GRE Vocab Words
countenance
1 def: approve; tolerate. Miss Manners refused to ___ such rude behavior on their part. 2. def: face. when Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his ___.
array
1. def: marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to ____ public finest clothes before going out for the evening 2. def: clothe; adorn. She liked to watch her mother ___ herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening
unerringly
def: Infallibly My teacher ____ pounced on the one typographical error in my essay
rife
def: abundant; current In the face of the many scandalous rumors ____ at the moment, it is best to remain silent
luxuriant
def: abundant; rich and splendid; fertile Lady Godiva was completely covered by her ___ hair
suffragist
def: 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 ___ Susan B. Anthony
dilettante
def: aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler. According to Turgenev, without painstaking work, any writer or artist remains a ____. In an age of increasing professionalism, the terms amateur and ___ have taken on negitive connotations they did not originally possess.
equivocal
def: ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate's ___ comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue.
waylay
def: ambush; lie in wait They agreed to _____ their victum as he passed through the dark alley going home
reparation
def: amends; compensation At the peace conferences, the defeated country promised to pay ______s to the victors
forbears
def: ancestors Reverence for one's ____s (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many Oriental cultures.
cherubic
def: angelic; innocent-looking. With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly ___ child.
indignation
def: anger at an injustice She felt ____ at the ill-treatment of the helpless animals
irate
def: angry When John's mother found out that he had over-drawn his checking account for the third month in a row, she was so ___ that she could scarcely speak tohim
gadfly
def: animal-biting fly; irritating person. Lake a ___, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty-eight hours, everyone regarded him as an annoying busyboy.
gall
def: annoy; chafe. The taunts ___ed him.
vex
def: annoy; distress Please try not to ___ your mother; she is doing the best she can
nettle
def: annoy; vex Do not let her ___ you with her sarcastic remarks
ostensible
def: apparent; professed; pretended Although the ___ purpose of the expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products
loom
def: appear or take shape (usually in an enlarged or distorted form) The shadow of the gallows ____ed threateningly above the small boy
fervent
def: ardent; hot. Modest b nature, Susan felt that the ____ praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.
disputatious
def: argumentative; found or arguing. Convinced he knew more than his lawyers, Tony was a ___ client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case.
collate
def: arrange in order; examine in order to verify authenticity Ashby Village in Berkeley is _____ing details of organizations that provides services to senior citizens, with the exception of eventually publishing a list.
affected
def: artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress. His _____ mannerisms- his "Harvard" accent, his air of boredom, his use of obscure foreign words- bugged us: he acted as if he thought he was too good for his old high school friends.
factitious
def: artificial; sham Hollywood actresses often create ____ tears by using glycerine.
acquiesce
def: assent; agree passively. Although she appeared to ____ to her employer's suggestion, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made.
abet
def: assist; usually in doing something wrong encourage. sentence: she was unwilling to ___ in the swindle he had planned.
postulate
def: assume something's existence or truth as a bass for further reasoning or discussion Attachment theory ____s that bonds with parents have a significant influence on later adult relationships
covetous
def: avaricious; eagerly desirous of. The poor man wants many things; the ___ man, all. During the Civil War, the Confederates cast ___ eyes on California, hoping to seize ports for privateers, as well as gold and silver to replenish the South's sagging treasury.
devolve
def: be transferred to another; delegate to another; gradually worsen. Because Humpty Dumpty was too shattered by his fall to clean up his own mess, all the work of picking up the pieces ___ed upon poor Alice.
incipient
def: beginning; in an early stage I will go to sleep early for I want to break an ___ cold.
arrears
def: being in debt Because he was in ____ with his car payments, the repo men repossessed his Porsche.
credulity
def: belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivete. Con artists take advantage of the ____ of inexperienced investors to swindle them out of their savings.
beleaguer
def: besiege or attack; harass. The babysitter was surrounded by a crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly ____ed her.
unimpeachable
def: blameless and exemplary Caesar had always admired men of ____ honesty, such as Cicero and Cato, and liked to work with them. Unfortunately men of ____ honesty tended to look askance at some of Caesar's methods.
irreproachable
def: blameless; impeccable Homer's conduct at the office party was ____; even Marge had nothing bad to say about how he behaved.
beatify
def: bless or sanctify; proclaim someone dead to be one of the blessed. In 1996, Pope John Paul traveled to Belgium to ____ Joseph De Veuster, who died in 1889.
hallowed
def: blessed; consecrated Although the dead girl's parents had never been active churchgoers, they insisted that their daughter be buried in ____ ground.
benediction
def: blessing The apperance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a _____
boon
def: blessing; benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a ____ to the whole community.
chauvinist
def: blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group or cause. A ____ cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be. Likewise, a male ____ cannot recognize how biased he is in favor of his own sex, no matter how flagrant that bias may be.
bluster
def: blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully. "Let the storm winds ___" cried Jack, "we'll set sail tonight." Jill let Jack ___ her.
brusque
def: blunt; abrupt. She was offended by his _____ reply.
vaunted
def: boasted; bragged; highly publicized This much ____ project proved a disappointment when it collapsed.
braggart
def: boaster. Modest by nature, she was no ____, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.
vainglorious
def: boastful; excessively conceited Louis XIV consumed the revenues of the state in warlike enterprises, and a million men were sacrificed to his ___ ambition
corporeal
def: bodily; material. The doctor had no patience with spiritual matters; his job was to attend to his patients' ____ problems, not to minister to their souls.
ennui
def: boredom The monotonous routine of hospital life induced a feeling of ___ that made her moody and irritable. "This vacation is boring!" complained Heather, tired of being stuck riding i the car with no way to relieve her growing ___.
luminary
def: celebrity; dignitary A leading light o the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical ___ whose name lives on
reprove
def: censure; rebuke Though Aunt Bea at times would _____ Opie for inattention in church, she believed he was at heart a God-fearing lad
arraign
def: charge in court; indict. After his indictment by the Grand Jury; the accused man was ___ed in the County Criminal Court.
quack
def: charlatan; imposer Do not be misled by the exaggerated claims of this ___: he cannot cure you
tawdry
def: cheap and gaudy He won a few ____ trinkets at Coney Island
swindler
def: cheat She was gullible and trusting, an easy victum for the first ___ who came along
stem
def: check the flow The paramedic used a tourniquet to ___ the bleeding from the slashed artery
sanguine
def: cheerful; hopeful Let us not be too ___ about the outcome; something could go wrong
cardinal
def: chief If you want to increase your word power, the ____ rule of vocab building is to read.
puerile
def: childish His ____ pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.
grovel
def: crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate. Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to ____ before our conquerors
dank
def: damp. The walls of the dungeon were __ and slimy.
audacious
def: daring; bold. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their ____, death-defying leap to freedom and escaped Darth Vader's troops.
inveterate
def: deep-rooted; habitual She is an ___ smoker and cannot break the habit
libel
def: defamatory statement; act of writing something that smears a person's character If Batman wrote that the Joker was a dirty, rotten, mass-murdering criminal, could the Joker sue Batman for ___?
mulct
def: defraud a person of something The lawyer was accused of trying to ___ the boy of his legendary
crestfallen
def: dejected; dispirited. We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project: instead of being _____, he was busily engaged in planning new activities.
tarry
def: delay; dawdle We can't ___ if we want to get to the airport on time
invidious
def: designed to create ill will or envy The Israelis' continuing success after the hour of the cease-fire placed Kissinger in an ___ position, for he had promised the Soviet Union that the Israelis would honor the cease-fire, and they had not
raze
def: destroy completely Spelling matter: to raise a building is to put it up; to ___ a building is to tear it down
holocaust
def: destruction by fire Citizens of San Francisco remember that the destruction of the city was caused not by the earthquake but by the ____ that followed.
carnage
def: destruction of life The film The Killing Fields vividly depicts the ____ wrecked by Pol Pot's followers in Cambodia.
bent
def: determined; natural talent or inclination. ____ on advancing in the business world, the secretory-heroine of Working Girl has a true ____ for high finance.
appall
def: dismay; shock. We were ___ed by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.
zeal
def: eager enthusiasm Wang's ____ was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent enthusiasm for the cause
sphinx-like
def: enigmatic; mysterious The Mona Lisa's ____ expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries
ambience
def: environment; atmosphere. she went to the restaurant not for the food but for the _____
exegesis
def: explanation; especially of biblical passages. The minister based her sermon on her ___ of a difficult passage from the book of job.
decry
def: express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly ____ies the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.
spasmodic
def: fitful; periodic The ___ coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers
panache
def: flair; flamboyance Many performers imitated Noel Coward, but few had his ___ and sense of style
adulation
def: flattery; admiration the rock star thrived on the ____ of his groupies and yes-men.
evanescent
def: fleeting; vanishing. For a brief moment, the entire skyline was bathed in an orange-red hue in the ___ rays of the sunset.
carnal
def: fleshly. Is the public more interested to ____ pleasures than in spiritual matters? Compare the number of people who read Playboy daily to the number of those who read the Bible every day.
confluence
def: flowed together; crowd. They built the city at the ____ of two rivers.
fervor
def: glowing ardor; intensity of feeling. At the protest rally, the students cheered the strikers and booed the dean with equal.
killjoy
def: grouch; spoilsport At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that ____ John started talking about how bad animal fats and cholesterol were for our health.
pall
def: grow tiresome The study of word lists can eventually __ and put one to sleep
accretion
def: growth; increase. Over the years Bob put on weight; because of this ___ of flesh, he went from size M to XL.
macabre
def: gruesome; grisly The city morgue is a ___ spot for the uninitiated
taciturn
def: habitually silent; talking little The stereotypical cowboy is a ____ soul, answering lengthy questions with a "Yep" or "Nope"
trite
def: hackneyed; commonplace The ____ and predictable situations in many television programs turn off many viewers, who, in turn, turn off their sets
somnolent
def: half asleep The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all ____ and indifferent to the speaker
prophetic
def: having to do with predicting the future. In interpreting Pharaoh's ____ dream, Joseph said that the seven fat cows eaten by the seven lean cows represented seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine
conductive
def: helpful; contributive. Rest and propwe diet are ____ to good health.
mimicry
def: imitation Her gift for ___ was so great that her freinds said that she should be in the theater
pastiche
def: imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing We cannot even say that her music is a ___ of this or that composer; it is, rather, reminiscent of many musicans
casual
def: implying a cause-and-effect relationship. The psychologist maintained there was a ___ relationship between the nature of one's early childhood experiences and one's adult personality
august
def: impressive; majestic Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the ____ their surroundings in which she found herself.
gamely
def: in a spirited manner; with courage Because he had fought ___ against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena.
apprise
def: inform When NASA was ____d of the dangerous weather conditions, the head of the space agency decided to postpone the shuttle launch.
brazen
def: insolent. Her ____ contempt for authority angered the officials.
insuperable
def: insurmountable; unbeatable Though the odds against their survival seemed ____, the Apollo 13 astronauts reached earth safely.
indolent
def: lazy Couch potatoes lead an ___ life lying back in the Lazyboy recliners watching TV
modicum
def: limited quantity Although his story is based on a ___ of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious
vegetate
def: live in a monotonous way I do not understand how you can ____ in this quiet village after the adventurous life you have led.
yen
def: longing; urge She had a ____ to get away and live on her own for a while
episodic
def: loosely connected. Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too ____.
languish
def: lose animation or strength Left a Miss Minchin's school for girls while her father went off to war, Sarah Crewe refused to ____; instead, she hid her grief and actively befriended her less fortunate classmates.
clangor
def: loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to the ___ of hammers on steel.
loll
def: lounge about They ____ed around in their chairs watching television
effusive
def: pouring forth; gushing Unmoved by Martha's many compliments on his performance, George dismissed the ___ words to praise as a sentimental outpourings of an emotional fool.
quash
def: subdue; crush; squash The authorities acted quickly to ____ the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators
hapless
def: unfortunate The ___ creature had never known a moment's pleasure
infirmity
def: weakness Her greatest ___ was lack of willpower.
martinet
def: a strict disciplinarian, especially in the armed forces. Miss Minchin was a ___ who insisted that the schoolgirls in her charge observe each regulation to the letter.
derelict
def: abandoned; negligent. The ___ craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever abandoned it in the middle of the harbor was ___ in living up to his responsibilities as a boat owner.
prescience
def: ability to foretell the future Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take ____ for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan
effeminate
def: able to produce a desired effect; valid. Medical researchers are concerned because of the developed of drug-resistant strains of bacteria; many once-used antibiotics are no longer ____ in curing bacterial infections
anomalous
def: abnormal; irregular. She was placed in the ____ position of seeming to approve procudures that she despised.
aberration
def: abnormality; departure from the norm; mental irregularity or disorder. sentence: It remains the consensus among investors on Wall Street that current high oil prices are a temporary ___ and that we shall soon see a return to cheap oil
abrogate
def: abolish responding to conservative attacks against an outspoken radical professor, the dean pledged to resist such attempts to ___ the novel.
rapt
def: absorbed; enchanted Caught up in a wonder of the storyteller's tale, the ___ listeners sat motionless, hanging on his every word
preposterous
def: absurd; ridiculous When the candidate tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled, we all thought, "What a ___ excuse!"
plentitude
def: abundance; completeness Looking in the pantry, we admired the ____ of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer
affluence
def: abundance; wealth. Foreigners are amazed by the ____ and luxury of the Americans way of life.
chasm
def: abyss. They could nto ssee the bottom of the ____.
fortuitous
def: accidental; by chance Though he pretended their encounter was ____, he'd actually been hanging around her usual haunts for the past two weeks, hoping she'd turn up.
appropriate
def: acquire; take possession of for one's own use. The ranch owners ____d the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indian's use.
exonerate
def: acquit; exculpate The defense team feverishly sought fresh evidence that might ___ the client.
arbitrate
def: act as judge. She was caled upon to ____ the dispute between the union and he management.
temporize
def: act evasively to gain time, avoid committing oneself Ordered by King John to drive Robin Hood out of Sherwood Forest the sheriff _____, hoping to put off any confrontation with the outlaw band
pantomime
def: acting without dialogue Because he worked in ___, the clown could be understood wherever he appeared
animosity
def: active enmity. He incurred the ____ of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power
veritable
def: actual; being truly so; not false or imaginary At his computer, Pavel is a ___ wizard, creating graphic effects that seem magical to programmers less skilled than he
espouse
def: adopt; support. She was always ready to ____ a worthy cause.
mannered
def: affected; not natural Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a ___ed, artificial way of speech.
posthumous
def: after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death). The critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the _____ publication of his last novel that they recognized his great talent
emissary
def: agent; messanger. The Secretary of State was sent as the president's special ___ to the conference on disarmament.
ferment
def: agitation; commotion. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ___.
succor
def: aid; assist; comfort If you believe that con man has come here to ___ you in your hour of need, you're even a bigger sucker than I thought
assay
def: analyze; evaluate. When they ___ed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein.
progenitor
def: ancestor The Roth Family, whose ___s emigrated from Germany early in the 19th century, settled in Peru, Illinois
verisimilitude
def: appearance of truth; likelihood Critics praised her for the ___ of her performance of Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable
advent
def: arrival Most Americans were unaware of the ___ of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them
hubris
def: arrogance; excessive self-conceit Filled with ___, Lear refused to heed his friends' warnings.
supercilious
def: arrogant; condescending; patronizing The ______ headwater sneered at customers who he thought did not fit the image of a restaurant catering to an ultrafashionable crowd
facet
def: aspect; feature; side. With so many different ___s to the job, a proposal writer must often be a Jack of all trades, able to manage the project, motivate the proposal team, perform needed research, and, of course, write.
assail
def: assault He was ____ed with questions after his lecture
supposititious
def: assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical Perkin Warbeck, the _____ heir to the British throne, eventually confessed that he was a pretender
append
def: attach When you ___ a bibliography to a text, you have created an appendix.
revile
def: attack with abusive language; Vilify Though most of his contemporaries _____ed Captain Kidd as a notorious, bloody-handed pirate, some of his fellow merchant-captains believed him innocent of his alleged crimes.
impute
def: attribute; ascribe If I wished to ____ blame to the officers in charge of the program, I would say so definitely and immediately.
magisterial
def: authoritative; imperious The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a ___ tone of voice
shirk
def: avoid (responsibility, work, etc); malinger Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never ___ any responsibility
eschew
def: avoid. Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he tried to __ all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub.
relegate
def: banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign After Ralph dropped his second tray of drinks that week, the manager swiftly ____ed him to a minor post cleaning up behind the bar.
insolvent
def: bankrupt; lacking money to pay When rumors thhat he was ___ reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the money due them
behoove
def: be necessary or proper for; be incumbent upon. Because the interest of the ruler and the ruled are imcompatible, it ___s the ruler to trust no one, to be suspicious of sycophants, to permit no one to gain undue power or influence.
appreciate
def: be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of. Little Orphan Annie truly ____ed the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, whose value ____d considerably over the years.
comport
def: bear one's self; behave. He comported himself with great dignity.
lambaste
def: beat; trash verbally or physically It was painful to watch the champion ___ his opponent, tearing into him mercilessly
pulchritude
def: beauty; comeliness I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss America from this collection of female _____.
ingratiate
def: become popular with He tried to ____ himself into her parents' good graces
importune
def: beg persistently Democratic and Republican phone solicitors ____ed her for contributions so frequently that she decided to give nothing to either party.
cadge
def: beg; mooch; panhandle. While his car was in the shop, Bob had to ____ a ride to work each day. Unwilling to be a complete moocher, however, he offered to pay for the gas.
bessech
def: beg; plead with The workaholic's executive's wife ____ed him to spend more time with their son.
tyro
def: beginner; novice The young lawyer, a ___ less than a year out of law school, had never tried a capital case; he was not incompetent, merely too inexperienced to represent his clients carefully
credence
def: belief. It is unlikely that Richard III killed his queen, but his evident alarm at the thought that such a story might gain ____ even among his faithful followers clearly shows how fragile he felt his reputation to be.
preternatural
def: beyond that which is normal in nature John's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying stuck him as almost _____.
acerbic
def: bitter or sour in nature; sharp and cutting. Noted for her ___ wit and gossiping, Alice Roosevelt Longworth had a pillow in her home embroidered with the legend "if you can't sat something good about someone, sit right here by me".
acrimonious
def: bitter words or manner. the canidate attacked his opponent in highly ____ terms.
rancor
def: bitterness; hatred 30 years after the war, she could not let go of the past but he was still consumed with ____ against the foe
censure
def: blame; criticize. The senator was ____ed for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress.
sanguinary
def: bloody The battle of Iwo Jima was unexpectedly ___, with many casualties
magniloquent
def: boastful, pompous In their stories of the trail, the reporters ridiculed the ____ speeches of the defense attorney
hilarity
def: boisterous mirth With superb timing they did a knock about comedy act that provoked ____from the audience
obstreperous
def: boisterous; noisy What do you do when an ___ horse of drunken policeman carouses through your hotel, crashing into potted plants and singing vulgar songs
temerity
def: boldness; rashness Do you have the __ to argue with me?
catechism
def: book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer. He taught by engaging his pupils in a ____ until the gave him the correct answer.
anthology
def: book of itinerary selections by various authors. This ____ of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov.
churlish
def: boorish; rude. Dismayed by his ____ manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.
blasé
def: bored with pleasure or dissipation. Although Beth was as thrilled with a with the idea of a trip to Paris as her classmates were, she tried to act supercool and ____, as if she'd been abroad hundreds of times.
tedium
def: boredom; weariness We hope this new Game Boy will help you overcome the __ of your stay in the hospital
fracas
def: brawl; melee. The military police stopped the ___ in the bar and arrested the belligerents.
laconic
def: brief and to the point Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are ____ types; strong men of few words.
succinct
def: brief; terse; compact Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage
nonplus
def: bring to a halt by confusion; perplex Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness ___ Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react
braggadocio
def: broasting. Hip hop is a culture built on _____, arrogance, and confidence in one's own abilities and appearance.
browbeat
def: bully; intimidate. Billy resisted Ted's attempts to ___ him into handing over his lunch money.
onus
def: burden; responsibility The emperor was spared the ___ of signing the surrender papers; instead, he relegated the assignment to his generals
wheedle
def: cajole; coax; deceive by flattery She knows she can ______ almost anything she wants from her farther
convoke
def: call together. To the surprise of Vatican observers, the new Pope John XXIII announced his intention to ___ an ecumenical council.
dispassionate
def: calm; impartial. Known in the company for his cool judgement, Bill could impartially examine the causes of a problem, giving a ____ analysis of what had gone wrong, and go on to suggest to correct the mess.
allay
def: calm; pacify. The crew tried to ___ the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.
countermand
def: cancel; revoke. The general ____ed the orders issued in his absence.
venal
def: capable of being bribed The _____ policeman accepted the bribe offered him by the motorists whom he had stopped for speeding
vagary
def: caprice; whim Without income from Social Security to depend on, senior citizens will be even more vulnerable to the ___ of the stock market than they are today
cursory
def: casual; hastily done. Because a ____ examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's cause.
descry
def: catch sight of. In the distances, we could barely ___ the enemy vessels.
cavaller
def: causal and offhand; arrogant. Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's ____ dismissal of her suggestions.
stultify
def: cause to appear or become stupids or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the mental labor had _____ed his mind
pestilential
def: causing plague; baneful People were afraid to explore the ____ swamp
grievous
def: causing sorrow or pain; very severe A pedestrian who suffered ____ injuries after being struck by a city bus last year will receive a $575,000 settlement from the transit agency.
chary
def: cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty New Englander, DeWitt was a ___ of investing money in junk bonds as he was _____ of praying people unnecessary compliments.
kernel
def: central or vital part; whole seed (as of corn). "Watson, buried within this tissue of lies there is a ___ of truth; when I find it, the mystery will be solved."
vicissitude
def: change of fortune Humbled by life's ____s, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled
transmute
def: change; convert to something different He was unable to ___ his dreams into actualities
fickle
def: changeable; faithless As soon as Romeo saw Juliet, he forgot all about his crush on Rosaline.
indict
def: charge The district attorney didn't want to ___ the suspect until she was sure she had a strong enough case to convince a jury
progeny
def: children; offspring He was proud of his ___ in general, but regarded George as the most promising of all his children.
chortle
def: chuckle with delight. When she heard that her rival had just been jailed for embezzlement, she ____ed with joy. She was not a nice lady.
vociferous
def: clamorous; noisy The crowd grew ____ in its anger and threatened to take the law into his own hands.
expurgate
def: clean; remove offensive parts of a book. The editors felt that certain passages in the book had to be ___ed before it could be used in the classroom.
perspicuity
def: clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity. One of the outstanding features of his book is the ____ of its author; her meaning is always clear
repartee
def: clever reply He was famous for his witty ____ and his sarcasm
stratagem
def: clever trick; deceptive scheme What a gem of a _____! Watson, I have the perfect plan to trick Moriarty into revealing himself.
shrewd
def: clever; astute A___ investor, she took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market
clamber
def: climb by crawling. She ___ over the wall.
saccharine
def: cloyingly sweet She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a ___ smile.
maladroit
def: clumsy; bugling, "Oh! My stupid tongue!" exclaimed Jane, embarrassed at having said anything so ___.
gauche
def: clumsy; coarse and uncouth. Compared to the sophisticated young ladies in their elegant gowns, tomboyish Jo felt ___ and out of place.
cajole
def: coax; wheedle. Cher tried to ___ her father into letting her drive the family car.
amass
def: collect. The miser's aim is to ___ and hoard as much gold as possible
agglomeration
def: collection; heap. It took weeks to assort the ___ of miscellaneous items she had collected on her tip.
militant
def: combative; bellicose Although at this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more ___ attitude.
pugnacity
def: combativeness; disposition to fight "Put up your dukes!" he cried, making a fist to show his ___.
merger
def: combination (of two business cooperations). When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't marriage
coalesce
def: combine; fuse. The brooks ____ into one large river. When minor political parties ____, their ___ may create a major coalition.
fiat
def: command; authorization Although the bill abolished the allowances and privileges of the former princes was rejected by the upper house, it was put into effect by presidential
enjoin
def: command; order; forbid. The owners of the company asked the court to ___ the union from picketing the plant.
hackeyed
def: commonplace; trite. When the reviewer criticized the movie for its ____ plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories hundreds of times before.
tumult
def: commotion; riot; noise She could not make herself heard over the ___ of the mob
remunerative
def: compensating; rewarding I find my new job so ___ that I may not return to my previous position.
grouse
def: complain; fuss Students traditionally ____ about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dormitory food.
unanimity
def: complete agreement We were surprised by the ____ with which our proposals were accepted by the different factions
complement
def: complete; consummate; make perfect. The waiter recommender a glass of port to ____ the cheese.
plenary
def: complete; full The union leader was given ____ power to negotiate a new contract with the employers
imbroglio
def: complicated situation; painful or complex misunderstanding; entanglement; confused mass (as of papers) The humor of Shakespearean comedies often depends on cases of mistaken identity that involve the perplexed protagonists in one comic ____ after another
mercantile
def: concerning trade The knowledge that sea traders like Mexico Polo brought to Venice increased commercial activity there, transforming the city into one of the great ____ powers of Europe
précis
def: concise summing up of main points Before making her presentation at the conference, Ellen wrote a neat ____ of the major elements she would cover
terse
def: concise; abrupt; pithy There is a fine line between speech that is ____ and to the point and speech that is too abrupt
pithy
def: concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty While other girls might have gone on and on about how uncool Elton was, Cher summed it up in one ___ remark: "He's bogus!"
brevity
def: conciseness. ____ is essential when you send a telegram; you are charged for every word.
deign
def: condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not ___ to speak to a mere seamstress; is overburdened assistant had to convey the master's wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs.
corroborate
def: confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to ____ Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.
befuddle
def: confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in ___ing her further.
obfuscate
def: confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex. Was the president's spokesman trying to clarify the Whitewater mystery or was he trying to ___ the issue so the voters would never figure out what went on?
confound
def: confuse; puzzle No mystery could ____ Sherlock Holmes for long
hubbub
def: confused uproar The marketplace was a scene of ___ and excitement; in all the noise, we could not distinguish particular voices.
bemused
def: confused; lost in thought; preoccupied. Jill studied the garbled instructions with a ___ look on her face.
scrupulous
def: conscientious; extremely thorough Though Alfred is ___ in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less_____ about his obligations to his family and friends
corollary
def: consequence; accompaniment. Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with sibling rivalry its natural ____.
flagrant
def: conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous The governor's appointment of his brother-in-law to the state Supreme Court was a ____ violation of the state laws against nepotism.
din
def: continued loud noise. The ___ of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice.
ascendancy
def: controlling influence. President Marcos failed to maintain his _____ over the Philippines.
mores
def: conventions; moral standards; customs In America, Benazir Bhutto dressed as Western women did; in Pakistan, however, she followed the ___ of her people, dressing in traditional veil and robes.
facsimile
def: copy Many museums sell ___s of the words of art on display
pith
def: core or marrow; essence; substance In preparing a pineapple for the table, first slice it in half and remove the woody central ___.
chasten
def: correct by punishment or scolding; restrain; rebuke. No matter how much a child deserves to _____ for doing wrong, the maxim "Spare the rod and spoil the child" never justifies physical abuse.
emendation
def: correction of errors; improvement. Please initial all the ____s it seemed to make no sense.
vitriolic
def: corrosive; sarcastic Such _____ criticism is uncalled for.
debauch
def: corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did Socrates' teachings lead the young men of Athens to be virtuous citizens, or did they ____ the young men, causing them to question the customs of their fathers? Clearly, Socrates' philosophical talks were nothing like the wild ___ery of the toga parties in Animal House.
deference
def: courteous regard for another's wish. In ____ to the minister's request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.
comity
def: courtesy; civility. A spirit of ____ should exist among nations.
pusillanimous
def: cowardly; fainthearted In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's friend the Cowardly Lion wishes he were brave and not _____
quail
def: cower; lose heart He was afraid that he would ____ in the face of danger
machiavellian
def: crafty; double-dealing I do not think he will be a god ambassador because he is not accustomed to the ___ maneuverings of foreign diplomats
zany
def: crazy; comic I can watch the Marx brothers' ____ antics for hours
credo
def: creed. Just two months before his death, as he talked about life with some friends, the writer Jack London proclaimed his ___."The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time".
juncture
def: crisis; joining point At this critical ___, let us think carefully before determining the course we shall follow.
stricture
def: critical comments; sever and adverse criticism. His ____s on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted
censorious
def: critical. ____ people delight in casting blame.
pan
def: critique harshly Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics ___ed it unanimously.
throng
def: crowd _____ of shoppers jammed the aisles
wily
def: cunning; artful She is as ____ as a fox in avoiding trouble
panacea
def: cure-all; remedy for all diseases There is not easy ___ that will solve our complicated international solution
execrate
def: curse; express abhorrence for. The world ____ed the memory of Hitler and hoped that genocide would never again be the policy of any nation.
excise
def: cut away; cut out. When you ___ the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit.
retrench
def: cut down; economize If they were to be able to send their to college, they would have to ___.
truncate
def: cut off the top off The top of the cone that has been ___ed in a plane parallel to to its base is a circle
sever
def: cut; separate Dr. Guillotin invited a machine that could neatly ___ an aristocratic head from its equally aristocratic body. Unfortunetly, he couldn't collect any ____ pay.
incisive
def: cutting; sharp Her ___ remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans.
perdition
def: damnation; complete ruin Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal _____.
resplendent
def: dazzling; glorious; brillant While all the adults were commenting how glorious the emperor looked in his _____ new clothes, one little boy was heard to say, :But he's naked!"
defunct
def: dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the books of the ___ corporation.
manifesto
def: declaration; statement of policy The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principals of modern communism
avow
def: declare openly. Lana ____ed that she never meant to steal Debbie's boyfriend, but no one believed her ____al of innocence.
consecrate
def: dedicate; sanctify. In 1804, Napoleon forced Pope Pius VII to come to Paris to ____ him as emperor, only to humiliate Pius at the last minute by taking the crown from the Pope's hands and crowning himself.
ignominy
def: deep disgrace; shame or dishonor To lose the Ping-Pong match to a trained chimpanzee! How could Rollo endure the ____ of which they now accused him.
consign
def: deliver officially; entrust; set apart. The court ___ the child to her paternal grandmother's care.
cataclysm
def: deluge; upheaval A ____ such as the French Revolution on this holiday weekend was high.
peremptory
def: 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
laborious
def: demanding much work or care; tedious It putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a ____ task.
fulminate
def: denounce thunderously; explode. Known for his "fire and brimstone" sermons, the preacher ___ed against sinners and backsliders, consigning them to the flames of hell.
inveigh
def: denounce; utter censure or invective He ____ed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his philosophy as dangerous.
renege
def: deny; go back on He ____ed on paying off his debt
abscond
def: depart secretly and hide. the teller who ____ed with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on America's Most Wanted.
turpitude
def: depravity A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral _____.
despondent
def: depressed; gloomy. To the distress of his parents William became seriously ____ after he broke up with Jan
posterity
def: descendants; future generations We hope to leave a better world to _____.
sacrilegious
def: desecrating; profane His stealing of the altar cloth was a very ____ act.
renegade
def: deserter or traitor Because he had abandoned his post and joined forced with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a _____
defection
def: desertion. The children , who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his ____ from our cause.
venerable
def: deserving high respect We do not mean to disrespectful when he refuse to follow the advice of our ____ leader.
baneful
def: destructive; causing ruin or death. Anointment seems intended to apply the power of natural and supernatural forces to the sick and thus to ward off the ___ influences of diseases and of demons.
dogged
def: determined; stubborn. Les Miserales tells of Inspector Javert's long, ____ pursuit of the criminal Jean Valijean.
abhor
def: detest; hate. sentence: she ___ed all forms of bigotry.
odium
def: detestation; hatefulness; disrepute Prince Charming could not express the ___ he felt toward Cinderella's stepsisters because of their mistreatment of poor Cinderella
depose
def: dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to ___ the king and set up a military government.
sleight
def: dexterity The magician amazed the audience with his ___ of hand.
imponderable
def: difficult to impossible to measure or assess. Fears of a possible Gulf war have driven down airline bookings for February and March; the effects of an actual war on the airlines industry would be ____.
fastidious
def: difficult to please; squeamish. Bobby was such a ____ eater he would eat a sandwich only if his mother first cut off every scrap of crust.
discursive
def: digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we wondered what if any point there was to his ____ remarks.
quandary
def: dilemma When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura, she was in ____ as to which school she should attend
sedulous
def: diligent Students who have not been particularly ____ and diligent in keeping up with their coursework may find themsevles in difficulties at midterm time
application
def: diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence. Aunt Polly praised hm for his _____.
sap
def: diminish; undermine The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it ___ed his strength
calamity
def: disaster; miser. Cher tried to ___ her father into letting her drive the family car.
faze
def: disconcert; dismay. No crisis could ____ the resourceful hotel manager.
bandy
def: discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly While the president was happy to ____ patriotic generalizations with anyone who would listen to him, he refused to ___ words with unfriendly reporters at the press conference.
sardonic
def: disdainful; sarcastic; cynical The ____ humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people are amusing and others as rude
fuelsome
def: disgustingly excessive Disgusted by her fans' ____ admiration, the movie star retreated from the public, crying "I want to be alone"
downcast
def: disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never __ despite the difficulties she faced.
skulduggery
def: dishonest behavior The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of ____ daily
disaffected
def: disloyal. Once the most loyal of Bradley's supporters, Senator Moynihan found herself becoming increasingly ____
consternation
def: dismay; sudden alarm. To her ___, when she arrived at the airport, she discovered that she had left her passport at pass.
insubordination
def: disobedience; rebelliousness At the slightest hint of ____ from the sailors on the Bounty, Captain Bligh had them flogged; finally, they mutinied
contumacious
def: disobedient; resisting authority. The ____ mob shouted defiantly at the police.
repudiate
def: disown; disavow On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would _____ all debts incurred by her soon-to-be-ex-husband
disclaim
def: disown; renounce claim to. Maintaining the injury had occurred during an afterschool program run by outside contractors, the school ____ed any responsibility for Santiago's injured wrist.
provident
def: displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies. In his usual ____ manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss
sanctimonious
def: displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness You do not have to be so ___ to prove that you are devout
clemency
def: disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather. Why did the defense lawyer look pleased when his case was sent to Judge Bland's chambers? Bland was noted for her __ to first offenders.
impugn
def: dispute or contradict (often in an insulting way); challenge; gainsay Our treasurer was furious when the finance committee's report ___ed the accuracy of his financial records and recommended that he take bonehead math.
dissident
def: dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that followed from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to prepare a ___ on some scholarly subject.
disapprobation
def: dissproval; condemnation. The conservative father viewed his daughter's radical boyfriend with ____.
cloying
def: distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental. Disliking the ____ sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose a homemade carrot cake for the reception.
awry
def: distorted; crooked. He held his head ___, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night.
disseminate
def: distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to ___ their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.
ramify
def: divide into branches or subdivisions When the plant begins to ____, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches
schism
def: division; split The movement or ordain women threatened to create a ___ in the Church, pitting modernizers against traditionalists
tenet
def: doctrine; dogma The agnostic did not accept the ____ of their faith
hegemony
def: dominance; especially of one nation over others. As one Eastern European nation after nation declared its independence, commentators marveled at the sudden breakdown of the once monolithic Soviet ____.
misgivings
def: doubts Hamlet described his ___s to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of evil
limn
def: draw; outline; describe Paradoxically, the more realistic the details this artist chooses, the better able she is to ___ her fantastic, other-worldly landscapes
impel
def: drive or force onward. A strong feeling of urgency ___ed her; if she failed to finish the project right then, she knew that she would never get it done.
ferret
def: drive or hunt out of hiding. She ____ed out their secret.
vapid
def: dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless "Boring!" said Cher, as she suffered through yet another _____ lecture about Dead White Male Poets
prosaic
def: 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 ____, down-to-earth approach.
moribund
def: dying Hearst took a ___, failing weekly newspaper and transformed it into one of the liveliest, most profitable daily papers around..
hortatory
def: earnestly advising; didactic; preachy. Film acting schooled Reagan in the ____ oratory of movie dialogue- speeches crafted to sell an ideal or an emotion, and still sound like plain-spoken common sense- techniques he used so dynamically in politics.
bulwark
def: earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal ____ against invasion.
palliate
def: ease pain; make less sever or offensive If we cannot cure the disease at present, we can, at least, try to ___ the symptoms
facile
def: easily accomplished; ready to fluent; superficial Words came easily to Jonathon: he was a ___ speaker and prided himself on being ready to make a speech at a moment's notice.
affable
def: easily approachable; warmly friendly. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicolas was amazed at how appealed to Alice's ____ sense.
lucid
def: easily understood; clear; intelligible Lexy makes an excellent teacher; her explanations of technical points are ____ enough for a child to grasp.
maudlin
def: effusively sentimental Whenever a particularly ____ tearjerker was playing at the movies, Marvin would embarrass himself by weeping copiously
vacuous
def: empty; lacking in ideas; stupid The candidates _____ remarks annoyed the audience, who hoped to hear more than empty platitudes
interminable
def: endless Although his speech lasted for only 20 minutes, it seemed ____ to his bored audience.
incense
def: enrage; infuriate Cruelty to defenseless animals ____ed the idea of kit: which is an idea to defend the animls.
mire
def: entangle; stick in swampy ground Their rear wheels became ___ed in mud
verve
def: enthusiasm; liveliness Hamilton maintains that the comic characters of Aristophanes and Shakespeare share a fundamental resemblance, for they possess "the same tremendous energy and _____ and vitality; the same swinging, swashbuckling spirit; the same exuberant, effervescing flow of language; the same rollicking, uproarious fun
ovation
def: enthusiastic applause When Placido Domingo came up on stage in the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous ____.
plaudit
def: enthusiastic approval; round of applause The theatrical company reprinted the ____s of the critics in its advertisements
gamut
def: entire range In a classical put-down of actress Katharine Hepburn, the critic Dorthy Parker wrote that the actress ran the ___ of emotions from A to B.
milieu
def: environment; means of expression Surrounded by smooth preppies and arty bohemians, the country boy from Smalltown, USA, felt out of his ____.
parity
def: equality; close resemblance The striking Greyhound bus drivers are demanding pay ___ with their counterparts in the public transportation system
paraphernalia
def: equipment; odds and ends Her desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other ___ of the writing craft
tantamount
def: equivalent in effect or value Because so few Southern blacks could afford to pay the poll tax, the imposition of this tax on prospective voters was ___ to disenfranchisement for black voters
blunder
def: error The criminal's fatal ___ led to his capture.
misapprehension
def: error; misunderstanding To avoid ____, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given
crux
def: essential or main point. Will the Turkish people as a whole embrace Islamism, or will they adopt European values and standards? This is the ___ of the matter; the answer will determine Europe's future for decades to come.
elusive
def: evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. No matter how hard Tom tried to lure the trout into taking the bait, the fish was too ____ for him to catch.
biennial
def: every two years. Seeing no need to meet more frequently, the group held ___ meetings instead of annual ones.
machinations
def: evil schemes or plots Fortunately, Batman saw through the wily ___ of the Riddler and saved Gotham City from destruction by the forces of evil
malefactor
def: evildoer; criminal Mighty Mouse will save the day, haunting down ____s and rescuing innocent mice from ___.
sublime
def: exalted; noble and uplifting; utter Lucy was in awe of Desi's ____ musicianship, while he was in awe of her ___ naivete
fanaticism
def: excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause. When Islamic fundamentalists demanded the death of Salman Rushdie because his novel questioned their faith, world opiion condemned them for their ____.
superfluous
def: excessive; overabundant; unnecessary Please try not to include so many _____ details in your report; just give me the bare facts
tightwad
def: excessively frugal person; miser Jill called Jack a ____ because he never picked up the check
rapacious
def: excessively grasping; plundering. Hawks and other ____ birds prey on variety of small animals
expatriate
def: exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land. Henry James was an American ____ who settled in England.
dilate
def: expand. in the dark, the pupils of your eyes.
politic
def: expedient; prudent; well devised Even though he was dissapointed, he did not think it ___ to refuse this offer
adept
def: expert she was ___ at the fine art of irritating people.
belabor
def: explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally. The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by _____ing his point
elucidate
def: explain; enlightened He was called upon to ___ the disputed points in his article.
expository
def: explanatory; serving to explain. The manual that came with my blueray player was no masterpiece of ____ prose: its explanations were so garbled that I couldn't even figure out how to play the disc.
traduce
def: expose or slander His opponents tried to ____ the candidates's reputation by spreading rumors about his past
reproach
def: express disapproval or disappointment He never could do anything wrong without imagining how the look on his mother's face would ____ him afterwards
quell
def: extinguish; put down; quiet Miss MInchin's demeanor was so stern and forbidding tht she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.
depravity
def: extreme corruption; wickedness. The ____ of Caligula's behavior eventually sickened even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively innocent orgies.
opulence
def: extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance The glitter and ___ of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away
overwrought
def: extremely agitated; hysterical When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too ____ to work and had to leave the office early.
exacting
def: extremely demanding. Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an ____ task, one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers
ravenous
def: extremely hungry The ____ dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food
virulent
def: extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter Laid up with a ___ case of measles, Vera blamed her doctors because her recovery took so long. In fact, she became quite ____ on the subject of the quality of modern medical care.
destitute
def: extremely poor Because they had no health insurance, the father's costly illness left the family ___.
draconian
def: extremely severe. When the principal canceled the senior rpom because some seniors have been late to school that week, we thought the ___ punishment was far too harsh for such a minor violation of the rules.
beget
def: fahter; produce; give rise to. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily ___ another.
windfall
def: fallen fruit; expected lucky event This huge tax refund is quiet a _____.
perjury
def: false testimony while under oath Rather than lie under oath and perhaps be indicated for ___, the witness chose to take the 5th amendment, refusing to answer any questions on the grounds that he might incriminate himself
spurious
def: false; counterfeit; forged; illogical The hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the readers advice on how to tell ____ antiques from the real thing
fallacious
def: false; misleading Paradoxically, ___ reasoning does not always yield erroneous results; even though your logic may be faulty, the answer you get may be correct.
bizarre
def: fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of the novel was too ____ to be believed.
chimerical
def: fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative. As everyone expected, Ted's ____ scheme to make a fortune by raising ermines in his backyard proved a dismal failure.
modish
def: fashionable She always discarded all garments that were no longer ____.
captious
def: faultfinding His criticism were always ___ and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions.
propitious
def: favorable; fortunate; advantageous Chloe consulted her horoscope to see whether Tuesday would be a ____ day to dump her boyfriend
auspicious
def: favoring success. With favorable weather conditions, it was an ____ moemnet to set sail. Thomas, however, had doubts about sailing; a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever conditions seemed ___.
timorous
def: fearful; demonstrating fear Shy when encountering strangers, she was too _____ to meet anyone's gaze
intrepid
def: fearless For her ____ conduct nursing the wounded during the war, Florence Nightingale was honored by Queen Victoria
feckless
def: feeble and ineffective; carless and irresponsible Richard II proved such a ___ ruler that Bolingbroke easily convinced Parliament to elect him king in Richard's place.
presentiment
def: feeling something will happen; anticipatory fear; premonition Saying goodbye at the airport, Jack had a sudden _____ that this was the last time he would see Jill
stimulate
def: feign (stimulate, fake) She _____ insanity in order to avoid punishment for crime
visceral
def: felt in one's inner organs She disliked the ____ sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster
fecundity
def: fertility; fruitfulness. The ___ of her mind is illustrated by te many vivid images of her poems.
convivial
def: festive; gay; characterized by joviality. The ____ celebrators of the victory sang their college songs.
dossier
def: file of documents on a subject. Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete. ___ on him.
replete
def: filled to the brim or to the point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied The movie star's memoir was ___ with juicy details about the love life of half of Hollywood
ascertain
def: find out for certain Please ____ her present address.
arable
def: fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of ____ land ready for the plow.
paroxysm
def: fit or attack of pain: laughter; rage When he heard of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a ___ of rage.
glib
def: fluent; facile; slick Keeping up a steady patter to entertain his customers, the kitchen gadget salesman was a ___ speaker, never at a loss for a word.
voluble
def: fluent; glib; talkative An excessively _____ speaker suffers from logorrhea: he continually runs off at the mouth!
austere
def: forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented The headmaster's ___ demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly. The room reflected the man, ___ and bare, like a monk's cell, with no touches of luxury to moderate its ___ity.
trenchant
def: forceful and vigorous; cutting With his ___ wit, reviewer Frank Rich cut straight to the heart of the matter, panning a truly dreadful play
vehement
def: forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor Alfred became so ___ in describing what was wrong with the Internal Revenue Service that he began jumping up and down and gesticulating wildly
bode
def: foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies and the sulfurous odors from the mineral springs seemed to ___ evil to those who settled in the area.
presage
def: foretell The vultures flying overhead ___ed the presence of something dead
portend
def: foretell; presage The king did not know what these omens might ___ and asked his soothsayers to interpret them
venial
def: forgiving; trivial When Jean Valijean stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister, he committed a _____ offense
disquisition
def: formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry. In his ___ he outlined the steps he had taken in reaching his conclusions.
amorphous
def: formless; lacking shape or definition. As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still ____.
citadel
def: fortress. The ___ overlooked the city like a protecting angel.
noisome
def: foul-smelling; unwholesome The ___ atmosphere downwind of the oil refinery not only stank but also damaged the lungs of everyone living in the area
gratis
def: free The company offered to give one package ____ to every purchaser of one of their products.
extricate
def: free; disentangle Icebreakers were needed to ___ the trapped whales from the icy floes that closed them in.
latitude
def: freedom from narrow limitations I think you have permitted your son too much ___ in this matter
impunity
def: freedom from punishment or harm A 98-pound weakling can't attack a beachfront bully with ___: the poor, puny guy is sure to get mashed
furor
def: frenzy; great excitement The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a ___ on the shock exchange.
scruple
def: fret about; hesitate for ethical reasons Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not ___ to read his diary.
querulous
def: fretful; whining Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act ___ if they miss their nap
buxom
def: full-bosomed; plump; jolly. High-fashioned models usually are slender rather than ____.
purveyor
def: furnisher of foodstuffs; career As ____ of rave wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell
hindmost
def: further behind The coward could always be found in the hindmost lines whenever a battle was being waged
lope
def: gallop slowly As the horses ____ed along, we had an opportunity to admire the ver-changing scenery
glean
def: gather leavings After the crops had been harvested by the machines, the peasants were permitted to ___ the wheat left in the fields.
largess
def: generous gift Lady Bountiful distributed ____ to the poor.
unstinting
def: generous; openhanded; liberal The philanthropist was noted for his ____ support of the arts
unfeigned
def: genuine; real She turned so pale that I am sure her surprise was _____.
seminal
def: germinal; influencing future developments; related to seed or semen Although Freud has generally been regarded as a ___ thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his psychoanalytical methods have come under attack recently
apparition
def: ghost; phantom On the castle battlements, as ____ materialized and spoke to Hamlet, warning him of his uncles treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of ____s wielded by Bill Murray.
spectral
def: ghostly We were frightened by the ___ glow that filled the room.
burlesque
def: give an imitation that ridicules. In Galaxy Quest, Alan Rickman _____s Mr. Spock of Start Trek, outrageously parodying Spock's unemotional manner.
relent
def: give in When her stern father would not ____ and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor
attraction
def: gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment. In the 1960s urban churches suffered from ____ as members moved from the cities to the suburbs. Rather than fire staff members, church leaders followed a policy of ____, allowing elderly workers to retire without replacing them.
vouchsafe
def: grant condescendingly; guarantee Maintaining that power was only ____ed to the man who dared to stoop and pick it up, Raskolnikov attempted to justify his murder of the pawnbroker
demure
def: grave; serious; coy. She was ___ and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.
conflagration
def: great fire. In the ____ that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.
clout
def: great influence (especially political or social). Gatsby wondered whether he had enough ___ to be admitted to the exclusive club.
cupidity
def: greed. The defeated people could not satisfy the ____ of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.
avarice
def: greediness for wealth. Montaigne is correct in maintaining that it is not poverty, but rather abundance, that breeds ___, the more shoes Imelda Marcos had, the more she craved.
avid
def: greedy; eager for He was ___ for learning and read everything he could get.
tutelage
def: guardianship; training Under the ___ of such masters of the instrument, she mad rapid progress in playing the violin
hover
def: hang about; wait nearby The police helicopter ____ed above the accident
loiter
def: hang around; linger The policeman told him not to ___ in the alley
slapdash
def: haphazard; careless; sloppy From the number of typos and misspelling I've found it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably ___ fashion.
felicity
def: happiness; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc). She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great ___ in their wedded life.
beset
def: harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems ___ the American public school system.
harry
def: harass; annoy; torment; raid The guerrilla band ____ied the enemy nightly.
esoteric
def: hard to understand; known only to the chosen few. New Yorker short stories often include ___ allusions to obscure people and events. The implications is, if you are in the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won't.
adamant
def: hard; inflexible. in the movie Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, ____ in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family
privation
def: hardship; want In his youth, he knew hunger and ____.
injurious
def: harmful Smoking cigarettes can be ___ to your health
concord
def: harmony. Watching Tweedledum and Tweedledee battle, Alic wondered why the brothers could not manage to live in ____.
consonance
def: harmony; agreement. Her agitation seemed out of ____ with her usual calm. The 1815 so-called "Holy Alliance" of the emperors of Russia and Austria and the King of Prussia accomplished nothing, since it was merely a vague agreement that the sovereigns would conduct themselves in ___ with Christian principals.
raucous
def: harsh and shrill; disorderly and boisterous The ____ crowd of New Year's Eve revelers grew progressively noisier as midnight drew near
headlong
def: hasty; rash The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a _____ dash across the border to freedom.
odious
def: hateful; vile Cinderella's ugly stepsisters had the ___ habit of popping their zits in public
concentric
def: having a common center The target was made of ____ circles
clairvoyant
def: having foresight; fortuneteller. Cassandra's ___ warning was not heeded by the Trojans
perspicacious
def: having insight; penetrating; astute The brilliant lawyer was known for his ___ deductions
peerless
def: having no equal; incomparable The reining operatic tenor of his generation, to his admirers Luciano Pavarotti was ____: no one could compare with him
titular
def: having the title of an office without the obligations. Although he was the ___ head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager
tendentious
def: having to aim; biased; designed to further a cause The intensive and ____ coverage makes it clear that some news channels are pursuing agendas of their own
ardor
def: heat; passion; zeal Katya's ardor was contagious, soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ____ enthusiasm for the cause.
eminent
def: high; lofty. After her appointment to hs ___ position, she seldom had time for her former friends.
baroque
def: highly ornate. Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of ___ architecture amusing.
intimate
def: hint She ____ed rather than stated her preference
domicile
def: home Although his legal ___ was in NYC, hiw work kept him away from home for many years.
animus
def: hostile feeling or intent. The ___ of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.
choleric
def: hot tempered. His flushed, angry face indicated a ____ nature.
firebrand
def: hothead; troublemaker The police tried to keep track of all the local ____s when the president came to town.
quixotic
def: idealistic but impractical Constantly coming up with ____, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head is somewhere off in the clouds
enmity
def: ill will; hatred. At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an end to the ___ that prevented Egypt and Israel from living in peace.
cantankerous
def: ill-humored; irritable. Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff; he was a _____ patient.
malady
def: illness A mysterious ___ swept the country, filling doctors' offices with feverish, purple-spotted patients
fictitious
def: imaginary Although the book purports to be a biography of George Washington , many of the incidents are ___.
sophomoric
def: immature; half-baked; like a sophomore Even if you're only a freshman, it's no compliment to be told your humor is ____.
inscrutable
def: impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions ____, hiding their reactions to the cards behind a so-called poker face
impalpable
def: imperceptible; intangible The ash is so fine that it is ____ to the touch but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window ledge.
transitory
def: impermanent; fleeting Fame is ___: today's rising star is all too soon tomorrow's washed-up has-been.
impudence
def: impertinence; insolence Kissed on the cheek by a perfect stranger, Lady Catherine exclaimed, "Of all the nerve" Young man, I should have you horse-whipped for you ____"
pert
def: impertinent; forward I think your ___ and imprudent remarks call for an apology
impropriety
def: improperness; unsuitableness Because of the ____ of the punk rocker's slashed Tshirt and jeans, the management refused to admit him to the hotel's very formal dining room.
insolence
def: impudent disrespect; haughtiness How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of your ____.
comatose
def: in a coma; extremely sleepy. The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a ___ state.
nascent
def: incipient; coming into being If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their ____ state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years
proclivity
def: inclination; natural tendency Watching the two year old voluntarily put away his toys, I was amazed by his ____ for neatness
factious
def: inclined to form factions; causing dissension. The pollsters' practice of dividing up the map of America into Red and Blue states reinforces ____ feelings among Americans, who increasingly define themselves as members of one of the two major political parties.
subsume
def: include; encompass Does the general theory of relatively contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity ____ into Einstein's larger scheme
unobtrusive
def: inconspicuous; not blatant Reluctant to attract notice, the governess took a chair in a far corner of the room and tried to be as ____ as possible
aggrandize
def: increase or intensify; raise in power; wealth; rank; of honor. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may _____ his power to act aggressively in internal affairs without considering the wishes of Congress
implicate
def: incriminate; show to be involved Here's the deal: if you agree to take the witness stand and ___ your partners in crime, the prosecution will recommend that the judge go easy in sentencing
irremediable
def: incurable; uncorrectable The error she made was ____; she could see no way to rectify it
bawdy
def: indecent; obscene. Jack took offense at Jill's ____ remarks. What kind of young man did she think he was?
untenable
def: indefensible; not able to be maintained Wayne is so contrary that, the more ___ a position is, the harder he'll try to defend it
mealymouthed
def: indirect in speech; hypocritical; evasive Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few ____ comments and tried to change the subject
allusion
def: indirect reference. When Amanda said to the ticket scalper. "One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of fresh?" she was making an ____ to Shakespear's Merchant of Venice
incontrovertible
def: indisputable: not open to question Unless you find the evidence against my client absolutely ____, you must declare her not guilty of this charge.
proselytize
def: induce someone to convert to a religion or belief In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to ___; we must respect all points of view.
conjecture
def: infer on the basis of insufficient data; surmise; guess. In the absence of any eyewitness reports, we can only ____ what happened in the locked room on the night of the 13th.
illimitable
def: infinite The notion of ____ or limitless power is alien to our Constitution, for it was designed to guard against abuses of such unlimited power.
wreak
def: inflict "The Category 5 storm ____ed havoc, doing more than $20 billion in damage and making it by far the costliest hurricane ever in United States history."
impinge
def: infringe; touch; collide with How could they be married without ____ing on one another's freedom
denizen
def: inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables, Elliot Ness fights Al Capone and the other ____ of Chicago's underworld. Ness's fight against corruption was the talk of all the ___s of local bars.
interpolate
def: insert between She talked so much that I could not ____ a single remark.
foist
def: insert improperly; palm off Susan had no desire to have her late aunt's ancient Boston terrier ___ed on her, but someone had to look after the poor beast.
paltry
def: insignificant; petty; trifling One hundred dollars for a genuine imitation Rolex watch! Lady, this is a ___ sum to pay for such a high-class piece of jewelry.
cant
def: insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of minister's unfaithfulness to his marriage, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere ____.
edify
def: instruct; correct morally. Although his purpose was to ___ and not to entertain his audiences, may of his listeners were amused and not enlightened.
slight
def: insult one's dignity; snub Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary ___.
affront
def: insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect. When Mrs. Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal ___ and refused to speak to her hosts for a week.
scurrilous
def: insultingly offensive; obscene; indecent The candidate maintained that there was no trace of evidence to support the irresponsible, ___ accusations his opponents had made.
intelligentsia
def: intellectuals; members of the educated elite (often used derogatorily) She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the ____.
purported
def: intention; meaning If the ___ of your speech was to arouse the rabble, you succeeded admirably
meddlesome
def: interferring He felt his marriage was suffering because of his ____ mother-in-law
expletive
def: interjection; profane oath. Fred was so foul-mouthed that, if you deleted all the ___s from the comments, very little woud have been left.
broach
def: introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to ___ the subject of religion with his in-laws because it was a touchy subject.
prefatory
def: introductory The chairman made a few ____ remarks beforehe called on the first speaker
impiety
def: irreverence; lack of respect for God. When members of the youth group draped the church in toilet paper on Halloween, the minister reprimanded them for their ___.
impious
def: irreverent The congregation was offered by her ___ remarks
rankle
def: irritate; fester The memory of having been jilted ____ed him for years
yoke
def: join together; unite I don't wish to be ____ed to him in marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow
peregrination
def: journey Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose ____s took her from Tijuana to Timbuktu
cognizance
def: knowledge During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full ____ of the international situation.
irreverence
def: lack of proper respect Some people in the audience were amused by the ____ of the comedian's jokes about the pope; others felt offended by his lack of respect for their faith.
incorporeal
def: lacking a material body; insubstantial Although, Casper the friendly ghost is an ____ being, he and his fellow ghosts make quite an impact on the physical world.
insipid
def: lacking in favor; dull Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally ____: both lack sparkle
flippant
def: lacking proper seriousness When Mark told Mona he love her, she dismissed his earnest declaration was a ____ "Oh, you say that to all the girls"
lackadaisical
def: lacking purpose or zest; halfhearted; languid Because Gatsby had his mind more on his love life than on his finances, he did a very ____ job of managing his money.
insubstantial
def: lacking substance; insignificant The ____ of the Islanders manifested itself in their supicion of anything foreign.
effete
def: lacking vigor; worn out; sterile Is the Democratic Party still a vital political force, or is it an ____, powerless faction, wedded to outmoded liberal policies.
devoid
def: lacking. You ma think Cher's mind is a total void, but she's usually not ___ of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.
bemoan
def: lament; express disapproval of. The widow ____ed the death of her beloved husband.
peon
def: landless agricultural worker; bond servant The land reformers sought to liberate the ___s and establish them as independent farmers
pine
def: languish; decline; long for; yearn Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi ____ed for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather
tome
def: large volume She spent much time in the archives poring over ancient ____s.
languor
def: lassitude; depression His friends' tried to overcome the ____ into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the theater.
ludicrous
def: laughably foolish or unreasonable Batman may be a serious crime fighter, but why does he wear such a ___ costume
sumptuous
def: lavish; rich I cannot recall when I have had such a ___ Thanksgiving feast
livid
def: lead-colored; black and blue; ashen; enraged His face was so ____ with rage that we were afraid that eh might ahve an attack of apoplexy
moratorium
def: legal delay of payment If we declare a ____ and delay collection of debts for six months. I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills
diminution
def: lessening; reduction in size. Old Jack was a sharp at eighty as he had been at fifty; increasing age led to no ____ of his mental acuity.
fallible
def: liable to err. Although I am ___, I feel confident that I am right this time.
unfettered
def: liberated; freed from chains What can a weakened university system do to preserve the spirit of open and _____ academic inquiry? This is the problem confronting academia today
avuncular
def: like an uncle ____ pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.
circumscribe
def: limit narrowly; confine or restrict; define. The great lords of state tried to ___ the queen's power by having her accept a set of conditions that left the decisive voice in all important matters to the privy council.
blare
def: load; harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light. I don't know which is worse: the steady ____ of a boom bo deafening your ears.
dawdle
def: loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline. Don't ___er, just get down to work.
strident
def: loud and harsh; insistent We could barely hear the speaker over the ___ cries of the hecklers
Abase
def: lower; degrade; humiliate sentence: Anna expected to have to curtsey to the King, when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however, she refused to ____ herself
nadir
def: lowest point Although few people realized it, the Dow- Jones averages had reached their __ and would soon begin an upward surge.
fidelity
def: loyalty. Iago wickedly manipulates Othello, arousing his jealousy and causing him to question his wife's ___.
palatial
def: magnificent He proudly showed us through his ___ home
grate
def: make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred The screams of the quarreling children ____ed on her nerves.
expiate
def: make amends for (a sin). Jean Valijean tried to ____ his crimes by preforming acts of charity.
essay
def: make an attempt at; test. In an effort to enrich the contemporary operatic repertoire, the Santa Fe Opera commissioned three new operas by American composers who had not previously ____ed the form.
cavil
def: make frivolous objections. I respect your sensible criticisms, but I dislike the way you ____ about unimportant details.
preclude
def: make impossible; eliminate The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood on New Year's Eve ____ed their accepting the offer of a New Year's Eve gig in London
derange
def: make insane, disarrange. Hamlet's cruel rejection ___ed poor Ohelia; in her madness, she drowned herself.
indemnify
def: make secure against lose; compensate for loss The city will ____ all home owners whose property is spoiled by this project.
discomfit
def: make someone feel uneasy; disconcert; thwart. In Coppola's film The Conversation, as mine Robert Shields follows people around while mimicking their gestures and gait, he ____s a dour-looking man, who loos distinctly uncomfortable when Shields starts trailing him.
calumny
def: malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the ___ that his foes heaped upon him.
ductile
def: malleable; flexible; pliable. Copper is an extremely ___ material; you can stretch it into the thinnest of wires, end it, even wind it into loops.
megalomania
def: mania for doing grandiose things Developers who spend millions truing to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from ____.
checkered
def: marked by changes in fortune. During his ____ career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boarding-houses.
uproarious
def: marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy The ____ comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starred Jim Carrey, whose comic mugging provoked gales of ___ laughter from audiences coast to coast
prodigious
def: marvelous; enormous Watching the champion weight lifter have the weighty barbell to shoulder height and then boost it overhead, we marveled at his ____ strength
inimitable
def: matchless; not able to be imitated We admire Auden for his ____ use of language; he is one of a kind
scanty
def: meager; insufficient Thinking his helping of food was ___, Oliver Twist asked for more
dint
def: means; effort. By ___ of much hard work, the volunteers were able to control the raging forest fire.
mete
def: measure; distribute He tried to be impartial in his efforts to ___ out justice
rendezvous
def: meeting place The two fleets met at the ___ at the appointed time
conflate
def: meld or fuse; confuse; combine into one. In his painting White Crucifixion, which depicts German Jews terrorized by a Nazi mob, Chagall ___ Jewish and Christian symbols, portraying the Christ wrapped in a tallith, a Jewish prayer shawl.
proletarian
def: member of the working class; blue collar guy "Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!" is addressed to ____s, not preppies
minatory
def: menacing; threatening Jabbing a ____ forefinger as Dorthy, the Wicked Witch cried, "I'll get you, and your little dog too!"
drudgery
def: menial work. Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of ____.
delirium
def: mental disorder marked by confusion. In his ___, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs.
acumen
def: mental keenness. Her business ___ helped her to succeed where others had failed.
faculty
def: mental or bodily powers; teaching staff. As he grew old, Professor Twiggly feared he might lose his ____ies and become unfit to teach.
mirth
def: merriment; laughter sober Malvolio found Sir Taylor's ___, improper
bourgeois
def: middle class; selfishly materialist; dully conventional. Technically, anyone who belongs to the middle class is _____ but, given the word's connotations, most people resent if you call them that.
foible
def: minor eccentricity; slight weakness or flaw. Eating oysters for desserts is just one of David's little ____.
quibble
def: minor objection or complaint Aside from a few hundred teensy-weensy ____s about the set,the script the actors, the director, the costumes, the lighting, and the props, the hypercritical critic loved the play
beguile
def: mislead or delude; cheat; pass time. With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men ____ed Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game.
bungle
def: mismanage; blunder. Don't botch this assignment because if if you ____ the job, you're fired.
erroneous
def: mistaken; wrong. I thought my answer was correct, but it was ____.
garbled
def: 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 ____ed.
miscellany
def: mixture of writings on various subjects This is an interesting ____ of 19th century prose and poetry
gibe
def: mock As you ___ at their superstitions beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarity foolish thoughts?
lull
def: moment of calm Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning for a ___ in the rain.
potentate
def: monarch; sovereign The ___ spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.
lucre
def: money Preferring ___ to undying fame, he wrote stories of popular appeal
optimum
def: most favorable If you wait for the ____ moment to act, you may never begin your project
sacrosanct
def: most sacred; inviolable The brash insurance salesman invaded the ____ privacy of the office of the president of the company
gesticulation
def: motion; gesture Operatic performers are trained to make are trained to make exaggerate ___s because of the large auditoriums in which they appear.
mercenary
def: motivated solely by money or gain "I'm not in this war because I get my kids waving flags", said the ___ soldier. "I'm in it for the dough."
lugubrious
def: mournful The ____ howling of the dogs added to our sadness
doleful
def: mournful; causing sadness. Eeyore, the lugubrious donkey. immortalized by A.A Milne, looked at his cheerful friend Tigger and sighed a ___ sigh
amorous
def: moved by sexual love, loving. "Love them and leave them" was the motto of the ___ Don Juan
impetus
def: moving force; incentive; stimulus A new federal highway program would create jobs and give added ____ to our economic recovery
motley
def: multicolored; mixed The jester wore a ___ tunic, red and green and blue and gold all patched together haphazardly. Captain Ahab had gathered a ___ crew to sail the vessel; old sea dogs and runaway boys, pillars of the church and drunkards, even a tattooed islander who terrified the rest of the crew.
concerted
def: mutually agreed on; done together All the girl scouts made a ___ effort to raise funds for their annual outing.
internecine
def: mutually destructive The rising death toll on both sides indicates the ____ nature of this conflict
occult
def: mysterious; secret; supernatural The ____ rites of the organization were revealed only to members
ingenuous
def: naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated The woodsman did not realize how ____ Little Red Riding Hood was until he heard that she had gone off for a walk in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf.
parochial
def: narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes Although Jane Austen writes novels set in small rural communities, her concerns are universal
philistine
def: narrow-minded person, uncultured and possibly only interested in material gain "Call me a ____, but I have small patience for Samuel Beckett, can tolerate only small doses of serial atonality, and am bored numb by recitative."
myopic
def: nearsighted; lacking foresight Stumbling into doors despite the coke-bottle lenses on his glasses, the nearsighted Mr. Magoo is markedly ___.
tautological
def: needlessly repetitious In the sentence "It was visible to the eye," the phrase "to the eye" is ____
pejorative
def: negative in connotation; having a belittling effect Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made ____ remarks could compare with him
remiss
def: negligent When the prisoner escaped, the guard was accused of being ____ in his duty
neologism
def: new or newly coined word or phrase As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also invent___ such as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them
outmoded
def: no longer stylish; old-fashioned Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear ______ clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed
clamor
def: noise. The ___ of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap.
cipher
def: nonentity; worthless person or thing. She claimed her ex-husband was a total ____ and wondered why she had ever married him.
drivel
def: nonsense; foolishness. Why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic __?
indelible
def: not able to be erased The ___ link left a permanent mark on my shirt. Young Bill Clinton's meeting with President Kennedy make an indelible impression on the youth.
insatiable
def: not easily satisfied; unquenchable; greedy The young writer's thirst for knowledge was ___, she was always in the library
ineffectual
def: not effective; weak Because the candidate failed to get across her message to the public, her cannot be described
discordant
def: not harmonious; conflicting. Nothing is quite so ___ as the sound of a junior high school orchestra tuning up.
heedless
def: not noticing; disregarding. She drove on, heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous.
extemporaneous
def: not planned; impromptu. Because her ____ remarks were misinterpreted, she decided to write all her speeches in advance.
unrequited
def: not reciprocated Suffering the pangs of ____ love, Olivia rebukes Ceasario for his hardheartedness
impenitent
def: not repentant Because King John remained obstinate and ____, the Pope placed England under an interdict prohibiting the performances of church services in the kingdom until John would repent.
unassailable
def: not subject to question; not open to attack Penelope's vertue was ___, while she waited for her husband to come back from the war, no other guy had a chance
impolitic
def: not wise I think it is ___ to raise this issue at the present time because the public is too angry
marked
def: noticeable; targeted for vengeance He waked with a ___ed limp, a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador he knew he was a ____ed man.
egregious
def: notorious; conspicuously; bad or shocking. She was an ___ liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said. Ed's housekeeping was ___: he let his dirty dishes pile up so long that they were stuck together with last week's food.
manifold
def: numerous; varied I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your ___ kindness
abstruse
def: obscure; profound; difficult to understand. baffled by the ___ philosophical texts assigned in class because he didn't understand it.
antiquated
def: obsolete; outdated. Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Phillip thought typewriters were too ___ for him to use.
procurement
def: obtaining The company has a large budget for the ____ of office supplies
indignity
def: offensive or insulting treatment Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the ___ heaped upon him, he was inwardly very angry.
tender
def: offer; extend Although no formal charges had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should ____ his resignation
auxiliary
def: offering or providing help; additional or subsidiary To prepare for the emergency, they built an ____ power station.
functionary
def: official As his case was transferred from one ___ to another, he began to despair of ever reaching a settlement.
gazette
def: official periodical publication. He read the ___s regularly for the announcements of his promotion
senility
def: old age; feeblemindedness of old age Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the ___ of the president
passé
def: old-fashioned; past the prime Her style is ___ and reminiscent of the Victorian era
nihilist
def: one who considers traditional beliefs to be groundless and existence meaningless; absolute skeptic; revolutionary terrorist In the final days, Hitler revealed himself a power-mad ___, ready to annihilate all of Western Europe, even to destroy Germany itself, in order that his will might prevail
apologist
def: one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather than act as an ____ for the regime in Beijing and defend it brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.
patent
def: open for the public to read; obvious It was ____ to everyone that the witness spoke the truth
overt
def: open to view; done openly; not hidden Vietnamese culture considers "face" an individual's public image, extremely important. Any ___ public criticism or disparaged remarks can result in a loss of face and cause and extreme embarrassment.
gape
def: open widely The huge pit ___ed before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in. Slack-jawed in wonder, Huck ___ed at the huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the limestone cavern.
gambit
def: opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed. The player was afraid to accept his opponent's ___ because he feared a trap that as yet he could not see.
dogmatic
def: opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal We tried to discourage Doug from being so ____, but never could convince hm that his opinions might be wrong.
controvert
def: oppose with arguments; attempt to refuse; contradict. The witness's testimony was so clear and her reputation for honesty so well established that the defense attorney decided it was wiser to make no attempt to ____ what she said.
pedestrian
def: ordinary; unimaginable Unintentionally boring,he wrote page after page compare with him
provenance
def: origin or source of something Fellciano's book Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art, traced the ____ of stolen, post-war art and led to thousands of works of art being restored to museum collections
hue and cry
def: outcry when her purse was snatched, she raised such a ____ that the thief was captured
uncouth
def: outlandish; clumsy; boorish Most biographers portray Lincoln as an___ and ungainly young man
preeminent
def: outstanding; superior The king traveled to Boston because he wanted to ___ surgeon in the field to perform the operations
semblance
def: outward appearance; guise Although this book has a ____ of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many errors and omissions.
trappings
def: outward decorations; ornaments He loved the ____s of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet
circumvent
def: outwit; battle. In order to ___ the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.
profusion
def: overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess Freddy was so overwhelmed by the ____ of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked his host.
glut
def: overstock; fill to excess. the many manufacturers ____ed the market and could not find purchasers for the many articles they had produced.
travail
def: painful physical or mental labor; drudgery; torment Like every other recent law school graduate she knew, Shelby hated the seemingly endless ____ of cramming for the bar exam
amnesty
def: pardon. When his first child was born, the kind granted ____ to all in prison.
predilection
def: partiality; preference Although the artist used various media from time to time, she had a ____ for watercolors.
torrid
def: passionate; hot or scorching The novels published by Harleguin Romances feature ___ love affairs, some set in ___ climates
forbearance
def: patience be patient with John. Treat him with ____ he is still weak from his illness.
acme
def: peak; pinnacle; highest point. Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the ____ of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim
sagacious
def: perceptive; shrewd; having insight My father was a ____ judge of character: he could spot a phony a mile away.
subtlety
def: perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy Never obvious, she expressed herself with such ___ that her remarks were right over the heads of most of her audience
epoch
def: period of time. The glacial ___ lasted for thousands of years.
indissoluble
def: permanent The ___ bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved.
foreboding
def: permonition of evil suspecting no conspiracies against him, Caesar gently ridiculed his wife's ____s about the Ides of March.
sage
def: person celebrated for wisdom Hearing tales of a mysterious Mater of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary ____.
malcontent
def: person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs He was one of the few _____s in Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the presidential program
nonentity
def: person of no importance; nonexistence Because the two older princes dismissed their youngest brother as a ____, they did not realize that he was quietly plotting to seize the throne
magnate
def: person of prominence or influence Growing up in Pittsburgh, Annie Dillard was surrounded by the mansions of the great steel and coal ___s who set their mark on that city
portégé
def: person receiving protection and support from a patron. Born with an independent spirit, Cyrano de Bergerac refused to be a ____ of Cardinal Richelieu
arbiter
def: person with power to decide a matter in dispute; judge. As an _____ in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers
suborn
def: persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury) In The Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to ____ the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone
inveigle
def: persuade; wheedle ; coax Using her popularity and ability to speak convincingly, she ____ed several of her friends into volunteering to work at the soup kitchen
metaphysical
def: pertaining so speculative philosophy. The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the ____ poets of the 17th century for many of their images
pontifical
def: pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious From the very beginning of his ministry it was clear from his ___ pronouncement that John was destined for a high ___ office.
germinal
def: pertaining to a gem; creative Such an idea is ___; I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations
provincial
def: pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated As ___ governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada. caught up in local problem, out of touch London news, he became sadly ___.
valedictory
def: pertaining to farewell I found the ___ address too long; leave-taking should be brief
pecuniary
def: pertaining to money Seldom earning enough to cover their expenses, folk-dance teachers work because they love dancing, not because they expect any ___ reward
pharisaical
def: pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical Walter Lippermann has pointed out that moralists who do not attempt to explain the moral code they advocate are often regarded as ____ and ignored
ecclesiastic
def: pertaining to the church. The minister donned his ___ garb and walked to the pulpit.
sensuous
def: pertaining to the psychical sense;operating through the senses Stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells of her, she enjoyed her ___ experiences
supplicate
def: petition humbly; pray to grant a favor We ____ Your Majesty to grant him amnesty
carping
def: petty criticism; fault-finding Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexi appreciated her editor's comments, finding them free of _____.
minutiae
def: petty details She would have liked to ignore the ___ of daily living
cull
def: pick out; reject. Every month the farmer ____s the nonlaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher.
unequivocal
def: plain; obvious My answer to you proposal is an ___ and absolute, "No"
perspicuous
def: plainly expression Her ____ comments eliminated all possibility of misinterpretation
entreat
def: plead; asl earnestly. She ___ed her father to let her stay out till midnight.
piquant
def: pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating The ___ sauce adeed to our enjoyment of the meal
enrapture
def: please intensely. The audience was ___ed by the freshness of the voice and the excellent orchestration.
depredation
def: plundering After the ____s of the invaders, the people were penniless.
matrix
def: point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the ___ of Western civilization
aplomb
def: poise, assurance Gwen's aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.
consequential
def: pompous; self-important. Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a _____ air.
indigent
def: poor; destitute Someone who is truly indigent can't even afford to buy a pack of cigarettes
mogul
def: powerful person The oil ___s made great profits when the prices of gasoline rose
precept
def: practical rule guiding conduct "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile ___.
laud
def: praise The NFL ____ed Boomer Esiason's efforts to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis
extol
def: praise; glorify. The president ____ed the astronauts, calling them the pioneers of the Space Age.
invocation
def: prayer for help; calling upon as a reference or support The service of Morning Prayer opens with an ____ during which was ask God to hear our prayers
sententious
def: preachy and moralizing pithy Constantly quoting maxims ("Neither a borrower nor a lender be"), Polonius is depicted as a ______, garrulous old man
impasse
def: predicament from which there is no escape. In this ___, all turned to prayer as their last hope.
prognosticate
def: predict Although some economists ____ed the imminent failure of the Social Security system. Senator Sanders maintained the system was nowhere near going broke.
concoct
def: prepare by combining; make up in concert. How did the inventive chief ever ____ such a strange dish?
stymie
def: present an obstacle; stump The detective was _____ed by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation
overweening
def: presumptuous; arrogant We are using our children as symbols of leisure-class standing without building in safeguarding against an ____ sense of entitlement- a sense of entitlement that may incline some young people more toward the good life than toward the hard work that, for most of us, makes the good life possible
feign
def: pretend Although she claimed that the car accident had left her with a bad case of whiplash, when he was her gyrating at her jazzercise class, we realized she was only ___ing injury.
dissimulate
def: pretend; conceal by feigning Although the governor tired to ___ his feelings about the opposing candidate, we all knew he despised his rival.
hypocritical
def: pretending to be virtuous; deceiving Because he believed Eddie to be interested only in his own advancement, Greg resented Eddie's ___ protestations of friendship.
subterfuge
def: pretense; evasion As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a ___, we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy
haughtiness
def: pride; arrogance When she realized that Darcy believed himself too good to dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great offense at his ____.
prerogative
def: privilege; unquestionable right The President cannot levy taxes; that i sthe ___ of the legislative branch of government
verisimilar
def: probable or likely; having the appearance of truth Something ____ is very similar to the truth, or at least seems to be
sensitization
def: process of being made sensitive or acutely responsive to an external agent or substance. The paint fumes triggered a bad allergic response in Vicky; even now, her extreme ___ to these chemicals causes her to faint whenever she is around wet paint
cavalcade
def: procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the ___ of Canterbury pilgrims was a motley group.
promulgate
def: proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication. When Moses came down from the mountaintop prepared to ___ God's commandments, he was appalled to discover his followers worshipping a golden calf
interdict
def: prohibit; forbid Civilized nations must _____ the use of nuclear weapons if we expect our society to live
protract
def: prolong Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to ___ the negotiations endlessly, but the union representatives saw through their strategy
salient
def: prominent One of the ___ features of that newspaper is its execellent editorial page
decorum
def: propriety, orderliness and good taste in manners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with ___ on the last day of schoo.
tutelary
def: protective; pertaining to a guardianship Each village, no matter how small, boasts dozens of shrines to the local ____ or guardian spirits
remonstrance
def: protest; objection The authorities were deaf to the pastor's ______s about the lack of police protection in the area.
expostulation
def: protest; remonstrance. Despite the teacher's scoldings and ____s, the class remained unruly.
maxim
def: proverb; a truth pithily stated Aesop's fables illustrate moral ___.
defray
def: provide for the payment of. Her employer offered to ___ the costs of her postgraduate education.
circumspect
def: prudent; cautious. Investigating before acting, she tried always to be ___.
wrest
def: pull away; take by violence With only 10 seconds left to play, our team ____ed from the grasp
wrench
def: pull; strain; twist She ____ed free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap
purport
def: punishing He asked for ___ measures against the offender
quintessence
def: purest and highest embodiment Showcasing historical masterpieces that were once part of the decor of the Imperial palace, the exhibition Treasures of the Imperial Collections embodies the _____ of modern Japanese art.
catharsis
def: purging or cleansing of any passage of the body. Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a _____ by purging the soul of base concepts.
obtrude
def: push (oneself or one's ideas) forward to intrude; butt in; stick out or extrude Because Fanny was reluctant to ____ her opinions about child-raising upon her daughter-in-law, she kept a close watch on her tongue
propound
def: put forth for analysis In the early 20th century, Albert Einstein ___ed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics.
marshal
def: put in order At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or tow to marshal their thoughts before addressing their audience
charlatan
def: quack; pretender to knowledge. When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends were sure they'd been duped by a _____.
poignancy
def: 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 ____ of the scene
verity
def: quality of being true; lasting truth or principle Do you question the _____ of Kato Kaelin's testimony about what he heard the night Nicole Brown Simpson was slain? To the skeptic, everything was relative: there were not eternal ____s in which one could believe
naiveté
def: quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; artlessness; gullibility Touched by the ____ of sweet, convent-trained Cosette, Marius pledges himself to protect her innocence
droll
def: queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his ___ anecdotes were always entertaining.
slake
def: quench; sate When we reached the oasis, we were able to ___ our thirst
inquisitor
def: questioner (especially harsh); investigator Feeling being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her ___ was trepidation
acute
def: quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe. The ___ young doctor realized immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient's once-_____ hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an ___ one.
maniacal
def: raging mad; insnae Though Mr. Rochester had locked his mad wife in the attic, he could still hear her ____ laughter echoing throughout the house
foray
def: raid The company staged a midnight ___ against the enemy outpost
exalt
def: raise in rank or dignity; praise. The actor Sean Connery was ____ed to the rank of knighthood by the Queen; he now is known as Sir Sean Connery.
ken
def: range of knowledge I cannot answer your question since this matter is beyond my ___.
ecstasy
def: rapture; joy; any overpowering emotion. When Allison received her long-hoped-for letter of acceptance from Harvard, she was in ___.
foolhardy
def: rash Don't be ____. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking his venture.
voracious
def: ravenous The wolf is a ____ animal, its hunger never satisfied
amenable
def: readily managed or willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally. Although the ambassador was usually ____ to friendly suggestions, he balked when we hinted he should pay his parking tickets. As a foreign diplomat, he claimed he was not ____ to minor local laws.
entity
def: real being As soon as the charter was adopted, the United Nations became an ___ and had to be considered a a factor in world diplomacy.
ratiocination
def: reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises While Watson was a man of energy intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for _____ made him a superb detective
insurrection
def: rebellion; uprising In retrospect, given how badly the British treated the American colonists, the eventural ____ seems inevitable
insurgent
def: rebellious Because the _____ forces had occupied the capital and had gained control of the railway lines, several of the war correspondents covering the uprising predicted a rebel victory
comeuppance
def: rebuke; deserts. After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his ____.
conciliatory
def: reconciling; soothing. She was still angry despite his ____ words.
recast
def: reconstruct (a sentence, story, etc); fashion again Let me ____ this sentence in terms your feeble brain can grasp: in words of one syllable, you are a fool.
clime
def: region; climate. His doctor advised him to move to a milder ___.
spurn
def: reject; scorn The heroine ____ed the villain's advances.
exult
def: rejoice. We ____ed when our team won the victory.
jubilation
def: rejoicing There was great ____ when the armistice was announced
cognate
def: related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature. The English word "mother" is ___ to the latin word "mater", whose influence in the words "maternal" and "maternity.
academic
def: related to a school; not practical or directly useful. The dean's talk about reforming _____ policies was only an _____ discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.
nuptial
def: related to marriage Reluctant to be married in a traditional setting, they decided to hold their ____ ceremony at the carousel in Golden Gate Park
monastic
def: related to monks or monasteries; removed from worldly concerns Withdrawing from the world, Thomas Merton joined a contemplative religious order and adopted the ___ life.
inexorable
def: relentless; unyielding; implacable After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was ____ and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law
loath
def: reluctant; disinclined Romeo and Juliet were both ____ for him to go
averse
def: reluctant; disinclined The reporter was ___ to revealing the sources of his information
antidote
def: remedy to counteract a poison or disease. When Marge's child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the local poison control hotline instructed Marge how to administer the ____.
redress
def: remedy; compensation Do you mean to tell me that I can get no ____ for my injuries
compunction
def: remorse. The judge was especially severe in is sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no ____ for his heinous crime.
abjure
def: renounce upon oath; disavow. sentence: pressure from university authorities caused the young scholar to ____ his heretical opinions
forswear
def: renounce; abandon The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to ___ Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.
restitution
def: reparation; indemnification If you make full ____ for the damage you have caused, we are willing to let bygones be bygones
recompense
def: repay or reward; repayment or compensation There is no way in which our community can adequately _____ the members of the volunteer fire department for the hours of dedicated service they provide
requite
def: repay; revenge The wretch ____ed his benefactors by betraying them
penitent
def: repentant When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and ___.
rote
def: repetition He recited the passage by ____ and gave no indication he understood what he was saying
supplant
def: replace; usurp Did the other woman actually ___ Princess Diana in Prince Charles's affections, or did Charles never love Diana at all? Bolingbroke, later to be known as King Henry IV fought to _____ his cousin, Richard III, as Kind of England
extenuating
def: representing (a crime or effense) as less serious than it seems, mitigating. Unless extraordinarily strong _____ circumstances exist, someone convicted of murder can expect to be condemned to serve a lengthy sentence.
reticent
def: reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence Fearing his competitors, might get advance word about his plans from talkative staff member, Hughes preferred ____ employees to loquacious reticence
sedition
def: resistance to authority; insubordination Her words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of ___.
restive
def: restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control Waiting impatiently in line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow ___ and start to fidget
rejoinder
def: retort; comeback; reply When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick ____.
lampoon
def: ridicule This article ____s the pretensions of some movie moguls
deride
def: ridicule; make un of. The critics ___ed his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously. Despite the critics' ___sion, however, audiences were moved by the play, cheering its unabashedly sentimental conclusion.
extirpate
def: root up. The Salem witch trials were a misguided attempt to ____ superstition and heresy.
gruff
def: rough-mannered Although he was blunt and ____ with most people, he was always gentle with children.
circuitous
def: roundabout. Because of the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a ___ route.
abrasive
def: rubbing away; tending to grind down. sentence: just as ___ cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish.
dilapidated
def: ruined because of neglect. The ___ old building needed far more work than just a new coat of paint.
disconsolate
def: sad The death of his wife left him___.
funereal
def: sad; solemn Sympathetic with Queen Victoria's loss, the British people shared her grief, enduring without protest the ____ atmosphere that shadowed her court.
jocular
def: said or done in jest. Although Bill knew the boss hated jokes, he couldn't resist making one ____ remark; his ____ily cost him the job
surfeit
def: satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything Every Thanksgiving we are ____ed with an overabundance of holiday treats
meager
def: scanty; inadequate Still hungry after his ___ serving of porridge, Oliver Twist asked for a second helping
dearth
def: scarcity. The ___ of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.
pedant
def: scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities. I believe that language is a living thing, so I generally laugh at the grammar ______s who have fits about every intrusive comma or use of slang
treatise
def: scholarly work treating a subject systematically and thoroughly The Ed School professors study pedagogical theories and write ___s and argue, as scholars will, but none of them can teach a class or middle schoolers to save his life
excoriate
def: scold with biting harshness; strip the ski off. Seeing the rips in Bill's new pants, his mother furiously ___ed him for ruining his good clothes.
chide
def: scold. Grandma began to ___ Steven for his lying.
rail
def: scold; rant You may ____ at him all you want; you will never change him.
avocation
def: secondary and minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable adn gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.
crypt
def: secret recess or vault usually used for burial. Until recently only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in his ____.
surreptitious
def: secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden Hoping to discover where his mom had hidden the Christmas presents, Timmy took a ___ peek into the master bedroom closet
arcane
def: secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with ____ rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders.
dregs
def: sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully, to avoid stirring up the ___.
sophistry
def: seemingly plausible for fallacious reasoning Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of _____.
usurp
def: seize another's power or rank The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general succeeded in his attempt to _____ the throne
axiom
def: self-evident truth requiring no proof. The Declaration of Independence records certain self-evident truths or ____s, the first of which is "All men are created equal." To Sherlock Holmes, it was ___matic that the little things were infinitely the most important; he based his theory of detection on this obvious truth.
pomposity
def: self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt although the commencement speaker had some good things to say we had to laugh at his ____ and general air of parading his own dignity
penance
def: self-imposed punishment for sin The Ancient Mariner said, " I have ____ done and ___ more will do," to atone for the sin of killing the albatross.
dotage
def: senility. In his ___, the old man bored us with long ales of events in his childhood.
sentinel
def: sentry; lookout Through camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting ____ around the encampment
solemnity
def: seriousness; gravity The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the ___ of the marraige service
sycophant
def: servile flattering; bootlicker; yes man Fed up with the toadies and brownnosers who made up his entourage, the star cried, "Get out, all of you! I'm sick of _____!"
ancillary
def: serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. In an ____ capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own.
upbraid
def: severely scold; reprimand Not only did Miss Minchin ____ Ermengarde for his disobedience, but also she hung her up by her braids from a coatrack in the classroom
shoddy
def: sham; not genuine; inferior You will never get the public to buy such ___ material.
barefaced
def: shameless; bold; unconcealed. Shocked by Huck Finn's ___ lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his unregenerate wickedness.
acrid
def: sharp; bitterly pungent. The ___ odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.
whet
def: sharpen; stimulate The odors from the kitchen are ____ing my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served
acuity
def: sharpness in time his youthful ___ of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.
ephemeral
def: short-lived; fleeting. The mayfly is an _____ creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.
parable
def: short; simple story teaching a moral Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this ___ teaches.
beatific
def: showing or producing joy; blissful. When Johnny first saw the new puppy, a ____ smile spread across his face. In his novel, Waugh praises Limbo, not Heaven: "Limbo is the place. In Limbo one has natural happiness without the ___ vision; no harps; no communal order; but wine and conversation and imperfect, various, humanity.
scintilla
def: shred; least bit You have not produced a ____ of evidence to support your argument
canny
def: shrewd; thrifty. The ____ Scotsman was more than match for the swindlers.
wince
def: shrink back; flinch The creech of the chalk on the blackboard made her ____.
portent
def: sign; omen; forewarning He regarded the black cloud as a ___ of evil
import
def: significance Scientific American has covered Einstein's theories-and the refinements and reactions to them- ever since scientists began to grasp the ____ of his landmark 1905 papers.
betoken
def: signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tail piles of cargo containers, and numerous vessels being loaded all ____ Oakland's importance as a port.
inane
def: silly; senseless There's no point in what you're saying. Why are you bothering to make such ____ remarks
ulterior
def: situated beyond; unstated and often questionable You must be an ___ motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it
dextrous
def: skillful The magician was so ___ that we could not follow his movements as he preformed his tricks.
adroit
def: skillful. Her ___ handling of the dedicate situation please her employers
detraction
def: slandering; aspersion. Because Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton dared to fight for women's rights, their motives, manners, dress, personal appearance, and character were held up to ridicule and ____.
servile
def: slavish; cringing Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heep was a ___ creature
soporific
def: sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness Professor Pringle's lectures were so ___ that even he fell asleep in class
smattering
def: slight knowledge I didn't know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere ___ of information about it
dowdy
def: slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her ___ image by buying a fashionable new wardrobe.
laggard
def: slow; sluggish The sailor had been taught not to be ___ in carrying out orders
cabal
def: small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. Some conspiracy theorists contend that a shadowy ___ of powerful tycoons secretly rules the world.
mote
def: small speck The tiniest ___ in the eye is very painful
daub
def: smear (as with paint). From the way he ___ed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils.
rebuff
def: snub; beat back She _____ed his invitation his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed
staid
def: sober; sedate Junior partners in the traditionally ___ and respectable law firm were startled to learn that the senior partner had taken on a gangsta rapper as a client
gregarious
def: sociable Typically, party-throwers are ___; hermits are not
gaffe
def: social blunder According to Miss Manners, to call you husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere___; it is a tactical mistake.
pariah
def: social outcast If everyone ostracized singer Mariah Carey, would she then be Mariah the ___?
plutocracy
def: society ruled by the wealthy From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a ___ rather than a democracy
besmirch
def: soil; defile. The chancellor declared, "Our Campus police officers would never do anything that might _____ the reputation of the Uni"
anathema
def: solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse. The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped ____ upon "The Great Satan," that is, the United States.
monolithic
def: solidly uniform; unyielding Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a ____ front.
spendthrift
def: someone who wastes money Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into ____s who shop til they drop
assumption
def: something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of. The young princess made the foolish ____ that regent would not object to her ____ of power.
balm
def: something that relieves pain. Friendship is the finest ____ for the pangs of disappointed love.
bland
def: soothing or mild; agreeable. Jill tried a ____ ointment for her sunburn. However, when Jack absentmindedly patted her on the sunburn, she couldn't maintain her _____ persona.
judicious
def: sound in judgement; wise At a key moment in his life, he made a ___ investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.
commodious
def: spacious and comfortable. After sleeping in small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite ____.
capacious
def: spacious. In the ____ areas of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their trains.
scintillate
def: sparkle; flash I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation ____.
fitful
def: spasmodic; intermittent on the airplane, Sharon finally managed to doze off, but it was a ___, restless sleep, interrupted by announcements from the pilot and wails from the baby in the next row.
waffle
def: speak equivocally about an issue When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary ____ed, talking all around the issue.
malign
def: speak evil of; bad-mouthed; defame Putting her hands over her ears, Rose refused to listen to Betty ___ her friend Susan.
celerity
def: speed; rapidity. Hamlet resented his mothers' ___ in remarrying within a month after his father's death.
cleave
def: spit or sever; cling to; remain faithful to With her heavy ___, Julia Child could ___ a whole roast duck in two. Soaked through, the solider tugged at the uniform that ___ annoyingly to his body. He would ___ tohis post, come rain or shine.
vitiate
def: spoil the effect of; make inoperative The state's interest in effective crime-fighting should never ___ the citizens' Bill of Rights
scotch
def: stamp out; thwart; hinder Heather tried to ___ the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiance.
rout
def: stampede; drive out The reinforcements were able to ___ the enemy
quirk
def: startling twist; caprice By a ___ of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before
polity
def: state as a political entity; form of government of nation or state In spite of the facade of the modern state, power in most African ___ies progresses informally between patron and client among lines of reciprocity
furtive
def: stealthy; sneaky Noticing the ___ glance the customer gave her diamond bracelet on the counter, the jeweler wondered whether he had a potential shoplifter on his hands.
stilted
def: stiff and unnatural Feeling awkward at the unexpected meeting, Dave made ____ conversation with his ex-girlfriend and her parents
galvanize
def: stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize News that the prince was almost at their door ____ed the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy of combing and primping
skinflint
def: stingy person; miser Scrooge was an ungenerous old ____ until he reformed his ways and became a notable philanthropist
miserly
def: stingy; mean Transformed by his vision on Christmas Eve, mean old Scrooge ceased being ____ and became a generous kind old man
proviso
def: stipulation. I am ready to accept your proposal with the ____ that you meet your obligations within the next two weeks.
cessation
def: stoppage. The airline's employees threatened a ___ all work if management failed to meet their demands.
repository
def: storehouse Libraries are ____s of the world's best thought
tempestuous
def: stormy; impassioned; violent Racket-throwing tennis star John McEnroe was famed for his displays of ____ temperament
inclement
def: stormy; unkind In ____ weather, I like to curl up on the sofa with a good book and listen to the storm blowing outside.
vagrant
def: stray; random He tried to study, he could not collect his ___ thoughts.
punctilious
def: stressing niceties of conduct or form; minutely attentive (perhaps too much so) to fine points. Percy is ____ about observing miles of etiquette whenver Miss Manners invites him to stay
prostrate
def: stretch out full on ground. He ____ed himself before the idol
despoil
def: strip of valuables; rob. Seeking plunder, the raiders ___ed the village, carrying off any valuables they found.
transport
def: strong emotions Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in _____s of joy over a vivid sunset, at another moment in _____s of grief over a dying bird.
bastion
def: stronghold; something seen as a source of protection. The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised ____ could protect them from the guerrilla raids.
obstinate
def: stubborn; hard to control or treat. We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was ___ and refused to change
pertinacious
def: stubborn; persistent She is bound to succeed because her _____ nature will not permit her to quit
perverse
def: stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and unacceptable When Jack was in a ____ mood, he would do the opposite of whatever Jill asked him.
pore
def: study industriously; ponder; scrutinize Determined to become a physician, Beth spends hours ___ing over her anatomy text
etymology
def: study of word parts A knowledge of ____ can help you on many English tests; if you know what the roots and prefixes mean, you can determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.
stodgy
def: stuffy; boringly conservative For a young person, Winston seems remarkably ____; you'd expect someone his age to have a little more life
urbane
def: suave; refined; elegant The courtier was___ and sophisticated
blighted
def: suffering from a disease; destroyed. The extent of the ____ areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.
imply
def: suggest a meaning not expressed; signify When Aunt Millie said, "My! That's a big piece of pie, young man!" was she ____ing that Bobby was being a glutton in helping himself to such a huge piece?
menial
def: suitable for servants; lowly; mean Her wicked stepmother forced Cinderella to do ___ tasks around the house while her ugly stepsisters lolled aroud painting their toenails
dour
def: sullen; severe; gloomy. The Protestant missionaries who settled on Tahiti in the early 19th century were followers of a ___ and cheerless creed, who routinely dressed in black and never let themselves forget for a moment the awful burden of the sins of the world.
recapitulate
def: summarize Let us ____ what has been said thus far before going ahead
supererogatory
def: superfluous; more than needed or demanded We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be ______.
preponderance
def: superiority of power, quantity, etc The rebels sought to overcome the ___ of strength of the government forces by engaging in guerrilla tactic
buttress
def: support; prop up. Just as architects ____ the walls of cathedrals with pictures, debaters ____ their arguments with facts.
reputed
def: supposed Issac Newton is ____ed to have said, "I can calculate the motions of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people."
putative
def: supposed; reputed Although there are some doubts the ___ author of this work is ____.
stifle
def: suppress; extinguish; inhibit Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to _____ her yawns
outstrip
def: surpass; outdo Jesse Owens easily ____ed his competitors to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games
capitulate
def: surrender. Once the allied forces converged on Berlin, the end was near and the Berlin garrison commander ____ed.
reconnaissance
def: survey of enemy of soldiers; reconnoitering If you encounter any enemy soldiers during not ______, capture them for questioning
euphony
def: sweet sound Noted for its ___ even when it is spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung
meteoric
def: swift; momentarily brillant We all wondered at his ___ rise to fame
creed
def: system of religious or ethical belief. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its __: "we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal."
expropriate
def: take possession of. He questioned the government's right to ___ his land to create a wildlife preserve.
soliloquy
def: taking on oneself The ____ is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions
resumption
def: taking up again; recommencement During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the _____ of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure.
flair
def: talent She has an uncanny ___ for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.
quip
def: taunt You are unpopular because you are too free with your ____S and sarcastic comments
inculcate
def: teach In an effort to ___ religious devotion, the officials ordered that the school day begin with the singing of a hymn
pedagogue
def: teacher He could never be a stuff ___; his classes were always lively and filled with humor
pedagogy
def: teaching; art of education Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations is a living thing, so I generally laugh at the grammar _____s who have fits about every intrusive comma or use of slang
didactic
def: teaching; instructional. Pope's lengthy poem An Essay on Man is too ___ for my taste: I dislike it when poets turn preachy and moralize.
tantalize
def: tease; torture with disappointment Tom loved to ___ his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it
prolixity
def: tedious wordiness; verbosity A writer who suffers from _____ tells his readers everything they never wanted to know about the subject
incursion
def: temporary invasion The nightly ____s 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.
reprieve
def: temporary rebuke; formal reproof; scolding Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class, she was terrified that she would receive a harsh ______ from Miss Minchin
peruse
def: tend with care After the conflagration that burned down her house, Joan closely ____ed her home insurance policy to discover exactly what benefits her coverage provided
evocative
def: tending to call up (emotions, memories). Scent can be remarkably ___. The aroma of pipe tobacco ___s the memory of my father.
dilatory
def: tending to delay; intentionally delaying. If you are ___ in paying your bills, your credit rating may suffer.
salutary
def: tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome The punishment had a ____ effect on the boy, who became a model student
subversive
def: tending to overthrow; destructive At first glance, the notion that styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound that paper cups strikes most environmentalists as ____.
provisional
def: tentative Kim's acceptance as an American Express cardholder was ____: before issuing her a card, American Express wanted to check her employment record and credit history.
enclave
def: territory enclosed within an alien land The Vatican is an independent ___ in Italy.
cow
def: terrorize; intimidate. The little boy was so ___ed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of protest.
concomitant
def: that which accompanies. A decrease of gastric juice secretion may be a congenital abnormality or a ____ of advanced age.
ambivalence
def: the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ____ of her feelings.
histrionic
def: theatrical. Proud of his ___ ability, Lawrence wanted to play the role of Hamlet.
larceny
def: theft Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand ___ to petty ___.
motif
def: theme This simple ___ runs throughout the score
cogitate
def: think over. ___ on his problem; the solution will come.
cerebration
def: thought. "The mystic leans towards celebration; the mathematician to ____."
palpitate
def: throb; flutter As she became excited, her heart began to ___ more and more erratically.
precipitate
def: throw headlong; hasten The removal of American political support appeared to have ______ed the downfall of the Marcos regime
embroil
def: throw into confusion; involve strife; entangle He became ___ed in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.
jettison
def: throw overboard. In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to ____ much of his cargo.
taut
def: tight; ready The captain maintained that he ran a ___ ship
list
def: tilt; lean over The flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it ___s to one side
indefatigable
def: tireless Although the effort of taking out the garbage exhausted Wayne for the entire morning, when it came to partying, he was ____.
assent
def: to agree, accept. It gives me great pleasure to ___to your request.
commandeer
def: to draft for military purposes; to take for public use. The policeman ____ed the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.
rhapsodize
def: to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and _____ed about it for weeks
modulate
def: tone down to intensity; regulate; change from one key to another Always singing at the top of her lungs, the budding Brunhide never learned to ___ her voice.
petulant
def: touchy; peevish If you'd had hardly any sleep for three nights and people kept phoning and waking you up, you'd sound ____, too
vestige
def: trace; remains We discovered ____s of early Indian life in the cave
bartender
def: traded. The ___ exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs.
turncoat
def: traitor The British considers Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a _____.
equable
def: tranquil; steady; uniform. After the hot summers and cold winter of New England, she found the climate of the West Indies ____ and pleasant.
quietude
def: tranquility An oasis of ___, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden sits serenely in the midst of the tumult of downtown Vancouver
peripatetic
def: traveling about; moving from place to place To scrape together a living, many musicians lead a _____ life style, always on the road, traveling from one one-night stand to the next
insidious
def: treacherous; stealthy; sly The 5th column is ____ because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.
lionize
def: treat as a celebrity She enjoyed being ____ed and adored by the public
intrude
def: trespass; enter as an uninvited person She hesitated to ____ on their conservation
feint
def: trick; shift; sham blow Fooled by his opponents ___, the boxer dropped his guard.
ruse
def: trick; stratagem You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ___.
veracity
def: truthfulness Trying to prove Hill a lair, Senator Spector repeatedly questioned her ____
shunt
def: turn aside; divert; sidetrack If the switchman failed to ___ the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union Street.
writhe
def: twist in coils; contort in pain In Dances With Snakes, the snake dancer wriggled sinuously as her boa constrictor ____ed around her torso
wry
def: twisted; with a humorous twist We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its ___ wit
stock
def: typical; standard; kept regularly in supply Victorian melodramas portrayed ___ characters- the rich but wicked villain, the sweet young ingenue, the poor but honest young man- in exaggerated situations. Although the stationery store kept only ____ sizes of paper on hand, the staff would special-order any times not regularly in ____>
despot
def: tyrant; harsh; authoritarian ruler. How could a benevolent king turn overnight to a ___?
indubitable
def: unable to be doubted; unquestionable Auditioning for the chorus line, Molly was an ___ hit: the director fired the leading lady and hired Molly in her place!
irrepressible
def: unable to be restrained or held bacl My friend Kitty's curiosity was ___: she poked her nose into everybody's business and just laughed when I warned her that curiosity killed the cat.
unwonted
def: unaccustomed He hesitated to assume the ___ role of master of ceremonies at the dinner
irrevocable
def: unalterable; irreversible As Sue dropped the "Dear John" letter into the mailbox, she suddenly had second thoughts and wanted to take it back, but she could not: her action was ____.
unprepossessing
def: unattractive During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance is _____.
unseemly
def: unbecoming; indecent; in poor taste When Seymour put whoopee cushions on all seats in the funeral parlor, his conduct was most _____.
indomitable
def: unconquerable; unyielding Focusing on her game despite all her personal problems, tennis champion Sheffi Graf displayed an ____ will to win
embryonic
def: undeveloped; rudimentary. The CEO reminisced about the good old days when he computer industry was still in its ____ stage and start up companies were being founded in the family garage.
disquietude
def: uneasiness; anxiety. When Holmes had been gone for a day, Watson felt only a slight sense of ____, but after a week with no word. Watson's uneasiness about his missing friend had grown into a deep fear for Holmes's safety.
inimical
def: unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental I've always been friendly to Martha. Why is she so ___ to me?
ingrate
def: ungrateful person The ____ Bob sneered at the tie I gave him
consolidation
def: unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger. The recent ____ of several small airlines into one major company has left observers of the industry wondering whether room still exists for the "little guy" in aviation.
unwitting
def: unintentional; not knowing She was the ____ tool of the swindlers
catholic
def: universal; wide-ranging liberal. He was extremely ___ in his taste and read everything he could find the library.
circumlocation
def: unnecessarily wordy and indirect speech; evasive language. Don't beat about the bush, but just say what you want to say: I'm fed up with listening to you ____.
imperceptible
def: unnoticeable; undetectable Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was ___ after the garment had gone through the wash.
capricious
def: unpredictable; fickle. The storm was _____ because it changed course constantly. Jill was ____ because she changed boyfriends as much as she changed clothes.
arbitrary
def: unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical. The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some ____ calls.
earthy
def: unrefined; coarse His ___ remarks often embarrassed the woman in his audiences.
unmitigated
def: unrelieved or immoderate; absolute After four das of _____ heat, I was ready to collapse from heat prostration. The congresswoman's husband was an _____ jerk; ot only did he abandon her, but also he took her campaign funds!
inordinate
def: unrestrained; excessive She had an _____ fondness of candy, eating two or three boxes in a single day
wanton
def: unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her _____ expenditures. In response, Sarah accused Sheldon of making an unfounded
fractious
def: unruly; disobedient; irritable Bucking and kicking, the ____ horse unseated its rider.
unassuaged
def: unsatisfied; not soothed Tensions grew as the protesters, ____ by the dean's promise to investigate campus police mistreatment of minority students, surrounded the administration building
unconscionable
def: unscrupulous; excessive She found the loan shark's demands ____ and impossible to meet.
slipshod
def: untidy or slovenly; shabby As a master craftsman, the carpenter prided himself on never doing ____ work
slovenly
def: untidy; careless in work habits Unshaven, sitting around in his bathrobe all afternoon, Gus didn't care about the slovenly appearance he presented
inopportune
def: untimely; poorly chosen A rock concert is an ____ setting for a quiet conversation
knave
def: untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel Any politician nicknamed Tricky Dick clearly hs the reputation of a ___.
ineffable
def: unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech Such ___ joy must be experienced; it cannot be described
insalubrious
def: unwholesome; not healthful The mosquito-ridden swamp was an ____ place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion
ignoble
def: unworthy; not noble A true knight, Sir Galahad never stooped to preform an ____ deed.
rectitude
def: uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgement The Eagle Scout was a model of _____; smugness was the only flaw he needed to correct
disconcert
def: upset; unsettle; confuse. Noise, crowds and sudden changes from routine are likely to ____ autistic children and cause a possible meltdown.
goad
def: urge on; prod; incite laura was furious with herself for having lost her temper, and even more furious with Jo for having ___ed her into losing it.
importunate
def: urging; demanding He tried to hide from his ___ creditors until his allowance arrived
husband
def: use sparingly; conserve; save Marathon runners must ____ their energy so that they can keep going for the entire distance.
prophylactic
def: used to prevent disease Despite all ____ measures introduced by the authorities, the epidemic raged until cool weather set it.
nebulous
def: vague; hazy; cloudy Phil and Dave tried to come up with a clear, intelligible business plan, not some hazy, ___ proposal
multifarious
def: varied; greatly diversified A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the ___ activities of her daily life
sundry
def: various; several The economist took dry facts, occasional anecdotes, and a wealth of data from ___ sources, and wove them together into a narrative at once both interesting and informative
protean
def: versatile; able to make on many forms A remarkably ____ actor, Alec Guiness could take on any role.
execrable
def: very bad. The anecdote was in such ___ taste that the audience hissed and booed.
gingerly
def: very carefully To separate egg whites, first crack the egg ____.
pernicious
def: very destructive The Athenians argued that Socrates's teachings had a _____ effect on young and susceptible minds; therefore, they condemned him to death
munificent
def: very generous Shamelessly fawning over a particularly generous donor, the dean kept referring to her as "our ____ benefactor."
pauper
def: very poor person Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a ___.
infinitesimal
def: very small In the 20th century, physicians made great discoveries about the characteristics of ____ object like the atom of its parts
rile
def: vex; irritate; muddy Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to ___.
chagrin
def: vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride); disappointment. Embarrassed by his parents' shabby, working-class appearance, Doug felt their visit to his school would bring him nothing but ____.
nefarious
def: vey wicked The villain's crimes, though various were one and all ____.
throes
def: violent anguish The _____ of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain
impetuous
def: violent; hasty; rash "Leap before you look" was the motto suggested by one particularly ____ young man.
boisterous
def: violent; rough;noisy. The unruly crowd became even more ____ when he tried to quiet them.
martial
def: warlike The sound of ___ music inspired the young cadet with dreams of military glory.
bellicose
def: warlike; pugnacious; naturally inclined to fight. Someone who is spoiling for a fight is by definition ____.
admonish
def: warn; reprove. When her courtier questioned her religious beliefs, Mary Stuart _____ed them, declaring that she would worship as she pleased
atrophy
def: wasting away. Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the ___ of affected limbs.
vacillate
def: waver; fluctuate Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess _____ed, saying now one, now the other.
languid
def: weary; sluggish; listless Her siege of illness left her ____ and pallid
ponderous
def: weighty; unwieldy His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ____.
bedraggle
def: wet thoroughly. We were so ____ed by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing.
iniquitous
def: wicked; immoral; unrighteous Whether or not King Richard III was responsible for the murder of the two young princes in the Tower.
wangle
def: wiggle out; fake She tried to ___ and invitation to the party.
pandemonium
def: wild tumult When the ships collided in the harbor, _____ broke out among the passengers
incredulous
def: withholding belief; skeptical When Jack claimed he hadn't eaten the jelly doughnut, Jill took an ____ look at his smeared face and laughed.
guileless
def: without deceit. He is naive, simple and ____; he cannot be guilty of fraud.
categorical
def: without exceptions; unqualified; absolute. Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, at finally qualified his _____ denial: he was "hardly ever" sick at sea.
artless
def: without guile; open and honest. Red Riding Hood's ____ comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" Indicates the child's innocent surprise at her "grandmother's" changed appearance
impecunious
def: without money Though Scrooge claimed he was too _____ to give ams, he easily could have afforded to be charitable
epigram
def: witty thought or saying; usually short. Poor Richard's ____s made Benjamin Franklin famous.
deadpan
def: wooden; impassive. Silent films comedian Buster Keaton earned the nickname "The Great Stone Face" for the invariably stoic, ___ expression he maintained throughout his slapstick escapades.
epithet
def: word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing. So many kings of France were named Charles that modern students need ____s to tell them apart: Charles the Wise, for example, was someone far different from Charles the Fat.
opus
def: work Although many critics hailed is 5th Symphony, he did not regard it as his major ___.
militate
def: work against Your record of lateness and absence will ____ against your chances of promotion
threadbare
def: worn through till the threats show; shabby and poor The poorly paid adjunct professor hi the ___ spots on his jacket by sewing leather patches on his sleeves
estimable
def: worthy of esteem; admirable. Tennis star Andre Agassi survived a near loss in the semifinals to win the seventh Grand Slam tournament title of his uneven yet ____ career.
shambles
def: wreck; mess After the hurricane, the Carolina coast was a ___. After the New Year's Eve party, the host's apartment was a ____.
miscreant
def: wretch; villain In Colonial America, an offender would be put into the stocks so that the villagers could jeer and toss offal at the ___.
writ
def: written command issued by a court The hero of Leonard's novel is a process server who invents unorthodox ways of serving ____s on reluctant parties
polemic
def: written or verbal attack; disputations Lexy was a master of ___ rhetoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan "Born to Debate."
malfeasance
def: wrongdoing The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's ____ until after he had forcing her to do menial tasks.
callow
def: youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a freshman, Jack was sure he was a man of the world; as a sophomore, he made fun of freshman as ____ youths.
quotidian
def:daily; commonplace; customary To Phillip, each new day of his internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as merely ___ routine.
jaundiced
def:prejudiced (envious, hostile, or resentful); yellowed Because Sue disliked Carolyn, she looked at Carolyn's pantings with a ____ed eyed, calling them formless smears.
connivance
def:pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend. With the ____ of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher.
sinecure
def:well-paid position with little responsibility My job is no _____; I work long hours and have much responsibilities
witticism
def:witty saying; wisecrack I don't mean any criticism, but your last supposed ____ really hurt my feeling
improvident
def; thriftless He was constantly being warned to mend his ___ ways and begin to "save for a rainy day"
inalienable
defL not to be taken away; nontransferable The Declaration of Independence mentions the ____ rights that all of us possess.
consort
1 def: associated with. We frequently judge people by the company with whom they ____. 2. hustband or wife. The search for a ___ for the young Queen Victoria ended happily.
defer
1 def: delay til later; exempt temporarily. 2. def: give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must ___ to Michael, our computer guru; he has the final word. Michael, however, can ___ these questions to no one; only he can decide.
contingent
1 def: dependent on; conditional. Cher's father informed her that any increase in her allowance was ____ on the quality of her final grades. 2 def: group that makes up part of a gathering. The New York ____ of delegates at the DNC was a boisterous sometimes rowdy lot.
resolve
1 def: determination; firmness of purpose How dare you question my ______ to take up sky-diving! Of course I haven't changed my mind! 2. def: decide; settle; solve Holmes ____ed to travel to Bohemia to ____ the fispute between Irene Adler and the King
plumb
1 def: examine critically in order to understand; measure depth (by sounding). Try as he would, Watson could never fully ___ the depth of Holmes' s thought processes 2 def: vertical Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a ___ line from the ceiling as a guide
deprecate
1 def: express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post ___ed the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.
founder
1 def: fall completely; sink After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titantic started taking in water rapidly and soon ____ed.
pique
1 def: irritation; resentment She showed her ___ at her loss by refusing to appear with the other contestants at the end of the competition 2 def: provoke; arouse; annoy "I know something, you don't know," said Lucy, trying to _____ Ethel's interest.
objective
1 def: not influenced by emotions; fair Even though he was her son, she tried to be ____ about his behavior 2 def: goal; aim A degree in medicine was her ultimate ____
demur
1 def: object; protest. Michelangelo regularly denied that Leonardo Da Vinci had influenced him, and critics have usually accepted his statements without ___. 2. def: object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the BOD, David ___ed; he had scruples taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.
hermetic
1 def: sealed by fusion so as to be airtight After you sterilize the bandages, place them in a container and seal it with a ____ seal to protect them from contamination by airborne bacteria. 2. def: obscure and mysterious; occult. It is strange to consider that modern chemistry originated in the hermetic teachings of the ancient alchemists.
balk
1 def: stop short; as if faced with an obstacle and refused to continue. The chief of police ____ed at sending his officers into the riottorn area. 2. def: foil When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to ___ their attempt.
expatiate
1 def: talk at length Robert Marlock, the University Orator, welcomed the Queen with a Latin oration in which he (at some length) ____ed on the wonders of Elizabeth's scholarship and on the indebtedness of the University to her.
welter
1 def: turmoil; bewildering; jumble The existing _____ of overlapping federal and state claims cries out for immediate reform 2. def: wallow At the height of the battle, the victims _____ed in their blood while waiting for medical attention
quarry
1 def: victim; object of a hunt The police closed in on their ___. 2. def: dig into; question They _____ed blocks of marble out of the hillside
canon
1. Def: collection or authoritative list of books. Scholars hotly debated whether the newly discovered sonnet should be accepted as part of the shakespearean ____. 2. def: rule or principal; frequently religious. "One catastrophe, one locality, one day"- these are Aristotle rules for tragedy, and classic French plays strictly follow them; Shakespeare, however, disregards all of these ____.
bluff
1. Def: pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a ___ and she was astounded when he dove from the high ___to the waters below. 2. def: rough but good natured Jack had a ___ and hearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity.
gouge
1. def: tear out In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to ___ each other's eyes out. 2. overchange During the World Series, ticket scalpers tried to ____ the public, asking astronomical prices even for bleacher seats.
decadence
Def: decay. The moral ____ of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.
deluge
Def: flood; rush. When we advertised the position we recieved a ___ of applications.