Vocabulary

innate- context clue "innate talent" - word parts clue: Nat- means born

(adj) - Definition: inborn; existing from birth; inherent -Complete the sentence: From infancy, it was apparent that Mozart had an____________ gift for music.

indicative- context clue " indicative of potential problems"

(adj) - Definition: serving to point out or reveal something - Complete the sentences: A lack of appetite is not necessarily ________________ of some major physical disorder. You may just not be hungry.

aesthetic- context clue "aesthetically pleasing"

(adj) -Definition: artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating beauty -Complete the sentence: The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Esther's __________ sense.

inherent- context clue "an inherent risk"

(adj) -Definition: firmly established by nature or habit; intrinsic; built-in; fixed from the beginning; inborn -Complete the sentence: Katya's ________________ love of justice moved her to champion the cause of anyone she considered unfairly treated by society.

incorrigible- context clue " an incorrigible practical joker"

(adj) -Definition: incapable of being reformed; not correctable; irredeemable; ineradicable; unruly -Complete the sentences: Though Widow Douglas had hopes of reforming Huck, Miss Watson considered him_________ and swore he would come to no good end.

academic- context clue: "an academic discipline"

(adj) -Definition: related to education; not practical or directly useful -Complete the sentences: When Sharon applied for the faculty position, the department head inquired about her _____________ qualifications. Seismologists' studies about earthquakes are of purely ______________ interest, for seismology is the major tool for assessing the danger of potential earthquakes.

indifferent- context clue " indifferent toward suffering"

(adj) -Definition: unmoved or unconcerned by; neither good nor bad; characterized by impartially -Complete the sentence: Because Ann felt no desire to marry she was _____________ to Carl's constant proposals. According to Ann, Carl wasn't a great catch matrimonially; she thought he'd be an ______________ husband. I cannot be an _____________ judge of Ann's treatment of Carl because I am Ann's friend and am biased in her favor.

integrity- context clue "unimpeachable integrity"

(noun) -Definition: commitment to moral principle and ethical principles; state of being whole -Complete the sentence: Lincoln, whose personal ____________ has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the __________________ of the Republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time.

adversary- context clue "fierce adversary"

(noun) - Definition: opponent; enemy -Complete the sentence: The young wrestler struggled to defeat his formidable ______________.

inference- context clue "drawing inferences from evidence"

(noun) -Definition: deduction; conclusion -Complete the sentence: From the glazed looks on the students' faces, it was easy for me to draw the ______________ that they were bored out of their minds

allusion- context clue "a literary allusion"

(noun) -Definition: indirect reference; passing or casual mention - Complete the sentence: When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, "One hundred bucks? What do you want a pound of flesh?" she was making an ______________ to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.

adversity- context clue "struggling with adversity"

(noun) -Definition: misfortune; hardship; affliction; poverty -Complete the sentence: Dirt poor and out of work, she did not give up but continued to fight against_________________.

instigate- context clue "instigating a fight"

(verb) - Definition: provoke; incite to an action; foment; encourage; urge; start -Complete the sentence: Rumors of police corruption led the mayor to ____________ an investigation into the department's activities.

acclaim- context clue "acclaim the conquering hero"

(verb) -Definition: applaud; announce with great approval -Complete the sentences: Covering the Olympic Games, the sportscasters __________ every American victory and grumbled about every American defeat.

afford- context clue "afford a new car"

(verb) -Definition: have enough money to pay for; provide; furnish -Complete the sentence: Although Phil is not sure he can__________________ a membership at the yoga studio, he wants to sign up because of the excellent training the studio______________.

alleviate- context clue "alleviating someone's suffering" - Word parts clue: Lev- means light (not heavy)

(verb) -Definition: make more bearable; relieve; lessen; mitigate -Complete the sentence: When Johnny down with a bad case of poison oak, the doctor recommended calamine lotion to _____________ the itching.

induce- context clue "inducing someone to stay in school"

(verb) -Definition: persuade; convince; bring about; stimulate; infer through inductive reasoning -Complete the sentence: After the quarrel, Gina said nothing could___________ her to talk to Pedro again.

advocate- context clue "advocating women's rights"

(verb) -Definition: urge; speak in favor of; support; recommend -Complete the sentence: Seeking the end of slavery, the abolitionists_____________ freedom for the slaves.

altruistic- context clue "altruistic generosity"

adj -Definition: unselfishly generous; concerned for others; charitable; philanthropic -Complete the sentence: In providing college scholarships for economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly _______ deed.

prolific- context clue "prolific breeders"

adj -Definition: abundantly fruitful; highly productive; fertile -Complete the sentence: My editors must assume I'm a _____________ writer; they expect me to revise six books this year.

plausible- context clue "a plausible liar"

adj -Definition: appearing to be worth believing (but often not) -Complete the sentence: Your mother made you stay home from school because she needed you to program the VCR? I'm sorry, but you'll have to come up with a more ____________ excuse than that.

profound- context clue "profound feelings of uneasiness"

adj -Definition: having depth (especially intellectual); deeply felt; coming from far below the surface -Complete the sentence: Sigmund Freud was a _______ thinker whose insights into human behavior transformed the study of psychology. We owe ___________ gratitude to Freud for his pioneering work. No one before Freud had explored the _________ depths of the human psyche so thoroughly.

ambiguous- context clue "ambiguous instructions"

adj -Definition: having two or more possible meanings; unclear; equivocal -Complete the sentence: Since both interpretations seemed possible, the judge could not decide which way to interpret particularly __________________ passage in the law.

incongruous- context clue "an incongruous juxtaposition"

adj -Definition: inappropriate; incompatible; logically inconsistent; not fitting; absurd -Complete the sentence: Towering over the nearby houses, the MacMansion looked wholly ___________ in the historic neighborhood of small Craftsman bungalows.

benign- context clue "environmentally benign"

adj -Definition: kindly; gracious; gentle; not malignant -Complete the sentence: Although her _____________ smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem to be a sweet little old lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd observer of human nature.

peripheral- context clue "peripheral devices hooked up to a PC"

adj -Definition: marginal; outer; external; superficial; of minor importance -Complete the sentence: Rather than live in the crowded city center, we chose to buy a house in one of the ___________ suburbs ringing the metropolis.

overt- context clue "an overt act of aggression"

adj -Definition: not hidden from view; out in the open -Complete the sentence: Emma's __________ antagonism toward Jane made us uncomfortable; we wished she would make some effort to conceal her hostility.

objective- context clue "objective and impartial"

adj -Definition: not influenced by feelings or prejudices; able to be perceived by the senses -Complete the sentence: Andrea loved her little son so much that it was impossible for her to be __________ about his behavior.

opaque- context clue "opaque frosted glass"

adj -Definition: not transparent;hard to understand or explain -Complete the sentence: The ____________ window shade kept the sunlight out of the room.

partial - context clue "only a partial answer"

adj -Definition: not whole; favoring one side over another; particularly fond of -Complete the sentence: John's first movie review was only a ________ success.

partisan- context clue "partisan politics"

adj -Definition: one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a particular party; devoted to a cause -Complete the sentence: On certain issues of principle, the senator refused to take a _________ stand, but let her conscience be her guide.

cursory- context clue "a quick, cursory scan"

adj -Definition: perfunctory; casual; hastily done -Complete the sentence: Because a _______ examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more thorough investigation of the fire's cause.

colloquial- context clue "colloquial dialogue"

adj -Definition: pertaining to conversational or common speech; informal; familiar -Complete the sentence: Some of the passages on the SAT have a ___________ tone that is intended to make them more appealing to students.

civil- context clue "civil rights"

adj -Definition: pertaining to ordinary citizens, as opposed to the church or military; courteous and polite -Complete the sentence: Although Internal Revenue Service agents are __________ servants, they are not always ____________ to suspected tax cheats.

pragmatic- context clue "a pragmatic politician"

adj -Definition: practical; concerned with the practical worth or impact of something; dealing with facts -Complete the sentence: The coming trip to France should provide a _______ test of the value of my conversational French class.

material- context clue "did material damage"

adj -Definition: relating to physical matter; bodily; of great importance or relevance -Complete the sentence: Newton firmly based his hypotheses on observations of the ______________ world.

ironic- context clue "an ironic twist"

adj -Definition: resulting in an unexpected and poignantly incongruous or unwanted outcome; humorously mocking -Complete the sentence: It is ______________ that his success came when he least wanted it.

incompatible- context clue "unfortunately incompatible roommates"

adj -Definition: so opposed in nature as to be unable to coexist; unable to work together in combination -Complete the sentence: He was a staunch Republican; she a fervent democrat. Their political views were clearly _____________, and yet they remained good friends despite their differences.

abstract- context clue "an abstract notion"

adj -Definition: theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational -Complete the sentence: To John, who had never missed a meal, hunger was an _________ concept, one he understood only in theory.

prevalent- context clue "prevalent opinion"

adj -Definition: widespread; generally accepted; common -Complete the sentence: A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views ________ in the America of his day.

astute- context clue "an astute observer"

adj -Definition: wise; shrewd; keen -Complete the sentence: Shrewdly purchasing valuable plots of land for small sums, John Astor gained a reputation as an __________ investor.

concise- context clue "a concise explanation"

adj -Definition: brief and compact; terse; clear and succinct; covering a great deal in few words. -Complete the sentence: When you send a message on Twitter, be _____________; a tweet cannot be more than 140 characters.

arbitrary- context clue "making arbitrary decisions"

adj -Definition: determined by impulse or whim; capricious; unrestricted by law -Complete the sentence: Baseball is a game of _________ calls; umpires constantly make decisions that to someone sitting in the bleachers would make no sense.

prosaic- context clue "prosaic, everyday routines"

adj -Definition: dull and unimaginative; lacking poetic beauty -Complete the sentence: Though the ad writers had come up with a wildly imaginative campaign to publicize the new product, the head office rejected it for a more______________ ordinary approach.

malign- context clue "the malign effects of racism"

adj -Definition: evil in effect -Complete the sentence: Professor Snape has a ____________ influence on the school; Hogwarts would be better off if her took a spell away.

intrepid- context clue "an intrepid warrior"

adj -Definition: fearless; courageous; bold; undaunted -Complete the sentence: Historically, traders and missionaries often proved themselves to be ___________ explorers, bravely venturing into new territories despite the dangers involved.

prone- context clue "prone to jumping to conclusions"

adj -Definition: having a tendency to do something; lying flat, especially facing downward -Complete the sentence: She was _____________ to sudden fits of anger during which she would lie _____________ on the floor, screaming and kicking her heels.

discerning- context clue "a discerning critic"

adj -Definition: mentally quick and observant; having keen insight; perceptive; sensitive -Complete the sentence: Although the movie star was no genius, she was sufficiently ________ to tell her true friends from the countless phonies who flattered her.

definitive- context clue "a definitive answer"

adj -Definition: most complete; providing a final answer -Complete the sentence: Although many programming texts describe themselves as _________ guides to the subject, almost all of them leave out essential pieces of information.

cryptic- context clue "deciphering a cryptic note"

adj -Definition: mysterious; hidden; having a secret meaning; using a cipher -Complete the sentence: Thoroughly baffled by Holmes's ___________ remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.

pervasive- context clue "the skunk's pervasive stench"

adj -Definition: pervading; spread throughout every part -Complete the sentence: Despite airing her clothes for several hours, she could not rid them of the _______ odor of mothballs that clung to them.

concrete- context clue "concrete, physical objects"

adj -Definition: physical or material in nature, as opposed to abstract; real; specific -Complete the sentence: The word boy is _____________; the word boyhood is abstract.

obtuse- context clue "too obtuse to take a hint"

adj -Definition: slow to understand; not having a sharp edge or point -Complete the sentence: Marge had been furious with Homer for days, but Homer was so ___________ that he hadn't noticed a thing.

obstinate- context clue "an obstinate stain"

adj -Definition: unreasonably persistent (in opinion, etc.); not easily controlled, cured, or removed -Complete the sentence: We tried to persuade Bob to give up smoking, but he was _______ and refues to quit.

pedestrian- context clue "a dull, pedestrian writing style"

adj (can also be a noun) -Definition: performed in an unimaginative manner; related to walking -Complete the sentence: Unintentionally boring, he turned out page after page of ________ prose.

concentration- context clue "needing total concentration"

noun -Definition: action of focusing one's total attention; gathering of people or things close to one another; relative amount of a substance (in a mixture, solution, volume of space, etc.) -Complete the sentence: As Ty filled in the bubbles on his answer sheet, he frowned in ____________.

brevity- context clue "the brevity of the text message"

noun -Definition: briefness; conciseness -Complete the sentence: When you place a phone call from an airplane, ____________ is essential; you are charged for every minute.

capacity- context clue "filled to capacity"

noun -Definition: greatest amount or number that something can hold; amount that something can produce; power to understand or to perform; specified position -Complete the sentence: This thermos container has a one-liter____________.

medium- context clue "a medium of expression"

noun -Definition: means of doing something; substance in which an organism lives; form or material employed by an artist, author, or composer -Complete the sentence: MIT's use of the Internet as a ____________ of education has transformed the university into a global enterprise.

ambivalence- context clue "divided by ambivalence"

noun -Definition: mixed feelings; state of having conflicting emotional attitudes -Complete the sentence: Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ________________ of her feelings.

phenomena- context clue "observing astronomical phenomena"

noun -Definition: observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation -Complete the sentence: Among the most beautiful natural ______________, auroras, also known as northern and southern lights, are natural light displays in the sky.

assertion- context clue "the assertion of her legal rights"

noun -Definition: confident statement, declaration; demand for other people's acceptance or respect, assurance -Complete the sentence: Malcolm made the ___________ that his brother Reece always acted like a wimp; Reece's lack of self-____________ made him a target for every bully in town.

compliance- context clue "legal compliance"

noun -Definition: conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield -Complete the sentence: The architect realized that her design for the new school had to be in __________ with the local building code.

predator- context clue "a predator stalking its prey"

noun -Definition: creature that seizes and devours another; person who robs or exploits others -Complete the sentence: Not just cats, but a wide variety of __________-owls, hawks, weasels,foxes- catch mice for dinner.

digression- context clue "going off on a digression"

noun -Definition: departure from the main subject; wandering off-topic; aside -Complete the sentence: Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their official theme: his __________ were always more fascinating than the topic of the day.

detachment- context clue "emotional detachment"

noun -Definition: emotional remoteness; group sent away; process of separation -Complete the sentence: Psychoanalysts must maintain their professional _______________ and stay uninvolved with their patients' personal lives.

determination- context clue "stubborn determination"

noun -Definition: firmness of purpose; calculation; decision -Complete the sentence: Nothing could shake his ______________ that his children would get the best education that money could buy.

magnitude - context clue "the magnitude of the task before us"

noun -Definition: greatness of extent; great importance; size -Complete the sentence: Seismologists use the Richter scale to measure the ______________ of earthquakes.

metaphor- context clue "an apt metaphor"

noun -Definition: implied comparison of one thing to another (without the use of like or as); symbol -Complete the sentence: Is an old-fashioned hairstyle an apt ____________ for being out of step with the times and in need of change?

proximity- context clue "close proximity"

noun -Definition: nearness; closeness -Complete the sentence: Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the ____________ of objects around them.

proponent- context clue "strong proponents of civil rights"

noun -Definition: one who advocates or argues for something -Complete the sentence: In the Senate, ______________ of the universal health care measure lobbied to gain additional support for the controversial legislation.

proliferation- context clue "nuclear proliferation"

noun -Definition: rapid growth;spread; multiplication -Complete the sentence: Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the __________ of countless get-rich-quick schemes.

narrative- context clue "a narrative poem"

noun -Definition: related to telling a story (as opposed to arguing a point) -Complete the sentence: Although many of the author's characters lack life, the twists and turns of his plots and the sheer ___________ drive of his stories have made his novels bestsellers.

application- context clue "a driver's license application"

noun -Definition: request, petition; act of putting something to use, employment; diligent attention, industriousness; relevance, pertinence -Complete the sentence: Jill submitted her scholarship ______________ to the financial aid office.

anecdote- context clue "telling a personal anecdote"

noun -Definition: short account of a supposedly interesting or amusing incident; brief narrative -Complete the sentence: The boss prefaced his speech by telling a pointless ______________ about an encounter he'd had with the former president of the company.

objective- context clue "aim for your objective"

noun -Definition: something aimed at, which takes effort to attain -Complete the sentence: Morgan's __________ is to play basketball so well that he can be a starter on the varsity team.

paradox - context clue "an absurd, illogical paradox"

noun -Definition: something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct -Complete the sentence: In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods presents a bit of a ___________, for she is at one and the same time a bubble-headed sorority girl and a keen-witted law school student.

assumption- context clue "a reasonable"

noun -Definition: something taken for granted; presupposition; act of taking possession -Complete the sentence: The young princess made the foolish ________ that the regent would not object to her taking the reins of power. Unfortunately, he viewed her _________ of power as a direct challenge to his authority.

criterion- context clue "a criterion for selection"

noun -Definition: standard used in judging; basis for comparison -Complete the sentence: What__________ did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner.

juxtaposition - context clue "a strange juxtaposition"

noun -Definition: state of being placed side by side or close together -Complete the sentence: The museum curator placed the Eskimo-carved wooden totem pole in ______________ with two contemporary stone masks from Africa, creating a stunning effect.

conformity- context clue "unquestioning conformity to convention"

noun -Definition: state of obeying regulations, standards; behavior that matches the behavior of most others in a group. -Complete the sentence: In _________ with the by-laws of the society, I am calling for a special election.

definition- context clue "the dictionary definition"

noun -Definition: statement of a word's exact meaning; clarity of sound or image being reproduced; distinctness of outlines, boundaries -Complete the sentence: This word list gives three__________ for the word definition,

abridge- context clue "abridging a text"

verb -Definition- condense; shorten -Complete the sentence: Because Webster's dictionary had grown so large and unwieldy, the publishers decided to __________________ it and bring out a condensed version.

censure- context clue "severely censured"

verb -Definition: blame; harshly criticize; officially rebuke -Complete the sentence: The senator was ________ for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress.

corroborate- context clue "witnesses corroborating an alibi"

verb -Definition: confirm; make more certain; support with evidence; strengthen with facts -Complete the sentence: Though Huck was quite willing to _______ Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.

depict- context clue "depicting a scene"

verb -Definition: describe in words; show by using a picture -Complete the sentence: Some newspaper accounts __________ the movie star as a reclusive prima donna; others portray her as a sensitive artist harassed by the media.

discount- context clue "discounting a rumor"

verb -Definition: disregard or minimize the significance of; reduce in price -Complete the sentence: Be prepared to __________ what he has to say about his ex-wife; he is still very bitter about the divorce.

buttress - context clue "buttressing an argument"

verb -Definition: support; reinforce; prop up; encourage; hearten -Complete the sentence: The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to __________ his weak case.

contend- context clue "contending for the championship"

verb -Definition: argue earnestly; struggle in rivalry -Complete the sentence: Sociologist Harry Edwards _______ that some colleges exploit young African American athletes, supporting them as athletes________ against one another in sports, but failing to support them as students working toward a degree.

prompt- context clue "prompted an investigation"

verb -Definition: bring about or cause an action or feeling; encourage someone to speak -Complete the sentence: Being cast as the lead in the school play ______ Dan to consider acting as a career. Unfortunately he had trouble remembering his lines and had to be __________ from the wings.

negate- context clue "negating the effects of the drug"

verb -Definition: cancel out; deny the truth of -Complete the sentence: A sudden surge of adrenaline can ___________ the effects of fatigue: there's nothing like a good shock to wake you up.

attribute- context clue "her physical attributes"

verb -Definition: characteristic; trait -Complete the sentence: The resort has always had one outstanding ______ an excellent location on one of the best ocean-sports bays along the Kohala Coast.

obscure- context clue "clouds obscure the sun"

verb -Definition: conceal; make unclear -Complete the sentence: At times he seemed to purposely obscure ____________ his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

delineate- context clue "delineating boundaries"

verb -Definition: describe; outline precisely; portray;depict -Complete the sentence: Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen manages to ________ the character of Mr. Collins so deftly that we can predict his every move.

amplify - context clue "amplify the sound"

verb -Definition: increase in volume or intensity, boost, magnify; add details to clarify or broaden (a story or report), expand, elaborate on -Complete the sentence: Lucy used a loudspeaker to _________________ her voice, drowning out poor Charlie Brown's attempt to ________________ his earlier remarks.

mitigate- context clue "mitigating risks"

verb -Definition: moderate; make less intense or severe; alleviate; appease -Complete the sentence: Because solar energy has the power to reduce greenhouse gases and increase energy efficiency, conversion to the use of solar energy may help _____________ the threat of global warming.

patronize- context clue "patronize a restaurant"

verb -Definition: provide support for; act superior toward; be a customer of -Complete the sentence: Penniless artists hope to find some wealthy art lovers who will __________ them.

cite - context clue "cite a passage"

verb -Definition: refer to or quote, especially to justify a position; praise; summoned before a court -Complete the sentence: To support her position on vaccinating children against polio, Rose __________ reports of new outbreaks of this once nearly eliminated disease.

mollify- context clue "mollifying angry protesters"

verb -Definition: soother; moderate in intensity; soften -Complete the sentence: The airline customer service agent tried to ___________ the angry passenger by offering her a seat in first class.

nurture- context clue "nurturing one's offspring"

verb (can also be a noun) -Definition: nourish; educate; foster; protect; cultivate; encourage (growth) -Complete the sentence: The Head Start program attempts to ___________ prekindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter elementary school.