SAT

irremediableADJ

/incurable; uncorrectable. The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it

encipher V.

/encode; convert a message into code. One of Bond's first lessons was how to encipher the messages he sent to Miss Moneypenny so that none of his other lady friends could decipher them

distend V.

/expand; swell out. I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.

fraught ADJ.

/filled. Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks.

evanescent ADJ.

/fleeting; vanishing. Brandon's satisfaction in his new job was evanescent, for he immediately began to notice its many drawbacks. evanescence, N

encomium N

/high praise; eulogy. Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise

impede V.

/hinder; block; delay. A series of accidents impeded the launching of the space shuttle.

degradation N.

/humiliation; debasement; degeneration. Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a cup of coffee because they resent the degradation of being made to do such lowly tasks. degrade,V.

illicit ADJ

/illegal. The defense attorney maintained that his client had never performed any illicit action.

emulate V

/imitate; rival. In a brief essay, describe a person you admire, someone whose virtues you would like to emulate.

evenhanded ADJ.

/impartial; fair. Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females?

impermeable ADJ.

/impervious; not permitting passage through its substance. This new material is impermeable to liquids.

irretrievable ADJ.

/impossible to recover or regain; irreparable. The left fielder tried to retrieve the ball, but it flew over the fence, bounced off a wall, and fell into the sewer: it was irretrievable.

allusion N.

/indirect reference.When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, "One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of flesh?," she was making an allusion to Shakespeare'sMerchant of Venice.

illimitable ADJ

/infinite. Man, having explored the far corners of the earth, is now reaching out into illimitable space

incompatible ADJ.

/inharmonious. The married couple argued incessantly and finally decided to separate because they were incompatible. incompatibility, N

impertinent ADJ.

/insolent; rude. His neighbors' impertinent curiosity about his lack of dates angered Ted. It was downright rude of them to ask him such personal questions.

knotty ADJ.

/intricate; difficult; tangled.What toWatson had been a knotty problem, to Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself.

interloper N.

/intruder; unwanted meddler. The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade

impartial ADJ.

/not biased; fair. Knowing she could not be impartial about her own child, Jo refused to judge any match in which Billy was competing.

feral ADJ.

/not domestic; wild. Abandoned by their owners, dogs may revert to their feral state, roaming the woods in packs.

exempt ADJ.

/not subject to a duty, obligation. Because of his flat feet, Foster was exempt from serving in the armed forces. alsoV.

fancy N

/notion; whim; inclination. Martin took a fancy to paint his toenails purple. Assuming he would outgrow such fanciful behavior, his parents ignored his fancy feet. alsoADJ.

infamous ADJ

/notoriously bad. Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer are both infamous killers.

inverse ADJ.

/opposite. There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance

magnate N.

/person of prominence or influence. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Annie Dillard was surrounded by the mansions of the great steel and coal magnates who set their mark on that city.

hypochondriac N

/person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness. The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypochondriac

linguistic ADJ

/pertaining to language. The modern tourist will encounter very little linguistic difficulty as English has become an almost universal language

devout ADJ.

/pious. The devout man prayed daily

luscious ADJ

/pleasing to taste or smell. The ripe peach was luscious

extrapolation N.

/projection; conjecture. Based on their extrapolation from the results of the primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted that Bob Dole would be the Republican candidate for the presidency. extrapolate,V.

hone V.

/sharpen. To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care.

epilogue N.

/short speech at conclusion of dramatic work. The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.

impostor N.

/someone who assumes a false identity. Holmes exposed the doctor as an impostor.

enunciate V.

/speak distinctly. Stop mumbling! How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?

incentive N.

/spur; motive. Mike's strong desire to outshine his big sister was all the incentive he needed to do well in school.

gawk V.

/stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe. The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city.

iota N.

/very small quantity. She hadn't an iota of common sense.

haggard ADJ.

/wasted away; gaunt. After his long illness, he was pale and haggard.

collusion N.

Conspiring in a fraudulent scheme. The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

blunder N. error.

The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture. alsoV.

camaraderieN.

good-fellowship.What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his coworkers shared.

cordial ADJ

gracious; heartfelt. Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug.

cognitive ADJ.

having to do with knowing or perceiving; related to the mental processes. Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced intellectually.

facilitate V.

help bring about; make less difficult. Rest and proper nourishment should facilitate the patient's recovery.

flinch V.

hesitate, shrink. He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely

eminent ADJ.

high; lofty. After his appointment to this eminent position, he seldom had time for his former friends.

chasm N.

abyss. They could not see the bottom of the chasm.

inured ADJ.

accustomed; hardened. She became inured to the Alaskan cold.

elaboration N

addition of details; intricacy. Tell what happened simply, without any elaboration. elaborate,V

accede V

agree. If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

assent V.

agree; accept. It gives me great pleasure to assentto your request.

amiable ADJ.

agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly. In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who know her

accord N

agreement. She was in complete accord with the verdict.

compact N.

agreement; contract. The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government

impediment N.

hindrance; stumbling-block. She had a speech impediment that prevented her speaking clearly

inkling N.

hint. This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans.

insinuate V

hint; imply; creep in. When you said I looked robust, did you mean to insinuate that I'm getting fat?

innuendo N.

hint; insinuation. I can defend myself against direct accusations; innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what trouble me.

intimate V.

hint; suggest.Was Dick intimating that Jane had bad breath when he asked if she'd like a breath mint?

hermitage N.

home of a hermit. Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world.

domicile N.

home. Although his legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away from his residence for many years. alsoV.

nostalgia N.

homesickness; longing for the past. My grandfather seldom spoke of life in the old country; he had little patience with nostalgia. nostalgic,ADJ.

commemorate V.

honor the memory of. The statue of the Minute Man commemorates the valiant soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War

distinction N.

honor; contrast; discrimination. A holder of the Medal of Honor, George served with great distinction in World War II. He made a distinction, however, between World War II and Vietnam, which he considered an immoral conflict

kudos N.

honor; glory; praise. The singer complacently received kudos from his entourage on his performance

aghast ADJ.

horrified. He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host.

colossal ADJ.

huge. Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

gargantuan ADJ.

huge; enormous. The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice

drone N.

idle person; male bee. Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.

cantankerous ADJ.

ill humored; irritable. Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient

enmity N.

ill will; hatred. At Camp David, President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented the peaceful coexistence of Egypt and Israel

malady N.

illness. A mysterious malady swept the country, filling doctors' offices with feverish, purple-spotted patients.

fictitious ADJ.

imaginary. Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious.

lummox N

big, clumsy, often stupid person. Because he was highly overweight and looked ungainly, John Candy often was cast as a slow-witted lummox.

indenture V.

bind as servant or apprentice to master. Many immigrants could come to America only after they had indentured themselves for several years. also N.

astringent ADJ.

binding; causing contraction. The astringent quality of the unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult. also N.

acrimoniousADJ

bitter in words or manner. The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms. acrimony,

acerbity N

bitterness of speech and temper. The meeting of the United Nations General Assembly was marked with such acerbity that informed sources held out little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem. acerbic,ADJ

gall N.

bitterness; nerve. The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall.

denigrate V.

blacken. All attempts to denigrate the character of our late president have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.

censure V.

blame; criticize. The senator was censured for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress. also N

irreproachable ADJ.

blameless; impeccable. Homer's conduct at the office party was irreproachable; even Marge didn't have anything bad to say about how he behaved.

blanch V.

bleach; whiten. Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

glossary N.

brief explanation of words used in the text. I have found the glossary in this book very useful; it has eliminated many trips to the dictionary.

illuminate V

brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten. Just as a lamp can illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem.

nonplus V.

bring to halt by confusion; perplex. Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

maladroit ADJ.

clumsy; bungling. How maladroit it was of me to mention seeing you out partying last night! From the look on his face, I take it that your boyfriend thought you were otherwise occupied.

gauche ADJ.

clumsy; coarse and uncouth. Compared to the sophisticated young ladies in their elegant gowns, tomboyish Jo felt gauche and out of place

Clump N.

cluster or close group (of bushes, trees); mass; sound of heavy treading. Hiding behind the clump of bushes, the fugitives waited for the heavy clump of the soldiers' feet to fade away.

fodder N

coarse food for cattle, horses, etc. One of Nancy's chores at the ranch was to put fresh supplies of fodder in the horses' stalls.

anemia N.

condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles. The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. anemic,ADJ.

befuddle V.

confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in befuddling her further

fluster V.

confuse. The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.

bemused ADJ.

confused; lost in thought; preoccupied. Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.

gourmet N.

connoisseur of food and drink. The gourmet stated that this was the best onion soup she had ever tasted

anoint V.

consecrate. The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel

corollary N.

consequence; accompaniment. Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with sibling rivalry its natural corollary.

aftermath N.

consequences; outcome; upshot. People around the world wondered what the aftermath of China's violent suppression of the student protests would be.

deliberate V.

consider; ponder. Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she told them her decision,

notable ADJ.

conspicuous; important; distinguished. Normally notable for his calm in the kitchen, today the head cook was shaking, for the notable chef Julia Child was coming to dinner.

knit V.

contract into wrinkles; grow together. Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown. When he broke his leg, he sat around the house all day waiting for the bones to knit.

exclaim V.

cry out suddenly. "Watson! Behind you!" Holmes exclaimed, seeing the assassin hurl himself on his friend

decomposition N.

decay. Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man.

decadence N.

decay. The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

delude V.

deceive. His mistress may have deluded herself into believing that he would leave his wife and marry her

artifice N.

deception; trickery. The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military might.

illusory ADJ.

deceptive; not real. Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom's profits proved illusory.

laborious ADJ.

demanding much work or care; tedious. In putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.

gainsay V.

deny. She was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report

abscond V.

depart secretly and hide. The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on "America's Most Wanted."

carnage N.

destruction of life. The film The Killing Fields vividly depicts the carnage wreaked by Pol Pot's followers in Cambodia

flaunt V.

display ostentatiously. Mae West saw nothing wrong with showing off her considerable physical charms, saying, "Honey, if you've got it, flaunt it!"

clemency N.

disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather. The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders

impugn V.

dispute or contradict (often in an insulting way); challenge; gainsay. Our treasurer was furious when the finance committee's report impugned the accuracy of his financial records and recommended that he should take bonehead math

cloying ADJ.

distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental. Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose to have homemade carrot cake at the reception. cloy,V.

awry ADV.

distorted; crooked. He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night. alsoADJ

elicit V

draw out by discussion. The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.

lethargic ADJ.

drowsy; dull. The stuffy room made her lethargic: she felt as if she was about to nod off.

arid ADJ.

dry; barren. The cactus has adapted to survive in an arid environment.

erode V.

eat away. The limestone was eroded by the dripping water until only a thin shell remained. erosion, N.

corrosive ADJ.

eating away by chemicals or disease. Stainless steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chemicals. corrode,V.

articulate ADJ.

effective; distinct. Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers. alsoV.

component N.

element; ingredient. I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same time

appraise V.

estimate value of. It is difficult to appraise the value of old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. appraisal, N

assessment N.

evaluation; judgment. Your SAT I score plays a part in the admission committee's assessment of you as an applicant.

malefactor N.

evildoer; criminal. Mighty Mouse will save the day, hunting down malefactors and rescuing innocent mice from peril.

iridescent ADJ

exhibiting rainbowlike colors. She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the surface of the water

founder V

fail completely; sink. After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.

aggrandize V.

increase or intensify. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.

increment N.

increase. The new contract calls for a 10 percent increment in salary for each employee for the next two years.

bawdy ADJ.

indecent; obscene. Jack took offense at Jill's bawdy remarks.What kind of young man did she think he was?

influx N

flowing into. The influx of refugees into the country has taxed the relief agencies severely.

berserk ADV.

frenzied. Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.

burlesque V.

give an imitation that ridicules. In Spaceballs, Rick Moranis burlesques Darth Vader of Star Wars, outrageously parodying Vader's stiff walk and hollow voice.

bestow V.

give. He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero

flamboyant ADJ.

ornate. Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.

larder N.

pantry; place where food is kept. The first thing Bill did on returning home from school was to check what snacks his mother had in the larder.

accomplice N.

partner in crime. Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder.

coalition N.

partnership; league; union. The Rainbow Coalition united people of all races in a common cause.

faction N.

party; clique; dissension. The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions within the club disturbed the majority of the members.

nonentity N.

person of no importance; nonexistence. Because the two older princes dismissed their youngest brother as a nonentity, they did not realize that he was quietly plotting to seize the throne.

demagogue N.

person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people. He was accused of being a demagogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners

founder N

person who establishes (an organization, business). Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus department store.

embody V.

personify; make concrete; incorporate. Cheering on his rival Mark McGwire's efforts to break Roger Maris's home run record, Sammy Sosa embodied the spirit of true sportsmanship

dissuade V.

persuade not to do; discourage. Since Tom could not dissuade Huck from running away from home, he decided to run away with him. dissuasion, N.

induce V.

persuade; bring about. After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again. inducement, N.

horticultural ADJ.

pertaining to cultivation of gardens. When he bought his house, he began to look for flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books dealing with horticultural matters.

infernal ADJ

pertaining to hell; devilish. Batman was baffled: he could think of no way to hinder the Joker's infernal scheme to destroy the city.

agrarian ADJ.

pertaining to land or its cultivation. The country is gradually losing its agrarian occupation and turning more and more to an industrial point of view

buccaneer N.

pirate. At Disneyland the Pirates of the Caribbean sing a song about their lives as bloody buccaneers.

itinerary N.

plan of a trip. Disliking sudden changes in plans when she traveled abroad, Ethel refused to make any alterations in her itinerary.

flora N

plants of a region or era. Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying the flora of the desert.

entreat V

plead; ask earnestly. She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight

enrapture V

please intensely. The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration

gratify V

please. Lori's parents were gratified by her successful performance on the SAT

euphonious ADJ.

pleasing in sound. Euphonious even when spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung. euphony. N

escapade N.

prank; flighty conduct. The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.

decorum N.

propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school. decorous,ADJ.

archetype N.

prototype; primitive pattern. The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

centrifugal ADJ.

radiating; departing from the center. Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

maniacal ADJ.

raging mad; insane. Though Mr. Rochester had locked his mad wife in the attic, he could still hear her maniacal laughter echoing throughout the house.

exalt V.

raise in rank or dignity; praise. The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the queen.

incidence N

rate of occurrence; particular occurrence. Health professionals expressed great concern over the high incidence of infant mortality in major urban areas.

effervescence N.

inner excitement or exuberance; bubbling from fermentation or carbonation. Nothing depressed Sue for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself. Soda that loses its effervescence goes flat. effervescent, ADJ. effervesce,V.

disconsolate ADJ.

sad. The death of his wife left him disconsolate.

jocular ADJ.

said or done in jest. Although Bill knew the boss hated jokes, he couldn't resist making one jocular remark

dearth N.

scarcity. The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

disperse V.

scatter. The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters. dispersion, N.

dispel V.

scatter; drive away; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.

jurisprudence N.

science of law. He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the law.

acoustics N.

science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in. Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics.

berate V.

scold strongly. He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness

anchor V.

secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place. We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. anchorage, N.

demented ADJ.

insane. Doctor Demento was a lunatic radio personality who liked to act as if he were truly demented. If you're demented, your mental state is out of whack; in other words, you're wacky.

deranged ADJ.

insane. He had to be institutionalized because he was mentally deranged.

epitaph N.

inscription in memory of a dead person. In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone

energize V

invigorate; make forceful and active. Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing energized her.

exhilarating ADJ.

invigorating and refreshing; cheering. Though some of the hikers found tramping through the snow tiring, Jeffrey found the walk on the cold, crisp day exhilarating

impregnableADJ.

invulnerable. Until the development of the airplane as a military weapon, the fort was considered impregnable.

eccentric ADJ

irregular; odd; whimsical; bizarre. The comet veered dangerously close to the earth in its eccentric orbit. People came up with some eccentric ideas for dealing with the emergency: someone even suggested tieing a knot in the comet's tail!

*anomaly N.

irregularity. A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

impiety N.

irreverence; lack of respect for God. When members of the youth group draped the church in toilet paper one Halloween, the minister reprimanded them for their impiety.

blasphemy N.

irreverence; sacrilege; cursing. In my father's house, the Dodgers were the holiest of holies; to cheer for another team was to utter words of blasphemy. blasphemous,ADJ.

impious ADJ

irreverent. The congregation was offended by her impious remarks.

chasten V. d

iscipline; punish in order to correct. Whom God loves, God chastens.

emanate V.

issue forth. A strong odor of sulphur emanated from the spring

agenda N.

items of business at a meeting. We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

ignite V.

kindle; light. When Desi crooned, "Baby, light my fire," literal-minded Lucy looked around for some paper to ignite.

benign ADJ.

kindly; favorable; not malignant. Though her benign smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem a sweet little old lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd observer of human nature. benignity, N

affinity N.

kinship. She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains

cognizance N.

knowledge. During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international situation.

imbalance N

lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion. To correct racial imbalance in the schools, school boards have bussed black children into white neighborhoods and white children into black ones.

apathy N.

lack of caring; indifference. A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. apathetic,ADJ

discrepancyN.

lack of consistency; difference. The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.

irreverence N.

lack of proper respect. Some audience members were amused by the irreverence of the comedian's jokes about the Pope; others felt offended by his lack of respect for their faith. irreverent,ADJ

imprudent ADJ.

lacking caution; injudicious. It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and become overheated when you are unwell.

azure ADJ.

sky blue. Azure skies are indicative of good weather.

buffet V.

slap; batter; knock about. To buffet something is to rough it up. (Buffet rhymes with Muffett.) Was Miss Muffett buffeted by the crowd on the way to the buffet tray?

hibernate V

sleep throughout the winter. Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate. hibernation, N.

dormant ADJ.

sleeping; lethargic; latent. At fifty her longdormant ambition to write flared up once more; within a year she had completed the first of her great historical novels

legerdemainN.

sleight of hand. The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.

hazy ADJ.

slightly obscure. In hazy weather, you cannot see the top of this mountain.

incontinent ADJ.

lacking self-restraint; licentious. His incontinent behavior off stage so shocked many people that they refused to attend the plays and movies in which he appeared

inept ADJ.

lacking skill; unsuited; incompetent. The inept glovemaker was all thumbs.

insubstantial ADJ.

lacking substance; insignificant; frail. His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role.

devoid ADJ.

lacking. You may think her mind is a total void, but she's actually not devoid of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.

fallible ADJ.

liable to err. I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time

inanimate ADJ.

lifeless. She was asked to identify the still and inanimate body

dawdle V.

loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline so don't dawdle; just get down to work.

longevity N

long life. When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

lewd ADJ.

lustful. They found his lewd stories objectionable.

lechery N.

lustfulness; impurity in thought and deed. In his youth he led a life of lechery and debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age. lecherous,ADJ.

bask V.

luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth. Basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep

frenzied ADJ.

madly excited. As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their cages.

brunt N.

main impact or shock. Tom Sawyer claimed credit for painting the fence, but the brunt of the work fell on others. However, he bore the brunt of Aunt Polly's complaints when the paint began to peel.

grate V.

make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred. The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves

expiate V.

make amends for (a sin). He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities

atone V.

make amends for; pay for. He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime

coin V.

make coins; invent or fabricate. Mints coin good money; counterfeiters coin fakes. Slanderers coin nasty rumors; writers coin words. A neologism is an expression that's been newly-coined

disgruntle V.

make discontented. The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.

cavil V.

make frivolous objections. It's fine when you make sensible criticisms, but it really bugs me when you cavil about unimportant details. also N

alienate V.

make hostile; separate. Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

adulterate V.

make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances. It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer; when consumers learned that Beech-Nut had adulterated their apple juice by mixing it with water, they protested vigorously

burnish V.

make shiny by rubbing; polish. The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.

attenuate V.

make thin; weaken. By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

disquiet V.

make uneasy or anxious. Holmes's absence for a day, slightly disquieted Watson; after a week with no word, however, Watson's uneasiness about his missing friend had grown into a deep fear for his safety. disquietude, N

defer V.

making plans until they hear from their draft boards. During the Vietnam War, many young men, hoping to be deferred, requested student deferments

compensatory ADJ.

making up for; repaying. Can a compensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

calumny N.

malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

ductile ADJ.

malleable; flexible; pliable. Copper is an extremely ductile material: you can stretch it into the thinnest of wires, bend it, even wind it into loops

fetid ADJ.

malodorous. The neglected wound became fetid.

anthropoid ADJ.

manlike. The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals. also N.

gait N

manner of walking or running; speed. The lame man walked with an uneven gait.

artisan N.

manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artist. A noted artisan, Arturo was known for the fine craftsmanship of his inlaid cabinets.

cartographer N.

map-maker. Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of his fictional world.

disfigure V.

mar in beauty; spoil. An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.

deface V.

mar; disfigure. If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

checkered ADJ.

marked by changes in fortune. During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses

ceremonious ADJ.

marked by formality. Ordinary dress would be inappropriate at so ceremonious an affair

humane ADJ.

marked by kindness or consideration. It is ironic that the Humane Society sometimes must show its compassion toward mistreated animals by killing them to put them out of their misery.

array V.

marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him. also N

floe N.

mass of floating ice. The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes

foliage N.

masses of leaves. Every autumn before the leaves fell he promised himself he would drive through New England to admire the colorful fall foliage

correlation N.

mutual relationship. He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret reading exercises. correlate,V., N.

concerted ADJ.

mutually agreed on; done together. All the Girl Scouts made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing. When the movie star appeared, his fans let out a concerted sigh.

ingenuous ADJ

naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated. The woodsman had not realized how ingenuous Little Red Riding Hood was until he heard that she had gone off for a walk in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf.

appellation N.

name; title. Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation. Why did they call him Thane of Cawdor, he wondered, when the holder of that title still lived?

enigmatic ADJ.

obscure; puzzling. Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa.

hamper V.

obstruct. The new mother didn't realize how much the effort of caring for an infant would hamper her ability to keep an immaculate house.

acquire V.

obtain; get. Frederick Douglass was determined to acquire an education despite his master's efforts to prevent his doing so.

augury N.

omen; prophecy. He interpreted the departure of the birds as an augury of evil. augur,V.

ellipsis N.

omission of words from a text. Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as in the sentence "Once dressed, you should refrigerate the potato salad.

hedonist N.

one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life. A thoroughgoing hedonist, he considered only his own pleasure and ignored any claims others had on his money or time.

malingerer N

one who feigns illness to escape duty. The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work. malinger,V

convert N.

one who has adopted a different religion or opinion. On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the virtues of American automobiles, he made few converts to his beliefs. alsoV.

dermatologist N.

one who studies the skin and its diseases. I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne.

apologist N.

one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to theWest

gape V

open widely; stare open-mouthed. The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in. Slackjawed in wonder, Huck gaped at the huge stalactites hanging down from the ceiling of the limestone cavern

aperture N.

opening; hole. She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room

infinitesimal ADJ.

very small. In the twentieth century, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about the characteristics of infinitesimal objects like the atom and its parts

impotent ADJ

weak; ineffective. Although he wished to break the nicotine habit, he found himself impotent in resisting the craving for a cigarette.

enervate V.

weaken. She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window would enervate her

invalidate V.

weaken; destroy. The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had not been in his right mind when he had signed the document.

debilitate V.

weaken; enfeeble. Michael's severe bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.

extenuate V.

weaken; mitigate. It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of others.

infirmity N

weakness. Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower.

foible N.

weakness; slight fault. We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect

abrade V

wear away by friction; scrape; erode. The sharp rocks abraded the skin on her legs, so she put iodine on her abrasions.

maelstrom N

whirlpool. The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.

gale N.

windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughter, tears). The Weather Channel warned viewers about a rising gale, with winds of up to sixty miles per hour.

apropos PREP.

with reference to; regarding. I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent. also ADJ. and ADV.

guileless ADJ.

without deceit. He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud

impecunious ADJ.

without money. Though Scrooge claimed he was too impecunious to give alms, he easily could have afforded to be charitable.

decrepitude N.

state of collapse caused by illness or old age. I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.

bigotry N.

stubborn intolerance. Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, the student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

ichthyology N

study of fish. Jacques Cousteau's programs about sea life have advanced the cause of ichthyology

entomology N.

study of insects. Kent found entomology the most annoying part of his biology course; studying insects bugged him

etymology N.

study of word parts. A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English tests: if you know what the roots and prefixes mean, you can determine the meanings of unfamiliar words

hardy ADJ.

sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather.We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh New England winters

bloated ADJ.

swollen or puffed as with water or air. Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water.

ideology N.

system of ideas of a group. For people who had grown up believing in the communist ideology, it was hard to adjust to capitalism.

buffet N.

table with food set out for people to serve themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that's been set out. Please convey the souffléon the tray to the buffet. (Buffet rhymes with tray.

drone V.

talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee. On a gorgeous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone ?

bivouac N.

temporary encampment.While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars. alsoV.

burgeon

to begin to grow or develop rapidly

filibuster V

to block legislation by making long speeches. Even though we disapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to filibuster endlessly to keep an issue from coming to a vote.

infidel N.

unbeliever. The Saracens made war against the infidels

invincible ADJ.

unconquerable. Superman is invincible

exigency N.

urgent situation. In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies.

lofty ADJ

very high. Though Barbara Jordan's fellow students used to tease her about her lofty ambitions, she rose to hold one of the highest positions in the land.

invulnerableADJ.

incapable of injury. Achilles was invulnerable except in his heel.

canny ADJ.

shrewd; thrifty. The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

divest V

strip; deprive. He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern. divestiture, N.

daft

Crazy; foolish; stupid

espionage N.

Spying. In order to maintain its power, the government developed a system of espionage that penetrated every household.

derelict ADJ.

abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever abandoned it in the middle of the harbor was derelict in living up to his responsibilities as a boat owner. also N

fruition N.

bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization. This building marks the fruition of all our aspirations and years of hard work.

catastrophe N.

calamity; disaster. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a catastrophe that destroyed most of the city. A similar earthquake striking today could have even more catastrophic results

actuarial ADJ.

calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics. According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

fanfare N.

call by bugles or trumpets. The exposition was opened with a fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon

convoke V.

call together. Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. convocation, N.

invoke V.

call upon; ask for. She invoked her advisor's aid in filling out her financial aid forms

diurnal ADJ.

daily. A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows, for example, must be milked regularly.

garnish V.

decorate. Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato. also N.

encroachment N.

gradual intrusion. The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate

balmy ADJ.

mild; fragrant. A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

erroneous ADJ.

mistaken; wrong. I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.

amphitheater N.

oval building with tiers of seats. The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators

defile V.

pollute; profane. The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

acclivity N.

sharp upslope of a hill. The car would not go up the acclivity in high gear.

filch V

steal. The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.

acetic ADJ

vinegary. The salad had an exceedingly acetic flavor.

galaxy N.

/large, isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities. Science fiction stories speculate about the possible existence of life in other galaxies. The deaths of such famous actors as John Candy and George Burns tells us that the galaxy of Hollywood superstars is rapidly disappearing.

languor N.

/lassitude; depression. His friends tried to overcome the languor into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the theater.

lavish ADJ.

/liberal; wasteful. The actor's lavish gifts pleased her. alsoV.

giddy ADJ.

/light-hearted; dizzy. He felt his giddy youth was past.

ethereal ADJ

/light; heavenly; unusually refined. In Shakespeare's The Tempest, the spirit Ariel is an ethereal creature, too airy and unearthly for our mortal world.

fidelity N.

/loyalty. A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite household pet.

inimitable ADJ

/matchless; not able to be imitated. We admire Auden for his inimitable use of language; he is one of a kind.

garbled ADJ

/mixed up; jumbled; distorted. A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another until, by the time it reaches the last player, the message is totally garbled

maim V.

/mutilate; injure. The hospital could not take care of all who had been wounded or maimed in the railroad accident.

imminent ADJ.

/near at hand; impending. Rosa was such a last-minute worker that she could never start writing a paper till the deadline was imminent.

impending ADJ.

/nearing; approaching. The entire country was saddened by the news of his impending death.

irrelevant ADJ

/not applicable; unrelated. No matter how irrelevant the patient's mumblings may seem, they give us some indications of what he has on his mind

egregious ADJ

/notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking. She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said. Ed's housekeeping was egregious: he let his dirty dishes pile up so long that they were stuck together with last week's food

diva N.

/operatic singer; prima donna. Although world famous as a diva, she did not indulge in fits of temperament.

don V.

/put on. When Clark Kent has to don his Superman outfit, he changes clothes in a convenient phone booth

lunge V.

/quick forward dive or reach; thrust. The wide receiver lunged forward to grab the football. With his sword, Dartagnan lunged at his adversary.

deplore V.

/regret; disapprove of. Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

kindred ADJ.

/related; belonging to the same family. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two kindred spirits. also N.

dislodge V.

/remove (forcibly). Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food caught in his throat

impart V.

/reveal or tell; grant. Polly begged Grandma to impart her recipe for rugeleh, but her grandmother wouldn't say a word.

entitlement N.

/right to claim something; right to benefits. While Bill was entitled to use a company car while he worked for the firm, the company's lawyers questioned his entitlement to the vehicle once he'd quit his job

excoriate V.

/scold with biting harshness; strip the skin off. Seeing the holes in Bill's new pants, his mother furiously excoriated him for ruining his good clothes. The tight, starched collar chafed and excoriated his neck, rubbing it raw

glutton N.

/someone who eats too much. When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton. gluttonous,ADJ.

fitful ADJ.

/spasmodic; intermittent. After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.

dissipate V.

/squander; waste; scatter. He is a fine artist, but I fear he may dissipate his gifts if he keeps wasting his time playing games.

embezzlement N

/stealing. The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.

furtive ADJ.

/stealthy; sneaky. Noticing the furtive glance the customer gave the diamond bracelet on the counter, the jeweler wondered whether he had a potential shoplifter on his hands.

dismantle V.

/take apart. When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before storing it.

doff V.

/take off. A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady.

flair N.

/talent. She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence

devise V.

/think up; invent; plan. How clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan! What ingenious inventions might he have devised if he had turned his mind to science and not to crime.

list V.

/tilt; lean over. That flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it lists to one side. (secondary meaning)

intrude V.

/trespass; enter as an uninvited person. She hesitated to intrude on their conversation.

distort V.

/twist out of shape. It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of the riots because of the way some reporters distort and exaggerate the actual events. distortion, N.

irrevocable ADJ.

/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 irrevocable.

inevitable ADJ

/unavoidable. Though death and taxes are both supposedly inevitable, some people avoid paying taxes for years

implicit ADJ.

/understood but not stated. Jack never told Jill he adored her; he believed his love was implicit in his actions.

futile ADJ.

/useless; hopeless; ineffectual. It is futile for me to try to get any work done around here while the telephone is ringing every thirty seconds. futility, N

diversity N.

/variety; dissimilitude. The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of ability are being cared for.

fleece N.

/wool coat of a sheep. They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool.

frivolous ADJ.

/轻佻的；嬉皮笑脸的/lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant. Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he could ever be serious. frivolity, N.

gregarious

1 liking to be with other people SYNONYM sociable She's very outgoing and gregarious. 2 (biology) (of animals or birds) living in groups

cadance

1 (formal) the rise and fall of the voice in speaking He delivered his words in slow, measured cadences. 2 the end of a musical phrase

seminal

1 (formal) very important and having a strong influence on later developments a seminal work/article/study His book on social policy proved to be seminal.

deft

1 (of a person's movements) skilful and quick deft hands/fingers/footwork He finished off the painting with a few deft strokes of the brush. In one, deft movement, he had her hand locked behind her back. 2 skilful her deft command of the language

myopia

1 (technical) the inability to see things clearly when they are far away SYNONYM short sight SYNONYM short-sightedness 2 (formal, disapproving) the inability to see what the results of a particular action or decision will be; the inability to think about anything outside your own situation SYNONYM short-sightedness The cancellation of the popular show was a result of managerial myopia. cultural myopia myopic maɪˈɒpɪk myopic pronunciation English; maɪˈɑːpɪk myopic pronunciation American ADJECTIVE: (technical) a myopic child/eye (disapproving) a myopic strategy myopic voters see also short-sighted

colossus

1 [singular] (formal) a person or thing that is extremely important or large in size 2 [countable] plural colossi kəˈlɒsaɪ colossi pronunciation English; kəˈlɑːsaɪ colossi pronunciation American an extremely large statue the Colossi of Memnon

enterprising ADJ.

/full of initiative. By coming up with fresh ways to market the company's products, Mike proved himself to be an enterprising businessman.

mammoth ADJ

/gigantic; enormous. To try to memorize every word on this vocabulary list would be a mammoth undertaking; take on projects that are more manageable in size.

herbivorous ADJ.

/grain-eating. Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food

incarcerate V.

/imprison. The civil rights workers were willing to be arrested and even incarcerated if by their imprisonment they could serve the cause.

incorporate V.

/introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite. Breaking with precedent, President Truman ordered the military to incorporate blacks into every branch of the armed services. Also ADJ.

irascible ADJ.

/irritable; easily angered. Miss Minchin's irascible temper intimidated the younger schoolgirls, who feared she'd burst into a rage at any moment

levity N.

/lack of seriousness; lightness. Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew: such levity is improper in church

lackadaisical ADJ.

/lacking purpose or zest; halfhearted; languid. Because Gatsby had his mind more on his love life than on his finances, he did a very lackadaisical job of managing his money

jargon N.

/language used by a special group; technical terminology; gibberish. The computer salesmen at the store used a jargon of their own that we simply couldn't follow; we had no idea what they were jabbering about.

atlas N.

a bound volume of maps, charts, or tables. Embarrassed at being unable to distinguish Slovenia from Slovakia, George W. finally consulted an atlas

comatose ADJ.

a coma; extremely sleepy. The longwinded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state.

arcade N.

a covered passageway, usually lined with shops. The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.

grimace N.

a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc. Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure. alsoV

legacy N.

a gift made by a will. Part of my legacy from my parents is an album of family photographs

alloy N.

a mixture as of metals. Alloys of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

pariah

a person who is not acceptable to society and is avoided by everyone SYNONYM outcast

paragon

a person who is perfect or who is a perfect example of a particular good quality I make no claim to be a paragon. He wasn't the paragon of virtue she had expected.

arbiter N.

a person with power to decide a dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

apiary N.

a place where bees are kept. Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee

anthropologist N.

a student of the history and science of mankind.

synopsis

a summary of a piece of writing, a play, etc The programme gives a brief synopsis of the plot. synoptic sɪˈnɒptɪk synoptic pronunciation English; sɪˈnɑːptɪk synoptic pronunciation American ADJECTIVE (formal)

mammal N

a vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young. Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.

appropriate V.

acquire; take possession of for one's own use. The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

exonerate V.

acquit; exculpate. The defense team feverishly sought fresh evidence that might exonerate their client.

incarnation N.

act of assuming a human body and human nature. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is a basic tenet of Christian theology.

infusion N

act of introducing or instilling a quality; liquid solution. The rookie quarterback brought an infusion of new life and vigor to the tired team. infuse,V.

diversion N

act of turning aside; pastime. After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion from work. divert,V

animosity N.

active enmity. He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

anguish N.

acute pain; extreme suffering. Visiting the site of the explosion, the governor wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families

ingenue N

an artless girl; an actress who plays such parts. Although she was forty, she still insisted that she be cast as an ingenue and refused to play more mature roles

alias N.

an assumed name. John Smith's alias was Bob Jones. also ADV.

colonel ˈkɜːrnl

an officer of high rank in the army, the marines, or the US air force Colonel Jim Edge

dissection N.

analysis; cutting apart in order to examine. The dissection of frogs in the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students.

assay V.

analyze; evaluate. When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein. also N.

forebears N.

ancestors. Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many Oriental cultures.

cherubic ADJ.

angelic; innocent-looking. With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child.

indignation N

anger at an injustice. He felt indignation at the ill-treatment of helpless animals.

ire N.

anger. The waiter tried unsuccessfully to placate the ire of the diner who had found a cockroach in her soup.

irate ADJ

angry. When John's mother found out he had overdrawn his checking account for the third month in a row, she was so irate she could scarcely speak to him

gadfly N.

animal-biting fly; an irritating person. Like a gadfly, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty-eight hours, everyone regarded him as an annoying busybody.

fauna N

animals of a period or region. The scientist could visualize the fauna of the period by examining the skeletal remains and the fossils

gall V.

annoy; chafe. Their taunts galled him.

irksome ADJ.

annoying; tedious. He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to perform. irk,V.

archaic ADJ.

antiquated. "Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

antediluvian ADJ.

antiquated; extremely ancient. Looking at his great-aunt's antique furniture, which must have been cluttering up her attic since the time of Noah's flood, the young heir exclaimed, "Heavens! How positively antediluvian!"

aloof ADJ.

apart; reserved. Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

loom V.

appear or take shape (usually in an enlarged or distorted form). The shadow of the gallows loomed threateningly above the small boy.

guise N.

appearance; costume. In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case.

acclaim V

applaud; announce with great approval. The NBC sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat. also N

accost V

approach and speak first to a person. When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.

converge V

approach; tend to meet; come together. African-American men from all over the United States converged on Washington to take part in the historic Million Men march

apposite ADJ.

appropriate; fitting. He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion

approbation N.

approval. She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good grades would please them.

endorse V.

approve; support. Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse. (secondary meaning) endorsement, N

countenance V.

approve; tolerate. He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.

felicitous ADJ.

apt; suitably expressed; well chosen. He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many a banquet. felicity, N

fervid ADJ

ardent. Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.

fervent ADJ.

ardent; hot. She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.

haggle V.

argue about prices. I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am never certain that I paid a fair price for the articles I purchased.

disputatiousADJ.

argumentative; fond of arguing. Convinced he knew more than his lawyers, Alan was a disputatious client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case. disputant, N.

incite V.

arouse to action; goad; motivate; induce to exist. In a fiery speech, Mario incited his fellow students to go out on strike to protest the university's anti-affirmative action stand

codify V.

arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify. We need to take the varying rules and regulations of the different health agencies and codify them into a national health code.

graduated ADJ.

arranged by degrees (of height, difficulty, etc.). Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the smaller dolls into their larger counterparts.

centurion N.

Roman army officer. Because he was in command of a company of one hundred soldiers, he was called a centurion

hierarchy N.

arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body divided into ranks. To be low man on the totem pole is to have an inferior place in the hierarchy

ingrate N. ungrateful person.

That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him.

apprehend V.

arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive. The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long

advent N.

arrival. Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them

incendiary N.

arsonist. The fire spread in such an unusual manner that the fire department chiefs were certain that it had been set by an incendiary. alsoADJ.

diagnosis N.

art of identifying a disease; analysis of a condition. In medical school Margaret developed her skill at diagnosis, learning how to read volumes from a rapid pulse or a hacking cough. diagnose, V.; diagnostic,ADJ.

halting ADJ.

hesitant; faltering. Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words.

falter V.

hesitate. When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once

irrational ADJ.

illogical; lacking reason; insane. Many people have such an irrational fear of snakes that they panic at the sight of a harmless garter snake.

ape V.

imitate or mimic. He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.

intuition N.

immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning. Even though Tony denied that anything was wrong, Tina trusted her intuition that something was bothering him. intuitive,ADJ.

intemperate ADJ.

immoderate; excessive; extreme. In a temper, Tony refused to tone down his intemperate remarks.

Impervious ADJ

impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed. The carpet salesman told Simone that his most expensive brand of floor covering was warranted to be impervious to ordinary wear and tear. Having read so many negative reviews of his acting, the movie star had learned to ignore them, and was now impervious to criticism

inscrutable ADJ.

impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious. Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards behind a so-called "poker face."

impalpable ADJ.

imperceptible; intangible. The ash is so fine that it is impalpable to the touch but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window ledge.

impudence N.

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 your impudence."

causal ADJ.

implying a cause-and-effect relationship. The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood experiences and one's adult personality. causality, N.

levy V.

impose (a fine); collect (a payment). Crying "No taxation without representation," the colonists demonstrated against England's power to levy taxes.

august ADJ.

impressive; majestic. Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

grandeur N.

impressiveness; stateliness; majesty. No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada range.

impropriety N.

improperness; unsuitableness. Because of the impropriety of the punk rocker's slashed T-shirt and jeans, the management refused to admit him to the hotel's very formal dining room.

ameliorate V.

improve. Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums

insolence N.

impudent disrespect; haughtiness. How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of your insolence. insolent,ADJ.

nirvana N.

in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an impersonal beatitude. Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even the buzzing of a fly could distract him from his meditation.

enamored ADJ.

in love. Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.

nominal ADJ.

in name only; trifling. He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominal fee.

Chaotic ADJ.

in utter disorder. He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs. chaos, N

inert ADJ.

inactive; lacking power tomove. "Get up, you lazybones," she cried to her husband, who lay in bed inert. inertia, N.

innate ADJ.

inborn. Mozart's parents soon recognized young Wolfgang's innate talent for music

implacable ADJ.

incapable of being pacified. Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family

impetus N

incentive; stimulus; moving force. A new federal highway program would create jobs and give added impetus to our economic recovery.

comprise V.

include; consist of. If the District of Columbia were to be granted statehood, the United States of America would comprise fifty-one states, not just fifty

irreconcilable ADJ.

incompatible; not able to be resolved. Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce

augment V.

increase; add to. Armies augment their forces by calling up reinforcements; teachers augment their salaries by taking odd jobs.

enhance V.

increase; improve. You can enhance your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well; an excellent essay can enhance any application

implicate V.

incriminate; show to be involved. Here's the deal: if you agree to take the witness stand and implicate your partners in crime, the prosecution will recommend that the judge go easy in sentencing you.

nonchalance N.

indifference; lack of concern; composure. Cool, calm, and collected under fire, James Bond shows remarkable nonchalance in the face of danger.

*circumlocution N.

indirect or roundabout expression. He was afraid to call a spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject

irrefutable ADJ

indisputable; incontrovertible; undeniable. No matter how hard I tried to find a good comeback for her argument, I couldn't think of one: her logic was irrefutable.

incontrovertible ADJ.

indisputable; not open to question. Unless you find the evidence against my client absolutely incontrovertible, you must declare her not guilty of this charge

idiosyncrasy N.

individual trait, usually odd in nature; eccentricity. One of Richard Nixon's little idiosyncrasies was his liking for ketchup on cottage cheese. One of Hannibal Lecter's little idiosyncrasies was his liking for human flesh. idiosyncratic,ADJ

fledgling ADJ.

inexperienced. While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is not essential that we admire everything they write. also N.

apprise V.

inform. When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip

impinge V.

infringe; touch;. collide with. How could they be married without impinging on one another's freedom?

denizen N.

inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables, Eliot Ness fights AI Capone and the other denizens of Chicago's underworld. Ness's fight against corruption was the talk of all the denizens of the local bars.

impair V.

injure; hurt. Drinking alcohol can impair your ability to drive safely; if you're going to drink, don't drive

malignant ADJ.

injurious; tending to cause death; aggressively malevolent. Though many tumors are benign, some are malignant, growing out of control and endangering the life of the patient.

inconsequential ADJ.

insignificant; unimportant. Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken the wineglass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's inconsequential."

cant N.

insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of the minister's extramarital love affairs, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who cant, pretend.

brazen ADJ.

insolent. Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

indoctrinate V.

instruct in a doctrine or ideology. CubanAmericans resisted sending Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba because he would be indoctrinated there with Communist principles

edify V.

instruct; correct morally. Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused rather than enlightened.

affront N.

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 affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week. alsoV

insuperable ADJ.

insurmountable; unbeatable. Though the odds against their survival seemed insuperable, the Apollo 13 astronauts reached earth safely.

ardent ADJ.

intense; passionate; zealous. Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause. ardor, N.

frigid ADJ.

intensely cold. Alaska is in the frigid zone.

expletive N.

interjection; profane oath. The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that offended the new recruits

decipher V.

interpret secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decipher the scrambled message sent to him from the KGB.

daunt V.

intimidate; frighten. "Boast all you like of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt me," the hero answered the villain.

asunder ADV.

into parts; apart. A fierce quarrel split the partnership asunder: the two partners finally sundered their connections because their points of view were poles asunder

broach V.

introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to broach the subject of religion with his in-laws. If you broach a touchy subject, it may cause a breach.

figment N.

invention; imaginary thing. That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination

affiliation N.

joining; associating with. His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues

facetious ADJ.

joking (often inappropriately); humorous. I'm serious about this project; I don't need any facetious, smartalecky cracks about do-gooder little rich girls

festive ADJ

joyous; celebratory. Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion.

arbitrator N.

judge. Because the negotiating teams had been unable to reach a contract settlement, an outside arbitrator was called upon to mediate the dispute between union and management. arbitration, N

conviction N.

judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter's conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.

hodgepodge N

jumble; mixture of ill-suited elements. The reviewer roundly condemned the play as a hodgepodge of random and purposeless encounters carried out by a cast lacking any uniformity of accent or style

abduction N

kidnapping. The movie Ransom describes the attempts to rescue a multimillionaire's son after the child's abduction by kidnappers. abduct,V

decimate V.

kill, usually one out of ten. We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.

indiscretion N.

lack of tactfulness or sound judgment. Terrified that the least indiscretion could jeopardize his political career, the novice politician never uttered an unguarded word. indiscreet,ADJ

incorporeal ADJ.

lacking a material body; insubstantial. While Casper the friendly ghost is an incorporeal being, nevertheless he and his fellow ghosts make quite an impact on the physical world

disingenuous ADJ.

lacking genuine candor; insincere. Now that we know the mayor and his wife are engaged in a bitter divorce fight, we find their earlier remarks regretting their lack of time together remarkably disingenuous.

insipid ADJ.

lacking in flavor; dull. Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle.

listless ADJ.

lacking in spirit or energy. We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his listless attitude.

dispirited ADJ.

lacking in spirit. The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.

flippant ADJ.

lacking proper seriousness. When Mark told Mona he loved her, she dismissed his earnest declaration with a flippant "Oh, you say that to all the girls!" flippancy, N

bemoan V.

lament; express disapproval of. The widow bemoaned the death of her beloved husband. Although critics bemoaned the serious flaws in the author's novels, each year his latest book topped the best-seller list.

lassitude N.

languor; weariness. After a massage and a long soak in the hot tub, I gave in to my growing lassitude and lay down for a nap.

bevy N.

large group. The movie actor was surrounded by a bevyof starlets

caldron N.

large kettle. "W hy, Mr. Crusoe," said the savage heating the giant caldron, "we'd love to have you for dinner!"

galleon N.

large sailing ship. The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the British, on the smaller and faster pinnace.

enduring ADJ

lasting; surviving. Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which would outlast its creators' brief lives

ludicrous ADJ.

laughable; trifling. Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue.

litigation N

lawsuit. Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to become involved in litigation. litigant, N.

indolent ADJ

lazy. Couch potatoes lead an indolent life lying back on their Lazyboy recliners watching Tv. indolence, N.

livid ADJ.

lead-colored; black and blue; enraged. His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.

gaunt ADJ.

lean and angular; barren. His once round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weig ht

erudite ADJ

learned; scholarly. Though his fellow students thought him erudite, Paul knew he would have to spend many years in serious study before he could consider himself a scholar.

furlough N.

leave of absence; vacation granted a soldier or civil servant. Dreaming of her loved ones back in the States, the young soldier could hardly wait for her upcoming furlough

*bequeath V.

leave to someone by a will; hand down. Though Maud had intended to bequeath the family home to her nephew, she died before changing her will. bequest, N.

duration N.

length of time something lasts. Because she wanted the children to make a good impression on the dinner guests, Mother promised them a treat if they'd behave for the duration of the meal.

depreciate V.

lessen in value. If you neglect this property, it will depreciate.

bate V.

let down; restrain. Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity. bated,ADJ.

anticlimax N.

letdown in thought or emotion. After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax. anticlimactic,ADJ.

equivocate V.

lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth. The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his remarks.

flick N.

light stroke as with a whip. The horse needed no encouragement; one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the animal to run at top speed.

jaunty ADJ.

lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree. In An American in Paris, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way through "Singing in the Rain" in a properly jaunty style.

cadaverous ADJ.

like a corpse; pale. By his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.

glacial ADJ.

like a glacier; extremely cold. Never a warm person, when offended John could seem positively glacial.

imperial ADJ.

like an emperor; related to an empire. When hotel owner Leona Helmsley appeared in ads as Queen Leona standing guard over the Palace Hotel, her critics mocked her imperial fancies.

avuncular ADJ.

like an uncle. Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.

circumscribe V.

limit; confine. Although I do not wish to circumscribe your activities, I must insist that you complete this assignment before you start anything else

gruel V.

liquid food made by boiling oatmeal, etc., in milk or water. Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable.

enumerate V.

list; mention one by one. Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws.

knoll N.

little round hill. Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in Samoa; to reach the grave site, you must climb uphill and walk a short distance along a marked path.

animated ADJ.

lively; spirited. Jim Carrey's facial expressions are highly animated: when he played Ace Ventura, he looked practically rubber-faced.

chameleon N.

lizard that changes color in different situations. Like the chameleon, he assumed the political thinking of every group he met

linger V

loiter or dawdle; continue or persist. Hoping to see Juliet pass by, Romeo lingered outside the Capulet house for hours. Though Mother made stuffed cabbage on Monday, the smell lingered around the house for days

chronic ADJ.

long established as a disease. The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas in his apartment

epic N

long heroic poem, or similar work of art. Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of robbers. alsoADJ

eon N.

long period of time; an age. It has taken eons for our civilization to develop

introspective ADJ

looking within oneself. Though young Francis of Assisi led a wild and worldly life, even then he had introspective moments during which he examined his soul. introvert N. one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself. In his poetry, he reveals that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems. alsoV

dissolute ADJ.

loose in morals. The dissolute life led by the ancient Romans is indeed shocking.

episodic ADJ

loosely connected; divided into incidents. Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic; he enjoyed individual passages, but had trouble following the work as a whole.

garrulous ADJ

loquacious; wordy; talkative. My Uncle Henry can out-talk any three people I know. He is the most garrulous person in Cayuga County. garrulity, N.

languish V.

lose animation; lose strength. Left at Miss Minchin's school for girls while her father went off to war, Sarah Crewe refused to languish; instead, she hid her grief and actively befriended her less fortunate classmates

amnesia N.

loss of memory. Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

aphasia N.

loss of speech due to injury or illness. After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently

blare N.

loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light. I don't know which is worse: the steady blare of a boom box deafening your ears or a sudden blare of flashbulbs dazzling your eyes

clangor N.

loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel

loll V

lounge about. They lolled around in their chairs watching television.

abase V

lower; humiliate. Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the conquering Romans, who made her march in chains before the emperor in the procession celebrating his triumph. abasement, N

allegiance N.

loyalty. Not even a term in prison could shake Lech Walesa's allegiance to Solidarity, the Polish trade union he had helped to found

careen V.

lurch; sway from side to side. The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

decoy N.

lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. alsoV.

entice V

lure; attract; tempt. She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief

exploit V.

make use of, sometimes unjustly. Cesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farmworkers in California. exploitation, N. exploitative,ADJ

annul v.

make void. The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

caulk V.

make watertight by filling in cracks. Jack had to caulk the tiles in the shower stall to stop the leak into the basement below.

integrate V.

make whole; combine; make into one unit. She tried to integrate all their activities into one program.

hulking ADJ.

massive; bulky; great in size. Despite his hulking build, the heavyweight boxing champion was surprisingly light on his feet. hulk, N

labyrinth N.

maze. Hiding from Indian Joe, Tom and Becky soon lost themselves in the labyrinth of secret underground caves. labyrinthine,ADJ.

denotation N.

meaning; distinguishing by name. A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will also give us the connotations. denote,V.

agent N.

means or instrument; personal representative; person acting in an official capacity. °I will be the agent of America's destruction," proclaimed the beady-eyed villain, whose agent had gotten him the role. With his face, he could never have played the part of the hero, a heroic F.B.I. agent

interim N.

meantime. The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the interim, let us proceed as we have in the past.

centigrade ADJ.

measure of temperature used widely in Europe. On the centigrade thermometer, the freezing point of water is zero degrees.

carnivorous ADJ.

meat-eating. The lion's a carnivorous beast. A hunk of meat makes up his feast. A cow is not a carnivore. She likes the taste of grain, not gore.

automaton N.

mechanism that imitates actions of humans. Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were presenting stories of automatons who could outperform men

antidote N.

medicine 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 antidote.

alchemy N.

medieval chemistry. The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy. alchemist, N.

formidable ADJ.

menacing; threatening.We must not treat the battle lightly for we are facing a formidable foe.

drudgery N.

menial work. Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of drudgery

composure N.

mental calmness. Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

delirium N.

mental disorder marked by confusion. In his delirium, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs. Perhaps he wasn't delirious: he might just have wandered into a movie.

acumen N

mental keenness. His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

faculty N.

mental or bodily powers; teaching staff. As he grew old, Professor Twiggly feared he might lose his faculties and become unfit to teach. However, he had tenure: whether or not he was in full possession of his faculties, the school couldn't kick him off the faculty.

Capacity N.

mental or physical ability; role; ability to accommodate. Mike had the capacity to handle several jobs at once. In his capacity as president of SelecTronics he marketed an electronic dictionary with a capacity of 200,000 words.

bourgeois ADJ.

middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional. Technically, anyone who belongs to the middle class is bourgeois, but, given the word's connotations, most people resent it if you call them that.

euphemism N.

mild expression in place of an unpleasant one. The expression "he passed away" is a euphemism for "he died."

leniency N.

mildness; permissiveness. Considering the gravity of the offense, we were surprised by the leniency of the sentence.

*beguile V.

mislead or delude; pass time.With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men beguiled Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, he beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire

illusion N.

misleading vision. It is easy to create an optical illusion in which lines of equal length appear different.

bungle V.

mismanage; blunder. Don't botch this assignment, Bumstead; if you bungle the job, you're fired!

alloy V.

mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate. Our delight at the Yankees' victory was alloyed by our concern for Dwight Gooden, who injured his pitching arm in the game.

gibe V.

mock. As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish thoughts?

lull N.

moment of calm. Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning for a lull in the rain.

cloister N.

monastery or convent. The nuns lived a secluded life in the cloister.

hybrid N.

mongrel; mixed breed. Mendel's formula explains the appearance of hybrids and pure species in breeding. alsoADJ

low V

moo. From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely hear the cattle low.

gesticulation N

motion; gesture. Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in which they appear.

actuate V

motivate. I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily

lugubrious ADJ.

mournful. The lugubrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.

bustle V.

move about energetically; teem. David and the children bustled about the house getting in each other's way as they tried to pack for the camping trip. The whole house bustled with activity.

accelerate V.

move faster. In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

lumber V.

move heavily or clumsily. Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear lumbered through the woods

amorous ADJ.

moved by sexual love; loving. "Love them and leave them" was the motto of the amorous Don Juan.

amble N.

moving at an easy pace.When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble. alsoV.

addle V.

muddle; drive crazy; become rotten. This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. addled,ADJ.

brawn N.

muscular strength; sturdiness. It takes brawn to become a champion weightlifter. brawny,ADJ.

insularity N.

narrow-mindedness; isolation. The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anything foreign. insular,ADJ

indigenous ADJ

native. Cigarettes are made of tobacco, a plant indigenous to the NewWorld

dapper ADJ.

neat and trim. In "The Odd Couple" TV show, Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.

deft ADJ.

neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop

aerie N.

nest of a large bird of prey (eagle, hawk). The mother eagle swooped down on the unwitting rabbit and bore it off to her aerie high in the Rocky Mountains

noncommittal ADJ.

neutral; unpledged; undecided. We were annoyed by his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his approval.

agility N.

nimbleness. The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience

clamor N.

noise. The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap. alsoV.

altercation N.

noisy quarrel; heated dispute. In that hottempered household, no meal ever came to a peaceful conclusion; the inevitable altercation might even end in blows.

harangue N.

noisy speech. In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders. alsoV

cipher N. 2

nonentity; worthless person or thing. She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.

amoral ADJ.

nonmoral. The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong. The immoral person can tell right from wrong; he chooses to do something he knows is wrong

gibberish N.

nonsense; babbling. Did you hear that fool boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space? gibber,V

drivel N

nonsense; foolishness. Why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic drivel? Drivel is related to dribble: think of a dribbling, driveling idiot.

alcove N.

nook; small, recessed section of a room. Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple

irreparable ADJ.

not able to be corrected or repaired. Your apology cannot atone for the irreparable damage you have done to her reputation

indelible ADJ.

not able to be erased. The indelible ink left a permanent mark on my shirt. Young Bill Clinton's meeting with President Kennedy made an indelible impression on the youth

intangible ADJ.

not able to be perceived by touch; vague. Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible rewards: prestige, intellectual freedom, the fellowship of his peers.

impenetrable ADJ

not able to be pierced or entered; beyond understanding. How could the murderer have gotten into the locked room? To Watson, the mystery, like the room, was impenetrable

impassable ADJ

not able to be traveled or crossed. A giant redwood had fallen across the highway, blocking all four lanes: the road was impassable.

incorrigible ADJ.

not correctable. Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson called him incorrigible and said he would come to no good end.

insatiable ADJ.

not easily satisfied; unquenchable; greedy. David's appetite for oysters was insatiable: he could easily eat four dozen at a single sitting.

inefficacious ADJ.

not effective; unable to produce a desired result. All Lois's coaxing and urging was inefficacious: Clark still refused to join her and Superman for dinner. inefficacy, N

ineffectual ADJ.

not effective; weak. Because the candidate failed to get across his message to the public, his campaign was ineffectual.

incidental ADJ.

not essential; minor. The scholarship covered his major expenses at college and some of his incidental expenses as well.

extraneous ADJ.

not essential; superfluous. No wonder Ted can't think straight! His mind is so cluttered up with extraneous trivia, he can't concentrate on the essentials.

incongruous ADJ.

not fitting; absurd. Dave saw nothing incongruous about wearing sneakers with his tuxedo; he couldn't understand why his date took one look at him and started to laugh. incongruity, N

evasive ADJ.

not frank; eluding. Your evasive answers convinced the judge that you were withholding important evidence. evade,V.

discordant ADJ.

not harmonious; conflicting. Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a junior high school orchestra tuning up.

asymmetric ADJ.

not identical on both sides of a dividing central line. Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric appearance.

figurative ADJ.

not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech. "To lose one's marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told that Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects you to rush out to buy him a replacement set.

exotic ADJ

not native; strange. Because of his exotic headdress, he was followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange appearance.

atypical ADJ.

not normal. The child psychiatrist reassured Mrs. Keaton that playing doctor was not atypical behavior for a child of young Alex's age. "Yes," she replied, "but not charging for house calls!"

heedless ADJ.

not noticing; disregarding. He drove on, heedless of the danger warnings placed at the side of the road.

impenitent ADJ.

not repentant. We could see from his tough guy attitude that he was impenitent

unapologetic

not saying that you are sorry about something, even in situations in which other people might expect you to

inalienable ADJ.

not to be taken away; nontransferable. The Declaration of Independence mentions the inalienable rights that all of us possess.

indentation N

notch; deep recess. You can tell one tree from another by examining their leaves and noting the differences in the indentations along the edges of the leaves. indent,V

innovative ADJ.

novel; introducing a change. The establishment of our SAT I computer data base has enabled us to come up with some innovative tactics for doing well on the SAT.

docile ADJ.

obedient; easily managed. As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast. docility, N.

demur V.

object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the board of directors, David demurred: he had scruples about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities

artifact N.

object made by human beings, either handmade or mass-produced. Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor but came to no conclusion about the culture they represented.

exceptionable ADJ.

objectionable. Do you find the punk rock band Green Day a highly exceptionable, thoroughly distasteful group, or do you think they are exceptionally talented performers?

mandatory ADJ.

obligatory. These instructions are mandatory, any violation will be severely punished

incumbent ADJ

obligatory; currently holding an office. It is incumbent upon all incumbent elected officials to keep accurate records of expenses incurred in office. also N.

accommodate V.

oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt. Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork. (secondary meaning)

abstruse ADJ.

obscure; profound; difficult to understand. She carries around abstruse works of philosophy, not because she understands them but because she wants her friends to think she does.

engross V.

occupy fully. John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call

erratic ADJ.

odd; unpredictable. Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic

eccentricity N.

oddity; idiosyncrasy. Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to strangers as the eccentricity of genius

breach N.

of contract or duty; fissure or gap. Jill sued Jack for breach of promise, claiming he had broken his promise to marry her. They found a breach in the enemy's fortifications and penetrated their lines. alsoV

ignoble ADJ.

of lowly origin; unworthy. This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it.

homogeneous ADJ

of the same kind. Because the student body at Elite Prep was so homogeneous, Sara and James decided to send their daughter to a school that offered greater cultural diversity. homogenize,V.

indignity N.

offensive or insulting treatment. Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the indignities heaped upon him, he was inwardly very angry.

cavalier ADJ.

offhand or casual; haughty. The disguised prince resented the cavalier way in which the palace guards treated him. How dared they handle a member of the royal family so unceremoniously!

liniment N.

ointment; lotion; salve. The trainer carefully applied the liniment to the quarterback's bruise, gently rubbing it into the skin.

antiquated ADJ.

old-fashioned; obsolete. Philip had grown so accustomed to editing his papers on word processors that he thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use

apostate N.

one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs. Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate. apostasy, N

agnostic N.

one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality. Agnostics say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of god; we simply just can't know. alsoADJ.

liberator N

one who sets free. Simon Bolivar, who led the South American colonies in their rebellion against Spanish rule, is known as the great liberator. liberate,V.

gambit N.

opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed. The player was afraid to accept his opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not see. gambol V. skip; leap playfully. Watching children gambol-ing in the park is a pleasant experience. also N

defiant

openly refusing to obey somebody/something, sometimes in an aggressive way

manipulate v

operate with one's hands; control or play upon (people, forces, etc.) artfully. Jim Henson understood how to manipulate the Muppets. Madonna understands how to manipulate men (and publicity).

aria N.

operatic solo. At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma

heresy N.

opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion. Galileo's assertion that the earth moved around the sun directly contradicted the religious teachings of his day; as a result, he was tried for heresy. heretic, N.

dogmatic ADJ.

opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal.We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.

adversary N.

opponent. The young wrestler struggled to defeat his adversary. effect on Father's investment portfolio: he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the butler and the upstairs maid. adversity, N.

controvert V.

oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; 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 controvertwhat she said.

converse N.

opposite. The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

mandate N.

order; charge. In his inaugural address, the president stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to social evils such as poverty. alsoV

conventional ADJ.

ordinary; typical. His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccentric family.

brooch N.

ornamental clasp. She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.

ostracize

ostracize somebody (formal) to refuse to let somebody be a member of a social group; to refuse to meet or talk to somebody SYNONYM shun He was ostracized by his colleagues for refusing to support the strike.

denouementN

outcome; final development of the plot of a play. The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act

expansive ADJ

outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size. Mr. Fezziwig was in an expansive humor, cheerfully urging his guests to join in the Christmas feast. Looking down on his expansive paunch, he sighed: if his belly expanded any further, he'd need an expansive waistline for his pants

outlast

outlast somebody/something to continue to exist or take part in an activity for a longer time than somebody/something He can outlast anyone on the dance floor.

forthright ADJ.

outspoken; straightforward; frank. Never afraid to call a spade a spade, she was perhaps too forthrightto be a successful party politician.

circumvent V.

outwit; baffle. In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.

elliptical ADJ.

oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have been left out. An elliptical billiard ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because it is not perfectly clear

garish ADJ.

over-bright in color; gaudy. She wore a gaudy rhinestone necklace with an excessively garish gold lame dress

choreography N.

art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances. Merce Cunningham has begun to use a computer in designing choreography. a software program allows him to compose arrangements of possible moves and immediately view them onscreen.

culvert N.

artificial channel for water. If we build a culvert under the road at this point, we will reduce the possibility of the road's being flooded during the rainy season.

affected ADJ.

artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress. His affected mannerisms-his "Harvard" accent, his air of boredom, his use of obscure foreign wordsbugged us: he acted as if he thought he was too good for his old high school friends. affectation, N.

aesthetic ADJ.

artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful. The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Esther's aesthetic sense. aesthete, N

attribute V.

ascribe; explain. I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents

ashen ADJ.

ash-colored. Her face was ashen with fear.

equilibrium N.

balance. After the divorce, he needed some time to regain his equilibrium

embargo N.

ban on commerce or other activity. As a result of the embargo, trade with the colonies was at a standstill.

insolvent ADJ.

bankrupt; unable to repay one's debts. Although young Lord Widgeon was insolvent, he had no fear of being thrown into debtors' prison, for he was sure that if his creditors pressed him for payment his wealthy parents would repay what he owed. insolvency, N.

chaffing ADJ.

bantering; joking. Sometimes Chad's flippant, chaffing remarks annoy us. Still, Chad's chaffing keeps us laughing. also N.

barrage N.

barrier laid down by artillery fire. The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy cannons.

hypotheticalADJ

based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed. Suppose you are accepted by Harvard, Stanford, and Brown. Which one would you choose to attend? Remember, this is only a hypothetical situation. hypotheSiS, N.

fundamenta lV

basic; primary; essential. The committee discussed all sorts of side issues without ever getting down to addressing the fundamental problem.

dote V.

be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline. Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the little rascals, too. Poor old Alf clearly doted: the senile old dotard was past it; in fact, he was in his dotage

appreciate V.

be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of. Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, which appreciated in value considerably over the years.

betray V.

be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly). The spy betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy. When he was taken in for questioning, the tightness of his lips betrayed his fear of being caught

bestial ADJ.

beastlike; brutal. According to legend, the werewolf was able to abandon its human shape and take on a bestial form.

calligraphy N.

beautiful writing; excellent penmanship. As we examine ancient manuscripts, we become impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.

betroth V.

become engaged to marry. The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any romance. betrothal, N

ingratiate V

become popular with. He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good graces

degenerate V.

become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet

importune V.

beg persistently. Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for contributions so frequently that she decided to give nothing to either party.

implore V.

beg. He implored her to give him a second chance.

beseech V.

beg; plead with. The workaholic executive's wife beseeched him to spend more time with their son.

initiate V.

begin; originate; receive into a group. The college is about to initiate a program in reducing math anxiety among students.

novice N.

beginner. Even a novice at working with computers can install Barron's Computer Study Program for the SAT by following the easy steps outlined in the user's manual.

conception N.

beginning; forming of an idea. At the first conception of the work, he was consulted. conceive,V.

incipient ADJ

beginning; in an early stage. I will go to sleep early for I want to break an incipient cold.

genesis N.

beginning; origin. Tracing the genesis of a family is the theme of Roots.

demeanor N.

behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.

decapitate V.

behead. They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. "Off with her head!" cried the Duchess, eager to decapitate poor Alice.

arrears N.

being in debt. He was in arrears with his payments on the car.

aboriginal ADJ., N.

being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native. Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reported in the scientific journals. aborigines, N.

fatalism N.

belief that events are determined by forces beyond one's control. With fatalism, he accepted the hardships that beset him. fatalistic,ADJ

beleaguer V.

besiege or attack; harassed. The babysitter was surrounded by a crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly beleaguered her.

hallowed ADJ.

blessed; consecrated. Although the dead girl's parents had never been active churchgoers, they insisted that their daughter be buried in hallowed ground

beatitude N.

blessedness; state of bliss. Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

benediction N.

blessing. The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction

boon N.

blessing; benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

chauvinist N.

blindly devoted patriot. A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be. Likewise, a male chauvinist cannot recognize his bias in favor of his own sex, no matter how flagrant that may be. chauvinistic,ADJ

gory ADJ.

bloody. The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre.

bluster V.

blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully. "Let the stormy winds bluster," cried Jack, "we'll set sail tonight." Jill let Jack bluster. she wasn't going anywhere, no matter what he said

doldrums N.

blues; listlessness; slack period. Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums

brusque ADJ.

blunt; abrupt. Was Bruce too brusque when he brushed off Bob's request with a curt "Not now!"?

braggart N.

boaster. Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.

corporeal ADJ.

bodily; material. The doctor had no patience with spiritual matters: his job was to attend to his patients' corporeal problems, not to minister to their souls

clientele N.

body of customers. The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

guffaw N.

boisterous laughter. The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committee had not yet settled down to serious business. alsoV.

hilarity N.

boisterous mirth. This hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning.

dauntless ADJ

bold. Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.

catechism N.

book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer. He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer

anthology N.

book of literary selections by various authors. This anthology of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov. anthologize,V

churlish ADJ.

boorish; rude. Dismayed by his churlish mapners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again

abut V.

border upon; adjoin. Where our estates abut, we must build a fence

maritime ADJ.

bordering on the sea; nautical. The Maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth.

blasé ADJ.

bored with pleasure or dissipation. Although Beth was as thrilled with the idea of a trip to Paris as her classmates were, she tried to act super cool and blasé, as if she'd been abroad hundreds of times.

abysmal ADJ

bottomless. His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

gamely ADV.

bravely; with spirit. Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena.

fortitude N

bravery; courage. He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.

fray N.

brawl. The three musketeers were in the thick of the fray.

dissolution N.

breaking of a union; decay; termination. Which caused King Lear more suffering: the dissolution of his kingdom into warring factions, or the dissolution of his aged, failing body?

concise ADJ.

brief and compact. When you define a new word, be concise: the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.

laconic ADJ.

brief and to the point. Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.

incur V.

bring upon oneself. His parents refused to pay any future debts he might incur.

farce N.

broad comedy; mockery. Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce. farcical, ADJ.

amplify V.

broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger. Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks, but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter: she used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice

catholic ADJ.

broadly sympathetic; liberal. He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library.

contusion N.

bruise. Black and blue after her fall, Sue was treated for contusions and abrasions

atrocity N.

brutal deed. In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies

fabricate V.

build; lie. If we fabricate the buildings in this project out of standardized sections, we can reduce construction costs considerably. Because of Jack's tendency to fabricate, Jill had trouble believing a word he said

browbeat V.

bully; intimidate. Billy resisted Ted's attempts browbeat him into handing over his lunch money.

encumber V.

burden. Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage when they take short trips.

interment N

burial. Interment will take place in the church cemetery at 2 P.M. Wednesday.

caustic ADJ.

burning; sarcastically biting. The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm.

inter V.

bury. They are going to inter the body tomorrow at Broadlawn Cemetery.

entrepreneur N.

businessman; contractor. Opponents of our present tax program argue that it discourages entrepreneurs from trying new fields of business activity

dispassionate ADJ.

calm; impartial. Known in the company for his cool judgment, Bill could impartially examine the causes of a problem, giving a dispassionate analysis of what had gone wrong, and go on to suggest how to correct the mess.

allay V.

calm; pacify. The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.

imperturbable ADJ.

calm; placid; composed. In the midst of the battle, the Duke ofWellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation despite the hysteria and panic all around him. imperturbability, N

equanimity N.

calmness of temperament; composure. Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother did not disturb Bea's equanimity.

abolish V

cancel; put an end to. The president of the college refused to abolish the physical education requirement. abolition, N.

expunge V.

cancel; remove. If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your record

countermand V.

cancel; revoke. The general countermanded the orders issued in his absence

malleable ADJ.

capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable. Gold is a malleable metal, easily shaped into bracelets and rings. Fagin hoped Oliver was a malleable lad, easily shaped into a thief.

ambidextrous ADJ.

capable of using either hand with equal ease. A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

arbitrary ADJ.

capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical. Tom's arbitrary dismissal angered him; his boss had no reason to fire him. He threw an arbitrary assortment of clothes into his suitcase and headed off, not caring where he went.

enthrall V.

capture; enslave. From the moment he saw her picture, he was enthralled by her beauty

Iax ADJ.

careless. We dislike restaurants where the service is lax and inattentive.

cursory ADJ

casual; hastily done. Because a cursory 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 V.

catch sight of. In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

grievance N.

cause of complaint.When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union

bane N.

cause of ruin; curse. Lucy's little brother was the bane of her existence: his attempts to make her life miserable worked so well that she could have poisoned him with ratsbane for having such a baneful effect.

leaven V.

cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven. As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in volume.

dwarf V.

cause to seem small. The giant redwoods and high cliffs dwarfed the elegant Ahwahnee Hotel, making it appear a modest lodge rather than an imposing hostelry

germinate V

cause to sprout; sprout. After the seeds germinate and develop their permanent leaves, the plants may be removed from the cold frames and transplanted to the garden.

engender V.

cause; produce. To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child.

generate V.

cause; produce; create. In his first days in office, President Clinton managed to generate a new mood of optimism; we just hoped he could generate some new jobs.

analgesic ADJ.

causing insensitivity to pain. The analgesic qualities of this lotion will provide temporary relief.

chary ADJ.

cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty, New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary compliments

luminary N.

celebrity; dignitary. A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical luminary whose name lives on

kernel N ˈkɜːrnl

central or vital part; whole seed (as of corn). "Watson, buried within this tissue of lies there is a kernel of truth; when I find it, the mystery will be solved."

formality N.

ceremonious quality; something done just for form's sake. The president received the visiting heads of state with due formality: flags waving, honor guards standing at attention, anthems sounding at full blast. Signing this petition is a mere formality; it does not obligate you in any way.

coronation N.

ceremony of crowning a queen or king. When the witches told Macbeth he would be king, they failed to warn him he would lose his crown soon after his coronation.

certitude N.

certainty. Though there was no certitude of his getting the job, Lou thought he had a good chance of doing so

innovation N.

change; introduction of something new. Although Richard liked to keep up with all the latest technological innovations, he didn't always abandon tried and true techniques in favor of something new. innovate,V.

generic ADJ.

characteristic of an entire class or species. Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she began to think that playing Dungeons & Dragons was a generic trait.

arraign V.

charge in court; indict. After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court

impeach V.

charge with crime in office; indict. The angry congressman wanted to impeach the president for his misdeeds

indict V.

charge. The district attorney didn't want to indict the suspect until she was sure she had a strong enough case to convince a jury. indictment, N.

captivate V.

charm or enthrall. Bart and Lisa were captivated by their new nanny's winning manner

amulet N.

charm; talisman. Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her

engaging ADJ.

charming; attractive. Everyone liked Nancy's pleasant manners and engaging personality

converse V.

chat; talk informally. Eva was all ears while Lulu and Lola conversed. Wasn't it rude of her to eavesdrop on their conversation? conversation, N.

babble V.

chatter idly. The little girl babbled about her doll. also N.

jabber V.

chatter rapidly or unintelligibly. Why does the fellow insist on jabbering away in French when I can't understand a word he says?

fraudulent ADJ.

cheating; deceitful. The government seeks to prevent fraudulent and misleading advertising.

alacrity N.

cheerful promptness. Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity

geniality N.

cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy. This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor who tries to make everyone happy

cardinal ADJ.

chief. If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is to read.

infantile ADJ

childish. When will he outgrow such infantile behavior?

indiscriminate ADJ.

choosing at random; confused. She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing and decided to restrict him to educational programs.

chortle V.

chuckle with delight. When she heard that her rival had just been jailed for embezzlement, she chortled with joy. She was not a nice lady.

curmudgeon N.

churlish, miserly individual. Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and acts of charity that he secretly performed.

demystify V.

clarify; free from mystery or obscurity. Helpful doctors demystify medical procedures by describing them in everyday language, explaining that a myringotomy, for example, is an operation involving making a small hole in one's eardrum.

friction N.

clash in opinion; rubbing against. At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to have any friction in our group

expurgate V.

clean; remove offensive parts of a book. The editors felt that certain passages in the book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the classroom

exculpate V.

clear from blame. He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal confessed.

limpid ADJ.

clear. A limpid stream ran through his property.

ingenious ADJ.

clever; resourceful. Kit admired the ingenious way that her computer keyboard opened up to reveal the built-in CD-ROM below. ingenuity, N

clamber V.

climb by crawling. She clambered over the wall.

clench V.

close tightly; grasp. "Open wide," said the dentist, but Clint clenched his teeth even more tightly than before

compress V.

close; squeeze; contract. She compressed the package under her arm.

intimacy N

closeness, often affectionate; privacy; familiarity. In a moment of rare intimacy, the mayor allowed the reporters a glimpse of his personal feelings about his family. intimate,ADJ.

array V. 2

clothe; adorn. She liked to watch her mother array herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening. also N

buffoonery N.

clowning. In the Ace Ventura movies, Jim Carrey's buffoonery was hilarious: like Bozo the Clown, he's a natural buffoon.

bludgeon N.

club; heavy-headed weapon. Attacked by Dr. Moriarty, Holmes used his walking stick as a bludgeon to defend himself. "Watson," he said, "I fear I may have bludgeoned Moriarty to death."

lout N.

clumsy person. That awkward lout dropped my priceless vase!

abusive ADJ.

coarsely insulting; physically harmful. An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.

cajole V.

coax; wheedle. Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car. cajolery, N.

convoluted ADJ.

coiled around; involved; intricate. His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow it intelligently

*bleak ADJ.

cold or cheerless; unlikely to be favorable. The frigid, inhospitable Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts. It's no wonder that soldiers assigned there have a bleak attitude toward their posting.

amass V.

collect. The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible

hue N.

color; aspect. The aviary contained birds of every possible hue.

compound V.

combine; constitute; pay interest; increase. The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine. also N

*coalesce V.

combine; fuse. The brooks coalesce into one large river. When minor political parties coalesce, their coalescence may create a major coalition.

amalgamate V.

combine; unite in one body. The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

accrue V.

come about by addition. You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. accrual, N.

intervene V.

come between. When two close friends get into a fight, be careful if you try to intervene; they may join forces to gang up on you.

malapropism N

comic misuse of a word. When Mrs. Malaprop accuses Lydia of being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she confuses "allegory" and "alligator" in a typical malapropism

lateral ADJ.

coming from the side. In order to get good plant growth, the gardener must pinch off all lateral shoots.

embark V.

commence; go on board a boat or airplane; begin a journey. In devoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost her her life

annotate V.

comment; make explanatory notes. In the appendix to the novel, the editor sought to annotate many of the author's more esoteric references

hackneyed ADJ.

commonplace; trite. When the reviewer criticized the movie for its hackneyed plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories hundreds of times before.

analogous ADJ.

comparable. She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same

lexicographer N.

compiler of a dictionary. The new dictionary is the work of many lexicographers who spent years compiling and editing the work.

grouse V.

complain; fuss. Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dormitory food.

complement V.

complete; consummate; make perfect. The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. also N.

integral ADJ.

complete; necessary for completeness. Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are complementary.

absolute ADJ

complete; totally unlimited; certain. Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

intricate ADJ.

complex; knotty; tangled. Philip spent many hours designing mazes so intricate that none of his classmates could solve them. intricacy, N

improvise V.

compose on the spur of the moment. She would sit at the piano and improvise for hours on themes from Bach and Handel.

eclectic ADJ.

composed of elements drawn from disparate sources. His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods, strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique decor.eclecticism, N.

fathom V.

comprehend; investigate. I find his motives impossible to fathom; in fact, I'm totally clueless about what goes on in his mind.

addiction N

compulsive, habitual need. His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief.

brevity N.

conciseness. Brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.

finale N.

conclusion. It is not until we reach the finale of this play that we can understand the author's message.

denounce V.

condemn; criticize. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust. denunciation, N.

abridge V

condense or shorten. Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel.

deign V.

condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere seamstress; his overburdened assistant had to convey the master's wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs

corroborate V.

confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.

discord N.

conflict; lack of harmony. Watching Tweedledum battle Tweedledee, Alice wondered what had caused this pointless discord.

epistolary ADJ.

consisting of letters. Mark Harris's Wake Up, Stupid! is a modern epistolary novel that uses letters, telegrams, and newspaper clippings to tell the hero's story. The movie You've Got Mail tells a story using e-mail; does that make it an e-pistolary movie? epistle, N.

flagrant ADJ.

conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous. The governor's appointment of his brother-in-law to the State Supreme Court was a flagrant violation of the state laws against nepotism (favoritism based on kinship).

liaison N.

contact keeping parts of an organization in communication; go-between; secret love affair. As the liaison between the American and British forces during World War II, the colonel had to ease tensions between the leaders of the two armies. Romeo's romantic liaison with Juliet ended in tragedy.

belie V.

contradict; give a false impression. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his inner sensitivity.

foil N.

contrast. In Star Wars, dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker.

antithesis N.

contrast; direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength

ascendancy N.

controlling influence; domination. Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancy over their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing.

amenities N.

convenient features; courtesies. In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler-fax machines, modems, a health club-the hotel offers the services of a butler versed in the social amenities

cogent ADJ.

convincing. It was inevitable that David chose to go to Harvard: he had several cogent reasons for doing so, including a full-tuition scholarship. Katya argued her case with such cogency that the jury had to decide in favor of her client.

amend V.

correct; change, generally for the better. Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.

emendation N.

correction of errors; improvement. Please initial all the emendations you have made in this contract.

debauch V.

corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did Socrates' teachings lead the young men of Athens to be virtuous citizens, or did they debauch the young men, causing them to question the customs of their fathers? Clearly, Socrates' philosophical talks were nothing like the wild debauchery of the toga parties in Animal House

bogus ADJ.

counterfeit; not authentic. The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills.

deference N.

courteous regard for another's wish. In deference to the minister's request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.

Chivalrous ADJ.

courteous; faithful; brave. Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds

fawning ADJ

courting favor by cringing and flattering. She was constantly surrounded by a group of fawning admirers who hoped to win some favor. fawn,V.

glaze V.

cover with a thin and shiny surface. The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving hazardous. also N

bovine ADJ.

cowlike; placid and dull. Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery, she still preserved her air of bovine calm.

hurtle V.

crash; rush. The runaway train hurtled toward disaster.

grovel V

crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate. Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to grovel before our conquerors.

fissure N.

crevice. The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.

juncture N.

crisis; joining point. At this critical juncture, let us think carefully before determining the course we shall follow.

censorious ADJ.

critical. Censorious people delight in casting blame.

castigate V.

criticize severely; punish. When the teacher threatened that she would castigate the mischievous boys if they didn't behave, they shaped up in a hurry.

askew ADJ.

crookedly; slanted; at an angle. When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed

horde N.

crowd. Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers.

fell ADJ

cruel; deadly. The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease.

elixir N.

cure-all; something invigorating. The news of her chance to go abroad acted on her like an elixir.

malediction N.

curse. When the magic mirror revealed that Snow White was still alive, the wicked queen cried out in rage and uttered dreadful maledictions

aquiline ADJ

curved, hooked. He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.

convex ADJ.

curving outward. He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

excise V

cut away; cut out.When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit. excision. N.

dismember V.

cut into small parts. When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new countries were established.

amputate V.

cut off part of body; prune. When the doctors had to amputate the young man's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of a limb keep him from participating in sports

fell V

cut or knock down; bring down (with a missile). Crying "Timber!" Paul Bunyan felled the mighty redwood tree. Robin Hood loosed his arrow and felled the king's deer.

incisive ADJ.

cutting; sharp. His incisive remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans

humid ADJ

damp. She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area

dank ADJ.

damp. The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.

fop N.

dandy; man excessively concerned with his clothes. People who dismissed young Mizrahi as a fop felt chagrined when he turned into one of the top fashion designers of his day. foppish,ADJ

hazardous ADJ.

dangerous. Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your application.

audacious ADJ.

daring; bold. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, deathdefying leap to freedom, escaping Darth Vader's troops. audacity, N

eclipse V.

darken; extinguish; surpass. The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1995.

bolt V.

dash or dart off; fasten (a door); gobble down. Jack was set to bolt out the front door, but Jill bolted the door. "Eat your breakfast," she said, "don't bolt your food."

defunct ADJ.

dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation.

lethal ADJ.

deadly. It is unwise to leave lethal weapons where children may find them.

baleful ADJ.

deadly; having a malign influence; ominous. The fortune teller made baleful predictions of terrible things to come.

demise N

death. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed

guile N.

deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. lago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful

hoodwink V.

deceive; delude. Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he was extremely cautious when he went to purchase a used car

manifesto N.

declaration; statement of policy. The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism

avow V.

declare openly. Lana avowed that she never meant to steal Debbie's boyfriend, but no one believed her avowal of innocence.

assert V.

declare or state with confidence; put oneself forward boldly. Malcolm asserted that if Reese quit acting like a wimp and asserted himself a bit more, he'd improve his chances of getting a date. assertion,N.

bureaucracy N.

over-regulated administrative system marked by red tape. The Internal Revenue Service is the ultimate bureaucracy. taxpayers wasted so much paper filling out IRS forms that the IRS bureaucrats printed up a new set of rules requiring taxpayers to comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act.

exuberance N.

overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance; lavishness. I was bowled over by the exuberance of Amy's welcome. What an enthusiastic greeting!

elated ADJ

overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her fifth Olympic gold medal. elation, N.

compelling ADJ.

overpowering; irresistible in effect. The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for leniency won over the jury.

censor N.

overseer of morals; person who reads to eliminate inappropriate remarks. Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution. alsoV.

glut V

overstock; fill to excess. The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the excess articles they had produced. also N.

inundate V.

overwhelm; flood; submerge. This semester I am inundated with work: You should see the piles of paperwork flooding my desk. Until the great dam was built, the waters of the Nile used to inundate the river valley like clockwork every year.

insurmountableADJ.

overwhelming; unbeatable; insuperable. Faced by almost insurmountable obstacles, the members of the underground maintained their courage and will to resist.

appease V.

pacify or soothe; relieve. Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another, but he would not calm down until they appeased his hunger by giving him a bottle

fresco N.

painting on plaster (usually fresh). The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Giotto.

brochure N.

pamphlet. This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.

absolve V.

pardon (an offense). The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution, N.

amnesty N.

pardon. When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

complicity N.

participation; involvement. You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.

genre N.

particular variety of art or literature. Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre

infiltrate V

pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily. In order to be able to infiltrate enemy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore black coveralls. infiltrator, N

madrigal N.

pastoral song. His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute

forbearance N.

patience. We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.

heed V.

pay attention to; consider. We hope you heed our advice and get a good night's sleep before the test. also N.

defray V.

pay the costs of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.

alimony N.

payment by a husband to his divorced wife (or vice versa). Mrs. Jones was awarded $200 monthly alimony by the court when she was divorced from her husband.

expenditure N.

payment or expense; output.When you are operating on an expense account, you must keep receipts for all your expenditures. If you don't save your receipts, you won't get repaid without the expenditure of a lot of energy arguing with the firm's accountants

gentry N.

people of standing; class of people just below nobility. The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the community.

divine V.

perceive intuitively; foresee the future. Nothing infuriated Tom more than Aunt Polly's ability to divine when he was telling the truth.

epitome N.

perfect example or embodiment. Singing "I am the very model of a modern Major-General," in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General Stanley proclaimed himself the epitome of an officer and a gentleman

equinox N

period of equal days and nights; the beginning of Spring and Autumn. The vernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms.

epoch N.

period of time. The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of years

intermittent ADJ.

periodic; on and off. The outdoor wedding reception had to be moved indoors to avoid the intermittent showers that fell on and off all afternoon

indissoluble ADJ

permanent. The indissoluble bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved.

felon N.

person convicted of a grave crime. A convicted felon loses the right to vote.

malcontent N.

person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs. One of the few malcontents in Congress, he constantly voiced his objections to the presidential program. alsoADJ.

beneficiary N.

person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will. In Scrooge's will, he made Tiny Tim his beneficiary. everything he left would go to young Tim.

extrovert N.

person interested mostly in external objects and actions. A good salesman is usually an extrovert, who likes to mingle with people.

heckler N.

person who harasses others. The heckler kept interrupting the speaker with rude remarks. heckle,V.

kleptomaniac N.

person who has a compulsive desire to steal. They discovered that the wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap trinkets

anarchist N.

person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority. Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely. anarchy, N.

germinal ADJ

pertaining to a germ; creative. Such an idea is germinal, I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations.

filial ADJ.

pertaining to a son or daughter. Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents.

colloquial ADJ.

pertaining to conversational or common speech. Some of the new, less formal reading passages on SAT I have a colloquial tone that is intended to make them more appealing to students.

marital ADJ.

pertaining to marriage. After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often consulted by married people on the verge of divorce

erotic ADJ.

pertaining to passionate love. The erotic passages in this novel should be removed as they are merely pornographic.

graphic ADJ.

pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described. I was particularly impressed by the graphic presentation of the storm

auroral ADJ.

pertaining to the aurora borealis. The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening.

cerebral ADJ.

pertaining to the brain or intellect. The content of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought

ecclesiastic ADJ.

pertaining to the church. The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the pulpit. also N

lunar ADJ.

pertaining to the moon. Lunar craters can plainly seen with the aid of a small telescope.

auditory ADJ.

pertaining to the sense of hearing. Audrey suffered from auditory hallucinations: she thought Elvis was speaking to her from the Great Beyond.

Cosmic ADJ.

pertaining to the universe; vast. Cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space. COSMOS, N

aquatic ADJ.

pertaining to water. Paul enjoyed aquatic sports such as scuba diving and snorkeling.

germane ADJ.

pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand. The judge refused to allow the testimony to be heard by the jury because it was not germane to the case

peruse

peruse something (formal or humorous) to read something, especially in a careful way A copy of the report is available for you to peruse at your leisure. perusal pəˈruːzl perusal pronunciation English; pəˈruːzl perusal pronunciation American NOUN [uncountable, singular] The agreement was signed after careful perusal.

badger V.

pester; annoy. She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.

cliché N.

phrase dulled in meaning by repetition. High school compositions are often marred by such clichés as "strong as an ox.

graft N.

piece of transplanted tissue; portion of plant inserted in another plant. After the fire, Greg required skin grafts to replace the badly damaged areas on his forearms. alsoV

holster N.

pistol case. Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm.

aphorism N.

pithy maxim. An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific. "The proper study of mankind is man" is an aphorism. "There's no smoke without a fire" is an adage. aphoristic,ADJ

placate

placate somebody to make somebody feel less angry about something SYNONYM pacify a placating smile The concessions did little to placate the students.

forum N

place of assembly to discuss public concerns; meeting for discussion. The film opens with a shot of the ancient Forum in Rome, where several senators are discussing the strange new sect known as Christians. At the end of the movie, its director presided over a forum examining new fashions in filmmaking.

asylum N.

place of refuge or shelter; protection. The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.

ford N

place where a river can be crossed on foot. Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a halfmile downstream until he came to the nearest ford. alsoV.

arboretum N.

place where different tree varieties are exhibited. Walking along the tree-lined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores

Copious ADJ.

plentiful. She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal.

abundant ADJ.

plentiful; possessing riches or resources. At his immigration interview, Ivan listed his abundant reasons for coming to America: the hope of religious freedom, the prospect of employment, the promise of a more abundant life.

fallow ADJ

plowed but not sowed; uncultivated. Farmers have learned that it is advisable to permit land to lie fallow every few years

buxom ADJ.

plump; vigorous; jolly. The soldiers remembered the buxom nurse who had always been so pleasant to them.

depredation N.

plundering. After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless.

douse V.

plunge into water; drench; extinguish. They doused each other with hoses and water balloons.

elegy N.

poem or song expressing lamentation. On the death of Edward King, Milton composed the elegy "Lycidas." elegiacal,ADJ

bard N.

poet. The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.

aplomb N.

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.

amicable ADJ.

politely friendly; not quarrelsome. Beth's sister Jo is the hot-tempered tomboy who has a hard time maintaining amicable relations with those around her. Jo's quarrel with her friend Laurie finally reaches an amicable settlement, but not because Jo turns amiable overnight

grandiloquent ADJ.

pompous; bombastic; using highsounding language. The politician could never speak simply; she was always grandiloquent

bombastic ADJ.

pompous; using inflated language. Puffed up with conceit, the orator spoke in such a bombastic manner that we longed to deflate him. bombast, N.

doggerel N.

poor verse. Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel

impoverished ADJ.

poor. The loss of their farm left the family impoverished and without hope.

indigent ADJ.

poor; destitute. Someone who is truly indigent can't even afford to buy a pack of cigarettes. [Don't mix up indigent and indigenous. See previous sentence.]

depict V.

portray. In this sensational exposé, the author depicts Beatle John Lennon as a drug-crazed neurotic. Do you question the accuracy of this depiction of Lennon?

delineate V.

portray; depict; sketch. Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move. delineation, N.

affirmation N.

positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath. Despite Tom's affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie

latent ADJ.

potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden. Polaroid pictures are popular at parties, because you can see the latent photographic image gradually appear before your eyes

effusive ADJ.

pouring forth; gushing. Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them. effusion, N.

adversity N

poverty; misfortune. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

efficacy N.

power to produce desired effect. The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the dosage. efficacious,ADJ.

feasible ADJ.

practical. Is it feasible to build a new stadium for the Yankees on New York's West Side? Without additional funding, the project is clearly unrealistic.

ascetic ADJ.

practicing self-denial; austere. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders. also N

laud V.

praise. The NFL lauded Boomer Esiason's efforts to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis. laudable, laudatory,ADJ.

extol V.

praise; glorify. The president extolled the astronauts, calling them the pioneers of the Space Age.

frolicsome ADJ.

prankish; gay. The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master

invocation N.

prayer for help; calling upon as a reference or support. The service of Morning Prayer opens with an invocation during which we ask God to hear our prayers

antecede V.

precede. The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.

antecedents N.

preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background. Susi Bechhofer's ignorance of her Jewish background had its antecedents in the chaos of World War II. Smuggled out of Germany and adopted by a Christian family, she knew nothing of her birth and antecedents until she was reunited with her family in 1989

impasse N.

predicament from which there is no escape; deadlock. In this impasse, all turned to prayer as their last hope.

jaundiced ADJ.

prejudiced (envious, hostile or resentful); yellowed. Because Sue disliked Carolyn, she looked at Carolyn's paintings with a jaundiced eye, calling them formless smears. Newborn infants afflicted with jaundice look slightly yellow: they have jaundiced skin

foreboding N.

premonition of evil. Suspecting no conspiracies against him, Caesar gently ridiculed his wife's forebodings about the Ides of March

feign V.

pretend. Lady Macbeth feigned illness although she was actually healthy.

dissimulate V.

pretend; conceal by feigning. She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude

hypocritical ADJ

pretending to be virtuous; deceiving. Believing Eddie to be interested only in his own advancement, Greg resented his hypocritical posing as a friend. hypocrisy, N

bluff N.

pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff; she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff into the waters below

grandiose ADJ.

pretentious; high-flown; ridiculously exaggerated; impressive. The aged matinee idol still had grandiose notions of his supposed importance in the theatrical world.

endemic ADJ.

prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country. This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one time or another affected by it

forestall V

prevent by taking action in advance. By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce.

avert V.

prevent; turn away. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

aseptic ADJ.

preventing infection; having a cleansing effect. Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced aseptic conditions

haughtiness N.

pride; arrogance. When she realized that Darcy believed himself too good to dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great offense at his haughtiness

arrogance N.

pride; haughtiness. Convinced that Emma thought she was better than anyone else in the class, Ed rebuked her for her arrogance.

caucus N.

private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy. At the opening of Congress, the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the Majority Leader of the House and the PartyWhip.

cavalcade N.

procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was a motley group

kinetic ADJ.

producing motion. Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest obstacle lies in the development of light and efficient storage batteries, the source of the kinetic energy needed to propel the vehicle.

lachrymose ADJ.

producing tears. His voice has a lachrymose quality more appropriate to a funeral than a class reunion.

embroider V.

decorate with needlework; ornament with fancy or fictitious details. For her mother's birthday, Beth embroidered a lovely design on a handkerchief. When asked what made her late getting home, Jo embroidered her account with tales of runaway horses and rescuing people from a ditch. embroidery, N.

adorn V.

decorate. Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. adornment, N

edict N.

decree (especially issued by a sovereign); official command. The emperor issued an edict decreeing that everyone should come see him model his magnificent new clothes.

infer V.

deduce; conclude. Fromthe students' glazed looks, it was easy for me to infer that they were bored out of their minds. inference, N.

exploit N

deed or action, particularly a brave deed. Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his exploits in rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces.

booming ADJ.

deep and resonant; flourishing, thriving. "Who needs a microphone?" cried the mayor in his booming voice. Cheerfully he boomed out that, thanks to him, the city's economy was booming. boom,V.

ignominy N

deep disgrace; shame or dishonor. To lose the Ping-Pong match to a trained chimpanzee! How could Rollo stand the ignominy of his defeat? ignominious,ADJ

ingrained ADJ.

deeply established; firmly rooted. Try as they would, the missionaries were unable to uproot the ingrained superstitions of the natives

libel N.

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 libel?

discredit V.

defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve. The campaign was highly negative in tone; each candidate tried to discredit the other.

foil V.

defeat; frustrate. In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader's diabolical schemes

demean V

degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demean himself by replying to the offensive letter. If you truly believed in the dignity of labor, you would not think it would demean you to work as a janitor

extent N.

degree; magnitude; scope. What is the extentof the patient's injuries? If they are not too extensive, we can treat him on an outpatient basis.

defer V.

delay till later; exempt temporarily. In wartime, some young men immediately volunteer to serve; others

belated ADJ.

delayed. He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just learned of her husband's untimely death.

calculated ADJ.

deliberately planned; likely. Lexy's choice of clothes to wear to the debate tournament was carefully calculated. Her conventional suit was one calculated to appeal to the conservative judges.

finesse N.

delicate skill. The finesse and adroitness with which the surgeon wielded her scalpel impressed all the observers in the operating room.

delectable ADJ.

delightful; delicious. We thanked our host for a most delectable meal.

acquittal N

deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit,V.

hallucination N.

delusion. I think you were frightened by a hallucination you created in your own mind.

atheistic ADJ.

denying the existence of God. His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers

exodus N.

departure. The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday evenings

disenfranchise V.

deprive of a civil right. The imposition of the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

bereft ADJ.

deprived of; lacking; desolate because of a loss. The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds

deducible ADJ.

derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.

lineage N

descent; ancestry. He traced his lineage back to Mayflower days

forsake V

desert; abandon; renounce. No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run off with another woman.

defection N.

desertion. The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause

meritorious

deserving praise SYNONYM praiseworthy

invidious ADJ.

designed to create ill will or envy. We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was.

barren ADJ.

desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking. Looking out at the trackless, barren desert, Indiana Jones feared that his search for the missing expedition would prove barren.

corrode V.

destroy by chemical action. The girders supporting the bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly collapsed. corrosion, N.

defoliate V.

destroy leaves. In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands.

annihilate V.

destroy. The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

demolition N.

destruction. One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by bombing of rail lines and terminals. demolish,V.

canvass V.

determine votes, etc. After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his district. also N.

bent ADJ; N.

determined; natural talent or inclination. Bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary-heroine of Working Girl has a true bent for high finance

dogged ADJ.

determined; stubborn. Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long, dogged pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.

loathe V.

detest. Booing and hissing, the audience showed how much they loathed the wicked villain.

abhor V.

detest; hate. She abhorred all forms of bigotry. abhorrence, N

abominable ADJ

detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad. Mary liked John until she learned he was dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women.

depose V.

dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government.

diabolical ADJ

devilish. "What a fiend I am, to devise such a diabolical scheme to destroy Gotham City," chortled the Joker gleefully.

lexicon N.

dictionary. I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

disparity N.

difference; condition of inequality. Their disparity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.

diverse ADJ

differing in some characteristics; various. The professor suggested diverse ways of approaching the assignment and recommended that we choose one of them. diversity, N

divergent ADJ.

differing; deviating. Since graduating from medical school, the two doctors have taken divergent paths, one going on to become a nationally prominent surgeon, the other dedicating himself to a small family practice in his home town. divergence, N.

fastidious ADJ.

difficult to please; squeamish. Bobby was such a fastidious eater that he would eat a sandwich only if his mother first cut off every scrap of crust.

exhume V

dig out of the ground; remove from the grave. Could evidence that might identify the serial killer have been buried with his victim? To answer this question, the police asked the authorities for permission to exhume the victim's body.

disinter V.

dig up; unearth. They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

delve V.

dig; investigate. Delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job.

discursive ADJ.

digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we wondered what if any point there was to his discursive remarks

application N.

diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application to the task. apply,V. (secondary meaning)

assiduous ADJ.

diligent. He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results. assiduity, N

industrious ADJ.

diligent; hard-working. Look busy when the boss walks by your desk; it never hurts to appear industrious. industry, N.

address V.

direct a speech to; deal with or discuss. Due to address the convention in July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech.

beeline N.

direct, quick route. As soon as the movie was over, Jim made a beeline for the exit.

incapacitate V.

disable. During the winter, many people were incapacitated by respiratory ailments

dissent V.

disagree. In the recent Supreme Court decision, Justice O'Connor dissented from the majority opinion. also N.

calamity N.

disaster; misery. As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community.

insightful ADJ.

discerning; perceptive. Sol thought he was very insightful about human behavior, but he was actually clueless as to why people acted the way they did.

exude V

discharge; give forth.We get maple syrup from the sap that exudes from the trees in early spring. exudation, N

disjointed ADJ.

disconnected. His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

dissonance N.

discord. Composer Charles Ives often used dissonance-clashing or unresolved chords-for special effects in his musical works.

cacophonous ADJ.

discordant; inharmonious. Do the students in the orchestra enjoy the cacophonous sounds they make when they're tuning up? I don't know how they can stand the racket. cacophony, N.

dishearten V.

discourage; cause to lose courage or hope. His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him.

dismay V.

discourage; frighten. The huge amount of work she had left to do dismayed her. also N

descant V.

discuss fully. He was willing to descant upon any topic of conversation, even when he knew very little about the subject under discussion. also N.

bandy V.

discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly. While the president was happy to bandy patriotic generalizations with anyone who would listen to him, he refused to bandy words with unfriendly reporters at the press conference

camouflage V.

disguise; conceal. In order to rescue Han Solo, Princess Leia camouflaged herself in the helmet and cloak of a space bandit.

dissemble V.

disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew he was there not to dance but to meet girls

fulsome ADJ.

disgustingly excessive. His fulsome praise of the dictator revolted his listeners.

downcast ADJ

disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.

appall V.

dismay; shock. We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails

insubordination N.

disobedience; rebelliousness. At the slightest hint of insubordination from the sailors of the Bounty, Captain Bligh had them flogged; finally, they mutinied.

belittle V.

disparage or depreciate; put down. Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts. Barry was a put-down artist: he was a genius at belittling people and making them feel small

discount V.

disregard; dismiss. Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

notoriety N.

disrepute; ill fame. To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety. notorious,ADJ.

dissident ADJ.

dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, the government hunted down the dissident students and their supporters. Also N.

heterogeneous ADJ

dissimilar; mixed. This year's entering class is a remarkably heterogeneous body: it includes students from forty different states and twenty-six foreign countries, some the children of billionaires, others the offspring of welfare families. heterogenity, N.

caricature N.

distortion; burlesque. The caricatures he drew always emphasized a personal weakness of the people he burlesqued. alsoV.

disseminate V.

distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe

charisma N.

divine gift; great popular charm or appeal of a political leader Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of television campaigning

canto N.

division of a long poem. Dante's poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.

cardiologist N.

doctor specializing in the heart. When the pediatrician noticed Philip had a slight heart murmur, she referred him to a cardiologist for further tests.

imperious ADJ.

domineering; haughty. Jane rather liked a man to be masterful, but Mr. Rochester seemed so bent on getting his own way that he was actually imperious!

nocturnal ADJ.

done at night. Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken coops.

bolt N.

door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric. The carpenter shut the workshop door, sliding the heavy metal bolt into place. He sorted through his toolbox for the nuts and bolts and nails he would need. Before he cut into the bolt of canvas, he measured how much fabric he would need

duplicity N.

double-dealing; hypocrisy. When Tanya learned that Mark had been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.

declivity N.

downward slope. The children loved to ski down the declivity.

liability N.

drawback; debts. Her lack of an extensive vocabulary was a liability that she was eventually able to overcome

bedizen V.

dress with vulgar finery. The witch doctors were bedizened in all their gaudiest costumes.

imbibe V.

drink in. The dry soil imbibed the rain quickly

impel V.

drive or force onward. A strong feeling of urgency impelled her; if she failed to finish the project right then, she knew that she would never get it done.

ferret V

drive or hunt out of hiding. She ferreted out their secret.

exorcise V

drive out evil spirits. By incantation and prayer, the medicine man sought to exorcise the evil spirits which had taken possession of the young warrior

bacchanalian ADJ.

drunken. Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.

desiccate V.

dry up. A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.

lackluster ADJ.

dull.We were disappointed by the lackluster performance.

drab ADJ.

dull; lacking color; cheerless. The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore beneath it

humdrum ADJ

dull; monotonous. After his years of adventure, he could not settle down to a humdrum existence.

effigy N

dummy. The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in effigy.

gnome N.

dwarf; underground spirit. In medieval mythology, gnomes were the special guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines.

bulwark N.

earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion.

*assuage V.

ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger). Jilted by Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream. One gallon later, he had assuaged his appetite but not his grief.

facile ADJ.

easily accomplished; ready or fluent; superficial. Words came easily to Jonathan: he was a facile speaker and prided himself on being ready to make a speech at a moment's notice.

affable ADJ.

easily approachable; warmly friendly. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how affable his new employer was

brittle ADJ.

easily broken; difficult. My employer's self-control was as brittle as an egg-shell. Her brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.

*combustible ADJ.

easily burned. After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible materials be kept in safe containers, also N.

gullible ADJ.

easily deceived. Overly gullible people have only themselves to blame if they fall for con artists repeatedly. As the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

lucid ADJ

easily understood; clear; intelligible. Ellen makes an excellent teacher: her explanations of technical points are lucid enough for a child to grasp.

accessible ADJ.

easy to approach; obtainable. We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

exertion N.

effort; expenditure of much physical work. The exertion spent in unscrewing the rusty bolt left her exhausted.

apotheosis N.

elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something. The apotheosis of a Roman emperor was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would worship at his altar forever. The hero of the musical How to Succeed in Business ... was the apotheosis of yuppieness: he was the perfect upwardly-bound young man on the make

abash V

embarrass. He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

accentuate V

emphasize; stress. If you accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative, you may wind up with an overoptimistic view of the world.

embed V.

enclose; place in something. Tales of actual historical figures like King Alfred have become embedded in legends

*aviary N.

enclosure for birds. The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

jeopardize V.

endanger; imperil; put at risk. You can't give me a D in chemistry: you'll jeopardize my chances of getting into M.I.T. jeopardy, N.

interminableADJ

endless. Although his speech lasted for only twenty minutes, it seemed interminable to his bored audience.

dynamic ADJ.

energetic; vigorously active. The dynamic aerobics instructor kept her students on the run; she was a little dynamo

invigorate V.

energize; stimulate. A quick dip in the pool invigorated Meg, and with renewed energy she got back to work.

gusto N.

enjoyment; enthusiasm. He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary.

abyss N.

enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit. Darth Vader seized the evil emperor and hurled him down into the abyss

astronomical ADJ.

enormously large or extensive. The government seems willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.

infuriate V.

enrage; anger. Her big brother's teasing always infuriated Margaret; no matter how hard she tried to keep her temper, he always got her goat.

incense V.

enrage; infuriate. Cruelty to defenseless animals incensed Kit: the very idea brought tears of anger to her eyes.

devotee N.

enthusiastic follower. A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

allure V.

entice; attract. Allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef. also N.

gamut N.

entire range. In this performance, the leading lady was able to demonstrate the complete gamut of her acting ability

ambience N.

environment; atmosphere. She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

gourmand N.

epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink. Gourmands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it

commensurate ADJ.

equal in extent. Your reward will be commensurate with your effort.

accoutre V

equip. The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply. accoutrements, N.

apparatus N.

equipment. Firefighters use specialized apparatus to fight fires.

delete V.

erase; strike out. Less is more: if you delete this paragraph, your whole essay will have greater appeal.

gingerly ADV.

ery carefully. To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly.

gist N.

essence. She was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentences

attribute N.

essential quality. His outstanding attribute was his kindness

intrinsic ADJ

essential; inherent; built-in. Although my grandmother's china has little intrinsic value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it evokes.

elusive ADJ.

evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. Trying to pin down exactly when the contractors would be finished remodeling the house, Nancy was frustrated by their elusive replies. elude,V.

biennial ADJ.

every two years. Seeing no need to meet more frequently, the group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones. Plants that bear flowers biennially are known as biennials.

manifest ADJ.

evident; visible; obvious. Digby's embarrassment when he met Madonna was manifest: his ears turned bright pink, he kept scuffing one shoe in the dirt, and he couldn't look her in the eye.

machinations N.

evil schemes or plots. Fortunately, Batman saw through the wily machinations of the Riddler and saved Gotham City from destruction by the forces of evil.

inflated ADJ

exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas). His claims about the new product were inflated, it did not work as well as he had promised.

hyperbole N.

exaggeration; overstatement. As far as I'm concerned, Apple's claims about the new computer are pure hyperbole: no machine is that good!

autopsy N.

examination of a dead body; post-mortem. The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death. alsoV

audit N.

examination of accounts.When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the chief cashier. alsoV.

collate V.

examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order. They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age.

egoism N.

excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in others. His egoism prevented him from seeing the needs of his colleagues.

fanaticism N.

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 opinion condemned them for their fanaticism.

exorbitant ADJ.

excessive. The people grumbled at his exorbitant prices but paid them because he had a monopoly

hypercriticalADJ.

excessively exacting. You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes

egotistical ADJ.

excessively self-centered; self-important; conceited. Typical egotistical remark: "But enough of this chit-chat about you and your little problems. Let's talk about what's really important: Me!"

ejaculation N.

exclamation. He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard the news.

grueling ADJ.

exhausting. The marathon is a grueling race.

expatriate N.

exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land. Henry James was an American expatriate who settled in England

latent

existing, but not yet very noticeable, active or well developed latent disease These children have a huge reserve of latent talent.

egress N

exit. Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and instead found themselves in the street

adept ADJ.

expert at. She was adept at the fine art of irritating people. also N

gloss over V.

explain away. No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he had raised taxes after all.

belabor V.

explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; attack verbally. The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring her point.

elucidate V.

explain; enlighten. He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article

explicate V

explain; interpret; clarify. Harry Levin explicated James Joyce's often bewildering novels with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed comprehensible to his students

exegesis N.

explanation; interpretation, especially of a biblical text. The minister based her sermon on her exegesis of a difficult passage from the book of Job. exegetical,ADJ.

legend N.

explanatory list of symbols on a map. The legend at the bottom of the map made it clear which symbols stood for rest areas along the highway and which stood for public camp sites. (secondary meaning)

expository ADJ.

explanatory; serving to explain. The manual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece of expository prose: its explanations were so garbled that I couldn't even figure out how to rewind a tape. exposition, N.

debunk V.

expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc; ridicule. Pointing out that he consistently had voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate's claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.

deprecate V.

express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names. deprecatory,ADJ.

gloat V.

express evil satisfaction; view malevolently. As you gloat over your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?

decry V.

express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.

derogatory ADJ.

expressing a low opinion. I resent your derogatory remarks.

eulogy N.

expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death. Instead of delivering a spoken eulogy at Genny's memorial service, Jeff sang a song he had written in her honor

idiom N

expression whose meaning as a whole differs from the meanings of its individual words; distinctive style. The phrase "to lose one's marbles" is an idiom: if I say that Joe's lost his marbles, I'm not asking you to find some for him. I'm telling you idiomatically that he's crazy.

eloquence N.

expressiveness; persuasive speech. The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King's eloquence. eloquent,ADJ.

bowdlerize V.

expurgate. After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture's rating was changed from "R" to "PG."

cordon N.

extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress. The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area. alsoV.

extrinsic ADJ.

external; not essential; extraneous. A critically acclaimed extrinsic feature of the Chrysler Building is its ornate spire. The judge would not admit the testimony, ruling that it was extrinsic to the matter at hand.

distill V.

extract the essence; purify; refine. A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips

depravity N

extreme corruption; wickedness. The depravity of Caligula's behavior came to sicken even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively innocent orgies

jingoist N.

extremely aggressive and militant patriot; warlike chauvinist. Always bellowing "America first!," the congressman was such a jingoist you could almost hear the sabers rattling as he marched down the halls. jingoism, N.

exacting ADJ

extremely demanding. Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an exacting task, one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers. exaction, N.

draconian ADJ.

extremely severe. When the principal canceled the senior prom because some seniors had been late to school that week, we thought the draconian punishment was far too harsh for such a minor violation of the rules

lilliputian ADJ

extremely small. Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale. also N

astigmatismN.

eye defect that prevents proper focus. As soon as his parents discovered that the boy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the optometrist for corrective glasses.

countenance N.

face. When Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance

default N.

failure to act.When the visiting team failed to show up for the big game, they lost the game by default. When Jack failed to make the payments on his Jaguar, the dealership took back the car because he had defaulted on his debt.

equitable ADJ.

fair; impartial. I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute, one that will be fair and acceptable to both sides.

equity N.

fairness; justice. Our courts guarantee equity to all

deciduous ADJ.

falling off as of leaves. The oak is a deciduous tree; in winter it looks quite bare.

delusion N.

false belief; hallucination. Don suffers from delusions of grandeur: he thinks he's a world-famous author when he's published just one paperback book.

fallacious ADJ

false; misleading. Paradoxically, fallacious reasoning does not always yield erroneous results: even though your logic may be faulty, the answer you get may nevertheless be correct. fallacy, N.

conversant ADJ.

familiar with. The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

ancestry N.

family descent. David can trace his ancestry as far back as the seventeenth century, when one of his ancestors was a court trumpeter somewhere in Germany. ancestral,ADJ

celebrated ADJ.

famous; well-known. Thanks to their race to break Roger Maris's home-run record, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are two of America's most celebrated baseball players. celebrity, N

grotesque ADJ

fantastic; comically hideous. On Halloween people enjoy wearing grotesque costumes.

bizarre ADJ.

fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.

chimerical ADJ.

fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative. As everyone expected, Ted's chimerical scheme to make a fortune by raising ermines in his back yard proved a dismal failure.

affix V.

fasten; attach; add on. First the registrar had to affix her signature to the license; then she had to affix her official seal

clasp N

fastening device; firm grip. When the clasp on Judy's bracelet broke, Fred repaired it, bending the hook back into shape. He then helped her slip on the bracelet, holding it firm in the sure clasp of his hand.

beget V.

father; produce; give rise to. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another

jaded ADJ

fatigued; surfeited. He looked for exotic foods to stimulate his jaded appetite.

impeccable ADJ.

faultless. The uncrowned queen of the fashion industry, Diana was acclaimed for her impeccable taste.

auspicious ADJ.

favoring success.With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail. Thomas, however, had doubts about sailing: a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever conditions seemed auspicious.

claustrophobia N.

fear of being locked in. His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room.

acrophobia N

fear of heights. A born salesman, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club.

apprehension N.

fear. His nervous glances at the passersby on the deserted street revealed his apprehension.

intrepid ADJ.

fearless. For her intrepid conduct nursing the wounded during the war, Florence Nightingale was honored by Queen Victoria.

commiserate V.

feel or express pity or sympathy for. Her friends commiserated with the widow

euphoria N.

feeling of great happiness and well-being (sometimes exaggerated). Delighted with her SAT scores, sure that the university would accept her, Allison was filled with euphoria. euphoric,ADJ.

ewe N

female sheep. The flock of sheep was made up of dozens of ewes, together with only a handful of rams.

frond N.

fern leaf; palm or banana leaf. After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of palm trees

fecundity N.

fertility; fruitfulness. The fecundity of his mind is illustrated by the many vivid images in his poems

convivial ADJ.

festive; gay; characterized by joviality. The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs

demoniac ADJ.

fiendish. The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. demon, N.

dossier N.

file of documents on a subject. Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete dossieron him.

definitive ADJ.

final; complete. Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.

ascertain V.

find out for certain. Please ascertain her present address.

*carping ADJ.

finding fault. A carping critic is a nit-picker: he loves to point out flaws. If you don't like this definition, feel free to carp

filament N.

fine thread or fiber; threadlike structure within a light bulb. A ray of sunlight illuminated the filaments of the spider web, turning the web into a net of gold

aversion N.

firm dislike. Bert had an aversion to yuppies; Alex had an aversion to punks. Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

inherent ADJ.

firmly established by nature or habit. Katya's inherent love of justice caused her to champion anyone she considered treated unfairly by society.

arable ADJ.

fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow

aptitude N.

fitness; talent. The counselor gave him an aptitude test before advising him about the career he should follow.

flaccid ADJ.

flabby. His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.

blatant ADJ.

flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offensive. To the unemployed youth from Dublin, the "No Irish Need Apply" placard in the shop window was a blatant mark of prejudice

gaudy ADJ.

flashy; showy. The newest Trump skyscraper is typically gaudy, covered in gilded panels that gleam in the sun.

blandishment N.

flattery. Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

adulation N.

flattery; admiration. The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes men. adulate,V

armada N.

fleet of warships. Queen Elizabeth's navy defeated the mighty armada that threatened the English coast.

fugitive ADJ.

fleeting or transitory; roving. The film brought a few fugitive images to her mind, but on the whole it made no lasting impression upon her.

carnal ADJ.

fleshly. Is the public more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters? Compare the number of people who read Playboy daily to the number of those who read the Bible or Koran every day.

limber ADJ.

flexible. Hours of ballet classes kept him limber

lithe ADJ.

flexible; supple. Her figure was lithe and willowy

coquette N.

flirt. Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette. alsoV

levitate V.

float in the air (especially by magical means). As the magician passed his hands over the recumbent body of his assistant, she appeared to rise and levitate about three feet above the table

deluge N.

flood; rush.When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

cursive ADJ.

flowing, running. In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters.

flux N

flowing; series of changes. While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair.

glib ADJ.

fluent; facile; slick. Keeping up a steady patter to entertain his customers, the kitchen gadget salesman was a glib speaker, never at a loss for a word

flit V

fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by. Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one boyfriend to the next

balk V.

foil or thwart; stop short; refuse to go on.When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt. However, he balked at punishing them by shackling them to the walls of their cells.

fatuous ADJ

foolish; inane. He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.

austere ADJ.

forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented. The headmaster's austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly. The room reflected the man, austere and bare, like a monk's cell, with no touches of luxury to moderate its austerity.

contrived ADJ.

forced; artificial; not spontaneous. Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws, James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.

duress N.

forcible restraint, especially unlawfully. The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners' demands were met.

harbinger N.

forerunner. The crocus is an early harbinger of spring.

bode V.

foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies and the sulphurous odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.

granulate V.

form into grains. Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar. granule, N.

discourse N.

formal discussion; conversation. The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers. alsoV.

dissertation N.

formal essay. In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to prepare a dissertation on some scholarly subject

amorphous ADJ.

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 amorphous

citadel N.

fortress. The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

bastion N.

fortress; defense. The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerillas' raids.

malodorous ADJ.

foul-smelling. The compost heap was most malodorous in summer.

noisome ADJ.

foul-smelling; unwholesome. The noisome atmosphere downwind of the oil refinery not only stank, it damaged the lungs of everyone living in the area.

aromatic ADJ.

fragrant. Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

chassis N.

framework and working parts of an automobile. Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the chassis was unharmed.

candor N.

frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry candor too far: when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face. candid,ADJ.

gratis ADJ.

free. The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products. alsoADJ.

extricate V.

free; disentangle. Icebreakers were needed to extricate the trapped whales from the icy floes that closed them in.

latitude N.

freedom from narrow limitations. I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this matter.

impunity N.

freedom from punishment or harm. A 98pound weakling can't attack a beachfront bully with impunity. the poor, puny guy is sure to get mashed

frenetic ADJ.

frenzied; frantic. His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of operation.

furor N.

frenzy; great excitement. The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on the Stock Exchange

debonair ADJ.

friendly; aiming to please. The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner

amity N.

friendship. Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.

intimidate V.

frighten. I'll learn karate and then those big bullies won't be able to intimidate me any more.

facade N.

front (of building); superficial or false appearance. The ornate facade of the church was often photographed by tourists, who never bothered to walk around the building to view its other sides. Susan seemed super-confident, but that was just a facade she put on to hide her insecurity.

baffle V.

frustrate; perplex. The new code baffled the enemy agents.

jollity N.

gaiety; cheerfulness. The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and young alike joined in the general jollity.

lope V.

gallop slowly. As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery. loquacious ADJ. talkative. Though our daughter barely says a word to us these days, put a phone in her hand and see how loquacious she can be: our phone bills are out of sight! loquacity, N

hiatus N

gap; interruption in duration or continuity; pause. During the summer hiatus, many students try to earn enough money to pay their tuition for the next school year.

aggregate V.

gather; accumulate. Before theWall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time. aggregation, N.

garner V.

gather; store up. She hoped to garner the world's literature in one library

blithe ADJ.

gay; joyous; heedless. Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song.

largess N.

generous gift. Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.

benevolent ADJ.

generous; charitable. Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer, who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees

magnanimous ADJ.

generous; great-hearted. Philanthropists by definition are magnanimous; misers, by definition, are not. Cordelia was too magnanimous to resent her father's unkindness to her; instead, she generously forgave him. magnanimity, N

grisly ADJ.

ghastly. She shuddered at the grisly sight.

apparition N.

ghost; phantom. On the castle battlements, an apparition materialized and spoke to Hamlet, warning him of his uncle's treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of apparitions materialized, only to be dematerialized by the specialized apparatus wielded by Bill Murray

benefactor N.

gift giver; patron. Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him gifts.

foreshadow V

give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure. In retrospect, political analysts realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his emergence as the dominant figure of the new Russian republic

defer V2

give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must defer to Michael, our computer guru; he gets the final word. Michael, however, can defer these questions to no one; only he can decide.

forgo V.

give up; do without. Determined to lose weight for the summer, Ida decided to forgo dessert until she could fit into a size eight again.

gratuitous ADJ.

given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for. Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion

jocose ADJ.

given to joking. The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that he become a .,stand-up" comic.

beatific ADJ.

giving bliss; blissful. The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy.

fervor N.

glowing ardor; intensity of feeling. At the protest rally, the students cheered the strikers and booed the dean with equal fervor.

disembark V.

go ashore; unload cargo from a ship. Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.

chalice N.

goblet; consecrated cup. In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous European goldsmiths were on display.

bullion N.

gold and silver in the form of bars. Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox

justification N.

good or just reason; defense; excuse. The jury found him guilty of the more serious charge because they could see no possible justification for his actions,

bantering ADJ.

good-natured ridiculing. They resented his bantering remarks because they thought he was being sarcastic

jovial ADJ.

good-natured; merry. A frown seemed out of place on his invariably jovial face.

attrition N.

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 attrition as members moved from the cities to the suburbs. Rather than fire staff members, church leaders followed a policy of attrition, allowing elderly workers to retire without replacing them

demure ADJ.

grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.

browse V.

graze; skim or glance at casually. "How now, brown cow, browsing in the green, green grass." I remember lines of verse that I came across while browsing through the poetry section of the local bookstore.

Clout N.

great influence (especially political or social). Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club.

avalanche N.

great mass of falling snow and ice. The park ranger warned the skiers to stay on the main trails, where they would be in no danger of being buried beneath a sudden avalanche.

host N

great number; person entertaining guests; animal or plant from which a parasite gets its nourishment. You must attend to a host of details if you wish to succeed as host of a formal dinner party. Leeches are parasites that cling to their hosts and drink their hosts' blood.

cataract N.

great waterfall; eye abnormality. She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls

magnitude N.

greatness; extent. It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.

cupidity N.

greed. The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.

*avarice N.

greediness for wealth. King Midas is a perfect example of avarice, for he was so greedy that he wished everything he touched would turn to gold.

avid ADJ.

greedy; eager for. He was avid for learning and read everything he could get. avidity, N

lament V.

grieve; express sorrow. Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in combat. lamentation, N.

gruesome ADJ.

grisly; horrible. His face was the stuff of nightmares: all the children in the audience screamed when Freddy Kruger's gruesome countenance was flashed on the screen.

killjoy

grouch; spoilsport. At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that killjoy John started talking about how bad animal fats were for our health.

ensemble N.

group of (supporting) players; organic unity; costume. As a dancer with the Oakland Ballet, Benjamin enjoyed being part of the ensemble. Having acted with one another for well over a decade, the cast members have developed a true sense of ensemble: They work together seamlessly. Mitzi wore a charming two-piece ensemble designed by Donna Karan

entourage N.

group of attendants; retinue. Surrounded by the members of his entourage, the mayor hurried into city hall, shouting a brusque "No comment!" to the reporters lining the steps

archipelago N.

group of closely located islands. When Gauguin looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.

junta N.

group of men joined in political intrigue; cabal. As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the junta.

grove N.

group of trees (smaller than a forest); orchard. To the child, the small grove of oaks was as vast as Sherwood Forest, in which he played that legendary hero, Robin Hood.

coterie N.

group that meets socially; select circle. After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the hotel.

burgeon V.

grow forth; send out buds. In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.

flourish V

grow well; prosper; decorate with ornaments. The orange trees flourished in the sun

cumulative ADJ.

growing by addition. Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to your vocabulary, one by one.

accretion N

growth; increase. The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.

arroyo N.

gully. Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed

inebriated ADJ.

habitually intoxicated; drunk. Abe was inebriated more often than he was sober. Because of his inebriety, he was discharged from his job as a bus driver

banal ADJ.

hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality. The hack writer's worn-out clich6s made his comic sketch seem banal. He even resorted to the banality of having someone slip on a banana peel!

coiffure N.

hairstyle. You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the sixties many AfricanAmericans affirmed their racial heritage by wearing their hair in Afros.

gavel N.

hammerlike tool; mallet. "Sold!" cried the auctioneer, banging her gavel on the table to indicate she'd accepted the final bid.

hover V.

hang about; wait nearby. The police helicopter hovered above the accident.

loiter V.

hang around; linger. The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley

felicity N.

happiness; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.). She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life

beset V.

harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems beset the American public school system. Sleeping Beauty's castle was beset on all sides by dense thickets that hid it from view.

bait V.

harass; tease. The school bully baited the smaller children, terrorizing them.

incrustation N

hard coating or crust. In dry dock, we scraped off the incrustation of dirt and barnacles that covered the hull of the ship

esoteric ADJ.

hard to understand; known only to the chosen few. The New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is, if you are in the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won't

adamant ADJ

hard; inflexible. Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family. adamancy, N.

arduous ADJ.

hard; strenuous. Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy

callous ADJ.

hardened; unfeeling. He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffering in the wards. callus, N.

defame V.

harm someone's reputation; malign; slander. If you try to defame my good name, my lawyers will see you in court. If rival candidates persist in defaming one another, the voters may conclude that all politicians are crooks. defamation, N.

deleterious ADJ.

harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General certainly does), then quit!

injurious ADJ.

harmful. Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to your health

noxious ADJ.

harmful. We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us

innocuous ADJ

harmless. An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively innocuous and should have no ill effect on you.

compatible ADJ.

harmonious; in harmony with. They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters. compatibility, N.

expedite V.

hasten. Because we are on a tight schedule, we hope you will be able to expedite the delivery of our order. The more expeditious your response is, the happier we'll be

barricade N.

hastily put together defensive barrier; obstacle. Marius and his fellow students hurriedly improvised a rough barricade to block police access to the students' quarter. Malcolm and his brothers barricaded themselves in their bedroom to keep their mother from seeing the hole in the bedroom floor. alsoV

headlong ADJ.

hasty; rash. The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.

incubate V.

hatch; scheme. Inasmuch as our supply of electricity is cut off, we shall have to rely on the hens to incubate these eggs

malicious ADJ

hateful; spiteful. Jealous of Cinderella's beauty, her malicious stepsisters expressed their spite by forcing her to do menial tasks. malice, N.

concentric ADJ.

having a common center. The target was made of concentric circles.

decollete ADJ.

having a low-necked dress. Current fashion decrees that evening gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.

autocratic ADJ.

having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial. Someone accustomed to exercising authority may become autocratic if his or her power is unchecked. Dictators by definition are autocrats. Bosses who dictate behavior as well as letters can be autocrats too.

apolitical ADJ.

having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs. It was hard to remain apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands

anachronistic ADJ.

having an error involving time in a story. The reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is anachronistic: clocks did not exist in Caesar's time. anachronism, N.

anthropomorphic ADJ.

having human form or characteristics. Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics. anthropomorphism, N.

anonymous ADJ.

having no name. She tried to ascertain the identity of the writer of the anonymous letter.

authoritativeADJ.

having the weight of authority; peremptory and dictatorial. Impressed by the young researcher's well-documented presentation, we accepted her analysis of the experiment as authoritative.

Civil ADJ.

having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite. Although Internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax cheats.

agglomeration N.;

heap. It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip.

calorific ADJ.

heat-producing. Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

celestial ADJ.

heavenly. She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter

ballast N.

heavy substance used to add stability or weight. The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an even keel. alsoV.

cumbersome ADJ.

heavy; hard to manage. He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels

communal ADJ.

held in common; of a group of people. When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property.

auxiliary ADJ.

helper, additional or subsidiary. To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station. also N

beneficial ADJ.

helpful; useful. Tiny Tim's cheerful good nature had a beneficial influence on Scrooge's onceuncharitable disposition.

aristocracy N.

hereditary nobility; privileged class. Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy. we say all men are created equal, but we describe particularly outstanding people as natural aristocrats.

ablution N

washing. His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

dross N.

waste matter; worthless impurities. Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross

*atrophy N.

wasting away. Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs. alsoV.

brandish V.

wave around; flourish. Alarmed, Doctor Watson wildly brandished his gun until Holmes told him to put the thing away before he shot himself.

fluctuate V.

waver; shift. The water pressure in our shower fluctuates wildly; you start rinsing yourself off with a trickle, and, two minutes later, a blast of water nearly knocks you down

frail ADJ.

weak. The delicate child seemed too frail to lift the heavy carton. frailty, N.

languid ADJ.

weary; sluggish; listless. Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

chisel N.

wedgelike tool for cutting. With his hammer and chisel, the sculptor chipped away at the block of marble

eerie ADJ.

weird. In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings

genteel ADJ.

well-bred; elegant. We are looking for a man with a genteel appearance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner.

bedraggle V.

wet thoroughly; stain with mud.We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing. bedraggled,ADJ.

hoary ADJ.

white with age. The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70

iniquitous ADJ.

wicked; immoral; unrighteous. Whether or not King Richard III was responsible for the murder of the two young princes in the Tower, it was an iniquitous deed. iniquity, N

breadth N.

width; extent. We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

frantic ADJ.

wild. At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.

lurid ADJ.

wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome. Do the lurid cover stories in the Enquirer actually attract people to buy that trashy tabloid

dormer N.

window projecting from roof. In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient ventilation for the new room.

gusty ADJ.

windy. The gusty weather made sailing precarious

hibernal ADJ.

wintry. Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating.

adage N.

wise saying; proverb. There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

astute ADJ.

wise; shrewd; keen. The painter was an astute observer, noticing every tiny detail of her model's appearance and knowing exactly how important each one was

malevolent ADJ.

wishing evil. lago is a malevolent villain who takes pleasure in ruining Othello.

askance ADJ.

with a sideways or indirect look. Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn

incredulous ADJ.

withholding belief; skeptical. When Jack claimed he hadn't eaten the jelly doughnut, Jill took an incredulous look at his smeared face and laughed. incredulity, N

categorical ADJ.

without exceptions; unqualified; absolute. Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally had to qualify his categorical denial: he was "hardly ever" sick at sea

impassive ADJ

without feeling; imperturbable; stoical. Refusing to let the enemy see how deeply shaken he was by his capture, the prisoner kept his face impassive

artless ADJ.

without guile; open and honest. Sophisticated and cynical, Jack could not believe Jill was as artless and naive as she appeared to be

impromptu ADJ.

without previous preparation; off the cuff; on the spur of the moment. The judges were amazed that she could make such a thorough, well-supported presentation in an impromptu speech.

epigram N

witty thought or saying, usually short. Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous

deadpan ADJ.

wooden; impersonal. We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

epithet N

word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing. So many kings of France were named Charles that you could tell them apart only by their epithets: Charles the Wise was someone far different from Charles the Fat

dabble V.

work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finished piece. The children dabbled their hands in the bird bath, splashing one another gleefully.

collage N.

work of art put together from fragments. Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage.

collaborate V.

work together. Two writers collaborated in preparing this book

decrepit ADJ.

worn out by age. The decrepit car blocked traffic on the highway.

exacerbate V.

worsen; embitter. The latest bombing exacerbated England's already existing bitterness against the IRA, causing the prime minister to break off the peace talks abruptly

idolatry N.

worship of idols; excessive admiration. Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical of the excessive enthusiasm of youth.

chaff N. .

worthless products of an endeavor. When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff

grapple V.

wrestle; come to grips with. He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him.

abject ADJ.

wretched; lacking pride. On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind

extort V.

wring from; get money by threats, etc. The blackmailer extorted money from his victim

corrugated ADJ.

wrinkled; ridged. She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow.

affidavit N.

written statement made under oath. The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit

amiss ADJ.

wrong; faulty. Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss. also ADV.

malfeasance N.

wrongdoing. The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled

annuity N.

yearly allowance. The annuity he setup with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can live very comfortably without working.

cede V.

yield (title, territory) to; surrender formally. Eventually the descendants of England's Henry II were forced to cede their French territories to the King of France.

cession N.

yielding to another; ceding. The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter

compliant ADJ.

yielding. Because Joel usually gave in and went along with whatever his friends desired, his mother worried that he might be too compliant

debutante N.

young woman making formal entrance into society. As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers

callow ADJ.

youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a freshman, Jack was sure he was a man of the world; as a sophomore, he made fun of freshmen as callow youths. In both cases, his judgment showed just how callow he was.

desecrate V.

profane; violate the sanctity of. Shattering the altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot, the invaders desecrated the sanctuary.

lucrative ADJ.

profitable. He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.

assurance N.

promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence. When Guthrie gave Guinness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guinness felt relieved. assure,V.

apocalyptic ADJ.

prophetic; pertaining to revelations. The crowd jeered at the street preacher's apocalyptic predictions of doom. The Apocalypse or Book of Revelations of Saint John prophesies the end of the world as we know it and foretells marvels and prodigies that signal the coming doom.

authenticateV.

prove genuine. An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.

harbor V.

provide a refuge for; hide. The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees.

document V.

provide written evidence. She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm. also N

discretion N.

prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances. Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss it with anyone. discreet,ADJ

circumspectADJ.

prudent; cautious. Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect

archives N.

public records; place where public records are kept. These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the future.

chastise V.

punish. I must chastise you for this offense

chaste ADJ.

pure. Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion. chastity, N.

catharsis N.

purging or cleansing of any passage of the body. Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts

dismiss V.

put away from consideration; reject. Believing in John's love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful. (secondary meaning)

execute V.

put into effect; carry out. The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute a pirouette. (secondary meaning) execution, N.

implement V.

put into effect; supply with tools. The mayor was unwilling to implement the plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing. also N

discomfit V.

put to rout; defeat; disconcert. This ruse will discomfitthe enemy. discomfiture, N. discomfited,ADJ.

entrance V.

put under a spell; carry away with emotion. Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound.

enigma N.

puzzle; mystery. "What do women want?" asked Dr. Sigmund Freud. Their behavior was an enigma to him.

charlatan N.

quack; pretender to knowledge. When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her companions were indignant that they'd been duped by a charlatan

bicker V.

quarrel. The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents.

belligerent ADJ.

quarrelsome. Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers. belligerence, N.

droll ADJ.

queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.

interrogate V.

question closely; cross-examine. Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover story that would help him meet their questions

grill V.

question severely. In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several hours before reading him his rights. (secondary meaning)

dubious ADJ.

questionable; filled with doubt. Many critics of SAT I contend the test is of dubious worth. Jay claimed he could get a perfect 1600 on SAT I, but Ellen was dubious: she knew he hadn't cracked a book in three years.

inquisitor N.

questioner (especially harsh); investigator. Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Masha faced her inquisitors with trepidation.

acute ADJ.

quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe. The acute young doctor realized immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient's once acute hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute one.

cite V.

quote; command. She could cite passages in the Bible from memory. citation, N

hydrophobia N

rabies; fear of water. A dog that bites a human being must be observed for symptoms of hydrophobia.

dais N.

raised platform for guests of honor.When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.

haphazard ADJ.

random; by chance. His haphazard reading left him unacquainted with the authors of the books.

fester V.

rankle; produce irritation or resentment. Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.

ecstasy N.

rapture; joy; any overpowering emotion. When Allison received her long-hoped-for letter of acceptance from Harvard, she was in ecstasy. ecstatic,ADJ.

foolhardy ADJ.

rash. Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture

beam N.

ray of light; long piece of metal or wood; course of a radio signal. V. smile radiantly. If a beam of light falls on you, it illuminates you; if a beam of iron falls on you, it eliminates you. (No one feels like beaming when crushed by an iron beam.)

amenable ADJ.

readily managed; willing to be led. He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his inferiors

compliance N.

readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements. Bullheaded Bill was not noted for easy compliance with the demands of others. As an architect, however, Bill recognized that his design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

entity N.

real being. As soon as the Charter was adopted, the United Nations became an entity and had to be considered as a factor in world diplomacy.

foster V.

rear; encourage. According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf who raised the abandoned infants with her own cubs. alsoADJ.

insurrection N.

rebellion; uprising. In retrospect, given how badly the British treated the American colonists, the eventual insurrection seems inevitable.

insurgent ADJ.

rebellious. Because the insurgent 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 N.

rebuke; deserts. After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance.

ebb V.

recede; lessen. Sitting on the beach, Mrs. Dalloway watched the tide ebb: the waters receded, drawing away from her as she sat there all alone. also N.

inchoate ADJ.

recently begun; rudimentary; elementary. Before the Creation, the world was an inchoate mass.

compute V.

reckon; calculate. He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate. computation, N.

acknowledge V.

recognize; admit. Although I acknowledge that the Beatles' tunes sound pretty dated today, I still prefer them to the "gangsta rap" songs my brothers play.

conciliatory ADJ.

reconciling; soothing. She was still angry despite his conciliatory words. conciliate,V

log N

record of a voyage or flight; record of day to day activities. "Flogged two seamen today for insubordination" wrote Captain Bligh in the Bounty's log. To see how much work I've accomplished recently, just take a look at the number of new files listed on my computer log.

genealogy N.

record of descent; lineage. He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievements of his ancestors.

annals N.

records; history. In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

redact

redact something (from something) to remove information from a document because you do not want the public to see it All sensitive personal information has been redacted from the public documents. The software lets you mark text to redact and then create a new, redacted version.

debase V.

reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. In The King and l, Anna refuses to kneel down and prostrate herself before the king, for she feels that to do so would debase her position, and she will not submit to such debasement

deplete V.

reduce; exhaust.We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.

allude V.

refer indirectly. Try not to mention divorce in Jack's presence because he will think you are alluding to his marital problems with Jill.

ascribe V.

refer; attribute; assign. I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

boycott V.

refrain from buying or using. To put pressure on grape growers to stop using pesticides that harmed the farm workers' health, Cesar Chavez called for consumers to boycott grapes

abstain V.

refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice. After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race. abstinence, N.

intransigence N.

refusal of any compromise; stubbornness. The negotiating team had not expected such intransigence from the striking workers, who rejected any hint of a compromise. intransigent,ADJ.

defiance N.

refusal to yield; resistance. When John reached the "terrible two's," he responded to every parental request with howls of defiance. defy,V.

anthropocentricADJ.

regarding human beings as the center of the universe. Without considering any evidence that might challenge his anthropocentric viewpoint, Hector categorically maintained that dolphins could not be as intelligent as men. anthropocentrism, N.

clime N.

region; climate. His doctor advised him to move to a milder clime.

flout V.

reject; mock. The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.

exult V.

rejoice. We exulted when our team won the victory.

jubilation N.

rejoicing. There was great jubilation when the armistice was announced. jubilant,ADJ.

cognate ADJ.

related linguistically: allied by blood: similar or akin in nature. The English word "mother" is cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words "maternal" and "maternity." also N.

academic ADJ.

related to a school; not practical or directly useful. The dean's talk about reforming the college admissions system was only an academic discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.

canine ADJ.

related to dogs; dog-like. Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population

ethnic ADJ.

relating to races. Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is based on lack of information.

climactic ADJ.

relating to the highest point. When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading. climax, N.

astral ADJ.

relating to the stars. She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.

inexorable ADJ.

relentless; unyielding; implacable. After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law.

alleviate V.

relieve. This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs

icon N

religious image; idol. The icons on the walls of the church were painted in the 13th century.

loath ADJ

reluctant; disinclined. Romeo and Juliet were both loath for him to go.

averse ADJ.

reluctant; disinclined. The reporter was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

compunction N.

remorse. The judge was especially severe in his sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime

defuse V.

remove the fuse of a bomb; reduce or eliminate a threat. Police negotiators are trained to defuse dangerous situations by avoiding confrontational language and behavior.

dehydrate V.

remove water from; dry out. Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.

abjure V

renounce upon oath. He abjured his allegiance to the king.abjuration, N

forswear V.

renounce; abandon. The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.

abdicate V

renounce; give up. When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world.

alliteration N.

repetition of beginning sound in poetry. "The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration.

chronicle V.

report; record (in chronological order). The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities. also N

abnegation N

repudiation; self-sacrifice. No act of abnegation was more pronounced than his refusal of any rewards for his discovery

entail V.

require; necessitate; involve. Building a collegelevel vocabulary will entail some work on your part

atavism N.

resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after passage of two or more generations. The doctors ascribed the child's deformity to an atavism.

equine ADJ.

resembling a horse. His long, bony face had an equine look to it.

begrudge V.

resent. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings; they're a complete waste of time.

distant ADJ.

reserved or aloof; cold in manner. His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome from the start. (secondary meaning)

cistern N.

reservoir or water tank. The farmers were able to withstand. the dry season by using rainwater they had stored in an underground cistern

immune ADJ.

resistant to; free or exempt from. Fortunately, Florence had contracted chicken pox as a child and was immune to it when her baby broke out in spots.

esteem V.

respect; value. Jill esteemed Jack's taste in music, but she deplored his taste in clothes

dutiful ADJ.

respectful; obedient. When Mother told Billy to kiss Great-Aunt Hattie, the boy obediently gave the old woman a dutiful peck on her cheek

inhibit V

restrain; retard or prevent. Only two things inhibited him from taking a punch at Mike Tyson: Tyson's left hook, and Tyson's right jab. The protective undercoating on my car inhibits the formation of rust.

abstinence N.

restraint from eating or drinking. The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted foods. abstain,V.

ironic ADJ.

resulting in an unexpected and contrary outcome. It is ironic that his success came when he least wanted it.

divulge V.

reveal. No lover of gossip, Charlotte would never divulge anything that a friend told her in confidence.

cadence N.

rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat. Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

conundrum N.

riddle. During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

equestrian N.

rider on horseback. These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds. alsoADJ

lampoon V

ridicule. This article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls. also N

deride V.

ridicule; make fun of. The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously. derision, N.

franchise N.

right granted by authority; right to vote; business licensed to sell a product in a particular territory. The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for ninety-nine years. For most of American history women lacked the right to vote: not until the early twentieth century was the franchise granted to women. Stan owns a Carvel's ice cream franchise in Chinatown.

bristling ADJ.

rising like bristles; showing irritation. The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

exposure N.

risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the elements; unmasking; act of laying something open. Exposure to sun and wind had dried out her hair and weathered her face. She looked so changed that she no longer feared exposure as the notorious Irene Adler, onetime antagonist of Sherlock Holmes.

fleece V.

rob; plunder. The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.

bluff ADJ.

rough but good-natured. Jack had a bluff andhearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity; he never let people know how thin-skinned he really was.

gruff ADJ.

rough-mannered. Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children.

circuitous ADJ.

roundabout. To avoid the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route. circuit, N

devious ADJ.

roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The Joker's plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges

efface V.

rub out. The coin had been handled so many times that its date had been effaced.

abrasive ADJ.

rubbing away; tending to grind down. Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience. abrade,V

debris N.

rubble. A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, they were still carting away the debris

florid ADJ.

ruddy; reddish; flowery. If you go to Florida and get a sunburn, your complexion will look florid.

boorish ADJ.

rude; clumsy; ungentlemanly. Natasha was embarrassed by her fellow spy's boorish behavior. "If you cannot act like a gentleman, Boris, go back to Russia: espionage is no job for clumsy boors." boor, N.

domineer V.

rule over tyrannically. Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer.

bucolic ADJ.

rustic; pastoral. Filled with browsing cows and bleating sheep, the meadow was a charmingly bucolic sight.

forlorn ADJ.

sad and lonely; wretched. Deserted by her big sisters and her friends, the forlorn child sat sadly on the steps awaiting their return.

chide V.

scold. Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.

glower V.

scowl. The angry boy glowered at his father.

doodle V.

scribble or draw aimlessly; waste time. Art's teachers scolded him when he doodled all over the margins of his papers

hermetic ADJ.

sealed by fusion so as to be airtight. After you sterilize the bandages, place them in a container and seal it with a hermetic seal to protect them from contamination by airborne bacteria.

avocation N.

secondary or minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation

cipher N.

secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher.

clandestine ADJ.

secret. After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

arcane ADJ.

secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders. So do doctors. Consider the arcane terminology they use and the impression they try to give that what is arcane to us is obvious to them

Clip N.

section of filmed material. Phil's job at Fox Sports involved selecting clips of the day's sporting highlights for later broadcast. alsoV.

inviolable ADJ.

secure from corruption, attack, or violation; unassailable. Batman considered his oath to keep the people of Gotham City inviolable: nothing on earth could make him break this promise.

collateral N.

security given for loan. The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral.

dregs N.

sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs

aspire V.

seek to attain; long for. Because he aspired to a career in professional sports, Philip enrolled in a graduate program in sports management. aspiration, N

aspirant N.

seeker after position or status. Although I am an aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses. alsoADJ

excerpt N.

selected passage (written or musical). The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a clip from a film. alsoV.

bumptious ADJ.

self-assertive. His classmates called him a show-off because of his bumptious airs.

axiom N.

self-evident truth requiring no proof. Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles or axioms.

autonomous ADJ.

self-governing. Although the University of California at Berkeley is just one part of the state university system, in many ways Cal Berkeley is autonomous, for it runs several programs that are not subject to outside control. autonomy, N.

complacency N.

self-satisfaction; smugness. Full of complacency about his latest victories, he looked smugly at the row of trophies on his mantelpiece. complacent,ADJ.

discrete ADJ.

separate; unconnected. The universe is composed of discrete bodies.

estranged ADJ.

separated; alienated. The estranged wife sought a divorce. estrangement, N.

casualty N.

serious or fatal accident. The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

gravity N.

seriousness.We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of the principal's expression. (secondary meaning) grave,ADJ.

exemplify V.

serve as an example of; embody. For a generation of balletgoers, Rudolf Nureyev exemplified the ideal of masculine grace

exemplary ADJ.

serving as a model; outstanding. At commencement the dean praised Ellen for her exemplary behavior as class president

ancillary ADJ.

serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. In an ancillary capacity, Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own. also N

*complementary ADJ.

serving to complete something. John and Lisa's skills are complementary. he's good at following a daily routine, while she's great at improvising and handling emergencies. Together they make a great team.

insulated ADJ.

set apart; isolated. A well-to-do bachelor, James spent his money freely, insulated from the cares of his friends, who had families to support

emancipate V.

set free. At first, the attempts of the Abolitionists to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well as in the South.

liquidate V.

settle accounts; clearup. He was able to liquidate all his debts in a short period of time.

ensconce V.

settle comfortably. Now that their children were ensconced safely in the private school, the jet-setting parents decided to leave for Europe.

hovel N

shack; small, wretched house. He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel.

fetter V.

shackle. The prisoner was fettered to the wall

nuance N.

shade of difference in meaning or color; subtle distinction. Jody gazed at the Monet landscape for an hour, appreciating every subtle nuance of color in the painting.

effrontery N.

shameless boldness. She had the effrontery to insult the guest

barb N.

sharp projection from fishhook, etc.; openly cutting remark. If you were a politician, which would you prefer, being caught on the barb of a fishhook or being subjected to malicious verbal barbs? Who can blame the president if he's happier fishing than back in the capitol listening to his critics' barbed remarks?

angular ADJ.

sharp-cornered; stiff in manner. Mr. Spock's features, though angular, were curiously attractive, in a Vulcan way.

acrid ADJ

sharp; bitterly pungent. The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

asperity N.

sharpness (of temper). These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

acuity N.

sharpness. In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

cameo N.

shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film. Don't bother buying cameos from the street peddlers in Rome: the carvings they sell are clumsy jobs. Did you enjoy Bill Murray's cameo in Little Shop of Horrors? He was onscreen for only a minute, but he cracked me up.

glimmer V.

shine erratically; twinkle. In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars,

luster N

shine; gloss. The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing

lustrous ADJ.

shining. Her large and lustrous eyes lent a touch of beauty to an otherwise plain face.

luminous ADJ

shining; issuing light. The sun is a luminous body

anecdote N.

short account of an amusing or interesting event. Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds

ephemeral ADJ

short-lived; fleeting. The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.

abbreviate V

shorten. Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

curtail V.

shorten; reduce.When Herb asked Diane for a date, she said she was really sorry she couldn't go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.

catcall N.

shout of disapproval; boo. Every major league pitcher has off days during which he must learn to ignore the catcalls and angry hisses from the crowd.

jostle V.

shove; bump. In the subway he was jostled by the crowds.

evince V.

show clearly. When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter.

ebullient ADJ.

showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm. Amy's ebullient nature could not be repressed; she' was always bubbling over with excitement. ebullience, N

dwindle V.

shrink; reduce. The food in the life boat gradually dwindled away to nothing; in the end, they ate the ship's cook.

betoken V.

signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tall piles of cargo containers, and numerous vessels being loaded all betoken Oakland's importance as a port

indices n. PL.

signs; indications. Many college admissions officers believe that SAT scores and high school grades are the best indices of a student's potential to succeed in college. N. SG. index

inane ADJ.

silly; senseless. There's no point to what you're saying. Why are you bothering to make such inane remarks?

comparable ADJ.

similar. People whose jobs are comparable in difficulty should receive comparable pay

analogy N.

similarity; parallelism. A well-known analogy compares the body's immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells

incantation N

singing or chanting of magic spells; magical formula. Uttering incantations to make the brew more potent, the witch doctor stirred the liquid in the caldron.

cynical ADJ.

skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift "with no strings attached." cynic, N.

adroit ADJ.

skillful. His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers

dexterous ADJ.

skillful. The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow him as he performed his tricks

biased ADJ.

slanted; prejudiced. Because the judge played golf regularly with the district attorney's father, we feared he might be biased in the prosecution's favor. bias, N

acidulous ADJ.

slightly sour; sharp, caustic. James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

catapult N.

slingshot; a hurling machine. Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults. alsoV

incline N.

slope; slant. The architect recommended that the nursing home's ramp be rebuilt because its incline was too steep for wheelchairs

dowdy ADJ.

slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a new fashionable wardrobe.

decelerate V.

slow down. Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.

canter N.

slow gallop. Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won in a canter. alsoV.

laggard ADJ.

slow; sluggish. The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders. lag, N.,V.

bungalow N.

small cottage. Every summer we rent a bungalow on Cape Cod for our vacation home. The rent is high, the roof is low-it's a basic bungalow.

clique N.

small exclusive group. Fitzgerald wished that he belonged to the clique of popular athletes and big men on campus who seemed to run Princeton's social life.

cabal N.

small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. The cabal was defeated when their scheme was discovered.

figurine N.

small ornamental statuette. In The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird

facet N.

small plane surface (of a gem); a side. The stonecutter decided to improve the rough diamond by providing it with several facets.

asteroid N.

small planet. Asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction magazines.

cascade N.

small waterfall. We were too tired to appreciate the beauty of the many cascades because we had to detour around them to avoid being drenched by the water cascading down

gorge N.

small, steep-walled canyon. The white-water rafting guide warned us about the rapids farther downstream, where the river cut through a narrow gorge

daub V.

smear (as with paint). From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils. also N

glossy ADJ.

smooth and shining. I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte

fluency N.

smoothness of speech. He spoke French with fluency and ease.

gregarious ADJ.

sociable. Typically, partygoers are gregarious; hermits are not.

gaffe N.

social blunder. According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a tactical mistake

convention N.

social or moral custom; established practice. Flying in the face of convention, George Sand shocked society by taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.

besmirch V.

soil, defile. The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.

anathema N.

solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse. The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped anathema upon "the Great Satan," that is, the United States. To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words. anathematize,V.

awe N.

solemn wonder. The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

dupe N.

someone easily fooled. While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool. alsoV.

adjunct N.

something added on or attached (generally nonessential or inferior). Although I don't absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model

implication N.

something hinted at or suggested.When MissWatson said she hadn't seen her purse since the last time Jim was in the house, the implication was that she suspected Jim had taken it. imply,V.

novelty N.

something new; newness. The computer is no longer a novelty at work; every desk in our office has one. novel,ADJ.

assumption N.

something taken for granted; taking over or taking possession of. The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her assumption of power. assume,V.

linchpin N.

something that holds or links various parts together. The linchpin in the district attorney's case was a photograph showing the defendant shaking hands with the hired killer.

balm N.

something that relieves pain. Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love

anthem N.

song of praise or patriotism. Let us now all join in singing the national anthem.

lull V.

soothe; cause one to relax one's guard; subside. The mother's gentle song lulled the child to sleep. Malcolm tried to come up with a plausible story to lull his mother's suspicions, but she didn't believe a word he said.

bland ADJ.

soothing or mild; agreeable. Jill tried a bland ointment for her sunburn. However, when Jack absentmindedly patted her on the sunburned shoulder, she couldn't maintain a bland disposition.

emollient N.

soothing or softening remedy. The nurse applied an emollientto the inflamed area. alsoADJ.

cosmopolitan ADJ.

sophisticated. Her years in the capitol had transformed her into a cosmopolitan young woman highly aware of international affairs

doleful ADJ.

sorrowful. He found the doleful lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could

judicious ADJ.

sound in judgment; wise. At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.

commodious ADJ.

spacious and comfortable. After sleeping in small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious

capacious ADJ.

spacious. In the capacious rotunda of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train

abstemious ADJ

sparing in eating and drinking; temperate. Concerned whether her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him

malign V.

speak evil of; bad-mouth; defame. Putting her hands over her ears, Rose refused to listen to Betty malign her friend Susan.

expertise N.

specialized knowledge; expert skill. Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in computer programming

inarticulate ADJ.

speechless; producing indistinct speech. He became inarticulate with rage and uttered sounds without meaning

celerity N.

speed; rapidity. Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death.

dispatch N.

speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed. Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters informing his commander of the great victory. alsoV.

cleave V.

split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to. With her heavy cleaver, Julia Child can cleave a whole roast duck in two. Soaked through, the soldier tugged at the uniform that cleaved annoyingly to his body. He would cleave to his post, come rain or shine

Cleft N.

split. Trying for a fresh handhold, the mountainclimber grasped the edge of a cleft in the sheer rockface. alsoADJ.

fleck V.

spot. Her cheeks, flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.

immaculate ADJ

spotless; flawless; absolutely clean. Ken and Jessica were wonderful tenants and left the apartment in immaculate condition when they moved out.

dappled ADJ.

spotted. The sunlight filtering through the screens created a dappled effect on the wall

deploy V.

spread out [troops] in an extended though shallow battle line. The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the enemy offensive.

deadlock N.

standstill; stalemate. Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks. alsoV

kindle V

start a fire; inspire. One of the first things Ben learned in the Boy Scouts was how to kindle a fire by rubbing two dry sticks together. Her teacher's praise for her poetry kindled a spark of hope inside Maya.

inception N

start; beginning. She was involved with the project from its inception.

inaugurate V

start; initiate; install in office. The airline decided to inaugurate its new route to the Far East with a special reduced fare offer. inaugural,ADJ.

bereavement N.

state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved. His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.

immobility N.

state of being immovable. Modern armies cannot afford the luxury of immobility, as they are vulnerable to attack while standing still.

anonymity N.

state of being nameless; anonymousness. The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his anonymity

inconsistency N

state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness. How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? While lawyers check inconsistencies in witnesses' statements, agricultural inspectors check inconsistencies in Grade A eggs. inconsistent,ADJ.

affliction N.

state of distress; cause of suffering. Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up the spirits of those around her.

allege V.

state without proof. Although it is alleged that she has worked for the enemy, she denies the allegation and, legally, we can take no action against her without proof. allegation, N.

lurk V.

stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows."

adhere V.

stick fast. I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented. adhesion, N.

cohere V.

stick together. Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids

extant ADJ.

still in existence. Although the book is out of print, some copies are still extant. Unfortunately, all of them are in libraries or private collections; none are for sale.

galvanize V.

stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize. News that the prince was almost at their door galvanized the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy of combing and primping.

agitate V.

stir up; disturb. Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

foment V.

stir up; instigate. Cheryl's archenemy Heather spread some nasty rumors that fomented trouble in the club. Do you think Cheryl's foe meant to foment such discord?

hoard V

stockpile; accumulate for future use. Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, many people are tempted to hoard food. also N.

check V.

stop motion; curb or restrain. Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better check your temper." (secondary meaning)

arrest V.

stop or slow down; catch someone's attention. Slipping, the trapeze artist plunged from the heights until a safety net luckily arrested his fall. This near-disaster arrested the crowd's attention.

cessation N.

stoppage. The airline's employees threatened a cessation of all work if management failed to meet their demands. cease,V.

arsenal N.

storage place for military equipment. People are forbidden to smoke in the arsenal for fear that a stray spark might setoff the munitions stored there

inclement ADJ.

stormy; unkind. In inclement weather, I like to curl up on the sofa with a good book and listen to the storm blowing outside.

allegory N.

story in which characters are used as symbols; fable. Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of man's soul. allegorical,ADJ

cantata N.

story set to music, to be sung by a chorus. The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.

clapper N.

striker (tongue) of a bell. Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle the noise of its striking.

incandescent ADJ.

strikingly bright; shining with intense heat. If you leave on an incandescent light bulb, it quickly grows too hot to touch.

forte N.

strong point or special talent. I am not eager to play this rather serious role, for my forte is comedy

cogent

strongly and clearly expressed in a way that influences what people believe SYNONYM convincing She put forward some cogent reasons for abandoning the plan.

flounder V

struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter. Up to his knees in the bog, Floyd floundered about, trying to regain his footing. Bewildered by the new software, Flo floundered until Jan showed her how to get started.

headstrong ADJ.

stubborn; willful; unyielding. Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called her a foolish headstrong girl.

archaeologyN.

study of artifacts and relics of early mankind. The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins

gorge V.

stuff oneself. The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten for days.

dolt N.

stupid person. I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself addressing a pack of dolts and idiots.

asinine ADJ.

stupid. Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

authoritarian ADJ.

subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another's will. The leaders of the authoritarian regime ordered the suppression of the democratic protest movement. After years of submitting to the will of her authoritarian father, Elizabeth Barrett ran away from home with the poet Robert Browning.

abate V

subside; decrease, lessen. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate. abatement, N

antiseptic N.

substance that prevents infection. It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant. alsoADJ

anesthetic N.

substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness. His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. anesthesia, N

debacle N.

sudden downfall; complete disaster. In the Airplane movies, every flight turns into a debacle, with passengers and crew members collapsing, engines falling apart, and carry-on baggage popping out of the overhead bins.

caprice N.

sudden, unexpected fancy; whim. On a caprice, Jack tried drag-racing, but paid the price-his father took his Chevy Caprice away from him.

*blighted ADJ.

suffering from a disease; destroyed. The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

bilious ADJ.

suffering from indigestion; irritable. His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

imply V

suggest a meaning not expressed; signify.When Aunt Millie said, "My! That's a big piece of pie, young man!" was she implying that Bobby was being a glutton in helping himself to such a huge piece?

indicative ADJ.

suggestive; implying. A lack of appetite may be indicative of a major mental or physical disorder.

forensic ADJ

suitable to debate or courts of law. In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury. forenSiCS, N

expedient ADJ

suitable; practical; politic. A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical. expediency, N.

aureole N.

sun's corona; halo. Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureoles around their heads.

curator N.

superintendent; manager. The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.

codicil N.

supplement to the body of a will. Miss Havisham kept her lawyers busy drawing up codicils to add to her already complicated will.

litany N.

supplicatory prayer. On this solemn day, the congregation responded to the prayers of the priest during the litany with fervor and intensity.

cater to V.

supply something desired (whether good or bad). The chef was happy to cater to the tastes of his highly sophisticated clientele. Critics condemned the movie industry for catering to the public's ever-increasing appetite for violence

alimentary ADJ.

supplying nourishment. The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there. When asked for the name of the digestive tract, Sherlock Holmes replied, "Alimentary, my dearWatson."

champion V.

support militantly. Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize because he championed the oppressed in their struggle for equality

fulcrum N.

support on which a lever rests. If we use this stone as a fulcrum and the crowbar as a lever, we may be able to move this boulder.

advocacy N.

support; active pleading on something's behalf. No threats could dissuade Bishop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans

buttress V.

support; prop up. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case. also N

bolster V.

support; reinforce. The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolstertheir arguments

adherent N.

supporter; follower. In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherents quickly deserted him

extradition N

surrender of prisoner by one state to another. The lawyers opposed the extradition of their client on the grounds that for more than five years he had been a model citizen

disgorge V.

surrender something; eject; vomit. Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

capitulate V.

surrender. The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.

besiege V.

surround with armed forces; harass (with requests). When the bandits besieged the village, the villagers holed up in the town hall and prepared to withstand a long siege. Members of the new administration were besieged with job applications from people who had worked on the campaign.

encompass V.

surround. Although we were encompassed by enemy forces, we were cheerful for we were well stocked and could withstand a siege until our allies joined us.

abeyance N.

suspended action. The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

leery ADJ.

suspicious; cautious. Don't eat the sushi at this restaurant; I'm a bit leery about how fresh the raw fish is.

bravado N.

swagger; assumed air of defiance. The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack

dulcet ADJ.

sweet sounding. The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel

billowing ADJ.

swelling out in waves; surging. Standing over the air vent, Marilyn Monroe tried vainly to control her billowing skirts.

chisel V.

swindle or cheat; cut with a chisel. That crook chiseled me out of a hundred dollars when he sold me that "marble" statue he'd chiseled out of some cheap hunk of rock.

bilk V.

swindle; cheat. The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

eddy N.

swirling current of water, air, etc. The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.

lap V.

take in food or drink with one's tongue; splash gently. The kitten neatly lapped up her milk. The waves softly lapped against the pier.

expropriate V.

take possession of. He questioned the government's right to expropriate his land to create a wildlife preserve.

avenge V.

take vengeance for something (or on behalf of someone). Hamlet vowed he would avenge his father's murder and punish Claudius for his horrible crime.

loquacious

talking a lot SYNONYM talkative loquacity ləˈkwæsəti loquacity pronunciation English; ləˈkwæsəti loquacity pronunciation American NOUN [uncountable]

brindled ADJ.

tawny or grayish with streaks or spots. He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled, he had hoped for animals of a uniform color

inculcate V

teach; instill. In an effort to inculcate religious devotion, the officials ordered that the school day begin with the singing of a hymn.

doctrine N.

teachings, in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught. He was so committed to the doctrines of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially

gouge V.

tear out. In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes out.

badinage N.

teasing conversation. Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.

incursion N

temporary invasion. The nightly incursions and hit-and-run raids of our neighbors across the border tried the patience of the country to the point where we decided to retaliate in force

cohesion N.

tendency to keep together. A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the evil emperor, by means of lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the cohesion of the federation of free nations.

inclined ADJ

tending or leaning toward; bent. Though I am inclined to be skeptical, the witness's manner inclines me to believe his story. alsoV

evocative ADJ.

tending to call up (emotions, memories). Scent can be remarkably evocative: the aroma of pipe tobacco evokes the memory of my father; a whiff of talcum powder calls up images of my daughter as a child.

inclusive ADJ.

tending to include all. The comedian turned down the invitation to join the Players' Club, saying any club that would let him in was too inclusive for him

invasive ADJ.

tending to spread aggressively; intrusive. Giving up our war with the invasive blackberry vines that had taken over the back yard, we covered the lawn with concrete. invade,V.

centripetal ADJ.

tending toward the center. Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface?

nomenclature N.

terminology; system of names. Sharon found Latin word parts useful in translating medical nomenclature: when her son had to have a bilateral myringotomy, she figured out that he just needed a hole in each of his eardrums to end the earaches he had.

enclave N.

territory enclosed within an alien land. The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy

attest V.

testify, bear witness. Having served as a member of the Grand Jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.

deposition N.

testimony under oath. He made his deposition in the judge's chamber.

libretto N

text of an opera. The composer of an opera's music is remembered more frequently than the author of its libretto

elocution

the ability to speak clearly and correctly, especially in public and pronouncing the words in a way that is considered to be socially acceptable elocution lessons

intelligentsia N

the intelligent and educated classes [often used derogatorily]. She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia

cynosure N.

the object of general attention. As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.

claivoyance

the power that some people are believed to have to be able to see future events or to communicate with people who are dead or far away

ratiocination

the process of thinking or arguing about something in a logical way

ambivalence N.

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 ambivalence of her feelings. ambivalent,ADJ.

histrionic ADJ.

theatrical. He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to play the role of Hamlet, histrionics, N.

larceny N.

theft. Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand larceny to petty larceny.

abstract ADJ.

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational. To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal

coagulate V.

thicken; congeal; clot. Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands; therefore, do not overcook the pudding, lest it become too thick.

emaciated ADJ.

thin and wasted. His long period of starvation had left him emaciated.

cogitate V.

think over. Cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.

exhaustive ADJ.

thorough; comprehensive. We have made an exhaustive study of all published SAT tests and are happy to share our research with you.

comprehensive ADJ.

thorough; inclusive. This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.

gentility N.

those of gentle birth; refinement. Her family was proud of its gentility and elegance.

cerebration N.

thought. Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

frugality N.

thrift; economy. In economically hard times, anyone who doesn't learn to practice frugality risks bankruptcy. frugal, ADJ.

improvident ADJ.

thriftless. He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to "save for a rainy day." improvidence, N.

embroil V

throw into confusion; involve in strife; entangle. He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute

jettison V

throw overboard. In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to jettison much of his cargo.

frustrate V.

thwart; defeat.We must frustrate this dictator's plan to seize control of the government.

compact ADJ.

tightly packed; firm; brief. His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball

heyday N.

time of greatest success; prime. In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running

apprenticeship N.

time spent as a novice learning a trade from a skilled worker. As a child, Pip had thought it would be wonderful to work as Joe's apprentice; now he hated his apprenticeship and scorned the blacksmith's trade.

apex N.

tip; summit; climax. He was at the apex of his career: he had climbed to the top of the heap

indefatigable ADJ.

tireless. Although the effort of taking out the garbage tired Wayne out for the entire morning, when it came to partying, he was indefatigable

caption N.

title; chapter heading; text under illustration. The captions that accompany The Far Side cartoons are almost as funny as the pictures. alsoV.

enfranchise V.

to admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote). Although Blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote until 1920.

harass V.

to annoy by repeated attacks. When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised, he was harassed by his creditors.

fret V.

to be annoyed or vexed. To fret over your poor grades is foolish; instead, decide to work harder in the future

commandeer V.

to draft for military purposes; to take for public use. The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.

nullify V

to make invalid. Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

coddle V.

to treat gently. Don't coddle the children so much; they need a taste of discipline.

indisputableADJ.

too certain to be disputed. In the face of these indisputable statements, I withdraw my complaint.

finicky ADJ.

too particular; fussy. The little girl was finicky about her food, leaving over anything that wasn't to her taste

acme N.

top; pinnacle. His success in this role marked the acme of his career as an actor.

laceration N.

torn, ragged wound. The stock car driver needed stitches to close up the lacerations he received in the car crash.

fiasco N

total failure. Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.

explicit ADJ

totally clear; definite; outspoken. Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied: be explicit about what's bugging you

barterer N.

trader. The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs. It seemed smarter to barter than to pay cash.

equable ADJ.

tranquil; steady; uniform. After the hot summers and cold winters of New England, he found the climate of the West Indies equable and pleasant.

insidious ADJ.

treacherous; stealthy; sly. The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.

lionize

treat as a celebrity. She enjoyed being lionized and adored by the public.

hoax N

trick; practical joke. Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room. alsoV

feint N.

trick; shift; sham blow. The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and dropped his guard. alsoV

chicanery N.

trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred, made up all sorts of implausible alternative scenarios to confuse the jurors, and in general depended on chicanery to win the case.

bauble N.

trinket; trifle. The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

jaunt N.

trip; short journey. He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City.

complaisant ADJ.

trying to please; obliging. The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner

kaleidoscope N.

tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc., produce interesting symmetrical effects. People found a new source of entertainment while peering through the kaleidoscope; they found the ever-changing patterns fascinating.

deflect V.

turn aside. His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

deviate V.

turn away from (a principle, norm); depart; diverge. Richard never deviated from his daily routine: every day he set off for work at eight o'clock, had his sack lunch (peanut butter on whole wheat) at 12:15, and headed home at the stroke of five.

deify V.

turn into a god; idolize. Admire Elvis Presley all you want; just don't deify him.

invert V.

turn upside down or inside out. When he inverted his body in a handstand, he felt the blood rush to his head. inveterate ADJ. deep-rooted; habitual. An inveterate smoker, Bob cannot seem to break the habit, no matter how hard he tries.

gnarled ADJ.

twisted. The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several deeds

coincidence N.

two or more things occurring at the same time by chance. Was it just a coincidence that John and she had chanced to meet at the market for three days running, or was he deliberately trying to seek her out? coincidental,ADJ.

bicameral ADJ.

two-chambered, as a legislative body. The United States Congress is a bicameral body.

indubitable ADJ.

unable to be doubted; unquestionable. Auditioning for the chorus line, Molly was an indubitable hit: the director fired the leading lady and hired Molly in her place!

irrepressibleADJ.

unable to be restrained or held back. My friend Kitty's curiosity was irrepressible: she poked her nose into everybody's business and just laughed when I warned her that curiosity killed the cat.

doctrinaire ADJ

unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding. Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.

irresolute ADJ

uncertain how to act; weak. Once you have made your decision, don't waver; a leader should never appear irresolute.

indeterminate ADJ.

uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite. That interest rates shall rise appears certain; when they will do so, however, remains indeterminate

immutable ADJ

unchangeable. All things change over time; nothing is immutable.

ambiguous ADJ.

unclear or doubtful in meaning. His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take. ambiguity, N.

indomitable ADJ.

unconquerable; unyielding. Focusing on her game despite all her personal problems, tennis champion Steffi Graf proved she had an indomitable will to win

insensible ADJ.

unconscious; unresponsive. Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems insensible to shame

bohemian ADJ.

unconventional (in an artistic way). Gertrude Stein ran off to Paris to live an eccentric, bohemian life with her writer friends. Oakland was not bohemian: it was too bourgeois, too middle-class.

disengage V.

uncouple; separate; disconnect. A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving train.

ethos N.

underlying character of a culture, group, etc. Seeing how tenderly ordinary Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how greatly children were valued in the Spanish ethos

embryonic ADJ.

undeveloped; rudimentary. The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated while it is still in an embryonic state; otherwise, it may grow to dangerous proportions. emend V. correct; correct by a critic. The critic emended the book by selecting the passages which he thought most appropriate to the text.

nondescript ADJ.

undistinctive; ordinary. The private detective was a short, nondescript fellow with no outstanding features, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.

malaise N.

uneasiness; vague feeling of ill health. Feeling slightly queasy before going onstage, Carol realized that this touch of malaise was merely stage fright.

infallible ADJ

unerring. We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes.

inequity N.

unfairness. In demanding equal pay for equal work, women protest the basic inequity of a system that gives greater financial rewards to men

hostility N

unfriendliness; hatred. A child who has been the sole object of his parents' affection often feels hostility toward a new baby in the family, resenting the newcomer who has taken his place

inimical ADJ.

unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental. I've always been friendly to Martha. Why is she so inimical to me?

incoherent ADJ.

unintelligible; muddled; illogical. The excited fan blushed and stammered, her words becoming almost incoherent in the thrill of meeting her favorite rock star face to face. incoherence, N.

inadvertently ADV.

unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly. Judy's great fear was that she might inadvertently omit a question on the exam and mismark her whole answer sheet

incessant ADJ

uninterrupted; unceasing. In a famous TV commercial, the frogs' incessant croaking goes on and on until eventually it turns into a single word: "Bud-weis-er."

fusion N.

union; coalition. The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of disgruntled groups and became an important element in the election.

carat N.

unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold. He gave her a three-carat diamond mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band.

fluke N.

unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune. When Douglas defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, some sportscasters dismissed his victory as a fluke.

implausible ADJ.

unlikely; unbelievable. Though her alibi seemed implausible, it in fact turned out to be true.

boundless ADJ.

unlimited; vast. Mike's energy was boundless: the greater the challenge, the more vigorously he tackled the job

celibate ADJ.

unmarried; abstaining from sexual intercourse. The perennial bachelor vowed to remain celibate. celibacy, N

indifferent ADJ.

unmoved or unconcerned by; mediocre. Because Ann felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to Carl's constant proposals. Not only was she indifferent to him personally, but she felt that, given his general silliness, he would make an indifferent husband

imperceptible ADJ.

unnoticeable; undetectable. Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was imperceptible after the blouse had gone through the wash

derivative ADJ.

unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature,the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

heterodox ADJ.

unorthodox; unconventional. To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun was disturbingly heterodox

desolate ADJ.

unpopulated. After six months in the crowded, bustling metropolis, David was so sick of people that he was ready to head for the most desolate patch of wilderness he could find.

capricious ADJ.

unpredictable; fickle. The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly. Jill was capricious, too: she changed boyfriends almost as often as she changed clothes

disinterested ADJ.

unprejudiced. Given the judge's political ambitions and the lawyers' financial interest in the case, the only disinterested person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter

earthy ADJ.

unrefined; coarse. His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in his audience.

inordinate ADJ.

unrestrained; excessive. She had an inordinate fondness for candy, eating two or three boxes in a single day.

fractious ADJ.

unruly; disobedient; irritable. Bucking and kicking, the fractious horse unseated its rider.

intractable ADJ.

unruly; stubborn; unyielding. Charlie Brown's friend Pigpen was intractable: he absolutely refused to take a bath.

altruistic ADJ.

unselfishly generous; concerned for others. In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed. altruism, N.

abortive ADJ

unsuccessful; fruitless. Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully. abort,V.

disheveled ADJ.

untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview

inopportune ADJ.

untimely; poorly chosen. A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation

apocryphal ADJ.

untrue; made up. To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city

knave N.

untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel. Any politician nicknamed Tricky Dick clearly has the reputation of a knave. knavery, N.

ineffable ADJ.

unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech. Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described

insalubriousADJ.

unwholesome; not healthful. The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion

recalcitrant

unwilling to obey rules or follow instructions; difficult to control a recalcitrant child

grudging ADJ.

unwilling; reluctant; stingy.We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.

disinclination N.

unwillingness. Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed

cataclysm N.

upheaval; deluge. A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries. cataclysmic,ADJ

integrity N.

uprightness; wholeness. Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the Republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time.

distraught ADJ.

upset; distracted by anxiety. The distraught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child.

aloft ADV.

upward. The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. To get into a loft bed, you have to climb aloft.

goad V.

urge on. He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes. also N.

exhort V.

urge. The evangelist exhorted all the sinners in his audience to reform. exhortation, N.

advocate V.

urge; plead for. The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves. also N.

instigate V.

urge; start; provoke. Rumors of police corruption led the mayor to instigate an investigation into the department's activities.

importunate ADJ.

urging; demanding. He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his allowance arrived.

coercion N.

use of force to get someone to obey. The inquisitors used both physical and psychological coercion to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God. coerce,V.

husband V

use sparingly; conserve; save. Marathon runners must husband their energy so that they can keep going for the entire distance.

circumlocution N

using more words than are necessary, instead of speaking or writing in a clear, direct way circumlocutory ˌsɜːkəmˈlɒkjʊtəri circumlocutory pronunciation English; ˌsɜːkəmləˈkjuːtəri circumlocutory pronunciation English; ˌsɜːrkəmˈlɑːkjətɔːri circumlocutory pronunciation American ADJECTIVE

verbose

using or containing more words than are needed SYNONYM long-winded a verbose speaker/style verbosity

colander N.

utensil with perforated bottom used for straining. Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it.

blurt V.

utter impulsively. Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

generality N.

vague statement. This report is filled with generalities; be more specific in your statements.

conceit N.

vanity or self-love; whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor. Although Jack was smug and puffed up with conceit, he was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.

diverge V.

vary; go in different directions from the same point. The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub.

conveyance N.

vehicle; transfer. During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances

execrable ADJ.

very bad. The anecdote was in such execrable taste that it revolted the audience.

humongous

very big SYNONYM enormous

corpulent ADJ.

very fat. The corpulent man resolved to reduce. corpulence, N.

exasperate V.

vex. Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks.

chagrin N.

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 chagrin. Someone filled with chagrin doesn't grin: he's too mortified

disdain V

view with scorn or contempt. In the film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdained fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests. also N

infraction N.

violation (of a rule or regulation); breach. When Dennis Rodman butted heads with that referee, he committed a clear infraction of NBA rules.

impetuous ADJ.

violent; hasty; rash. "Leap before you look" was the motto suggested by one particularly impetuous young man.

boisterous ADJ.

violent; rough; noisy. The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.

insomnia N.

wakefulness; inability to sleep. He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he claimed it gave him insomnia

nomadic ADJ.

wandering. Several nomadic tribes of Indians would hunt in this area each year.

itinerant ADJ.

wandering; traveling. He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his wares. also N.

bellicose ADJ.

warlike. His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.

chafe V.

warm by rubbing; make sore (by rubbing). Chilled, he chafed his hands before the fire. The collar of his school uniform chafed Tom's neck, but not as much the school's strict rules chafed his spirit. Also N

admonish V.

warn; reprove. He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways. admonition, N.

admonition N.

warning. After the student protesters repeatedly rejected Chairman Deng's admonitions, the government issued an ultimatum: either the students would end the demonstration at once or the soldiers would fire on the crowd.

endearment N.

/fond statement. Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence

extrude V.

/force or push out. Much pressure is required to extrude these plastics.

girth N

/distance around something; circumference. It took an extra-large cummerbund to fit around Andrew Carnegie's considerable girth.

recapitulate (also recap)

(formal) (also recap) [intransitive, transitive] recapitulate (on something)| recapitulate something| recapitulate what, where, etc... to repeat or give a summary of what has already been said, decided, etc To recapitulate briefly, the three main points are these... recapitulation ˌriːkəpɪtʃuˈleɪʃn recapitulation pronunciation English; ˌriːkəpɪtʃuˈleɪʃn recapitulation pronunciation American NOUN [countable, uncountable] (formal) (also recap)

exorbitant

(of a price) much too high exorbitant costs/fares/fees/prices/rents It's a good hotel but the prices are exorbitant.

flag V.

/droop; grow feeble. When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first quarter, the home team's spirits flagged. flagging,ADJ.

economy N.

/efficiency or conciseness in using something. Reading the epigrams of Pope, I admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of meaning. (secondary meaning)

facsimile N.

/COPY. Many museums sell facsimiles of the works of art on display

ecologist N.

/a person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment. The ecologist was concerned that the new dam would upset the natural balance of the creatures living in Glen Canyon.

foresight N.

/ability to foresee future happenings; prudence. A wise investor, she had the foresight to buy land just before the current real estate boom.

empathy N.

/ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc. What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and feel his emotions as if they were her own. empathize,V

fortuitous ADJ

/accidental; by chance. Though he pretended their encounter was fortuitous, he'd actually been hanging around her usual haunts for the past two weeks, hoping she'd turn up

emissary N.

/agent; messenger. The secretary of state was sent as the president's special emissary to the conference on disarmament.

escapism N.

/avoiding reality by diverting oneself with amusements. Before you criticize her constant reading as mere escapism, note how greatly her vocabulary has improved since she began spending her days buried in books.

empirical ADJ.

/based on experience. He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.

disparate ADJ.

/basically different; unrelated. Unfortunately, Tony and Tina have disparate notions of marriage: Tony sees it as a carefree extended love affair, while Tina sees it as a solemn commitment to build a family and a home.

disparage V.

/belittle. A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son's crude attempts at art than to disparage them.

ennui N.

/boredom. The monotonous routine of hospital life induced a feeling of ennui that made him moody and irritable

fracas N.

/brawl, melee. The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents.

fickle ADJ.

/changeable; faithless. As soon as Romeo saw Juliet, he forgot all about his old girlfriend Rosaline. Was Romeo fickle?

disconcert V.

/confuse; upset; embarrass. The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary

epicure N

/connoisseur of food and drink. Epicures frequent this restaurant because it features exotic wines and dishes. epicurean,ADJ.

faze V.

/disconcert; dismay. No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.

clairvoyant ADJ.

N. having foresight; fortuneteller. Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans. clairvoyance, N.

impale V.

Pierce. He was impaled by the spear hurled by his adversary.

cavort

[intransitive] + adverb/preposition to jump or move around in a noisy, excited and often sexual way The photos showed her cavorting on the beach with her new lover.

incriminate V

accuse. The evidence gathered against the racketeers incriminates some high public officials as well

attain V.

achieve or accomplish; gain. The scarecrow sought to attain one goal: he wished to obtain a brain.

caliber N.

ability; quality. Einstein's cleaning the blackboards again? Albert, quit it! A man of your caliber shouldn't have to do such menial tasks.

buoyant ADJ.

able to float; cheerful and optimistic. When the boat capsized, her buoyant life jacket kept Jody afloat. Scrambling back on board, she was still in a buoyant mood, certain that despite the delay she'd win the race.

amphibian ADJ.

able to live both on land and in water. Frogs are classified as amphibian. also N

effectual ADJ.

able to produce a desired effect; valid. Medical researchers are concerned because of the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria; many once useful antibiotics are no longer effectual in curing bacterial infections.

discriminating ADJ

able to see differences; prejudiced. A superb interpreter of Picasso, she was sufficiently discriminating to judge the most complex works of modern art. (secondary meaning) discrimination, N.

ambulatory ADJ.

able to walk; not bedridden. Juan was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did he refuse to be confined to bed, but he insisted on riding his skateboard up and down the halls

aberrant N

abnormal or deviant. Given the aberrant nature of the data, we doubted the validity of the entire experiment. also N.

anomalous ADJ.

abnormal; irregular. He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures which he despised

abrogate ADJ.

abolish. He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

informal ADJ.

absence of ceremony; casual. The English teacher preferred informal discussions to prepared lectures

anarchy N.

absence of governing body; state of disorder. The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy

imperative ADJ.

absolutely necessary; critically important. It is imperative that you be extremely agreeable to GreatAunt Maud when she comes to tea: otherwise she might not leave you that million dollars in her will. also N.

assimilate V.

absorb; cause to become homogeneous. The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride to Americans. The immigrants eagerly assimilated new ideas and customs; they soaked them up, the way plants soak up water

affluence N.

abundance; wealth. Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

ample ADJ.

abundant. Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why did he let us catch him?

bountiful ADJ.

abundant; graciously generous. Thanks to the good harvest, we had a bountiful supply of food and we could be as bountiful as we liked in distributing food to the needy.

luxuriant ADJ.

abundant; rich and splendid; fertile. Lady Godiva was completely covered by her luxuriant hair.

invective N.

abuse. He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal. inveigh,V

adventitiousADJ.

accidental; casual. He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate.

accessory N.

additional object; useful but not essential thing. She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress. alsoADJ

adjacent ADJ.

adjoining; neighboring; close by. Philip's best friend Jason lived only four houses down the block, close but not immediately adjacent.

compromiseV.

adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of. Sometimes the presence of a neutral third party can help adversaries compromise their differences. Unfortunately, you're not neutral; therefore, your presence here compromises our chances of reaching an agreement. also N.

acclimate V

adjust to climate. One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travelers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments.

concede V.

admit; yield. Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right.

espouse V.

adopt; support. She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.

embellish V.

adorn; ornament. The costume designer embellished the leading lady's ball gown with yards and yards of ribbon and lace.

mannered ADJ.

affected; not natural. Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.

gustatory ADJ.

affecting the sense of taste. The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used to a bland cuisine.

catalyst N.

agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged. Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst

ferment N.

agitation; commotion. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment

discomposure N.

agitation; loss of poise. Perpetually poised, Agent 007 never exhibited a moment's discomposure.

harrowing ADJ.

agonizing; distressing; traumatic. At first the former prisoner did not wish to discuss his harrowing months of captivity as a political hostage.

abet V

aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage. She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

attentive ADJ.

alert and watchful; considerate; thoughtful. Spellbound, the attentive audience watched the final game of the tennis match, never taking their eyes from the ball. A cold wind sprang up; Stan's attentive daughter slipped a sweater over his shoulders without distracting his attention from the game.

adapt V.

alter; modify. Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment.

equivocal ADJ.

ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate's equivocal comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue. equivocate,V.

licentious ADJ.

amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained. Unscrupulously seducing the daughter of his host, Don Juan felt no qualms about the immorality of his licentious behavior.

concession N.

an act of yielding. Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions.

addendum N

an addition or supplement. As an addendum to the minutes, let me point out that Susan moved to appoint Kathy and Arthur to the finance committee.

assail V.

assault. He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

convene V.

assemble. Because much needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in special session by January 15.

compile V.

assemble; gather; accumulate. We planned to compile a list of the words most frequently used on SAT I examinations.

acquiesce V.

assent; agree without protesting. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescence, N.; acquiescent,ADJ

allocate V.

assign. Even though the Red Cross had allocated a large sum for the relief of the sufferers of the disaster, many people perished.

absorb V.

assimilate or incorporate; suck or drink up; wholly engage. During the nineteenth century, America absorbed hordes of immigrants, turning them into productive citizens. Can Huggies diapers absorb more liquid than Pampers can? This question does not absorb me; instead, it bores me. absorption, N.

fraternize V.

associate in a friendly way. After the game, the members of the two teams fraternized as cheerfully as if they had never been rivals.

dumbfound V

astonish. Egbert's perfect 1600 on his SAT I exam dumbfounded his classmates, who had always found him to be perfectly dumb

flabbergasted ADJ

astounded; astonished; overcome with surprise. In the film Flubber, the hero invents a remarkable substance whose amazing properties leave his coworkers flabbergasted. flabbergast,V.

heinous ADJ.

atrocious; hatefully bad. Hitler's heinous crimes will never be forgotten.

append V.

attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix.

annex V.

attach; take possession of. Mexico objected to the United States' attempts to annex the territory that later became the state of Texas.

bombardment N.

attack with missiles. The enemy bombardment demolished the town. Members of the opposition party bombarded the prime minister with questions about the enemy attack.

aggressor N.

attacker. Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one was the aggressor.

iconoclastic ADJ.

attacking cherished traditions. Deeply iconoclastic, Jean Genet deliberately set out to shock conventional theatergoers with his radical plays

defeatist ADJ.

attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed. also N

engage V.

attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront. "Your case has engaged my interest, my lord," said Holmes. "You may engage my services."

comely ADJ.

attractive; agreeable. I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one

antipathy N.

aversion; dislike. Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife. Noise in any form is antipathetic to him. Among his other antipathies are honking cars, boom boxes, and heavy metal rock.

eschew V

avoid. Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he tried to eschew all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub gin.

arousal N.

awakening; provocation (of a response). On arousal, Papa was always grumpy as a bear. The children tiptoed around the house, fearing they would arouse his anger by waking him up.

accolade N.

award of merit. In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

irony N.

hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that seem to mean the opposite of what they actually mean. Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing on his opponent was actually irony, he was in fact ridiculing the poor fool

cache N.

hiding place. The detectives followed the suspect until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot. He had cached the cash in a bag for trash: it was a hefty sum

intellect N.

higher mental powers. He thought college would develop his intellect.

apogee N.

highest point. When the moon in its orbit is farthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee

glaring ADJ

highly conspicuous; harshly bright. Glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume will unfavorably impress potential employers.

baroque ADJ.

highly ornate. Accustomed to the severe lines of contemporary buildings, the architecture students found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing. They simply didn't go for baroque.

concave ADJ.

hollow. The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff

homage N

honor; tribute. In her speech she tried to pay homage to a great man.

cornucopia N.

horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance. The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an inexhaustible source of knowledge for the entire family.

ghastly

horrible. The murdered man was a ghastly sight.

animus N.

hostile feeling or intent. The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

antagonism N.

hostility; active resistance. Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him. antagonistic,ADJ.

choleric ADJ.

hot-tempered. His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature

firebrand N.

hothead: troublemaker. The police tried to keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town.

embrace V.

hug; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encircle; include. Clasping Maid Marian in his arms, Robin Hood embraced her lovingly. In joining the outlaws in Sherwood Forest, she had openly embraced their cause

behemoth N.

huge creature; monstrous animal. Sportscasters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth."

enormity N

hugeness (in a bad sense). He did not realize the enormity of his crime until he saw what suffering he had caused.

humility N.