Basic 3 - MG

contemptuous

*adj expressing extreme contempt* If you insult someone or dismiss them in a hateful way, you're being ________. The difference between being hateful and ________ is subtle. It involves disdain

rococo

*adj having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation* _______ describes a very ornate style originating in Europe. If you love tons of decoration and fancy details, then you'll love the ________ style of architecture and music.

artful

*adj marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft* "an artful choice of metaphors" To be ______ is to do something skillfully, especially in a cunning way. A con man must be _______. *adj not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness*

convivial

*adj occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company* // Syn Good time Use the adjective ________ to describe your friend who is "the life of the party."

plodding

*adjective: (of movement) slow and laborious* Charlie may seem to run at a ________ pace, but he is an ultramarathoner, meaning he runs distances of up to 100 miles, and can run for ten hours at a stretch.

inclement

*adjective: (of weather) unpleasant, stormy* After a week of ______ weather, we finally are able to go outside and enjoy the sun. *adjective: used of persons or behavior; showing no mercy* Marcus Aurelius, though a fair man, was ______ to Christians during his reign, persecuting them violently.

malleable

*adjective: capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out* The clay became ______ and easy to work with after a little water was added. *adjective: easily influenced* My little brother is so ______ that I can convince him to sneak cookies from the cupboard for me.

jocular

*adjective: characterized by jokes and good humor* My uncle was always in a ______ mood at family gatherings, messing up people's hair and telling knock-knock jokes to anyone who would listen. Do you like to make a lot of jokes? Are you often silly? Are you usually happy? If so, then you are a ______ person.

pithy

*adjective: concise and full of meaning* I enjoy reading the Daodejing for its ______ and insightful prose; it always gives me something to think about. A ______ phrase or statement is brief but full of substance and meaning. Proverbs and sayings are _____; newspaper columnists give _______ advice

elusive

*adjective: difficult to capture or difficult to remember* Many first time skydivers say that describing the act of falling from the sky is ________.

impermeable

*adjective: does not allow fluids to pass through* The sand bags placed on the river formed an ________ barrier, protecting the town from flooding.

snide

*adjective: expressive of contempt; derogatory or mocking in an indirect way* ________ means insulting or contemptuous in an indirect way. The chairman interpreted Taylor's question about promotions as a ________ remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company's process.

stolid

*adjective: having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited* Syn: unemotional, impassive Elephants may appear ______ to casual observers, but they actually have passionate emotional lives.

consummate

*adjective: having or revealing supreme mastery or skill* Tyler was the ______ musician: he was able to play the guitar, harmonica, and the drum at the same time. *verb: to make perfect and complete in every respect* The restoration of the ancient church was only ______d after a twenty years of labor. This word...

morose

*adjective: ill-tempered and not inclined to talk; gloomy* After Stanley found out he was no longer able to go on vacation with his friends, he sat in his room ______ly. A ______ person is sullen, gloomy, sad, glum, and depressed — not a happy camper

appreciable

*adjective: large enough to be noticed (usu. refers to an amount)* There is an ______ difference between those who say they can get the job done and those who actually get the job done.

transitory

*adjective: lasting a very short time* Syn: ephemeral, transient If we lived forever and life was not ______, do you think we would appreciate life less or more?

disheartened

*adjective: made less hopeful or enthusiastic* After the visiting team scored nine times, the home team's fans were ________, some leaving the game early.

raffish

*adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness* Also means dapper The men found him _____, but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.

avid

*adjective: marked by active interest and enthusiasm* Martin is an ________ birdwatcher, often taking long hikes into remote mountains to see some rare eagle.

ornate

*adjective: marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details* //marked by complexity and richness of detail The ______ Victorian and Edwardian homes spread throughout San Francisco are my favorite part of the city. If something is _______ — whether it's a ball gown, a set of dishes, or a poem — it seems to be covered in ornaments. It's lavish, flowery, or heavily adorned.

endemic

*adjective: native; originating where it is found* Irish cuisine makes great use of potatoes, but ironically, the potato is not ______ to Ireland. Pandemic (of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.

moot

*adjective: open to argument or debate; undecidable in a meaningless or irrelevant way* Syn: Arguable, irrelevant Since the Board just terminated Steve as the CEO, what the finance committee might have thought of his proposed marketing plan for next year is now a ______ point.

archaic

*adjective: so old as to appear to belong to a different period* Hoping to sound intelligent, Mary spoke in ________ English that was right out of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice--needless to say, she didn't have many friends.

muted

*adjective: softened, subdued* Helen preferred ________ earth colors, such as green and brown, to the bright pinks and red her sister liked. This word...

robust

*adjective: sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction* Chris preferred bland and mild beers, but Bhavin preferred a beer with more ________ flavor.

obdurate

*adjective: unable to be persuaded or moved emotionally; stubborn; unyielding.* /// is a formal word meaning stubborn. adj stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing No number of pleas and bribes would get him to change his ________ attitude.

incessant

*adjective: uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing* // Syn: ceaseless, constant, never-ending, perpetual. When you're on a cross country flight, it's tough to tolerate the ________ crying of a baby. I don't mind small children in brief doses, but I think the ________ exposure that their parents have to them would quickly wear me down.

fledgling

*adjective: young and inexperienced* a _____ skier *noun: any new participant in some activity* // Syn: Newcomer Murray has years of experience in family practice, but he is just a ______ in surgery.

autonomously

*adverb: Acting independently; self-governing (of a country)* Many of the factory workers are worried about being replaced by machines and computers that will work completely ________.

stymie

*hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of* The verb _______ means to obstruct or hinder. Constantly texting with your friends will ______ your effort to finish your homework.

deliberation

*n careful consideration*

disdain

*n lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike* *v reject with contempt* If you feel that something isn't worthy of your consideration, you may ________ it (or treat it with _______).

contempt

*n lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike* Reserve the noun ________ for an extreme lack of respect: a food snob has nothing but contempt for mass-produced burgers and fries at a fast-food joint.

constitution

*n the way in which someone or something is composed*

boon

*noun: a desirable state* ... ______ means something beneficial to a specific person, entity, or cause. "Getting called out of school on the day of the test was a _____ for Sam, as he hadn't remembered to study." Modern technology has been a _______ to the travel industry. *adjective: very close and convivial* He was a ________ companion to many, and will be sadly missed.

malady

*noun: a disease or sickness* The town was struck by a ______ throughout the winter that left most people sick in bed for two weeks.

dearth

*noun: a lack or shortage* Syn: Paucity I am surprised by the ______ of fast food chains; this is America and I assumed they were on every street.

respite

*noun: a pause from doing something (as work)* Break Every afternoon, the small company has a ________ in which workers play foosball or board games.

proponent

*noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea*// Syn: advocate Ironically, the leading ______ of Flat-Earth Theory flies all over the world in an effort to win more adherents.

apprehension

*noun: fearful expectation* 1) the capture of a criminal; 2) the understanding of an idea; 3) a fear, doubt, or misgiving. Test day can be one of pure ________, as many students worry about their test scores.

quandary

*noun: state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavourable options*// dilemma Steve certainly is in a ________: if he doesn't call Elaine, she will blame him for everything, but if he does call her, the evidence of where he currently is could cost him his job.

ingenuity

*noun: the power of creative imagination* is the ability to think creatively about a situation or to solve problems in a clever way. Daedalus was famous for his ________; he was able to fashion his son Icarus with a pair of wings, using wax to hold them together.

ascendancy

*noun: the state that exists when one person or group has power over another* The ________ of the Carlsbad water polo team is clear—they have a decade of championships behind them. When you assume ________ over someone else, you become more powerful than they are. ________ is the state of being in a higher position.

propound

*v put forward, as of an idea* When you ________ an idea, you put it forward. If you tell your teacher that listening to music in class would help students do their work, then you propound the idea that music can be a motivator.

impede

*verb: be a hindrance or obstacle to* Since the police sergeant had to train the pair of new hires, progress in his own case was ________d.

flounder

*verb: behave awkwardly; have difficulties* // Syn:struggle Sylvia has excelled at advanced calculus, but ironically, when she has to deal with taxes, she ________s.

disenfranchise

*verb: deprive of voting rights* The U.S. Constitution ________d women until 1920 when they were given the right to vote. NOTE: Enfranchise: to give someone the right to vote

renege

*verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation*// go back on We will no longer work with that vendor since it has ________d on nearly every agreement.

entice

*verb: get someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises*. _______ means to persuade with promises of something. Harold ________d his wife, Maude, to go on a vacation to Hawaii, with promises of luaus on the beach and all-you-can-eat seafood buffets.

thwart

*verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of* I wanted to spend a week in New York this autumn, but the high costs of travel and lodging ________ed my plans.

guffaw

*verb: laugh boisterously (in a carefree manner)* // Laugh Loud Whenever the jester fell to the ground in mock pain, the king ________ed, exposing his yellow, fang-like teeth.

resolve

*verb: reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation* After much thought, Ted ______d not to travel abroad this summer because he didn't have much money in his bank account. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

discriminate

*verb: recognize or perceive the difference* Sarah couldn't ________ between a good wine and a bad wine, so she avoided wine tastings. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

degrade

*verb: reduce in worth or character, usually verbally* Syn: demean Jesse had mockingly pointed out all of Nancy's faults in front of their friends, publicly ______ing the poor girl.

advocate

*verb: speak, plead, or argue in favour of* While the senator privately approved of gay marriage, he was unwilling to ________ for the cause in a public venue. *noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea* Martin Luther King Jr. was a tireless ________ for the rights of African-Americans in the United States. This word...

fete

*verb: to celebrate a person* After World War II, war heroes were ________d at first but quickly forgotten.

meander

*verb: to wander aimlessly* A casual observer might have thought that Peter was ________ing through the city, but that day he was actually seeking out those places where he and his long lost love had once visited.

patronize

*verb: treat condescendingly* She says she genuinely wanted to help me, but instead she ______d me, constantly pointing out how I was inferior to her. This word...

deter

*verb: turn away from by persuasion* His mother tried to ______ him from joining the army, but he was too intoxicated with the idea of war to listen. *verb: try to prevent; show opposition to* The government's primary job should involve ______ring paths to war, not finding ways to start them.

boisterously

adj: in a carefree manner