Gre

conspirator

A conspirator sneaks around making plans to commit crimes with other people. A conspirator's plans are often politically motivated, and not always illegal but always secret and sneaky. You know how some people think that the Apollo moon landing was a hoax or that everything is controlled by alien lizard people? No? Well, people who see secret plots everywhere believe in conspiracies, and anyone involved in a conspiracy is a conspirator. However, many conspirators are real and part of everyday plots, like to rob a bank. All conspirators work in secret to commit crimes. Any crime involving more than one person will have conspirators. Definitions of conspirator 1.(noun): a member of a conspiracy synonyms: coconspirator, machinator, plotter Examples: It might take several days The wanted posterfor the Lincoln assassination conspirators. before things die down. We grin at each other, conspirators for once. The whole town of Moca was imprisoned because one of the conspirators comes from there! "No...not at all," Mama whispered, like a conspirator.

demure

A demure person can be described as polite and a little shy. A demure outfit is a modest one — think high neckline and low hem. Demure is a word you don't hear a lot these days, but it used to be a huge compliment for a woman or a girl, for them to be considered shy and quiet and modest. Those days are over, thank goodness, because demure people are nice and all, but they're also a little boring. Definitions of demure 1.(adjective): affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way synonyms: coy, overmodest modest not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance 2.(adjective): (used especially of clothing) suggestive of modesty or reserve Examples: More and more like a demure young lady. "I'm so sorry, Stepsister," Ash said in a demure voice, and lightened her touch slightly. Ruby was standing in front of him, demure—for her—in a knee-length black slip. Her curved, flesh-ripping beak looks sweet and demure when you see her head on. Milo answered in a demure voice with his face lowered meekly. "Why didn't you teach your girls to be demure?" she ventured. The Woman Warrior In the space of half a step, she transformed her delighted headlong run into a demure greeting at arm's length. At first she put on her slightly stupid demure look, but after a few of his words she gave that up and bored into him with her eyes, trying to read his thoughts.

dupe

A dupe is a furry, ceremonial hat worn during ancient pagan rituals...or not. Dupe actually means "trick or deceive." We're sorry we tried to dupe you into believing the wrong definition. Dupe can also refer to the victim of a trick or hoax, and — used in this sense — it sometimes conveys the idea that the victim is easily fooled. Dupe comes from the French word for a type of bird called the hoopoe, which has an extravagant crest and a reputation for being dim-witted. (And no, that's not another attempt to dupe you; it's the truth!) Definitions of dupe 1.(verb): fool or hoax "The immigrant was duped because he trusted everyone" synonyms :befool, cod, fool, gull, put on, put one across, put one over, slang, take in 2.(noun): a person who is tricked or swindled synonyms: victim Examples: The two of them were so happy and boisterous that they didn't even seem to mind anymore that the Conte had duped them. "There's a chance he's not even homeless. I've been duped before," he says. The knight thought he could dupe the sailor. On the other hand, if B takes the individualist option, at least I won't be duped if I do, too. "Saving them? Is that what you call it? Is that how easily he's duped you? This greedy imposter fills your head with rubbish and you become a traitor?" To make common cause with reviled blacks, the dupes of Communists and despoilers of Southern women, would be to betray America and the South. She told me she couldn't stand the thought of Marcus duping more people into following him, and I didn't argue with her. The shame and anger we felt for having allowed ourselves to be duped crept into our blows and blood ran into our eyes, half blinding us.

flounder

A flounder is a flat fish with both eyes on one side of its head; and, as a verb, to flounder is to wobble around like a fish out of water. To flounder is to be unsteady or uncertain. It's probably from the Dutch word flodderen, "to flop about," or it's a mix of founder ("to fail") and blunder ("do something clumsy"). If you flounder in the ocean, you need a surfer dude to scoop you up. You don't have to be in water, though; you can flounder any time you're a little wobbly — like after a long hike or during the last hour of the SATs. Either way, when you flounder, you wish you were a flat fish at the bottom of the sea. Definitions of flounder 1.(verb): move clumsily or struggle to move, as in mud or water synonyms: stagger 2.(verb): behave awkwardly; have difficulties "She is floundering in college" 3.(noun): any of various European and non-European marine flatfish 4.(noun): flesh of any of various American and European flatfish Examples: "We showed him pictures of the whole family. And that great shot of you holding that flounder on the boat!" "Through here, I said-" The boar was floundering away from them. I flounder through the water, the edges of the ice breaking off as I step. But now, here came Gabriel, floundering and furious up the bank, and what she looked at, with an anger more violent than any she had felt before, was his nakedness. Seth floundered at the center of an underwater pyrotechnics display. Otis was floundering in the lake, trying to re-form, but from the arms down he looked like a puddle of burnt oatmeal. "That young idealist must be floundering somewhere at this very moment. It will break the girls' hearts, just as it's breaking mine. I shivered despite the hot water, floundering with one arm, the other supporting Eddie's journal and Gum Baby.

foe

A foe is an enemy. Foes can range from an adversary of one person to that of a nation, from "he is my foe" to "they are my foe." There is also a "that is my foe" who those who are trying to diet know well, aka chocolate. A cousin of the word feud (though they don't get a long of course) foe may refer to a military opponent or a personal nemesis or rival — Lex Luthor is Superman's foe. Historically, foes often come in pairs — such as the North and the South in the Civil War. The word foe is sometimes used for an opposing concept or a thing — if you are on a diet, chocolate may be your foe. Definitions of foe 1.(noun): an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force) synonyms: enemy, foeman, opposition 2.(noun): a personal enemy "they had been political foes for years" synonyms: enemy, nemesis Examples: Snow had also sent a dozen archers to the top of the Wall, should any foes be hidden in the nearby woods. And every man who falls is one less foe for the Dreadfort. The Nazgûl screeched and swept away, for their Captain was not yet come to challenge the white fire of his foe. Marselen felt they would be better placed at either end of the main battle line, where they could beat back any attempt by the foe to turn their flanks. The first shock would inevitably favor the foe. Harry Strickland had always been a genial man, better at hammering out contracts than at hammering on foes. "We're in luck, then," the foes replied, and they were more real to him in the twilight than the monks whose chanting drifted downhill from the abbey. 'Is it not said that no foe has ever taken the Hornburg, if men defended it?'

garret

A garret is a room at the very top of a house, just underneath the roof. If you don't have enough money to rent a proper room, you might be able to rent a garret. Garret comes from the old French word guerite, which means "watchtower" or "sentry box." These days, a garret has nothing to do with war; it simply means the little room at the very top of a building, which is also called an attic. The idea of living in a garret is romantically associated with being a starving artist — great if you don't mind hunger and stooping over all the time because the roof is so low. Definitions of garret 1.(noun): floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage synonyms: attic, loft Examples: He shuts down the saw and wriggles through the raw hole, up the ladder behind it, and into the garret. He went back to his garret and flung himself on his bed. Lelia liked houses that you could go all the way up and hide yourself in, high stretching houses with garrets, widow's peaks, secret attics. Deserted by him and nearly everybody else, bed-bound in a garret, she discovers in herself a sense of humor.

garrulous

A garrulous person just won't stop talking (and talking, and talking, and talking...). Garrulous comes from the Latin word garrire for "chattering or prattling." If someone is garrulous, he doesn't just like to talk; he indulges in talking for talking's sake — whether or not there's a real conversation going on. If you discover that you have a garrulous neighbor sitting next to you on the plane, you might just want to feign sleep, unless you really want to hear everything going through his mind for the entire trip. Definitions of garrulous 1.(adjective): full of trivial conversation synonyms: chatty, gabby, loquacious, talkative, talky voluble marked by a ready flow of speech Examples: She was as tranquil as he was agitated, as monosyllabic as he was garrulous. Beck Weathers, forty-nine, was a garrulous pathologist from Dallas. They were irritatingly garrulous, prone to fits of chicanery, and often surprisingly incompetent at what seemed to Indians like basic tasks. "Sally asked so many garrulous, probative questions that at ten this morning I was reduced to answering, 'I am sufficiently well, madam.' He sat down and took his lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel, the Vole family, Silent Sam, and Basil the garrulous hare. A little past the redbrick buildings of Peshawar University, we entered an area my garrulous driver referred to as "Afghan Town." The garrulous ferret showed the rats that he possessed a sound knowledge of the principles of fulcrum and leverage. On his next visit, Chief was his usual garrulous self.

hound

A hound is a type of dog with big floppy ears, mainly used for hunting. To hound someone is to relentlessly pursue or pester them. When Elvis sings, "You ain't nothing but a hound dog," he's referring to both. Hounds are dogs that have traditionally been used for hunting because they are excellent at tracking. Most hounds (like beagles and dachshunds) have drooping, floppy ears. Hounds can also be big and scary like the one Sherlock Holmes investigates in The Hound of the Baskervilles. If people hound, they hunt, too, but just in an annoying way. A man can hound a woman by asking for a date 10 times. A hounding person is persistent and probably annoying. Definitions of hound 1.(noun): any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears synonyms: hound dog 2.(verb): pursue or chase relentlessly "the detectives hounded the suspect until they found him" synonyms: hunt, trace 3.(noun): someone who is morally reprehensible synonyms: blackguard, bounder, cad, dog, heel Examples: "And you," added Sir Palomides generously, "can be the back end, and do hounds. The noise is plainly stated to come from the belly. He is being hounded by the press. They hounded me with questions. They hounded me for my autograph. hound a politician out of office

miser

A miser is someone who hoards his or her own wealth and doesn't share or spend any of it. If you remember the old saying "You can't take it with you!" — then you won't end up acting stingy like a miser. The most famous fictional miser is probably Scrooge in Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The image of his shivering with cold while he counts his coins illustrates the misery often associated with misers. To be a miser, your impulse to hoard means you won't even indulge yourself by spending money for fear of depleting your stash. Definitions of miser 1.(noun): a stingy hoarder of money and possessions (often living miserably) Examples: The Martials hoard their secrets the way a miser hoards gold. Her lips were dry, hard, closed up tighter than a miser's purse. She saved practically all of her earnings, living like a miser, hoarding each penny. Come on, you miser, I think at the slaver. She'd even talked her brother into coming along; he was a miser and had a lot of money. But she loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon loves its gold. He gave a nervous laugh, like a miser caught at his counting. The miser stares blissfully at the tiny piece of currency.

frugal

A person who lives simply and economically can be called frugal. Buying clothes at a consignment shop would be considered frugal. Not getting your mom a gift for her birthday — that's just cheap. Thrifty, spartan, and prudent are synonyms for frugal, a word that often has positive connotations when used to describe a person who lives a simple life. "The question for retailers is whether shoppers will remain frugal or slowly resume their old spending habits whenever they get more money in their pockets," wrote The Wall Street Journal. You might also speak of "a frugal meal" — a very plain, cheap one. The word is from Latin frux, meaning "fruit" (in the sense of "profit"). Definitions of frugal 1.(adjective): avoiding waste "a frugal farmer" "a frugal lunch" synonyms: economical, scotch, sparing, stinting It wasn't just the time and distraction that worried him; although he was frugal, he doubted he would ever make enough money by collecting beetles and writing about coral. Snap judgments can be made in a snap because they are frugal, and if we want to protect our snap judgments, we have to take steps to protect that frugality. Even at our most selfish, we could understand why someone might be frugal with six children to support. They're so frugal with things here, waste is practically a criminal activity. He's extremely frugal, the kind of guy who drives the same car for twenty years. The frugal Mrs. Platt, if she still inhabits her sallow rooms, will not be displeased. So it's simple, frugal by the Capitol's standards. I'd convinced my mother, as frugal as she was, that I needed a computer for school.

pundit

A pundit is a well-known expert, someone whose opinions show up on television, online, or in the newspaper. Some TV news programs are nothing more than a bunch of pundits arguing about current events. Why not just call them experts? Because pundit is a lovely word that is very close to its Sanskrit root, payndita-s, "learned man or scholar." Originally, a pundit was a "learned Hindu" or Sanskrit expert. Today's classic examples of the pundit are guests on talk radio and professional sports commentators, all brilliant dispensers of insights, statistics, and occasional hot air. Definitions of pundit 1.(noun): a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully synonyms: expert 2.(noun): someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field synonyms: initiate, learned person, savant Examples: Online, people can speak about anything: dump on God, talk about sex, flame pundits, express themselves politically and rebelliously. As the network pundits would later acknowledge, choosing Barack Obama to speak to an audience of millions had been a mighty gamble. Remarkably, it is not uncommon today to hear media pundits, politicians, social critics, and celebrities—most notably Bill Cosby—complain that the biggest problem black men have today is that they "have no shame." As lawyers and national pundits became more prominent than clients and citizens, we isolated ourselves from the people who were our anchor and on whose behalf we had labored. Journalists, educators, and pundits frequently fuss that kids like Jesse don't read or aren't well informed; in fact, they read enormous amounts of material online, and are astonishingly well informed about subjects they're interested in. On another channel, the pundits talk about how lazy humans are, and how if they'd just go out there and get jobs, they'd be much happier. The mainstream media, however, treated the event as big news, and many pundits seemed surprised that the black congregants actually applauded the message. The pundits spoke of his integrity, his intelligence.

run-in

A run-in is a confrontation or an argument. Peaceful protests go more smoothly when protestors avoid run-ins with the police. If you get in a fight with your brother about how he never loads the dishwasher, you can call that a run-in. A more serious kind of run-in might be a shoplifter's run-in with a store security guard or a basketball player's angry run-in with a referee that gets him benched for the rest of the season. Before 1905, run-in meant an instance of actually running somewhere. Definitions of run-in 1.(noun): an angry dispute synonyms: dustup, quarrel, row, words, wrangle Examples: I didn't say anything, as I was still pondering my run-in with Sister Redempta. Her eyes landed on the red Talent bracelet around her wrist, now sticky with glue-water from its run-in with the dish towel. "Doesn't matter, son. Point is, it reminded me of your recent run-in with Jared. I spent the rest of the day wondering if you being in that situation was my fault." The minor run-in with Dussel had several repercussions, for which he had only himself to blame.

sham

A sham is a fake. If you frequently order products advertised on late-night, hour-long television commercials, you've probably ended up with at least one item that was a sham. All-purpose, industrial strength stain remover, anyone? Sham can be used to refer to people as well as to things. Remember that doctor from the late-night TV commercial advertising UltraMiracleCure vitamin pills? He's probably a sham, or a quack. Some sources claim that the word sham originated in the 17th century and was derived from the English word shame, but who knows? Maybe that theory's a sham too. Definitions of sham 1.(noun): something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be synonyms: fake, postiche 2.(noun): a person who makes deceitful pretenses synonyms: fake, faker, fraud, imposter, impostor, pretender, pseud, pseudo, role player, shammer 3.(adjective): adopted in order to deceive "sham modesty" synonyms: assumed, false, fictitious, fictive, pretended, put on counterfeit, imitative not genuine; imitating something superior 4.(verb): make believe with the intent to deceive "He shammed a headache" synonyms: affect, dissemble, feign, pretend make, make believe, pretend represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like 5.(verb): make a pretense of synonyms: assume, feign, simulate Examples: Instead, I worked on embroidering a pillow sham as I waited for the cool of the evening. We had to endure it alone, we had to put up this show, this miserable, sham performance for the sake of all these people I did not know and did not want to see again. Below it on the floor, just where it had fallen from Mrs. Hubbard's hand, was a straightbladed dagger—a cheap affair, sham Oriental, with an embossed hilt and a tapering blade. It gave me the creeps, helping Grandpa slip his pillow sham of roses under Granny's head. Which makes me wonder: maybe this matching business is a sham? The history of race relations in Durham was, after all, a long line of such shams extending back for a century. I play with the boys as much as I can now, trying to memorize the smell of their freshly sham- pooed hair. I wondered at what point in space the silly, sham blue of the sky turned black.

soiree

A soiree is an elegant evening gathering, usually at someone's home. The jeans and t-shirt you wear to a regular party won't cut it — a soiree requires far fancier attire. Soiree, pronounced "swah-RAY," is a French word. Soir means "evening" in French, and soiree is literally an "evening party." But this is no Super Bowl party with potato chips and people slouching in easy chairs — a soiree is an elegant affair. Though often held in someone's house, people dress up. There may be music provided by a classical pianist or a jazz combo and fancy food. Definitions of soiree 1.(noun): a party of people assembled in the evening (usually at a private house) Examples: I noticed that she never exactly encouraged Granddaddy's presence at her evening entertainments, or "soirees" as she called them. He suggests I come to his next First Friday cocktail party, his monthly hipster soiree. Would it have been the one I know as hers — the which I saw slow-spreading across her soft and radiant features to greet each gentleman who attended our musical soirees, of an evening? The "Malcolm X Committee" rushed me from the Chinese Embassy dinner to where a soiree in my honor had already begun at the Press Club.

affable

Affable means friendly, pleasant, and easy to talk to. An affable host offers you something to drink and makes you feel at home. The adjective affable entered English by way of the Latin word affābilis, which means "kind, friendly." If you're stuck on an airplane next to someone affable, the trip won't be so bad because that person will be easy to chat with but won't talk your ear off. Synonyms of affable also refer to a pleasant and mild friendliness, such as genial, hospitable, and gracious. Affable people generally seem like they're in a good mood and are happy to see you. Definitions of affable 1.(adjective): diffusing warmth and friendliness "an affable smile" synonyms: amiable, cordial, genial friendly characteristic of or befitting a friend Examples: Tomard was a solid man,- affable, loyal, tireless, capable in a limited way, but he was near fifty, and even in his youth he had never been energetic. Hardy, trim, and darker toned than his wife, in disposition still the affable bartender, Jim Link mans the beer cooler at holiday parties at the Medlock Bridge clubhouse. "Some do that," she says, her tone almost affable now, though distanced; it's as if we're considering a choice of nail polish. Gone was the affable smile, the playful look in his eyes. He even got me a dog, an affable, cinnamon-colored shepherd mutt we called Rex. At last this affable group bade me farewell. When he took his place at the dining table, calm, affable, utterly certain, a crisis in the kitchen became no more than a humorous sketch; without him, it was a drama that clutched the heart. But those first nine expeditions embarked for Tibet from Darjeeling, where many Sherpas had emigrated, and where they had developed a reputation among the resident colonialists for being hardworking, affable, and intelligent.

mill about

Definitions of mill about 1.(verb): move about in a confused manner synonyms: mill, mill around 2.(verb): be about synonyms: footle, hang around, lallygag, linger, loaf, loiter, lollygag, lounge, lurk, mess about, mill around, tarry Examples: I slip out of the dining room and into the gathering area, falling back to where the ladies mill about, waiting for their escorts. A crowd of students still milled about on the front lawn of campus, but Reg had wanted to give himself extra time to get inside, just in case he needed it. The normal ruckus had been replaced by a rustling quiet—and rather than mill about, the competitors lingered by their trainers' sides. Other parents milled about, looking as if we were being carted off to be hanged. Folks were out and about on the streets below; they milled about like tiny, fancy ants. Television and newspaper reporters from Dallas and Midland and Odessa milled about, ready to interview them. Several boys milled about the Glade that night, but for the most part it was quiet, like everyone just wanted to go to sleep, end the day and be done with it. As darkness set in, crowds began to grow and mill about, many people curious to see what the city would be like with almost no police presence.

poke fun at sb/sth

Definitions of poke fun 1.(verb): subject to laughter or ridicule "The students poked fun at the inexperienced teacher" synonyms: blackguard, guy, jest at, laugh at, make fun, rib, ridicule, roast Examples: At that moment I could have slapped them both for poking fun at me. I imagine a mother as a woman who, first and foremost, possesses a great deal of tact, especially toward her adolescent children, and not one who, like Momsy, pokes fun at me when I cry. I could tell this guy was poking fun at me but I answered anyway. It is beginning to tell on him, and he took it out on Amélie, who had again poked fun at the fading bruise on his forehead.

diabolical

Diabolical means "evil." This is a strong word. Too much math homework might seem unfair, but it probably isn't diabolical. Diabolical is related to the Spanish word diablo, which means "devil." In many religions and mythologies, you can't get any more evil than a devil, so diabolical is a powerful term, stronger than even despicable, which is another strong word for things that are hateful. Diabolical things are also intentional. If you got hit by lightning, that's awful and harmful, but it's not diabolical. If someone deliberately runs you over with a car, that's much more diabolical. Definitions of diabolical 1.(adjective): showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil "the diabolical expression on his face" synonyms: devilish, diabolic, mephistophelean, mephistophelian evil morally bad or wrong 2.(adjective): extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell synonyms: demonic, diabolic, fiendish, hellish, infernal, satanic, unholy Examples: "Is this a diabolical scheme of seduction?" she asks. And yet one might assume strict, conservative, diabolical monsters with foreign accents raised me. There was a sinister and unlikely coincidence exposed that was too diabolical in implication to be anything less than the most hideous of omens. This sordid, vulturous, diabolical old man reminded Nately of his father because the two were nothing at all alike. It looks like his diabolical scheme is proceeding according to plan. I think about the bartenders, and wonder what diabolical things they'll be putting into my cocktail. The idea was to scare the beast, because that's when it unleashed its diabolical flatulence. "Brilliant, Chief, diabolical! They'd just be a crowd of terrified little mice without their wonderful Martin."

unremitting

During a heat wave, it's not always the temperature itself that's a problem. It's that the heat is unremitting--you don't get a break from it. It's sweltering hot day after day after day. You'd think the word unremitting would be connected to the word remit, but that's true in only a loose way. Remit means to send back--but if you remit a debt, you forgive it, or lift it. Unremitting describes something that is never lifted or sent back. Like the Energizer Bunny, it keeps coming and coming and coming. Definitions of unremitting 1.(adjective): uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing "unremitting demands of hunger" synonyms: ceaseless, constant, incessant, never-ending, perpetual, unceasing Examples: At the wedding, he said he was not optimistic about the future, and that such a marriage, in such difficult times, would be unremittingly tested. It was a building unremittingly unrevealing of what it held inside, with thick, featureless walls pale blue in colour and high, narrow windows impossible to look in through. You must understand, my suffering was unremitting and he was already dead. In such a system, the outcome is a chancy kind of order, always on the verge of descending into chaos, held taut against probability by the unremitting, constant surge of energy from the sun.

bilk

Ever paid a restaurant bill only to discover they charged you for stuff you never had? What they did was bilk you — cheat you out of money that was justly yours. Shady companies are forever bilking their investors. To bilk someone is slightly different from plain robbing them, though the effect is the same; it implies a non-violent, subtle and devious method masquerading as legitimate. Bernie Madoff, the Ponzi scheme king, was a classic bilker. On a more enjoyable note, one of the greatest bilkers in TV history was the appropriately named Sergeant Bilko, played by the comedian Phil Silvers. His eternal card games, promotions and get-rich-quick schemes were all designed to part some poor sucker from their cash. Watch and learn from the master. Definitions of bilk 1.(verb): cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money 2..(verb): evade payment to "He bilked his creditors" 3.(verb): escape, either physically or mentally synonyms: elude, evade 4.(verb): hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of synonyms: baffle, confound, cross, foil, frustrate, queer, scotch, scuttle, spoil, thwart Examples: There were only a few vendors, and all were engaged in harried negotiations with rebels, lean and sullen and above all bored, jostling and shoving and bilking as a way to pass the time. "If you do not," he continued threateningly, "it will be the worse for you. I am not used to being bilked." In reality, One Network bilks investors and maintains a far-reaching web of bribes. Of course you guys loved it; a bunch of amoral capitalists in Bush's home state bilk shareholders of billions. He pleaded guilty last year to bilking about $120 million from clients, including the estate of De Niro's artist father. The court took control of the statue after Coadum was accused of bilking investors. If the early days of dusty hunting often involved bilking an unknowing bottle owner, everyone is a lot more savvy these days. Then we'd hear from the officials and schemers who neglected and bilked them.

lugbrious

Funerals are lugubrious. So are rainy days and Mondays. Anything that makes you sad, gloomy, or mournful can be called lugubrious. Lugubrious comes from the Latin verb lūgēre, "to mourn." You can also listen to the sound of the word: lugubrious sounds slow, heavy, and sad. Sometimes, just the "feel" of a word is enough to clue you in to its meaning, and lugubrious is one of those words. I was feeling great when I got to the concert, but the lugubrious music left me in a terrible mood. Definitions of lugubrious 1.(adjective): excessively mournful Synonyms: sorrowful experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss Examples: One time he gave a lengthy tour to a tall, stoop-shouldered man with a lugubrious expression on his long face, whom Lawrence introduced with unusual deference as "Dr. Nicholas Baker." The other potters seemed to slump as one into dejection, all but abandoning their work in favor of long, lugubrious visits to the wine shop, where they commiserated with one another. He walked out; and the others followed him with lugubrious mien. He had the lugubrious face of one who simply refuses to be consoled. The lugubrious nickname conjured mildewed arcana, a forgotten department two miles from the Burbank studio where paper went to die. In The Rings of Saturn, he leaps from Suffolk to slavery in the Belgian Congo, while touching on the lugubrious history of herring fishing and the dismal lives of silkworms. And there we were, my 13-year-old and I, looking at each other as the lugubrious issue of Old World religion shambled forth. The lugubrious Ukrainian, for instance, has come from Kiev with his own bottle of vodka in case the local Tusker beer isn't sufficiently potent.

banter

Good friends usually banter back and forth easily, like they're trying to keep a step ahead of each other in witty responses. This type of banter is their special language of friendship. Banter is both a noun and a verb about talking. It comes from unknown origins, but even as a word, it seems to be playful and teasing. You can engage in banter with friends, siblings, parents, and even good-natured strangers. Banter usually ends with everyone feeling better for the talk and verbal play. Joking, joshing, and teasing are all related to banter. Definitions of banter 1.(noun): light teasing repartee synonyms : backchat, give-and-take, raillery 2.(verb): be silly or tease one another synonyms : chaff, jolly, josh, kid Examples: As I trail off, I hear them making one another laugh—not the words exactly, but the cadence, the rising and falling pitches of banter. "Hey, Martin," Fischer bantered through his oxygen mask, trying to affect a jocular tone. When we tired of this, we'd turn on the CB and listen to the lonely banter of truckers stretched out across the interstate. I back away, surprised at the sudden rush I got from that quick minute of banter. It is all very well, in these changing times, to adapt one's work to take in duties not traditionally within one's realm; but bantering is of another dimension altogether. It was thus that the other potters, their apprentices, and some of the villagers spoke of Min—usually in jest, but sometimes with derision just below the thin layer of banter in their voices. I snuck a look at Deoch as he bantered with someone at the door. I have of course already devoted much time to developing my bantering skills, but it is possible I have never previously approached the task with the commitment I might have done.

gruesome

Gothic novels, horror movies, and crime dramas don't shy away from showing gruesome scenes of death, pictures that inspire fright and repulsion. Synonyms include "ghastly," "grisly," "loathsome," and "macabre." Once upon a time, English contained a variety of words related to gruesome. The verb grue meant "to shudder," just as its Middle Dutch source gruwen did. Grueful and grueing also conveyed the sense of shivering with horror and disgust. All of these variations have been lost leaving us only with gruesome. Texting while driving has caused many gruesome accidents that you might not want to hear the gruesome details of. Although if you like gruesome movies, you might want to know. Definitions of gruesome 1.(adjective): shockingly repellent; inspiring horror synonyms: ghastly, grim, grisly, macabre, sick alarming frightening because of an awareness of danger Examples: There was a gruesome and excruciating silence that threatened to endure forever. The thought of a child being shot through the chest with a neighbor's gun is gruesome, dramatic, horrifying—in a word, outrageous. On either side of the statue loomed two dark doorways, ten feet high, with a gruesome stone face carved over each archway. When slaves rebelled, they often took gruesome revenge on their masters, only to face even more horrific reprisals when the owners and overseers regained control. "Wolves and gruesome ends, and signed with an A\ Does this mean it was Lord Fredrick who requested those disturbing tableaux and without your knowledge?" In our village my friends and I used to shout a gruesome goodbye. I knew that, just as I knew Madoc could do gruesome things to people he cared about. Jordie's body was beside him, barely recognizable, white and swollen with rot, floating on the surface like some kind of gruesome deep sea fish.

graft

Graft can mean bribery or corruption. It's also a way of transplanting skin or bones in medicine, as in a skin graft. People who get terrible burns on their faces often have pieces of skin taken from other parts of their bodies to help them heal and look better. That transplanted skin is called a graft. There are also grafts in agriculture, when farmers take a branch from one tree and graft it onto another tree. The most common use of graft is in political corruption cases when politicians are accused of taking money in exchange for granting favors. Definitions of graft 1.(noun): (surgery) tissue or organ transplanted from a donor to a recipient; in some cases the patient can be both donor and recipient synonyms: transplant 2.(noun): the act of grafting something onto something else synonyms: grafting 3.(verb): cause to grow together parts from different plants "graft the cherry tree branch onto the plum tree" synonyms: engraft, ingraft 4.(verb): place the organ of a donor into the body of a recipient synonyms: transplant 5.(noun): the practice of offering something (usually money) in order to gain an illicit advantage synonyms: bribery Examples: "I bet that sonofabitch rakes off a million bucks in graft a year. Boy, if I was in his shoes for just one day I'd never have to worry again." Eventually my parents surrendered to Luther's logic, yet, in his way, Luther rebelled against it, pruning the customary Mistuh down to Mist' for Daddy, grafting Miz and Lizbeth into a single word. The invention of grafting was hardly just a matter of some nomad relieving herself at a latrine and returning later to be pleasantly surprised by the resulting crop of fine fruit. She spent weeks in a hospital enduring painful skin grafts that left her terribly scarred. They put bits of themselves into his characters, grafting their faces onto the figures in his rhymes. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk. She says he has become the very embodiment of the fresh start she was seeking for herself, and onto him she has grafted all her middle-class hopes. What is it about those plants that kept their domestication beyond the reach of ancient farmers capable of mastering such difficult techniques as grafting?

grisly

Grisly means disgusting and bloody, absolutely repulsive and horrible. There's a wonderfully creepy movie about a man who suffers a grisly death at the hands of the grizzly bears he was studying. Do you like grisly horror movies? You might think that the reason the word grisly is so creepy, gruesome, and terrifying is somehow related to gristle, those really nasty tough parts you find in meat. But no, this is not the case. Old English grislic, the root of the word, means "horrible, dreadful." If something is gory and gross, it's grisly. Definitions of grisly 1.(adjective): shockingly repellent; inspiring horror synonyms: ghastly, grim, gruesome, macabre, sick Examples: Even so, it's strange how one side of the road is so different from the other—high society on the left, grim and grisly on the right. Then it all came back, the witnessing of the grisly murder. Not surprisingly, most of these grisly killings occurred during the height of the boom, when money and madness overran much of the town. No judge wants to deal with attack ads that highlight the grisly details of a murder case in which the judge failed to impose the most severe punishment. On its back was the flayed man of the Dreadfort done in stiff red leather, grim and grisly. A sarcophagus, engraved with Ancient Greek scenes of cities in flames and heroes dying grisly deaths. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight. He found his comfortable, well-nourished life impossible to reconcile with the grisly images from Camp 14 that played inside his head.

retract

Have you ever said something you wish you could retract, or take back? You're not alone. Even newspapers and magazines have sections where the editors can retract something written that was incorrect. The sense of the word retract meaning to draw back or withdraw comes from the mid-16th century, and its meaning was clear when Napoleon Bonaparte said, "In politics...never retreat, never retract...never admit a mistake." Still, sometimes you wish you could retract something you said or did. Cats can retract their claws, and some snakes can retract their fangs, but words spoken in anger can never be fully retracted, or taken back. Definitions of retract 1.(verb): formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure "He retracted his earlier statements about his religion" synonyms: abjure, forswear, recant, resile 2.(verb): pull inward or towards a center "The cat retracted his claws" synonyms: draw in attract, draw, draw in, pull, pull indirect toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes 3.(verb): pull away from a source of disgust or fear synonyms: shrink back 4.(verb): use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ) synonyms: draw back, pull back Examples: Once the brim was pinched between his thumb and forefinger, the arm retracted like fishing line on a reel. I feel her rib cage expand and retract. But then finally the window of the spaceship slowly retracted to reveal, instead of a Martian inside, Milton. I have no wish, let me make clear, to retract any of my ideas on 'dignity' and its crucial link with 'greatness'. "Just hold the compliments, buddy—you may live to retract them. I'm still going to tell you what I don't like about the way you're going at this business. Qualified or not." We heard an electric hum behind us as the jet's staircase retracted and the hatch closed. I half expected Hilda to turn on me and say, "You sound sick," but she only extended and then retracted her swanny neck. The ramp retracted and we launched out of the bay.

remiss

If it's your turn to bring in the coffee and donuts for your early morning meeting, and you forget, then your co-workers can say that you were remiss in fulfilling your responsibility to keep them awake with sugar and caffeine. Don't expect to get much done at your meeting. The adjective remiss is often used in the phrase "remiss in one's duty." The principal was remiss in her duty to tell parents about the incident at school. After the parents heard about it from their kids, the principal received several angry phone calls wondering why the school had been locked down for loose farm animals. Definitions of remiss 1.(adjective): failing in what duty requires "remiss of you not to pay your bills" synonyms: delinquent, derelict, neglectful Examples: I'd be remiss not to add that she was also the type of mom who thought I looked beautiful no matter what, and regularly told me so. I regret to say this, Miss Kenton, but I believe you have been a little remiss in these respects.' The chaplain shook his head, feeling despicably remiss because he did not know how to delegate responsibility and had no initiative, and because he really had been tempted to disagree with the colonel. "I would be remiss in my duty, I fear, if I did not look after your spiritual welfare." As a leader of a mass organization, one must listen to the people, and I agreed that we had been remiss in keeping the entire organization informed about the course of the negotiations. "I would be remiss to do so twice. Pray, what are your names, children? Your full names, please." "I feel like I would be remiss in my parenting if I didn't bring it up," she said. I would be remiss to present this is as sheer hilarity.

indict

If you accuse someone of committing an offense, you indict them. A book that indicts the entire education system might lay out all the reasons that schools are failing kids. In a legal sense, the verb indict means to bring formal charges against someone, especially in a court of law, as in a federal grand jury. The grand jury indicted, the man on 12 counts of murder. Although it's true the boy had stolen cookies from the cookie jar in the past, that is no reason to indict him out of hand in the present case. There were no witnesses and the crumb evidence would suggest someone else committed the crime. Definitions of indict 1.(verb): accuse formally of a crime Examples: Despite what some saw as the transparent falsity of the charges, Osborne was indicted by a Westchester grand jury. For the thirty-eight riot deaths, twenty-one people were indicted, seventeen black, four white. When, on November 24, 2014, it was announced that the St. Louis County Grand Jury had decided not to indict Wilson for the fatal shooting, Ferguson became the source of mass protests. "Where is that bus driver? He must be indicted immediately."

retiring

If you are a retiring person, you avoid being at the center of attention. You can often be found in the library and other quiet places, and if someone compliments you, you're likely to blush and change the subject. If you call someone retiring, it isn't necessarily clear whether you mean it as a compliment or something closer to a put-down. Usually, the word is used to describe someone who is shy or modest to a fault. But it can also be used to suggest that someone isn't arrogant, which is usually a good thing. And, of course, retiring can also refer to someone who stepped down from their last job and doesn't intend to work anymore. Definitions of retiring: (bishtar manzor def 3) 1.(adjective): of a person who has held and relinquished a position or office "a retiring member of the board" synonyms: past, preceding outgoing leaving a place or a position 2.(adjective): not arrogant or presuming "a shy retiring girl" synonyms: unassuming modest marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself 3.(adjective): reluctant to draw attention to yourself synonyms: reticent, self-effacing unassertive inclined to timidity or lack of self-confidence Examples: The red shift gives the speed at which galaxies are retiring, but doesn't tell us how far away they are to begin with. "Something went wrong today; something about retiring them. It wouldn't have been possible for me to go on without getting an animal." Having got there, he collected two successive loads of stone and dragged them down to the windmill before retiring for the night. "I may see you only if I fulfill my dream of retiring in Honduras. You'll see me when I'm old," she says. "Friday is an excellent day for retiring," said the mouse. And somebody else, an aunt, is retiring from her job in that candy store. After retiring from Star City, Valentina held various government offices, such as people's deputy and deputy to the Supreme Soviet, and she served on committees. She sensed his glee at having proved her right, and became a little more retiring.

gregarious

If you know someone who's outgoing, sociable, and fond of the company of others, you might want to call her gregarious. The word was originally used to describe animals that live in flocks — it's from the Latin word grex, meaning "herd." Not surprisingly, people began using it to describe humans who liked being in groups. Today biologists still speak of gregarious species, but you're more likely to hear it in reference to people. Despite what you might suspect, it has no historical connection to the name Gregory — but if you know an outgoing fellow with that name, you could call him Greg-arious. Definitions of gregarious 1.(adjective): instinctively or temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others "he is a gregarious person who avoids solitude" Synonyms : social living together or enjoying life in communities or organized groups 2.(adjective): (of animals) tending to form a group with others of the same species "gregarious bird species" Synonyms : social living together or enjoying life in communities or organized groups social tending to move or live together in groups or colonies of the same kind 3.(adjective): (of plants) growing in groups that are close together Synonyms : clustered growing close together but not in dense mats Examples: The gregarious and outgoing nature she displays at home is hidden in this setting. He was, for example, gregarious and intensely social. There were times when he visited taverns near campus and allowed himself to act gregarious and animated in the manner of younger students. She is much more gregarious than Chris was and can't imagine going off into the wilderness—or virtually anywhere else—alone. He was gregarious, full of energy, and made jokes about his predicament. I discovered a lively and gregarious group of people who did not seem to pay attention to color at all. Daddy's favorite was Walter, the most fun-loving and gregarious of his brothers. "Usually, I'm not terribly gregarious," she said, and looked over at me to see if I knew the meaning of the word.

pine

If you pine for someone, you desperately want to see them, be with them, or perhaps smother them with kisses. If you're texting your ex-boyfriend over 50 times a day, there's a pretty good chance that you still pine for him. In Old English, pine meant "to torture or cause to experience pain," which seems quite fitting if you've known what it's like to pine for something or someone. The verb pine should not be confused with the noun pine, as in the evergreen tree. If you are from the Northeast and find yourself living in the Caribbean, you may pine for the sight of a pine tree, but the lovely weather should ease the pain. Definitions of pine 1.(noun): a coniferous tree synonyms: pine tree, true pine 2.(noun): straight-grained durable and often resinous white to yellowish timber of any of numerous trees of the genus Pinus 3.(verb) have a desire for something or someone who is not present synonyms: ache, languish, yearn, yen Examples: And an indication that I was pining for the high times we had had in the big city. The poor creatures perched on the bottom barely moving, obviously pining away for flight. Claudia had a longtime crush on a guy named Connor, pining for him through most of high school and at the start of college. It's a Friday night, and were not at the Waffle House, and we're not playing Assassin's Creed in Nick's basement, and we're not pining for Blue.

briefing

If you plan on going to the briefing at the White House, you'd better bring your audio recorder. These informational sessions can get very detailed, and you'll need to review the audio record. When a lawyer appears before a court, they bring with them a "brief," a detailed explanation of their case that's anything but brief. This brief is a sort of briefing for the judge on the details of the case. Whenever you give someone a detailed explanation or set of instructions about something, it's a briefing. Briefing is the noun form of the word brief. The White House press corps meets in the "briefing room" to get briefed on the news of the president's day. Definitions of briefing 1.(noun): detailed instructions, as for a military operation Examples: He fielded phone calls, sat for daily briefings, and was consulting with a skeleton staff of advisers, aides, and speechwriters who were all staying at a hotel close by. The press briefing room in the West Wing is ruled too impersonal, so they've called the press pool to the Diplomatic Reception Room on the ground floor. Then, when there was no immediate response: "I suppose Bessie's been briefing you by the hour." They arrived at Colonel Cathcart's group too late to attend the preliminary briefing and hear Major Danby insist, "But it is there, I tell you. It's there, it's there." Molly objected to the assignment, not least because preparation for the conference would involve weeks of intensive briefings in Washington. The officers of the other five planes in each flight arrived in trucks for the general briefing that took place thirty minutes later. Watched over by armed soldiers during the week, they left the briefing room only for meals and sleep. "Yes, sir, all pilots and officers will meet in the briefing room at 1230 hours."

piddling

If your part time job pays badly, you might describe your income as piddling, or insignificant. Why does English have so many words for suggesting that something is contemptibly small? The adjective piddling is a favorite choice when sums of money are concerned; a more dignified, but no less contemptuous word, is paltry. Piddling comes from piddle, which has changed in meaning over the years — in the early 1600's it meant "pick at one's food," while by the late 1700's it meant "to urinate." Definitions of piddling 1.(adjective): (informal) small and of little importance synonyms: fiddling, footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, petty, picayune, piffling, trivial. Examples: Nothing else to do with their lives, piddling away their lives. Doing a load of laundry is, of course, not piddling. Amazon offers a piddling 5 percent discount for a season pass, while iTunes will knock off as much as a quarter of the price. It is hard to explain to begin with, because piddling is neither one thing or another, but something in between. But he said he fully intended to spend at least some of his retirement piddling. In the real world this is a piddling little magazine that nobody cares about. Dr. David Sloan, a venerated college professor who worked across the hall from me, seemed one of the least piddling men I ever knew. Such work is necessary, and the more necessary a labor is, the farther from piddling it becomes.

inchoate

Inchoate means just beginning to form. You can have an inchoate idea, like the earliest flickers of images for your masterpiece, or an inchoate feeling, like your inchoate sense of annoyance toward your sister's new talking parrot. Inchoate comes from a Latin word for beginning. When something is inchoate, although you don't yet understand what it is fully, you have a strong sense that it is indeed coming. It's stronger than the wisp of an idea that never turns into anything. But it's hard to really find the language to describe an inchoate idea. That's the whole point: you don't have the words for it yet! Definitions of inchoate 1.(adjective): only partly in existence; imperfectly formed "a vague inchoate idea" synonyms : incipient early being or occurring at an early stage of development Examples: Feelings of contempt born of inchoate, unacknowledged fear—civilization's fear of nature, men's fear of women, power's fear of powerlessness. He mumbles a few inchoate phrases to someone who is not there. To Lawrence, however, the assignment seemed both inchoate and potentially overwhelming. All over the inchoate solar system, the same was happening. It competed against the inchoate mob howl and the rhythmic cries of the Fundie claques that formed mob-islands within the mob. This inchoate show is a baby step taken by one of the boys. We segue from Winston's first writing down his inchoately rebellious thoughts to a group of latter-day readers debating his diary's origins and meanings. Looking back, I realize: That was the first time I understood — in a way that was at once inchoate and perfectly clear — that there were things from which the grown-ups couldn't protect me.

vindictive

It is no fun hanging out with vindictive people, who are forever out to get back at people they think have hurt them. If you forget to say hello to them one day in the hall, they will carry a grudge against you into next week. Vindictive is often paired with mean, as in "the atmosphere of the cheerleading squad at my new school was vindictive and mean and I wanted nothing to do with it." Vindictive rumors show a spirit full of revenge. Vindictive is from Latin vindicta "revenge." The related Latin verb vindicare has the very different meaning "to defend or clear someone from guilt," and this is the source of the English verb vindicate. Definitions of vindictive 1.(adjective): disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge ""more vindictive than jealous love"- Shakespeare" ""punishments...essentially vindictive in their nature"- M.R.Cohen" synonyms: revengeful, vengeful unforgiving unwilling or unable to forgive or show mercy 2.(adjective): showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite "a vindictive man will look for occasions for resentment" synonyms: despiteful, spiteful Examples: It's a sullen, vindictive cold outside, colder than it's been in months, and my breath vaporizes as we hurry along the canal. He was a vicious male gossip, insatiably curious and vindictive without malice. Her story is the only one in which the good goddess, Ceres, appears cruel and vindictive. Always there is the sense of a tide behind them, rising, gathering mass, carrying with it a slow and vindictive rage. Snape was in a particularly vindictive mood these days, and no one was in any doubt why. But she could still hear Vandara's voice, shrill with vindictive accusation: "She eats a lot." If Anna is collecting evidence that I am vindictive and obsessive, this could be a key piece in her dossier. But there was a good deal of comment at the time—nine people out of ten thought Seton was innocent and that the judge's summing up had been vindictive.

dog(verb)

It's also a verb: to dog (or to hound) someone is to follow them around relentlessly. Examples: Rumors dogged him throughout his public life. Their star pitcher has been dogged by injuries. The project has been dogged by controversy. Reporters dogged her for information.

insolvent

Piggy bank empty? Nothing but lint in your pockets? Then you're probably unable to meet any financial obligations. In other words, you are insolvent. Being insolvent isn't just about being poor. A person or business that's insolvent has no resources, no assets and no way to pay any of the bills. This adjective insolvent is a synonym for bankrupt, and surely the last thing anyone wants to be. The only way to solve the problem of insolvency? Start saving your pennies again from scratch. Definitions of insolvent 1.(adjective): unable to meet or discharge financial obligations "an insolvent person" "an insolvent estate" Synonyms: bankrupt, belly-up financially ruined 2.(noun): someone who has insufficient assets to cover their debts synonyms: bankrupt Examples: On Friday evening, October 14, 1983, at 6: 13 P.M., the First National Bank was declared insolvent by the Comptroller of the Currency. The Board of Saab Automobile subsequently decided that the company without further funding will be insolvent and that filing bankruptcy is in the best interests of its creditors." According to Oliver, Congress isn't even close to agreeing on how to fund the soon to be insolvent Highway Trust Fund. But if lawmakers don't settle upon a more permanent solution, the US Department of Transportation says the fund will become insolvent before year's end. "These notes were sold and issued while Trickling Springs was insolvent," Dubbs said, according to a hearing transcript. However, with barely more than a dozen residents, the city was insolvent and offered no visible services to a small business community paying its taxes, The Associated Press reported. Read it on a beach for the refreshment of a classic boy-meets-girl plot, or turn the pages more slowly to soak in some truly salty koans and morally insolvent characters. His father is an independent consultant in Salt Lake City, where he specializing in the takeover and administration of insolvent insurance companies.

profuse

Profuse is a word for a lot of something or even way too much — a profuse rainfall is a serious amount of rain. This word has to do with extravagance or abundance. If you're bleeding profusely, you're bleeding a lot. If you lavish profuse gifts on your pet, you might have too much money on your hands. When you give someone profuse praise, you're probably laying it on a little thick. If you're a farmer and your crops are profuse, that's great because you have a lot of crops. Anything profuse is happening in great amounts. Definitions of profuse 1.(adjective): produced or growing in extreme abundance synonyms : exuberant, lush, luxuriant, riotous abundant :present in great quantity Examples: Thick around a tall trellis, a vine that had been simply green when he arrived the day before was now profuse with opened blue and white morning glories. He cut short my profuse apologies with a magnanimous wave of his hand, and went back over to his and Mme. Ainu men have a luxuriant beard and the most profuse body hair of any people. Cultures with diets that contain considerable fat, like the Inuit and the Maasai, experienced obesity, hypertension and coronary disease only when they began to eat profuse amounts of sugar. He emailed a profuse apology, the day before she actually arrived, and offered to take her out for a drink. Tom Arnold opens our phone conversation with a sincere and profuse apology for his tardiness. After piecing, the other marvel of quilting is the act itself, that is, the stitching by which the front and back are made one: usually in profuse and intricate patterns. We live in a world profuse with blooms, from peonies to petunias, azaleas to Zygopetalum, but at a conservative estimate 62.5% of all songs written about flowers are about roses, usually red roses.

relentless

Relentless is a good word for describing something that's harsh, unforgiving, and persistent, like the hot sun in the desert, or a cold that keeps you in bed for days with a nose like a strawberry. When you're relentless about something, you mean business. You're not stopping until you get what you want, and you're not taking "no" for an answer. People might try to steer you from your goal, but you have eyes only for the prize and they're just going to have to get out of your way. If you're a relentless student, for instance, you might stay up all night studying your vocabulary, just in case there might be a quiz in the morning. Definitions of relentless 1.(adjective): never-ceasing "the relentless beat of the drums" synonyms: persistent, unrelenting continual occurring without interruption; chiefly restricted to what recurs regularly or frequently in a prolonged and closely spaced series 2.(adjective): not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty "relentless persecution" synonyms: grim, inexorable, stern, unappeasable, unforgiving, unrelenting implacable incapable of being placated Examples: They are particularly relentless when you stop to rest or take a drink—so relentless that eventually you don't stop to rest and you drink while moving, and then spit out a tongueful of them. Zeitoun was relentless in his efforts to pay the workers well and promptly. There was relentless pressure to meet production quotas. Like me, she was relentless on the strip, but she was always able to leave fencing behind once she took off her mask and carry on with life in a loving way. "I have sat in the burning heat of day under a relentless sun, and under the stone gazes of a disinterested humanity." On top of the wall the mouse archers kept up their relentless hail of arrows into the ditch. All eyes were on her, and the brotherly banter was relentless. But I was surprised by how relentless he was.

forlorn

Sniff, sniff, boo-hoo... use the adjective forlorn to express loneliness and feeling left out. When someone is forlorn it means that they not only feel miserable but simultaneously desolate because they also believe they are alone. Forlorn is a very old word in English, and in fact it comes from the Old English word forlesen and means "to lose completely." Synonyms for forlorn all have fairly sad meanings: disconsolate, pessimistic, despairing, despondent, abandoned, depressed, desperate. Definitions of forlorn 1.(adjective): marked by or showing hopelessness "the last forlorn attempt" "a forlorn cause" Synonyms: hopeless without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success Examples: Finn looked like he wanted to act stubborn, but he'd gotten stuck on forlorn. My forlorn thought flows variable as her song, wondering: shall I stay beside my son and guard my own things here, my maids, my hall, to honor my lord's bed and the common talk? Instead they rounded a turn and stopped at a forlorn, ramshackle cottage, gray like chewed-up meat. But when she sat alone her face looked cheerless and forlorn, full of tears waiting patiently to fall. It was more like dusk than daylight, and wraiths and streamers of the fog rose dismally from puddles in the road, or clung like forlorn lovers to the anbaric cables overhead. For most of the days, Mariam stayed in bed, feeling adrift and forlorn. I said, curious; I had always pictured Henry teaching Greek, in some forlorn but excellent college out in the Midwest. The tune, somehow, is immediately wrenching, its measures plead in near arpeggios, and like any good folk song it makes the voice of its singer sound lost, or forlorn, incomplete.

solitude

Solitude is the state of being alone. You might crave solitude after spending the holidays with your big, loud family — you want nothing more than to get away from everyone for a little while. Solitude can also refer to a place where you're completely alone. The middle of the woods, the top of a big mountain, the middle of a vast desert, even your room — these are places where you might go for solitude. Solitude comes from the Latin word solitudinem, which means "loneliness," but if you have moments of solitude that doesn't necessarily mean you're lonely. The word solitude carries the sense that you're enjoying being alone by choice. Definitions of solitude 1.(noun): a state of social isolation synonyms: purdah 2.(noun): the state or situation of being alone 3.(noun): a solitary place Examples: Or was it some member of the company—Mr. Heminges, perhaps, seeking a moment of solitude in which to balance his accounts? On the afternoon which followed the evening of its release John's rustic solitude was suddenly broken by the arrival overhead of a great swarm of helicopters. The anguish of solitude rises up in me. What unknown covenants led her ultimately to this beach and this hour and this solitude? Then there were all the problems and particular dangers of solitude. He could almost see her, waiting in one of the dark airless rooms in the little grim house's impregnable solitude. "When you've had a mother who does a great impersonation of a helicopter, any kind of solitude sounds like heaven." He clings to his masculinity, his solitude and his feigned indifference so he can maintain his role, so he'll never, ever have to show his feelings.

taciturn

Someone who is taciturn is reserved, not loud and talkative. The word itself refers to the trait of reticence, of seeming aloof and uncommunicative. A taciturn person might be snobby, naturally quiet, or just shy. Having its origin in the Latin tacitus, "silent," taciturn came to be used in mid-18th-century English in the sense "habitually silent." Taciturnity is often considered a negative trait, as it suggests someone uncommunicative and too quiet. Jane Austen wrote, "We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the éclat of a proverb." Definitions of taciturn 1.(adjective): habitually reserved and uncommunicative Synonyms : incommunicative, uncommunicative not inclined to talk or give information or express opinions concise expressing much in few words buttoned-up(British colloquial) not inclined to conversation reticent, untalkative temperamentally disinclined to talk Examples: He was short and stocky, with a black suit on and a hat that was also black, enormous, pulled down to his taciturn eyes. He was thin, taciturn but amiable, and his dæmon was a ferret. But after dinner Estraven grew taciturn, and cut my talk off short. The engineer is a taciturn, pungent man named Walter Bernd whose pupils are misaligned. His wife was as talkative as he was taciturn. Only old Benjamin was much the same as ever, except for being a little greyer about the muzzle, and, since Boxer's death, more morose and taciturn than ever. Othell Yarwyck was as stolid and unimaginative as he was taciturn, and the First Rangers seemed to die as quick as they were named. She's taciturn, but so am I. Is she waiting for me to start something, reveal myself, or is she a believer, engrossed in inner meditation?

innumerable

Something innumerable can't be counted — there are just too many, like the stars in the sky. Innumerable things are infinite. Things that are countless, multitudinous, myriad, numberless, uncounted, or unnumerable are also called innumerable: you couldn't count them if you tried. There are a lot of countries in the world, but they aren't innumerable. On the other hand, the number of drops in the ocean is definitely innumerable. And if you wanted to be really nice, you'd say "Her charms are innumerable!" Even though you could probably count all of her good qualities. Definitions of innumerable 1.(adjective): too numerous to be counted "innumerable difficulties" synonyms: countless, infinite, innumerous, multitudinous, myriad, numberless, uncounted, unnumberable, unnumbered, unnumerable incalculable not capable of being computed or enumerated Examples: There was a practical black bag with innumerable zippered pockets and compartments just perfect for Patria's goodwill supplies. The flowers were unnecessary, for at two o'clock a greenhouse arrived from Gatsby's, with innumerable receptacles to contain it. Meltwater sluiced furiously down innumerable surface and subterranean channels, creating a ghostly harmonic rumble that resonated through the body of the glacier. A dreadful sentence was about to be pronounced, something guaranteeing physical injury to her person as penance for innumerable offenses. I won't describe what the accumulation of human and animal skeletons, mixed in with innumerable fish and turtle remains, looked like. Many early kings were considered divine and were accorded special treatment in innumerable respects. Mig spent them scrubbing the kettle and tending the sheep and cleaning the hut and collecting innumerable, uncountable, extremely painful clouts to the ear. "Light, light," said an immense voice in vast syllables once or innumerable times.

protracted

Something protracted has been drawn out, usually in a tedious way. Protracted things are long and seem like they're never going to end. Anything protracted is lasting longer than you would like. A speech that seems to go on forever is protracted. If an employer and a union can't reach an agreement, there could be a protracted strike. Before a movie, the previews are almost always protracted — they never seem to stop. If something is long and annoying, and there's no good reason it couldn't be shorter, it's protracted. Definitions of protracted 1.(adjective): relatively long in duration; tediously protracted "protracted negotiations" synonyms: drawn-out, extended, lengthy, prolonged long primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified Example: During those years, she grew accustomed to sudden starts and protracted waits. "The first labor is usually protracted," the nurse said. The gray, despairing weariness of protracted maneuvers and combat did not touch him. It's only the first labor, which is almost always protracted. The signs he recognized from his own marriage were there — the bickering, the indifference, the protracted silences. Another pause, more protracted, and then — "Without Harry Potter?" breathed the second voice softly. In fact, Ernest was losing his taste for the protracted patent battle. The Tomahawks were in the middle of a protracted, two-pronged war against rival gangs, the Mongols from Sixteenth Avenue and the Dirty Dozen from Eleventh Avenue.

bleak

Something that is bleak is gloomy and depressing. If it's raining and dark, you might describe the night as bleak. If you have looked for work and no one will hire you, you could describe your prospects as bleak. If you and the ten people sharing your lifeboat have been adrift for ten days and are down to your last cracker, your situation is bleak. A near synonym is dismal. Bleak is from Middle English bleik, from Old Norse bleikr "white, pale." This word is related to the English word bleach. Definitions of bleak 1.(adjective): unpleasantly cold and damp "bleak winds of the North Atlantic" synonyms: cutting, raw cold having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration 2.(adjective): providing no shelter or sustenance "the bleak treeless regions of the high Andes" synonyms: bare, barren, desolate, stark inhospitable unfavorable to life or growth 3.(adjective): offering little or no hope "prospects were bleak" ""Life in the Aran Islands has always been bleak and difficult"- J.M.Synge" synonyms: black, dim Examples: The squirrels would be collecting them all very soon, Miss Honey said, and storing them away carefully for the bleak months ahead. It was a bleak, harsh view, the sea and the rock unrelieved by any tree or sweep of grass or sand. The Apaches were at war but had no warriors, so perhaps she thought the ending too bleak to say aloud. Due south the red waste stretched on and on, he reported, until it ended an a bleak shore beside the poison water.

candid

Straightforward and truthful talk might be described with the adjective candid. If you're always candid, your parents will know that they can trust you. A serious-minded politician might suggest engaging in a "candid discussion" about a complicated topic like health care or the environment, because candid means "open" or "frank." Remember that TV show Candid Camera? It was called that because its hidden cameras supposedly showed a candid view of reality. In photography, candid has become a noun meaning "an unposed photo." The word comes from Latin candidus, meaning "white," which was later extended to mean "pure." Candid talk provides the pure, unvarnished truth. Definitions of candid 1.(adjective) openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness "his candid eyes" synonyms :heart-to-heart, open artless, ingenuous characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious 2.(adjective): characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion "I gave them my candid opinion" synonyms: blunt, forthright, frank, free-spoken, outspoken, plainspoken, point-blank, straight-from-the-shoulder direct straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action 3.(adjective): informal or natural; especially caught off guard or unprepared "a candid photograph" "a candid interview" Synonyms: uncontrived, unstudied not by design or artifice; unforced and impromptu Examples: He decided that he himself, at any rate, would be perfectly candid and plain. One of them then gave me a candid look. I talked to the reporter, whose name was Mr. Newman, for about twenty minutes, and was candid about both prison and the Rivonia Trial. Annies aunt Catherine Darwin said of her that she was "always so candid and kind-hearted." She was candid with me about how she'd misjudged the country's readiness to have a proactive professional woman in the role of First Lady. The song was obviously of his own devising, a rather candid revelation about the personal habits of a local nobleman. It must have been a candid, because there was a happy, sun-bright confidence to him that couldn't be posed. It may not be easy for the civil rights community to have a candid conversation about any of this.

erratic

The adjective erratic describes things that are unpredictable, unusual, and that deviate from the norm. An erratic quarterback might completely confuse his receivers waiting for a pass. Like its linguistic relative, error, the adjective erratic means "deviating from the norm," or "wrong." It also implies behavior or qualities that are unpredictable or odd. The word comes from the Latin verb errare, or "to wander" off course. In the field of geology, a rock that is erratic is unlike others in its environment because it has been transported by glacial activity. Likewise, someone driving a car that veers out of its lane is said to be driving erratically. Definitions of erratic 1.(adjective): liable to sudden unpredictable change "erratic behavior" synonyms: fickle, mercurial, quicksilver changeable, changeful such that alteration is possible; having a marked tendency to change 2.(adjective): likely to perform unpredictably "erratic winds are the bane of a sailor" synonyms: temperamental, wayward undependable, unreliable not worthy of reliance or trust 3.(adjective): having no fixed course "an erratic comet" synonyms: planetary, wandering unsettled not settled or established Examples: With a forefinger he attempted to check the erratic movement of his bad eye, but to no avail; it continued. The blueprints covered the floor like a carpet and Donovan crawled over the face of them following Powell's erratic pencil. Her arm was an erratic welt of angry red with a smattering of white blisters. Worsening Kate's mood, if that was possible, was a distant, irritating beeping sound, the erratic honking of a faraway horn. I don't know what to say or do around the erratic part of him, and it is here, bubbling just beneath the surface of what he does, just like the cruel part of me. Then he started hallucinating and exhibiting increasingly bizarre and erratic behavior. To which the Talking Robot's only response was an erratic splutter and an occasional incoherent sound. The Greek never got on to the erratic movements of the knights and the sweeping mobility of the queens, but he learned to make a few set, opening moves.

macabre

The adjective macabre is used to describe things that involve the horror of death or violence. If a story involves lots of blood and gore, you can call it macabre. This word first appeared in English in the context of the "Dance of Death," recounted in literature as the figure of Death leading people in a dance to the grave, and translated from the Old French Danse Macabre. The Macabre part of the phrase is thought to be an alteration of Macabe, "a Maccabee," an allusion to the Maccabees, who were a Jewish people who led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire about 166 B.C.E. and were martyred in the process. Definitions of macabre 1.(adjective): shockingly repellent; inspiring horror "macabre tales of war and plague in the Middle ages" "macabre tortures conceived by madmen" synonyms: ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, sick Examples: I'm tempted to say that Thursday evening was peculiar, or perhaps macabre, but the fact is, I have no bill-filling adjectives for Thursday evening. Bell, a vastly more virulent form of "genetic cleansing" would engulf that continent like a violent contagion, morphing the language of genes and inheritance into its most potent and macabre form. The skulls and bones of small creatures were hung up as macabre decorations. And then he lay there as the danse macabre of the demons of fear that lived in his body began in earnest. The room brightens, Miss Anderson lighting a gas lamp on the wall, a macabre grin on her face. There was a good deal of macabre testimony about decomposition and body fluids and the effects of chloroform. Systematically, in her kind, concerned voice she conjured up the macabre future in store for them. In truth, though, he was less certain after his macabre dream.

attire

The noun attire is just a formal way to say "outfit." And if you're going outside in the middle of a blizzard, your attire should include more than a bathing suit and flip-flops. Attire can also refer to the antlers of a deer, but that's a pretty obscure definition. So let's stick to the more common uses: put it into verb form and it means "to dress or clothe." Which makes sense, since it comes to us from the Old French atirier, meaning "to equip, ready or prepare." Charles Dickens wrote that "Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire" — meaning the clothes do not make the man. Definitions of attire 1.(noun): clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion "formal attire" synonyms: dress, garb 2.(verb): put on special clothes to appear particularly appealing and attractive synonyms: deck out, deck up, dress up, fancy up, fig out, fig up, get up, gussy up, overdress, prink, rig out, tog out, tog up, trick out, trick up Examples: So Hamlet and I were married in our rustic attire, with woodland flowers to deck us. Though of excellent quality, his garments had seen much wear, and his cloak was purposely draped to hide his threadbare attire. I just don't have any kind of right attire to go. Delicate in stature, she was as meticulous about her attire as she was about her studies. Along a different corridor I met a young white woman in tennis attire. She slept for an hour, until a servant announced the arrival of the tailor, to outfit her with proper court attire.

envision

The verb envision means to imagine or picture. Kids often envision themselves doing exciting things when they grow up, like being movie stars, professional athletes, or astronauts. The word envision comes from the Latin en-, which means "cause to be," and visionem, meaning "a thing seen." Career paths aren't the only things that can be envisioned. If you envision a cleaner world, you may volunteer to pick up trash on the beach. If you envision a more peaceful world, you might make your brother and sister play in separate rooms to stop them from screaming at each other. Definitions of envision 1.(verb): imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind synonyms: fancy, figure, image, picture, project, see, visualise, visualize realise, realize, see, understand perceive (an idea or situation) mentally visualise, visualizeform a mental picture of something that is invisible or abstract 2.(verb): picture to oneself; imagine possible "I cannot envision him as President" synonyms: foresee Examples: I envisioned her skin the same carob color as my father's, her eyes as black and her lips as full as his. Wells envisioned the Martians setting their sights on their nearest neighbor, Earth, "a morning star of hope." She envisions an angry goddess stalking the halls, sending curses through the galleries like poison clouds. He envisioned a room next to his office fitted with a large walk-in vault, with airtight seams and asbestos-coated iron walls. A survey was conducted in 1995 asking the following question: "Would you close your eyes for a second, envision a drug user, and describe that person to me?" She imagined herself alone and shriveled in her mother's womb, envisioned the first days in her mother's unyielding arms. Peck envisioned enclosing this gigantic theater within a still larger shell that would contain a hotel, banquet room, and offices. But as the months passed, Ashoke began to envision another sort of future.

sequester

The word sequester describes being kept away from others. If your sister tells you to stay out of the way so she can cook dinner for her new boyfriend, you might sequester yourself in your room. Legal types may be familiar with the word sequester since it's often used in relation to a jury for an important trial. In that case, members of the jury are sequestered, meaning they aren't allowed to watch the news or read articles that could influence their judgment. However, sequester can describe anyone who is isolated or hidden away from others, like a pop star sequestered in a hotel room, protected from fans' mania below. Definitions of sequester 1.(verb): keep away from others "He sequestered himself in his study to write a book" synonyms: seclude, sequestrate, withdraw adjourn, retire, withdraw break from a meeting or gathering 2.(verb): set apart from others "The dentist sequesters the tooth he is working on" synonyms: isolate, keep apart, sequestrate, set apart 3.(verb): take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority synonyms: attach, confiscate, impound, seize 4.(verb): requisition forcibly, as of enemy property "the estate was sequestered" Synonyms: attach, confiscate, impound, seizetake temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority 5.(verb): undergo sequestration by forming a stable compound with an ion "The cations were sequestered" Examples: The afternoon sunlight was luxuriant on her skin; she'd been sequestered in her car for the past three hours. The twins were in Virginia, sequestered at their grandmother's, incommunicado. The performers immediately sequester themselves in their train cars. He sequestered Father Nicanor in the parish house under pain of execution and prohibited him from saying mass or ringing the bells unless it was for a Liberal victory. Occasionally, Angie joined us, but most of the time she remained sequestered in her pink room, listening to the music we were forbidden in the rest of the house. They live sequestered in a forbidden city in the deep interior, in the nucleus of the cell. Instead of sequestering herself in her bedroom with her violin, she would walk the mile and a half to the house on Winslow right after school, where Mia would be hard at work. Eunice depended on a white patron to pay for her lessons, and she remained fairly sequestered in the quiet, cloistered world of Miss Mazzy's home, studying Bach and dreaming of a different path.

reporbate

There's no way around it, a reprobate is a bad egg. The black sheep of the family, missing a moral compass — a reprobate's been called everything from a deviant to an evildoer to a scoundrel. Selfish, depraved, disreputable, a reprobate is not known for his inner goodness. In fact, reprobates were once considered "rejected by God," the meaning of the noun in the 1500s. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, a reprobate was a popular literary character, sometimes amusing, as noted in Henry James' Daisy Miller, "What a clever little reprobate she was, and how smartly she played an injured innocence!" Definitions of reprobate 1.(noun): a person without moral scruples synonyms: miscreant 2.(adjective): deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper or good "the reprobate conduct of a gambling aristocrat" synonyms: depraved, perverse, perverted corrupt lacking in integrity 2.(verb): express strong disapproval of "These ideas were reprobated" synonyms: condemn, decry, excoriate, objurgate 3.(verb): abandon to eternal damnation "God reprobated the unrepenting sinner" 4.(verb): reject (documents) as invalid Examples: "Those old reprobates, they live in my building, you know..." Winifred the otter, and the beaver, in company with that reprobate Ambrose Spike, are testing the quality of the October nutbrown ale. "He was just an old reprobate who lived poor and died broke," Grandma said. Every member of Phippsburg's First Congregational—as well as lost reprobates from other denominations—had gathered to greet the new minister and his family. It read: And destroy all the spirits of the reprobate and the children of the Watchers, because they have wronged mankind. Cole was also the primary source for Stephen Davis's 1985 biography "Hammer of the Gods," a book that solidified the posthumous image of Led Zeppelin as heathen reprobates. In "Report from the Trenches," a stylish young matron recalls her reprobate youth. Brand is a kind of vertical hound himself: the rock star reprobate image is so well played, anything clever he says is applauded wildly for its novelty.

glum

To be glum is to be sad. Glum is a word for being depressed, bummed out, or down in the dumps. People who are glum are sometimes said to be sullen, brooding, morose, and moody. Glum folks don't smile, giggle, or laugh — and they're rarely seen holding balloons. Being glum is a little more outward-directed than just being sad. To be glum is to act sad in front of other people, almost like you want them to ask, "Why so glum?" Definitions of glum 1.(adjective): moody and melancholic Synonyms: dejected affected or marked by low spirits 2.(adjective): showing a brooding ill humor "a glum, hopeless shrug" synonyms: dark, dour, glowering, moody, morose, saturnine, sour, sullen Examples: The verdict of the census lay in glum columns and rows. We turned our faces glum to reaffirm the forced nature of this trip. He had on the glum monkey face again. "Time for the speeches," announced the king as the plates were again removed and everyone looked glum. "Don't be glum, Strange. You might win," said Calixte without conviction. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. The thought made him feel even more glum. After we get back upstairs, the glum ambulance men drop me in my bed like a sack of potatoes.

unconventional

To be unconventional is to act, dress, speak, or otherwise exist out of the bounds of cultural norms. If you eat cheeseburgers for breakfast, that's somewhat unconventional. Anything that's nonconformist or out of the ordinary can be described as unconventional. Every culture has its own conventions — or norms — and what may be unconventional in one region might be typical in another. The perception of what's unconventional is determined by context. Definitions of unconventional 1.(adjective): not conventional or conformist "unconventional life styles" Synonyms: alternative pertaining to unconventional choices bizarre, eccentric, flakey, flaky, freakish, freaky, gonzo, off-the-wall, outlandish, outre conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual devil-may-care, raffish, rakish marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness far-out, kinky, offbeat, quirky, way-out informal terms; strikingly unconventional funky stylish and modern in an unconventional way spaced-out, spacey, spacy stupefied by (or as if by) some narcotic drug 2.(adjective): not conforming to accepted rules or standards "her unconventional dress and hair style" Synonyms: bohemian unconventional in especially appearance and behavior go-as-you-please, transgressive not bound by rule or law or convention irregular, maverick, unorthodox independent in behavior or thought original being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of 2.(adjective): not conforming to legality, moral law, or social convention "an unconventional marriage" synonyms: improper, unlawful irregular contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice Examples: Not only would it be awkward because of Jo, but Dries also is judgmental about Theo's unconventional, artistic lifestyle, and he's staying away because he's about to be married. As part of their unconventional wedding ceremony, Blackwell renounced his legal privileges as husband, and Stone announced that she would keep her own name. His unconventional attire evolved over time; his disposition remained unchanged. However, in his time the brief tradition of tolerance for unconventional views began to erode and then to shatter. I had never been to Chicago, but I knew one or two boys who went to Chicago University, and it seemed the sort of place where unconventional, mixed-up people would come from. In all honesty, though, Gregory was a fine candidate, and the appointment seems to have been made largely on merit, not just because of Halley's unconventional religious views. This method, albeit unconventional, was not unusual for his time, but it also reflected Mendel's scientific naïveté. He rambles on, joking that perhaps Asher Wing of the Phoenix Riders—well-known for unconventional draft picks—has figured out something that the rest of us haven't.

decay

To decay means to rot, decompose, break down. Our bodies—anything organic—will decay after death. Broken sidewalks, potholes, graffiti are all signs of urban decay. Tooth decay is something to avoid. Decay can also mean decline. Anyone, even a great athlete, must exercise regularly to maintain muscle tone—as soon as you stop, the muscles begin to decay. If the strength of the cable signal coming into your house grows weaker over time, you can complain that it has decayed. Definitions of decay 1.(noun): the organic phenomenon of rotting synonyms: decomposition 2.(noun): an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying "the corpse was in an advanced state of decay" "the house had fallen into a serious state of decay and disrepair" 3.(noun): the process of gradually becoming inferior 4..(noun): a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current synonyms: decline 5.(noun): the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation synonyms: disintegration, radioactive decay 6.(verb): undergo decay or decomposition "The body started to decay and needed to be cremated" synonyms: degrade see more 7.(verb): fall into decay or ruin "The unoccupied house started to decay" synonyms: crumble, dilapidate 8.(verb): lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current synonyms: decompose, disintegrate Examples: The piles were decayed and the planks were green with slime, and there was nothing else; nothing beyond it; the path ended where the jetty began, and where the jetty ended, the mist began. But the sign was long gone, snapped off by a hurricane or an accumulation of decay. The harpy shook her wings wide, and the travelers nearly fainted from the hideous smells of corruption and decay that wafted from her. Her thin hair is pure white, her teeth are brown with decay. Part of the root system dies and begins to decay. A hatred of, and fascination with, any hint of disorder or decay. Oh, I'd serve them well and I'd make invisibility felt if not seen, and they'd learn that it could be as polluting as a decaying body, or a piece of bad meat in a stew. He finished, and his last notes decayed into silence.

demean

To demean someone is to insult them. To demean is to degrade or put down a person or thing. If you noticed the word mean in demean, that's a good clue to its meaning. To demean someone is very mean. You are demeaning your sister or brother if you run their underwear up a flagpole. A teacher could demean a student by saying "You're stupid!" To demean is to insult: no one wants to be demeaned. Insulting language is often called demeaning. We can also say a bad president demeaned his office. Definitions of demean 1.(verb): reduce in worth or character, usually verbally synonyms : degrade, disgrace, put down, take down Examples: Bijan seemed to feel sorry for me in a way that I found only a little demeaning, so I didn't mind his company. I would add preemployment personality tests to the list of demeaning intrusions, or at least much of their usual content. But what none of us realized was how demeaning and degrading this actually was. It was odd how men like Suggs used that word to demean women when it was the only part of a woman they valued. He cannot understand how the white man can show the most demeaning aspects of his nature and at the same time delude himself into thinking he is inherently superior. "I refuse to let those folks in that office demean me because I have the audacity to ask for help." "I felt that I was behind the progress curve. I was demeaned by my peers—'Giebel, you rich dog, what are you gonna do, eat it?' As a rule, we objected to having our pictures taken in prison on the grounds that it is generally demeaning to be seen as a prisoner.

dispense

To dispense means to give out or distribute something. A school nurse can dispense students' medication and we all can dispense advice. The word dispense comes from the Old French word dispenser, meaning "give out." You can dispense anything from hand sanitizer to dating advice. When dispense is paired with with it means "get rid of it" or "skip." If you dispense with traditional Thanksgiving dishes, you might instead celebrate with pizza, pancakes, tacos — anything but turkey and all the fixings. Definitions of dispense 1.(verb): administer or bestow, as in small portions "the machine dispenses soft drinks" synonyms : administer, allot, deal, deal out, dish out, distribute, dole, dole out, lot, mete out, parcel out, shell out 2.(verb): give or apply (medications) synonyms : administer 3.(verb): grant a dispensation; grant an exemption "I was dispensed from this terrible task" Examples: The very first facts they dispensed, I grasped with awe. He strained the pulp from the orange juice by hand when they used to do that sort of thing and then dispensed pre-fab OJ from a machine when the management switched to that. The next minute or two was spent in dispensing drinks. "Your friend dispenses good advice," the old beggar chimed in. In fact, he envisioned a prison system that would dispense with them altogether. To Madame Ratignolle he said the music dispensed at her soirees was too "heavy," too far beyond his untrained comprehension. Teachers confronted with evidence of a student's inadequate comprehension found it easiest to dispense a grade that moved a student toward meaningless graduation. The second charm of preformation was that it dispensed of the problem of de-encryption.

garner

To garner means to gather or earn. If you want to run for office without belonging to a political party, you must garner enough signatures — usually a few thousand — to get onto the ballot. The word garner comes from the Latin granarium which means "store-house," usually for grain. The current use of the word carries with it the sense of something being stored up. It's not only that you can gather enough yes-votes to overcome the opposition, there is the sense that all the things you have garnered have some weight of their own. In its other use, garner means "earn" or "merit." Think of movie stars garnering Oscar nominations for their excellent work. Definitions of garner 1.(verb): assemble or get together synonyms : collect, gather, pull together 2.(verb): store grain 3.(verb): acquire or deserve by one's efforts or actions synonyms: earn 4.(noun): a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed synonyms: granary Examples: By the time Fischer left for Nepal in the spring of 1996, he'd begun to garner more of the recognition that he thought was his due. While Hollywood garnered most of the headlines, defense spending remained the focus of the local economy for the next two decades, providing about one-third of its jobs. Jill would garner pledges from colleges and universities to train teachers and professors to better understand the needs of military children. The more gruesome the photo, the more likes it's garnered. Acrobats dangled from cords over the canal, lithe bodies garbed in nothing but glitter, while street performers played their fiddles, hoping to garner a coin or two from passersby. Berkeley attracted the most promising young graduate students, hosted the most eminent visiting lecturers, pocketed the largest contributions from research foundations and garnered the lion's share of public interest and acclaim. "I appreciate your concern, but this is just a piece of the story, not even the worst piece, and I am not telling it to garner sympathy." The townlands were rich, with wide tilth and many orchards, and homesteads there were with oast and garner, fold and byre, and many rills rippling through the green from the highlands down to Anduin.

underwrite

To underwrite is to insure or promise to be financially responsible in case of loss or damage. An insurance agent can underwrite your renter's insurance policy, which protects you if there's a fire or robbery, for example. Insurance companies can underwrite, estimating the value of a life or property, and so can large banks — when a bank underwrites a loan, it means they carefully check the borrower's credit history. The word underwrite comes from the Old English underwritan, "write at the foot of," and originally is exactly what underwriters did, signing their names at the bottom of an assessment of risk, promising to pay in case of disaster in exchange for a set amount of money. Definitions of underwrite 1.(verb): protect by insurance synonyms: cover, insure cover to take an action to protect against future problems compensate, cover, overcompensate make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities 2.(verb): guarantee financial support of synonyms: subvent, subvention Examples: Much of the rest went to underwriting the publication of books that few cared to own. A venerable bank underwrote the construction of the new meeting hall. "Anything. Insurance underwriting, like Garland was supposed to be doing. Or I'll emigrate. Yes." Lee had already underwritten the funeral and sent a wash basket of groceries to the stricken families. This prophecy is underwritten by the tendency of the rich to do this already. Worried by the plans to use his company's equipment in the execution of Kemmler, Westinghouse apparently underwrote an expensive legal appeal of Kemmler's conviction, which went all the way to the U.S. This is, presumably, why the Department of Financial Services is wary of using social media for something as important as underwriting a human life. Freedom to Marry had budgeted for the three months of salaries and the lease, plus underwriting for a blowout party for 1,000 on the Thursday after the decision at Cipriani Wall Street.

indigenous

Use indigenous to describe a plant, animal or person that is native or original to an area. Though Switzerland is known for its chocolates, chocolate, which comes from the cocoa plant, is indigenous to South America. Indigenous, aboriginal, and native all mean the same thing. Aboriginal, however, is commonly used in connection with Australia, and native with North America. The most neutral of the three terms, indigenous comes from the Latin word, indigena meaning "a native." An indigenous ceremony or religion is one traditionally used by a certain group of people. Definitions of indigenous 1.(adjective): originating where it is found "the Ainu are indigenous to the northernmost islands of Japan" synonyms: autochthonal, autochthonic, autochthonous, endemic native characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin Examples: Their interest helped a new generation of indigenous artists to explore new themes. He even suggested that she export her work to other places, where there was a guaranteed market for indigenous crafts. The Botocudo were an indigenous group that lived a few hundred miles north of what is now Rio de Janeiro. A pretty indigenous woman is standing before me, smiling. Anatole never misses one, because his mind is that quick, and also I think the indigenous names mean more to him. "I believe that preschool education is vital for indigenous children in poor communities. Many children don't even have access to books in their homes." Yet those other Mediterranean zones not only failed to rival the Fertile Crescent as early sites of food production; they never gave rise to indigenous agriculture at all. Afterward even the memory of indigenous fire faded.

negligent

Use negligent when you want to describe someone who just doesn't give a hoot. You can be negligent at work if you let the work pile up while you play computer games, or you can be negligent at home if you haven't fed your fish for six days straight. The adjective negligent comes from the Latin word neglegentia, meaning "carelessness." Other words that share the same roots include the noun negligence and neglect — which has both noun and verb forms. All three words have meanings that imply the same sort of thing — a lack of attention to the well being of something or someone. Definitions of negligent 1.(adjective): characterized by neglect and undue lack of concern "negligent parents" "negligent of detail" "negligent in his correspondence" Synonyms: inattentive showing a lack of attention or care careless marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful delinquent, derelict, neglectful, remiss failing in what duty requires lax, slack lacking in rigor or strictness hit-and-run involving a driver of a motor vehicle who leaves the scene of an accident inattentive, neglectfulnot showing due care or attention Examples: In preparation, Baird distributed copies of three statutes: the definitions of manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and negligent homicide. There are always untenable events, freak happenings like someone recognizing you, or at worst, the trouble results from a foolish and negligent spy, like my time with Luzan. In the case of the driver with the bad brakes, Baird succeeded in securing a conviction of two counts of negligent homicide. It entailed Reggie pleading to two counts of negligent homicide, both class A misdemeanors. He had a good familiarity with the driving laws, the reckless driving laws, the negligent homicide laws. In addition, I cannot help but hold a grudge against those in authority who were incompetent, negligent, or looked the other way when the system's foster parents were harming us. It's up to the jury to decide if Reggie should've known that, if it was criminally negligent to not be aware of that. Like, I don't want to be a negligent friend, but I don't know how to help Morgan if I can't even talk to her.

pursue

Use the verb pursue when you're chasing after someone or something. A hungry lion might pursue a zebra, the paparazzi might pursue a celebrity, and a young dancer might pursue her dream of becoming a prima ballerina. Pursue originally meant "to follow with hostile intent," from a Latin root word, prosequi, "follow, accompany, follow after, or follow up." Today, when you pursue someone, it's not necessarily with bad intentions. A police officer, for example, might pursue a criminal, and your dog might pursue your cat around the house just for fun. If you pursue a career in journalism, you are working to achieve it. Likewise, you pursue a strategy or a hobby if you do it consistently. Definitions of pursue 1.(verb): follow in or as if in pursuit "The police car pursued the suspected attacker" synonyms: follow follow, surveil, surveykeep under surveillance 2.(verb): go in search of or hunt for "pursue a hobby" synonyms: go after, quest after, quest for 3.(verb): carry further or advance synonyms: act on, follow up on 4.(verb): carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in "She pursued many activities" synonyms: engage, prosecute Examples: The rules for pursuing inmates there are not hard and fast, but the conventional wisdom says that it's smarter to wait for the pursued to leave. If something captured my undisciplined imagination, I pursued it with a zeal bordering on obsession, and from the age of seventeen until my late twenties that something was mountain climbing. As she pursued her career, she was forced to challenge racial barriers simply to succeed as a singer. Margot had agreed to my project almost as blindly as I had pursued it. Whatever Mark Antony wished to pursue at any given moment, Cleopatra gladly provided. Passing in front of us, pursuing the Chrysler, is J. D. Bowman, the man of my nightmares. But you cannot simply pursue these ends without results that will aid the common man. A phrase began to beat in my ears with a sort of heady excitement: "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired."

voracious

Voracious is an adjective used to describe a wolf like appetite. It might be a craving for food or for something else, such as power, but the word usually denotes an unflattering greediness. Voracious comes from the Latin vorāre, "to devour." The word is usually associated with swallowing or devouring food in a ravenous manner, but it can be used of someone intensely involved in any activity. Pierre Salinger referred to President Kennedy as a "voracious reader," while Robert Bakker once likened the IRS to a "voracious, small-minded predator." Definitions of voracious 1.(adjective): devouring or craving food in great quantities "voracious sharks" synonyms: edacious, esurient, rapacious, ravening, ravenous, wolfish gluttonous given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink 2.(adjective): excessively greedy and grasping "paying taxes to voracious governments" synonyms: rapacious, ravening acquisitive eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas "What can I do for you, oh ye of voracious appetites?" The professor saw drive and strength in the young woman, the voracious reader with the discipline, Terryl recounts. Bones, breads, bottles, and bowls lay scattered everywhere, as if voracious giants had gathered to dine. But at eighty she has a voracious, knowing look. For three days they rocked in each other's arms, voracious and inseparable, speaking few words, but knowing all they needed to know. He could handle the hungry constables of the villages, but he had respect for the experienced and voracious big city police. "You said I have a voracious appetite," he said, laughing, and then groaned again when his stomach spasmed. Now she was an even more voracious reader.

imperative

When something absolutely has to be done and cannot be put off, use the adjective imperative. Imperative is from Latin imperare, "to command," and its original use was for a verb form expressing a command: "Do it!" is an imperative sentence. The word is still used that way, but it's more commonly applied to something so pressing it cannot be put off: "It's imperative that we hire more workers if we want to complete the job on time." Imperative has more immediate force than pressing but less than urgent. Definitions of imperative 1.(adjective): requiring attention or action "as nuclear weapons proliferate, preventing war becomes imperative" "requests that grew more and more imperative" Synonyms : assertive, self-asserting, self-assertive aggressively self-assured adjuratory containing a solemn charge or command clamant, crying, exigent, insistent, instant demanding attention peremptory not allowing contradiction or refusal desperate showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire pressing, urgent compelling immediate action shrill, strident being sharply insistent on being heard 2.(noun): some duty that is essential and urgent 3.(noun): a mood that expresses an intention to influence the listener's behavior synonyms : imperative form, imperative mood, jussive mood 4.(adjective): relating to verbs in the imperative mood Examples: But for those not yet touched by the disease and certainly for the generations as yet unborn, prevention is the imperative need. The chief imperative in cases like mine was to show no doubt as to the gender of the child in question. "It is imperative that you look presentable. The kind of girl a woman would want around the house. Clean and well-spoken. But not too—" She shoots the other one a look. The somer-keirimer cycle strikes us as degrading, a return to the estrous cycle of the lower mammals, a subjection of human beings to the mechanical imperative of rut. It was imperative to my mother that the memory of her husband be respected with the honor she knew he deserved. By midday it became imperative to locate a copy of Pauling's classic book, The Nature of the Chemical Bond. But the crime that tipped the scale and made our hate not only just but imperative was his actions at the dinner table. To a certain extent, Conant was bluffing, for the rising concern in Washington and the scientific community about a possible German bomb made an allied effort seem imperative, regardless of the prospects of success.

skimpy

When something is skimpy, there's not quite enough of it. A skimpy lunch won't fill you up, and a skimpy sweater won't cover you up. The adjective skimpy is good for describing meager or inadequate things, like a skimpy amount of firewood that only burns for an hour, or a skimpy serving of ice cream. Skimpy probably comes from the verb scrimp, "be thrifty," which was originally an adjective meaning "scant or meager." Definitions of skimpy 1.(adjective): containing little excess "a skimpy allowance" synonyms : lean deficient, insufficient of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement Examples: The sounds of the new morning had been replaced with grumbles about cheating houses, weighted scales, snakes, skimpy cotton and dusty rows. Zillah is blond and skimpy, like the frail flower girls of a few years back. Garrett hands him a skimpy bag of ice, and he holds it to his shoulder. People in skimpy clothes with sunburned skin and peeling noses. At the very bottom, I find skimpy lingerie. The house with its melting mud walls and skimpy square of land brought little. The girls were wearing skimpy sundresses over their bikinis. Those skimpy sleeves did not even cover her elbows, and the scratchy linsey-woolsey cloth kept her thin shoulders constantly twitching.

decry

When you dye your hair pink and orange, your mother decries your act as a horror and bursts into tears. She criticizes your choice of colors, stating that pink and purple would have looked better. You might decry learning French, declaring it as a waste of time. Yet many English words come from French. When the French conquered England in 1066, they brought with them their language as well as their social system. Because French was spoken mostly by the ruling class, many of the loan words are formal. Decry comes from the Old French descrier, "to cry out" or "announce." When you decry something, you simultaneously condemn it and discredit it, a formal act. Definitions of decry 1.(verb): express strong disapproval of synonyms: condemn, excoriate, objurgate, reprobate Examples: He had become just like the whites he decried. It is a small reminder that Indians were neither the peaceful, love-thy- neighbor types envisioned by some apologists or the brutal, ceaselessly aggressive warriors decried by some political critics. Even General Smuts realized the dangers of this harsh ideology, decrying apartheid as "a crazy concept, born of prejudice and fear." In it, the committee decried the fact that the abuses of the Palmer Raids went well beyond physical mistreatment. With her father's words to buoy her, Katherine Goble observed the manifestations of segregation at Langley, decried the injustice they represented, yet did not feel their weight on her own shoulders. In fact, housing was a fundamental and perennial concern, dating back to slavery days, a festering sore which was often decried by community leaders, white and black, but which never seemed to heal. However, all writers about them, from Romans to modern zookeepers, decry their irascible temper and their nasty habit of biting people. Articles appeared in newspapers and blogs decrying the moral decay of girls in general.

inhibit

When you inhibit something, you block it or hold it back. If you put plants in a dark room, you inhibit their growth. A teacher who mocks their students for giving wrong answers inhibits their willingness to speak up in class. When you look at the word inhibit, think hinder. Though it sounds like it might be a bad thing to inhibit something else, there is no judgment built into the word. A drug that inhibits the growth of cancer cells would generally be considered a very good thing. While you may wish cancer cells to be inhibited, you probably don't wish it upon your friend's sense of humor or your country's economic growth. Definitions of inhibit 1.(verb): limit the range or extent of "Contact between the young was inhibited by strict social customs" synonyms: constrict 2.(verb): limit, block, or decrease the action or function of "inhibit the action of the enzyme" "inhibit the rate of a chemical reaction" 3.(verb): put down by force or authority synonyms: conquer, curb, stamp down, subdue, suppress 4.(verb): control and refrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behavior synonyms: bottle up, suppress Examples: She was an athlete, a marble player, a pitcher of one-o'-cat, and the trappings of a girl inhibited her. Somehow I felt that Bledsoe and Norton were behind it, and all day I was inhibited in both speech and conduct, for fear that I might say or do something scandalous. From what I could see, they lived dull, inhibited lives. With a leader as creative as Mrs. Jackson, Troop 11 was never inhibited by its modest resources. Even little kids are—except for those Negroes today who are so "integrated," as I had been, that their instincts are inhibited. From the moment in which she entered the room Úrsula felt inhibited by the maturity of her son, by his aura of command, by the glow of authority that radiated from his skin. Experts on both sides of the debate worry that compensating patients would lead to profit-seekers inhibiting science by insisting on unrealistic financial agreements or demanding money for tissues used in noncommercial or nonprofit research. At night, by some chemical process unknown to me but obviously inhibited by sunlight, the predatory algae turned highly acidic and the ponds became vats of acid that digested the fish.

nab

When you nab someone, you catch the person in the act of doing something wrong. A police officer, for example, might say that she loves to nab shoplifters. You nab when you apprehend a bad guy, or when you suddenly grab something: "Hey, you can't just nab a slice of pizza off my plate!" It's most common to use nab when a criminal is caught, as when the FBI nabs a suspected terrorist or an officer nabs a would-be graffiti artist. Nab probably came from an earlier word, nap, "to seize or catch," which is now obsolete except in the word kidnap. Definitions of nab 1.(verb): take into custody "the police nabbed the suspected criminals" synonyms: apprehend, arrest, collar, cop, nail, pick up 2.(verb): seize suddenly 3.(verb): tag the base runner to get him out Examples: The odds of sneaking by her twice in one night without getting nabbed were slim. "It'd be worth it. Like if I was nabbed on a check charge, it'd be worth it. Just to get back in there." "Why should they escape all punishment for their crimes? That's not justice. What if the cops had nabbed two kids from Tangerine for robbing our houses? They'd be in jail now." If Ken did not return by a specific time, she was to gather the children and leave immediately, knowing that her husband had been nabbed by the KGB. They had a registered letter sent to the P.O. box listed under Miller's name, then they nabbed Morrison when he went to retrieve it. "Probably a big school of mackerel. If I were looking for bait today, that would be great, but we want to nab bigger stuff." I find myself looking around us now, wondering how much I could get if I nabbed some of these items for resale. "All we got to do is get the message to the king without getting nabbed in the act."

gusto

You can do many things with gusto, or hearty enthusiasm, whether it's eating a steak, playing table tennis, or cheering on your favorite team. Some people live their whole lives with gusto. Since the 17th century, gusto has been helping English speakers describe things that are done with vigor and enthusiasm. Gusto is Italian for "taste," and its Italian origins are evident both in its spelling, with its "o" ending, and its sense of "a taste for life." Use this word to describe vigorous activities — you probably wouldn't "take a nap with gusto," even if you really enjoy napping. You're more likely to cheer on your favorite team or dance the tango with gusto. Definitions of gusto 1.(noun): vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment synonyms: relish, zest, zestfulness Examples: A handful of the new affluent indulge their fantasies with gusto. He plucked out a pickle and, for the first time, ate with gusto. The man's fire pit was a blessing, and I ate manioc with a gusto I would never have thought I could muster. We ate noisily and with gusto, and ordered many refills of iced tea. He talked about himself with such gusto, as though determined to tell her everything there was to know, and all at once. Hushpuppy was given a huge pile of the leftover parts, which he ate with gusto. I took it to be a signal to resume my playing, which I did with gusto. They sat at their table, and Blount talked and ate with gusto while Singer watched politely.

acclaim

You know you've hit it big when you earn acclaim, or enthusiastic approval. And when you have achieved "critical acclaim," even the grouchy critics approve of you. The word acclaim comes from the Latin word acclamare, which means to cry out. So it only makes sense that the verb acclaim means to offer enthusiastic praise or applause. "The book was critically acclaimed, but most of the students found it to be stupefyingly boring." Definitions of acclaim 1.(noun): enthusiastic approval "the book met with modest acclaim" synonyms : acclamation, eclat, plaudit, plaudits 2.(verb): praise vociferously synonyms : hail, herald 3.(verb): clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval synonyms : applaud, clap, spat Examples: Nearly a decade later, in December 1939, the acclaimed newspaper reporter Ernie Pyle stopped at La Tuna prison, near El Paso, Texas. By 1932, the modest, mild-tempered Cunningham, whose legs and back were covered in a twisting mesh of scars, was becoming a national sensation, soon to be acclaimed as the greatest miler in American history. In the late 1990s, however, Cook County Hospital started a project that may one day earn the hospital as much acclaim as any of those earlier accomplishments. Yet it was only after she toured Europe to great acclaim in the early 1930s that her artistry was recognized in her own homeland. They stepped forward to save lives and relieve suffering, and did so without thought of receiving individual acclaim. A Trip to the Moon, Melies' most famous film, followed a group of explorers as they went to the moon, fought the moon men, and returned home with a captive, to great acclaim. The Invention of Hugo CabretBut even the publication of the book did not bring the kind of instant acclaim from his peers that you might expect. The fourth and fifth were too small and the sixth brought acclaim from everyone, including Mother, who joined in the Gees, Goshes, and Look-at-thats!

mercenary

You might not want to call a mercenary a "hireling" to his face, but a mercenary is, after all, a soldier who gets paid to fight where needed, sometimes taking a heroic stand and other times just wanting payment for fighting. The word mercenary comes from the Latin mercēnārius, "hireling," which defines someone who will do anything in exchange for money. In history, a mercenary was often a fighter who followed the next paycheck, but in recent decades it's also been used for fighters who pursue a good cause in areas where soldiers are in short supply. A synonym for mercenary is "soldier of fortune," and this phrase sometimes glorifies the mercenary, turning the meaning of "fortune" from "cash" to "luck in battle." Definitions of mercenary 1.(noun): a person hired to fight for another country than their own synonyms : soldier of fortune 2.(adjective): profit oriented "a mercenary enterprise" synonyms: mercantile, moneymaking commercial connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises 3.(adjective): serving for wages in a foreign army "mercenary killers" synonyms: free-lance, freelance paid marked by the reception of pay 4.(adjective): marked by materialism synonyms: materialistic, worldly-minded secular, temporal, worldly characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world Example: As Chronicler stared dumbly at the ruined weapon the mercenary took a step forward and laid his empty hand lightly on the scribe's shoulder. It struck the mercenary in the mouth and shattered. One's own soldiers are those composed either of subjects or of citizens or your own dependants; all others are either mercenaries or auxiliaries. Then Bast was there, barreling into the mercenary with one shoulder, striking him with such force that the man's body shattered one of the heavy barstools before slamming into the mahogany bar. Someone suggested that mercenaries be sent over to the Howard barn to forcibly haul Smith into the office. So instead of risking her life and making major money as a mercenary, she slowed heartbeats, eased breathing, relaxed muscles. These forces did, on occasion, help some to get ahead, and they appeared courageous in combat with other mercenaries. Then, moving so quickly it was little more than a twitch, the mercenary brought the piece of metal back around, burying it in the farmer's chest.

firearm

a portable gun that uses a confined propellant to expel a projectile out of a barrel

intriguing

intriguing things or people arouse curiosity and have an indescribable draw. If you find the night sky intriguing and enjoy pondering the limitlessness of the universe, you should consider becoming an astronomer. When this adjective was first recorded in the 1600's, anything intriguing had something to do with "tricking, deceiving, or cheating." It wasn't until much later that intriguing lost its sinister sense and became simply a word to describe something with alluring mystery. Synonyms for intriguing run the gamut from captivating and delightful to riveting and titillating. Definitions of intriguing 1.(adjective): capable of arousing interest or curiosity "our team came up with some most intriguing finds" Synonyms : interesting arousing or holding the attention 2.(adjective): disturbingly provocative "an intriguing smile" synonyms : challenging provocative serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; stimulating discussion or exciting controversy. Example: Obinze, with his air of calm and inwardness, made it even more intriguing. The gypsy moth is an especially intriguing example. Its future prospects are far more intriguing than our past apprehensions about it. Soon after returning to Berkeley, Alvarez decided to focus his research efforts on the lab's most intriguing experimental project: the search for an elusive decay process known as K-capture Regardless of whether the data were faked, Lott's admittedly intriguing hypothesis doesn't seem to be true. Pressed against the window, he stared at the dirty cars shuffling around us like they were the most intriguing things he'd ever seen. That she was wed to his father's shipwright and pregnant to boot only made her more intriguing. Weirdly intriguing videos of these staged events flashed around the world as part of a soft-focus, Entertainment Tonight makeover for the Kim family dynasty.

bootless

no story :( Definitions of bootless 1.(adjective): unproductive of success synonyms: fruitless, futile, sleeveless, vain unproductive not producing or capable of producing Examples: The Hessians, completely disheveled, unbuttoned, bootless, listened intently. The Harfoots were browner of skin, smaller, and shorter, and they were beardless and bootless; their hands and feet were neat and nimble; and they preferred highlands and hillsides. In fact, another of that band's hits seemed more appropriate to these bootless proceedings: the one called "Why?" A melodramatic, self-destructive alcoholic, Agnes is, nonetheless, adored by Shuggie, whose days revolve around her problem — placating her, attempting bootlessly to keep her from drink and creating a ruckus. Releasing a U.S. intelligence report on the murder without imposing consequences was a bootless action — a finding of wrongdoing without consequences. When he last saw Guevara, he described his commandant as exhausted, wounded and bootless — but unbowed. All-star games and award shows are pointless, mindless, senseless, needless, aimless, worthless, fruitless and bootless. In the most optimistic GOP view, the "hello no" caucus will learn that this was a bootless effort and they will sign on to whatever Boehner cooks up to keep the government doors open.

dispensed

no story :( Definitions of dispensed 1.(adjective) distributed or weighted out in carefully determined portions "medicines dispensed to the sick" Synonyms : distributed spread out or scattered about or divided up Examples: To Madame Ratignolle he said the music dispensed at her soirees was too "heavy," too far beyond his untrained comprehension. But the great example of this genre is It Happened One Night, with Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable, who famously dispensed with wearing an undershirt. He pressed a pump that dispensed cellulite gel and massaged it into the back of his ungloved hand. The very first facts they dispensed, I grasped with awe. The investigation revealed that the task force seized large amounts of money, but also small amounts, and then dispensed it freely, unconstrained by reporting requirements or the task force's mission. He strained the pulp from the orange juice by hand when they used to do that sort of thing and then dispensed pre-fab OJ from a machine when the management switched to that. The second charm of preformation was that it dispensed of the problem of de-encryption. The Klan trafficked in secret information whose secrecy engendered fear, while insurance prices were less a secret than a set of facts dispensed in a way that made comparisons difficult.