Word Smart for the GRE (2nd Ed)

ABATE

ABATE (uh BAYT) v to lessen in intensity or degree • We realized with great relief that the storm had abated before breaking through the sea wall. • Attempts by the administration to abate the intensity of the controversy were mostly unsuccessful; it continued to consume everyone's attention. Abatement is a lessening in amount or degree. • The city's new noise abatement plan targeted live music venues, but many people felt the focus should be on decreasing the number of low flying airplanes passing over the city.

ABERRANT

ABERRANT (A bur unt) ad] deviating from the norm • Jim's aberrant behavior at the dance raised some eyebrows; he was certainly the only one who spent the night walking (and dancing) on his hands. Someone or something aberrant is an aberration. • The D Jenny received on the chemistry test was just an aberration, since she has received only A's the rest of the semester.

ABJURE

ABJURE (ab JUR) v to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid • The reformed socialite abjured her former lifestyle and all those with whom she had previously associated. • Steve had to abjure all indulgence when he entered the training camp. For a related word, see recant.

ABROGATE

ABROGATE (AB roh gayt) v to abolish or annul by authority; put down • The court ruling abrogated the defendant's rights to any profit from the sale of the house. • Darren abrogated his responsibility to the paper when he went on vacation without submitting his article before the deadline.

ABSCISSION

ABSCISSION (ab SI zhun) n act of cutting off or removing • Dr. Carter recommended an immediate abscission of the abscess in order to minimize any further infection. Abscise means to cut off or remove. • When she called for the resignation of key legislators, the congresswoman claimed that it was the only way to abscise the corruption before it spread. Abscission can also mean the actual cut itself.

ABSCOND

ABSCOND (ab SKAHND) v to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide • Doug was left penniless when the two con men absconded with his life savings. • Raccoons are notorious for absconding and hiding shiny objects; no one knows why they need all those spoons and watches, though.

ABSTAIN

ABSTAIN (ub STAYN) v to refrain from an activity • Sheryl chose to abstain from eating chocolate, her favorite treat, for the season of Lent. The act of abstaining is called abstinence. • The old health textbook recommended abstinence from sexual activity as the primary means of birth control. Abstemious is a related word meaning marked by moderation, particularly where food and drink are concerned. • Though some regard the diet as a fad, in fact it recommends some very traditional habits, such as consuming sugar and alcohol abstemiously.

ACCOLADE

ACCOLADE (AK o layd) n an expression of praise; an award • The diva received her accolades graciously, blowing kisses to her adoring fans. • Doris so craved her coach's accolades that she showed up an hour early to every practice. The word accolade comes from a French word meaning to embrace, which, logically enough, comes from the same root as collar. You can also associate lade with laud (meaning praise), though they probably don't have the same etymological backgrounds.

ACCRETION

ACCRETION (uh KREE shun) n growth, increase by successive addition, building up • Limestone is formed by the accretion of tiny particles from objects such as shells and coral over a very, very long time. • The accretion of dirt has changed the color of the kitchen floor from white to brown, which is pretty disgusting.

ACERBIC

ACERBIC (uh SUHR bik) adj having a sour or bitter taste or character • Dorothy Parker was famous for her wit, which could be quite acerbic; Parker could be devastating when she wanted to be. • I like my lemonade with very little sugar in it; the acerbic tang is refreshing when the weather's warm.

ACUMEN

ACUMEN (AK u men) n quick, keen, or accurate knowledge or insight • The media often comments on the CEO's business acumen, remarking on his company's financial successes, but I think his fashion sense is much more interesting. • Her acumen in anticipating her opponent's strategy is legendary; it's what makes her so hard to beat. If you think about it, you probably know several words with acu in them that mean "sharp." Acute is frequently used to describe sharp pain and sharp angles (less than 90 degrees). People with good acumen are often described as being sharp, too! That's because these words come from the Latin root acus, which means needle.

ADMONISH

ADMONISH (ad MAH nish) v to reprove; to express warning or disapproval • How many times has your roommate admonished you to put the toilet seat down? An admonition is a warning or a scolding and admonitory means expressing warning or disapproval. • He tried to admonish us not to open the secret passageway, but his admonition fell on deaf ears. Man, were we sorry we hadn't listened to him when all the monsters came rushing out! • Dad's admonitory tone made us feel guilty about ruining our appetites with pre-dinner cookies.

ADROIT

ADROIT (uh DROYT) adj adept, dexterous • Karl had always been an adroit manipulator; even when he was a kid he could get people to do what he wanted. • Although her adroit handling of the situation minimized the damage, nothing could really save the conference after the room flooded. • Since he is ambidextrous, he is equally adroit at shooting marbles with either hand. Maladroit means clumsy or bungling. • Jerry Lewis was able to make a career out of playing maladroit characters.

ADULATION

ADULATION (a ju LAY shun) n excessive praise; intense adoration • Leif Garrett was the object of much adolescent adulation. • Samuel had taken his little brother's adulation for granted until his brother grew four inches taller and was no longer as easily impressed.

ADULTERATE

ADULTERATE (uh DUL tur ayt) v to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients • There was a huge scandal when customers discovered that the health food store had been adulterating the wheat grass juice with clippings from the front lawn. • In an effort to determine why the house's foundation was crumbling, the inspectors tested the concrete to see if it had been improperly adulterated when it was mixed. Adulteration is the process or effect of adulterating. Unadulterated, appropriately enough, means pure. • I could tell that what her used car salesman was saying was one hundred percent, pure, unadulterated hogwash.

ADUMBRATE

ADUMBRATE (a DUM brayt) v to foreshadow vaguely, intimate, suggest, or outline sketchily • The possibilities for further cooperation between the two parties were adumbrated at the first, private meeting, but nothing was finalized until much later. • The first volume of the trilogy only adumbrates the basics of the story that will be developed in the next two books.

ADVOCATE

ADVOCATE (AD vuh cayt) v to argue for or support a cause • Though the senator did not advocate the bill openly, he voted for it because he thought it would save him some face among his critics. A person who advocates something is called an advocate, but be careful; the noun form is pronounced differently.

AESTHETIC

AESTHETIC (es THET ik) adj dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful • Many people say they see no aesthetic value in some modern artwork, claiming the pieces look like a kindergartner's finger painting. • Her finely tuned aesthetic sensibilities made it very painful for her to be around so much baby blue polyester.

AGGRANDIZE

AGGRANDIZE (uh GRAND yz) v to increase in intensity, power, or prestige; to make appear greater • Michael's attempts to aggrandize his achievements produced the exact opposite effect; everyone ended up thinking he had accomplished less than he really had. In other words, he would have been better off without the self-aggrandizing. • The multi-million dollar advertising campaign was part of a plan to aggrandize the company's stock before it went public.

ALACRITY

ALACRITY (uh LAK ruh tee) n eager and enthusiastic willingness • Amy responded to the invitation to join the planning committee with alacrity, and even volunteered to take on additional responsibilities. • The alacrity with which Calvin offered to do the dishes made his mother suspicious; usually he would only do chores kicking and screaming.

ALCHEMY

ALCHEMY (AL kuh mee) n a magical or wonderful transformation Alchemy was originally a medieval science aimed at changing metals, particularly changing base metals into gold and silver, and the creation of a remedy that could cure all diseases. Though alchemy wouldn't be considered science today, alchemists did make some important strides in understanding chemistry. • The remarkable alchemy among the cast members transformed watching the familiar, and sometimes boring, play into a completely new experience. An alchemist practices or studies alchemy.

ALLOY

ALLOY (uh LOY) v to commingle; to debase by mixing with something inferior • Alloying the punch with prune juice turned out not to be such a good idea after all. • Alloy can also be a noun, in which case it is the mixture itself, as in an alloy between sitcom and game show. Unalloyed means pure. • The reviewer described the movie as an unalloyed pleasure, saying it was the first film in years in which every single minute was worth watching.

AMALGAMATE

AMALGAMATE (uh MAL guh mayt) v to combine several elements into a whole • A griffin, theoretically at least, is an amalgamation of an eagle and a lion into one mean-looking mythical creature. • It makes sense that the metal used in fillings is called an amalgam since it is a combination of mercury and silver.

AMBIGUITY

AMBIGUITY (am big YOU uh tee) n uncertainty in meaning • The ambiguity of the poem's title allows scholars to interpret it many different ways. The adjective form of the word is ambiguous. • Samir left the note purposefully ambiguous, figuring that Sonya would give him the benefit of the doubt if she wished to. Be careful; ambiguity is frequently confused with ambivalence.

AMBIVALENCE

AMBIVALENCE (am BIV uh lunts) n the quality of having opposing ideas or feelings • Nikki's ambivalence about the job offer was apparent; on one hand, the money and benefits would be better than at her current job, but on the other, she didn't want to risk losing the wonderful work environment she already had. Ambivalent is the adjective form of ambivalence. Be careful; ambivalence is often confused with ambiguity, probably because ambivalence can also mean uncertainty (par-ticularly about what course one should follow).

AMELIORATE

AMELIORATE (uh MEE lee or ayt) v to make better or more tolerable • Jonas was sure that nothing could ameliorate the taste of beets; brussels sprouts, on the other hand, could be made quite palatable with the introduction of plenty of butter. • All attempts to ameliorate the relationship between the longstanding adversaries seemed futile; they were as hostile toward one another as ever.

AMENABLE

AMENABLE (uh MEE nuh bul) adj agreeable; responsive to suggestion • If you're amenable, let's go for a walk before lunch. • The actress was known for being amenable to direction, which made her a favorite of directors. If you think you see the word amen in amenable, you're right. Amen is an expression of agreement or approval, which is why it often follows a prayer. Amenable, of course, comes from the same root.

ANACHRONISM

ANACHRONISM (uh NA krah ni zum) n something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context • The wristwatch worn by one of the characters in the period movie set in Rome in 25 B.C. was just one of the many anachronisms that spoiled the movie's credibility. • Mr. Jones' students felt his insistence on strict classroom discipline was an anachronism and that he should "get with the times."

ANATHEMA

ANATHEMA (uh NA thuh muh) n a solemn or ecclesiastical (religious) curse; accursed or thoroughly loathed person or thing • He was an anathema to his entire town once it was revealed that he had been a secret police informant. • The precepts of eugenics became almost universally anathema around the world once the horrors of World War II began to be revealed. • Hearing the anathema pronounced against her filled her with foreboding.

ANODYNE

ANODYNE (AN uh dyn) adj soothing • Don't you agree that nothing is quite so anodyne as a long soak in a bubble bath? • I've also found that its anodyne effect can be enhanced by some good music and a glass of wine. Anodyne can also be a noun, spelled the same way, and meaning something that assuages or allays pain, or comforts. • After such a hectic week, Casey very much looked forward to the anodyne of a relaxing weekend of camping at the lake. For words with similar meanings, see emollient and mollify.

ANOMALY

ANOMALY (uh NAH muh lee) n deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality • Pickles for sale in a tire store would be an anomaly; tires for sale in a pickle store would be equally weird. • The anomalous results the scientist received the third time she ran the experiment made her question her initial hypothesis, since she couldn't find any other reason for the deviation from her prior results.

ANTAGONIZE

ANTAGONIZE (an TAG uh nyz) v to irritate or cause hostility • Alonzo constantly antagonized his younger sister by stealing her lunch money and refusing to give it back. Antagonize has the Greek root agon, which means contest. Agony has the same root. The hero's primary rival or adversary in a play is called the antagonist. The hero, on the other hand, is called the protagonist.

ANTIPATHY

ANTIPATHY (an TI puh thee) n aversion, dislike • Sam very clearly expresses his antipathy toward certain breakfast foods in the Dr. Seuss classic, Green Eggs and Ham. • Her longstanding antipathy toward her boss was tempered with at least a little gratitude after she received her big raise and promotion. Antipathetic means showing a strong aversion. • He was completely antipathetic to any new ideas, especially any that might suggest that his way wasn't the best way. I've never met such a close-minded person!

ANTITHETICAL

ANTITHETICAL (an tuh THET i cul) adj diametrically opposed, as in antithesis • I couldn't help but feel that he always deliberately expressed a position antithetical to mine, as if he enjoyed playing devil's advocate even more than he cared about expressing what he really thought. • Nothing could be more antithetical to the spirit of sportsmanship than point shaving. The antithesis is the opposite of something. • The antithesis of poverty is wealth.

APATHY

APATHY (A puh thee) n lack of interest or feeling • There was such a pervading air of apathy in the high school that most clubs were shut down due to lack of interest. The adjective form is apathetic. • Though my pipes have been leaking for days, my landlord is so apathetic that he hasn't answered any of my phone calls or come by to fix anything. Apathy shares a root with the word pathos, which means feeling. The prefix a- means without.

APOCRYPHAL

APOCRYPHAL (uh PAH cri ful) adj of dubious authenticity or origin; spurious You may have heard this word before—or something close to it—in a religious context. The Apocrypha were religious writings that were not included in the Bible because they weren't considered canonical (see canon) by the Protestant church of the day, or their authenticity was in question. If you see the word Apocryphal with a capital A, the writer is referring to those writings specifically. • Most people believe that stories of alien abduction are apocryphal, but what if there really is a big government conspiracy and all those stories are true? • My favorite urban myth is the one about the fate of Little Mikey swallowing pop rocks and then drinking soda. I know it's apocryphal, but I still think it pays to be careful.

APOGEE

APOGEE (A poh jee) n farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith • No one could have foreseen that receiving the Pulitzer Prize at the age of eighteen would be the apogee of his career, and that nothing he produced afterward would achieve any kind of critical success. Perigee is the lowest or closest point, or the nadir. • The moon is at apogee when it is at its farthest point away from the earth in its orbit; it is at perigee is when it is closest to earth. For a related word, see nadir in this book.

APOSTATE

APOSTATE (uh PAH stayt) n one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions, a betrayer of a cause • Jordan was an apostate of modern culture; he renounced all the trappings of modem life that he used to love, and went to live in a cave. • His fellow party members were shocked when Fred became an apostate, running for office on his former opponent's ticket.

APOTHEOSIS

APOTHEOSIS (uh pah thee 0 sis) n deification, glorification to godliness, the perfect example • The apotheosis of technology in modem society seems to be reaching new highs; computers and gadgets are practically worshipped by consumers. • She is the apotheosis of nurturing motherhood; she makes soup for sick friends, nurses wounded birds, and listens to everyone's problems.

APPOSITE

APPOSITE (A pah zit) ad] appropriate, pertinent, relevant, apropos • His choice of songs for the opening ceremony was entirely apposite; everyone agreed that it was perfectly suited to the event. • The fact that she hasn't called for two weeks is hardly apposite to whether she's going to call me today, since she hadn't read my amazing love poem before.

APPRISE

APPRISE (uh PRIZ) v give notice to, inform • The officer apprised Chris of his rights before questioning him. • The shipping department left a message to apprise me of the status of the shipment, letting me know it was scheduled to arrive the following day.

APPROBATION

APPROBATION (a pruh BAY shun) n an expression of approval or praise • Providing approbation for good behavior is the best way to train puppies; the praise is particularly effective when accompanied by treats. • The judges expressed their approbation of Stephen's performance by awarding him the gold medal. To approbate is to approve something officially.

APPROPRIATE

APPROPRIATE (uh PRO pree ayt) v to take for one's own use, confiscate • As they passed through the town, both armies appropriated housing, food, and ammunition from the town's residents. Whatever hadn't been taken by the first was taken by the second, leaving the inhabitants with insufficient resources to survive the coming winter. • My friend Oscar is a natural mimic; he unintentionally appropriates the mannerisms of others until it's impossible to tell which ones are his own. Even though this word looks like one you may use and hear every day, be careful! The meaning and pronunciation are different when it is used as a verb.

ARABESQUE

ARABESQUE (ar uh BESK) n complex, ornate design • A beautiful arabesque of fruits and flowers surrounded the central pattern of the print. An arabesque is also a position in ballet, and is sometimes used metaphorically in this sense. • Her assistants performed an arabesque of practiced efficiency around her as she prepared for the press conference.

ARCANE

ARCANE (ar KAYN) adj mysterious, abstruse, esoteric, knowable only to initiates • Elizabeth was a font of arcane knowledge; she could tell you not only the names of the pets of every cabinet member of every administration, but also how many gumballs are produced annually. • Knowledge of the arcane secrets of any bureaucracy is always restricted to those who work within it. They're the only ones who know how to fill out the forms, too. Arcana are deep secrets. The singular is arcanum, but it's almost always used in the plural.

ARCHAIC

ARCHAIC (ar KAY ik) adj outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time • Geoff's archaic leisure suit looked like it had been in storage for thirty years, and it probably should have stayed there. • The archaic instruments used in the village clinic shocked the visiting physicians.

ARDUOUS

ARDUOUS (AR juh wus) adj strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort • This is the third time since we got here that Grandpa's told us the story of his arduous trips to and from school when he was a kid—uphill in the snow both ways. • Learning all these vocab words may seem like an arduous task, but if you just learn a few a day, it will be a piece of cake, I promise.

ARRANT

ARRANT (AR unt) adj impudent; in every way, being completely such, bare-faced, utter • Don Juan's arrant philandering made him a legend. He seemed to have had the ability to turn many of his admirers into arrant fools. Don't confuse this with errant, which means itinerant.

ARREST

ARREST (uh REST) v to suspend; to engage • Sometime I think my brother's emotional development was arrested at a young age; he often acts like a five year old. • My attention was immediately arrested by the view, a breathtaking panorama of mountains and lakes that had me completely mesmerized. Arresting means holding one's attention. • It was a most arresting portrait; there was a crowd of people staring at it for hours.

ARTICULATE

ARTICULATE (ar TIK yoo layt) v to enunciate or pronounce clearly; to express oneself clearly • The new radio announcer could not be understood because he had not yet learned to articulate his words clearly. As an adjective, articulate is used to describe someone who can articulate ideas clearly. But be careful; the pronunciation changes even though the spelling doesn't. • Though she was just six years old, Misha presented a cogent and articulate argument for why she should receive an allowance.

ARTLESS

ARTLESS (ART luhs) adj completely without guile; natural, without artificiality • Her artless portrayal of the young ingenue charmed the critics, who all commented on her fresh, unaffected performance. The opposite of artless is artful. • The Artful Dodger was a cunning pickpocket in Dickens's Oliver Twist. Artful can also mean showing art or skill, and artless can mean without skill, but the definitions above are the ones more likely to be tested on the GRE.

ASCETIC

ASCETIC (uh SET ik) n one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion • A true ascetic would be able to resist eating these chocolate eclairs, which is why I know I'm not an ascetic. Ascetic can also be an adjective, meaning austere or stark. • His ascetic lifestyle was indistinguishable from that of a monk. • In keeping with Larry's ascetic taste in home furnishings, the only place to sit was the floor, which didn't even have a rug. Asceticism is the adherence to or belief in ascetic practices. To learn about practices an ascetic would not espouse, see hedonism.

ASPERITY

ASPERITY (uh SPER uh tee) n severity, rigor; roughness, harshness; acrimony, irritability • The asperity of her response to his pleas for leniency suggested that there was no chance she would be ending his detention any time in the next three months. • The asperity of a northern winter can lead to serious depression.

ASPERSION

ASPERSION (uh SPER zhun) n an act of defamation or maligning • Pete resented the aspersions cast by his opponent, who called Pete a low-down, no good snake who didn't eat his vegetables. • She had to resort to aspersions when she realized her argument wouldn't hold up against close scrutiny.

ASSIDUOUS

ASSIDUOUS (uh SID yoo us) adj diligent, hard-working • Pedro's assiduous preservation of every fragment of the document that had survived eventually allowed him to reconstruct whole stanzas of the poem. • Carla was an assiduous note-taker. She wrote down almost every word of each of her professor's lectures.

ASSUAGE

ASSUAGE (uh SWAYJ) v to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify • Convincing her that it was all the rage in Paris helped assuage Christine's fears about painting her walls chartreuse. • Ken was able to assuage the pain of his headache by lying in a dark room with a damp cloth over his eyes. Assuage is used to describe the lessening or easing of things that cause pain or distress, so you don't assuage happiness or good humor (unless they're causing you pain in some way).

ASTRINGENT

ASTRINGENT (uh STRIN junt) adj having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe • Although she hadn't intended to be quite so harsh, Kayla's astringent remarks apparently made the board drop the proposal altogether. • Witch hazel is a mild astringent that is sometimes applied to the face.

ATTENUATE

ATTENUATE (uh TEN yoo ayt) v to rarefy, weaken or make thinner, lessen • Copper's highly ductile nature allows it to be attenuated to a thin filament without breaking, and makes it a useful material for wiring. • The atmosphere at the top of Mt. Everest is so attenuated that climbers must carry oxygen with them in order to breathe for any length of time. • The endless discussion attenuated the point until everyone lost interest in it. For a related word, see rarefy.

AUDACIOUS

AUDACIOUS (aw DAY shus) adj daring and fearless; recklessly bold • Liz is an audacious mountain climber who goes where few of her competitors dare to follow. • No matter how audacious a cartoon villain's plan for world domination may be, there always seems to be hero waiting to foil it. Audacity is the quality of being audacious. • His friends were surprised by Lewis's audacity; he just went up to the podium and started speaking, even though he wasn't on the program for the evening.

AUGURY

AUGURY (aw GYUH ree) n omen, portent, the reading of omens • Augury in ancient Rome and other societies was performed largely by interpreting the flight of birds. • His first attempts at glassblowing gave little augury of the skill he would later develop with practice. Augur means to predict if it is used as a verb, and the person or thing doing the foretelling if it's used as a noun. • The flowers my girlfriend sent augur well for the weekend.

AUGUST

AUGUST (aw GUST) adj majestic, venerable • The august presence of the pharaohs endures through the millennia, embodied in their massive tombs. • Despite his simple dress and advanced years, the august politician managed to convey a sense of dignity and subtle power.

AUSPICE

AUSPICE (AW spis) n protection or support, patronage • As long as we were working under the auspices of the local authorities, the villagers were extremely cooperative; once we headed out on our own, however, we found that no one wanted to talk to us. Auspice can also mean sign or portent. • Since the auspices seemed good, we decided to go ahead and buy thirty lottery tickets.

AUSPICIOUS

AUSPICIOUS (aw SPI shus) adj favorable, propitious, successful, prosperous • The sold-out opening night and standing ovation from the audience provided an auspicious beginning for the play's run on Broadway. • Weddings are generally considered auspicious occasions; you can tell by all the toasting and well-wishing that goes on.

AUSTERE

AUSTERE (aw STEER) adj without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic • The building's austere facade gave no indication of the rich ornamentation inside. • Lincoln's often austere appearance reflected the somber, grave side of his personality, but not his sense of humor. • The austerity of her writing style can make it seem as if her meaning is similarly simple, but she is actually known for the subtle complexity of her ideas. Austerity can also mean rigid economy. If used in this sense, it is often followed by measures. • The Prime Minister imposed austerity measures in an attempt to stop the country's downward economic spiral.

AVARICE

AVARICE (A vuh rus) n greed, especially for wealth • Her avarice for power was matched only by her lust for money; even when she had more money than she could ever spend in a lifetime, she schemed to get still more. • King Midas' avarice led him to wish for the power to turn everything he touched to gold; we know how well that worked out for him. Avaricious means greedy. • Even though the jury decided in favor of the plaintiff, it awarded very little in the way of punitive damages; the jurors apparently felt the request for 40 million dollars was avaricious.

AVER

AVER (uh VUR) v to state as a fact; to confirm or support • When the suspect solemnly averred that he had been on another planet when the burglary occurred, the investigators didn't know whether he meant it literally or figuratively, but they could tell he meant it. • Although Michelle averred that she would never be late again, her friends remained understandably skeptical.

AXIOM

AXIOM (AK see um) n a universally recognized principle; a generally accepted or common saying • It is an axiom of the American legal system that one is innocent until proven guilty. • It is hardly surprising that every field has its axioms, which are universally held within the discipline; what can be surprising is how often they are mutually incompatible when compared across fields. The adjective form of this word is axiomatic, which means generally accepted or taken as a given. • In this society, we take it as axiomatic that individual merit rather than family name should be the basis for success in life. • Nowadays it is axiomatic that most contagious diseases are caused by microscopic organisms, but it wasn't long ago that most people thought these diseases were caused by everything from harmful vapors to personality traits.

BALEFUL

BALEFUL (BAYL ful) adj sinister, pernicious, ominous • The basilisk is a notoriously cranky, albeit mythical, creature whose baleful glare is fatal. Looks, glances, and glares are more often baleful than anything else is, but other things can be baleful too. • A sort of baleful miasma lingered in the room after the infamous Sir Evildoer departed in a swirl of black and red cape.

BANE

BANE (bayn) adj cause of injury, source of harm; source of persistent frustration • Even for those who recognize that smoking is far more of a bane than a benefit, quitting can be a struggle. • Paolo's little sister was the bane of his existence; she followed him everywhere and told their mom whenever he did anything he wasn't supposed to. Baneful means causing harm or ruin, pernicious, destructive. • The baneful effect of the curfew on my social life cannot be overestimated.

BEATIFY

BEATIFY (bee AT uh fy) v to bless, make happy, or ascribe a virtue to; to regard as saintly • She was described in such a glowing way; every single quality she possessed was beatified. Beatitude is a state of bliss, and beatific means having a blissful appearance. • His beatific smile could only mean that he had just eaten some exceptionally good sushi. Be careful not to confuse this with beautify, which means to make beautiful.

BEDIZEN

BEDIZEN (bi DY zun) v to adorn, especially in a cheap, showy manner; festoon, caparison • The speakeasy was bedizened with every manner of tawdry decoration. • Sophie the cow came wandering home after the festival, bedizened with a wreath of flowers over each horn and somewhat the worse for wear.

BELIE

BELIE (bih LYE) v to give a false impression of, to misrepresent • Carlos' disapproving countenance was belied by the twinkle in his eye, making it hard to believe that he was angry at all. • Gabriela's seeming clumsiness belied her true grace as a dancer.

BELLICOSE

BELLICOSE (BEL i kohs) ad] belligerent, pugnacious, warlike • The bully's bellicose demeanor hid a tender side, but he was too busy getting into fights to reveal it. • Ted's bellicose expression warned me that he had discovered I had eaten the last of the ice cream. Bellicose shares a root with belligerent. Both come from the Latin belliger, which means warlike.

BENIGN

BENIGN (buh NYN) ad] favorable, harmless In medicine, we often hear benign describe a tumor that is not cancerous, though it certainly has other uses. • Though we were afraid the tumor would be fatal, a biopsy showed that it was, in fact, benign. • The pictures taken of the millionaire in the years before his death show a curmudgeonly scowl, but the ones taken of him as a young man show him beaming with a gentle and benign expression. Many words that start with ben- have a positive connotation, such as benefit, benefactor, and benediction. Words that start with ma!-, on the other hand, usually have a negative connotation. See malevolent for some more examples.

BENT

BENT (bent) n leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency • Puck was notorious for his mischievous bent; wherever there was trouble to be stirred up, he was certain to be found. • Mike's bent for self-destructive behavior worried his friends.

BLANDISH

BLANDISH (BLAND ish) v to coax with flattery, toady or fawn • The minister was famous for his ability to blandish his way from obscurity to vicarious power; it seemed as if every ruler was receptive to bootlicking. Blandishment is flattery intended to cajole or coax. • Blandishment plus a really big present might convince me to forgive you. Be careful not to confuse this with brandish, which means to shake or wave menacingly.

BLITHE

BLITHE (blithe) ad] carefree, merry • Stephanie's blithe disregard for what her peers might think made her the perfect hero for a clever yet moving coming-of-age teen movie. • Paul's blithe attitude toward his housecleaning led to a comfortable, if sometimes dusty, clutter.

BOISTEROUS

BOISTEROUS (BOY stur us) ad] loud, noisy, rough, lacking restraint • After a while, our neighbors became reconciled to our boisterous weekend gatherings, even joining us on occasion; the rest of the time they were probably wearing earplugs. • A popular image of the Wild West is the boisterous saloon where the piano player pounds out songs while the burlesque dancers perform the Can Can.

BOLSTER

BOLSTER (BOL stur) v to provide support or reinforcement • He hoped his frequent references to legal theory would bolster his argument, but all they did was make him seem pompous. • I tried to bolster my confidence with some slow deep breaths, but I just ended up hyperventilating. I would have been better off picturing the audience in their underwear or having a stiff shot of whisky.

BOMBASTIC

BOMBASTIC (bahm BAS tik) ad] pompous; grandiloquent • The self-important leader's speech was so bombastic that even his most loyal followers were rolling their eyes, and no one else could even figure out what he was talking about. Bombast is self-important or pompous writing or speech. • His books were always so filled with bombast that they were almost impossible to read; it sounded as if he had swallowed a thesaurus whole.

BOOR

BOOR (boor) n a rude or insensitive person; lout; yokel • I have learned never to take a boor to dine with royalty; last time we had tea with the Queen of England, my boorish boyfriend put his feet on the table! • Although she was usually very sweet and considerate, she became downright boorish when she was drunk.

BROACH

BROACH (brohch) v bring up, announce, begin to talk about • To broach the subject of her truly hideous brooch would have been impolitic. There's no way I could have managed to say anything nice about it.

BROOK

BROOK (bruk) v to tolerate, endure, countenance • Our drill sergeant made it very clear she would brook no insubordination; even any quiet grumbling would be grounds for endless pushups. • The conductor refused to brook any more delay and ordered those without tickets off the train immediately.

BUCOLIC

BUCOLIC (byoo KAH lik) adj rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants • Pastoral poetry tends to depict bucolic wonderlands of shepherds tending their flocks in verdant meadows, but poets always leave out the part about getting up at five o'clock in the morning to take those flocks out to graze. • Their plans for a life of bucolic tranquility were rudely shattered when they discovered the rolling fields pictured in the brochure for their new house were really part of a busy golf course.

BURGEON

BURGEON (BUR jun) v to grow rapidly or flourish • When the wildflowers burgeon in April and May we know that spring has truly arrived. • The burgeoning population transformed the town into a bustling metropolis.

BURNISH

BURNISH (BUR nish) v to polish, rub to a shine • Be careful about burnishing certain old lamps; you never know which one is going to have a genie in it, and history shows that those three wishes lead to no good. • Attempts to burnish the former council member's image were useless; he would forever be remembered as the one whose toupee was stolen by a bird during the Fourth of July parade.

BYZANTINE

BYZANTINE (BI zan teen) adj labrynthine, complex • Tom's byzantine explanation of why he missed curfew was confusing even to his parents who were used to his convoluted punishment-avoidance strategies. • I can't stand playing cards with Max because he makes up such byzantine rules that even he can't keep track of them. You may occasionally see this word with a capital B, in which case it is referring to the city of Byzantium or the Byzantine Empire.

CACOPHONY

CACOPHONY (ca CAH fo nee) n harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance • The cacophony coming from the construction site next door made it impossible to concentrate on the test. • It was a testament to unconditional love that the parents of the kindergartners could call the cacophony of the band recital "music." Some of them even seemed to enjoy the screeching racket. For a related word see dissonance.

CADGE

CADGE (kaj) v to sponge, beg, or mooch • He was always cadging change from me, which added up to a lot of money over time, so eventually I presented him with a loan statement and started charging interest.

CAJOLE

CAJOLE (kuh JOL) v to inveigle, coax, wheedle, sweet-talk • Even though I resolve not to give in, my dog is always able to cajole an extra dog biscuit out of me just by looking at me with his big brown eyes. • I can't believe Wendy cajoled her way out of another mess; all she has to do is smile sweetly and everyone agrees to her every demand.

CALUMNIATE

CALUMNIATE (kuh LUM nee ayt) v to slander, make a false accusation • Tom calumniated his rival by accusing him of having been unfaithful, but it backfired because when the truth came out, Tom ended up looking petty and deceitful. Calumny means slander, aspersion. • Whenever she was afraid someone would discover her own incompetence, she would resort to calumnies and claim everyone else was doing a bad job.

CANON

CANON (KA nun) n an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature • She was forever violating the canons of polite conversation by asking questions that were far too personal for the circumstances. • Adhering to the dictates of his religion's canon meant that he couldn't eat pork. Canonical means following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards. • The canonical status of the standard literary classics has been challenged by the emergence of the work of feminist and third-world scholars, among others.

CAPRICIOUS

CAPRICIOUS (kuh PRI shus) adj inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable • Lee's capricious behavior this weekend shouldn't have come as much of a shock; it's not as if he's usually all that stable and predictable. Having caprices (sudden changes of mind or actions) makes you capricious, which then means that you can be described as tending toward capriciousness.

CARDINAL

CARDINAL (KAHRD nul) adj of basic importance or consequence; primary • His cardinal error was in failing to bribe his sister; otherwise his parents might never have found out about the party and grounded him. • According to classical definition, the cardinal virtues are: prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude.

CARET

CARET (KAR ut) n an insertion mark (A) used by editors and proofreaders • The manuscript was littered with carets indicating all the missing letters the proofreaders had found.

CARNALITY

CARNALITY (kahr NAL uh tee) n something relating to the body or flesh • Though the book was primarily concerned with spiritual matters, its descriptions of earthly pleasures were sometimes shocking in their sheer carnality. Carnal desires are those that relate to bodily or sexual appetite. • Mac intended the carnival ride as an aphrodisiac, but the effects of the spinning actually dampened any carnal desires that were already there. It may seem a little odd, but the word carnage is related—it means physical remains.

CASTIGATION

CASTIGATION (KAS tuh GAY shun) n severe criticism or punishment • Harriet's expression as she slunk out of the room indicated that the castigation she had received was even worse than expected, and that we were probably in for a similar tongue-lashing. • The rack was one of the many gruesome tools of castigation available to the medieval torturer.

CATALYST

CATALYST (KAT uh list) n a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change • Enzymes are common biological catalysts which regulate the speed of many critical processes in the human body. • Steve was hoping the romantic music would be all the catalyst the evening needed. To catalyze is to act as a catalyst, to bring about. • Some argue that while the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand catalyzed World War I, the war would still have happened in the absence of his death, even if it might have begun some months or years later.

CAUSALITY

CAUSALITY (kaw ZAL uh tee) n the relationship between cause and effect • The fact that Caroline saw a stork the week before she became pregnant is merely a coincidence; it should not imply any causality whatsoever. • Because the experiment tested so many factors at the same time, it is difficult to prove the causality of one agent over another.

CAUSTIC

CAUSTIC (KAW stik) adj burning or stinging; causing corrosion • Even washing her hands repeatedly couldn't stop the stinging of the caustic bleach she had used on her clothes. • Her caustic wit was legendary—everyone enjoyed reading Sandra's articles as long as he or she was not the target of her humor.