Q's and R's in sentences

The capitalized R _____ was a great blossoming of art, literature, science, and culture in general that transformed Europe between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. The word is also used in connection with lesser rebirths The declining neighborhood underwent a _____ when a group of investors bought several crumbling tenements and turned them into attractive apartment buildings

Renaissance

Janet had always longed to live in a _____ old cottage, so when she bought her split-level ranch house she glued moss and hollyhocks all over the outside In this town people have the _____ custom of throwing their plates at the hostess when they've finished eating

quaint (kwaynt)

Susan _____(e)d her praise of Judith by saying that her kind words applied only to Judith's skillful cooking and not to her abhorrent personality The library trustees rated their fund-raiser a _____(e)d success; many more people than expected had come, but virtually no money had been raised

qualify

If a school achieves a _____ improvement in enrollment, it means the school is being attended by more students

qualitative

Joe is in a _____; tomorrow he's scheduled to marry three different women in three different towns, and he can't decided whether to try to pull it off or move to another country

quandary (KWAHN dree)

She managed to come up with a _____-plausible excuse for being out all night, so the headmistress decided to give her one more chance Claire makes all her own clothes; as a result, she always looks _____-fashionable instead of truly stylish

quasi (KWAH zee) or (KWAY zye)

The party is being held on the _____; that means that at least five people will get pushed into the water at some point during the evening The hurricane washed away every boat moored along the _____, but the boats that had been pulled onto dry land before the storm were undamaged

quay (kee)

Only his girlfriend could _____ Whit's wrath at not having been chosen for the varsity team A mutiny arose when the cafeteria ran out of ice cream, but the food service manager _____(e)d it by offering chocolate pudding instead

quell (kwell)

The exasperated* mother finally managed to hush her _____ child *intensely irritated and frustrated The _____ voices of the students, who believed that their quizzes had been graded too harshly, could be heard all the way at the other end of the school building

querulous

Please save any _____(e)s for the end of the lecture, or the professor will lose his train of thought and start singing the national anthem The manuscript was so covered with _____(e)s from her editor that Nancy could see that she had a major revision ahead of time

query (KWIR ee)

The British are famous for waiting patiently in long _____(e)s, while the Germans are notorious for pushing to the head of the line People were so eager for tickets that they started to _____ up the night before the box office opened

queue (kyoo)

Clear your brain of all irrelevant thoughts; let your mind become _____. Then, and only then, will you truly be ready to learn why I should take over the world

quiescent (kwee ES unt)

Lacey is the _____ volunteer; she works 23 hours per day on different charitable causes

quintessential (kwin tuh SEN chul)

The word _____ is derived from the name of Don Quixote, the protagonist of Miguel de Cervantes's classic 17C novel To be _____ is to be as foolish or impractical as Don Quixote in pursuing an ideal For many years Mr. Morris had led a _____ effort to repeal the federal income tax

quixotic

Increasingly in modern usage, _____ also means questioning or inquisitive The policeman's _____ expression hinted that perhaps I hadn't explained very well why I had to speed on the highway

quizzical (KWIZ i kul)

Having an airplane crash in your backyard isn't exactly a _____ event; in fact, for most people it isn't even a weekly one Marvin's diary was dull to read; it was filled almost entirely with thoroughly _____ observations about meals and the weather

quotidian (kwoh TID ee un)

A _____ is a consequence that grows out of something in the same way that a tree branch grows out of a tree trunk

ramification

A rumor the princess is expecting triplets is running _____ through the village; by noon, everyone in the country will have heard it Crime was _____ in the high school building; every locker had been broken into

rampant (RAM punt)

The mutual _____ felt by the two nations eventually led to war Jeremy's success produced such feelings of _____ in Jessica, his rival, that she was never able to tolerate being in the same room with him again

rancor

Wall Street investment bankers are often accused of being _____, but they claim they are performing a valuable economic function

rapacious

_____ is an adjective meaning entranced or ecstatic The children listened with _____ attention to the storyteller; they didn't notice the pony standing in the hallway behind them

rapt (rapt)

Nothing could equal the Americans' _____ on spotting a Burger King in Calcutta; they had been terrified that they were going to have to eat unfamiliar food Winning an Oscar sent Dustin into a state of _____. "I can't believe this is happening to me!" he exclaimed

rapture (RAP chur)

Wendell's musical compositions are so _____ that only a few people can really appreciate them The atmosphere atop Mount Everest was so _____ that the climber could hardly breathe

rarefied (RAR uh fyde)

If the latest version of the disarmament treaty isn't _____(e)d soon, we must prepare for the possibility of war The powerless legislature had no choice but to _____ the edicts of the dictator

ratify (RAT uh fye)

Winning the love of Wilma was clearly not a problem that could be solved by _____ alone; Fred decided to turn off his computer and ask her out

ratiocination (rash ee oh suh NAY shun)

"My _____ is simple," the doc explained as he rummaged around in his drawer for a larger spoon. "If one dose of medicine is good, fifty doses must be better." Alice's _____ rationale for buying a new coat was sound; her old coat had a broken zipper

rationale (rash uh NAL)

Crows are my least favorite bird in the early morning; their _____ cawing wakes me, and I can't get back to sleep "If you don't stop that _____ behavior, I'll - I'll put you in the corner!" said the new teacher in a quavering voice as the students got increasingly rowdy

raucous (RAW kus)

Grandpa Gus is so _____ that he doesn't think women should be allowed to vote There's no point in proposing a welfare bill as long as this _____ administration remains in power

reactionary (ree AK shuh ner ee)

Ashley has been trying to tame the squirrels in her yard, but so far they've _____(e)d her efforts; she hasn't even been able to get them to eat the food she leaves for them on her porch Don't be surprised if Willie _____(e)s your advances; if you want him to kiss you, you're just going to have to invest in some false teeth

rebuff (ri BUF)

We trembled as Mr. Solomon _____(e)d us for flipping over his car and taking off the tires A piece of sharp criticism is called a _____: e.g., When the students got caught cheating on their French test, the principal delivered a _____ that made their ears twirl

rebuke

They all thought I was crazy, but none of them could ____ my argument The defense attorney attempted to _____ the prosecutor's claim that the defendant's fingerprints, hair, clothing, signature, waller, wristwatch, credit cards, and car had been found at the scene of the crime

rebut

The _____ cancer continued to spread through the patient's body despite every therapy and treatment the doctors tried

recalcitrant

The chagrined scientist _____(e)d his theory that mice originated on the moon; it turned out that he had simply mixed up the results of two separate experiments The secret agent tortured the intellectual for a week, by tickling his feet with a feather duster, until he finally _____(e)d

recant

There's not much evidence that imprisoning people reforms them; the rate of _____ among released convicts is high

recidivism (ri SID uh viz um)

The Rochester Club had a _____ arrangement with the Duluth Club. Members of either club had full privileges of membership at the other Their hatred was _____; they hated each other

reciprocal

To _____ is to return in kind, to interchange, or to repay: e.g., Our new neighbors had had us over for dinner several times, but we were unable to _____ immediately because our dining room was being remodeled

reciprocate

A century ago, turning a swamp into cropland was called _____ing it; now it is called destroying wetlands At the recycling facility, massive electromagnets are used to _____ steel and iron from scrap metal

reclaim (ri KLAYM) or (ree KLAYM)

The crazy millionaire led a _____ existence, shutting himself up in his labyrinthine mansion and never setting foot in the outside world Our new neighbors were so _____ that we didn't even meet them until a full year after they had moved in

reclusive

The scholarly journal was so _____ as to be utterly incomprehensive The philosopher's thesis was so _____ that I couldn't get past the first two sentences

recondite

Melissa was full of _____. When I accused her of stealing my pen, she angrily accused me of being careless, evil, and stupid The courtroom echoed with the _____(e)s of the convicted defendant as he was taken off to the penitentiary* *a prison for people convicted of serious crimes

recrimination

When I heard that my husband had pawned my mink coat in order to buy me a birthday present, I went straight to the pawnshop and _____(e)d it with the money I had been going to spend on a birthday present for him I won't marry you until you _____ your promise to build a roof over our heads

redeem (ri DEEM)

The air in autumn is _____ of wood smoke and fallen leaves The flower arrangements on the tables were both beautiful and _____

redolent

The head of the environmental group explained that by suing the chemical factory for violating clean air laws, he was using the courts to _____ a civil wrong _____* often meaning reparation, compensation, or making amends for a wrong

redress (ri DRES) or (REE dres)*

Eric had already bought paper plates, so our purchase of paper plates was _____ Shawn's article was _____ - he kept saying the same thing over and over again

redundant

At the last minute, the state legislators snuck a large pay raise for themselves into the appropriations bill, but voters got wind of the scheme and demanded a _____

referendum (ref uh REN dum)

Bobby is such a _____ little boy when it comes to haircuts that he has to be tied up and hoisted into the barber's chair The old man viewed all children as drooling, complaining, _____ little monsters

refractory (ri FRAK tuh ree)

His expensive suit and imported shoes clearly _____(e)d his claim that he was poor

refute

According to rules issued by the new _____, anyone caught wearing red shoes will be arrested and thrown into the penitentiary The older reporters spent much of their time reminiscing bitterly about how much better things had been during the previous _____, when the newspaper had been owned by a private family instead of a corporate conglomerate

regime (ri ZHEEM)

Mrs. Stewart is having trouble following the new _____ her doc gave her; she can handle the dieting and exercise, but sleeping on a bed of nails is hard for her

regimen (REJ uh mun)

The candidate had _____(e)d his position so many times on the campaign trail that he sometimes even muttered it his sleep To _____, let me say once again that I am happy to have been invited to the birthday celebration of your adorable Pekingese

reiterate

The insatiable rabbit was _____; it ate and ate until nothing was left in the botanical garden

relentless

The hungry dog refused to _____ the enormous beef bone that he had stolen from the butcher's shop

relinquish

Isabel's cancer has been in _____ for several years now - long enough for most people to have trouble remembering the dark period when she was gravely ill The appeals court granted Ronnie a partial _____ of his crimes; it threw out two of his convictions, but it upheld the third

remission (ri MISH un)

My boss _____(e)d with me for telling all the secretaries they could take off the rest of the week

remonstrate

"You mean you expect _____ for working here?" the magazine editor asked incredulously when the young college graduate inquired as to what sort of salary she might expect to earn as an editorial assistant There is a strong positive correlation between people's satisfaction with their jobs and their level of _____; the more they're paid, the better they like their work

remuneration (ri myoo nuh RAY shun)

I realize you're upset about not being invited to the dance, but _____ your clothing and tearing out your hair is getting a little too emotional, don't you think? A heart-_____ing story is one that is so terribly sad that it tears a reader's heart in two

rend (rend)

Steve's funny faces _____(e)d his sister incoherent with laughter Sitting all night on the bottom of the pond had _____(e)d the car useless for almost anything except continuing to sit on the bottom of the pond

render (REN dur)

Despite the pleadings and protestations of her parents, Deborah refused to _____ her love for the leader of the motorcycle gang The presidential candidate _____(e)d his manager after it was revealed that the zealous manager had tried to murder the candidate's opponent in the primary

renounce

The make a _____ is to fix some damage that has occurred The defeated country demanded _____(e)s for the destruction it had suffered at the hands of the victorious army After the accident we sought _____ in court, but our lawyer was not competent so we didn't win a cent

reparation

"Toilethead" is four-year-old Max's preferred _____ to almost any question When Annette first came to college, she despaired of ever being able to keep up with the _____ of the clever upperclassman, but eventually she, too, got the hang of being insufferable

repartee (rep ur TEE)

One _____ of the new tax law was that accountants found themselves with a lot of new business The declaration of war had many _____(e)s, including a big increase in production at the bomb factory

repercussion

The manager of the hardware store needed to _____ his stock; quite a few of the shelves were empty The commanding general _____(e)d his army with a trainload of food and other supplies

replenish

The once-polluted stream was now ____ with fish of every description The bride wore a magnificent sombrero _____ with fuzzy dice and campaign buttons

replete

Other scientists were unable to _____ Harold's startling experimental results, and in short order Harold was exposed as a fraud At his weekend house in the country, Arthur tried to _____ the cozy English cottage in which he had been raised; his first step was to replace the asphalt shingles with thatch* *a layer of organic matter that accumulates on a lawn around the base of the grass plants

replicate (REP li kayt)

As Carol struggled to pack the enormous crates, her husband lolled back on the sofa in an attitude of _____; as a matter of fact, he was sound asleep Something attempted, something done, has earned a night's _____" is a favorite saying of Ruby's grandmother; it means she's tired and wants to go to bed

repose (ri POHZ)

He put the cat in the laundry chute, tied the dog to the chimney, and committed several other _____ acts Malcolm's manners were _____: He ate his soup by drinking it from his empty wineglass and flipped his peas into his mouth with the back of his salad fork

reprehensible

Stella could not _____ her feeling of horror at the sight of her neighbor's wall paper The gov's crude attempt to _____ the rebellion in the countryside only made it easier for the rebels to attract new recruits

repress (ri PRES)

David was relieved to see that the officer intended to give him a verbal _____ instead of a speeding ticket Otto received his father's _____ in stony silence because he did not want to give that mean old man the satisfaction of seeing his son cry

reprimand (REP ruh mand)

The raid on the Iranian oil-drilling platform was a _____ for the Iranian's earlier attack on the American tanker

reprisal

We knocked over their snowman, and in _____ they spray painted our clubhouse The rebels issued a statement announcing that yesterday's kidnapping had been a _____ for last month's bombing of a rebel stronghold

reprisal (ri PRYZE ul)

The police officer _____(e)d me for leaving my car parked overnight in a no-standing zone To look at someone with _____ is to look at that person critically or accusingly To be filled with self-_____ can mean to be ashamed

reproach

My Uncle Bob was a well-known old _____; he spent most of his time lying drunk in the gutter and shouting obscenities at women and children passing by Everyone deplored the _____'s behavior while he was alive, but now that he's dead everyone wants to read his memoirs* *a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources

reprobate (REP ruh bayt)

Aunt May _____(e)d us for eating too much, but we could tell she was actually thrilled that we had enjoyed the meal My friend _____(e)d me for leaving my dirty dish in the sink

reprove

Hoping to receive a lighter sentence, the convicted gangster _____(e)d his former connection with the mob

repudiate

The thought of striking out on his own is absolutely _____ to Allan; he would much prefer to continue living in his old room, driving his parents' car, and eating meals prepared by his mother Kelly's roommate, a classical music major, found Kelly's love of hip-hop totally _____

repugnant (re PUG nunt)

Howard bought a hunting rifle and the _____ ammunition As the _____ number of members was not in attendance, the chairman adjourned the meeting just after it had begun The noun, _____ means a requirement or a necessity: A hammer and a saw are among the _____(e)s of the carpenter's trade

requisite

No one had expected that Warren would take being kicked off the team with so much _____; he simply hung up his uniform and walked sadly out of the locker room There was _____ in Alex's voice when he announced at long last that there was nothing more that he could do

resignation (rez ig NAY shun)

Uncle Ted was _____ in his decision not to have a good time at our Christmas party; he stood alone in the corner and muttered to himself all night long The other team was strong, but our players were _____. They kept pushing and shoving until, in the final moments, they won the roller-derby tournament Someone who sticks to his New Year's _____tion is _____: losing weight, no fabbing, etc.

resolute

We worked without _____ from five in the morning until five in the afternoon The new mother fell asleep when her baby stopped crying, but the _____ was brief; the baby started up again almost immediately

respite

In the morning sunlight, every drop of dew was _____ with color; unfortunately, no one was awake to see it Betsy's gown looked _____ in the candlelight; the gown was made of nylon, and it was so shiny you could practically see your reflection in it

resplendent (ri SPLEN dunt)

In Christian belief, the _____ is Jesus' return to life on the third day after his crucifixion. In general usage, the word refers to any revival Polly's tablecloth has undergone quite a _____; the last time I saw it, she was using it as a dress

resurrection (rez uh REK shun)

Kaynard was _____ on the subject of his accomplishments; he didn't like to talk about himself Luther's natural _____ character made him an ideal speaker: His speeches never lasted more than a few minutes

reticent

When Laurie accused Peggy of being drunk, Peggy _____(e)d, "Whoeryooshayingsdrunk?" and fell over on the sidewalk Jeff can never think of a good retort when he needs one; the perfect line usually comes to him only later, usually in the middle of the night

retort (ri TAWRT)

In _____, I was probably out of line when I yelled at my mother for telling me she liked what I was wearing and saying that she hoped I wold have a nice day

retrospect (RE truh spekt)

_____ is an exhibition of an artist's work from over a period of years

retrospective (re truh SPEK tiv)

The struggling college's _____(e)d curriculum offers such easy electives as Shakespeare's Furniture and Spelling for Spokesmodel Susan is _____ing her resume to make it seem more impressive; she's getting rid of the part that describes her work experience, and she's adding a part that is entirely made up

revamp (ree VAMP)

Ken is _____ing in luxury now that he has finally come into his patrimony Tammy _____(e)d in every bite of the forbidden dessert; it had been so long since she had eaten chocolate cake that she wanted it to last as long as possible

revel (REV ul)

Einstein was a preeminent scientist who was _____(e)d by everyone, even his rivals

revere

In Dicken's Oliver Twist, poor Oliver is _____(e)d for daring to ask for more gruel The president of the sorority _____(e)d the newest member for not wearing enough makeup

revile (ri VYLE)

The princess pulled back in _____ when she realized that her kiss hadn't turned the frog into a prince after all "Please don't talk about dead lizards while I'm eating," said Sally with _____

revulsion (ruh VUL shun)

Danielle _____(e)d about the little dog, saying that she had never seen a more beautiful, friendly, fabulous little dog in her entire life Hugh never has a kind word to say about anything, so when he _____(e)d about the new restaurant we figured that we probably ought to try it

rhapsodize (RAP suh dyze)

A talented public speaker might be said to be skilled in _____. The word is often used in a pejorative sense to describe speaking or writing that is skillfully executed but insincere or devoid of meaning A political candidate's speech that was long on drama and promises but short on genuine substance might be dismissed as "mere rhetoric"

rhetoric

Most of the songs on that new album have _____ lyrics that will give heart attacks to mothers all over the nation

ribald (RIB uld)

Fistfights were _____ in that part of town, largely because there was an all-night bar in nearly every storefront The committee's planning sessions were _____ with backstabbing and petty quarrels

rife (ryfe)

Our exercise program was _____ but effective; after just a few months, our eighteen hours of daily exercise had begun to pay off The professor was popular largely because he wasn't _____; there were no tests in his course and only one paper, which was optional

rigorous

On a construction site, a _____ is a metal pin that is used to fasten things together, and _____ing is the act of fastening things in this manner. Outside of a construction site, _____ means much the same thing, except figuratively After reading the first paragraph, I was _____(e)d to the murder mystery until I had finished the final one

rivet (RIV it)

The ninety-year-old woman was still _____. Every morning she ran several miles down to the ocean and jumped in The tree we planted last year isn't looking _____. Most of the leaves have fallen off, and the bark had begun to peel

robust

A _____ is someone who can't be trusted. This word is often used, however, to characterize a playfully mischievous person Huckleberry Finn is a bit of a _____; while his actions are technically criminal, he performs them with noble intentions and a humorous spirit

rogue

Brighton High School's debate team _____(e)d the team from Pittsford, leaving the Pittsford captain sobbing among his notecards _____ing the forces of pestilence and famine turned out to be a bigger job than Mark had anticipated, so he stopped trying and went to law school instead

rout (rowt)

The boy who had lived with wolves for fifteen years lacked even the most _____ social skills

rudimentary

I _____ the day I walked into this place; nothing even remotely good has happened to me since then The middle-aged man _____(e)d his misspent youth - all that time wasted studying, when he could have been meeting girls

rue (roo)

_____ comes from a Latin word meaning to chew cud: Cows, sheep, and other cud-chewing animals are called _____(e)s To _____ is to quietly chew on or ponder your own thoughts

ruminate

Life in the log cabin was too _____ for Leah; she missed hot showers, electricity, and ice We enjoyed the _____ scenery as we traveled through the countryside

rustic