies list."

decrepitude

state of collapse or weakness caused by illness or old age

blues

state of depression or melancholy; style of slow, mournful music (evolved from southern Black American songs)

disarray

state of disorder; a disorderly or untidy state; Ex. with her clothes in disarray

affliction

state of distress; trial; cause of distress or suffering; V. afflict: inflict grievous suffering on "David, in affliction, is here pouring out his soul before God; his address is short, but the method is very observable, and of use for direction and encouragement."

assert

state strongly or positively; demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc.); make a claim to (by forceful action); Ex. assert one's independence "You obviously think it is funny because you repeat it, even though it is as you kind of assert a ludicrous reason to ask for that appropriation of funding."

galvanize

stimulate or shock by an electric current; stimulate by shock; shock into action; stir up; coat with rust-resistant zinc by using electricity

acrimonious

stinging; caustic; bitter in words or manner; N. acrimony: bitter ill-natured animosity in speech or behavior "The foreign coaches they hire have little say over player selection and often leave their posts in acrimonious circumstances."

agitate

stir up; disturb "The next event she is preparing for is next month's opening of the European Parliament in Brussels, where she will later sc reen her film and then agitate for changes in the Common Agricultural Policy, or CAP."

foment

stir up; incite; instigate; promote the growth of (something evil or unpleasant)

check

stop motion; curb or restrain

balk

stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate "Some record labels balk when a new artist wants to change what worked the first time."

cessation

stoppage "In 1981, that was actually by virtue of a president's commission defined as cessation of blood flow to the brain, lack of respiration and loss of full brain."

arsenal

storage place for military equipment "Their existing arsenal is a big concern but their recent commitment to battling extremists in their own boarders makes it seem like their stockpile is in surer hands than it was."

cantata

story set to music to be sung by a chorus (shorter than an oratorio) "This work is generally classed as an oratorio, but it ought more properly to be called a cantata, being essentially secular as regards its text, though the form and style are practically the same as those of "The Creation."

allegory

story, play, or picture in which characters are used as symbols; fable "The allegory is so interchangeable over the decades and speaks to that inner paranoia of whatever society is watching it."

forthright

straightforward; direct; frank

queer

strange; eccentric; deviating from the normal

ploy

strategem to gain an advantage; tactic; Ex. management ploy

maneuver(manoeuver)

strategic military or naval movement (done for training purposes); carefully planned process; stratagem; V: carry out a military maneuver; use maneuvers in gaining an end

buffet

strike forcefully; slap; batter; knock out; N: table with food set out for people to server themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that's been set "The buffet is a great way to try everything I want, but makes it way too easy to load up."

avenge

take vengence for something or on behalf of someone; Ex. They avenged his death by burning the village; Ex. He swore to avenge his brother; Ex. They avenged themselves on their enemy. " It's the first time out this year, trying to kind of avenge a loss at the Fiesta Bowl last year, so there was a lot of preparation put in to come out and play well, '' said Bradford, referring to a 48-28 loss to West Virginia this January."

embezzlement

taking for one's own use in violation of trust; stealing (of money placed in one's care)

flair

talent

expatiate

talk at length; speak or write in detail

drone

talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee; N.

blowhard

talkative boaster; braggart "A consensus formed one day was undone the next when some celebrated blowhard issued a contrary opinion."

brindled

tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals) "Steve is approached by a man who wants to buy Mike to fight against a big brindled pit bull."

doctrine

teachings in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught; dogma; tenet; ADJ. doctrinal

badinage

teasing conversation; banter; joking talk "Within moments, they're lost in the badinage of two people on the brink of something big."

confide

tell in confidence (to a person one trusts); be confident about

bivouac

temporary encampment; camp without tents; V. "He had spent the night on the face of the tower in a bivouac and awoke in the morning "hanging above the ocean, watching the whales go by blowing and singing."

abstract

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational "Now the Indian language, although quite sufficient for Indian wants, is poor, and has not the same copiousness as ours, because they do not require the words to explain what we term abstract ideas."

emaciated

thin and wasted (from hunger or illness)

counterpart

thing that completes another; things very much alike; thing that has the same purpose in a different system

jetsam

things thrown from a ship (to lighten the ship)

cogitate

think over; ponder "Our mental processing time for this stuff is so glacial, we seem to need to cogitate about 50 years before going for mass transit, for example."

devise

think up; invent; plan; bequeath; N: bequest

gentility

those of gentle birth; high social class; refinement; quality of being genteel

cerebration

thought; working of the brain "Too often, as we look at a pointillist canvas, some obstacle seems to intercede between the eye and the heart; perhaps it's the dazzle of technique, or the chill of theory, cerebration and scientific calculation."

menace

threat; V: threaten

frugality

thrift; economy; ADJ. frugal: practicing economy; costing little; inexpensive

weary

tired after long work; V.

equable

tranquil; of even calm temper; (of temperature) steady; uniform

earthy

unrefined; coarse; of earth; Ex. earthy remarks; OP. ethereal

conspiracy

treacherous plot; secret plan against the law (by two or more people)

exchequer

treasury; Ex. Chancellor of the exchequer

coddle

treat gently; indulge excessively; pamper; mollycoddle; baby; cook in water just below boiling point; Ex. coddled "Rather than try and coddle me or assuage my anxieties, in his forceful manner he said, You've got to be kidding me!" eggs

disdain

treat with scorn or contempt

feint

trick; shift; sham blow; feigned attack to draw away defensive action; V.

chicanery

trickery; deception "That added with a few other situations, including what some on my side still call chicanery, ensured the election of George W. Bush."

dally

trifle with; toy with; treat without the necessary seriousness; procrastinate; waste time

bauble

trinket; cheap jewel; trifle "There is no new thing under the sun, not even that yearned-for bauble of feeble souls -- immortality."

stumble

trip and almost fall; proceed unsteadily; act falteringly; N.

fuss:

trouble or worry over trifles; make nervous; pay too much attention to; N: needless concern or worry (about a trivial thing); anxious nervous condition; display of attention; Ex. make a fuss over the baby

confidant(confidante)

trusted friend (to whom one tells one's secret)

ambiguous

unclear or doubtful in meaning; having more than one possible interpretation "In a state where coal is seen as the fount of prosperity, Mr. Raese has seized on what he calls ambiguous statements by Mr. Manchin on proposals for a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gases."

bohemian

unconventional (in an artistic way) "I headed for 7th Street in Melville, known as the bohemian heart of Johannesburg's artistic and writerly scene, and settled in for a meal with three Canadian friends I'd just made on the walk over."

disengage

uncouple; separate; disconnect; stop fighting; OP. engage

ethos

underlying character of a culture, group, etc.; character or ideas peculiar to a specific person, group, or culture; Ex. the company ethos

hindsight

understanding the nature of an event after it has actually happened "Still, the committee had had earlier opportunities to honor the man who, in hindsight, is generally seen as the leading spokesman of non-violence in the 20th century."

embryonic

undeveloped; rudimentary; N. embryo: organism in the early stage of development

disquietude

uneasiness; anxiety; V. disquiet: make anxious

canard

unfounded false rumor; exaggerated false report "However, the human rights canard is typically used for political reasons in a very different way.

consolidation

unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger; V. consolidate: merge; strengthen

fusion

union; coalition; V. fuse

fluke

unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune; accidental stroke of good luck; ADJ. fluky

contrived

unnatural and forced; artificial; not spontaneous; Ex. The ending was rather contrived.

derivative

unoriginal; obtained from another source; Ex. derivative prose style; N.

capricious

unpredictable; fickle "This kind of capricious interference of the state in private business smacks of Vladimir Putin's Russia."

disinterested

unprejudiced; free from bias and self-interest; objective

arbitrary

unreasonable or capricious; random; tyrannical; Ex. arbitrary ruler "The French Foreign Ministry criticized what it described as arbitrary arrests and violence against demonstrators."

futile

useless; hopeless; ineffectual

colander

utensil with perforated bottom used for straining "If you already have canned veggies with added salt in your pantry, simply drain the packing liquid through a colander and rinse the vegetable under cold water for around two minutes."

blurt

utter impulsively from nervousness or excitement "What Sash doesn't know, and Fabio had sense enough not to blurt out to him, was that Fabio bought into Marty's recruitment pitch."

generality

vague statement; general statement which is not detailed; quality of being general; greater part; most; Ex. generality of people

foppish

vain about dress and appearance; N. fop: man who takes too much interest in his clothes and appearance

conceit

vanity or self-love; too high opinion of one's own value; extravagant metaphor (in poetry)

diverge

vary; go in different directions from the same point; ADJ. divergent: differing; deviating

conveyance

vehicle; transfer; act of conveying; Ex. public conveyance

foul

very bad or disagreeable; very dirty; Ex. foul smell/flavor/temper/language/air/deed/weather/means; N. act against the rules; V. make or become foul; commit a foul

execrable

very bad; detestable

gingerly

very carefully; ADJ.

enervate

weaken; take away energy from

chafe

warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing; N. "We chafe at government health-care policies and pensions in which state and local employees contribute little, if anything, while benefiting from generous payouts that squeeze government budgets."

cordial

warmly friendly; gracious; heartfelt; Ex. cordial welcome

admonish

warn or speak to with gentle disapproval; reprove "Merriam-Webster editor at large Peter Sokolowski says news stories about a member of Congress who shouted "You lie!" at the President sent the word admonish to the top of the list of frequently looked-up words in the online dictionary."

dire

warning of disaster; disastrous; (of needs and dangers) very great; urgent; Ex. dire prediction/need of food

ablution

washing; cleansing of the body "When the minor ablution is ended, the worshipper should say, I testify that there is no god but the God, the One, which for partner hath none, and I testify that Mohammed is His servant and His apostle."

fritter

waste (time or money on unimportant things)

litter

waste material thrown away (as bits of paper scattered untidily); V: cover untidily with scattered litter

dross

waste matter; worthless impurities

atrophy

wasting away; V: weaken and lose flesh and muscle (through lack of blood or lack of use) "His mother explained that his disease, spinal muscular atrophy, is gradually deteriorating his neuromuscular system so that every few months, he loses more of his ability to move."

gargoyle

waterspout carved in grotesque figures on a building

brandish

wave around (a weapon); flourish "If a product is going to brandish a "Made in USA" label, however, one requirement is that at least 75 percent of its manufacturing cost be incurred in the USA."

fluctuate

waver; shift; rise and fall as if in waves; change or vary irregularly

decrepit

weak and in bad condition from old age or hard use; Ex. decrepit old chair/man

frail

weak; N. frailty

debilitate

weaken (esp. through heat, hunger, illness); enfeeble

emasculate

weaken; castrate

extenuate

weaken; mitigate; lessen the seriousness of (bad behavior)

eerie

weird; causing fear because strange

genteel

well-bred; elegant; striving to convey an appearance of refinement; Ex. genteel poverty

bedraggle

wet thoroughly; ADJ. bedraggled: draggled "Here in town, she probably preferred to tread the extent of the two drawing-rooms, and measure out the miles by spaces of forty feet, rather than bedraggle her skirts over the sloppy pavements."

deserts

what someone deserves

caprice

whim; sudden change of mind without any real cause "The husband's faithlessness is called a caprice, an adventure, a craving or madness of the senses."

fanciful

whimsical; visionary; imaginary; produced by imagination; Ex. fanciful scheme

frantic

wild; distraught as from fear or worry; Ex. frantic with fear

enterprise

willingness to take new ventures; initiative; business organization; plan (that is difficult or daring); Ex. their latest enterprise to sail round the world in a small boat

dormer

window projecting upright from roof; CF. sleeping room

gale

windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughters, tears); Ex. gale of laughter

adage

wise saying; proverb "A popular Wall Street adage is that gridlock is good because it keeps the government from implementing new policies that further intervene in the private economy."

astute

wise; shrewd; keen; seeing quickly something that is to one's advantage "The deal allies the bank with a billionaire investor known as an astute judge of value, who emerged during the financial crisis as an outspoken advocate of investing in America's future."

askance

with a sideways or indirect look (with disapproval or distruct); Ex. look askance at "He pays £15 for a haircut and shave at the local barbers, looks askance at anything with a label that doesn't have Oxfam attached to it and, when asked where he got his jacket from, is proud to say "it was my grandfather's."

apropos

with reference to; regarding; Ex. remarks apropos (of) the present situation; ADJ. ADV. "The project was conceptualized and commissioned by Donald W. Kendall, a former chairman and CEO of Pepsico, to foster creativity and inspire employees apropos of the company's move from New York City in about 1965."