Vocab power

commensurate

proportionate - I kept silence from utter inability to say a word commensurate with my grief.

desultory

random - The Americans and their allies are carrying out a desultory air campaign in Syria that appears focused on support for the Kurds.

contrite

remorseful - Control yourself with time in hand, else you'll have to be contrite later.

caustic

sarcastic

forestall

prevent - The problem is that in an effort to forestall an Israeli strike, Obama is making war pledges now

implacable

(adj.) not to be satisfied or pacified; unyielding - He has a will of iron, dauntless resolution, and an implacable temper.

dogmatic

1. Stubbornly opinionated on unproven principles - I refuse to argue with someone so dogmatic that he won't listen to reason. 2. relating to or of the nature of a dogma or dogmas or any strong set of principles concerning faith, morals, etc., as those laid down by a church; doctrinal: We hear dogmatic arguments from both sides of the political spectrum.

banal

1. commonplace 2. relating to ban

artless

1. ingenuous,without deceit 2.lacking art or skill

complaisant

1. trying to please 2. compliant

compendium

1.collection of items - Due to the variety of topics covered, the book has been characterized as a compendium or a "philosophical encyclopedia in miniature" 2. short summary

euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant - The military is also notorious for using euphemisms, like saying "neutralizing the target" instead of "killing someone."

Verisimilar

Appearing to be real

cursory

Done quickly and not thoroughly; hasty,slipshod

abstemious

Eating and drinking in moderation. - The hermit led an abstemious way of life.

Aberrant

Deviating from what if normal

disparate

Different - We are dealing with multiple authors writing in disparate locations.

Fetid

Foul smelling

Malodorous

Foul smelling

Cupidity

Greed

Loathe

Hate

inchoate

In an initial stage; not fully formed - The proposal to shift to a new Parliament is still inchoate and yet to be debated.

contentious

Marked by heated arguments or controversy - The race to succeed Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) was contentious from the start.

harangue

Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly - The occasion was a gala dinner during which Pinter began to harangue some unfortunate guest for his political views.

Inexorable

Relentless

effrontery

Shameless boldness - Armond saw the same "effrontery" found in British punk, and the provocative words and song titles heard from The Smiths

Extant

Still in existence

hyperbole

exaggeration - My hope is that as the Republicans continue to speak only in hyperbole, the public will begin to doubt them.

disparage

To belittle - they won't run ads that "disparage" the president

larded

To fill throughout; inject: "The history of Sicily was larded with treachery"

Loath

Unwilling

connoiseur

expert - connoisseur of art and a lover of literature

acquiescence

acceptance without protest

abeyance

a temporary suspension of activity. - The India-Pakistan series is held in abeyance by the BCCI due to delay in the Indian government's nod for the tournament.

felicitous

appropriate - What a felicitous choice of words

approbation

approval - At this juncture La Flitche nodded his head in approbation, and she went on.

glib

artfully persuasive in speech; superficial - A hiring manager might think you're being glib, or slick and insincere, if you say you've led a successful multinational corporation when you were actually in charge of flipping burgers for a fast-food restaurant chain.

aver

assert strongly - The north of France, and not Germany as Germans aver, is the peculiar home of this noble form of art, which all the surrounding nations learn.

iconoclastic

attacking cherished traditions

antipathy

aversion,opposition - The proposed GST bill met with strong antipathy from the opposition in the Parliament.

denigrate

belittle,disparage - In Venezuela, it is illegal to publish news accounts that might be deemed to "denigrate" President Hugo Chevez.

audacious

bold and daring - He is part of what some here are calling an audacious solution to a massive problem: the budget deficit.

implode

burst inward - As the housing market began to implode, the banks were keeping more and more of those bonds on their books.

equanimity

calmness - MS Dhoni has earned the admiration of many for his ability to maintain equanimity under pressure.

engender

cause or produce - What kind of response is Obama likely to engender with his immigration reform?

castigation

chastisement - First, if the tone of my post sounds like "castigation" let me apologize; that was not my intent.

convoluted

complex - This tends to be a lengthy and convoluted process, taking at least two years even under ideal circumstances.

distend

extend -The gas distended the animal's stomach.

belie

conceal the true character of. - His trembling hands belied his calm voice.

aesthetic

concerned with beauty or artistic impact or appearance

confound

confuse - Taking advice from one too many people will only confound you in your decision.

cogent

convincing - You speak with a clear voice and in cogent paragraphs, and make a great case for our progressive causes.

craven

cowardly - Terrorism has been perceived as an act of cowardice or cravenness.

chicanery

deception - Typically, these firms' criminal-defense practices focus on cases like securities fraud or accounting chicanery.

discredit

defame - Remember, the first tactic to discredit is to call the opponent insane, or to intimate insanity

gainsay

deny - nobody can gainsay that.

empirical

derived from observation or experiment - It is true that religions are not belief systems grounded in empirical results

conundrum

dilemma - Choosing between higher studies and a job is a conundrum that has plagued students in their final year.

dissonance

disagreement,conflict - The captain and the coach were in dissonance over the selection of Harbhajan Singh in the squad.

disjointed

disconnected - The beginning is disjointed from the rest of the plot.

alacrity

eagerness,enthusiasm - When mom gave me a candy, I jumped with alacrity

ebullient

exuberant - The captain's ebullience on the field motivated the players.

facetious

flippant: Someone who is facetious is only joking: "I was being facetious when I told my mother I want Brussels sprouts with every meal, but she took me seriously!"

fatuous

foolish - all the fatuous charges levelled against him.

condone

forgive - The juvenile was involved in an act too inhuman to be condoned.

disabuse

free someone from misconception - They kind of disabuse you of the notion of your greatness pretty quickly.

divest

get rid of,to deprive of - Divest yourself of all attachment if you really wanna be happy.

boorish

ill-mannered - Philadelphia fans are known as boorish and hate-filled

ameliorate

improve - The question for me is: will the execution of Hussein ameliorate or worsen the situation in Iraq in the short term and in the long run?

fallacious

incorrect - The fallacious assumption implied in the query

ambivalence

indecisiveness - Many Americans these days are buying their first gold shares — but with a certain ambivalence, all too aware that the metal 's price can move suddenly.

endemic

indigenous - Sexual harassment is endemic in Egypt

assiduous

industrious - Janet is neither "the most assiduous student ... nor the most naturally gifted

apprise

inform - She met with alumni Jan. 22 to apprise them of costs and funding strategies.

foment

instigate - The Cubans claim Gross was a spy who was trying to foment revolution.

diffident

lacking confidence/shy - The diffidence of the girls from smaller towns was conspicuous when they were seated along with those from metros.

erudite

learned; scholarly; - Obama was brilliant that night with erudite answers to questions.

assuage

lessen the intensity of - Upcoming second-quarter results may do little to assuage such fears.

eclectic

made up of what is selected from different sources - Today, musical performers from Kanye West to Yo Yo Ma are called "eclectic.

stingy

mean or ungenerous

vagabond

one who wanders from place to place and has no fixed home

burnish

polish - Nice to see a potential American leader able to once again burnish America's image abroad

delineate

portray - Match-fixing, sledging and doping delineate the game of cricket in bad light.

dissemble

pretend - I dissembled to be ill when called for the IG.

diatribe

scolding - This diatribe is about companies with lousy customer service.

impudence

shameless audacity - The infinitely valuable Yiddish word chutzpah is defined as "shameless audacity" or "impudence."

discerning

sharp-sighted,able to discriminate - The one problem I always seem to have is in discerning between sarcasm and bitterness, the two tones often coming neck-to-neck with one another.

ephemeral

short-lived - Most news articles were just as ephemeral.

impassive

showing no feeling or emotion; inanimate - In each frame, Ai faces the camera, impassive and nearly immobile.

ingenuous

simple and straightforward - Remember you are talking to a Yale girl, and not an ingenuous Harvard maiden.

gregarious

sociable - MOTT pilots called the gregarious Murphy "The Mayor" because he could enter a room full of strangers and leave with two new friends

anachronism

something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time: The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.

buttress

something that supports - The widespread ignorance of events is the main buttress of injustice

dumpy

sulky,dejected - Ankit always has a dumpy face.

exculpate

to clear from blame; prove innocent - I hope this might in some small way exculpate my sins.

goad

to urge, spur, incite to action - (Jim may think he's not going to fight Billy, but Billy will goad Jim on with insults until he throws a punch.)

esoteric

understood by few - He was never, and never wished to be, in the least esoteric ; his object was to be understood by all.

enervate

weaken - Shun all that may enervate or diminish your youthful energies.

capricious

whimsical - In a capricious move, Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho.

exacerbate

worsen - Watching TV while a headache only exacerates the pain.