Everyday 4

contemplate

Before you accept a job offer, or a college's offer of admission, you should take time to ___ the pros and cons of your decision. If you ___ something, you think about it carefully. Synonyms: ponder, excogitate, and ruminate

exacerbate

For a formal-sounding verb, that means to make worse, try ___. If you're in trouble, complaining about it will only ___ the problem.

pinnacle

Going as far into the sky as you can go on foot, you'll reach the highest point, or ___, of the Himalayas.

perpendicular

In geometry a ___ angle is 90 degrees, a perfect L. On a compass, East and North are ___ to each other. The term can be used more generally to describe any steep angle. You might talk about a ski slope that is nearly ___. That's impossible; gravity would make you fall off a 90-degree angle. But if it's close enough, no one's really measuring.

heed

It is an old word, meaning to listen to and follow. It can also be used as a noun: "Take ___ of my instructions, little boy," said the old bearded man. The most common use of ___ is with warnings.

pertain

It is to be relevant or somehow associated with something. If you're a lawyer, you try to find evidence that will ___ to the case and eliminate anything that is not connected.

just

It means "fair." When something is morally and ethically sound, it's ___. If you are a ___ teacher, you won't give your student an F just because his mother is rude to you.

appeal

It means to ask, or address. If you ___ to someone's better nature, you're asking them for mercy. If a shirt doesn't ___ to you, you could also say it doesn't "speak" to you, or more simply, you don't like it.

surcease

It's a fancy word for ending. If you want a movie to end, you long for its ___. This word can be used as a noun or verb, but either way it means something is finished. If you ___ working, than you finished your homework for the day. If a clumsy dentist is causing you pain, you might yell "___! ___!" That just means "Stop it!" In life, everything ___s eventually. This is a word you're likely to see in poetry and other formal writing.

ubiquitous

It's everywhere! It's everywhere! When something seems like it's present in all places at the same time, reach for the adjective ___.

anew

When something happens again, but in a fresh way that might be different.

acme

When something is at the very peak of perfection, reach for this noun from Greek: ___. Near synonyms for high points include zenith, summit, pinnacle, apex, and peak, but ___ has a special nuance for an ultimate point of perfection.

grope

When you ___ for something, you try to get a grip on it. If you drop your flashlight in a dark cave, you might ___ around for it. Beware of snakes!

preserve

When you ___ something, you maintain its condition, like trying to ___ your good health by exercising regularly and eating right. A synonym is "conserve".

devoid

When you fall off a cliff, you fall into the ***. That means empty. ___ means empty of. When you use it, always answer the question "Of what?" "My wallet is ___ of cash. My teacher is ___ of pity. My cookie jar is ___ of cookies." These examples are devoid of anything not totally depressing!

ad infinitum

You can talk about something that is literally infinite using this adverb: "The universe goes on ___." A more figurative use is for things that only seem to last ___, like the song "Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall," or an incredibly boring graduation speech. The literal meaning of the Latin ___ is "to infinity."

balkanize

[v] divide a territory into small, hostile states

bare/bear

___(1) means naked, but to ___(2) is to carry something. A ___(2) is also a brown furry animal, but most people keep that one straight.

endeavor

"The ordinary objects of human ___ — property, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible," wrote Albert Einstein. The word comes from the Old French phrase mettre en deveir, or "put in duty." As a verb, it's a more impressive word than try and suggests you're doing your darnedest to make something happen.

fray

It is all about friction--a ___ed rope has been rubbed so much its fibers are wearing away. People experiencing friction--fighting loudly--are involved in a ___.

abject

If it reeks of humiliation or looks like the lowest of lows, then you can safely describe it as ___. What's most important is understanding how extreme this adjective is. It means absolutely miserable, the most unfortunate, with utter humiliation. You might have heard the phrase ___ poverty, which is the absolute worst, most hopeless level of poverty you've ever seen.

permissible

If someone asked you, "Is it ___ for me to have a cupcake?" they're asking very formally for your permission to dig in. Usually the word ___ has to do with laws, rules, and what's generally acceptable. It's not ___ to take your pants off in public, for example. Wearing a hat inside is ___ according to the law, but it's not ___ according to church customs or your grandma's rules.

earnest

If you are ___, you pursue your purpose in a steady, sincere, and eager way. The phrase in ___ uses it as a noun, as in, "Once you stop fooling around and start studying in ___, you'll find you learn the material quickly." Oscar Wilde's classic play, "The Importance of Being ___," plays on the fact that Ernest is also a man's name.

arguably

If you declare that a certain restaurant makes what's ___ the best milkshake in town, you mean that a solid argument can be made in favor of their shakes. Use this adverb when you want to emphasize or back up a statement or opinion. The word was first used in the late 19th century to mean "as may be shown by argument," from the Latin root word arguere, "make known, prove, or demonstrate."

reverberate

If you give a loud shout in a cavernous place, like a gym or a church, the sound of your voice will ___ throughout the room. ___ means sound waves traveling back and forth, as in an echo.

glee

If you learned that you'd won a trip for four to Disney World, it would be hard to hide your ___. It means extreme happiness or delight.

convoluted

It comes from the Latin convolutus for rolled up together. Its original meaning in English was exactly that, first for eaves coiled up on themselves, then for anything rolled or knotted together. Over time it took on its metaphorical sense of complicated and intricate, which is how it's generally used today. People complain about ___ legal language and the ___ tax code.

divergence

It doesn't have to be a physical split — it can also be a philosophical division. The ___ of opinion between a school board and a group of parents might cause such a heated argument that the students at the meeting are obviously better behaved than the adults. ___ can also mean a deviation from standards or norms, like the ___ between your state's smoking laws and those of your neighboring states.

heresy

It is a belief that doesn't agree with the official tenets of a particular religion; ___ is the maintaining of such contrary beliefs.

reversal

It is a change of decision or direction, often to the opposite. You liked history, but thought you'd major in business because there were more jobs. Then you took an economics class and hated it. So in a ___, you majored in history after all.

sleuth

It is a fun, sometimes playful, word for "detective." As a verb, it's also what a detective does. When you seek clues, you ___. You, ___, you!

relentless

It is a good word for describing something that's harsh, unforgiving, and persistent, like the hot sun in the desert, or a cold that keeps you in bed for days with a nose like a strawberry.

feast

It is a huge, delicious meal that's served at a party or celebration. You might have a ___ to celebrate the last day of school every year.

mortgage

It is a loan in which the lender may use your property as payment if you don't pay back the loan. Offer your friend a ___ for the $20 he wants . . . with his bike as security.

proclivities

It is a natural tendency to like something, such as your sister's ___ for restaurants that serve hot, spicy food.

sincerely

Sincerity means being completely honest about what you mean, and only those who have sincerity should use this related word to describe their actions. If you ___ want to swim in a lake, you're not at all joking, which explains your bathing suit. You can use ___ at the end of a letter too. "Dear Mom, I ___ wish you would stop cutting my sandwiches into heart shapes. ___ yours, Kurt." No doubt, Kurt ___ means it.

coherent

Something ___ is logical and clear. "I told you if you didn't do your homework you couldn't watch TV. You didn't do your homework so you can't watch TV." This is a ___ argument (and annoying as well).

humble

Sometimes fictional characters try to earn favor by saying "I'm just a ___ man in search of...," when it is obvious they are the opposite. Truly ___ people keep quiet about the good things they do and about their ___, or poor and simple, backgrounds. In the Bible, Jesus is described as ___ because he was born in a stable, served the poor, and sacrificed himself without bragging about it — and he gave all the credit to his dad

devour

The meaning of it has grown to include the consumption of things other than food. If you sit down to start a book and look up ten hours later having turned the last page, you have ___ed that book. If your after school job ___s all your free time, chances are your grades are going to drop. The Latin root, devorare, means "to swallow down."

scrutiny

The most common usage of it is in the phrase "under ___." When your work is under ___, it's like your teacher is looking for any trash that can be edited out. If your outfit is under ___, your mom is checking to see if your skirt is long enough for school; she's making sure you don't look trashy. It comes from the Latin scrutari, which means "to search," but which originally meant, "to sort trash."

compound

This has several specialized uses. A ___ is either a mixture or two or more things, or a heavily guarded residence, such as a drug lord might have. In botany, a ___ leaf consists of more than one part. In linguistics, a ___ is a word that consists of two or more independent words. In chemistry, a ___ is a substance created when atoms from chemical elements join together.

gaiety

This noun is the feeling of happiness and delight that might be present at a child's birthday party or a festive square dance.

mockery

This noun means to ridicule or making a fool out of someone. ___ of your history teacher is unwise just before she grades your mid-term exams.

said

This word is the past tense of a verb, but it can also be used as an adjective to refer to something that has been previously introduced.

impede

To ___ something is to delay or block its progress or movement. Carrying six heavy bags will ___ your progress if you're trying to walk across town.

barred/bar

To be ___(1) is to be blocked from entrance or not allowed to do something — as if there were imaginary ___s(2) in your path. The adjective ___(1) comes from the noun ___(2), and it's easy to remember if you picture the classic ___(1) cell where inmates are confined. ___(1) can also describe something that is marked with ___s(2), like a ___(1) owl.

ex post facto

Use this adjective to describe something that influences events in the past, like an ___ pay raise, which reimburses you for work you've done already.

vestige

Vestige is an elegant word. It's all about shadows, and gives us a way to talk about traces or reminders of something that has disappeared or is disappearing.

rigged

manipulated or controlled, usually by deceptive or dishonest means