GRE Vocab Words

countenance

1 def: approve; tolerate. Miss Manners refused to ___ such rude behavior on their part. 2. def: face. when Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his ___.

array

1. def: marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to ____ public finest clothes before going out for the evening 2. def: clothe; adorn. She liked to watch her mother ___ herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening

unerringly

def: Infallibly My teacher ____ pounced on the one typographical error in my essay

rife

def: abundant; current In the face of the many scandalous rumors ____ at the moment, it is best to remain silent

luxuriant

def: abundant; rich and splendid; fertile Lady Godiva was completely covered by her ___ hair

suffragist

def: advocate of voting rights (for women). In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar honoring the ___ Susan B. Anthony

dilettante

def: aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler. According to Turgenev, without painstaking work, any writer or artist remains a ____. In an age of increasing professionalism, the terms amateur and ___ have taken on negitive connotations they did not originally possess.

equivocal

def: ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate's ___ comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue.

waylay

def: ambush; lie in wait They agreed to _____ their victum as he passed through the dark alley going home

reparation

def: amends; compensation At the peace conferences, the defeated country promised to pay ______s to the victors

forbears

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

cherubic

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

indignation

def: anger at an injustice She felt ____ at the ill-treatment of the helpless animals

irate

def: angry When John's mother found out that he had over-drawn his checking account for the third month in a row, she was so ___ that she could scarcely speak tohim

gadfly

def: animal-biting fly; irritating person. Lake a ___, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty-eight hours, everyone regarded him as an annoying busyboy.

gall

def: annoy; chafe. The taunts ___ed him.

vex

def: annoy; distress Please try not to ___ your mother; she is doing the best she can

nettle

def: annoy; vex Do not let her ___ you with her sarcastic remarks

ostensible

def: apparent; professed; pretended Although the ___ purpose of the expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products

loom

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

fervent

def: ardent; hot. Modest b nature, Susan felt that the ____ praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.

disputatious

def: argumentative; found or arguing. Convinced he knew more than his lawyers, Tony was a ___ client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case.

collate

def: arrange in order; examine in order to verify authenticity Ashby Village in Berkeley is _____ing details of organizations that provides services to senior citizens, with the exception of eventually publishing a list.

affected

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

factitious

def: artificial; sham Hollywood actresses often create ____ tears by using glycerine.

acquiesce

def: assent; agree passively. Although she appeared to ____ to her employer's suggestion, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made.

abet

def: assist; usually in doing something wrong encourage. sentence: she was unwilling to ___ in the swindle he had planned.

postulate

def: assume something's existence or truth as a bass for further reasoning or discussion Attachment theory ____s that bonds with parents have a significant influence on later adult relationships

covetous

def: avaricious; eagerly desirous of. The poor man wants many things; the ___ man, all. During the Civil War, the Confederates cast ___ eyes on California, hoping to seize ports for privateers, as well as gold and silver to replenish the South's sagging treasury.

devolve

def: be transferred to another; delegate to another; gradually worsen. Because Humpty Dumpty was too shattered by his fall to clean up his own mess, all the work of picking up the pieces ___ed upon poor Alice.

incipient

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

arrears

def: being in debt Because he was in ____ with his car payments, the repo men repossessed his Porsche.

credulity

def: belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivete. Con artists take advantage of the ____ of inexperienced investors to swindle them out of their savings.

beleaguer

def: besiege or attack; harass. The babysitter was surrounded by a crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly ____ed her.

unimpeachable

def: blameless and exemplary Caesar had always admired men of ____ honesty, such as Cicero and Cato, and liked to work with them. Unfortunately men of ____ honesty tended to look askance at some of Caesar's methods.

irreproachable

def: blameless; impeccable Homer's conduct at the office party was ____; even Marge had nothing bad to say about how he behaved.

beatify

def: bless or sanctify; proclaim someone dead to be one of the blessed. In 1996, Pope John Paul traveled to Belgium to ____ Joseph De Veuster, who died in 1889.

hallowed

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

benediction

def: blessing The apperance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a _____

boon

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

chauvinist

def: blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group or cause. A ____ cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be. Likewise, a male ____ cannot recognize how biased he is in favor of his own sex, no matter how flagrant that bias may be.

bluster

def: blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully. "Let the storm winds ___" cried Jack, "we'll set sail tonight." Jill let Jack ___ her.

brusque

def: blunt; abrupt. She was offended by his _____ reply.

vaunted

def: boasted; bragged; highly publicized This much ____ project proved a disappointment when it collapsed.

braggart

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

vainglorious

def: boastful; excessively conceited Louis XIV consumed the revenues of the state in warlike enterprises, and a million men were sacrificed to his ___ ambition

corporeal

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

ennui

def: boredom The monotonous routine of hospital life induced a feeling of ___ that made her moody and irritable. "This vacation is boring!" complained Heather, tired of being stuck riding i the car with no way to relieve her growing ___.

luminary

def: celebrity; dignitary A leading light o the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical ___ whose name lives on

reprove

def: censure; rebuke Though Aunt Bea at times would _____ Opie for inattention in church, she believed he was at heart a God-fearing lad

arraign

def: charge in court; indict. After his indictment by the Grand Jury; the accused man was ___ed in the County Criminal Court.

quack

def: charlatan; imposer Do not be misled by the exaggerated claims of this ___: he cannot cure you

tawdry

def: cheap and gaudy He won a few ____ trinkets at Coney Island

swindler

def: cheat She was gullible and trusting, an easy victum for the first ___ who came along

stem

def: check the flow The paramedic used a tourniquet to ___ the bleeding from the slashed artery

sanguine

def: cheerful; hopeful Let us not be too ___ about the outcome; something could go wrong

cardinal

def: chief If you want to increase your word power, the ____ rule of vocab building is to read.

puerile

def: childish His ____ pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.

grovel

def: crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate. Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to ____ before our conquerors

dank

def: damp. The walls of the dungeon were __ and slimy.

audacious

def: daring; bold. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their ____, death-defying leap to freedom and escaped Darth Vader's troops.

inveterate

def: deep-rooted; habitual She is an ___ smoker and cannot break the habit

libel

def: defamatory statement; act of writing something that smears a person's character If Batman wrote that the Joker was a dirty, rotten, mass-murdering criminal, could the Joker sue Batman for ___?

mulct

def: defraud a person of something The lawyer was accused of trying to ___ the boy of his legendary

crestfallen

def: dejected; dispirited. We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project: instead of being _____, he was busily engaged in planning new activities.

tarry

def: delay; dawdle We can't ___ if we want to get to the airport on time

invidious

def: designed to create ill will or envy The Israelis' continuing success after the hour of the cease-fire placed Kissinger in an ___ position, for he had promised the Soviet Union that the Israelis would honor the cease-fire, and they had not

raze

def: destroy completely Spelling matter: to raise a building is to put it up; to ___ a building is to tear it down

holocaust

def: destruction by fire Citizens of San Francisco remember that the destruction of the city was caused not by the earthquake but by the ____ that followed.

carnage

def: destruction of life The film The Killing Fields vividly depicts the ____ wrecked by Pol Pot's followers in Cambodia.

bent

def: determined; natural talent or inclination. ____ on advancing in the business world, the secretory-heroine of Working Girl has a true ____ for high finance.

appall

def: dismay; shock. We were ___ed by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.

zeal

def: eager enthusiasm Wang's ____ was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent enthusiasm for the cause

sphinx-like

def: enigmatic; mysterious The Mona Lisa's ____ expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries

ambience

def: environment; atmosphere. she went to the restaurant not for the food but for the _____

exegesis

def: explanation; especially of biblical passages. The minister based her sermon on her ___ of a difficult passage from the book of job.

decry

def: express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly ____ies the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.

spasmodic

def: fitful; periodic The ___ coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers

panache

def: flair; flamboyance Many performers imitated Noel Coward, but few had his ___ and sense of style

adulation

def: flattery; admiration the rock star thrived on the ____ of his groupies and yes-men.

evanescent

def: fleeting; vanishing. For a brief moment, the entire skyline was bathed in an orange-red hue in the ___ rays of the sunset.

carnal

def: fleshly. Is the public more interested to ____ pleasures than in spiritual matters? Compare the number of people who read Playboy daily to the number of those who read the Bible every day.

confluence

def: flowed together; crowd. They built the city at the ____ of two rivers.

fervor

def: glowing ardor; intensity of feeling. At the protest rally, the students cheered the strikers and booed the dean with equal.

killjoy

def: grouch; spoilsport At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that ____ John started talking about how bad animal fats and cholesterol were for our health.

pall

def: grow tiresome The study of word lists can eventually __ and put one to sleep

accretion

def: growth; increase. Over the years Bob put on weight; because of this ___ of flesh, he went from size M to XL.

macabre

def: gruesome; grisly The city morgue is a ___ spot for the uninitiated

taciturn

def: habitually silent; talking little The stereotypical cowboy is a ____ soul, answering lengthy questions with a "Yep" or "Nope"

trite

def: hackneyed; commonplace The ____ and predictable situations in many television programs turn off many viewers, who, in turn, turn off their sets

somnolent

def: half asleep The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all ____ and indifferent to the speaker

prophetic

def: having to do with predicting the future. In interpreting Pharaoh's ____ dream, Joseph said that the seven fat cows eaten by the seven lean cows represented seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine

conductive

def: helpful; contributive. Rest and propwe diet are ____ to good health.

mimicry

def: imitation Her gift for ___ was so great that her freinds said that she should be in the theater

pastiche

def: imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing We cannot even say that her music is a ___ of this or that composer; it is, rather, reminiscent of many musicans

casual

def: implying a cause-and-effect relationship. The psychologist maintained there was a ___ relationship between the nature of one's early childhood experiences and one's adult personality

august

def: impressive; majestic Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the ____ their surroundings in which she found herself.

gamely

def: in a spirited manner; with courage Because he had fought ___ against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena.

apprise

def: inform When NASA was ____d of the dangerous weather conditions, the head of the space agency decided to postpone the shuttle launch.

brazen

def: insolent. Her ____ contempt for authority angered the officials.

insuperable

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

indolent

def: lazy Couch potatoes lead an ___ life lying back in the Lazyboy recliners watching TV

modicum

def: limited quantity Although his story is based on a ___ of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious

vegetate

def: live in a monotonous way I do not understand how you can ____ in this quiet village after the adventurous life you have led.

yen

def: longing; urge She had a ____ to get away and live on her own for a while

episodic

def: loosely connected. Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too ____.

languish

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

clangor

def: loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to the ___ of hammers on steel.

loll

def: lounge about They ____ed around in their chairs watching television

effusive

def: pouring forth; gushing Unmoved by Martha's many compliments on his performance, George dismissed the ___ words to praise as a sentimental outpourings of an emotional fool.

quash

def: subdue; crush; squash The authorities acted quickly to ____ the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators

hapless

def: unfortunate The ___ creature had never known a moment's pleasure

infirmity

def: weakness Her greatest ___ was lack of willpower.

martinet

def: a strict disciplinarian, especially in the armed forces. Miss Minchin was a ___ who insisted that the schoolgirls in her charge observe each regulation to the letter.

derelict

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

prescience

def: ability to foretell the future Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take ____ for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan

effeminate

def: able to produce a desired effect; valid. Medical researchers are concerned because of the developed of drug-resistant strains of bacteria; many once-used antibiotics are no longer ____ in curing bacterial infections

anomalous

def: abnormal; irregular. She was placed in the ____ position of seeming to approve procudures that she despised.

aberration

def: abnormality; departure from the norm; mental irregularity or disorder. sentence: It remains the consensus among investors on Wall Street that current high oil prices are a temporary ___ and that we shall soon see a return to cheap oil

abrogate

def: abolish responding to conservative attacks against an outspoken radical professor, the dean pledged to resist such attempts to ___ the novel.

rapt

def: absorbed; enchanted Caught up in a wonder of the storyteller's tale, the ___ listeners sat motionless, hanging on his every word

preposterous

def: absurd; ridiculous When the candidate tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled, we all thought, "What a ___ excuse!"

plentitude

def: abundance; completeness Looking in the pantry, we admired the ____ of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer

affluence

def: abundance; wealth. Foreigners are amazed by the ____ and luxury of the Americans way of life.

chasm

def: abyss. They could nto ssee the bottom of the ____.

fortuitous

def: accidental; by chance Though he pretended their encounter was ____, he'd actually been hanging around her usual haunts for the past two weeks, hoping she'd turn up.

appropriate

def: acquire; take possession of for one's own use. The ranch owners ____d the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indian's use.

exonerate

def: acquit; exculpate The defense team feverishly sought fresh evidence that might ___ the client.

arbitrate

def: act as judge. She was caled upon to ____ the dispute between the union and he management.

temporize

def: act evasively to gain time, avoid committing oneself Ordered by King John to drive Robin Hood out of Sherwood Forest the sheriff _____, hoping to put off any confrontation with the outlaw band

pantomime

def: acting without dialogue Because he worked in ___, the clown could be understood wherever he appeared

animosity

def: active enmity. He incurred the ____ of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power

veritable

def: actual; being truly so; not false or imaginary At his computer, Pavel is a ___ wizard, creating graphic effects that seem magical to programmers less skilled than he

espouse

def: adopt; support. She was always ready to ____ a worthy cause.

mannered

def: affected; not natural Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a ___ed, artificial way of speech.

posthumous

def: after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death). The critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the _____ publication of his last novel that they recognized his great talent

emissary

def: agent; messanger. The Secretary of State was sent as the president's special ___ to the conference on disarmament.

ferment

def: agitation; commotion. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ___.

succor

def: aid; assist; comfort If you believe that con man has come here to ___ you in your hour of need, you're even a bigger sucker than I thought

assay

def: analyze; evaluate. When they ___ed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein.

progenitor

def: ancestor The Roth Family, whose ___s emigrated from Germany early in the 19th century, settled in Peru, Illinois

verisimilitude

def: appearance of truth; likelihood Critics praised her for the ___ of her performance of Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable

advent

def: arrival Most Americans were unaware of the ___ of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them

hubris

def: arrogance; excessive self-conceit Filled with ___, Lear refused to heed his friends' warnings.

supercilious

def: arrogant; condescending; patronizing The ______ headwater sneered at customers who he thought did not fit the image of a restaurant catering to an ultrafashionable crowd

facet

def: aspect; feature; side. With so many different ___s to the job, a proposal writer must often be a Jack of all trades, able to manage the project, motivate the proposal team, perform needed research, and, of course, write.

assail

def: assault He was ____ed with questions after his lecture

supposititious

def: assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical Perkin Warbeck, the _____ heir to the British throne, eventually confessed that he was a pretender

append

def: attach When you ___ a bibliography to a text, you have created an appendix.

revile

def: attack with abusive language; Vilify Though most of his contemporaries _____ed Captain Kidd as a notorious, bloody-handed pirate, some of his fellow merchant-captains believed him innocent of his alleged crimes.

impute

def: attribute; ascribe If I wished to ____ blame to the officers in charge of the program, I would say so definitely and immediately.

magisterial

def: authoritative; imperious The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a ___ tone of voice

shirk

def: avoid (responsibility, work, etc); malinger Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never ___ any responsibility

eschew

def: avoid. Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he tried to __ all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub.

relegate

def: banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign After Ralph dropped his second tray of drinks that week, the manager swiftly ____ed him to a minor post cleaning up behind the bar.

insolvent

def: bankrupt; lacking money to pay When rumors thhat he was ___ reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the money due them

behoove

def: be necessary or proper for; be incumbent upon. Because the interest of the ruler and the ruled are imcompatible, it ___s the ruler to trust no one, to be suspicious of sycophants, to permit no one to gain undue power or influence.

appreciate

def: be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of. Little Orphan Annie truly ____ed the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, whose value ____d considerably over the years.

comport

def: bear one's self; behave. He comported himself with great dignity.

lambaste

def: beat; trash verbally or physically It was painful to watch the champion ___ his opponent, tearing into him mercilessly

pulchritude

def: beauty; comeliness I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss America from this collection of female _____.

ingratiate

def: become popular with He tried to ____ himself into her parents' good graces

importune

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

cadge

def: beg; mooch; panhandle. While his car was in the shop, Bob had to ____ a ride to work each day. Unwilling to be a complete moocher, however, he offered to pay for the gas.

bessech

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

tyro

def: beginner; novice The young lawyer, a ___ less than a year out of law school, had never tried a capital case; he was not incompetent, merely too inexperienced to represent his clients carefully

credence

def: belief. It is unlikely that Richard III killed his queen, but his evident alarm at the thought that such a story might gain ____ even among his faithful followers clearly shows how fragile he felt his reputation to be.

preternatural

def: beyond that which is normal in nature John's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying stuck him as almost _____.

acerbic

def: bitter or sour in nature; sharp and cutting. Noted for her ___ wit and gossiping, Alice Roosevelt Longworth had a pillow in her home embroidered with the legend "if you can't sat something good about someone, sit right here by me".

acrimonious

def: bitter words or manner. the canidate attacked his opponent in highly ____ terms.

rancor

def: bitterness; hatred 30 years after the war, she could not let go of the past but he was still consumed with ____ against the foe

censure

def: blame; criticize. The senator was ____ed for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress.

sanguinary

def: bloody The battle of Iwo Jima was unexpectedly ___, with many casualties

magniloquent

def: boastful, pompous In their stories of the trail, the reporters ridiculed the ____ speeches of the defense attorney

hilarity

def: boisterous mirth With superb timing they did a knock about comedy act that provoked ____from the audience

obstreperous

def: boisterous; noisy What do you do when an ___ horse of drunken policeman carouses through your hotel, crashing into potted plants and singing vulgar songs

temerity

def: boldness; rashness Do you have the __ to argue with me?

catechism

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

anthology

def: book of itinerary selections by various authors. This ____ of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov.

churlish

def: boorish; rude. Dismayed by his ____ manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.

blasé

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

tedium

def: boredom; weariness We hope this new Game Boy will help you overcome the __ of your stay in the hospital

fracas

def: brawl; melee. The military police stopped the ___ in the bar and arrested the belligerents.

laconic

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

succinct

def: brief; terse; compact Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage

nonplus

def: bring to a halt by confusion; perplex Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness ___ Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react

braggadocio

def: broasting. Hip hop is a culture built on _____, arrogance, and confidence in one's own abilities and appearance.

browbeat

def: bully; intimidate. Billy resisted Ted's attempts to ___ him into handing over his lunch money.

onus

def: burden; responsibility The emperor was spared the ___ of signing the surrender papers; instead, he relegated the assignment to his generals

wheedle

def: cajole; coax; deceive by flattery She knows she can ______ almost anything she wants from her farther

convoke

def: call together. To the surprise of Vatican observers, the new Pope John XXIII announced his intention to ___ an ecumenical council.

dispassionate

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

allay

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

countermand

def: cancel; revoke. The general ____ed the orders issued in his absence.

venal

def: capable of being bribed The _____ policeman accepted the bribe offered him by the motorists whom he had stopped for speeding

vagary

def: caprice; whim Without income from Social Security to depend on, senior citizens will be even more vulnerable to the ___ of the stock market than they are today

cursory

def: casual; hastily done. Because a ____ examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's cause.

descry

def: catch sight of. In the distances, we could barely ___ the enemy vessels.

cavaller

def: causal and offhand; arrogant. Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's ____ dismissal of her suggestions.

stultify

def: cause to appear or become stupids or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the mental labor had _____ed his mind

pestilential

def: causing plague; baneful People were afraid to explore the ____ swamp

grievous

def: causing sorrow or pain; very severe A pedestrian who suffered ____ injuries after being struck by a city bus last year will receive a $575,000 settlement from the transit agency.

chary

def: cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty New Englander, DeWitt was a ___ of investing money in junk bonds as he was _____ of praying people unnecessary compliments.

kernel

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

vicissitude

def: change of fortune Humbled by life's ____s, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled

transmute

def: change; convert to something different He was unable to ___ his dreams into actualities

fickle

def: changeable; faithless As soon as Romeo saw Juliet, he forgot all about his crush on Rosaline.

indict

def: charge The district attorney didn't want to ___ the suspect until she was sure she had a strong enough case to convince a jury

progeny

def: children; offspring He was proud of his ___ in general, but regarded George as the most promising of all his children.

chortle

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

vociferous

def: clamorous; noisy The crowd grew ____ in its anger and threatened to take the law into his own hands.

expurgate

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

perspicuity

def: clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity. One of the outstanding features of his book is the ____ of its author; her meaning is always clear

repartee

def: clever reply He was famous for his witty ____ and his sarcasm

stratagem

def: clever trick; deceptive scheme What a gem of a _____! Watson, I have the perfect plan to trick Moriarty into revealing himself.

shrewd

def: clever; astute A___ investor, she took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market

clamber

def: climb by crawling. She ___ over the wall.

saccharine

def: cloyingly sweet She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a ___ smile.

maladroit

def: clumsy; bugling, "Oh! My stupid tongue!" exclaimed Jane, embarrassed at having said anything so ___.

gauche

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

cajole

def: coax; wheedle. Cher tried to ___ her father into letting her drive the family car.

amass

def: collect. The miser's aim is to ___ and hoard as much gold as possible

agglomeration

def: collection; heap. It took weeks to assort the ___ of miscellaneous items she had collected on her tip.

militant

def: combative; bellicose Although at this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more ___ attitude.

pugnacity

def: combativeness; disposition to fight "Put up your dukes!" he cried, making a fist to show his ___.

merger

def: combination (of two business cooperations). When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't marriage

coalesce

def: combine; fuse. The brooks ____ into one large river. When minor political parties ____, their ___ may create a major coalition.

fiat

def: command; authorization Although the bill abolished the allowances and privileges of the former princes was rejected by the upper house, it was put into effect by presidential

enjoin

def: command; order; forbid. The owners of the company asked the court to ___ the union from picketing the plant.

hackeyed

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

tumult

def: commotion; riot; noise She could not make herself heard over the ___ of the mob

remunerative

def: compensating; rewarding I find my new job so ___ that I may not return to my previous position.

grouse

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

unanimity

def: complete agreement We were surprised by the ____ with which our proposals were accepted by the different factions

complement

def: complete; consummate; make perfect. The waiter recommender a glass of port to ____ the cheese.

plenary

def: complete; full The union leader was given ____ power to negotiate a new contract with the employers

imbroglio

def: complicated situation; painful or complex misunderstanding; entanglement; confused mass (as of papers) The humor of Shakespearean comedies often depends on cases of mistaken identity that involve the perplexed protagonists in one comic ____ after another

mercantile

def: concerning trade The knowledge that sea traders like Mexico Polo brought to Venice increased commercial activity there, transforming the city into one of the great ____ powers of Europe

précis

def: concise summing up of main points Before making her presentation at the conference, Ellen wrote a neat ____ of the major elements she would cover

terse

def: concise; abrupt; pithy There is a fine line between speech that is ____ and to the point and speech that is too abrupt

pithy

def: concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty While other girls might have gone on and on about how uncool Elton was, Cher summed it up in one ___ remark: "He's bogus!"

brevity

def: conciseness. ____ is essential when you send a telegram; you are charged for every word.

deign

def: condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not ___ to speak to a mere seamstress; is overburdened assistant had to convey the master's wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs.

corroborate

def: confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to ____ Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.

befuddle

def: confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in ___ing her further.

obfuscate

def: confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex. Was the president's spokesman trying to clarify the Whitewater mystery or was he trying to ___ the issue so the voters would never figure out what went on?

confound

def: confuse; puzzle No mystery could ____ Sherlock Holmes for long

hubbub

def: confused uproar The marketplace was a scene of ___ and excitement; in all the noise, we could not distinguish particular voices.

bemused

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

scrupulous

def: conscientious; extremely thorough Though Alfred is ___ in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less_____ about his obligations to his family and friends

corollary

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

flagrant

def: conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous The governor's appointment of his brother-in-law to the state Supreme Court was a ____ violation of the state laws against nepotism.

din

def: continued loud noise. The ___ of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice.

ascendancy

def: controlling influence. President Marcos failed to maintain his _____ over the Philippines.

mores

def: conventions; moral standards; customs In America, Benazir Bhutto dressed as Western women did; in Pakistan, however, she followed the ___ of her people, dressing in traditional veil and robes.

facsimile

def: copy Many museums sell ___s of the words of art on display

pith

def: core or marrow; essence; substance In preparing a pineapple for the table, first slice it in half and remove the woody central ___.

chasten

def: correct by punishment or scolding; restrain; rebuke. No matter how much a child deserves to _____ for doing wrong, the maxim "Spare the rod and spoil the child" never justifies physical abuse.

emendation

def: correction of errors; improvement. Please initial all the ____s it seemed to make no sense.

vitriolic

def: corrosive; sarcastic Such _____ criticism is uncalled for.

debauch

def: corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did Socrates' teachings lead the young men of Athens to be virtuous citizens, or did they ____ the young men, causing them to question the customs of their fathers? Clearly, Socrates' philosophical talks were nothing like the wild ___ery of the toga parties in Animal House.

deference

def: courteous regard for another's wish. In ____ to the minister's request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.

comity

def: courtesy; civility. A spirit of ____ should exist among nations.

pusillanimous

def: cowardly; fainthearted In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's friend the Cowardly Lion wishes he were brave and not _____

quail

def: cower; lose heart He was afraid that he would ____ in the face of danger

machiavellian

def: crafty; double-dealing I do not think he will be a god ambassador because he is not accustomed to the ___ maneuverings of foreign diplomats

zany

def: crazy; comic I can watch the Marx brothers' ____ antics for hours

credo

def: creed. Just two months before his death, as he talked about life with some friends, the writer Jack London proclaimed his ___."The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time".

juncture

def: crisis; joining point At this critical ___, let us think carefully before determining the course we shall follow.

stricture

def: critical comments; sever and adverse criticism. His ____s on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted

censorious

def: critical. ____ people delight in casting blame.

pan

def: critique harshly Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics ___ed it unanimously.

throng

def: crowd _____ of shoppers jammed the aisles

wily

def: cunning; artful She is as ____ as a fox in avoiding trouble

panacea

def: cure-all; remedy for all diseases There is not easy ___ that will solve our complicated international solution

execrate

def: curse; express abhorrence for. The world ____ed the memory of Hitler and hoped that genocide would never again be the policy of any nation.

excise

def: cut away; cut out. When you ___ the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit.

retrench

def: cut down; economize If they were to be able to send their to college, they would have to ___.

truncate

def: cut off the top off The top of the cone that has been ___ed in a plane parallel to to its base is a circle

sever

def: cut; separate Dr. Guillotin invited a machine that could neatly ___ an aristocratic head from its equally aristocratic body. Unfortunetly, he couldn't collect any ____ pay.

incisive

def: cutting; sharp Her ___ remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans.

perdition

def: damnation; complete ruin Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal _____.

resplendent

def: dazzling; glorious; brillant While all the adults were commenting how glorious the emperor looked in his _____ new clothes, one little boy was heard to say, :But he's naked!"

defunct

def: dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the books of the ___ corporation.

manifesto

def: declaration; statement of policy The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principals of modern communism

avow

def: declare openly. Lana ____ed that she never meant to steal Debbie's boyfriend, but no one believed her ____al of innocence.

consecrate

def: dedicate; sanctify. In 1804, Napoleon forced Pope Pius VII to come to Paris to ____ him as emperor, only to humiliate Pius at the last minute by taking the crown from the Pope's hands and crowning himself.

ignominy

def: deep disgrace; shame or dishonor To lose the Ping-Pong match to a trained chimpanzee! How could Rollo endure the ____ of which they now accused him.

consign

def: deliver officially; entrust; set apart. The court ___ the child to her paternal grandmother's care.

cataclysm

def: deluge; upheaval A ____ such as the French Revolution on this holiday weekend was high.

peremptory

def: demanding and leaving no choice From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in

laborious

def: demanding much work or care; tedious It putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a ____ task.

fulminate

def: denounce thunderously; explode. Known for his "fire and brimstone" sermons, the preacher ___ed against sinners and backsliders, consigning them to the flames of hell.

inveigh

def: denounce; utter censure or invective He ____ed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his philosophy as dangerous.

renege

def: deny; go back on He ____ed on paying off his debt

abscond

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

turpitude

def: depravity A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral _____.

despondent

def: depressed; gloomy. To the distress of his parents William became seriously ____ after he broke up with Jan

posterity

def: descendants; future generations We hope to leave a better world to _____.

sacrilegious

def: desecrating; profane His stealing of the altar cloth was a very ____ act.

renegade

def: deserter or traitor Because he had abandoned his post and joined forced with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a _____

defection

def: desertion. The children , who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his ____ from our cause.

venerable

def: deserving high respect We do not mean to disrespectful when he refuse to follow the advice of our ____ leader.

baneful

def: destructive; causing ruin or death. Anointment seems intended to apply the power of natural and supernatural forces to the sick and thus to ward off the ___ influences of diseases and of demons.

dogged

def: determined; stubborn. Les Miserales tells of Inspector Javert's long, ____ pursuit of the criminal Jean Valijean.

abhor

def: detest; hate. sentence: she ___ed all forms of bigotry.

odium

def: detestation; hatefulness; disrepute Prince Charming could not express the ___ he felt toward Cinderella's stepsisters because of their mistreatment of poor Cinderella

depose

def: dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to ___ the king and set up a military government.

sleight

def: dexterity The magician amazed the audience with his ___ of hand.

imponderable

def: difficult to impossible to measure or assess. Fears of a possible Gulf war have driven down airline bookings for February and March; the effects of an actual war on the airlines industry would be ____.

fastidious

def: difficult to please; squeamish. Bobby was such a ____ eater he would eat a sandwich only if his mother first cut off every scrap of crust.

discursive

def: digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we wondered what if any point there was to his ____ remarks.

quandary

def: dilemma When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura, she was in ____ as to which school she should attend

sedulous

def: diligent Students who have not been particularly ____ and diligent in keeping up with their coursework may find themsevles in difficulties at midterm time

application

def: diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence. Aunt Polly praised hm for his _____.

sap

def: diminish; undermine The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it ___ed his strength

calamity

def: disaster; miser. Cher tried to ___ her father into letting her drive the family car.

faze

def: disconcert; dismay. No crisis could ____ the resourceful hotel manager.

bandy

def: discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly While the president was happy to ____ patriotic generalizations with anyone who would listen to him, he refused to ___ words with unfriendly reporters at the press conference.

sardonic

def: disdainful; sarcastic; cynical The ____ humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people are amusing and others as rude

fuelsome

def: disgustingly excessive Disgusted by her fans' ____ admiration, the movie star retreated from the public, crying "I want to be alone"

downcast

def: disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never __ despite the difficulties she faced.

skulduggery

def: dishonest behavior The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of ____ daily

disaffected

def: disloyal. Once the most loyal of Bradley's supporters, Senator Moynihan found herself becoming increasingly ____

consternation

def: dismay; sudden alarm. To her ___, when she arrived at the airport, she discovered that she had left her passport at pass.

insubordination

def: disobedience; rebelliousness At the slightest hint of ____ from the sailors on the Bounty, Captain Bligh had them flogged; finally, they mutinied

contumacious

def: disobedient; resisting authority. The ____ mob shouted defiantly at the police.

repudiate

def: disown; disavow On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would _____ all debts incurred by her soon-to-be-ex-husband

disclaim

def: disown; renounce claim to. Maintaining the injury had occurred during an afterschool program run by outside contractors, the school ____ed any responsibility for Santiago's injured wrist.

provident

def: displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies. In his usual ____ manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss

sanctimonious

def: displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness You do not have to be so ___ to prove that you are devout

clemency

def: disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather. Why did the defense lawyer look pleased when his case was sent to Judge Bland's chambers? Bland was noted for her __ to first offenders.

impugn

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

dissident

def: dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that followed from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to prepare a ___ on some scholarly subject.

disapprobation

def: dissproval; condemnation. The conservative father viewed his daughter's radical boyfriend with ____.

cloying

def: distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental. Disliking the ____ sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose a homemade carrot cake for the reception.

awry

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

disseminate

def: distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to ___ their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.

ramify

def: divide into branches or subdivisions When the plant begins to ____, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches

schism

def: division; split The movement or ordain women threatened to create a ___ in the Church, pitting modernizers against traditionalists

tenet

def: doctrine; dogma The agnostic did not accept the ____ of their faith

hegemony

def: dominance; especially of one nation over others. As one Eastern European nation after nation declared its independence, commentators marveled at the sudden breakdown of the once monolithic Soviet ____.

misgivings

def: doubts Hamlet described his ___s to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of evil

limn

def: draw; outline; describe Paradoxically, the more realistic the details this artist chooses, the better able she is to ___ her fantastic, other-worldly landscapes

impel

def: drive or force onward. A strong feeling of urgency ___ed her; if she failed to finish the project right then, she knew that she would never get it done.

ferret

def: drive or hunt out of hiding. She ____ed out their secret.

vapid

def: dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless "Boring!" said Cher, as she suffered through yet another _____ lecture about Dead White Male Poets

prosaic

def: dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual Though the ad writers had come up with a highly creative campaign to publicize the company's newest product the head office rejected it for a more ____, down-to-earth approach.

moribund

def: dying Hearst took a ___, failing weekly newspaper and transformed it into one of the liveliest, most profitable daily papers around..

hortatory

def: earnestly advising; didactic; preachy. Film acting schooled Reagan in the ____ oratory of movie dialogue- speeches crafted to sell an ideal or an emotion, and still sound like plain-spoken common sense- techniques he used so dynamically in politics.

bulwark

def: earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal ____ against invasion.

palliate

def: ease pain; make less sever or offensive If we cannot cure the disease at present, we can, at least, try to ___ the symptoms

facile

def: easily accomplished; ready to fluent; superficial Words came easily to Jonathon: he was a ___ speaker and prided himself on being ready to make a speech at a moment's notice.

affable

def: easily approachable; warmly friendly. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicolas was amazed at how appealed to Alice's ____ sense.

lucid

def: easily understood; clear; intelligible Lexy makes an excellent teacher; her explanations of technical points are ____ enough for a child to grasp.

maudlin

def: effusively sentimental Whenever a particularly ____ tearjerker was playing at the movies, Marvin would embarrass himself by weeping copiously

vacuous

def: empty; lacking in ideas; stupid The candidates _____ remarks annoyed the audience, who hoped to hear more than empty platitudes

interminable

def: endless Although his speech lasted for only 20 minutes, it seemed ____ to his bored audience.

incense

def: enrage; infuriate Cruelty to defenseless animals ____ed the idea of kit: which is an idea to defend the animls.

mire

def: entangle; stick in swampy ground Their rear wheels became ___ed in mud

verve

def: enthusiasm; liveliness Hamilton maintains that the comic characters of Aristophanes and Shakespeare share a fundamental resemblance, for they possess "the same tremendous energy and _____ and vitality; the same swinging, swashbuckling spirit; the same exuberant, effervescing flow of language; the same rollicking, uproarious fun

ovation

def: enthusiastic applause When Placido Domingo came up on stage in the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous ____.

plaudit

def: enthusiastic approval; round of applause The theatrical company reprinted the ____s of the critics in its advertisements

gamut

def: entire range In a classical put-down of actress Katharine Hepburn, the critic Dorthy Parker wrote that the actress ran the ___ of emotions from A to B.

milieu

def: environment; means of expression Surrounded by smooth preppies and arty bohemians, the country boy from Smalltown, USA, felt out of his ____.

parity

def: equality; close resemblance The striking Greyhound bus drivers are demanding pay ___ with their counterparts in the public transportation system

paraphernalia

def: equipment; odds and ends Her desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other ___ of the writing craft

tantamount

def: equivalent in effect or value Because so few Southern blacks could afford to pay the poll tax, the imposition of this tax on prospective voters was ___ to disenfranchisement for black voters

blunder

def: error The criminal's fatal ___ led to his capture.

misapprehension

def: error; misunderstanding To avoid ____, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given

crux

def: essential or main point. Will the Turkish people as a whole embrace Islamism, or will they adopt European values and standards? This is the ___ of the matter; the answer will determine Europe's future for decades to come.

elusive

def: evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. No matter how hard Tom tried to lure the trout into taking the bait, the fish was too ____ for him to catch.

biennial

def: every two years. Seeing no need to meet more frequently, the group held ___ meetings instead of annual ones.

machinations

def: evil schemes or plots Fortunately, Batman saw through the wily ___ of the Riddler and saved Gotham City from destruction by the forces of evil

malefactor

def: evildoer; criminal Mighty Mouse will save the day, haunting down ____s and rescuing innocent mice from ___.

sublime

def: exalted; noble and uplifting; utter Lucy was in awe of Desi's ____ musicianship, while he was in awe of her ___ naivete

fanaticism

def: excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause. When Islamic fundamentalists demanded the death of Salman Rushdie because his novel questioned their faith, world opiion condemned them for their ____.

superfluous

def: excessive; overabundant; unnecessary Please try not to include so many _____ details in your report; just give me the bare facts

tightwad

def: excessively frugal person; miser Jill called Jack a ____ because he never picked up the check

rapacious

def: excessively grasping; plundering. Hawks and other ____ birds prey on variety of small animals

expatriate

def: exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land. Henry James was an American ____ who settled in England.

dilate

def: expand. in the dark, the pupils of your eyes.

politic

def: expedient; prudent; well devised Even though he was dissapointed, he did not think it ___ to refuse this offer

adept

def: expert she was ___ at the fine art of irritating people.

belabor

def: explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally. The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by _____ing his point

elucidate

def: explain; enlightened He was called upon to ___ the disputed points in his article.

expository

def: explanatory; serving to explain. The manual that came with my blueray player was no masterpiece of ____ prose: its explanations were so garbled that I couldn't even figure out how to play the disc.

traduce

def: expose or slander His opponents tried to ____ the candidates's reputation by spreading rumors about his past

reproach

def: express disapproval or disappointment He never could do anything wrong without imagining how the look on his mother's face would ____ him afterwards

quell

def: extinguish; put down; quiet Miss MInchin's demeanor was so stern and forbidding tht she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.

depravity

def: extreme corruption; wickedness. The ____ of Caligula's behavior eventually sickened even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively innocent orgies.

opulence

def: extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance The glitter and ___ of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away

overwrought

def: extremely agitated; hysterical When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too ____ to work and had to leave the office early.

exacting

def: extremely demanding. Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an ____ task, one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers

ravenous

def: extremely hungry The ____ dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food

virulent

def: extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter Laid up with a ___ case of measles, Vera blamed her doctors because her recovery took so long. In fact, she became quite ____ on the subject of the quality of modern medical care.

destitute

def: extremely poor Because they had no health insurance, the father's costly illness left the family ___.

draconian

def: extremely severe. When the principal canceled the senior rpom because some seniors have been late to school that week, we thought the ___ punishment was far too harsh for such a minor violation of the rules.

beget

def: fahter; produce; give rise to. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily ___ another.

windfall

def: fallen fruit; expected lucky event This huge tax refund is quiet a _____.

perjury

def: false testimony while under oath Rather than lie under oath and perhaps be indicated for ___, the witness chose to take the 5th amendment, refusing to answer any questions on the grounds that he might incriminate himself

spurious

def: false; counterfeit; forged; illogical The hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the readers advice on how to tell ____ antiques from the real thing

fallacious

def: false; misleading Paradoxically, ___ reasoning does not always yield erroneous results; even though your logic may be faulty, the answer you get may be correct.

bizarre

def: fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of the novel was too ____ to be believed.

chimerical

def: fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative. As everyone expected, Ted's ____ scheme to make a fortune by raising ermines in his backyard proved a dismal failure.

modish

def: fashionable She always discarded all garments that were no longer ____.

captious

def: faultfinding His criticism were always ___ and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions.

propitious

def: favorable; fortunate; advantageous Chloe consulted her horoscope to see whether Tuesday would be a ____ day to dump her boyfriend

auspicious

def: favoring success. With favorable weather conditions, it was an ____ moemnet to set sail. Thomas, however, had doubts about sailing; a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever conditions seemed ___.

timorous

def: fearful; demonstrating fear Shy when encountering strangers, she was too _____ to meet anyone's gaze

intrepid

def: fearless For her ____ conduct nursing the wounded during the war, Florence Nightingale was honored by Queen Victoria

feckless

def: feeble and ineffective; carless and irresponsible Richard II proved such a ___ ruler that Bolingbroke easily convinced Parliament to elect him king in Richard's place.

presentiment

def: feeling something will happen; anticipatory fear; premonition Saying goodbye at the airport, Jack had a sudden _____ that this was the last time he would see Jill

stimulate

def: feign (stimulate, fake) She _____ insanity in order to avoid punishment for crime

visceral

def: felt in one's inner organs She disliked the ____ sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster

fecundity

def: fertility; fruitfulness. The ___ of her mind is illustrated by te many vivid images of her poems.

convivial

def: festive; gay; characterized by joviality. The ____ celebrators of the victory sang their college songs.

dossier

def: file of documents on a subject. Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete. ___ on him.

replete

def: filled to the brim or to the point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied The movie star's memoir was ___ with juicy details about the love life of half of Hollywood

ascertain

def: find out for certain Please ____ her present address.

arable

def: fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of ____ land ready for the plow.

paroxysm

def: fit or attack of pain: laughter; rage When he heard of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a ___ of rage.

glib

def: fluent; facile; slick Keeping up a steady patter to entertain his customers, the kitchen gadget salesman was a ___ speaker, never at a loss for a word.

voluble

def: fluent; glib; talkative An excessively _____ speaker suffers from logorrhea: he continually runs off at the mouth!

austere

def: forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented The headmaster's ___ demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly. The room reflected the man, ___ and bare, like a monk's cell, with no touches of luxury to moderate its ___ity.

trenchant

def: forceful and vigorous; cutting With his ___ wit, reviewer Frank Rich cut straight to the heart of the matter, panning a truly dreadful play

vehement

def: forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor Alfred became so ___ in describing what was wrong with the Internal Revenue Service that he began jumping up and down and gesticulating wildly

bode

def: foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies and the sulfurous odors from the mineral springs seemed to ___ evil to those who settled in the area.

presage

def: foretell The vultures flying overhead ___ed the presence of something dead

portend

def: foretell; presage The king did not know what these omens might ___ and asked his soothsayers to interpret them

venial

def: forgiving; trivial When Jean Valijean stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister, he committed a _____ offense

disquisition

def: formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry. In his ___ he outlined the steps he had taken in reaching his conclusions.

amorphous

def: formless; lacking shape or definition. As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still ____.

citadel

def: fortress. The ___ overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

noisome

def: foul-smelling; unwholesome The ___ atmosphere downwind of the oil refinery not only stank but also damaged the lungs of everyone living in the area

gratis

def: free The company offered to give one package ____ to every purchaser of one of their products.

extricate

def: free; disentangle Icebreakers were needed to ___ the trapped whales from the icy floes that closed them in.

latitude

def: freedom from narrow limitations I think you have permitted your son too much ___ in this matter

impunity

def: freedom from punishment or harm A 98-pound weakling can't attack a beachfront bully with ___: the poor, puny guy is sure to get mashed

furor

def: frenzy; great excitement The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a ___ on the shock exchange.

scruple

def: fret about; hesitate for ethical reasons Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not ___ to read his diary.

querulous

def: fretful; whining Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act ___ if they miss their nap

buxom

def: full-bosomed; plump; jolly. High-fashioned models usually are slender rather than ____.

purveyor

def: furnisher of foodstuffs; career As ____ of rave wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell

hindmost

def: further behind The coward could always be found in the hindmost lines whenever a battle was being waged

lope

def: gallop slowly As the horses ____ed along, we had an opportunity to admire the ver-changing scenery

glean

def: gather leavings After the crops had been harvested by the machines, the peasants were permitted to ___ the wheat left in the fields.

largess

def: generous gift Lady Bountiful distributed ____ to the poor.

unstinting

def: generous; openhanded; liberal The philanthropist was noted for his ____ support of the arts

unfeigned

def: genuine; real She turned so pale that I am sure her surprise was _____.

seminal

def: germinal; influencing future developments; related to seed or semen Although Freud has generally been regarded as a ___ thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his psychoanalytical methods have come under attack recently

apparition

def: ghost; phantom On the castle battlements, as ____ materialized and spoke to Hamlet, warning him of his uncles treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of ____s wielded by Bill Murray.

spectral

def: ghostly We were frightened by the ___ glow that filled the room.

burlesque

def: give an imitation that ridicules. In Galaxy Quest, Alan Rickman _____s Mr. Spock of Start Trek, outrageously parodying Spock's unemotional manner.

relent

def: give in When her stern father would not ____ and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor

attraction

def: gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment. In the 1960s urban churches suffered from ____ as members moved from the cities to the suburbs. Rather than fire staff members, church leaders followed a policy of ____, allowing elderly workers to retire without replacing them.

vouchsafe

def: grant condescendingly; guarantee Maintaining that power was only ____ed to the man who dared to stoop and pick it up, Raskolnikov attempted to justify his murder of the pawnbroker

demure

def: grave; serious; coy. She was ___ and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.

conflagration

def: great fire. In the ____ that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.

clout

def: great influence (especially political or social). Gatsby wondered whether he had enough ___ to be admitted to the exclusive club.

cupidity

def: greed. The defeated people could not satisfy the ____ of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.

avarice

def: greediness for wealth. Montaigne is correct in maintaining that it is not poverty, but rather abundance, that breeds ___, the more shoes Imelda Marcos had, the more she craved.

avid

def: greedy; eager for He was ___ for learning and read everything he could get.

tutelage

def: guardianship; training Under the ___ of such masters of the instrument, she mad rapid progress in playing the violin

hover

def: hang about; wait nearby The police helicopter ____ed above the accident

loiter

def: hang around; linger The policeman told him not to ___ in the alley

slapdash

def: haphazard; careless; sloppy From the number of typos and misspelling I've found it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably ___ fashion.

felicity

def: happiness; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc). She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great ___ in their wedded life.

beset

def: harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems ___ the American public school system.

harry

def: harass; annoy; torment; raid The guerrilla band ____ied the enemy nightly.

esoteric

def: hard to understand; known only to the chosen few. New Yorker short stories often include ___ allusions to obscure people and events. The implications is, if you are in the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won't.

adamant

def: hard; inflexible. in the movie Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, ____ in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family

privation

def: hardship; want In his youth, he knew hunger and ____.

injurious

def: harmful Smoking cigarettes can be ___ to your health

concord

def: harmony. Watching Tweedledum and Tweedledee battle, Alic wondered why the brothers could not manage to live in ____.

consonance

def: harmony; agreement. Her agitation seemed out of ____ with her usual calm. The 1815 so-called "Holy Alliance" of the emperors of Russia and Austria and the King of Prussia accomplished nothing, since it was merely a vague agreement that the sovereigns would conduct themselves in ___ with Christian principals.

raucous

def: harsh and shrill; disorderly and boisterous The ____ crowd of New Year's Eve revelers grew progressively noisier as midnight drew near

headlong

def: hasty; rash The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a _____ dash across the border to freedom.

odious

def: hateful; vile Cinderella's ugly stepsisters had the ___ habit of popping their zits in public

concentric

def: having a common center The target was made of ____ circles

clairvoyant

def: having foresight; fortuneteller. Cassandra's ___ warning was not heeded by the Trojans

perspicacious

def: having insight; penetrating; astute The brilliant lawyer was known for his ___ deductions

peerless

def: having no equal; incomparable The reining operatic tenor of his generation, to his admirers Luciano Pavarotti was ____: no one could compare with him

titular

def: having the title of an office without the obligations. Although he was the ___ head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager

tendentious

def: having to aim; biased; designed to further a cause The intensive and ____ coverage makes it clear that some news channels are pursuing agendas of their own

ardor

def: heat; passion; zeal Katya's ardor was contagious, soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ____ enthusiasm for the cause.

eminent

def: high; lofty. After her appointment to hs ___ position, she seldom had time for her former friends.

baroque

def: highly ornate. Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of ___ architecture amusing.

intimate

def: hint She ____ed rather than stated her preference

domicile

def: home Although his legal ___ was in NYC, hiw work kept him away from home for many years.

animus

def: hostile feeling or intent. The ___ of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

choleric

def: hot tempered. His flushed, angry face indicated a ____ nature.

firebrand

def: hothead; troublemaker The police tried to keep track of all the local ____s when the president came to town.

quixotic

def: idealistic but impractical Constantly coming up with ____, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head is somewhere off in the clouds

enmity

def: ill will; hatred. At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an end to the ___ that prevented Egypt and Israel from living in peace.

cantankerous

def: ill-humored; irritable. Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff; he was a _____ patient.

malady

def: illness A mysterious ___ swept the country, filling doctors' offices with feverish, purple-spotted patients

fictitious

def: imaginary Although the book purports to be a biography of George Washington , many of the incidents are ___.

sophomoric

def: immature; half-baked; like a sophomore Even if you're only a freshman, it's no compliment to be told your humor is ____.

inscrutable

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

impalpable

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

transitory

def: impermanent; fleeting Fame is ___: today's rising star is all too soon tomorrow's washed-up has-been.

impudence

def: impertinence; insolence Kissed on the cheek by a perfect stranger, Lady Catherine exclaimed, "Of all the nerve" Young man, I should have you horse-whipped for you ____"

pert

def: impertinent; forward I think your ___ and imprudent remarks call for an apology

impropriety

def: improperness; unsuitableness Because of the ____ of the punk rocker's slashed Tshirt and jeans, the management refused to admit him to the hotel's very formal dining room.

insolence

def: impudent disrespect; haughtiness How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of your ____.

comatose

def: in a coma; extremely sleepy. The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a ___ state.

nascent

def: incipient; coming into being If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their ____ state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years

proclivity

def: inclination; natural tendency Watching the two year old voluntarily put away his toys, I was amazed by his ____ for neatness

factious

def: inclined to form factions; causing dissension. The pollsters' practice of dividing up the map of America into Red and Blue states reinforces ____ feelings among Americans, who increasingly define themselves as members of one of the two major political parties.

subsume

def: include; encompass Does the general theory of relatively contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity ____ into Einstein's larger scheme

unobtrusive

def: inconspicuous; not blatant Reluctant to attract notice, the governess took a chair in a far corner of the room and tried to be as ____ as possible

aggrandize

def: increase or intensify; raise in power; wealth; rank; of honor. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may _____ his power to act aggressively in internal affairs without considering the wishes of Congress

implicate

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

irremediable

def: incurable; uncorrectable The error she made was ____; she could see no way to rectify it

bawdy

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

untenable

def: indefensible; not able to be maintained Wayne is so contrary that, the more ___ a position is, the harder he'll try to defend it

mealymouthed

def: indirect in speech; hypocritical; evasive Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few ____ comments and tried to change the subject

allusion

def: indirect reference. When Amanda said to the ticket scalper. "One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of fresh?" she was making an ____ to Shakespear's Merchant of Venice

incontrovertible

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

proselytize

def: induce someone to convert to a religion or belief In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to ___; we must respect all points of view.

conjecture

def: infer on the basis of insufficient data; surmise; guess. In the absence of any eyewitness reports, we can only ____ what happened in the locked room on the night of the 13th.

illimitable

def: infinite The notion of ____ or limitless power is alien to our Constitution, for it was designed to guard against abuses of such unlimited power.

wreak

def: inflict "The Category 5 storm ____ed havoc, doing more than $20 billion in damage and making it by far the costliest hurricane ever in United States history."

impinge

def: infringe; touch; collide with How could they be married without ____ing on one another's freedom

denizen

def: inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables, Elliot Ness fights Al Capone and the other ____ of Chicago's underworld. Ness's fight against corruption was the talk of all the ___s of local bars.

interpolate

def: insert between She talked so much that I could not ____ a single remark.

foist

def: insert improperly; palm off Susan had no desire to have her late aunt's ancient Boston terrier ___ed on her, but someone had to look after the poor beast.

paltry

def: insignificant; petty; trifling One hundred dollars for a genuine imitation Rolex watch! Lady, this is a ___ sum to pay for such a high-class piece of jewelry.

cant

def: insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of minister's unfaithfulness to his marriage, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere ____.

edify

def: instruct; correct morally. Although his purpose was to ___ and not to entertain his audiences, may of his listeners were amused and not enlightened.

slight

def: insult one's dignity; snub Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary ___.

affront

def: insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect. When Mrs. Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal ___ and refused to speak to her hosts for a week.

scurrilous

def: insultingly offensive; obscene; indecent The candidate maintained that there was no trace of evidence to support the irresponsible, ___ accusations his opponents had made.

intelligentsia

def: intellectuals; members of the educated elite (often used derogatorily) She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the ____.

purported

def: intention; meaning If the ___ of your speech was to arouse the rabble, you succeeded admirably

meddlesome

def: interferring He felt his marriage was suffering because of his ____ mother-in-law

expletive

def: interjection; profane oath. Fred was so foul-mouthed that, if you deleted all the ___s from the comments, very little woud have been left.

broach

def: introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to ___ the subject of religion with his in-laws because it was a touchy subject.

prefatory

def: introductory The chairman made a few ____ remarks beforehe called on the first speaker

impiety

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

impious

def: irreverent The congregation was offered by her ___ remarks

rankle

def: irritate; fester The memory of having been jilted ____ed him for years

yoke

def: join together; unite I don't wish to be ____ed to him in marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow

peregrination

def: journey Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose ____s took her from Tijuana to Timbuktu

cognizance

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

irreverence

def: lack of proper respect Some people in the audience were amused by the ____ of the comedian's jokes about the pope; others felt offended by his lack of respect for their faith.

incorporeal

def: lacking a material body; insubstantial Although, Casper the friendly ghost is an ____ being, he and his fellow ghosts make quite an impact on the physical world.

insipid

def: lacking in favor; dull Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally ____: both lack sparkle

flippant

def: lacking proper seriousness When Mark told Mona he love her, she dismissed his earnest declaration was a ____ "Oh, you say that to all the girls"

lackadaisical

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

insubstantial

def: lacking substance; insignificant The ____ of the Islanders manifested itself in their supicion of anything foreign.

effete

def: lacking vigor; worn out; sterile Is the Democratic Party still a vital political force, or is it an ____, powerless faction, wedded to outmoded liberal policies.

devoid

def: lacking. You ma think Cher's mind is a total void, but she's usually not ___ of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.

bemoan

def: lament; express disapproval of. The widow ____ed the death of her beloved husband.

peon

def: landless agricultural worker; bond servant The land reformers sought to liberate the ___s and establish them as independent farmers

pine

def: languish; decline; long for; yearn Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi ____ed for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather

tome

def: large volume She spent much time in the archives poring over ancient ____s.

languor

def: lassitude; depression His friends' tried to overcome the ____ into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the theater.

ludicrous

def: laughably foolish or unreasonable Batman may be a serious crime fighter, but why does he wear such a ___ costume

sumptuous

def: lavish; rich I cannot recall when I have had such a ___ Thanksgiving feast

livid

def: lead-colored; black and blue; ashen; enraged His face was so ____ with rage that we were afraid that eh might ahve an attack of apoplexy

moratorium

def: legal delay of payment If we declare a ____ and delay collection of debts for six months. I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills

diminution

def: lessening; reduction in size. Old Jack was a sharp at eighty as he had been at fifty; increasing age led to no ____ of his mental acuity.

fallible

def: liable to err. Although I am ___, I feel confident that I am right this time.

unfettered

def: liberated; freed from chains What can a weakened university system do to preserve the spirit of open and _____ academic inquiry? This is the problem confronting academia today

avuncular

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

circumscribe

def: limit narrowly; confine or restrict; define. The great lords of state tried to ___ the queen's power by having her accept a set of conditions that left the decisive voice in all important matters to the privy council.

blare

def: load; harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light. I don't know which is worse: the steady ____ of a boom bo deafening your ears.

dawdle

def: loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline. Don't ___er, just get down to work.

strident

def: loud and harsh; insistent We could barely hear the speaker over the ___ cries of the hecklers

Abase

def: lower; degrade; humiliate sentence: Anna expected to have to curtsey to the King, when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however, she refused to ____ herself

nadir

def: lowest point Although few people realized it, the Dow- Jones averages had reached their __ and would soon begin an upward surge.

fidelity

def: loyalty. Iago wickedly manipulates Othello, arousing his jealousy and causing him to question his wife's ___.

palatial

def: magnificent He proudly showed us through his ___ home

grate

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

expiate

def: make amends for (a sin). Jean Valijean tried to ____ his crimes by preforming acts of charity.

essay

def: make an attempt at; test. In an effort to enrich the contemporary operatic repertoire, the Santa Fe Opera commissioned three new operas by American composers who had not previously ____ed the form.

cavil

def: make frivolous objections. I respect your sensible criticisms, but I dislike the way you ____ about unimportant details.

preclude

def: make impossible; eliminate The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood on New Year's Eve ____ed their accepting the offer of a New Year's Eve gig in London

derange

def: make insane, disarrange. Hamlet's cruel rejection ___ed poor Ohelia; in her madness, she drowned herself.

indemnify

def: make secure against lose; compensate for loss The city will ____ all home owners whose property is spoiled by this project.

discomfit

def: make someone feel uneasy; disconcert; thwart. In Coppola's film The Conversation, as mine Robert Shields follows people around while mimicking their gestures and gait, he ____s a dour-looking man, who loos distinctly uncomfortable when Shields starts trailing him.

calumny

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

ductile

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

megalomania

def: mania for doing grandiose things Developers who spend millions truing to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from ____.

checkered

def: marked by changes in fortune. During his ____ career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boarding-houses.

uproarious

def: marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy The ____ comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starred Jim Carrey, whose comic mugging provoked gales of ___ laughter from audiences coast to coast

prodigious

def: marvelous; enormous Watching the champion weight lifter have the weighty barbell to shoulder height and then boost it overhead, we marveled at his ____ strength

inimitable

def: matchless; not able to be imitated We admire Auden for his ____ use of language; he is one of a kind

scanty

def: meager; insufficient Thinking his helping of food was ___, Oliver Twist asked for more

dint

def: means; effort. By ___ of much hard work, the volunteers were able to control the raging forest fire.

mete

def: measure; distribute He tried to be impartial in his efforts to ___ out justice

rendezvous

def: meeting place The two fleets met at the ___ at the appointed time

conflate

def: meld or fuse; confuse; combine into one. In his painting White Crucifixion, which depicts German Jews terrorized by a Nazi mob, Chagall ___ Jewish and Christian symbols, portraying the Christ wrapped in a tallith, a Jewish prayer shawl.

proletarian

def: member of the working class; blue collar guy "Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!" is addressed to ____s, not preppies

minatory

def: menacing; threatening Jabbing a ____ forefinger as Dorthy, the Wicked Witch cried, "I'll get you, and your little dog too!"

drudgery

def: menial work. Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of ____.

delirium

def: mental disorder marked by confusion. In his ___, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs.

acumen

def: mental keenness. Her business ___ helped her to succeed where others had failed.

faculty

def: mental or bodily powers; teaching staff. As he grew old, Professor Twiggly feared he might lose his ____ies and become unfit to teach.

mirth

def: merriment; laughter sober Malvolio found Sir Taylor's ___, improper

bourgeois

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

foible

def: minor eccentricity; slight weakness or flaw. Eating oysters for desserts is just one of David's little ____.

quibble

def: minor objection or complaint Aside from a few hundred teensy-weensy ____s about the set,the script the actors, the director, the costumes, the lighting, and the props, the hypercritical critic loved the play

beguile

def: mislead or delude; cheat; pass time. With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men ____ed Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game.

bungle

def: mismanage; blunder. Don't botch this assignment because if if you ____ the job, you're fired.

erroneous

def: mistaken; wrong. I thought my answer was correct, but it was ____.

garbled

def: mixed up; jumbled; distorted A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another; by the time it reaches the last player, the message has become totally ____ed.

miscellany

def: mixture of writings on various subjects This is an interesting ____ of 19th century prose and poetry

gibe

def: mock As you ___ at their superstitions beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarity foolish thoughts?

lull

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

potentate

def: monarch; sovereign The ___ spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.

lucre

def: money Preferring ___ to undying fame, he wrote stories of popular appeal

optimum

def: most favorable If you wait for the ____ moment to act, you may never begin your project

sacrosanct

def: most sacred; inviolable The brash insurance salesman invaded the ____ privacy of the office of the president of the company

gesticulation

def: motion; gesture Operatic performers are trained to make are trained to make exaggerate ___s because of the large auditoriums in which they appear.

mercenary

def: motivated solely by money or gain "I'm not in this war because I get my kids waving flags", said the ___ soldier. "I'm in it for the dough."

lugubrious

def: mournful The ____ howling of the dogs added to our sadness

doleful

def: mournful; causing sadness. Eeyore, the lugubrious donkey. immortalized by A.A Milne, looked at his cheerful friend Tigger and sighed a ___ sigh

amorous

def: moved by sexual love, loving. "Love them and leave them" was the motto of the ___ Don Juan

impetus

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

motley

def: multicolored; mixed The jester wore a ___ tunic, red and green and blue and gold all patched together haphazardly. Captain Ahab had gathered a ___ crew to sail the vessel; old sea dogs and runaway boys, pillars of the church and drunkards, even a tattooed islander who terrified the rest of the crew.

concerted

def: mutually agreed on; done together All the girl scouts made a ___ effort to raise funds for their annual outing.

internecine

def: mutually destructive The rising death toll on both sides indicates the ____ nature of this conflict

occult

def: mysterious; secret; supernatural The ____ rites of the organization were revealed only to members

ingenuous

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

parochial

def: narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes Although Jane Austen writes novels set in small rural communities, her concerns are universal

philistine

def: narrow-minded person, uncultured and possibly only interested in material gain "Call me a ____, but I have small patience for Samuel Beckett, can tolerate only small doses of serial atonality, and am bored numb by recitative."

myopic

def: nearsighted; lacking foresight Stumbling into doors despite the coke-bottle lenses on his glasses, the nearsighted Mr. Magoo is markedly ___.

tautological

def: needlessly repetitious In the sentence "It was visible to the eye," the phrase "to the eye" is ____

pejorative

def: negative in connotation; having a belittling effect Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made ____ remarks could compare with him

remiss

def: negligent When the prisoner escaped, the guard was accused of being ____ in his duty

neologism

def: new or newly coined word or phrase As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also invent___ such as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them

outmoded

def: no longer stylish; old-fashioned Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear ______ clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed

clamor

def: noise. The ___ of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap.

cipher

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

drivel

def: nonsense; foolishness. Why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic __?

indelible

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

insatiable

def: not easily satisfied; unquenchable; greedy The young writer's thirst for knowledge was ___, she was always in the library

ineffectual

def: not effective; weak Because the candidate failed to get across her message to the public, her cannot be described

discordant

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

heedless

def: not noticing; disregarding. She drove on, heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous.

extemporaneous

def: not planned; impromptu. Because her ____ remarks were misinterpreted, she decided to write all her speeches in advance.

unrequited

def: not reciprocated Suffering the pangs of ____ love, Olivia rebukes Ceasario for his hardheartedness

impenitent

def: not repentant Because King John remained obstinate and ____, the Pope placed England under an interdict prohibiting the performances of church services in the kingdom until John would repent.

unassailable

def: not subject to question; not open to attack Penelope's vertue was ___, while she waited for her husband to come back from the war, no other guy had a chance

impolitic

def: not wise I think it is ___ to raise this issue at the present time because the public is too angry

marked

def: noticeable; targeted for vengeance He waked with a ___ed limp, a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador he knew he was a ____ed man.

egregious

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

manifold

def: numerous; varied I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your ___ kindness

abstruse

def: obscure; profound; difficult to understand. baffled by the ___ philosophical texts assigned in class because he didn't understand it.

antiquated

def: obsolete; outdated. Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Phillip thought typewriters were too ___ for him to use.

procurement

def: obtaining The company has a large budget for the ____ of office supplies

indignity

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

tender

def: offer; extend Although no formal charges had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should ____ his resignation

auxiliary

def: offering or providing help; additional or subsidiary To prepare for the emergency, they built an ____ power station.

functionary

def: official As his case was transferred from one ___ to another, he began to despair of ever reaching a settlement.

gazette

def: official periodical publication. He read the ___s regularly for the announcements of his promotion

senility

def: old age; feeblemindedness of old age Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the ___ of the president

passé

def: old-fashioned; past the prime Her style is ___ and reminiscent of the Victorian era

nihilist

def: one who considers traditional beliefs to be groundless and existence meaningless; absolute skeptic; revolutionary terrorist In the final days, Hitler revealed himself a power-mad ___, ready to annihilate all of Western Europe, even to destroy Germany itself, in order that his will might prevail

apologist

def: one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather than act as an ____ for the regime in Beijing and defend it brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.

patent

def: open for the public to read; obvious It was ____ to everyone that the witness spoke the truth

overt

def: open to view; done openly; not hidden Vietnamese culture considers "face" an individual's public image, extremely important. Any ___ public criticism or disparaged remarks can result in a loss of face and cause and extreme embarrassment.

gape

def: open widely The huge pit ___ed before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in. Slack-jawed in wonder, Huck ___ed at the huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the limestone cavern.

gambit

def: opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed. The player was afraid to accept his opponent's ___ because he feared a trap that as yet he could not see.

dogmatic

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

controvert

def: oppose with arguments; attempt to refuse; contradict. The witness's testimony was so clear and her reputation for honesty so well established that the defense attorney decided it was wiser to make no attempt to ____ what she said.

pedestrian

def: ordinary; unimaginable Unintentionally boring,he wrote page after page compare with him

provenance

def: origin or source of something Fellciano's book Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art, traced the ____ of stolen, post-war art and led to thousands of works of art being restored to museum collections

hue and cry

def: outcry when her purse was snatched, she raised such a ____ that the thief was captured

uncouth

def: outlandish; clumsy; boorish Most biographers portray Lincoln as an___ and ungainly young man

preeminent

def: outstanding; superior The king traveled to Boston because he wanted to ___ surgeon in the field to perform the operations

semblance

def: outward appearance; guise Although this book has a ____ of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many errors and omissions.

trappings

def: outward decorations; ornaments He loved the ____s of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet

circumvent

def: outwit; battle. In order to ___ the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.

profusion

def: overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess Freddy was so overwhelmed by the ____ of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked his host.

glut

def: overstock; fill to excess. the many manufacturers ____ed the market and could not find purchasers for the many articles they had produced.

travail

def: painful physical or mental labor; drudgery; torment Like every other recent law school graduate she knew, Shelby hated the seemingly endless ____ of cramming for the bar exam

amnesty

def: pardon. When his first child was born, the kind granted ____ to all in prison.

predilection

def: partiality; preference Although the artist used various media from time to time, she had a ____ for watercolors.

torrid

def: passionate; hot or scorching The novels published by Harleguin Romances feature ___ love affairs, some set in ___ climates

forbearance

def: patience be patient with John. Treat him with ____ he is still weak from his illness.

acme

def: peak; pinnacle; highest point. Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the ____ of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim

sagacious

def: perceptive; shrewd; having insight My father was a ____ judge of character: he could spot a phony a mile away.

subtlety

def: perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy Never obvious, she expressed herself with such ___ that her remarks were right over the heads of most of her audience

epoch

def: period of time. The glacial ___ lasted for thousands of years.

indissoluble

def: permanent The ___ bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved.

foreboding

def: permonition of evil suspecting no conspiracies against him, Caesar gently ridiculed his wife's ____s about the Ides of March.

sage

def: person celebrated for wisdom Hearing tales of a mysterious Mater of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary ____.

malcontent

def: person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs He was one of the few _____s in Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the presidential program

nonentity

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

magnate

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

portégé

def: person receiving protection and support from a patron. Born with an independent spirit, Cyrano de Bergerac refused to be a ____ of Cardinal Richelieu

arbiter

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

suborn

def: persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury) In The Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to ____ the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone

inveigle

def: persuade; wheedle ; coax Using her popularity and ability to speak convincingly, she ____ed several of her friends into volunteering to work at the soup kitchen

metaphysical

def: pertaining so speculative philosophy. The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the ____ poets of the 17th century for many of their images

pontifical

def: pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious From the very beginning of his ministry it was clear from his ___ pronouncement that John was destined for a high ___ office.

germinal

def: pertaining to a gem; creative Such an idea is ___; I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations

provincial

def: pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated As ___ governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada. caught up in local problem, out of touch London news, he became sadly ___.

valedictory

def: pertaining to farewell I found the ___ address too long; leave-taking should be brief

pecuniary

def: pertaining to money Seldom earning enough to cover their expenses, folk-dance teachers work because they love dancing, not because they expect any ___ reward

pharisaical

def: pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical Walter Lippermann has pointed out that moralists who do not attempt to explain the moral code they advocate are often regarded as ____ and ignored

ecclesiastic

def: pertaining to the church. The minister donned his ___ garb and walked to the pulpit.

sensuous

def: pertaining to the psychical sense;operating through the senses Stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells of her, she enjoyed her ___ experiences

supplicate

def: petition humbly; pray to grant a favor We ____ Your Majesty to grant him amnesty

carping

def: petty criticism; fault-finding Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexi appreciated her editor's comments, finding them free of _____.

minutiae

def: petty details She would have liked to ignore the ___ of daily living

cull

def: pick out; reject. Every month the farmer ____s the nonlaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher.

unequivocal

def: plain; obvious My answer to you proposal is an ___ and absolute, "No"

perspicuous

def: plainly expression Her ____ comments eliminated all possibility of misinterpretation

entreat

def: plead; asl earnestly. She ___ed her father to let her stay out till midnight.

piquant

def: pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating The ___ sauce adeed to our enjoyment of the meal

enrapture

def: please intensely. The audience was ___ed by the freshness of the voice and the excellent orchestration.

depredation

def: plundering After the ____s of the invaders, the people were penniless.

matrix

def: point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the ___ of Western civilization

aplomb

def: poise, assurance Gwen's aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.

consequential

def: pompous; self-important. Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a _____ air.

indigent

def: poor; destitute Someone who is truly indigent can't even afford to buy a pack of cigarettes

mogul

def: powerful person The oil ___s made great profits when the prices of gasoline rose

precept

def: practical rule guiding conduct "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile ___.

laud

def: praise The NFL ____ed Boomer Esiason's efforts to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis

extol

def: praise; glorify. The president ____ed the astronauts, calling them the pioneers of the Space Age.

invocation

def: prayer for help; calling upon as a reference or support The service of Morning Prayer opens with an ____ during which was ask God to hear our prayers

sententious

def: preachy and moralizing pithy Constantly quoting maxims ("Neither a borrower nor a lender be"), Polonius is depicted as a ______, garrulous old man

impasse

def: predicament from which there is no escape. In this ___, all turned to prayer as their last hope.

prognosticate

def: predict Although some economists ____ed the imminent failure of the Social Security system. Senator Sanders maintained the system was nowhere near going broke.

concoct

def: prepare by combining; make up in concert. How did the inventive chief ever ____ such a strange dish?

stymie

def: present an obstacle; stump The detective was _____ed by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation

overweening

def: presumptuous; arrogant We are using our children as symbols of leisure-class standing without building in safeguarding against an ____ sense of entitlement- a sense of entitlement that may incline some young people more toward the good life than toward the hard work that, for most of us, makes the good life possible

feign

def: pretend Although she claimed that the car accident had left her with a bad case of whiplash, when he was her gyrating at her jazzercise class, we realized she was only ___ing injury.

dissimulate

def: pretend; conceal by feigning Although the governor tired to ___ his feelings about the opposing candidate, we all knew he despised his rival.

hypocritical

def: pretending to be virtuous; deceiving Because he believed Eddie to be interested only in his own advancement, Greg resented Eddie's ___ protestations of friendship.

subterfuge

def: pretense; evasion As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a ___, we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy

haughtiness

def: pride; arrogance When she realized that Darcy believed himself too good to dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great offense at his ____.

prerogative

def: privilege; unquestionable right The President cannot levy taxes; that i sthe ___ of the legislative branch of government

verisimilar

def: probable or likely; having the appearance of truth Something ____ is very similar to the truth, or at least seems to be

sensitization

def: process of being made sensitive or acutely responsive to an external agent or substance. The paint fumes triggered a bad allergic response in Vicky; even now, her extreme ___ to these chemicals causes her to faint whenever she is around wet paint

cavalcade

def: procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the ___ of Canterbury pilgrims was a motley group.

promulgate

def: proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication. When Moses came down from the mountaintop prepared to ___ God's commandments, he was appalled to discover his followers worshipping a golden calf

interdict

def: prohibit; forbid Civilized nations must _____ the use of nuclear weapons if we expect our society to live

protract

def: prolong Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to ___ the negotiations endlessly, but the union representatives saw through their strategy

salient

def: prominent One of the ___ features of that newspaper is its execellent editorial page

decorum

def: propriety, orderliness and good taste in manners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with ___ on the last day of schoo.

tutelary

def: protective; pertaining to a guardianship Each village, no matter how small, boasts dozens of shrines to the local ____ or guardian spirits

remonstrance

def: protest; objection The authorities were deaf to the pastor's ______s about the lack of police protection in the area.

expostulation

def: protest; remonstrance. Despite the teacher's scoldings and ____s, the class remained unruly.

maxim

def: proverb; a truth pithily stated Aesop's fables illustrate moral ___.

defray

def: provide for the payment of. Her employer offered to ___ the costs of her postgraduate education.

circumspect

def: prudent; cautious. Investigating before acting, she tried always to be ___.

wrest

def: pull away; take by violence With only 10 seconds left to play, our team ____ed from the grasp

wrench

def: pull; strain; twist She ____ed free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap

purport

def: punishing He asked for ___ measures against the offender

quintessence

def: purest and highest embodiment Showcasing historical masterpieces that were once part of the decor of the Imperial palace, the exhibition Treasures of the Imperial Collections embodies the _____ of modern Japanese art.

catharsis

def: purging or cleansing of any passage of the body. Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a _____ by purging the soul of base concepts.

obtrude

def: push (oneself or one's ideas) forward to intrude; butt in; stick out or extrude Because Fanny was reluctant to ____ her opinions about child-raising upon her daughter-in-law, she kept a close watch on her tongue

propound

def: put forth for analysis In the early 20th century, Albert Einstein ___ed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics.

marshal

def: put in order At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or tow to marshal their thoughts before addressing their audience

charlatan

def: quack; pretender to knowledge. When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends were sure they'd been duped by a _____.

poignancy

def: quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the ____ of the scene

verity

def: quality of being true; lasting truth or principle Do you question the _____ of Kato Kaelin's testimony about what he heard the night Nicole Brown Simpson was slain? To the skeptic, everything was relative: there were not eternal ____s in which one could believe

naiveté

def: quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; artlessness; gullibility Touched by the ____ of sweet, convent-trained Cosette, Marius pledges himself to protect her innocence

droll

def: queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his ___ anecdotes were always entertaining.

slake

def: quench; sate When we reached the oasis, we were able to ___ our thirst

inquisitor

def: questioner (especially harsh); investigator Feeling being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her ___ was trepidation

acute

def: quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe. The ___ young doctor realized immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient's once-_____ hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an ___ one.

maniacal

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

foray

def: raid The company staged a midnight ___ against the enemy outpost

exalt

def: raise in rank or dignity; praise. The actor Sean Connery was ____ed to the rank of knighthood by the Queen; he now is known as Sir Sean Connery.

ken

def: range of knowledge I cannot answer your question since this matter is beyond my ___.

ecstasy

def: rapture; joy; any overpowering emotion. When Allison received her long-hoped-for letter of acceptance from Harvard, she was in ___.

foolhardy

def: rash Don't be ____. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking his venture.

voracious

def: ravenous The wolf is a ____ animal, its hunger never satisfied

amenable

def: readily managed or willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally. Although the ambassador was usually ____ to friendly suggestions, he balked when we hinted he should pay his parking tickets. As a foreign diplomat, he claimed he was not ____ to minor local laws.

entity

def: real being As soon as the charter was adopted, the United Nations became an ___ and had to be considered a a factor in world diplomacy.

ratiocination

def: reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises While Watson was a man of energy intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for _____ made him a superb detective

insurrection

def: rebellion; uprising In retrospect, given how badly the British treated the American colonists, the eventural ____ seems inevitable

insurgent

def: rebellious Because the _____ forces had occupied the capital and had gained control of the railway lines, several of the war correspondents covering the uprising predicted a rebel victory

comeuppance

def: rebuke; deserts. After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his ____.

conciliatory

def: reconciling; soothing. She was still angry despite his ____ words.

recast

def: reconstruct (a sentence, story, etc); fashion again Let me ____ this sentence in terms your feeble brain can grasp: in words of one syllable, you are a fool.

clime

def: region; climate. His doctor advised him to move to a milder ___.

spurn

def: reject; scorn The heroine ____ed the villain's advances.

exult

def: rejoice. We ____ed when our team won the victory.

jubilation

def: rejoicing There was great ____ when the armistice was announced

cognate

def: related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature. The English word "mother" is ___ to the latin word "mater", whose influence in the words "maternal" and "maternity.

academic

def: related to a school; not practical or directly useful. The dean's talk about reforming _____ policies was only an _____ discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.

nuptial

def: related to marriage Reluctant to be married in a traditional setting, they decided to hold their ____ ceremony at the carousel in Golden Gate Park

monastic

def: related to monks or monasteries; removed from worldly concerns Withdrawing from the world, Thomas Merton joined a contemplative religious order and adopted the ___ life.

inexorable

def: relentless; unyielding; implacable After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was ____ and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law

loath

def: reluctant; disinclined Romeo and Juliet were both ____ for him to go

averse

def: reluctant; disinclined The reporter was ___ to revealing the sources of his information

antidote

def: remedy to counteract a poison or disease. When Marge's child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the local poison control hotline instructed Marge how to administer the ____.

redress

def: remedy; compensation Do you mean to tell me that I can get no ____ for my injuries

compunction

def: remorse. The judge was especially severe in is sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no ____ for his heinous crime.

abjure

def: renounce upon oath; disavow. sentence: pressure from university authorities caused the young scholar to ____ his heretical opinions

forswear

def: renounce; abandon The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to ___ Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.

restitution

def: reparation; indemnification If you make full ____ for the damage you have caused, we are willing to let bygones be bygones

recompense

def: repay or reward; repayment or compensation There is no way in which our community can adequately _____ the members of the volunteer fire department for the hours of dedicated service they provide

requite

def: repay; revenge The wretch ____ed his benefactors by betraying them

penitent

def: repentant When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and ___.

rote

def: repetition He recited the passage by ____ and gave no indication he understood what he was saying

supplant

def: replace; usurp Did the other woman actually ___ Princess Diana in Prince Charles's affections, or did Charles never love Diana at all? Bolingbroke, later to be known as King Henry IV fought to _____ his cousin, Richard III, as Kind of England

extenuating

def: representing (a crime or effense) as less serious than it seems, mitigating. Unless extraordinarily strong _____ circumstances exist, someone convicted of murder can expect to be condemned to serve a lengthy sentence.

reticent

def: reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence Fearing his competitors, might get advance word about his plans from talkative staff member, Hughes preferred ____ employees to loquacious reticence

sedition

def: resistance to authority; insubordination Her words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of ___.

restive

def: restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control Waiting impatiently in line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow ___ and start to fidget

rejoinder

def: retort; comeback; reply When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick ____.

lampoon

def: ridicule This article ____s the pretensions of some movie moguls

deride

def: ridicule; make un of. The critics ___ed his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously. Despite the critics' ___sion, however, audiences were moved by the play, cheering its unabashedly sentimental conclusion.

extirpate

def: root up. The Salem witch trials were a misguided attempt to ____ superstition and heresy.

gruff

def: rough-mannered Although he was blunt and ____ with most people, he was always gentle with children.

circuitous

def: roundabout. Because of the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a ___ route.

abrasive

def: rubbing away; tending to grind down. sentence: just as ___ cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish.

dilapidated

def: ruined because of neglect. The ___ old building needed far more work than just a new coat of paint.

disconsolate

def: sad The death of his wife left him___.

funereal

def: sad; solemn Sympathetic with Queen Victoria's loss, the British people shared her grief, enduring without protest the ____ atmosphere that shadowed her court.

jocular

def: said or done in jest. Although Bill knew the boss hated jokes, he couldn't resist making one ____ remark; his ____ily cost him the job

surfeit

def: satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything Every Thanksgiving we are ____ed with an overabundance of holiday treats

meager

def: scanty; inadequate Still hungry after his ___ serving of porridge, Oliver Twist asked for a second helping

dearth

def: scarcity. The ___ of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

pedant

def: scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities. I believe that language is a living thing, so I generally laugh at the grammar ______s who have fits about every intrusive comma or use of slang

treatise

def: scholarly work treating a subject systematically and thoroughly The Ed School professors study pedagogical theories and write ___s and argue, as scholars will, but none of them can teach a class or middle schoolers to save his life

excoriate

def: scold with biting harshness; strip the ski off. Seeing the rips in Bill's new pants, his mother furiously ___ed him for ruining his good clothes.

chide

def: scold. Grandma began to ___ Steven for his lying.

rail

def: scold; rant You may ____ at him all you want; you will never change him.

avocation

def: secondary and minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable adn gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.

crypt

def: secret recess or vault usually used for burial. Until recently only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in his ____.

surreptitious

def: secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden Hoping to discover where his mom had hidden the Christmas presents, Timmy took a ___ peek into the master bedroom closet

arcane

def: secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with ____ rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders.

dregs

def: sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully, to avoid stirring up the ___.

sophistry

def: seemingly plausible for fallacious reasoning Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of _____.

usurp

def: seize another's power or rank The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general succeeded in his attempt to _____ the throne

axiom

def: self-evident truth requiring no proof. The Declaration of Independence records certain self-evident truths or ____s, the first of which is "All men are created equal." To Sherlock Holmes, it was ___matic that the little things were infinitely the most important; he based his theory of detection on this obvious truth.

pomposity

def: self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt although the commencement speaker had some good things to say we had to laugh at his ____ and general air of parading his own dignity

penance

def: self-imposed punishment for sin The Ancient Mariner said, " I have ____ done and ___ more will do," to atone for the sin of killing the albatross.

dotage

def: senility. In his ___, the old man bored us with long ales of events in his childhood.

sentinel

def: sentry; lookout Through camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting ____ around the encampment

solemnity

def: seriousness; gravity The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the ___ of the marraige service

sycophant

def: servile flattering; bootlicker; yes man Fed up with the toadies and brownnosers who made up his entourage, the star cried, "Get out, all of you! I'm sick of _____!"

ancillary

def: serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. In an ____ capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own.

upbraid

def: severely scold; reprimand Not only did Miss Minchin ____ Ermengarde for his disobedience, but also she hung her up by her braids from a coatrack in the classroom

shoddy

def: sham; not genuine; inferior You will never get the public to buy such ___ material.

barefaced

def: shameless; bold; unconcealed. Shocked by Huck Finn's ___ lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his unregenerate wickedness.

acrid

def: sharp; bitterly pungent. The ___ odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

whet

def: sharpen; stimulate The odors from the kitchen are ____ing my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served

acuity

def: sharpness in time his youthful ___ of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

ephemeral

def: short-lived; fleeting. The mayfly is an _____ creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.

parable

def: short; simple story teaching a moral Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this ___ teaches.

beatific

def: showing or producing joy; blissful. When Johnny first saw the new puppy, a ____ smile spread across his face. In his novel, Waugh praises Limbo, not Heaven: "Limbo is the place. In Limbo one has natural happiness without the ___ vision; no harps; no communal order; but wine and conversation and imperfect, various, humanity.

scintilla

def: shred; least bit You have not produced a ____ of evidence to support your argument

canny

def: shrewd; thrifty. The ____ Scotsman was more than match for the swindlers.

wince

def: shrink back; flinch The creech of the chalk on the blackboard made her ____.

portent

def: sign; omen; forewarning He regarded the black cloud as a ___ of evil

import

def: significance Scientific American has covered Einstein's theories-and the refinements and reactions to them- ever since scientists began to grasp the ____ of his landmark 1905 papers.

betoken

def: signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tail piles of cargo containers, and numerous vessels being loaded all ____ Oakland's importance as a port.

inane

def: silly; senseless There's no point in what you're saying. Why are you bothering to make such ____ remarks

ulterior

def: situated beyond; unstated and often questionable You must be an ___ motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it

dextrous

def: skillful The magician was so ___ that we could not follow his movements as he preformed his tricks.

adroit

def: skillful. Her ___ handling of the dedicate situation please her employers

detraction

def: slandering; aspersion. Because Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton dared to fight for women's rights, their motives, manners, dress, personal appearance, and character were held up to ridicule and ____.

servile

def: slavish; cringing Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heep was a ___ creature

soporific

def: sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness Professor Pringle's lectures were so ___ that even he fell asleep in class

smattering

def: slight knowledge I didn't know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere ___ of information about it

dowdy

def: slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her ___ image by buying a fashionable new wardrobe.

laggard

def: slow; sluggish The sailor had been taught not to be ___ in carrying out orders

cabal

def: small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. Some conspiracy theorists contend that a shadowy ___ of powerful tycoons secretly rules the world.

mote

def: small speck The tiniest ___ in the eye is very painful

daub

def: smear (as with paint). From the way he ___ed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils.

rebuff

def: snub; beat back She _____ed his invitation his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed

staid

def: sober; sedate Junior partners in the traditionally ___ and respectable law firm were startled to learn that the senior partner had taken on a gangsta rapper as a client

gregarious

def: sociable Typically, party-throwers are ___; hermits are not

gaffe

def: social blunder According to Miss Manners, to call you husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere___; it is a tactical mistake.

pariah

def: social outcast If everyone ostracized singer Mariah Carey, would she then be Mariah the ___?

plutocracy

def: society ruled by the wealthy From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a ___ rather than a democracy

besmirch

def: soil; defile. The chancellor declared, "Our Campus police officers would never do anything that might _____ the reputation of the Uni"

anathema

def: solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse. The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped ____ upon "The Great Satan," that is, the United States.

monolithic

def: solidly uniform; unyielding Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a ____ front.

spendthrift

def: someone who wastes money Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into ____s who shop til they drop

assumption

def: something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of. The young princess made the foolish ____ that regent would not object to her ____ of power.

balm

def: something that relieves pain. Friendship is the finest ____ for the pangs of disappointed love.

bland

def: soothing or mild; agreeable. Jill tried a ____ ointment for her sunburn. However, when Jack absentmindedly patted her on the sunburn, she couldn't maintain her _____ persona.

judicious

def: sound in judgement; wise At a key moment in his life, he made a ___ investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.

commodious

def: spacious and comfortable. After sleeping in small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite ____.

capacious

def: spacious. In the ____ areas of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their trains.

scintillate

def: sparkle; flash I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation ____.

fitful

def: spasmodic; intermittent on the airplane, Sharon finally managed to doze off, but it was a ___, restless sleep, interrupted by announcements from the pilot and wails from the baby in the next row.

waffle

def: speak equivocally about an issue When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary ____ed, talking all around the issue.

malign

def: speak evil of; bad-mouthed; defame Putting her hands over her ears, Rose refused to listen to Betty ___ her friend Susan.

celerity

def: speed; rapidity. Hamlet resented his mothers' ___ in remarrying within a month after his father's death.

cleave

def: spit or sever; cling to; remain faithful to With her heavy ___, Julia Child could ___ a whole roast duck in two. Soaked through, the solider tugged at the uniform that ___ annoyingly to his body. He would ___ tohis post, come rain or shine.

vitiate

def: spoil the effect of; make inoperative The state's interest in effective crime-fighting should never ___ the citizens' Bill of Rights

scotch

def: stamp out; thwart; hinder Heather tried to ___ the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiance.

rout

def: stampede; drive out The reinforcements were able to ___ the enemy

quirk

def: startling twist; caprice By a ___ of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before

polity

def: state as a political entity; form of government of nation or state In spite of the facade of the modern state, power in most African ___ies progresses informally between patron and client among lines of reciprocity

furtive

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

stilted

def: stiff and unnatural Feeling awkward at the unexpected meeting, Dave made ____ conversation with his ex-girlfriend and her parents

galvanize

def: stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize News that the prince was almost at their door ____ed the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy of combing and primping

skinflint

def: stingy person; miser Scrooge was an ungenerous old ____ until he reformed his ways and became a notable philanthropist

miserly

def: stingy; mean Transformed by his vision on Christmas Eve, mean old Scrooge ceased being ____ and became a generous kind old man

proviso

def: stipulation. I am ready to accept your proposal with the ____ that you meet your obligations within the next two weeks.

cessation

def: stoppage. The airline's employees threatened a ___ all work if management failed to meet their demands.

repository

def: storehouse Libraries are ____s of the world's best thought

tempestuous

def: stormy; impassioned; violent Racket-throwing tennis star John McEnroe was famed for his displays of ____ temperament

inclement

def: stormy; unkind In ____ weather, I like to curl up on the sofa with a good book and listen to the storm blowing outside.

vagrant

def: stray; random He tried to study, he could not collect his ___ thoughts.

punctilious

def: stressing niceties of conduct or form; minutely attentive (perhaps too much so) to fine points. Percy is ____ about observing miles of etiquette whenver Miss Manners invites him to stay

prostrate

def: stretch out full on ground. He ____ed himself before the idol

despoil

def: strip of valuables; rob. Seeking plunder, the raiders ___ed the village, carrying off any valuables they found.

transport

def: strong emotions Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in _____s of joy over a vivid sunset, at another moment in _____s of grief over a dying bird.

bastion

def: stronghold; something seen as a source of protection. The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised ____ could protect them from the guerrilla raids.

obstinate

def: stubborn; hard to control or treat. We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was ___ and refused to change

pertinacious

def: stubborn; persistent She is bound to succeed because her _____ nature will not permit her to quit

perverse

def: stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and unacceptable When Jack was in a ____ mood, he would do the opposite of whatever Jill asked him.

pore

def: study industriously; ponder; scrutinize Determined to become a physician, Beth spends hours ___ing over her anatomy text

etymology

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

stodgy

def: stuffy; boringly conservative For a young person, Winston seems remarkably ____; you'd expect someone his age to have a little more life

urbane

def: suave; refined; elegant The courtier was___ and sophisticated

blighted

def: suffering from a disease; destroyed. The extent of the ____ areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

imply

def: suggest a meaning not expressed; signify When Aunt Millie said, "My! That's a big piece of pie, young man!" was she ____ing that Bobby was being a glutton in helping himself to such a huge piece?

menial

def: suitable for servants; lowly; mean Her wicked stepmother forced Cinderella to do ___ tasks around the house while her ugly stepsisters lolled aroud painting their toenails

dour

def: sullen; severe; gloomy. The Protestant missionaries who settled on Tahiti in the early 19th century were followers of a ___ and cheerless creed, who routinely dressed in black and never let themselves forget for a moment the awful burden of the sins of the world.

recapitulate

def: summarize Let us ____ what has been said thus far before going ahead

supererogatory

def: superfluous; more than needed or demanded We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be ______.

preponderance

def: superiority of power, quantity, etc The rebels sought to overcome the ___ of strength of the government forces by engaging in guerrilla tactic

buttress

def: support; prop up. Just as architects ____ the walls of cathedrals with pictures, debaters ____ their arguments with facts.

reputed

def: supposed Issac Newton is ____ed to have said, "I can calculate the motions of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people."

putative

def: supposed; reputed Although there are some doubts the ___ author of this work is ____.

stifle

def: suppress; extinguish; inhibit Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to _____ her yawns

outstrip

def: surpass; outdo Jesse Owens easily ____ed his competitors to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games

capitulate

def: surrender. Once the allied forces converged on Berlin, the end was near and the Berlin garrison commander ____ed.

reconnaissance

def: survey of enemy of soldiers; reconnoitering If you encounter any enemy soldiers during not ______, capture them for questioning

euphony

def: sweet sound Noted for its ___ even when it is spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung

meteoric

def: swift; momentarily brillant We all wondered at his ___ rise to fame

creed

def: system of religious or ethical belief. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its __: "we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal."

expropriate

def: take possession of. He questioned the government's right to ___ his land to create a wildlife preserve.

soliloquy

def: taking on oneself The ____ is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions

resumption

def: taking up again; recommencement During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the _____ of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure.

flair

def: talent She has an uncanny ___ for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.

quip

def: taunt You are unpopular because you are too free with your ____S and sarcastic comments

inculcate

def: teach In an effort to ___ religious devotion, the officials ordered that the school day begin with the singing of a hymn

pedagogue

def: teacher He could never be a stuff ___; his classes were always lively and filled with humor

pedagogy

def: teaching; art of education Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations is a living thing, so I generally laugh at the grammar _____s who have fits about every intrusive comma or use of slang

didactic

def: teaching; instructional. Pope's lengthy poem An Essay on Man is too ___ for my taste: I dislike it when poets turn preachy and moralize.

tantalize

def: tease; torture with disappointment Tom loved to ___ his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it

prolixity

def: tedious wordiness; verbosity A writer who suffers from _____ tells his readers everything they never wanted to know about the subject

incursion

def: temporary invasion The nightly ____s and hit and run raids of our neighbors across the border tried the patience of the country to the point where we decided to retaliate in force.

reprieve

def: temporary rebuke; formal reproof; scolding Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class, she was terrified that she would receive a harsh ______ from Miss Minchin

peruse

def: tend with care After the conflagration that burned down her house, Joan closely ____ed her home insurance policy to discover exactly what benefits her coverage provided

evocative

def: tending to call up (emotions, memories). Scent can be remarkably ___. The aroma of pipe tobacco ___s the memory of my father.

dilatory

def: tending to delay; intentionally delaying. If you are ___ in paying your bills, your credit rating may suffer.

salutary

def: tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome The punishment had a ____ effect on the boy, who became a model student

subversive

def: tending to overthrow; destructive At first glance, the notion that styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound that paper cups strikes most environmentalists as ____.

provisional

def: tentative Kim's acceptance as an American Express cardholder was ____: before issuing her a card, American Express wanted to check her employment record and credit history.

enclave

def: territory enclosed within an alien land The Vatican is an independent ___ in Italy.

cow

def: terrorize; intimidate. The little boy was so ___ed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of protest.

concomitant

def: that which accompanies. A decrease of gastric juice secretion may be a congenital abnormality or a ____ of advanced age.

ambivalence

def: the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ____ of her feelings.

histrionic

def: theatrical. Proud of his ___ ability, Lawrence wanted to play the role of Hamlet.

larceny

def: theft Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand ___ to petty ___.

motif

def: theme This simple ___ runs throughout the score

cogitate

def: think over. ___ on his problem; the solution will come.

cerebration

def: thought. "The mystic leans towards celebration; the mathematician to ____."

palpitate

def: throb; flutter As she became excited, her heart began to ___ more and more erratically.

precipitate

def: throw headlong; hasten The removal of American political support appeared to have ______ed the downfall of the Marcos regime

embroil

def: throw into confusion; involve strife; entangle He became ___ed in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.

jettison

def: throw overboard. In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to ____ much of his cargo.

taut

def: tight; ready The captain maintained that he ran a ___ ship

list

def: tilt; lean over The flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it ___s to one side

indefatigable

def: tireless Although the effort of taking out the garbage exhausted Wayne for the entire morning, when it came to partying, he was ____.

assent

def: to agree, accept. It gives me great pleasure to ___to your request.

commandeer

def: to draft for military purposes; to take for public use. The policeman ____ed the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.

rhapsodize

def: to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and _____ed about it for weeks

modulate

def: tone down to intensity; regulate; change from one key to another Always singing at the top of her lungs, the budding Brunhide never learned to ___ her voice.

petulant

def: touchy; peevish If you'd had hardly any sleep for three nights and people kept phoning and waking you up, you'd sound ____, too

vestige

def: trace; remains We discovered ____s of early Indian life in the cave

bartender

def: traded. The ___ exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs.

turncoat

def: traitor The British considers Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a _____.

equable

def: tranquil; steady; uniform. After the hot summers and cold winter of New England, she found the climate of the West Indies ____ and pleasant.

quietude

def: tranquility An oasis of ___, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden sits serenely in the midst of the tumult of downtown Vancouver

peripatetic

def: traveling about; moving from place to place To scrape together a living, many musicians lead a _____ life style, always on the road, traveling from one one-night stand to the next

insidious

def: treacherous; stealthy; sly The 5th column is ____ because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.

lionize

def: treat as a celebrity She enjoyed being ____ed and adored by the public

intrude

def: trespass; enter as an uninvited person She hesitated to ____ on their conservation

feint

def: trick; shift; sham blow Fooled by his opponents ___, the boxer dropped his guard.

ruse

def: trick; stratagem You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ___.

veracity

def: truthfulness Trying to prove Hill a lair, Senator Spector repeatedly questioned her ____

shunt

def: turn aside; divert; sidetrack If the switchman failed to ___ the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union Street.

writhe

def: twist in coils; contort in pain In Dances With Snakes, the snake dancer wriggled sinuously as her boa constrictor ____ed around her torso

wry

def: twisted; with a humorous twist We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its ___ wit

stock

def: typical; standard; kept regularly in supply Victorian melodramas portrayed ___ characters- the rich but wicked villain, the sweet young ingenue, the poor but honest young man- in exaggerated situations. Although the stationery store kept only ____ sizes of paper on hand, the staff would special-order any times not regularly in ____>

despot

def: tyrant; harsh; authoritarian ruler. How could a benevolent king turn overnight to a ___?

indubitable

def: unable to be doubted; unquestionable Auditioning for the chorus line, Molly was an ___ hit: the director fired the leading lady and hired Molly in her place!

irrepressible

def: unable to be restrained or held bacl My friend Kitty's curiosity was ___: she poked her nose into everybody's business and just laughed when I warned her that curiosity killed the cat.

unwonted

def: unaccustomed He hesitated to assume the ___ role of master of ceremonies at the dinner

irrevocable

def: unalterable; irreversible As Sue dropped the "Dear John" letter into the mailbox, she suddenly had second thoughts and wanted to take it back, but she could not: her action was ____.

unprepossessing

def: unattractive During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance is _____.

unseemly

def: unbecoming; indecent; in poor taste When Seymour put whoopee cushions on all seats in the funeral parlor, his conduct was most _____.

indomitable

def: unconquerable; unyielding Focusing on her game despite all her personal problems, tennis champion Sheffi Graf displayed an ____ will to win

embryonic

def: undeveloped; rudimentary. The CEO reminisced about the good old days when he computer industry was still in its ____ stage and start up companies were being founded in the family garage.

disquietude

def: uneasiness; anxiety. When Holmes had been gone for a day, Watson felt only a slight sense of ____, but after a week with no word. Watson's uneasiness about his missing friend had grown into a deep fear for Holmes's safety.

inimical

def: unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental I've always been friendly to Martha. Why is she so ___ to me?

ingrate

def: ungrateful person The ____ Bob sneered at the tie I gave him

consolidation

def: unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger. The recent ____ of several small airlines into one major company has left observers of the industry wondering whether room still exists for the "little guy" in aviation.

unwitting

def: unintentional; not knowing She was the ____ tool of the swindlers

catholic

def: universal; wide-ranging liberal. He was extremely ___ in his taste and read everything he could find the library.

circumlocation

def: unnecessarily wordy and indirect speech; evasive language. Don't beat about the bush, but just say what you want to say: I'm fed up with listening to you ____.

imperceptible

def: unnoticeable; undetectable Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was ___ after the garment had gone through the wash.

capricious

def: unpredictable; fickle. The storm was _____ because it changed course constantly. Jill was ____ because she changed boyfriends as much as she changed clothes.

arbitrary

def: unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical. The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some ____ calls.

earthy

def: unrefined; coarse His ___ remarks often embarrassed the woman in his audiences.

unmitigated

def: unrelieved or immoderate; absolute After four das of _____ heat, I was ready to collapse from heat prostration. The congresswoman's husband was an _____ jerk; ot only did he abandon her, but also he took her campaign funds!

inordinate

def: unrestrained; excessive She had an _____ fondness of candy, eating two or three boxes in a single day

wanton

def: unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her _____ expenditures. In response, Sarah accused Sheldon of making an unfounded

fractious

def: unruly; disobedient; irritable Bucking and kicking, the ____ horse unseated its rider.

unassuaged

def: unsatisfied; not soothed Tensions grew as the protesters, ____ by the dean's promise to investigate campus police mistreatment of minority students, surrounded the administration building

unconscionable

def: unscrupulous; excessive She found the loan shark's demands ____ and impossible to meet.

slipshod

def: untidy or slovenly; shabby As a master craftsman, the carpenter prided himself on never doing ____ work

slovenly

def: untidy; careless in work habits Unshaven, sitting around in his bathrobe all afternoon, Gus didn't care about the slovenly appearance he presented

inopportune

def: untimely; poorly chosen A rock concert is an ____ setting for a quiet conversation

knave

def: untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel Any politician nicknamed Tricky Dick clearly hs the reputation of a ___.

ineffable

def: unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech Such ___ joy must be experienced; it cannot be described

insalubrious

def: unwholesome; not healthful The mosquito-ridden swamp was an ____ place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion

ignoble

def: unworthy; not noble A true knight, Sir Galahad never stooped to preform an ____ deed.

rectitude

def: uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgement The Eagle Scout was a model of _____; smugness was the only flaw he needed to correct

disconcert

def: upset; unsettle; confuse. Noise, crowds and sudden changes from routine are likely to ____ autistic children and cause a possible meltdown.

goad

def: urge on; prod; incite laura was furious with herself for having lost her temper, and even more furious with Jo for having ___ed her into losing it.

importunate

def: urging; demanding He tried to hide from his ___ creditors until his allowance arrived

husband

def: use sparingly; conserve; save Marathon runners must ____ their energy so that they can keep going for the entire distance.

prophylactic

def: used to prevent disease Despite all ____ measures introduced by the authorities, the epidemic raged until cool weather set it.

nebulous

def: vague; hazy; cloudy Phil and Dave tried to come up with a clear, intelligible business plan, not some hazy, ___ proposal

multifarious

def: varied; greatly diversified A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the ___ activities of her daily life

sundry

def: various; several The economist took dry facts, occasional anecdotes, and a wealth of data from ___ sources, and wove them together into a narrative at once both interesting and informative

protean

def: versatile; able to make on many forms A remarkably ____ actor, Alec Guiness could take on any role.

execrable

def: very bad. The anecdote was in such ___ taste that the audience hissed and booed.

gingerly

def: very carefully To separate egg whites, first crack the egg ____.

pernicious

def: very destructive The Athenians argued that Socrates's teachings had a _____ effect on young and susceptible minds; therefore, they condemned him to death

munificent

def: very generous Shamelessly fawning over a particularly generous donor, the dean kept referring to her as "our ____ benefactor."

pauper

def: very poor person Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a ___.

infinitesimal

def: very small In the 20th century, physicians made great discoveries about the characteristics of ____ object like the atom of its parts

rile

def: vex; irritate; muddy Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to ___.

chagrin

def: vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride); disappointment. Embarrassed by his parents' shabby, working-class appearance, Doug felt their visit to his school would bring him nothing but ____.

nefarious

def: vey wicked The villain's crimes, though various were one and all ____.

throes

def: violent anguish The _____ of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain

impetuous

def: violent; hasty; rash "Leap before you look" was the motto suggested by one particularly ____ young man.

boisterous

def: violent; rough;noisy. The unruly crowd became even more ____ when he tried to quiet them.

martial

def: warlike The sound of ___ music inspired the young cadet with dreams of military glory.

bellicose

def: warlike; pugnacious; naturally inclined to fight. Someone who is spoiling for a fight is by definition ____.

admonish

def: warn; reprove. When her courtier questioned her religious beliefs, Mary Stuart _____ed them, declaring that she would worship as she pleased

atrophy

def: wasting away. Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the ___ of affected limbs.

vacillate

def: waver; fluctuate Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess _____ed, saying now one, now the other.

languid

def: weary; sluggish; listless Her siege of illness left her ____ and pallid

ponderous

def: weighty; unwieldy His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ____.

bedraggle

def: wet thoroughly. We were so ____ed by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing.

iniquitous

def: wicked; immoral; unrighteous Whether or not King Richard III was responsible for the murder of the two young princes in the Tower.

wangle

def: wiggle out; fake She tried to ___ and invitation to the party.

pandemonium

def: wild tumult When the ships collided in the harbor, _____ broke out among the passengers

incredulous

def: withholding belief; skeptical When Jack claimed he hadn't eaten the jelly doughnut, Jill took an ____ look at his smeared face and laughed.

guileless

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

categorical

def: without exceptions; unqualified; absolute. Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, at finally qualified his _____ denial: he was "hardly ever" sick at sea.

artless

def: without guile; open and honest. Red Riding Hood's ____ comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" Indicates the child's innocent surprise at her "grandmother's" changed appearance

impecunious

def: without money Though Scrooge claimed he was too _____ to give ams, he easily could have afforded to be charitable

epigram

def: witty thought or saying; usually short. Poor Richard's ____s made Benjamin Franklin famous.

deadpan

def: wooden; impassive. Silent films comedian Buster Keaton earned the nickname "The Great Stone Face" for the invariably stoic, ___ expression he maintained throughout his slapstick escapades.

epithet

def: word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing. So many kings of France were named Charles that modern students need ____s to tell them apart: Charles the Wise, for example, was someone far different from Charles the Fat.

opus

def: work Although many critics hailed is 5th Symphony, he did not regard it as his major ___.

militate

def: work against Your record of lateness and absence will ____ against your chances of promotion

threadbare

def: worn through till the threats show; shabby and poor The poorly paid adjunct professor hi the ___ spots on his jacket by sewing leather patches on his sleeves

estimable

def: worthy of esteem; admirable. Tennis star Andre Agassi survived a near loss in the semifinals to win the seventh Grand Slam tournament title of his uneven yet ____ career.

shambles

def: wreck; mess After the hurricane, the Carolina coast was a ___. After the New Year's Eve party, the host's apartment was a ____.

miscreant

def: wretch; villain In Colonial America, an offender would be put into the stocks so that the villagers could jeer and toss offal at the ___.

writ

def: written command issued by a court The hero of Leonard's novel is a process server who invents unorthodox ways of serving ____s on reluctant parties

polemic

def: written or verbal attack; disputations Lexy was a master of ___ rhetoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan "Born to Debate."

malfeasance

def: wrongdoing The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's ____ until after he had forcing her to do menial tasks.

callow

def: youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a freshman, Jack was sure he was a man of the world; as a sophomore, he made fun of freshman as ____ youths.

quotidian

def:daily; commonplace; customary To Phillip, each new day of his internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as merely ___ routine.

jaundiced

def:prejudiced (envious, hostile, or resentful); yellowed Because Sue disliked Carolyn, she looked at Carolyn's pantings with a ____ed eyed, calling them formless smears.

connivance

def:pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend. With the ____ of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher.

sinecure

def:well-paid position with little responsibility My job is no _____; I work long hours and have much responsibilities

witticism

def:witty saying; wisecrack I don't mean any criticism, but your last supposed ____ really hurt my feeling

improvident

def; thriftless He was constantly being warned to mend his ___ ways and begin to "save for a rainy day"

inalienable

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

consort

1 def: associated with. We frequently judge people by the company with whom they ____. 2. hustband or wife. The search for a ___ for the young Queen Victoria ended happily.

defer

1 def: delay til later; exempt temporarily. 2. def: give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must ___ to Michael, our computer guru; he has the final word. Michael, however, can ___ these questions to no one; only he can decide.

contingent

1 def: dependent on; conditional. Cher's father informed her that any increase in her allowance was ____ on the quality of her final grades. 2 def: group that makes up part of a gathering. The New York ____ of delegates at the DNC was a boisterous sometimes rowdy lot.

resolve

1 def: determination; firmness of purpose How dare you question my ______ to take up sky-diving! Of course I haven't changed my mind! 2. def: decide; settle; solve Holmes ____ed to travel to Bohemia to ____ the fispute between Irene Adler and the King

plumb

1 def: examine critically in order to understand; measure depth (by sounding). Try as he would, Watson could never fully ___ the depth of Holmes' s thought processes 2 def: vertical Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a ___ line from the ceiling as a guide

deprecate

1 def: express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post ___ed the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.

founder

1 def: fall completely; sink After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titantic started taking in water rapidly and soon ____ed.

pique

1 def: irritation; resentment She showed her ___ at her loss by refusing to appear with the other contestants at the end of the competition 2 def: provoke; arouse; annoy "I know something, you don't know," said Lucy, trying to _____ Ethel's interest.

objective

1 def: not influenced by emotions; fair Even though he was her son, she tried to be ____ about his behavior 2 def: goal; aim A degree in medicine was her ultimate ____

demur

1 def: object; protest. Michelangelo regularly denied that Leonardo Da Vinci had influenced him, and critics have usually accepted his statements without ___. 2. def: object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the BOD, David ___ed; he had scruples taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.

hermetic

1 def: sealed by fusion so as to be airtight After you sterilize the bandages, place them in a container and seal it with a ____ seal to protect them from contamination by airborne bacteria. 2. def: obscure and mysterious; occult. It is strange to consider that modern chemistry originated in the hermetic teachings of the ancient alchemists.

balk

1 def: stop short; as if faced with an obstacle and refused to continue. The chief of police ____ed at sending his officers into the riottorn area. 2. def: foil When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to ___ their attempt.

expatiate

1 def: talk at length Robert Marlock, the University Orator, welcomed the Queen with a Latin oration in which he (at some length) ____ed on the wonders of Elizabeth's scholarship and on the indebtedness of the University to her.

welter

1 def: turmoil; bewildering; jumble The existing _____ of overlapping federal and state claims cries out for immediate reform 2. def: wallow At the height of the battle, the victims _____ed in their blood while waiting for medical attention

quarry

1 def: victim; object of a hunt The police closed in on their ___. 2. def: dig into; question They _____ed blocks of marble out of the hillside

canon

1. Def: collection or authoritative list of books. Scholars hotly debated whether the newly discovered sonnet should be accepted as part of the shakespearean ____. 2. def: rule or principal; frequently religious. "One catastrophe, one locality, one day"- these are Aristotle rules for tragedy, and classic French plays strictly follow them; Shakespeare, however, disregards all of these ____.

bluff

1. Def: pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a ___ and she was astounded when he dove from the high ___to the waters below. 2. def: rough but good natured Jack had a ___ and hearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity.

gouge

1. def: tear out In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to ___ each other's eyes out. 2. overchange During the World Series, ticket scalpers tried to ____ the public, asking astronomical prices even for bleacher seats.

decadence

Def: decay. The moral ____ of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

deluge

Def: flood; rush. When we advertised the position we recieved a ___ of applications.