JGRE combo
statutory
created by statute or legislative action The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes.
malefactor
criminal We must try to bring these malefactors to justice.
censorious
critical censorious people delight in casting blame.
stricture
critical comments; severe and adverse criticism His strictures on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted.
animadversion
critical remark He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true.
pan
criticize harshly Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics panned it unanimously.
askew
crookedly; slanted; at an angle When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed.
horde
crowd Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers.
throng
crowd Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles.
diadem
crown The king's diadem was on display at the museum.
fell
cruel; deadly The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease
therapeutic
curative Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of its famous "healing waters."
elixir
cure-all; something invigorating "magical or medical potion is elixir" The news of her chance to go abroad acted on her like an elixir.
imprecation
curse Roused from the bed at what he considered an ungodly hour, Roy muttered imprecations under his breath.
execrate
curse; express abhorrence for The world execrates the memory of Hitler and hopes that genocide will never again be the policy of any nation.
dank
damp The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.
swarthy
dark; dusky Despite the stereotype, not all Italians are swarthy; many are fair and blond.
murkiness
darkness; gloom The murkiness and fog of the waterfront that evening depressed me.
reverie
daydream; musing He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher's question.
cloying
distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental "cloying sweetness" Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose a homemade carrot cake for their reception.
stalemate
deadlock Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to budge from previously stated positions.
libertine
debauched person, roue Although she was aware of his reputation as a libertine, she felt she could reform him and help him break his dissolute way of life.
decadence
decay The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.
guile
deceit; duplicity She achieved her high position by guile and treachery.
delude
deceive Do not delude yourself into believing that he will relent.
hoodwink
deceive; delude Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he was extremely cautious when he went to purchase a used car.
sensual
devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptous I cannot understand what caused him to drop his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.
resolve
decide; settle; solve Homes resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between Irene Adler and the King.
awry
distorted;crooked He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night.
tribulation
distress; suffering After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through, we need this rest.
ramify
divide into branches or subdivisions When the plant begins to ramify, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches.
hatch
deck opening; lid covering a deck opening The latch on the hatch failed to catch, so the hatch remained unlatched.
avow
declare openly I must avow that I am innocent.
garnish
decorate Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato.
adorn
decorate Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple.
consecrate
dedicate; sanctify We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose.
tureen
deep dish for serving soup The waiters brought the soup to the tables in silver tureens.
inveterate
deep-rooted; habitual She is an inveterate smoker and cannot break the habit.
slander
defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements Unless you can prove your allegations, your remarks constitute slander.
libelous
defamatory; injurious to the good name of a person He sued the newspaper because of its libelous story.
rampart
defensive mound on earth "From the ramparts we watched" as the fighting continued.
mulct
defraud a person of something The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy.
respite
delay in punishment; interval of relief; rest The judge granted the condemned man a respite to enable his attorneys to file an appeal.
piety
devoutness; reverence for God Living her life in prayer and good works, Mother Teresa exemplifies the true sprit of piety.
tarry
delay; dawdle We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.
demur
delay; object To demur at this time will only worsen the already serious situation; now is the time for action.
sleight
dexterity The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.
malicious
dictated by hatred or spite The [malicious neighbor] spread the gossip.
finesse
delicate skill The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon impressed the observers in the operating room.
filigree
delicate, lacelike metalwork The pendant with gold filigree that she wore round her neck trembled with each breath she took.
consign
deliver officially; entrust; set apart The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother's care.
render
deliver; provide; represent He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.
peremptory
demanding and leaving no choice From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.
nihilism
denial of traditional values; total skepticism nihilism holds that existence has no meaning.
disavowal
denial; disclaiming His disavowal of his part in the conspiracy was not believed by the jury.
stratified
divided into classes; arranged into strata As the economic gap between the rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified.
canto
division of a long poem Dante's poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.
stanza
division of a poem Do you know the last stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner"?
severance
division; partition; separation The severance of church and state is a basic principle of our government.
schism
division; split Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.
tractable
docile You will find the children in this school very tractable and willing to learn.
quay
dock; landing place Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.
tenet
doctrine; dogma The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.
homespun
domestic; made at home homespun wit, like homespun cloth, was often coarse and plain.
inveigh
denounce; utter censure or invective He inveighed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his philosophy as dangerous.
renege
deny; go back on He reneged on paying off his debt.
exodus
departure The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday evenings.
turpitude
depravity A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.
despondent
depressed; gloomy To the dismay of his parents, he became more and more despondent every day.
bereft
deprived of; lacking The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.
devolve
deputize; pass to others It devolved upon us, the survivors, to arrange peace terms with the enemy.
sacrilegious
desecrating; profane His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.
forsake
desert; abandon; renounce No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run off with another woman.
renegade
deserter; traitor Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade.
reprehensible
deserving blame Your vicious conduct in this situation is reprehensible.
invidious
designed to create ill will or envy We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was.
scurvy
despicable; contemptible Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew.
raze
destroy completely The owners intend to raze the hotel and erect an office building on the site.
obliterate
destroy completely The tidal wave obliterated several island villages.
resolution
determination Nothing could shake his resolution to succeed despite all difficulties.
resolve
determination Nothing could shake his resolve that his children would get the best education that money could buy.
bent
determined; natural talent or inclination bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high finance.
dogged
determined;stubborn Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long, dogged pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.
loathe
detest We loathed the wicked villain.
depose
dethrone; remove form office The army attempted to DEPOSE THE KING and set up a military government.
swerve
deviate; turn aside sharply The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel.
condign
adequate; deservedly severe The public approved the condign punishment for the crime.
contiguous
adjacent to; touching upon The two countries are contiguous for a few miles; then they are separated by the gulf.
fastidious
difficult to please; squeamish The waitresses disliked serving him dinner because of his very fastidious taste.
quarry
dig into They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside.
exhume
dig out of the ground; remove from a grave Because of the rumor that he had been poisoned, his body was exhumed in order that an autopsy might be performed.
disinter
dig up; unearth They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.
delve
dig; investigate delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job.
discursive
digressing; rambling They were annoyed and bored by her discursive remarks.
quandary
dilemma When the two colleges to which he had applied accepted him, he was in a quandary as to which one he should attend.
sedulous
diligent The young woman was so sedulous that she received a commendation for her hard work.
sap
diminish; undermine The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it sapped his strength.
refectory
dining hall In this huge refectory, we can feed the entire student body at one sitting.
subsidy
direct financial aid by government, etc. Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets.
squalid
dirty; neglected; poor It is easy to see how crime can breed in such a squalid neighborhood.
espouse
adopt; support 1. Ted was to espouse his reactionary views 2. She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.
embellish
adorn My mother-in-law's stories about her journey from Russia made us laugh because she embellished the bare facts of her travels with humourous acecdotes.
precocious
advanced in development By her rather adult manner of discussing serious topics, the child demonstrated that she was precocious.
chasten
discipline; punish in order to correct Whom God loves, God chastens.
faze
disconcert; dismay No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.
dissonance
discord Some contemporary musicians deliberately use dissonance to achieve certain effects.
omniscient
all-knowing I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.
omnipotent
all-powerful The monarch regarded himself as omnipotent and responsible to no one for his acts.
rider
amendment or clause added to a legislative bill Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster's tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add an antipollution rider to the bill.
reparation
amends; compensation At the peace conference, the defeated country promised to pay reparations to the victors.
rebate
discount We offer a rebate of ten percent to those who pay cash.
bandy
discuss lightly; exchange blows or words The president refused to bandy words with reporters at the press conference.
disport
amuse The popularity of Florida as a winter resort is constantly increasing; each year, thousands more disport themselves at Miami and Palm Beach.
beguile
amuse; delude; cheat I beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.
forebears
ancestors Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many Oriental cultures.
papyrus
ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant The ancient Egyptians were among the first to write on papyrus.
cherubic
angelic; innocent-looking With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child.
indignation
anger ar an injustice He felt indignation at the ill-treatment of the helpless animals.
gadfly
animal-biting fly; an irritating person Like a gadfly, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty eight hours, everyone regarded him as an annoying busybody.
gall
annoy; chafe Their taunts galled him.
nettle
annoy; vex Do not let him nettle you with his sarcastic remarks.
irksome
annoying; tedious He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to perform.
apposite
appropriate; fitting He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.
ratify
approve formally; verify Before the treaty could go into effect, it had to be ratified by the president.
sanction
approve; ratify Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.
plauditory
approving; applauding The theatrical company reprinted the plauditory comments of the critics in its advertisement.
felicitous
apt; suitably expressed; well chosen He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many banquet.
conduit
aqueduct; passageway for fluids Water was brought to the army in the desert by an improvised conduit from the adjoining mountain.
fervid
ardent Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.
fervent
ardent; hot She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.
haggle
argue about prices I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am never certain that I paid a fair price for the articles I purchased.
stemfrom
arise from Milton's problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.
cohorts
armed band Caesar and his Roman cohorts conquered almost all of the known world.
symmetry
arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity The addition of a second tower will give this edifice the symmetry that it now lacks.
hubris
arrogance; excessive self-conceit Filled with hubris, Lear refused to heed his friends' warnings.
presumptous
arrogant; taking liberties It seems presumptous for one so relatively new to the field to challenge the conclusions of its leading experts.
incendiary
arsonist The fire spread in such an unusual manner that the fire department chiefs were certain that it had been set by an incendiary.
rhetoric
art of effective communication; insincere or grandiloquent language All writers, by necessity, must be skilled in rhetoric.
dictum
arthoritative and weighty statement She repeated the statement as though it were the dictum of the most expert worker in the group.
treatise
article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.
sluice
artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water In times of drought, this sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation.
mannered
artificial; not natural ""mannered way of speech" Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.
synthetic
artificial; resulting from synthesis During the twentieth century, many synthetic products have replaced the natural products.
factitous
artificial; sham Hollywood actresses often create factitious tears but forget to show factitious tears by using glycerine.
sophistication
artificiality; unnaturalness; act of employing sophistry in reasoning Sophistication is an acquired characteristic, found more frequently among city dwellers than among residents of rural areas.
consort
associate with We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort.
posture
assume an affected pose; act artificially No matter how much Arnold boasted or postured, I could not believe he was as important as he pretended to be.
supposititious
assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical I find no similarity between your supposititious illustration and the problem we are facing.
imposture
assuming a false identity; masquerade She was imprisoned for her imposture of a doctor.
premise
assumption; postulate Because Jack had based his argument upon a faulty premise, his opponent cheerfully pointed out the holes in his logic.
quiescent
at rest; dormant After this geyser erupts, it will remain quiescent for twenty-four hours.
moribund
at the point of death The doctors called the family to the bedside of the [moribund patient].
sardonic
disdainful; sarcastic; cynical The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people as amusing and others as rude.
prattle
babble The children prattle endlessly about their new toys.
hinterlands
back country They seldom had visitors, living as they did way out in the hinderlands.
thwart
baffle; frustrate He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success.
equipoise
balance; balancing force; equilibrium The high-wire acrobat used his pole as an equipose to overcome the swaying caused by the wind.
rusticate
banish to the country; dwell in the country I like city life so much that I can never understand how people can rusticate in the suburbs.
relegate
banish; consign to inferior position If we relegate these experts to minor posts because of their political persuasions, we shall lose their valuable services.
insolvent
bankrupt; lacking money to pay When rumors that he was insolvent reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the money due them.
quizzical
bantering; comical; humorously serious Will Rogers' quizzical remarks endeared him to his audiences.
chaffing
bantering; joking Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us.
seethe
be disturbed; boil The nation was seething with discontent as the nobleman continued their arrogant ways.
dote
be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the littel rascals, too.
betroth
become engaged to marry The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any romance.
ingratiate
become popular with He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good graces.
ignominious
disgraceful The country smarted under the ignominious defeat and dreamed of the day when it would be victorious.
subliminal
below the threshold We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking.
genuflect
bend the knee as in worship A proud denocrat, he refused to genuflect to any man.
refraction
bending of a ray of light When you look at a stick inserted in water, it looks bent because of the refraction of the light by the water.
condescend
bestow courtesies with a superior air The king condescended to grant an audience to the friends of the condemned man.
indubitably
beyond a doubt Because her argument was indubitably valid, the judge accepted it.
preternatural
beyond that which is normal in nature John's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying struck him as almost preternatural.
partial
biased; having a liking for something I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs.
beatitude
blessedness; state of bliss Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.
benison
blessing Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world.
gory
bloody The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre.
sanguinary
bloody The battle of lwo Jina was unexpectedly sanguinary with many casualties.
doldrums
blues; listlessness; slack period Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums.
brusque
blunt; abrupt She was offended by his brusque reply.
palette
board on which a painter mixes pigments At the present time, art supply stores are selling a paper palette that may be discarded after use.
magniloquent
boastful, pompous In their stories of the trial, the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney.
braggadocio
boasting He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio.
regatta
boat or yacht race Many boating enthusiasts followed the regatta in their own yachts.
hierarchy
body divided into ranks It was difficult to step out of one's place in this hierarchy.
guffaw
boisterous laughter The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committe had not yet settled down to a serious business.
revelry
boisterous merrymaking New Year's Eve is a night of revelry.
hilarity
boisterous mirth The hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning.
temerity
boldness; rashness Do you have the temerity to argue with me?
stilted
bombastic; stiffly pompous His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances.
catechism
book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer "engage pupils in a catechism" He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer.
abut
border upon; adjoin Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.
ennui
boredom The monotonous routine of hopital life induced a feeling of ennui which made him moody and irritable.
tedium
boredom; weariness We hope this radio will help overcome the tedium of your stay in the hospital.
overbearing
bossy; arrogant; decisively important Certain of her own importance and of the unimportance of everyone else, Lady Bracknell was intolerably overbearing in manner. "In choosing a husband," she said, "good birth is of overbearing importance; compared to that, neither wealth nor talent signifie
abysmal
bottomless His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.
pugilist
boxer The famous pugilist Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali.
ramification
branching out; subdivision We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.
fortitude
bravery; courage He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.
fray
brawl The three musketeers were in the thick of fray.
fracas
brawl; melee The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents.
harrow
break up ground after plowing; torture I don't want to harrow you at this time by asking you to recall the details of your unpleasant experience.
respiration
breathing; exhalation The doctor found that the patient's years of smoking had adversely affected both his lung capacity and his rate of respiration.
fancier
breeder or dealer of animals The dog fancier exhibited her prize collie at the annual Kennel Club show.
succinct
brief; terse; compact His remarks are always succinct and pointed.
resplendent
brilliant; lustrous The toreador wore a resplendent costume called a suit of lights.
nonplus
bring to a halt by confusion; perplex Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.
incur
bring upon oneself His parents refused to pay any future debts he might incur.
rationalization
bringing into conformity with reason All attempts at rationalization at this time are doomed to failure; tempers and emotions run too high for intelligent thought to prevail.
farce
broad comedy; mockery Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce.
spatula
broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing The manufacturers of this frying pan recommended the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the specially treated surface.
sibling
brother or sister We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong to the same family.
bugaboo
bugbear; object of baseless terror If we become frightened by such bugaboos, we are no wiser than the birds who fear scarecrows.
ruffian
bully; scoundrel The ruffians threw stones at the police.
sheaf
bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.
encumber
burden "encumber with luggage" Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage, when they take short trips.
incubus
burden; mental care; nightmare The incubus of financial worry helped bring on her nervous breakdown.
onerous
burdensome He asked for an assistant because his work load was too onerous.
smolder
burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.
inter
bury They are going to inter the body tomorrow ar Broadlawn Cemetry.
dispassionate
calm; impartial In a [dispassionate analysis of the problem], he carefully examined the causes of the conflict and proceeded to suggest suitable remedies.
phlegmatic
calm; not easily disturbed The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.
halcyon
calm; peaceful In those halcyon days, people were not worried about sneak attacks and bombings.
sedative
calming drug or influence It is dangerous to drive after taking the sedative; it brings drowsiness.
equanimity
calmness of temperament In his later years, he could look upon the foolishness of the world with equanimity and humor.
tranquillity
calmness; peace After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests.
serenity
calmness; placidity The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion.
rescind
cancel Because of public resentment, the king had to rescind his order.
expunge
cancel; remove If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your record.
revoke
cancel; retract Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver's licenses permanently revoked.
taper
candle He lit the taper on the windowsill.
reparable
capable of being repaired Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were reparable and our car looks brand new.
tensile
capable of being stretched Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes.
prehensile
capable of grasping or holding Monkeys use not only their arms and legs but also their prehensile tails in traveling through the trees.
enthrall
capture; enslave From the moment he saw her picture, he was enthralled by her beauty.
thrifty
careful about money; economical A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.
lax
careless We dislike restaurants where the service is lax and inattentive.
scabbard
case for a sword blade; sheath The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.
quiver
case for arrows Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver.
slough
cast off Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin.
cavalier
casual and offhand; arrogant Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's cavalier dismissal of her suggestion.
offhand
casual; done without prior thought Expecting to be treated with due propriety by her costs, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand manner.
pander
cater to the low desires of others The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses' taste of violence.
bane
cause of ruin Lack of public transportation is the bane of urban life.
dissemble
disguise; pretend Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew there not to dance but to meet girls.
stultify
cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had stultified his mind.
supersede
cause to be set aside; replace This regulation will supersede all previous rules.
fulsome
disgustingly excessive His fulsome praise of the dictator annoyed his listeners.
downcast
disheartened; sad Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.
skulduggery
dishonest behavior The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of skulduggery daily.
dissolution
disintegration; looseness in morals "dissolution of parliament/ assembly/ marriage" The profligacy and dissolution of life in Caligula's Rome appall some historians.
pestilential
causing plague; baneful People were afraid to explore the pestilential swap.
prudent
cautious; careful A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy.
reprove
censure; rebuke The principal reproved the students when they became unruly in the auditorium.
pivotal
central; critical De Klerk's decision to set Nelson Mandela free was pivotal; without Mandela's release, there was no possibility that the African National Cogress would entertain talks with the South African government.
repudiate
disown; disavow He announced that he would repudiate all debts incurred by his wife.
disclaim
disown; renounce claim to If I grant you this previlege, will you disclaim all other rights?
flaunt
display ostentatiously She is not the one of those actresses who flaunt their physical charms; she can act.
provident
displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies In his usual provident manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.
mace
ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin.
ordination
ceremony conferring holy orders The candidate for ordination had to meet with the bishop and the diocean officers before being judged ready to be ordained a deacon.
shackle
chain; fetter The criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent his escape.
hap
chance; luck In his poem hap, Thomas Hardy objects to the part chance plays in our lives.
gerrymander
change in voting district lines in order to favor a political party The illogical pattern of the map of this congressional district is proof that the state legislature gerrymandered this area in order to favor the majority party.
ossify
change or harden into bone When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he implied that his adversary's brain had ossified and that he was not capable of clear thinking.
transmute
change; convert to something different He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.
babble
chatter idly The little girl babbled about her doll.
tawdry
cheap and gaudy He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island.
swindler
cheat She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.
stanch
check flow of blood It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.
stem
check the flow The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery.
sanguine
cheerful; hopeful Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong.
geniality
cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor, who tries to make everyone happy.
ruminate
chew the cud; ponder We cannot afford to wait while you ruminate upon these plans.
puerile
childish His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.
infantile
childish; infantlike When will he outgrow such infantile behavior?
indiscriminate
choosing at random; confused She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing and decided to restrict him to educational programs.
prelate
church dignitary The archbishop of Moscow and other high-ranking prelates visited the Russian Orthodox seminary.
rotunda
circular building or hall covered with a dome His body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol.
obsidian
clak volcanic rock The deposits of obsidian on the mountain slopes were an indiacation that volcano had erupted in ancient times.
friction
clash in opinion; rubbing against At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to have any friction in our group.
talon
claw of bird The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk's talons.
purge
clean by removing impurities; clear of changes If you are to be purged of the charge of contempt of Congress, you must be willing to answer the questions previously asked.
bouillon
clear beef soup The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold ocean breezes.
sanctimonious
displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.
refute
disprove The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the prosecution's only witness.
perspicuity
clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear.
ingenious
clever He came up with a use for Styrofoam packing balls that was so ingenious that his business school professors declared it was marketable.
repartee
clever reply He was famous for his witty repartee and his sarcasm.
shrewd
clever; astute A shrewd investor, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market.
precipice
cliff; dangerous position Suddenly Indiana Jones found himself dangling from the edge of a precipice.
scale
climb up; ascend To locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.
array
clothe; adorn She liked to watch her mother array herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening.
raiment
clothing "How can I go to the ball?" asked Cinderella. "I have no raiment fit to wear."
notoriety
disrepute; ill fame To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety.
saccharine
cloyingly sweet She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.
lout
clumsy person The delivery boy is an awkward lout.
bleak
cold; cheerless The Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts.
hue
color; aspect The aviary contained birds of every possible hue.
spectrum
colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.
pugnacious
combative; disposed to fight As a child he was pugnacious and fought with everyone.
synthesis
combining parts into a whole Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next problem is to plan its synthesis in the laboratory.
solace
comfort in trouble I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss.
travesty
comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous The ridiculous decision the jury has arrived at is a travesty of justice.
fiat
command I cannot accept government by fiat; I feel that I must be consulted.
enjoin
command; order; forbid The owners of the company asked the court to enjoin the union from picketing the plant.
memorialize
commemorate Let us memorialize his great contribution by dedicating this library in his honor. 2. "The President memorialized the heroes of the battle"
perpetrate
commit an offense Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.
plebeian
common; pertaining to the common people His speeches were aimed at the plebeian minds and emotions; they disgusted the more refined.
hackneyed
commonplace; trite The English teacher criticized her story because of its hackneyed and unoriginal plot.
tumult
commotion; riot; noise She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.
simile
comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as "My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile.
remunerative
compensating; rewarding I find my new work so renumerative that I may not return to my previous employment.
terse
concise; abrupt; pithy I admire his terse style of writing; he comes directly to the point.
pithy
concise; meaty I enjoy reading his essays because they are always compact and pithy.
brevity
conciseness brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.
peroration
conclusion of an oration The peroration was largely hortatory and brought the audience to its feet clamoring for action at its close.
deign
condescend He felt that he would debase himself if he deigned to answer his critics.
muddle
confuse; mix up His thoughts were muddled and chaotic.
disconcert
confuse; upset; embarrass The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.
hubbub
confused uproar The marketplace was a scene of hubbub and excitement.
discombobulated
confused; discomposed The novice square dancer became so discombobulated that he wandered into wrong set.
turmoil
confusion; strife Conscious he had sinned, he was in a state of spiritual turmoil.
epicure
connoisseur of food and drink epicures frequent this restaurant because it features exotic wines and dishes.
subjugate
conquer; bring under control It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in establishing peaceful relations.
scrupulous
conscientious; extremely thorough I can recommend him for a position of responsibility for I have found him a very scrupulous young man.
flagrant
conspicuously wicked We cannot condone such flagrant violations of the rules.
solecism
construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms.
trough
container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.) The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along in the trough between two waves.
tainted
contaminated; corrupt Health authorities are always trying to prevent the sale and use of tainted food.
despicable
contemptible;deserving to be DESPIsed Your despicable remarks call for no reply.
supercilious
contemptuous; haughty I prefer Jill's modesty to Jack's supercilious and arrogant attitude.
din
continued loud noise The din of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice.
reconcile
correct inconsistencies; become friendly after a quarrel Every time we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite these monthly lovers' quarrels, we always manage to reconcile.
orthography
correct spelling Many of us find English orthography difficult to master because so many of our words are written phonetically.
perversion
corruption; turning from right to wrong In as much as he had no motive for his crimes, we could not understand his perversion.
recrimination
countercharges Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his accusations.
diabolical
devilish; demoniac , fiendish , Luciferian, satanic "sinister diabolical summoning (lyrics); diabolical designs(book)" while [sinister people[ are evil people that hide their motives from their victims; [diabolical people] deliberately incite fear, anger, greed, panic, and outrage, in some people, for the purpose of causing them to harm others.
machiavellian
crafty; double-dealing Niccolò Machiavelli's double- dealing principles I do not think he will be a good ambassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian maneuverings of foreign diplomats.
hurtle
crash; rush The runaway train hurtled toward disaster.
grovel
crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to grovel before our conquerors.
lope
gallop slowly As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery.
hiatus
gap; pause Except for a brief two-year hiatus, during which she enrolled in the Peace Corps, Ms. Clements has devoted herself to her medical career.
glean
gather leavings After the crops had been harvested by the machines, the peasants were permitted to glean the wheat left in the fields.
garish
gaudy She wore a garish rhinestone necklace.
fester
generate pus When her finger began to fester, the doctor lanced it and removed the splinter that had caused the pus to form.
largess
generous gift Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.
seminal
germinal; influencing future developments; related to seed or semen Although Freud has generally been regarded as a seminal thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his psychoanalytic methods have come under attack recently.
grisly
ghastly She shuddered at the grisly sight.
spectral
ghostly We were frightened by the spectral glow that filled the room.
serendipity
gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity when the apple dropped on his head.
benefactor
gift giver; patron Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him a benediction.
titanic
gigantic titanic waves beat aginst the shore during the hurricane.
colossus
gigantic statue The legendary Colossus of Rhodes, bronze statue of the sun god that dominated the harbor of the Greek seaport, was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
foreshadow
give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure In retrospect, political analysts realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his emergence as the dominant figure of the new Russian republic.
relent
give in When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor.
forgo
give up; do without Determined to lose weight for the summer, Ida decided to forgo dessert until she could fit into a size eight again.
gratuitous
given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion.
morbid
given to unwholesome thought; gloomy These morbid speculations are dangerous; we must lighten our spirits by emphasizing more pleasant matters.
carafe
glass water bottle "carafe of red wine" With each dinner, the patron receives a carafe of red or white wine.
shimmer
glimmer intermittently The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment.
saturnine
gloomy Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.
somber
gloomy; depressing From the doctor's grim expression, I could tell he had somber news.
fervor
glowing ardor Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love.
disembark
go ashore; unload cargo from a ship Before the [passengers disembark], they have to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.
retrograde
go backwards; degenerate Instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture.
traverse
go through or across When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.
chalice
goblet; consecrated cup In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous European goldsmiths were on display.
devious
going astray; erratic Your devious behavior in this matter puzzles me since you are usually direct and straightforward.
transition
going from one state of action to another During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.
bullion
gold and silver in the form of bars Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox.
theocracy
government of a community by religious leaders Some Pilgrims favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England.
gerontocracy
government ruled by old people Gulliver visited a gerontocracy in which the young people acted as servants to their elders, all the while dreaming of the day they would be old enough to have servants of their own.
attrition
gradual wearing down They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than to rely on all-out attack.
raspy
grating; harsh The sergeant's raspy voice grated on the recruits' ears.
pall
grow tiresome The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.
macabre
gruesome; grisly The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated. An example of macabre is a series of bloody murders committed by a serial killer.
tutelage
guardianship; training Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.
surmise
guess I surmise that he will be late for this meeting.
remorse
guilt; self-reproach The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.
inebriety
habitual intoxication Because of his inebriety, he was discharged from his position as family chauffeur.
recidivism
habitual return to crime Prison reformers in the United States are disturbed by the high rate of recidivism; the number of persons serving second and third terms indicates the failure of the prisons to rehabilitate the inmates.
clairvoyant
having foresight; fortuneteller clairvoyant warning... Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans.
taciturn
habitually silent; talking a little New Englanders are reputedly taciturn people.
trite
hackneyed; commonplace Thr trite and predictable situations in many television programs alienate many viewers.
hackles
hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog The dog's hackles rose and he began to growl as the sound of footsteps grew louder.
hirsute
hairy He was a hitsute individual with a heavy black beard.
somnolent
half asleep The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker.
satyr
half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus, portrayed as wanton and cunning He was like a satyr in his lustful conduct.
snicker
half-stifled laugh The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack.
tilter
handle used to move the boat's rudder (to steer) Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tilter at all times.
factotum
handyman; person who does all kinds of work Although we had hired him as a messenger, we soon began to use him as a general factotum around the office.
perspicacious
having insight; penetrating; astute The brillant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions.
hover
hang about; wait nearby The police helicopter hovered above the accident.
pendant
hanging down from something Her pendant earrings glistened in the light.
slapdash
haphazard; careless; sloppy From the number of typos and misspellings I've found on it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably slapdash fashion.
placebo
harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill In a controlled experiment, fifty volunteers were given erythromycin tablets; the control group received only placebos.
concord
harmony Watching Tweediedum and Tweedledee battle, Alice wondered why the two brothers could not manage to life in concord.
consonance
harmony; agreement Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm.
raucous
harsh and shrill His raucous laughter irritated me and grated on my ears.
severity
harshness; plainness The newspapers disapproved of the severity of the sentence.
headlong
hasty; rash The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.
odious
hateful I find the task of punishing you most odious.
misogynist
hater of women She accused him of being a misogynist because he had been a bachelor all his life.
misogamy
hatred of marriage He remained a bachelor not because of misogamy but because of ill fate: his fiancee died before the wedding.
determinate
having a fixed order of procedure; invariable At the royal wedding, the procession of the nobles followed a determinate order of precedence.
decollete
having a low-cut neckline Fashion decrees that evening gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.
serrated
having a sawtoothed edge The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated leaves.
plausible
having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious Even though your argument is plausible, I still would like to have more proof.
tendentious
having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.
halting
hesitant; faltering Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words.
falter
hesitate When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once.
flinch
hesitate; shrink He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely.
potpourri
heterogeneous mixture; medley He offered a potpourri of folk songs from many lands.
secrete
hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism. The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans.
apogee
highest point When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.
prodigy
highly gifted child; marvel Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.
baroque
highly ornate Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing.
impede
hinder; block The special prosecutor determined that the Attorney General, though inept, had not intentionally set out to impede the progress of the investigation.
inkling
hint This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans.
insinuate
hint; imply What are you trying to insinuate by that remark?
innuendo
hint; insinuation I can defend myself against direct accusations; innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what trouble me.
tenacious
holding fast I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm.
tenure
holding of an office; time during which such an office is held He was permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired.
retentive
holding; having a good memory The pupil did not need to spend much time in study as he had a retentive mind.
concave
hollow The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff.
hermitage
home of a hermit Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world.
fete
honor at a festival The returning hero was feted at a community supper and dance.
animus
hostile feeling or intent The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.
firebrand
hothead; troublemaker The police triedto keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town.
colossal
huge Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.
behemoth
huge creature; something of monstrous size or power Sportcasters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth."
gargantuan
huge; enormous The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice.
mortify
humiliate; punish the flesh She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears. It mortified me to have to admit that I'd never actually read the book. <was mortified by her children's atrocious manners>
indulgent
humoring; yielding; lenient indulgent parents spoil their children by giving in to their every whim.
parody
humorous imitation; travesty We enjoyed the clever parodies of popular songs that the chorus sang.
facetious
humorous; jocular facetious rules of tresspassing
scavenge
hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers' yards.
supposition
hypothesis; surmise I based my decision to confide in him on the supposition that he would be discreet.
quixotic
idealistic but impractical His head is in the clouds; he is constantly presenting these quixotic schemes.
drone
idle person; male bee Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.
sophomoric
immature; shallow Your sophomoric remarks are a sign of your youth and indicate that you have not given much thought to the problem.
evenhanded
impartial; fair Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females?
transitoriness
impermanence Conscious that all things pass, the psalmist relates the transitoriness of happiness and fame.
pert
impertinent; forward I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology.
metaphor
implied comparison "He soared like an eagle" is an example of a simile; "He is an eagle in flight," is a metaphor.
gamely
in a spirited manner; with courage Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena.
amok
in a state of rage The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.
impugn
doubt; challenge; gainsay I cannot impugn your honesty without evidence.
skeptic
doubter; person who suspends judgment until he has examined the evidence supporting a point of view. In this matter, I am a skeptic; I want proof.
misgivings
doubts Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of evil.
conscript
draftee; person forced into military service Did Rambo volunteer to fight in Vietnam, or was he a conscript, drafted against his will?
oratorio
dramatic poem set to music The Glee Club decided to present an oratorio during their recital.
limn
draw; outline; describe Parodoxically, the more realistic the details this artist chooses, the better able to limn her fantastic, other- worldly landscapes.
pensive
dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness The pensive youth gazed at the painting for a long time and then sighed.
primp
dress or groom oneself with care She primps for hours before a dance.
flotsam
drifting wreckage Beachcombers eke out a living by salvaging the flotsam and jetsam of the sea.
tipple
drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently He found that his most enjoyable evenings occurred when he tippled with his friends at the local pub.
swill
drink greedily Singing, "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum," Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog.
quaff
drink with relish As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the gay songs of the students in the tavern.
ferret
drive or hunt out of hiding She was ferreted out their secret.
repellent
driving away; unattractive Mosquitoes find the odor so repellent that they leave any spot where this liquid has been sprayed.
propulsive
driving forward The jet plane has a greater propulsive power than the engine-driven plane.
flag
droop; grow feeble When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first period, the home team's spirits flagged.
apothecary
druggist In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills.
carousal
drunken revel The party degenerated into an ugly carousal.
provender
dry food; fodder I am afraid of a severe winter because I have stored a large quantity of provender for the cattle.
timid
easily frightened; apprehensive He was timid and cowardish; always backing up at daunting situations.
queasy
easily nauseated; squeamish As the ship left the harbor, he became queasy and thought that he was going to suffer from seasickness.
facile
easy La vita Facile- Easy Life Movie (Italian)
reverberate
echo; resound The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells.
resonant
echoing; resounding; deep and full in sound The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particulary effective when he appears on stage.
mawkish
effusively or insincerely emotional (to the point of being unplesant); insipid Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust.
maudlin
effusively sentimental I do not like such maudlin pictures. I call them tearjerkers.
narcissist
egoism, simple selfishness; vanity, conceit, conceit-ed person- person- having an excessively high opinion of oneself(conceit) A narcissist is his own best friend.
resilient
elastic; having the power of springing back Highly resilient, steel makes excellent bedsprings.
abash
embarrass He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.
reek
emit (odor) The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke.
rapport
emotional closeness; harmony In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in the group have good rapport with one another.
hortatory
encouraging; exhortive The crowd listened to his hortatory statements with ever-growing excitement; finally they rushed from the hall to carry to his suggestions.
endue
endow, indue He was endued with a lion's courage.
savor
enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality Relishing his triumph, Costner especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure.
gusto
enjoyment; enthusiasm He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary.
prodigious
enormous; marvelous He marveled at her prodigious appetite when he saw all the food she ate.
mire
entangle; stick in swampy ground Their rear wheels became mired in mud.
regale
entertain John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.
suppliant
entreating; beseeching He could not resist the dog's suppliant whimpering, and he gave it some food.
gourmand
epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink goumands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it.
tantamount
equal Your ignoring their pathetic condition is tantamount to the murder.
quibble
equivocate; play on words Do not quibble; I want a straightforward and definite answer.
substantive
essential; pertaining to the substance Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the substantive issues.
intrinsically
essentially; inherently; naturally Although my grandmother's china has intrinsically little value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it evokes.
elusive
evasive; baffling; hard to grasp His elusive dreams of wealth were costly to those of his friends who supported him financially.
perpetual
everlasting Ponce de Leon hoped to find perpetual youth.
sinister
evil We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall.
gestate
evolve, as in prenatal growth While this scheme was being gestated by the conspirators, they maintained complete silence about their intentions.
inflated
exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas) His claims about the new product were inflated; it did not work as well as he had promised.
hyperbole
exaggeration; overstatement This salesman is guilty of hyperbole in describing his product; it is wise to discount his claims.
sublime
exalted; noble; uplifting Mother Teresa has been honored for her sublime deeds.
scrutinize
examine closely and critically Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private's uniform.
collate
examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order (Compare , gather, examine) They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age.
ejaculation
exclamation He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard the news.
ostracize
exclude from public favor; ban As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection with the criminals, his friends began to ostracize him.
pretext
excuse He looked for a good pretext to get out of paying a visit to his aunt.
grueling
exhausting The marathon is a grueling race.
iridescent
exhibiting rainbowlike colors She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the surface of the water.
expatriate
exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land Henry James was an American expatriate who settled in England.
expository
explanatory; serving to explain The mannual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece of expository prose: its explanations were so garbled that I couldn't even figure out how to rewind a tape.
debunk
expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule Pointing out that he consistently had voted against strengthening antipollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate's claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.
traduce
expose to slander His opponents tried to traduce the candidate's reputation by spreading rumors about his past.
deprecate
express disapproval of; protest against; belittle "old-fashioned deprecates modern views" A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.
gloat
express evil satisfaction; view malevolently As you gloat over your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?
tirade
extended scolding; denunciation Long before he had finished his tirade, we were sufficiently aware of the seriousness of our misconduct.
pterodactyl
extinct flying reptile The remains of pterodactyls indicate that these flying reptiles had a wingspan of as much as twenty feet.
physiognomy
face He prided himself on his ability to analyze a person's character by studying his physiognomy.
philanderer
faithless lover; flirt Swearing he had never so much as looked at another woman, Jack assured Jill he was no philanderer.
ravel
fall apart into tangles; unravel or untwist; entangle A sigle thread pulled loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.
relapse
fall back or sink again The economy relapsed into a depression from the peak.
plummet
fall sharply Stock prices plummeted as Wall Street reacted to the rise in interest rates.
perjury
false testimony while under oath When several witnesses appeared to challenge his story, he was indicted for perjury.
spurious
false; counterfeit; forged; illogical The hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell spurious antiques from the real things.
renown
fame For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.
grotesque
fantastic; comically hideous On Halloween people enjoy wearing groteque costumes.
modish
fashionable AJ- modish, pretty and talented She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish.
splice
fasten together; unite Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly.
kismet
fate kismet is the Arabic word for "fate."
beget
father; produce; give rise to One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another.
captious
faultfinding His criticisms were always captious and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions.
propitious
favorable; kindly I think it is advisable that we wait for a more propitious occasion to announce our plans; this is not a good time.
claustrophobia
fear of being locked in His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room.
trepidation
fear; trembling agitation We must face the enemy without trepidation if we are to win this battle.
timorous
fearful; demonstrating fear His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment.
intrepid
fearless For his intrepid conduct in battle, he was promoted.
lineaments
features, especially of the face She quickly sketched the lineaments of his face.
feckless
feeble, ineffective; unthinking, irresponsible Einstein was noted for his extraordinary inspirations; on the other hand, he was noted for being feckless in his daily chores.
simulate
feign He simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for his crime.
frond
fern leaf; palm or banana leaf After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of palm trees.
luxuriant
fertile; abundant; ornate Farming was easy in this luxuriant soil.
capricious
fickle; incalculable The storm was capricious and changed course constantly.
dossier
file of documents on a subject Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete dossier.
replenish
fill up again Before she could take another backpacking trip, Carla had to replenish her stock of freeze-dried foods.
fraught
filled Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks.
replete
filled to capacity; abundantly supplied The book is replete with humorous situations.
sordid
filthy; base; vile The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless.
conflagration
fire; or holocaust, inferno In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.
purchase
firm grasp or footing The mountaineer struggled to get a proper purchase on the slippery rock.
sherbet
flavored dessert ice I prefer raspberry sherbet to ice cream since it is less fattening.
excoriate
flay; abrade These shoes are so ill-fitting that they will excoriate the feet and create blisters.
fugitive
fleeting or transitory; roving The film brought a few fugitive images to her mind, but on the whole it made no lasting impression upon her.
evanescent
fleeting; vanishing For a brief moment, the entire skyline was bathed in an orange-red hue in the evanescent rays of the sunset.
pliant
flexible; easily influenced Catherine's disposition was pliant; she was like putty in her suitor's hands.
supple
flexible; pliant The angler found a supple limb and used it as a fishing rod.
lithe
flexible; supple Her figure was lithe and willowy.
pliable
flexible; yielding; adaptable In remodeling the bathroom, we replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing.
sleazy
flimsy; unsubstantial This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well.
parquet
floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosic-like pattern. In laying the floor, the carpenters combined redwood and oak in an elegant parquet.
florid
flowery; ruddy His complexion was even more florid than usual because of his anger.
mellifluous
flowing smoothly; smooth;pleasing to the ear French is a mellifluous language. Latin mell- honey + fluere to flow
confluence
flowing together; crowd They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.
glib
fluent He is a glib and articulate speaker.
flit
fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one boyfriend to the next.
balk
foil When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt.
retinue
following; attendants The queen's retinue followed her down the aisle.
subsequent
following; later In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems.
fatuous
foolish; inane He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.
contrived
forced; artificial; not spontaneous Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws; James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.
duress
forcible restraint, especially unlawfully The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners' demands were met.
harbinger
forerunner The crocus is an early harbinger of spring.
bode
foreshadow; portend The gloomy skies and the sulfurious odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.
presage
foretell The vultures flying overhead presaged the discovery of the corpse in the desert.
portend
foretell; presage The king did not know what these omens might portend and asked his soothsayers to interpret them.
premonition
forewarning We ignored these premonitions of disaster because they appeared to be based on childish fears.
oblivion
forgetfulness Her work had fallen into a state of oblivion; no one bothered to read them.
granulate
form into grains Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar.
polity
form of government of nation or state Our polity should be devoted to the concept that the government should strive for the good of all citizens.
satire
form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking human folly.
redoubtable
formidable; causing fear During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to offend the Russians because they could be redoubtable foes.
noisome
foul smelling; unwholesome I never could stand the noisome atmosphere surrounding the slaughter houses.
quadruped
four-footed animal Most mammals are quadrupeds.
shard
fragment, generally of pottery The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards he had brought back from the expedition.
rubble
fragments Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen.
redolent
fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor Even though it is February, the air is redolent of spring.
chassis
framework & working parts of an automobile "Chassis of a car" Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the chassis was unharmed.
impunity
freedom from punishment The bully mistreated everyone in the class with impunity for he felt that no one would dare retaliate.
berserk
frenzied, angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.
frenetic
frenzied; frantic His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of operation.
furor
frenzy; great excitement The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on the stock exchange.
scruple
fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary.
repine
fret; complain There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.
querulous
fretful; whining His classmates were repelled by his querulous and complaining statements.
facade
front of the building The facade of the building had often been photographed by tourists because it was more interesting than the rear.
obsequy
funeral ceremony Hundreads paid their last respects at his obsequies.
mortician
funeral director; undertaker The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.
purveyor
furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell.
nugatory
futile; worthless This agreement is nugatory for no court will enforce it.
stickler
perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right The Internal Revenue Service agent was a stickler for accuracy; no approximations or rough estimates would satisfy him.
interregnum
period between two reigns Henry VIII desperately sought a male heir because he feared the civil strife that might occur if any prolonged interregum succeeded his death.
epoch
period of time The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of years.
tangential
peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing Despite Clark's attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: why couldn't he come out to dinner with Superman and her?
indissoluble
permanent The indissoluble bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved.
transparent
permitting to light to pass through freely; easily detected Your scheme is so transparent that it will fool no one.
founder
person who establishes (an organization, business) Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus chain.
stoic
person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain The doctor called her patient a stoic because he had borne the pain of the examination without whimpering.
heretic
person who maintains opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church She was punished by the Spanish Inquisition because she was a heretic.
poseur
person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others Some thought Dali was a brillant painter; others dismissed him as a poseur.
tanner
person who turns animal hides into leather Using a solution of tanbark, the tanner treated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.
heckler
person who verbally harasses others The heckler kept interrupting the speaker with rude remarks.
pyromaniac
person with an insane desire to set things on fire The detectives searched the area for the pyromaniac who had set these costly fires.
suborn
persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury) In the Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone.
induce
persuade; bring about After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again.
pharisaical
pertaining to Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical Walter Lippmann has pointed out that moralists who do not attempt to explain the moral code they advocate are often regarded as pharisaical and ignored.
pontifical
pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious From the very beginning of his ministry it was clear from his pontifical pronouncements that John was destined for a high pontifical office.
provincial
pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada.
filial
pertaining to a son or daughter Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents.
traumatic
pertaining to an injury caused by violence In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle.
rustic
pertaining to country people; uncouth The backwoodsman looked out place in his rustic attire.
thespian
pertaining to drama Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career.
seismic
pertaining to earthquakes The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances.
existential
pertaining to existence; pertaining to the philosophy of existentialism To the existential philosopher, human reason is inadequate to explain an irrational, meaningless universe.
piscatorial
pertaining to fishing He spent many happy hours at the lake in his piscatorial activities.
thermal
pertaining to heat The natives discovered that the host springs gave excellent thermal baths and began to develop their community as a health resort.
infernal
pertaining to hell; devilish They could think of no way to hinder his infernal scheme.
inductive
pertaining to induction or preceeding from the specific to the general The discovery of the planet Pluto is an excellent example of the results that can be obtained from inductive reasoning.
mnemonic
pertaining to memory; assisting memory 1. He used mnemonic tricks to master new words. 2. Knuckle mnemonic for the number of days in each month of the Gregorian Calendar. Each projecting knuckle represents a 31-day month. 3.One such mnemonic is "Bill Brown Realized Only Yesterday Good Boys Value Good Work", representing the colours black (0), brown (1), red(2), orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, gray (-m) and white
impenitent
not repentant We could see by his brazen attitude that he was impenitent.
pecuniary
pertaining to money I never expected a pecuniary reward for my work in this activity.
sartorial
pertaining to tailors He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his attire as he was for his acting.
incommodious
not spacious; inconvenient In their incommodious quarters, they had to improvise for closet space.
beholden
obligated; indebted Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone, I cannot accept this favor.
scurrilous
obscene; indecent Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.
recalcitrant
obstinately stubborn Donkeys are reputed to be the most recalcitrant of animals.
engross
occupy fully John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.
incumbent
officeholder The newly elected public official received valuable advice from the present incumbent.
functionary
official As his case was transferred from one functionary to another, he began to despair of ever reaching a settlement.
somatic
pertaining to the body; physical Why do you ignore the spiritual aspects and emphasize only the corporeal and the somatic ones?
hireling
one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously) In a matter of such importance, I do not wish to deal with hirelings; I must meet with the chief.
herpetologist
one who studies reptiles As a boy, Indiana Jones had a traumatic experience involving snakes; sensibly enough, he studies to be archaeologist, not a herpetologist.
ecclesiastic
pertaining to the church The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the pulpit.
tactile
pertaining to the organs or sense of touch His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.
seep
ooze; trickle During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards.
overt
open to view According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.
gape
open widely The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in.
gambit
opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed The player was afraid to accept his opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not see.
rift
opening; break The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds.
agape
openmouthed She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo.
diva
operatic singer; prima donna Although world famous as a diva, she did not indulge in fits of temerament.
controvert
oppose with arguments; contradict To controvert your theory will require much time but it is essential that we disprove it.
tyranny
oppression; cruel government Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life.
implacable
incapable of being pacified Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family.
nascent
incipient; coming into being If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.
proclivity
inclination; natural tendency The cross old lady has a proclivity to grumble.
sadistic
inclined to cruelty If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden.
factious
inclined to form factions; causing dissension. Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists.
subsume
include; encompass Does the general theory of relativity contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity subsumed into Einstein's larger scheme?
irreconsilable
incompatible; not able to be resolved Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce.
provenance
origin or source of something I am not interested in its provenance; I am more concerned with its usefulness than with its source.
prototype
original work used as a model by others The crude typewriter on display in this museum is the prototype of the elaborate machines in use today.
pendant
ornament (hanging from a necklace, etc.) The grateful team presented the coach with a silver chain and pendant engraved with the school's motto.
chase
ornament a metal surface by indenting With his hammer, he carefully chased an intricate design onto the surface of the chalice.
epaulet
ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.) The shoulder loops on Sam Spade's trench coat are the nonmilitary counterparts of the fringed epaulets on George Washington's uniform.
frieze
ornamental band on a wall The frieze of the church was adorned with sculpture.
brooch
ornamental clasp She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.
rococo
ornate; highly decorated The rococo style in furniture and architecture, marked by scrollwork and excessive decoration, flourished during the middle of the eighteenth century.
irremediable
incurable; uncorrectable The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it.
nonchalance
indifference; lack of interest Few people could understand how he could listen to the news of the tragedy with such nonchalance; the mahority regarded him as callous and unsympathetic.
insouciant
indifferent; without concern or care Your insouciant attitude at such a critical moment indicates that you do not understand the gravity of the situation.
circumlocution
indirect or roundabout expression He was afraid to call spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.
mealymouthed
indirect speech; hypocritical; evasive <a mealymouthed compliment from a jealous competitor>
pretentious
ostentatious; ambitious I do not feel that your limited resources will permit you to carry out such a pretentious program.
proscribe
ostracize; banish; outlaw Antony, Octavius and Lepidus proscribed all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.
incontrovertible
indisputable We must yield to the incontrovertible evidence that you have presented and free your client.
proselytize
induce someone to convert to religion or belief In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to proselytize; we must respect all points of view.
inerrancy
infallibility Jane refused to believe in the pope's inerrancy, reasoning: "All human beings are capable of error. The pope is a human being. Therefore, he pope is capable of error.
opprobrium
infamy; vilification; public disgrace He refused to defend himself against the slander and opprobrium hurled against him by the newspapers; he preferred to rely on his record.
illimitable
infinite Human beings, having explored the far corners of the earth, are now reaching out into illimitable space.
colloquy
informal discussion loqui (speak, intelligent)-conference I enjoy our colloquies but I sometimes wish that they could be made more formal and more searching.
denizen
inhabitant of Ghosts are denizens of the land of the dead who return to earth.
discordant
inharmonious; conflicting She tried to unite the discordant factions.
mayhem
injury to the body The riot was marked not only by mayhem, with its attendant loss of life and limb, but also by arson and pillage.
tesselated
inlaid; mosaic I recall seeing a table with a tesselated top of bits of stone and glass in a very interesting pattern.
demented
insane She became increasingly demented and had to be hospitalized.
epitaph
inscription in memory of a dead person In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone.
interpolate
insert between She talked so much that I could not interpolate a single remark.
foist
insert improperly; palm off I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group.
perceptive
insightful; aware; wise Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic, she had her blind sports: she could never see flaws in the work of her friends.
puny
insignificant; tiny; weak Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.
inconsequential
insignificant; unimportant Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken the wine glass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's inconsequential."
knotty
intricate; difficult; tangled What to Watson had been a knotty problem to Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself.
prelude
introduction; forerunner I am afraid that this border raid is the prelude to more serious attacks.
prefactory
introductory The chairman made a few prefactory remarks before he called on the first speaker.
interloper
intruder The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade.
figment
invention; imaginary thing That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination.
tonic
invigorating medicine The tonic water invigorated her, contrary to the enervating effect of the alcohol.
ineluctable
irresistable; not to be escaped He felt that his fate was ineluctible and refused to make any attempt to improve his lot.
impiety
irreverence; wickedness We must regard your blasphemy as an act of impiety.
impious
irreverent The congregation was offended by her impious remarks.
testy
irritable; short-tempered My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as he is rather testy and may shout at you.
demotic
pertaining to the people He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the nation's standards.
sensuous
pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses He was stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells about him; he was enjoying his sensuous experience.
stellar
pertaining to the stars He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance.
sylvan
pertaining to the woods; rustic His paintings of nymphs in sylvan backgrounds were criticized as oversentimental.
relevant
pertinent; referring to the case in hand Teri was impressed by how relevant Virginia Woolf's remarks were to her as a woman writer; it was as if Woolf had been writing with Teri's situation in mind.
supplicate
petition humbly; pray to grant a favor We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty.
denouement
outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act.
outwit
outsmart; trick By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his pursuers and escape capture.
semblance
outward appearance; guise Although this book has a semblance of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many errors and omissions.
trappings
outward decorations; ornaments He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet.
carping
petty criticism; fault-finding Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexy appreciated her editor's comments, finding them free of carping.
epistemologist
philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge "What is more important, a knowledge of nature of the nature of knowledge?" the epistemologist asked the naturalist.
circumvent
outwit; baffle "Circumvent the enemy" Circumvent the enemy with our alternative plan. In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.
rankle
irritate; fester The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.
pique
irritation; resentment She showed her pique by her refusal to appear with the other contestants at the end of the contest.
beneficent
kindly; doing good The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money and left himself with nothing.
realm
kingdom; sphere The realm of possibilities for the new invention was endless.
consanguinity
kinship "con- associated- sanguin -blood" The lawsuit developed into a test of the consanguinity of the claimant to the estate.
trinket
knickknack; bauble Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.
timidity
lack of self-confidence or courage If you are to succeed as a salesperson, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.
levity
lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity Stop giggling abd wriggling around in the pew; such levity is improper in church.
mal-adroit
lacking adroit-ness; clumsy; bungling In his usual maladroit way, he managed to upset the cart and spill the food.
imprudent
lacking caution; injudicious It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and become overheated when you are unwell.
insipid
lacking in flavor; dull Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle.
dispirited
lacking in spirit The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which I had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.
gloss
over explain away No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he had raised the taxes after all.
surmount
overcome He had to surmount many obstacles in order to succeed.
topography
physical features of a region Before the generals gave the order to attack, they ordered a complete study of the topography of the region.
oculist
physician who specialized in treatment of the eyes In many states, an oculist is the only one who may apply medicinal drops to the eyes for the purpose of examining them.
spartan
lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined Looking over the bare, unheated room with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan quarters. Only his spartan sense of duty kept him at his post.
incontinent
lacking self-restraint His incontinent behavior off stage shocked many people and they refused to attend the plays and movies in which he appeared.
inept
lacking skill; inadequate; inappropriate inept as a carpenter, Ira was all thumbs.
insubstantial
lacking substance; insignificant; frail His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role.
jargon
language used by special group; gibberish We tried to understand the jargon of the peddlers in the market place but could not find any basis for comprehension.
parlance
language; idiom All this legal parlance confuses me; I need an interpreter.
pine
languish, decline; long for, yearn Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather.
bevy
large group The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of startlets.
mosaic
picture made of smell, colorful inlaid tiles The mayor compared the ciry to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth.
hieroglyphic
picture writing The discovery of the Rosetta Stone enabled scholars to read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
impale
pierce He was impaled by the spear hurled by his adversary.
galleon
large sailing ship The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the British, on the smaller and faster pinnace.
tome
large volume He spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes.
salacious
lascivious; lustful Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.
scourge
lash; whip; severe punishment They feared the plague and regarded it as a deadly scourge.
languor
lassitude; depression His friends tried to overcome the languor into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the theater.
terminus
last stop of railroad After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses.
enduring
lasting; surviving 1. Enduring friendship was supposed to be based upon. 2. Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which outlast its creator's brief lives.
ludicrous
laughable; trifling Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue.
profusion
lavish expenditure; overabundant condition Seldom have I seen food and drink served in such profusion as at the wedding feast.
sumptuous
lavish; rich I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.
statute
law We have many statutes in our law books which should be repealed.
shyster
lawyer using questionable methods. On L.A. Law, respectable attorney Brackman was horrified to learn that his newly discovered half brother was a cheap shyster.
spawn
lay eggs Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams.
stratum
layer of earth's surface; layer of society Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt.
punctilious
laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; precise We must be punctilious in our planning of this affair, for any error may be regarded as a personal affront.
cant
pious phraseology; jargon of criminals Angry that the president had slashed the education budget, we dismissed his speech on the importance of education as mere cant.
cartographer
map-maker Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of the fictional world.
disfigure
mar the appearance of; spoil "villain disfigure pleasant face"
checkered
marked by changes in fortune "checkered career" During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.
holster
pistol case Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm.
aphorism
pithy maxim An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific.
ruthless
pitiless The escaped convict was a dangerous and ruthless murderer.
sheathe
place into a case As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends.
purgatory
place of spiritual expiation Naraka/ Hell serves only as a temporary purgatory where the soul is purified of sin by its suffering
superimpose
place over something else Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of our government.
ford
place where a river can be crossed on foot Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a half-mile downstream until he came to the neartest ford.
perspicuous
plainly expressed Her perspicuous comments eliminated all posibility of misinterpretation.
premeditate
plan in advance She had premeditated the murder for months, reading about common poisons and buying weed killer that contained arsenic.
rostrum
platform for speech-making; pulpit The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was approaching the rostrum.
staccato
played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt, sharp sound His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.
sportive
playful Such a sportive attitude is surprising in a person as serious as you usually are.
entreat
plead; ask earnestly She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight.
piquant
pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal.
enrapture
please intensely The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.
luscious
pleasing to taste or smell The ripe peach was luscious.
troth
pledge of good faith especially in betrothal He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always.
scenario
plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their customary scenario and began to improvise.
fallow
plowed but sowed; uncultivated Farmers have learned that it is advisable to permit land to le fallow every few years.
ravage
plunder; despoil The marauding army ravaged the countryside.
despoil
plunder; to strip of belongings, possessions, or value : pillage If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.
depredation
plundering; plunder, pillage, or rapine-ing After the DEPREDATIONS OF THE INVADERS, the people were penniless.
douse
plunge into water; drench; extinguish They doused each other with hoses and balloons.
elegy
poem or song expressing lamentation On the death of Edward King, Milton composed the elegy "Lycidas."
bard
poet The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.
solstice
point at which the sun is farthest from the equator The winter solstice usually occurs on December 21.
perigee
point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth The rocket which was designed to take photographs of the moon was launched as the moon approached its perigee.
martrix
point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization.
doggerel
poorverse Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel.
demoniac
possessed or influenced by a demon; fiendish The Spanish Inquisition (inquiry) devised many demoniac means of torture.
striated
marked with parallel bands; grooved The glacier left many striated rocks.
sustenance
means of support, food, nourishment In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to obtain because of all the fruit trees.
mete
measure; distribute; L He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete out justice.
jocund
merry Santa Claus is always vivacious and jocund.
lode
metal-bearing vein If this lode that we have discovered extends for any distance, we have found a fortune.
regime
method or system of government When a Frenchman mentions the Old Regime, he refers to the government existing before the revolution.
euphemism
mild expression in place of an unpleasant one The expression "he passed away" is a euphemism for "he died."
skirmish
minor fight Custer's troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on maneuvers; they did not expect to face a major battle.
squabble
minor quarrel; bickering Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let the children work things out on their own.
misadventure
mischance; ill luck The young explorer met death by misadventure.
skinflint
miser The old skinflint refused to give her a raise.
qualms
misgivings His qualms of conscience had become so great that he decided to abandon his plans.
fallacious
misleading Your reasoning must be fallacious because it leads to a ridiculous answer.
projectile
missile Man has always hurled projectiles at his enemy whether in the form of stones or of highly explosive shells.
misapprehension
misunderstanding; error To avoid msapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.
knead
mix; work dough Her hands grew strong from kneading bread.
promiscuous
mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular, particularly sexually In the opera La Boheme, we get a picture of the promiscuous life led by the young artists of Paris.
garbled
mixed up; jumbled; distorted A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another; by the time it reaches the last player, the message has become totally garbled.
miscellany
mixture of writings on various subjects This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.
gibe
mock As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish thoughts?
scoff
mock; ridicule He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.
satirical
mocking The humor of cartoonists Gary Trudeau often is satirical; though the comments of the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.
simian
monkeylike Lemurs are nocturnal mammals and have many simian characteristics, although they are less intelligent than monkeys.
mausoleum
monumental tomb His body was placed in the family mausolem.
low
moo From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely hear the cattle low.
probity
moral uprightness; incorruptibility Everyone took his probity for granted; his defalcations, therefore, shocked us all.
impetus
moving force; incentive; stimulus A new federal highway program would create jobs and five added impetus to our economic recovery.
bate
let down; restrain Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity.
torpor
lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy Nothing seemed to arouse him from his torpor; he had wholly surrendered himself to lethargy.
missive
letter The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State.
fallible
liable to err I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.
prevaricate
lie Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and regard the statement as a "white lie."
equivocate
lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his remarks.
inanimate
lifeless she was asked to identify the still and inanimate body.
flick
light stroke as with a whip The horse needed no encouragement; only one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the animal to run at top speed.
giddy
light-hearted; dizzy He felt his giddy youth was past.
ethereal
light; heavenly; fine Visitors were impressed by her ethereal beauty, her delicate charm.
jaunty
lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree In Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way throughtthe lighthearted title number in a properly jaunty style.
rabid
like a fanatic; furious He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ball park.
leonine
like a lion He was leonine in his rage.
diorama
like-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history Because they dramatically pose actual stuffed animals against realistic painted landscapes, the dioramas at the Museum of Natural History particularly impress high school biology students.
qualified
limited; restricted Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement.
queue
line They stood patiently in the queue outside the movie theatre.
concatenate
link as in a chain "concatenate the events" It is difficult to understand how these events could concatenate as they did without outside assistance.
roster
list They print the roster of players in the season's program.
repertoire
list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.
stygian
literary dark The stygian room reminded him of an empty space.
knoll
little, round hill Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in Samoa; to reach the grave site, you must climb uphill and walk a short distance along a marked path.
skittish
lively; frisky She is as skittish as a kitten playing with a piece of string.
rousing
lively; stirring "And now, let's have a rousing welcome for TV's own Roseanne Arnold, who'll lead us in a rousing rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"
coeval
living at the same time as; contemporary coeval with the dinosaur, the pterodactyl flourished during the Mesozoic era.
abominate
loathe; hate Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.
repugnance
loathing She looked at the snake with repugnance.
patois
local or provincial dialect His years of study of the language at the university did not enable him to understand the patois of the natives.
syllogism
logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument There must be a fallacy in this syllogism; I cannot accept its conclusion.
dawdle
loiter; waste time In as much as we must meet a deadline, do not dawdle over this work.
lank
long and thin lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln was a striking figure.
epic
long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of robbers.
eon
long period of time; an age aeon (variant) It has taken eons for our civilization to develop.
odyssey
long, evenful journey The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying odyssey.
nostalgia
longing for the past; desire to return to an earlier time in life (noun); An example of nostalgia is the craving to be back in college again. homesickness; The first settlers found so much work to do that they had little time for nostalgia.
retrospective
looking back on the past It is only when we become retrospective that we can appreciate the tremendous advances made during this century.
episodic
loosely connected Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic.
languish
lose animation; lose strength In stories, lovelorn damsels used to languish and pine away.
strident
loud and harsh She scolded him in a strident voice
clangor
loud, resounding noise "clangor of hammers" The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.
loll
lounge about They lolled around in their chairs watching television.
sybarite
lover of luxury Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for a life of luxury.
nether
lower Nether edge sunset Tradition locates hell in the nether regions.
steadfast
loyal; unswerving Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.
fidelity
loyalty A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite household pet.
preen
make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction As Kitty preened before the mirror, carefully smoothing her shining hair, she couldn't help preening herself on her good looks.
indemnify
make secure against loss; compensate for loss The city will indemnify all home owners whose property is spoiled by this project.
addle
muddle; drive crazy This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone.
turbid
muddy; having the sediment disturbed The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.
regicide
murder of a king or queen The beheading of Mary Queen of Scots was an act of regicide.
mutter
murmur or grumble The child muttered at the doll.
maim
mutilate; injure The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or [maimed in the railroad accident].
reciprocal
mutual; exchangeable; interacting The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.
internecine
mutually destructive The rising death toll on both sides indicates the internecine natire of his conflict.
occult
mysterious; secret; supernatural The occult rites of the organization were revealed only to members.
runic
mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet Tolkien's use of Old English words and inscriptions in the runic alphabet give The Lord of the Rings its atmosphere of antiquity.
centaur
mythical figure, half man and half horse I was particularly impressed by the statue of the centaur in the Roman Hall of the museum.
ingenuous
naive; young and unsophisticated Although she was over forty, the movie star still insisted that she be cast as an ingenuous sweet young thing.
recount
narrate or tell; count over again About to recount the latest adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Watson lost track of exactly how many cases Holmes had solved and refused to begin his tale until he'd recounted them one by one.
gorge
narrow canyon; steep, rocky cleft Terrified of heights, George could not bring himself to peer down into the gorge to see the rapids below.
isthmus
narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land In a magnificent feat of engineering, Goethals and his men cut through the isthmus of Panama in constructing the Panama Canal.
ravine
narrow valley with steep sides Steeper than a gully, less precipitous than a canyon, a ravine is, like them, the product of years of erosion.
philistine
narrow-minded person, uncultured and exculsively interested in material gain We need more men of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among us.
sectarian
narrow-minded; limited in scope As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to mere sectarian concerns.
insularity
narrow-mindedness; isolation The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anyuthing foreign.
sextant
navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude Given a clear night, with the aid of his sextant and compass, he could keep the ship safely on course.
impending
nearing; approaching The entire country was saddened by the news of his impending death.
propinquity
nearness; kinship Their relationship could not be explained as being based on mere propinquity: they were more than relatives; they were true friends.
spruce
neat and trim Every button buttoned, tie firmly in place, young Alex Keaton looked spruce and tidy for his job interview at the bank.
deft
neat; skillful The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.
natty
neatly or smartly dresssed Priding himself on being a natty dresser, the gangster Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits and ties.
requisite
necessary requirement Many colleges state that a student must offer three years of a language as a requisite for admission.
tautological
needlessly repetitious In the sentence "It was visible to the eye," the phrase "to the eye" is tautological.
pejorative
negative in connotation; having a belittling effect. Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made [pejorative remarks] about his character. Some call them by more pejorative terms, such as "illegals" or "illegal aliens."
derelict
neglectful of duty; abandoned The corporal who fell asleep while on watch was thrown into the guardhouse for being DERELICT IN his DUTY..
remiss
negligent He was accused of being remiss in his duty when the prisoner escaped.
titter
nervous laugh Her aunt's constant titter nearly drove her mad.
seine
net for catching fish When the shad run during the spring, you may see fishermen with seines along the banks of our coastal rivers.
subtlety
nicety; cunning; guile; delicacy The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.
outmoded
no longer stylish; old-fahioned Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.
patrician
noble; aristocratic; original aristocratic families of Ancient Rome We greatly admired her well-bred, patrician elegance
simplistic
oversimplified Though Jack's solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to consider various complicating factors that might arise.
streotyped
oversimplified; lacking individuality; seen as a type My chief objection to the book is that the characters are stereotyped; they come across as ethnic caricatures, not as real people with individual quirks, fears, and dreams.
glut
overstock; fill to excess The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the many articles they had produced.
rave
overwhelmingly favorable review Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say about contemporary plays, his review of All in the Timing was a total rave.
placate
pacify; conciliate The teacher tried to placate the angry mother.
travail
painful labor How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation without rebelling?
stipple
paint or draw with dots Seurat carefully stippled dabs of pure color on the canvas, juxtaposing dots of blue and yellow that the viewer's eye would interpret as green.
fresco
painting in plaste (usually fresh) The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Glotto.
mauve
pale purple [mauve tint in the lilac bush] was another indication that spring had finally arrived.
tract
pamphlet; a region of indefinite size The King granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World.
sere
parched; dry After the unseasonably dry winter the Berkeley hills looked dusty and sere.
rudimentary
not developed; elementary His dancing was limited to a few rudimentary steps.
insatiable
not easily satisfied; greedy Welty's thirst for knowledge was insatiable; she was in the library day and night.
ineffectual
not effective; weak Because the candidate failed to get across his message to the public, his campaign was ineffectual.
disingenuous
not naive; sophisticated Although he was young, his remarks indicated that he was disingenous.
heedless
not noticing; disregarding He drove on, heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous.
extemporaneous
not planned; impromtu Because his extemporaneous remarks were misinterpreted, he decided to write all his speeches in advance.
theoretical
not practical or applied; hypothetical Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical objections to your plan, you've convinced me of its basic soundness.
palimpsest
parchment used for second time after original writing has been erased Using chemical reagents, scientists have been able to restore the original writings on many palimpsests.
proscenium
part of stage in front of curtain In the theater-in-the-round there can be no proscenium or proscenium arch.
penumbra
partial shadow (in an eclipse) During an eclipse, we can see an area of total darkness and a lighter area, which is the penumbra.
complicity
participation; involvement You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.
genre
particular variety of art or literature Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre.
translucent
partly transparent We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.
trajectory
path taken by a projectile The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory of the bullet.
forberance
patience We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.
resignation
patient submissiveness; statement that one is quitting a job If Bob Cratchit had not accepted Scrooge's bullying with timid resignation, he might have gotten up the nerve to hand in his resignation.
millinery
person who makes or sells women's hats Philip Treacy OBE, an award-winning Irish milliner who designs hats for the most important designers in the world and for such women as Sarah Jessica Parker, Princess Beatrice of York, Lady Gaga and Isabella Blow. The millinery displayed fashionable hats in the street where many women passed by.
thrive
prosper; flourish Despite the impact of recession on the restaurant trade, Philip's cafe thrived.
tutelary
protective; pertaining to a guardianship I am acting in my tutelary capacity when I refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus.
remonstrance
protest; objection The authorities were deaf to the pastor's remonstrances about the lack of police protection in the area.
expostulation
protest; remonstrance Despite the teacher's scoldings and expostulations, the class remained unruly.
maxim
proverb; a truth pithily stated Aesop's fables(comic book series) illustrate moral maxims.
skimp
provide scantily; live very economically They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter.
synoptic
providing a general overview; summary The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new in the field.
tentative
provisional; experimental Your tentative plans sound plausible; let me know when the final details are worked out.
paranoia
psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution Suffering from paranois, he claimed everyone was out to get him; ironically, his claim was accurate; even paranoids have enemies.
obtrusive
pushing forward I found her a very obstrusive person, constantly seeking the center of the stage.
quell
put down; quiet The police used fire hoses and teat gas to quell the rioters.
marshal
put in order At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to [marshal their thoughts] before addressing their audience.
discomfit
put to rout; defeat; disconcert This ruse will [discomfit the enemy].
entrance
put under a spell; carry away with emotion Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound.
septic
putrid; producing putrefaction The hospital was in such a filthy state that we were afraid that many of the patients would suffer from septic poisoning.
rebus
puzzle in which pictures stand for words A coven of witches beside a tree is a possible rebus for the town Coventry.
timbre
quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument We identify the instrument producing a musical sound by its timbre.
poignancy
quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the poignancy of the scene.
naivete
quality of being unsophisticated I cannot believe that such naivete is unassumed in a person of her age and experience.
droll
queer and amusing He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.
slake
quench; sate When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.
nostrum
questionable medicine No quack selling nostrums is going to cheat me.
inquisitor
questioner (specially harsh); investigator Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her inquisitors with trepidation.
receptive
quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc. Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved a receptive audience for Tom's tales of buried treasure and piracy.
retort
quick, sharp reply Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a retort.
foray
raid The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost.
exalt
raise in rank or dignity; praise The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the Queen; he now is known as Sir Alec Guinness.
ken
range of knowledge I cannot answer your question since this matter is beyond my ken.
fester
rankle, produce irritation or resentment Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.
rummage
ransack; thoroughly search When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days.
knavery
rascality We cannot condone such knavery in public officials.
foolhardy
rash Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture.
rant
rave; speak bombastically As we heard him rant on the platform, we could not understand his strange popularity with many people.
maniac-al
raving mad His maniacal laughter frightened us.
perusal
reading I am certain that you have missed important details in your rapid perusal of this document.
lectern
reading desk The chaplain delivered his sermon from a hastily improvised lectern.
foster
rear; encourage According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf that raised the abandoned infants as her own.
rampant
rearing up on hind legs; unrestrained The rampant weeds in the garden killed all the flowers that had been planted in the spring.
rationalize
reason; justify an improper act Do not try to rationalize your behavior by blaming your companions.
ratiocination
reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises While Watson was a man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made him a superb detective.
maverick
rebel; nonconformist; independent in behavior or thought; an unbranded range animal; especially : a motherless calf(n); an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party(n); from Samuel Maverick, Texas lawyer Steve Jobs Was Digital Maverick but Marketing Traditionalist. To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking cigars was clearly a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.
insurrection
rebellion; uprising Given the current state of affairs in South Africa, an insurrection seems unavoidable.
insurgent
rebellious We will not discuss reforms until the insurgent troops have returned to their homes.
repercussion
rebound; reverberation; reaction I am afraid that this event will have serious repercussions.
comeuppance
rebuke; deserts no comeuppance for their crimes? After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance.
ebb
recede; lessen His fortunes began to ebb during the recession.
recipient
receiver Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful to his benefactor.
advert
refer to Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important.
sublimate
refine; purify We must strive to sublimate these desires and emotions into worthwhile activities.
rebuttal
refutation; response with contrary evidence The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his arguments in her rebuttal.
limbo
region near heaven or hell where certain souls are kept Among the divisions of Hell are Purgatory and limbo.
clime
region; climate His doctors advised him to move to a milder clime.
deplore
regret; bemoan, lament, grieve (for), mourn, wail (for) Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.
rueful
regretful; sorrowful; dejected The artist has captured the sadness of childhood in his portrait of the boy with the rueful countenance.
redress
remedy; compensation Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries?
compunction
remorse "compunction for crime" The judge was especially severe in this sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.
dislodge
remove (forcible) Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to [dislodge the food caught in this throat].
rote
repetition He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood what he was saying.
alliteration
repetition of beginning sound in poetry "The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration.
supplant
replace; usurp Corazon Aquino supplanted Ferdinand Marcos as president of the Philippines.
replicate
reproduce; duplicate To the chagrin of the scientists, they were unable to replicate the results of their controversial experiment.
reprimand
reprove severely I am afraid that my parents will reprimand me when I show them my report card.
recant
repudiate; withdraw previous statement Unless you recant your confession, you will be punished severely.
odium
repugnance; dislike I cannot express the odium I feel at your heinous actions.
solicit
request earnestly; seek Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass, the mayor telephoned all the members of the city council to solicit their votes.
sedentary
requiring sitting Because he had a sedentary occupation, he decided to visit a gymnasium weekly.
salvage
rescue from loss All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.
atavism
resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback Martin seemed an atavism to his Tuscan ancestors who lavished great care on their small plots of soil.
reticent
reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones, noting that the formers' dislike of idle chatter might ensure their discretion about his affairs.
slag
residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.
sedition
resistance to authority; insubordination His words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition.
sonorous
resonant His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.
recourse
resorting to help when in trouble The boy's only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.
reputable
respectable If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too many dealers today pass off fakes as genuine antiques.
reverent
respectful His reverent attitude was appropriate in a house of worship.
restive
restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control Waiting impatiently in the line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to fidget.
renovate
restore to good condition; renew They claim that they can renovate worn shoes so that they look like new ones.
rehabilitate
restore to proper condition We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.
pinion
restrain They pinioned his arms against his body but left his legs free so that he could move about.
repress
restrain; crush; oppress Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.
manacle
restrain; handcuff The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape.
temperate
restrained; self-controlled Noted for his temperate appetite, he seldom gained weight.
procrastinate
postpone; delay It is wise not to procrastinate; otherwise, we find ourselves bogged down in a mass of work that should have been finished long ago.
effusion
pouring forth The critics objected to her literary effusion because it was too flowery.
effusive
pouring forth; gushing Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them.
indigence
poverty Neither the economists nor the political scientists have found a way to wipe out the inequities of wealth and eliminate indigence from our society.
impuissance
powerlessness; feebleness The lame duck President was frustrated by his shift from enormous power to relative impuissance.
precept
practical rule guiding conduct "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile precept.
extol
praise; glorify The astronauts were extolled as the pioneers of the Space Age.
encomiastic
praising; eulogistic Some critics believe that his [encomiastic statements] about Napoleon were inspired by his desire for material advancement rather than by an honest belief in the Emperor's genius.
escapade
prank; flighty conduct The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.
frolicsome
prankish; gay The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master.
nicety
precision; minute distinction I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning.
foreboding
premonition of evil Caeser ridiculed his wife's foreboding about the Ides of March.
presentiment
premonition; foreboding Hamlet felt a presentiment about his meeting with Laertes.
concoct
prepare by combining; make up in concert How did the inventive chef ever concoct such strange dish?
regimen
prescribed diet and habits I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.
stymie
present an obstacle; stump The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation.
overweening
presumptuous; arrogant His overweening pride in his accomplishments was not justified.
sham
pretend He shammed sickness to get out of going to school.
feign
pretend Lady Macbeth feigned illness in the courtyard although she was actually healthy.
dissimulate
pretend; conceal by feigning She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude.
hypocritical
pretending to be virtuous; deceiving I resent his hypocritical posing as a friend for I know he is interested only in his own advancement.
bluff
pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff, she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff into the waters below.
connivance
pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher.
subterfuge
pretense; evasion As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy.
haughtiness
pride; arrogance I resent his haughtiness because he is no better than we are.
hummock
small hill The ascent of the hummock is not difficult and the view from the hilltop is ample reward tor the effort.
spangle
small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.
ostentatious
showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling place in the East: it easily outglitters its competitors.
scintilla
shred; least bit You have not produced a scintilla of evidence to support your argument.
clarion
shrill, trumpetlike sound We woke to the clarion to muffle its striking.
diffidence
shyness You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson.
portent
sign; omen; forewarning He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil.
muted
silent; muffled; toned down In the funeral parlor, the mourners' voices had a muted quality.
inane
silly; senseless Such comments are inane because they do not help us solve our program.
synchronous
similary timed; simultaneous with We have many examples of scientists in different parts of the world who have made synchronous discoveries.
fusilade
simultaneous firing or outburs (of missiles, questions, etc.) Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture concludes with a thunderous fusilade of cannon fire.
incantation
singing or chanting of magical formula Uttering incantations to make the brew more potent, the witch doctor stirred the liquid in the caldron.
scuttle
sink The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.
obloquy
slander; disgrace; infamy I resent the obloquy that you are casting upon my reputation.
revile
slander; vilify He was avoided by all who feared that he would revile and abuse them if they displeased him.
detraction
slandering; aspersion He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.
argot
slang In the argot of the underworld, she "was taken for a ride."
shambles
slaughterhouse; scene of carnage By the time the police arrived, the room was a shambles.
thrall
slave; bondage The captured soldier was held in thrall by the conquering army.
servitude
slavery; compulsory labor Born a slave, Douglass resented his wife of servitude and plotted to escape to the North.
servile
slavish; cringing Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature.
soporific
sleep producing I do not need a sedative when I listen to one of his soporific speeches.
somnambulist
sleepwalker The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her monologue in the sleepwalking scene is one of the highlights of Shakespeare's play.
smattering
slight knowledge I don't know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere smattering of information about it.
slither
slip or slide During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station.
ramp
slope; inclined plane The house was built with ramps instead of stairs in order to enable the man in the wheelchair to move easily from room to room and floor to floor.
dowdy
slovenly; untidy She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a fashionable new wardrobe.
slacken
slow up; loosen As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.
sloth
slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal Note how well the somewhat greenish coat of the sloth enables it to blend in with its arboreal surroundings.
sluggish
slow; lazy; lethargic After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion.
stealth
slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness Fearing detection by the sentries on duty, the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great stealth.
satellite
small body revolving around a larger one During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United States.
grotto
small cavern The Blue Grotto in Capri can be entered only by small boats rowed by natives through a natural opening in the rocks.
figurine
small ornamental statuette In the Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird.
facet
small plane surface (of a gem); a side The stonecutter decided to improve the rough diamond by providing it with several facets.
circlet
small ring; band This tiny circlet is very costly because it is set with precious stones.
rivulet
small stream As the rains continued, the trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to wash away a portion of the slope.
microcosm
small world In the microcosm of our rural village, we find illustrations of all the evils that beset the universe.
clique
small, exclusive group She charged that a clique had assumed control of school affairs.
skiff
small, light sailboat or rowboat Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.
pallet
small, poor bed The weary traveler went to sleep on his straw pallet.
exiguous
small; minute Grass grew there, an exiguous outcropping among the rocks.
daub
smear (as with paint) From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils.
simper
smirk; smile affectedly Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered.
rebuff
snub; beat back She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed.
saturate
soak Their clothes were saturated by the rain.
steep
soak; saturate Be sure to steep the fabric in the dye bath for the full time prescribed.
sodden
soaked; dull, as if from drink He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.
staid
sober; sedate Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.
gregarious
sociable Typically, party-throwers are gregarious; hermits are not.
gaffe
social blunder According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a tactical mistake.
scapegoat
someone who bears the blame for others After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.
glutton
someone who eats too much When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton.
pathos
tender to sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings. The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly sentimental.
spendthrift
someone who wastes money Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop. 193. sphinx-like enigmatic; mysterious The Mona Lisa's sphinx-like expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries.
prate
speak foolishly; boast idly Let us not prate about our qualities; rather, let our virtues speak for themselves.
polyglot
speaking several languages New York City is a polyglot community because of the thousands of immigrants who settle there.
taxonomist
specialist in classifying (animals, etc.) Dental patterns often enable the taxonomist to distinguish members of one rodent species from those of another.
inarticulate
speechless; producing indistinct speech He became inarticulate with rage and uttered sounds without meaning.
tempo
speed of music I find the conductor's tempo too slow for such a brilliant piece of music.
celerity
speed; rapidity "celerity of GRE study" Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death.
niggle
spend too much time on minor points; carp Let's not niggle over details.
regeneration
spiritual rebirth Modern penologists strive for the regeneration of the prisoners.
polarize
split into opposite extremes or camps The abortion issue has polarized the country into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps.
rend
split; tear apart In his grief, he tried to rend his garments.
bungle
spoil by clumsy behavior I was afraid you would bungle his assignment but I had no one else to send.
musty
stale; spoiled by age The attic was dark and musty.
scotch
stamp out; thwart; hinder Heather tried to scotch the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiance.
philatelist
stamp-collector When she heard the value of the Penny Black stamp, Phyllis was inspired to become a philatelist.
rout
stampede; drive out The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy
gawk
stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city.
kindle
start a fire; inspire Her teacher's praise kindled a spark a hope inside her.
quirk
startling twise; caprice By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.
stupor
state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him.
bereavement
state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.
inertia
state of being inert or indisposed to move Our inertia in this matter may prove disastrous; we must move to aid our allies immediately.
multiplicity
state of being numerous He was appalled by the multuplicity of details he had to complete before setting out on his mission.
salutary
tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.
inconsistency
state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? Where lawyers check inconsistencies in witnesses' statements, agricultural inspectors check inconsistencies in Grade A eggs.
decrepitude
state of collapse caused by illness or old age I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.
responsiveness
state of reacting readily to appeals, order, etc. The audience cheered and applauded, delighting the performers by its responsiveness.
turbulence
state of violent agitation We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean during the storm.
rigid
stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society's most rigid rule of respectable behavior.
extant
still in existence 1. extant Roman theater - almost perfect 2. Although the authorities suppressed the book, many copies are extant and may be purchased at exorbitant prices.
galvanize
stimulate by shock; stir up The entire nation was galvanized into strong military activity by the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
subversive
tending to overthrow; destructive At first glance, the notion that Styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups strikes most environmentalists as subversive.
terminology
terms used in a science or art The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse laypersons than to enlighten them.
enclave
territory enclosed within an alien land The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy.
sententious
terse; concise; aphoristic After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particulary pleasing.
proviso
stipulation I am ready to accept your proposal with the two proviso that you meet your obligations within the next two weeks.
stoke
stir up a fire; feed plentifully As a Scout, Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to extinguish it completely.
suture
stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals.
squat
stocky; short and thick Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good food.
touchstone
stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person?
balk
stoop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area.
check
stop motion; curb or restrain Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better check your temper."
repository
storehouse Libraries are repositories of the world's best thoughts.
granary
storehouse for grain We have reason to be thankful, for our crops were good and our granaries are full.
cantata
story set to music, to be sung by a chorus The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.
raconteur
story-teller My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of anecdotes.
portly
stout; corpulent The salesclerk tactfully referred to the overweight customer as portly rather than fat.
forthright
straightforward; direct; frank I prefer Jill's forthright approach to Jack's tendency to beat around the bush.
throttle
strangle The criminal tried to throttle the old man with his bare hands.
forte
strong point or special talent I am not eager to play this rather seious role, for my forte is comedy.
stalwart
strong, brawny; steadfast His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member.
scuffle
struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry. The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, "Let go of my Gameboy!" they scuffled off down the hall.
contend
struggle; compete; assert earnestly In Revolt of the Black Athlete, sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes have been exploited by some college recruiters.
bigotry
stubborn intolerance Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.
pertinacious
stubborn; persistent He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit.
refractory
stubborn; unmanageable The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.
headstrong
stubborn; willful; unyielding Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called her a foolish, headstrong girl.
perverse
stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and unacceptable When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims.
pore
study industriously; ponder; scrutinize Determined to become a physician, Beth spends hours poring over her anatomy text.
philology
study of language The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an international language.
ethnology
study of mankind Sociology is one aspect of the science of ethnology.
etymology
study of word parts A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English tests.
gorge
stuff oneself The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten for days.
stodgy
stuffy; boringly conservative For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you'd expect someone of his age to have a little more life.
dolt
stupid person I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself addressing a pack of dolts.
oaf
stupid, awkward person He called the unfortunate waiter a clumsy oaf.
rakish
stylish; sporty He wore his hat at a rakish and jaunty angle.
quash
subdue; crush; squash The authorities acted quickly to quash the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators.
subaltern
subordinate The captain treated his subalterns as though they were children rather than commissioned officers.
subsidiary
subordinate; secondary This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument.
humus
substance formed by decaying vegetable matter In order to improve his garden, he spread humus over his lawn and flower beds.
surrogate
substitute For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.
spate
sudden flood I am worried about the possibility of a spate if the rains do not diminish soon.
revulsion
sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what Hitler and Mussolini were trying to do.
bilious
suffering from indigestion; irritable His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.
connotation
suggested or implied meaning of an expression Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.
expedient
suitable; practical; politic A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical.
dour
sullen; stubborn The man was dour abd taciturn.
recapitulate
summarize Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.
conjure
summon a devil; proactive magic; imagine; invent 1. He conjured up an image of a reformed city and had the voters completely under his spell. 2. imagine, contrive —often used with up <we conjure up our own metaphors for our own needs 3. to bring to mind <words that conjure pleasant images 3.
redundant
superfluous; excessively wordy; repetitious Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce its length.
supererogatory
superfluous; more than needed or demanded We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be supererogatory.
preponderance
superiority of power, quantity, etc. The rebels sought to overcome the preponderance of strength of the government forces by engaging in guerrilla tactics.
codicil
supplement to the body of a will This codicil was drawn up five years after the writing of the original will.
litany
supplicatory prayer On this solemn day, the congregation responded to the prayers of the priest during the litany with fervor and intensity.
satiate
surfeit; satisfy fully The guests, having eaten until they were satiated, now listened inattentively to the speakers.
conjecture
surmise; guess; supposition I will end all your conjectures; I admit I am guilty as charged.
outrtip
surpass; outdo Jesse Owens easily outstripped his competitors to win the gold metal at the Olympic Games.
capitulate
surrender The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.
disgorge
surrender something; efect; vomit Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.
reconnaissance
survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering If you encounter any enemy soldiers during your reconnaissance, capture them for questioning.
relic
surviving remnant; memento Egypt's Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of the country.
bravado
swagger; assumed air of defiance The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.
miasma
swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud; noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible miasma.
euphony
sweet sound Noted for its euphony even when it is spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung.
dulcet
sweet sounding "dulcet sounds of birds at dawn" The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel.
sultry
sweltering He could not adjust himself to the sultry climate of the tropics.
meteoric
swift; momentarily brilliant We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame.
natation
swimming The Red Cross emphasizes the need for courses in natation.
bilk
swindle; cheat The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.
eddy
swirling current of water, air, etc. The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.
turgid
swollen; distended The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the contryside.
tumid
swollen; pompous; bombastic I especially dislike his tumid style; I prefer writing which is less swollen and bombastic.
doff
take off dont doff hat for a lady.
retroactive
taking effect before its enactment (as a law) or imposition (as a tax) Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in February she was eligible for the pension.
resumption
taking up again; recommencement During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure.
flair
talent She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.
expatiate
talk at length At this time, please give us a brief resume of your work; we shall permit you to expatiate later.
drone
talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee On a gorgeous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone?
loquacious
talkative She is very loquacious and can speak on the telephone for hours.
blowhard
talkative boaster After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere, Sally decided he was just another blowhard.
soliloquy
talking to oneself The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions.
obelisk
tall column tapering and ending in a pyramid Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk in New York City's Central Park.
sully
tarnish; soil He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial labor.
savory
tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.
quip
taunt You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments.
brindled
tawny or grayish with streaks or spots He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled; he had hoped for animals of uniform color.
tribute
tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.
tithe
tax of one-tenth Because he was an agnostic, he refused to pay his tithes to the clergy.
pedagogue
teacher He could never be a stuffy pedagogue; his classes were always lively and filled with humor.
sophist
teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning You are using all the devices of a sophist in trying to prove your case; your argument is specious.
pedagogy
teaching; art of education Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her [innovations in pedagogy], it took years before her teaching techniques became common practice in American schools.
fulminate
thunder; explode The people against whom she fulminated were innocent of any wrongdoing.
titillate
tickle I am here not to titillate my audience but to enlighten it.
tether
tie with a rope Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night.
taut
tight; ready The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.
heyday
time of greatest success; prime In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running.
gratuity
tip Many service employees rely more on gratuities than on salaries for their livelihood.
indefatigable
tireless He was indefatigable in his constant efforts to raise funds for the Red Cross.
harping
tiresome dwelling on a subject After he had reminded me several times about what he had done for me I told him to stop his harping on my indebtedness to him.
rubric
title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol In ordaining the new priests, the bishop carefully observed all the rubrics for the ordination service.
terminate
to bring to an end When his contract was terminated unexpectedly, he desperately needed a new job.
commandeer
to draft for military purposes; to take for public use The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.
Camouflage
to hide by blending in with surroundings 1.Camouflaged carpet shark devours(eat: fr vorare voracious) another shark whole. 2. Army Field Manual covers Camouflage, Concealment, and Decoys(lure or bait)
quietude
tranquillity He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.
cede
transfer; yield title to "cede this property" I intend to cede this property to the city.
rendition
translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc. The audience cheered enthusiastically as she completed her rendition of the aria.
pellucid
transparent; limpid; easy to understand After reading these stodgy philosophers, I find his pellucid style very enjoyable.
trek
travel; journey The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game.
insidious
treacherous; stealthy; sly The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.
coddle
treat gently; pamper Don't coddle the children to much; they need a taste of discipline.
disdain
treat with scorn or contempt You make enemies of all you disdain.
tremor
trembling; slight quiver She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.
tremulous
trembling; wavering She was tremulous more from excitement than from fear.
torso
trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk This torso, found in the ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.
kaleidoscope
tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc., produce interesting symmetrical effects People found a new source of entertainment while peering through the kaleidoscope; they found the ever- changing patterns fascinating.
shunt
turn aside; divert; sidetrack If the switchman failed to shunt the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union Station.
petrify
turn to stone His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her.
gnarled
twisted The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several deeds.
torque
twisting force; force producing rotation With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the nut the loosen it.
rent
tear or rip; split The conflict over abortion threatens to split our nation, creating a rent in the social fabric that will be difficult to mend.
gouge
tear out In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes out.
tantalize
tease; torture with disappointment Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.
incursion
temporary invasion The nightly incursions and hit-and-run raids of our neighbors across the border tried the patience of the country to the point where we decided to retaliate in force.
remission
temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; forgiveness or pardon Though Senator Tsongas had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he was considered fit to handle the strains of a Presidential race.
scaffold
temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.
sojourn
temporary stay After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home.
reprieve
temporary stay During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent.
cohesion
tendency to keep together A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the emperor, by lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the cohesion ofthe free nations.
distortion
twisting out of shape It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of this event because of the distortions and exaggerations of the reporters.
contortions
twistings; distortions As the effects of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and demonstrated how much pain she was enduring.
ethos
underlying character of a culture, group, etc. Seeing how tenderly Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how greatly children were valued in the Spanish ethos.
equestrian
rider on horseback These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds.
derision
ridicule They greeted his proposal with derision and refused to consider it seriously.
immutable
unchangeable Scientists are constantly seeking to discover the immutable laws of nature.
static
unchanging; lacking development Nothing had changed at home; things were static there
eclectic
selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources "eclectic taste in music " His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods,strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique color.
reserve
self-control; formal but distant manner Although some girls were attracted by Mark's reserve, Judy was put off by it, for she felt his aloofness indicated a lack of openness.
indomitable
unconquerable The founders of our country had indomitable willpower.
disengage
uncouple; separate; disconnect A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving train.
franchise
right granted by authority The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for ninety-nine years.
title
right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.) Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as head of one of England's oldest families.
resurgent
rising again after defeat, etc. The resurgent nation surprised everyone by its quick recovery after total defeat.
bristling
rising like bristles; showing irritation The dog stood there, bristling with anger.
desolate
rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake; The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest.
fleece
rob; plunder The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.
tundra
rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America Despite the cold, many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.
leeway
room to move; margin When you set a deadline, allow a little leeway.
roseate
rosy; optimistic I am afraid you will have to alter your roseate views in the light of the distressing news that has just arrived.
carrion
rotting flesh of a dead body Buzzards are nature's scavengers; they eat the carrion left behind by other predators.
gruff
rough-mannered Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children.
rotundity
roundness; sonorousness of speech Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.
regal
royal Prince Albert had a regal manner.
efface
rub out The coin had been handled so many times that its data had been effaced.
surly
rude; cross Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company.
domineer
rule over tyrannically Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer.
snivel
run at the nose; snuffle; whine Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother.
seedy
run-down; decrepit; disreputable I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy downtown hotel.
torrent
rushing stream; flood Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents.
bucolic
rustic; pastoral The meadow was the scene of bucolic gaiety.
disconcolate
sad The death of his wife left him disconsolate.
jocular
said or done in jest Do not take my jocular remarks seriously.
dispel
scatter; drive away; cause to vanish The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.
machinations
schemes I can see through your wily machinations.
savant
scholar Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants.
seminary
school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman Catholic seminary.
conservatory
school of the fine arts (especially music or drama) A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the conservatory.
truism
self-evident truth Many a truism is well expressed in a proverb.
gastronomy
science of preparing and serving good food One of the by-products of his trip to Europe was his interest in gastronomy; he enjoyed preparing and serving foreign dishes to his friends.
deride
scoff (at); ridicule, gibe, jeer, laugh (at), mock, scout, shoot down, skewer The people derided his grandiose schemes.
chide
scold Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.
berate
scold strongly He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.
rail
scold; rant You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.
shrew
scolding woman No one wanted to marry Shakespeare's Kate because she was a shrew.
sarcasm
scornful remarks, stinging rebuke His feelings were hurt by the sarcasm of his supposed friends.
glower
scowl The angry boy glowered at his father.
surreptitious
secret News of their surreptitious meeting gradually leaked out.
cipher
secret code "message in cipher" Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher.
privy
secret; hidden; not public We do not care for privy chamber of government.
inviolability
security from being destroyed, corrupted or profaned They respected the inviolability of her faith and did not try to change her manner of living.
silt
sediment deposited by running water The harbor channel must be dredged annually to remove the silt.
dregs
sediment; worthless residue David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs.
sophistry
seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.
specious
seemingly reasonable but incorrect Let us not be misled by such specious arguments.
pomposity
self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt Although the commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and general air of parading his own dignity.
continence
self-restraint; sexual chastity She vowed to lead a life of continence.
carillon
set of bells capable of being played "carillon in the set of bells" The carillon in the bell tower of the Coca-Cola pavilion at the New York World's Fair provided musical entertainment every hour.
trigger
set off John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you'll trigger an explosion.
ensconce
settle comfortably The parents thought that their children were ensconced safely in the private school and decided to leave for Europe.
subside
settle down; descend; grow quiet The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.
reprobation
severe disapproval The students showed their reprobation of his act by refusing to talk with him.
rigor
severity Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.
mangy
shabby; wretched We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed.
hovel
shack; small, wretched house He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel.
fetter
shackle The prisoner was fettered to the wall.
nuance
shade of difference in meaning or color The unskilled eye of the layperson has difficulty in dicerning the nuances of color in the paintings.
doddering
shaky; infirm from old age Although he is not as yet a doddering and senile old man, his ideas and opinions no longer can merit the respect we gave them years ago.
shoddy
sham; not genuine; inferior You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material.
barefaced
shameless; bold; unconcealed Shocked by Huck Finn's barefaced lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his unregenerate wickedness.
hone
sharpen To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care.
pungency
sharpness; stinging quality The pungency of the cigarette smoke made me cough.
tonsure
shaving of the head, especially by person entering religious orders His tonsure, even more than his monastic garb, indicated that he was a member of the religious order.
gossamer
sheer; like cobwebs Nylon can be woven into gossaner or thick fabrics.
diaphanous
sheer; transparent They saw the burglar clearly through the DIAPHANOUS CURTAIN.
carapace
shell covering the back (of a turtle, crab, etc) "turtle's hard carapace" At the children's zoo, Richard perched on top of the giant turtle's hard carapace as it slowly made its way around the enclosure.
cameo
shell or jewel carved in relief Tourists are advised not to purchase cameos from the street peddlers of Rome who sell poor specimens of the carver's art.
glimmer
shine erratically; twinkle In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars.
lustrous
shining Her large and lustrous eyes gave a touch of beauty to an otherwise drab face.
luminous
shining; issuing light The sun is a luminous body.
cabal
small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests The cabal was defeated when its scheme was discovered.
ingrate
ungrateful person That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him.
heterodox
unorthodox; unconventional To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun was disturbingly heterodox.
disinterested
unprejudiced The only disinterested person in the room was the judge.
mirage
unreal reflection; optical illusion The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.
fractious
unruly The fractious horse unseated its rider.
studied
unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful Given Jill's previous slights, Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult.
disheveled
untidy Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.
slovenly
untidy; slipshod Such slovenly work habits will never produce good products.
inopportune
untimely; poorly chosen A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation.
ineffable
unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described.
insalubrious
unwholesome; not healthful The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion.
grudging
unwilling; reluctant; stingy We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.
rectitude
uprightness He was renowned for his rectitude and integrity.
distraught
upset; distracted by anxiety The distraught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child.
aloft
upward The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging.
suavity
urbanity; polish He is particulary good in roles that require suavity and sophistication.
exhort
urge The evangelist will exhort all sinners in his audience to reform.
goad
urge on He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes.
exigency
urgent situation In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies.
importunate
urging; demanding He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his allowance arrived.
foppish
vain about dress and appearance He tried to imitate the foppish manner of the young men of the court.
egotism
vanity (vain);an exaggerated opinion of oneself or one's appearance(conceit) She thought so much of herself that we found her egotism unwarranted and irritating.
multifarious
varied; greatly diversified A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.
pied
variegated; multicolored The pied piper of Hamelin got his name from the multicolored clothing he wore.
sundry
various; several My suspicions were aroused when I read sundry items in the newspapers about your behavior.
retribution
vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.
tarantula
venomous spider We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.
prolix
verbose; drawn out Her prolix arguments irritated and bored the jury.
substantiate
verify; support I intend to substantiate my statement by producing witnesses.
protean
versatile; able to take on many forms A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness could take on any role.
plumb
vertical Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide.
execrable
very bad The anecdote was in execrable taste and shocked the audience.
gingerly
very carefully To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly.
munificent
very generous The munificent gift was presented to the bride by her rich uncle.
lofty
very high in the air, elevated in character They used to tease him about his lofty ambitions.
momentous
very important On this momentous occasion, we must be very solemn.
myriad
very large number myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight.
infringe
violate; encroach I think your machine infringes on my patent and intend to sue.
infraction
violation Because of his many infractions of school regulations, he was suspended by the dean.
transgression
violation of a law; sin Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do.
throes
violent anguish The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain.
impetuous
violent; hasty; rash We tried to curb his impetuous behavior because we felt that in his haste he might offend some people.
peripatetic
walking about; moving The peripatetic school of philosophy derives its name from the fact that Aristotle walked with his pupils while discussing philosophy with them.
ramble
wander aimlessly (physically or mentally) Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy wondered whether he'd ever get to his point.
ribald
wanton; profane He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners.
parry
ward off a blow He was content to wage a defensive battle and tried to parry his opponent's thrusts.
muggy
warm and damp August in New York City is often muggy.
chafe
warm by rubbing The collar chafed his neck.
ablution
washing His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."
fritter
waste He could not apply himself to any task and frittered away his time in idle conversation.
squander
waste The prodigal son squandered the family estate.
dross
waste matter; worhtless impurities Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross.
haggard
wasted away; gaunt After his long illness, he was pale and haggard.
surveillance
watching; guarding The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of capturing all the criminals at one time.
gargolye
waterspout carved in groteque figures on a building The gargoyles adorning the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris are amusing in their grotesqueness.
extenuate
weaken; mitigate It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of others.
infirmity
weakness Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower.
frailty
weakness The doctor prescribed vitamin and mineral supplements for the sick old woman because of her frailty.
imbecility
weakness of mind I am amazed at the imbecility of the readers of these trashy magazines.
foible
weakness; slight fault We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.
tycoon
wealthy leader John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.
imponderable
weightless I can evaluate the data gathered in this study; the imponderable items are not so easily analyzed.
ponderous
weighty; unwieldy His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.
eerie
weird In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings.
genteel
well-bred; elegant We are looking for a man with a genteel apperance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner.
sinecure
well-paid position with little responsibility My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.
caprice
whim unpredictable creature acting on caprice She was an unpredictable creature, acting on caprice, never taking thought of the consequences.
conceit
whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor; strong, exaggerated opinion of one's self. self admiration. He was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.
fanciful
whimsical; visionary This is a fanciful scheme because it does not consider the facts.
hoary
white with age The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70.
frantic
wild At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.
lurid
wild; sensational The lurid stories he told shocked his listeners.
sinuous
winding; bending in and out; not morally honest The snake moved in a sinuous manner.
tortuous
winding; full of curves Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.
serpentine
winding; twisting The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.
dormer
window projecting from roof In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient ventilation for the new room.
gusty
windy The gusty weather made sailing precarious.
hibernal
wintry Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating.
malevolent
wishing evil We must thwart his [malevolent schemes].
askance
with a sideways or indirect look Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.
incognito
with identity concealed; using an assumed name The monarch enjoyed traveling throughthe town incognito and mingling with the populace.
retraction
withdrawal He dropped his libel suit after the newspaper published a retraction of its statement.
secession
withdrawal The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration.
recession
withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the area.
incredulous
withholding belief; skeptical When Jack claimed he hadn't eaten the jelly doughnut, Jill took an incredulous look at his smeared face and laughed.
guileless
without deceit He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.
random
without definite purpose, plan, or aim; haphazard Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions when the grand prize went to the sponsor's brother-in-law.
insensate
without feeling She lay there as insensate as a log.
impassive
without feeling; not affected by pain The Native American has been incorrectly depicted as an impassive individual, undemonstrative and stoical.
artless
without guile; open and honest Red Riding Hood's artless comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" indicates the child's innocent surprises at her "grandmother's" changed appearance.
impecunious
without money Now that he was wealthy, he gladly contributed to funds to assist impecunious and disbled persons.
epigram
witty thought or saying, usually short Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous.
deadpan
wooden; impassive We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.
epithet
word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing So many kings of France were named Charles that modern students need epithets to tell them apart: Charles the Wise, for example, was someone far different from Charles the Fat.
diffusion
wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas; try to be more compact.
onomatopoeia
words formed in imitation of natural sounds Words like "rustle" and "gargle" are illustrations of onomatopoeia.
militate
work against Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion.
toil
work laboriously; make slow painful progress You must toil through 3500 words list in order to achieve a high score on GRE.
mundane
worldly as opposed to spiritual He was concerned only with mundane matters, especially the daily stock market quotations.
secular
worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal The church leaders decided not interfere in secular matters.
effete
worn out; exhausted; barren effeminate; having lost character, vitality/virility, or strength The literature of the age reflected the effete condition of the writers; no new ideas were forthcoming.
solicitous
worried, concerned The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to get.
swathe
wrap around; bandage When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages.
grapple
wrestle; come to grips with He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him.
extort
wring from; get money by threats, etc. The blackmailer extorted money from his victim.
subpoena
writ summoning a witness to appear The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness.
indite
write; compose Cyrano indited many letters for Christian.
sallow
yellowish; sickly in color We were disturbed by his sallow complexion, which was due to jaundice.
succumb
yield; give in; die I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way.
cession
yielding to another; ceding The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter.
submissive
yielding; timid Crushed by his authoritarian father, Will had no defiance left in him; he was totally submissive in the face of authority.
compact
agreement; contract The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government.
truculence
agressiveness; ferocity Tynan's reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence.
succor
aid; assistance; relief We shall be ever grateful for the succor our country gave us when we were in need.
desperado
a DESPERATE bold or violent CRIMINAL; reckless outlaw Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head.
incredulity
a tendency to disbelief Your incredulity in the face of all the evidence is hard to understand.
tangible
able to be touched; real; palpable Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets--a car, a television, a PC--that he could sell if he needed cash.
talisman
charm She wore the talisman to ward off evil.
rife
abundant; current In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent.
exuberant
abundant; effusive; lavish His speeches were famous for his exuberant language and vivid imagery.
toga
Roman outer robe Marc Antony pointed to the slashes in Caesar's toga.
saga
Scandinavian myth; any legend This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.
invective
abuse He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal.
chasm
abyss They could not see the bottom of the chasm.
grimace
a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc. Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure.
disquisition
a formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry In his disquisition, he outlined the steps he had taken in reaching his conclusions.
scad
a great quantity Refusing Dave's offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, "No, thanks: I've got scads of clothes."
spoonerism
accidental transposition of sounds in sucessive words When the radio announcer introduced the President as Hoobert Herver, he was guilty of spoonerism.
collation
a light meal "lait et les cookies - une collation typique de Noël " Tea sandwiches and cookies were offered at the collation.
fortuitous
accidental; by chance There is no connection between these two events; their timing is entirely fortuitous.
pittance
a small allowance or wage He could not live on the pittance he received as a pension and had to look for an additional source of revenue.
endearment
a word or act expressing affection; fond word or act Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence. Terms of Endearment.- LarryJeff McMurtry; Title of novel, subsequently filmed.
relinquish
abandon I will relinquish my claims to this property if you promise to retain my employees.
renounce
abandon; disown; repudiate Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her belief that her voices came from God.
plasticity
ability to be molded When clay dries out, it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable.
prescience
ability to foretell the future Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan.
empathy
ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and feel his emotions as if they were her own.
solvent
able to pay all debts By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings.
distrait
absentminded Because of his concentration on the problem, the professor often appeared distrait and unconcerned about routine.
riveting
absorbing; engrossing The reviewer described Byatt's novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, he had finished it in a single evening.
recondite
abstruse; profound; secret He read many recondite books in order to obtain the material for the scholarly thesis.
preposterous
absurd; ridiculous When the candidate tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled, we all thought, "What a preposterous excuse!"
plenitude
abundance; completeness Looking in the pantry, we admired the plenitude of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer.
exonerate
acquit; exculpate I am sure this letter naming the actual culprit will exonerate you.
repulsion
act of driving back; distaste The repulsion of the enemy forces was not accomplished bloodlessly; many of the defenders were wounded in driving the enemy back.
summation
act of finding the total, summary In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses.
dissuade
advise against He could not dissuade his friend from joining the conspirators.
suffragist
advocate of voting rights (for women) In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar honoring the suffragist Susan B. Anthony.
mincing
affectedly dainty Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.
lackadaisical
affectedly languid He was lackadaisical and indifferent about his part in the affair.
gustatory
affecting the sense of taste The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used in a bland cuisine.
emissary
agent; messenger The secretary of State was sent as the President's special emissary to the conference on disarmament.
defeatist
an attitude of accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed.
perquisite
any gain above stipulated salary The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates.
canker
any ulcerous sore; any evil Poverty is a canker in the body politic; it must be cured.
gyroscope
apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc. By using a rotating gyroscope, they were able to stabilize the vessel, counteracting the rolling movements of the sea. 114. - apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.
ostensible
apparent; professed; pretended Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products.
guise
appearance; costume In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case.
propitiate
appease The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.
personable
attractive The man I am seeking to fill this position must be personable since he will be representing us before the public.
comely
attractive; agreeable "comly wife" I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one.
impute
attribute; ascribe If I wished to impute blame to the officers in charge of this program, I would state my feelings definitely and immediately.
magisterial
authoritative; imperious The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice.
proxy
authorized agent Please act as my proxy and vote for this slate of candidates in my absence.
eschew
avoid He tried to eschew all display of temper.
shirk
avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.
temporize
avoid committing oneself; gain time I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today.
swelter
be oppressed by heat I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another hot and humid summer.
transpire
be revealed; happen When Austen writes the sentence "It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him," her meaning is not that the debts had just been incurred, but the the shocking news had just leaked out.
behoove
be suited to; be incumbent upon In this time of crisis, it behooves all of us to remain calm and await the instructions of our superiors.
stint
be thrifty; set limits "Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements.
fructify
bear fruit This peach tree should fructify in three years.
comport
bear one's self; behave "French: Comporter" He comported himself with great dignity.
fruition
bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization This building marks the fruition of all our aspirations and years of hard work.
pummel
beat The severity with which he was pummeled was indicated by the bruises he displayed on his head and face.
pulchritude
beauty; comeliness I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss America from this collection of female pulchritude.
implore
beg He implored her to give him a second chance.
importune
beg persistently Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for contributions so frequently that she decided to give nothing to either party.
tyro
beginner; novice For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results.
subservient
behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious He was proud and dignified; he refused to be subservient to anyone.
monotheism
belief in one God Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism.
hedonism
belief that pleasure is the sole aim in life hedonism and asceticism are opposing philosophies of human behavior.
indenture
bind as servant or apprentice to master Many immigrants could come to America only after they had indentured themselves for several years.
stringent
binding; rigid I think these regulations are too stringent.
mordant
biting; sarcastic; stinging Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.
rancor
bitterness; hatred Let us forget out rancor and cooperate in this new endeavor.
gall
bitterness; nerve The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall.
outlandish
bizzare; peculiar; unconventional The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an academic setting.
necromancy
black magic; dealings with the dead; conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events Because he was able to perform feats of necromancy, the natives thought he was in league with the devil.
reproach
blame; censure I want my work to be above reproach and without error
hallowed
blessed; consecrated She was laid to rest in hallowed ground.
rectify
correct I want to rectify my error before it is too late.
sear
char or burn; brand Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.
temperament
characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Tod is calm, but Rod is excitable.
generic
characteristic of an entire class or species Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she began to think that playing Dungeon & Dragons was a generic trait.
mountebank
charlatan; boastful pretender The patent medicine man was a mountebank.
quack
charlatan; impostor Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.
grouse
complain; fuss Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dornitory food.
consummate
complete I have never seem anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate idiot.
plenary
complete; full The union leader was given plenary power to negotiate a new contract with the employers.
integral
complete; necessary for completeness Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are complementary.
imbroglio
complicated situation; perplexity; entanglement He was called in to settle the imbroglio but failed to bring harmony into the situation.
sedate
composed; grave The parents were worried because they felt their son was too quiet and sedate.
fathom
comprehend; investigate I find his motives impossible to fathom.
smirk
conceited smile Wipe that smirk off your face!
knit
contract into wrinkles Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown.
belie
contradict; give a false impression His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity.
contravene
contradict; oppose: infringe on or transgress Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert Browning.
foil
contrast In "Star Wars," dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker.
restraint
controlling force She dreamt of living an independent life, free of all restraints.
ascendancy
controlling influence President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendency over Philippines.
polemic
controversy; argument in support of point of view Her essays were, for the main part, polemics for the party's policy.
cogent
convincing She presented cogent arguments to the jury.
replica
copy Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom or in the auditorium?
transcribe
copy When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr.Smith and keep the original for our files.
pluck
courage Even the adversaries of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy's pluck in trying to rescue the archeological treasure they had stolen.
tribunal
court of justice The decision of the tribunal was final and the prisoner was sentenced to death.
deference
courteous regard for another's wish In deference to his desires, the employers granted him a holiday.
chivalrous
courteous; faithful; brave chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.
comity
courtesy; civility A spirit of comity should exist among nations.
fawning
courting favor by cringing and flattering She was constantly surrounded by a group of fawning admirers who had hoped to win some favor.
glaze
cover with a thin and shiny surface The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving hazardous.
quail
cower; lose heart He was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.
mores
customs The mores of Mexico are those of Spain with some modifications.
prune
cut away; trim With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her manuscript into publishable form.
retrench
cut down; economize If they were to be able to send their children to college, they would have to retrench.
truncate
cut the top off The top of the cone that has been truncated in a plane parallel to its base is a circle.
hew
cut to pieces with ax or sword The cavalry rushed into melee and hewed the enemy with their swords.
trenchant
cutting; keen I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic.
incisive
cutting; sharp His incisive remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans.
quotidian
daily; commonplace; customary To Philip, each new day of his internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as merely quotidian routine.
marred
damaged; disfigured She had to refinish the marred surface of the table.
perdition
damnation; complete ruin Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition.
prosaic
dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual Though the ad writers had come up with a highly creative campaign to publicize the company's newest product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic, down-to-earth approach.
drab
dull; lacking color; cheerless The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore beneath it.
humdrum
dull; monotonous After years of adventure, he could not settle down to a humdrum existence.
dingy
dull; not fresh; cheerless Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and windows and hanging bright posters on the walls.
stolidity
dullness; impassivenss The earthquake shattered his usual stolidity; trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground.
gnome
dwarf; underground spirit In medieval mythology, gnomes were the special guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines.
levee
earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding As the river rose and threatened to overflow the levee, emergency workers rushed to reinforce the walls with sandbags.
surpass
exceed Her SAT scores surpassed out expectations.
transcend
exceed; surpass This accomplishment transcends all our previous efforts.
fanaticism
excessive zeal The leader of the group was held responsible even though he could not control the fanaticism of his followers.
superfluous
excessive; overabundant, unnecessary Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the bare facts.
hypercritical
excessively exacting You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes.
tightwad
excessively frugal person; miser Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check.
rapacious
excessively grasping; plundering Hawks and other rapacious birds prey on variety of small animals.
prude
excessively modest or proper person The X-rated film was definitely not for prudes.
subsistence
existence; means of support; livelihood In those days of inflated prices, my salary provided mere subsistence.
primordial
existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.
egress
exit The auditorium is designed to provide easy egress in an emergency.
distend
expand;swell out I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.
politic
expedient; prudent; well devised Even though he was disappointed, he did not think it politic to refuse the offer.
sustain
experience; support; nourish He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his growing family.
seasoned
experienced Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned players on the team.
belabor
explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring his point.
explicate
explain; interpret; clarify Harry Levin explicated James Joyce's novels with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed comprehensible to his students.
opulence
extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away.
jingoism
extremely aggressive and militant patriotism We must be careful to prevent a spirit of jingoism from spreading at this time.
exacting
extremely demanding The colonies rebelled against the exacting financial claims of the mother country.
parched
extremely dry; very thirsty The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.
ravenous
extremely hungry The revenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.
stentorian
extremely loud The town crier had stentorian voice.
inherent
firmly established by nature or habit His inherent love of justice compelled him to come to their aid.
tenacity
firmness; persistency; adhesiveness It is extremely difficult to overcome the tenacity of a habit such as smoking.
tantrum
fit of petulance; caprice The child learned that he could have almost anything if he went into tantrums.
paroxysm
fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage When he heared of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a paroxysm of rage.
spasmodic
fitful; periodic The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers.
propriety
fitness; correct conduct I want you to behave at this dinner with propriety; don't embarass me.
moodiness
fits of depression or gloom We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness.
rig
fix or manipulate The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked in his candidate's favor.
gaudy
flashy; showy Her gaudy taste in clothes apalled us.
meretricious
flashy; tawdry; falsely attractive Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious.
patina
green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly taken by varnished painting Judging by the patina on this bronze statue, we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist.
lechery
gross lewdness; lustfulness In his youth he led a life of lechery and debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age.
junta
group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the junta.
trilogy
group of three works Romain Rolland's novel Jean Christophe was first published as a trilogy.
felicity
happines; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.) She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.
harry
harass, annoy, torment; raid The guerrilla band harried the enemy nightly.
bait
harass; tease The soldiers baited the prisoners, terrorizing them.
beset
harass; trouble Many problems beset the American public school system.
privation
hardship; want In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.
musky
having the odor of musk She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.
rancid
having the odor of stale fat A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the crew.
titular
having the title of an office without the obligations Although he was the titular head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager.
cognitive
having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental precesses Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced intellectually.
fluted
having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar) All that remained of the ancient building were the fluted columns.
preempt
head off; forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself; supplant Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue, the candidate set out her own plan to revitalize the public schools.
promontory
headland They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their nearness to the shore.
precipitate
headlong; rash Do not be precipitate in this matter; investigate further.
salubrious
healthful Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of August and September.
hale
healthy After a brief illness, he was soon hale.
pyre
heap of combustible material, esp. for burning a corpse. The mortician put pyre on the corpse before burning a corpse.
ardor
heat; passion; zeal Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause.
recluse
hermit The recluse lived in a hut in the forest.
morose
ill-humored; sullen When we first meet Hamlet, we find him morose and depressed.
fictitious
imaginary Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious.
fancied
imagined; unreal You are resenting fancied insults. No one has ever said such things about you.
pastiche
imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing We cannot even say that her music is a pastiche of this or that composer; it is rather, reminiscent of many musicians.
incorporeal
immaterial; without a material body We must devote time to the needs of our incorporeal mind as well as our corporeal body.
prestige
impression produced by achievements or reputation The wealthy man sought to obtain social prestige by contributing to popular charities.
susceptible
impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease He was a very susceptible young man, and so his parents worried that he might fall into bad company.
grandeur
impressiveness; stateliness; majesty No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada range.
immure
imprison; shut up in confinement For the two weeks before the examination, the student immureed himself in his room and concentrated upon his studies.
insolence
imprudent disrespect; haughtiness How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of you insolence.
spontaneity
impulsiveness; absence of premeditation What I liked best about Dale's parties was their spontaneity: a couple of friends would drop by, someone would pull out a fiddle or guitar, and before you knew it the party would be in full swing.
pellmell
in confusion; disorderly The excited students dashed pellmell into the stadium to celebrate the victory.
enamored
in love Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.
edify
instruct; correct morally; instruct to enlighten or uplift morally, spiritually or intellectualy "Edifying sermons" Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused and not enlightened.
slur
insult to one's character or reputation; slander Polls revealed that the front-runner's standing had been damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by his opponent's staff.
slight
insult to one's dignity; snub Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary slights.
insuperable
insurmountable; invincible In the face of insuperable difficulties they maintained their courage and will to resist.
frigid
intensely cold Alaska is in the frigid zone.
purport
intention; meaning If the purport of your speech was to arouse the rabble, you succeeded admirably.
symbiosis
interdependent relationship (between groups, species), often mutually beneficial Both the crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis; pecking away at food particles embedded in the crocodile's teeth, the bird derives nourishment; the crocodile, meanwhile, derives proper dental hygiene.
expletive
interjection; profane oath The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that offended the new recruits.
misconstrue
interpret incorrectly; misjudge She took the passage seriously rather than humourously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.
construe
interpret; explain If I construe your remarks correctly, you disagree with the theory already advanced.
quarantine
isolation of a person, place, or ship to prevent spread of infection We will have to place this house under quarantine until we determine the nature of the disease.
seclusion
isolation; solitude One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion.
peregrination
journey Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tiajuana to Timbuctoo.
festive
joyous; celebratory Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion.
succulent
juicy; full of richness To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California.
sagacious
keen; shrewd; having insight He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a trick like that.
shun
keep away from Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human beings.
retain
keep; employ Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection campaign.
decimate
kill, usually one out of ten We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.
laity
laypersons; persons not connected with the clergy The laity does not always understand the clergy's problems.
indolence
laziness He outgrew his youthful indolence to become a model of industry and alertness on the job.
sloth
laziness Such sloth in a young person is deplorable; go to work!
sluggard
lazy person "You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite," the angry father shouted at his lazy son.
inveigle
lead astray; wheedle She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance.
livid
lead-coloredl; black and blue; ashen; enraged His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.
gaunt
lean and angular; barren His once-round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weight.
bequeath
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down In his will, Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy.
tepid
lukewarm During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one.
decoy
lure or bait The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy.
bask
luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep.
supine
lying on back The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas.
mendacious
lying; false He was pathological liar, and his friends learned to discount his mendacious stories.
rarefied
made less dense [of a gas] The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere.
osseus
made of bone; bony The hollow "soft spot" found at the top of the infant's skull gradually closes as new osseus tissue fills in the gap.
mutilate
maim The torturer threatened to mutilate his victim.
stupefy
make numb; stun; amaze Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might stupefy her.
grate
make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves.
expiate
make amends for (a sin) He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.
atone
make amends for; pay for He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.
stipulate
make express conditions, specify Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams be allowed to inspect Soviet bases.
preclude
make impossible; eliminate This contract does not preclude my being employed by others at the same time that I am working for you.
rejuvenate
make young again The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.
testator
maker of a will The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator.
ductility
malleability; flexibility; ability to be drawn out Copper wire has many industrial uses because of its extreme ductility.
fetid
malodorous The neglected wound became fetid.
megalomania
mania for doing grandiose things Developers who spend millions trying to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.
nubile
marrigeable Mrs. Bennet, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, was worried about finding suitable husbands for her five nubile daughters.
array
marshal; draw up in order His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him.
requiem
mass for the dead; dirge They played Mozart's Requiem at the funeral.
floe
mass of floating ice The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes.
conglomeration
mass of material sticking together In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis.
inimitable
matchless; not able to be imitated We admire Auden for his inimitable use of language; he is one of a kind.
scanty
meager; insufficient Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.
niggardly
meanly stingy; parsimonious The niggardly pittance the widow receives from the government cannot keep her from poverty.
tryst
meeting The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger.
rendezvous
meeting place The two fleets met at the rendezvous at the appointed time.
molten
melted The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by [molten lava flowing] from Mount Vesuvius.
proletarian
member of the working class The aristocrats feared mob rule and gave the right to vote only to the wealthy, thus depending the proletarians of a voice in government.
composure
mental calmness Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.
psychosis
mental disorder We must endeavor to find an outlet for the patient's repressed desires if we hope to combat this psychosis.
delirium
mental disorder marked by confusion The drunkard in his delirium saw strange animals.
discerning
mentally quick and observant; having insight Because he was considered the most discerning member of the firm, he was assigned the most difficult cases.
paragon
model of perfection The class disliked him because the teacher was always pointing him out as a paragon of virtue.
temper
moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel) Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.
sobriety
moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness Neither drunkards nor comics are noted for sobriety.
retiring
modest; shy Given Susan't retiring personality, no one expected her to take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she became a star of the school debate team.
lull
moment of calm Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning for a lull in the rain.
transient
momentary; temporary; staying for a short time Lexy's joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient; she still had to find presents for the cousins and Uncle Bob. Located near the airport, this hotel caters to the largely transient trade.
potentate
monarch; sovereign The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.
cloister
monastery or convent The nuns lived in the cloister.
sacrosanct
most sacred; inviolable The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.
gesticulation
motion; gesture Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in whic they appear.
stagnant
motionless; stale; dull The stagnant water was a breeding ground for disease
actuate
motivate I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.
plaintive
mournful The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call
lugubrious
mournful The lugubrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.
scurry
move briskly The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.
skulk
move furtively and secretly He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former friends.
lumber
move heavily of clumsily Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear lumbered through the woods.
cipher
nonentity; worthless person or thing She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.
gibberish
nonsense; babbling Did you hear that foolish boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space?
alcove
nook; recess Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple.
temporal
not lasting forever; limited by time; secular At one time in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.
figurative
not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech "To lose one's marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects you to rush out to buy him a replacement set.
impolitic
not wise I think it is impolitic to raise this issue at the present time because the public is too angry.
egregious
notorious; conspicuously bad; shocking "extraordinarily negative" She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.
effluvium
noxious smell Air pollution has become a serious problem in our major cities; the effluvium and the poisons in the air are hazards to life.
quorum
number of members necessary to conduct a meeting The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.
mani-fold
numerous; varied I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses.
recurrent
occurring again and again These recurrent attacks disturbed us and we consulted a physician.
sporadic
occurring irregularly Although there are still sporadic outbursts of shooting in the streets, the rebellion is essentially over.
subjective
occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your thinking.
quaint
odd; old-fashioned; picturesque Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.
piebald
of different colors; motled; spotted You should be able to identify Polka Dot in this race; he is the only piebald horse running.
ignoble
of lowly origin; unworthy This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it.
indignity
offensive or insulting treatment Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the indignities heaped upon him, he was inwardly very angry.
immolate
offer as a sacrifice The tribal kind offered to immolate his daughter to quiet the angry gods.
tender
offer; extend Although no formal changes had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should tender his resignation.
senility
old age; feeble mindedness of old age Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the senility of the president.
passe
old-fashioned; past the prime Her style is passe and reminiscent of the Victorian era.
ellipsis
omission of words from a text "Begin when ready" for "Begin when you are ready" is an example of ellipsis. elleipein to leave out
terrestrial
on or relating to the earth We have been able to explore the terrestrial regions much more thoroughly than the aquatic or celestial regions.
pacifist
one opposed to force; antimilitarist The pacifists urged that we reduce our military budget and recall our troops stationed overseas.
saboteur
one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.
reaper
one who harvests grain Death, the Grim Reaper, cuts down men and women, just as a farmer cuts down the ripened grain.
stipend
pay for services There is a nominal stipend for this position.
placid
peaceful; calm After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested.
pinnacle
peak We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the mountain lay in shadow.
acme
peak; pinnacle; highest point Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim.
podium
pedestal; raised platform The audience applauded as the conductor made his way to the podium.
contrite
penitent; remourseful Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence.
gentry
people of standing; class of people just below nobility The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the community.
epitome
perfect example or embodiment epitome of evil-Hitler
sage
person celebrated for wisdom Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage.
reprobate
person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.
supernumerary
person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra His first appearance on the stage was as a supernumerary in a Shakespearean tragedy.
hypochondriac
person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypocondriac.
ragamuffin
person wearing tattered clothes He felt sorry for the ragamuffin who was begging for food and gave him money to buy a meal.
numismatist
person who collects coins The numismatist had a splendid collection of antique coins.
awl
pointed tool used for piercing She used an awl to punch additional holes in the leather belt she had bought.
toxic
poisonous We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten.
prod
poke; stir up; urge If you prod him hard enough, he'll eventually clean his room.
defile
pollute; profane The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.
strut
pompous walk His strut as he marched about the parade ground revealed him for what he was: a pompous buffoon.
grandiloquent
pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language The politician could bever speak simply; she was always grandiloquent.
muse
ponder For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thought soon changed as he recalled his own personal problems.
reiterate
repeat He reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.
desecrate
profane; violate the sanctity of Md Gazhani DESECRATED THE TEMPLE of SOMNATH .
protract
prolong Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to protract the negotiations endlessly, but the union representatives saw through their strategy.
salient
prominent One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page.
seemly
proper; appropriate Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a proper family; no baby abandoned on a doorstep could grow up to marry her daughter.
sibylline
prophetic; oracular Until their destruction by fire in 83 B.C., the sibylline books were often consulted by the Romans.
apocalyptic
prophetic; pertaining to revelations; especially of disaster His apocalyptic remarks were dismissed by his audience as wild surmises.
tout
publicize; praise excessively I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment.
pillory
punish by placing in a wooden frame; subject to criticism and ridicule PUBLIC RIDICULE Even though he was mocked and pilloried, he maintained that he was correct in his beliefs.
penance
punishment (self-imposed) for sin; repentance of sins The Ancient Mariner said, "I have penance done and penance more will do," to atone for the sin of killing the albatross.
chaste
pure Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion.
immaculate
pure; spotless The West Point cadets were immaculate as they lined up for inspection.
platonic
purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire Accused of impropriety in his dealings with female students, the professor maintained he had only a platonic interest in the women involved.
quintessence
purest and highest embodiment Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.
recumbent
reclining; lying down completely or in part The command "AT EASE" does not permit you to take a recumbent position.
reactionary
recoiling from progress; retrograde His program was reactionary since it sought to abolish many of the social reforms instituted by the previous administration.
reminiscence
recollection Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she ought to write a book.
recuperate
recover The doctors were worried because the patient did not recuperate as rapidly as they had expected.
retrieve
recover; find and bring in The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter.
reprise
recurrent action; musical repetition; repeat performance At Waterloo, it was not the effect of any one skirmish that exhausted Colonel Audly; rather it was the cumulative effect of the constant reprises that left him spent.
ruddy
reddish; healthy-looking His ruddy features indicated that he had spent much time in the open.
flout
reject; mock The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.
spurn
reject; scorn The heroine spurned the villain's advances.
exult
rejoice We exulted when our team won the victory.
jubilation
rejoicing There was great jubilitation when the armistice was announced.
cognate
related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature The English word "mother" cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words "maternal" and "maternity."
kindred
related; similar in nature or character Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two kindred spirits.
thematic
relating to a unifying motif or idea Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss is underlying thematic import.
schematic
relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols In working out the solution to an analytical logic question, you may find it helpful to construct a simple schematic diagram illustrating the relationships between the items of information given in the question.
elysian
relating to paradise; blissful An afternoon sail on the bay was for her an [elysian journey].
spatial
relating to space It is difficult to visualize the spatial extent of our universe.
sidereal
relating to the stars Although hampered by optical and mechanical flaws, the orbiting Hubble space telescope has relayed extraordinary images of distant sidereal bodies.
inexorable
relentless; unyielding; implacable After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law.
remnant
remainder I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on sale.
residue
remainder; balance In his will, he requested that after payment of debts, taxes, and funeral expenses, the residue be given to his wife.
forswear
renounce; abandon The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.
refurbish
renovate; make bright by polishing The flood left a deposit of mud on everything; it was necessary to refurbish our belongings.
solder
repair or make whole by using a metal alloy The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.
remediable
reparable Let us be grateful that the damage is remediable.
restitution
reparation; indemnification He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his son.
reimburse
repay Let me know what you have spent and I will reimburse you.
reciprocate
repay in kind If they attack us, we shall be compelled to reciprocate and bomb their territory.
retaliate
repay in kind (usually for bad treatment) Fear that we will retaliate immediately deters our foe from attacking us.
requite
repay; revenge The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.
reprisal
retaliation I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the enemy may undertake.
sequester
retire from public life; segregate; seclude Although he had hoped for a long time to sequester himself in a small community, he never was able to drop his busy round of activities in the city.
superannuated
retired or disqualified because of age The superannuated man was indignant because he felt that he could still perform a good day's work.
rejoinder
retort; comeback; reply When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.
nemesis
revenging act or agent;the Greek goddess of retributive justice; fate that cannot be escaped Captain Bligh vowed to be Christian's nemesis.
resuscitate
revive The lifeguard tried to resuscitate the drowned child by applying artificial respiration.
repeal
revoke; annul What would the effect on our society be if we decriminalized drug use by repealing the laws against the possession and sale of narcotics?
cadence
rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.
brocade
rich, figured fabric The sofa was covered with expensive brocade.
ramshackle
rickety; falling apart The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.
saline
salty The slightly saline taste of this mineral water is pleasant.
surfeit
satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats.
sate
satisfy to the full; cloy Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.
imbue
saturate, fill His visits to the famous Gothic cathedrals imbued him with feelings of awe and reverence.
relish
savor; enjoy I relish a good joke as much as anyone else.
dotage
senility In his dotage, the old man bored us with long tales of events in his childhood.
primogeniture
seniority by birth By virtue of primogeniture, in some cultures the first-born child has many privileges denied his brothers and sisters.
touchy
sensitive; irascible Do not discuss this phase of the problem as he is very touchy about it.
sentinel
sentry; lookout Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around the encampment.
sunder
separate; part Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.
demure
serious; coy She was demure and reserved.
solemnity
seriousness; gravity The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service.
homily
sermon; serious warning His speeches were always homilies, advising his listeners to repent and reform.
sycophant
servile flatterer The king enjoyed the servile compliments and attentions of the sycophants in his retinue.
toady
servile flatterer; yes man Never tell the boss anything he doesn't wish to hear: he doesn't want an independent adviser, he just wants a toady.
premonitory
serving to warn You should have visited a doctor as soon as you felt these premonitory chest pains.
epilogue
short speech at conclusion of dramatic work The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.
parable
short, simple story teaching a moral Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this parable teaches.
ephemeral
short-lived; fleeting The mayfly is an ephemeral creature.
jostle
shove; bump In the subway he was jostled by the crowds.
ebullient
showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm His ebullient nature could not be repressed.
plutocracy
society ruled by the wealthy From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a plutocracy rather than a democracy.
quagmire
soft, wet, boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.
besmirch
soil, defile The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.
adjuration
solemn urging Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony.
awe
solemn wonder The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.
monolithic
solidly uniform; unyielding Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.
dupe
someone easily fooled While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool.
comestible
something fit to be eaten The roast turkey and other comestibles, the wines, and the excellent service made this Thanksgiving dinner particularly memorable.
sleeper
something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper.
precedent
something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action This decision sets a precedent for future cases of a similar nature.
poultice
soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body He was advised to apply a flaxseed poultice to the inflammation.
seamy
sordid; unwholesome In the Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his life as the son of a Mafia don.
dolorous
sorrowfrl He found the dolorous lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could.
scintillate
sparkle; flash I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates.
fitful
spasmodic; intermittent After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.
enunciate
speak distinctly How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?
fleck
spot Her cheeks flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.
dappled
spotted The sunlight filtering though the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.
maculated
spotted; stained Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead, the pompous young poet sang of the former premier's maculated brow.
suffuse
spread over A blush suffused her cheeks when we teased her about her love affair.
strew
spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.
pervasive
spread throughout Despite airing them for several hours, she could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothbals that clung to them.
spat
squabble; minor dispute What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.
adjutant
staff officer assisting the commander; assistant Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no doubt as to who made all major decisions.
diligence
steadiness of effort; persisten hard work Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm.
filch
steal The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.
plagiarize
steal another's ideas and pass them off as one's own The editor could tell that the writer had plagiarized parts of the article; he could recognize whole paragraphs from the original source.
embezzlement
stealing The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.
lurk
stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived "Who knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men? The shadow knows."
furtive
stealthy; sneaky The boy gave a furtive look at his classmate's test paper.
precipitous
steep; overhasty This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as well.
protrude
stick out His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves.
cohere
stick together Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.
glutinous
sticky; viscous Molasses is a glutinous substance.
stamina
strength; staying power I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.
prostrate
stretch out full on ground He prostrated himself before the idol.
clapper
striker (tongue) of a bell Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle its striking.
percussion
striking one object against another sharply The drum is a percussion instrument.
flay
strip off skin; plunder The criminal was condemned to be flayed alive.
divest
strip; deprive He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern.
apoplexy
stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis He was crippled by an attack of apoplexy.
saunter
stroll slowly As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.
transport
strong emotion Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset, at another moment in transports of grief over a dying bird.
stint
supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work He performed his daily stint cheerfully and willingly.
constituent
supporter The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass.
strut
supporting bar The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be reinforced.
reputed
supposed He is the reputed father of the child.
stifle
suppress; extinguish; inhibit Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.
concomitant
that which accompanies Culture is not always a concomitant of wealth.
galaxy
the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities The deaths of such famous actors as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, and Marlene Dietrich demonstrate that the galaxy of Hollywood superstars is rapidly disppearing.
prosody
the art of versification This book on prosody contains a rhyming dictionary as well as samples of the various verse forms.
occident
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North and South America; the West It will take occident to understand the ways and customs of the orient.
embroil
throw into confusion He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.
histrionic
theatrical He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to paly the role of Hamlet.
motif
theme This simple motif runs throughout the score.
pachyderm
thick-skinned animal The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm.
gruel
thin, liquid porridge Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable.
tenuous
thin; rare; slim The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties; let us hope they will remain loyal.
cogitate
think over cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.
tertiary
third He is so thorough that he analyzes tertiary causes where other writers are content with primary and secondary reasons.
gentility
those of gentle birth; refinement Her family was proud of its gentility and elegance.
trident
three-pronged spear Neptune is usually depicted as rising from the sea, carrying his trident on his shoulder.
flail
thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about In medieval times, warriors flailed their foe with a metal ball attached to a handle.
improvident
thriftless He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to "save for a rainy day."
pulsate
throb We could see the blood vessels in his temple pulsate as he became more angry.
precipitate
throw headlong; hasten The removal of American political support appeared to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos regime.
fret
to be annonyed or vexed To fret over your poor grades is foolish; instead, decide to work harder in the future.
roil
to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.
knell
tolling of a bell, especially to indicate a funeral, disaster, etc.; sound of the funeral bell "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day."
sepulcher
tomb Annabel Lee was buried in a sepulcher by the sea.
rhapsodize
to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.
equable
tranquil; steady; uniform After the hot summers and cold winters of New England, he found the climate of the West Indies equable and pleasant.
stigma
token of disgrace; brand I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted clears you completely.
brook
tolerate; endure The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions.
indisputable
too certain to be disputed In the face of these indisputable statements, I withdraw my complaint.
finicky
too particular; fussy The old lady was finicky about her food and ate very little.
cog
tooth projecting from a wheel A bicycle chain moves through a series of cogs in order to propel the bike.
fiasco
total failure Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.
petulant
touchy; peevish The feverish patient was petulant and restless.
sinewy
tough; strong and firm The steak was too sinewy to chew
orthodox
traditional; conservative in belief Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone.
turncoat
traitor The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat.
quisling
traitor who aids invaders In his conquest of Europe, Hitler was aided by the quislings who betrayed their own people and served in the puppet governments established by the Nazis.
hoax
trick; practical joke Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room.
feint
trick; shift; sham blow The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and dropped his guard.
ruse
trick; stratagem You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse.
dally
trifle with; procrastinate Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet could only dally with her affections.
trivia
trifles; unimportant matters Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivia.
flippancy
trifling gaiety Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive.
junket
trip, especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense Though she maintained she had gone abroad to collect firsthand data on the Common Market, the opposition claimed that her trip was merely a political junket.
platitude
trite remark; commonplace statement The platitudes in his speech were applauded by the vast majority in his audience; only a few people perceived how trite his remarks were.
superficial
trivial; shallow Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing grade.
petty
trivial; unimportant; very small She had no major complaints to make about his work, only a few petty quibbles that were almost too minor to state.
despotism
tyranny--- [despot: a ruler with absolute power] The people rebelled against the despotism of the king.
doctrinaire
unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.
infidel
unbeliever The Saracens made war against tne infidels.
indeterminate
uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite That interest rates shall rise appears certain; when they will do so, however, remains indeterminate.
precarious
uncertain; risky I think this stock is a precarious investment and advise against its purchase.
litotes
understatement for emphasis To say, "He little realizes," when we mean that he does not realize at all, is an example of the kind of understatement we call litotes.
tacit
understood; not put into words We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.
inquisitive
unduly curious; prying; seeking knowledge We need more inquisitive students in this school; lectures are dull.
infallible
unerring We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes.
inequity
unfairness In demanding equal pay for equal work, women protest the basic inequity of a system that allots greater financial rewards to men.
hapless
unfortunate This hapless creature had never known a moment's pleasure.
canard
unfounded rumor It is almost impossible to protect oneself from such a base canard.
inimical
unfriendly; hostile She felt that they were inimical and were hoping for her downfall.
singular
unique; extraordinary; odd Though the young man tried to understand Father William's singular behavior, he still found it odd that the old man incessantly stood on his head.
lumen
unit of light energy (one candle's worth) In buying light bulbs, she checked not only their power, as measured in watts, but their brightness, as measured in lumens.
iniquitous
unjust; wicked I cannot approve of the iniquitous methods you used to gain your present position.
implausible
unlikely; unbelievable Though her alibi seened implausible, it in fact turned out to be true.
indifferent
unmoved; lacking concern Because she felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to his constant proposals.
colander
utensil with perforated bottom used for straining Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it.
blurt
utter impulsively Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.
refrain
v. abstain from; resist n. chorus Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could never refrain from joining in on the refrain.
nebulous
vague; hazy; cloudy I had only a nebulous memory of my grandmother's face.
pauper
very poor person Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a pauper. Nankudhu, a decorated war hero and politician, died a pauper
prim
very precise and formal; exceedingly proper Many people commented on the contrast between the prim attire of the young lady and the inappropriate clothing worn by her escort.
infinitesimal
very small In the twentieth century, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about the characteristics of infinitesimal objects like the atom and its parts.
rile
vex; irritate; muddy Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.
onslaught
vicious assault We suffered many casualties during [unexpected onslaght of the enemy troops].
quarry
victim; object of a hunt The police closed in on their quarry.
robust
vigorous; strong The candidate for the football team had a robust physique.
spry
vigorously active; nimble She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.
profane
violate; desecrate Tourists are urged not to profane the sanctity of holy places by wearing improper garb.