Unit 22

stymie

(v.) to block; to *thwart, to hinder , to impede, to *staunch, to *stem (n.) a thwarting and distressing situation The verb stymie means to obstruct or hinder. Constantly texting with your friends will stymie your effort to finish your homework. Stymie was first used on the golf course in Scotland, where it referred to an opponent's ball blocking your own ball's path to the cup. From there a verb sense developed, until finally stymie came to mean blocking with any obstacle, not just a golf ball.

serene

(adj.) calm, peaceful, tranquil, (*placid) Choose the adjective serene to describe someone who is calm and untroubled. If you tell someone horrible news and they remain serene, you might wonder if they heard you! Related to the Latin word serenus "peaceful, calm, clear," serene was originally used in English, as in Latin, to describe calm weather. By the mid 1600s, however, it was used figuratively to describe a calm, untroubled person as well. Though people show their emotions pretty openly today, Victorian novels are full of characters who remain serene no matter how terrible the news. "he remained serene in the midst of turbulence" "a serene expression on her face"

thrifty

(adj.) careful about money; economical, provident, (*frugal), not miser or parsimonious Being thrifty means being careful of your money and how you spend it. Think twice before you spend, but if you must shop, hitting the sales and using coupons are good ways to be thrifty. Note the similarity between the adjective thrifty and the verb thrive, and you'll realize that being careful with your money might be an important survival tactic. Everyone worries about having enough — look at how thrift shops have become important sources of clothing and other goods for many people, allowing them to buy without spending a fortune. Being thrifty is a solid virtue, as suggested by the old German proverb, "Prudent men woo thrifty women."

sanguine

(adj.) cheerful; optimistic (n.)a blood-red color If you're sanguine about a situation, that means you're optimistic that everything's going to work out fine. Sanguine is from Latin sanguis "blood" and originally meant "bloody" — in medieval medicine it described someone whose ruddy complexion was a sign of an optimistic outlook. That was back when people thought that "bodily humors" like blood were responsible for your attitudes. Now that we no longer believe in humors, sanguine has settled down as a fancy way to say someone is cheerfully confident. Experts are frequently described as feeling sanguine about a political or economic situation — or not sanguine, if they think we're going to hell in a handbasket.

sordid

(adj.) dirty, (*squalid) Describe a person's actions as sordid if they are so immoral or unethical that they seem dirty. Think of the worst parts of a bad soap opera! Something that is filthy or run down such as a neighborhood or someone's living conditions can be called sordid, but it is usually used figuratively to mean immoral or dishonest. If you want to hear the sordid details of someone's actions, it's because they were extremely dishonest or sexually immoral and also because they were supposed to be kept a secret.

snide

(adj.) expressive of contempt; derogatory or mocking in an indirect way, *sneering , *supercilious, *disparaging, *contemptuous Snide means insulting or contemptuous in an indirect way. If your friend is wearing too much purple eye shadow and your other friend whispers to you, "What? Was she in a car wreck?" that's a snide comment. Snide remarks are the kinds of things people say with a sneer on their face. When you leave a movie theater and your friend says, "I can't believe someone was actually paid to write that screenplay," he's being snide. Instead of saying, "That movie was terrible," he's expressing his disdain in a more underhanded and indirect way. The chairman interpreted Taylor's question about promotions as a snide remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company's process. "Makes many a sharp comparison but never a mean or snide one"

spendthrift

(adj.) extravagant, (*prodigal, *profligate) (n.) scattergood, spend-all, spender, big spender, high roller, (*prodigal, *profligate, *squanderer) A spendthrift person is reckless and wasteful with his money. If you're a spendthrift, you might find yourself in debt. However, it might be fun to have a spendthrift friend who likes to treat you to expensive lunches and lavish gifts. Spendthrift people are the worst nightmare of retirement planners and Scrooges all over the globe. So unless you want to be called a spendthrift, think twice about your next purchase.

Pollyannaish

(adj.) extremely optimistic or *sanguine Someone who is unfailingly cheerful — no matter what — can be described as pollyannaish. If your friend tells you some terribly bad news, it would be pollyannaish to say, "Yes, but it's such a beautiful day!" While the adjective pollyannaish describes an optimistic outlook and a determined cheeriness, it also implies that this attitude is taken too far. When you put a positive spin on everything, even things that call for sadness or discouragement, you're being pollyannaish. "Even in the midst of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when prospective customers hung up on her"

remiss

(adj.) failing to fulfill one's duty, negligent, delinquent, derelict, neglectful If it's your turn to bring in the coffee and donuts for your early morning meeting, and you forget, then your co-workers can say that you were remiss in fulfilling your responsibility to keep them awake with sugar and caffeine. Don't expect to get much done at your meeting. The adjective remiss is often used in the phrase "remiss in one's duty." The principal was remiss in her duty to tell parents about the incident at school. After the parents heard about it from their kids, the principal received several angry phone calls wondering why the school had been locked down for loose farm animals. "remiss of you not to pay your bills"

steadfast

(adj.) firmly fixed; not moving or changing, firm, steady, stiff, unbendable, unfaltering, unshakable, unwavering, firm and dependable especially in loyalty, (*staunch,*stalwart) Someone who is firm and determined in a belief or a position can be called steadfast in that view, like your mom when she thinks you really shouldn't wear that outfit. The word steadfast traces back to the Old English word stedefæst, a combination of stede, meaning "place," and fæst, meaning "firmly fixed." Picture a steadfast person standing firmly in place, not wavering or budging an inch, and you'll have a good sense of what this word means. Someone can be steadfast in a belief, an effort, a plan, or even a refusal. Whatever it is, it means that the person will calmly hold firm to the chosen position and follow through with determination. "a steadfast ally" "steadfast resolve"

replete

(adj.) full; abundant (v.)fill to satisfaction Replete means full, often in a satisfying way. "The library was replete with bound first editions, and Lucy, a bookworm, was happier there than any place else." Replete shares a root with the word plenty. When you have plenty of cookies and cake, you can say your table is replete with goodies. Another cousin of replete is replenish. When your cabinets are bare, you go to the store to replenish them. When you unpack your groceries, your pantry is replete with essentials.

sanctimonious

(adj.) making a show of virtue or righteousness; hypocritically moralistic or pious, self-righteous, canting, holier-than-thou The sanctimonious person sounds like a hypocrite when he preaches to a friend about the evils of drugs, while he drinks one beer after another. Sanctimonious is a twist on the words sanctity and sacred, which mean holy or religious. A sanctimonious person might think he's holy, but their attitude comes across more like "holier-than-thou." Though sanctimonious people might try to act like saints, their actions are far from pure or holy, which just makes them sound like hypocrites.

stolid

(adj.) not easily moved or aroused mentally or emotionally; dull, unresponsive, impassive, (*unflappable) A stolid person can't be moved to smile or show much sign of life, in much the same way as something solid, like a giant boulder, is immovable. Both are expressionless. It's hard to get excited about the word stolid. It refers to emotionless people or things, and it even sounds pretty dull. Your face may be stolid, as you plod through the unemotional history of the word born in the 17th century of little more than Latin words for "foolish." In some definitions, stolid does have more complimentary synonyms, such as "dependable" or "calm," but these can be overshadowed by other words for stolid — "empty," "blank," and "vacant," to name a few. ""a silent stolid creature who took it all as a matter of course"-Virginia Woolf" "her face showed nothing but stolid indifference"

smug

(adj.) overly self-satisfied, self-righteous, (*complacent) A smug person is self-satisfied. You can usually recognize someone who is pleased with himself by his smug little smile and self-righteous remarks. Smug is the opposite of modest and unsure. In cartoons, the smug character often walks around with his chest puffed out and his ego leading the way. "Too much good fortune can make you smug and unaware," thought Rachel Field, the children's author. What she means is that successes are appreciated much more when they don't come so often that you begin to feel entitled to them. "a smug glow of self-congratulation"

staid

(adj.) serious and dignified; quiet or subdued in character or conduct, sedate Something that is staid is dignified, respectable — possibly even boring, like a staid dinner party that is heavy on the important guests but light on the laughs. Staid is pronounced just like "stayed" — in fact, it comes from stay, meaning "fixed" or "permanent." Something that is staid is sedate, slightly dull, and tends to stay the same. Whether it's a middle-class lifestyle, a conservative law firm, your unadventurous aunt, or an old navy plaid sofa, the word staid can be used to describe anything that maintains a respectable self-restraint and takes no chances.

scintallating

(adj.) sparkling or shining brightly, bubbling, (*effervescent), frothy, sparkly Something scintillating is flashing briefly and sharply with light. Scintillating conversations are smart and captivating. To be scintillating is to be sharp. Things that are scintillating are exciting: they grab your attention with sparkles, flashes of light, or sheer brilliance. Most often, we talk about scintillating conversations and speakers. If you say someone is scintillating, then they are clever — people want to listen to them. This is a word often used sarcastically. If someone is boring, you might say "Well, that was scintillating," while rolling your eyes. "the scintillating stars" "scintillating personality" "scintillating wit" "a play full of scintillating dialogue"

robust

(adj.) strong and healthy; vigorous, (*stalwart), stout, sturdy, hardy, marked by richness and fullness of flavor Use robust to describe a person or thing that is healthy and strong, or strongly built. This adjective also commonly describes food or drink: a robust wine has a rich, strong flavor. If your school has a robust sports program, it means they offer lots of different kinds of sports and that a lot of kids participate. If you have a robust speaking voice, it means you have a voice that's deep and loud and strong. "the experiment yielded robust results" "a robust faith" "a robust claret" "the robust flavor of fresh-brewed coffee" "a robust tale" "He said police would "adopt a robust arrest policy on anyone who attends and is intent on violence and disorder".

stalwart

(adj.) strong and sturdy; brave; *resolute, *steadfast, *staunch, *robust (n.) a strong supporter, loyalist, admirer, booster, *champion, friend, protagonist, supporter To be stalwart is to be loyal, no matter what, like your friend who remains a devoted fan of an actor she's admired since childhood, even if that was the last time the guy made a decent movie. Stalwart can describe someone who's able to keep on going even when things get hard, like a marathon runner who doesn't slow down, even after spraining an ankle, or a supporter of a political cause that everyone else has long declared over. "proud of her tall stalwart son" "a stalwart knight" "the stalwart citizens at Lexington" "a stalwart supporter of the UN"

spurn

(v.) reject with contempt, disdain, scorn, turn down, pass up, refuse, reject, turn down , turn away, rebuff, repel, (*snub) If you reject your mother's offer to buy you a pair of lederhosen with a snort and eye roll, you are spurning her generosity. To spurn means to reject with disdain. Originally, to spurn was to kick away. Though it's not used in that context so often anymore, being spurned still feels like a kick in the gut. You can reject someone kindly, or let them down easily, but you can't spurn someone with anything but malice. "She spurned his advances"

reprobate

(n.) a depraved, vicious, or unprincipled person, scoundrel, miscreant (adj. ) wicked, corrupt, or unprincipled; (v.) to disapprove of, condemn, decry, excoriate, (*objurgate) There's no way around it, a reprobate is a bad egg. The black sheep of the family, missing a moral compass — a reprobate's been called everything from a deviant to an evildoer to a scoundrel. Selfish, depraved, disreputable, a reprobate is not known for his inner goodness. In fact, reprobates were once considered "rejected by God," the meaning of the noun in the 1500s. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, a reprobate was a popular literary character, sometimes amusing, as noted in Henry James' Daisy Miller, "What a clever little reprobate she was, and how smartly she played an injured innocence!" "God reprobated the unrepenting sinner" "These ideas were reprobated" "the reprobate conduct of a gambling aristocrat"

firebrand

(n.) a piece of burning wood; a troublemaker; an extremely energetic or emotional person, someone who deliberately foments trouble, radical, subversive, incendiary When someone is known for being wildly devoted to a cause or idea, they're called a firebrand. A firebrand enjoys pushing buttons and stirring up passions. Firebrand isn't such a tough word to remember if you think of that person's "brand" being "fiery." Someone who enjoys heating up the debate around a subject or lighting a fire under other people is a firebrand. "Fire" is their "brand." Firebrands come in all shapes and sizes: conservative, liberal, militant, creative. Anyone who takes a strong, provocative stance and challenges people with heated rhetoric might be labeled a firebrand. All it takes is guts and a willingness to stir things up.

smattering

(n.) superficial, scattered knowledge; a small amount, handful A smattering is a small but inexact amount of something. If you know a smattering of things about Australia, then you don't know much. A smattering is a small amount of something, but it's hard to say how much. It's probably less than a bunch, but it's not much more than a whit or a jot. If you said "There's a smattering of squirrels in the park," then there are only a few squirrels. This word also implies that you don't understand a subject very well — a smattering of knowledge is only a tiny bit of knowledge.

savvy

(n.) the cognitive condition of someone who understands (*apprehension, *acumen, *prudent), discernment, understanding, shrewdness, perspicacious, sagacious, canny (v.) to get the meaning of something, apprehend You are known as someone with a lot of business savvy, but only because you've managed to keep your staggering debts a secret. Which is actually pretty savvy. Someone who is savvy is shrewd and perceptive. Most English words stem directly from other European languages, like French and Latin. Not savvy. It comes from the West Indies, a twist on the French savez vous? — "Do you know?" Synonyms for the noun form include acumen, discernment, grasp, perception, and sharpness. "Closing and consolidating accounts — especially if there are no associated tax consequences — always is a savvy move"

serendipidity

(n.) the instance in which an accidental, fortunate discovery is made, good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries,(*fortuitous) If you find good things without looking for them, serendipity — unexpected good luck — has brought them to you. Serendipity does not come from Latin or Greek, but rather was created by a British nobleman in the mid 1700s from an ancient Persian fairy tale. The meaning of the word, good luck in finding valuable things unintentionally, refers to the fairy tale characters who were always making discoveries through chance. You can thank serendipity if you find a pencil at an empty desk just as you walk into an exam and realize that you forgot yours. "Speaking of serendipity, do you want to be my wife?" she asked.

redress

(v.) compensate, correct, right, repair, remedy (n.) a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury, amends, damages, indemnification, indemnity, restitution (n.)act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil The verb redress is used when you are supposed to fix a problem and make amends. You want your parents to redress the fact that you don't have a pet. Your parents offer to get a hamster, but instead, you say you want a monkey. Redress can be used as both a noun and a verb. In the noun form, it is the compensation for setting something right. As a verb it means to correct, right a wrong, or make restitution for something. The union organizers wanted the company to redress the fact that workers weren't getting lunch breaks. "The tailor redressed for spoiling the dress"

tarnish

(v.) make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically, defile , maculate , stain , sully To tarnish is to become dull or discolored. Silver tends to tarnish easily, which is why your mother is always having you polish the family silver. As a noun, a tarnish is the dull layer of corrosion that sometimes forms on metal items, usually the result of the metal reacting to oxygen in the air. Metals are most likely to tarnish, but so can anything that once felt sparkly and bright but has lost its luster — even you. If the new kid just beat you in chess, your reputation as the best chess player in your class has started to tarnish. Better not lose again! "Pete Rose was one of the best baseball players of his generation, but his involvement with gambling on baseball games has tarnished his image in the eyes of many" "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"

snub

(v.) rebuff, insult, disregard, ignore,reject, scorn, (*spurn, *repudiate), turn down, repel (n.)a refusal to recognize someone you know To snub is to ignore or refuse to acknowledge someone. If you want to snub your former best friend, you can refuse to even look at her when you pass in the hallway. When you snub someone, you deliver an insult by pretending to not even notice someone that you know. There's an element of disdain and rejection to a snub, as if you're too good to even acknowledge the person. As a noun, a snub is that act of cold rejection. Your former friend probably noticed the snub, and she'll probably snub you from now on. Snub also means "very short," like the nose on a bulldog. "She snubbed his proposal" "the snub was clearly intentional"

countermand

(v.) to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first cancel officially, annul, lift, overturn, repeal, (*rescind), reverse, revoke, vacate When an officer in the military shouts, "Belay that order, Private!" that is a countermand. A countermand is an order that cancels or reverses an earlier command. Countermand is also used as a verb meaning "to cancel or revoke." Counter means "opposing" or "opposite," and mand is short for "mandate" or "command." Put them together and you've got countermand — an "opposing command." When you issue a countermand, you cancel the original command and usually replace it with a new one. Countermand is often used in a military context, but it can be applied more widely. If your parents tell you to take out the trash, you might countermand these orders by telling your little brother to do it instead.

retract

(v.) to draw back; withdraw, pull inward or towards a center, (*abjure), forswear, recant Have you ever said something you wish you could retract, or take back? You're not alone. Even newspapers and magazines have sections where the editors can retract something written that was incorrect. The sense of the word retract meaning to draw back or withdraw comes from the mid-16th century, and its meaning was clear when Napoleon Bonaparte said, "In politics...never retreat, never retract...never admit a mistake." Still, sometimes you wish you could retract something you said or did. Cats can retract their claws, and some snakes can retract their fangs, but words spoken in anger can never be fully retracted, or taken back. "He retracted his earlier statements about his religion"

renege

(v.) to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise, renege on To renege is to go back on your word or fail to keep a promise. Not quite lying, reneging is more a sin of omission — failing to do what you said you would. In card games, you are said to renege if you play against the rules. To renege may be wrong, but it's not necessarily a punishable offense (unless you put that promise legally binding in writing). Still, it certainly doesn't make you look good! "How did Reagan avoid getting accused of reneging on his promise?" "She also predicted, correctly, that the new president, Donald Trump, would renege on the deal."

thwart

(v.) to hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of to block; to *stymie, to hinder , to impede, to *staunch, to *stem A villain's worst nightmare is the superhero who always seems to thwart his efforts, preventing him from carrying out his plans to take over the world. Thwart is a word you'll hear in a lot of action movies, and usually it's the hero who is trying to thwart the evil plan of some super-villain. Yet even mere mortals can be thwarted in their efforts; the word simply means to prevent someone from carrying out his or her plans. An aggressive driver can thwart your attempt to snag a parking space at a crowded mall by pulling into the space before you. An aggressive shopper at that same mall can thwart your efforts to buy the last Dancing Snoopy doll by grabbing it off the shelf first.

stem

(v.) to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something, halt, (*staunch, *impede, *hobble) (v.) grow out of, have roots in, originate in A stem is a plant's stalk, and it's also a verb meaning "grow out of." So roses have stems, and your idea to give roses to your mom for her birthday stems from her love of flowers. A stem can be the central root of a word, the supporting structure of a plant, or the thin, cylindrical part of a glass goblet. When one thing stems from something else, it originates or begins growing there: "His vegetarianism stems from his love of animals." An older meaning of the verb is "stop the flow of something," as in "Stem your nosebleed with this tissue!" or "Some people think streetlights will stem the graffiti on that street." "stem the tide" "The increase in the national debt stems from the last war"