Mnemonics-GRE Aid

Fleeting

(adj) passing quickly, transitory

Gawky

(adj) physically awkward (esp. of a tall, skinny person, often used to describe teenagers)

copious

(adj) plentiful, bountiful

Prospective

(adj) potential, in the future

Pragmatic

(adj) practical; dealing with actual facts and reality

Eminent

(adj) prominent, distinguished, of high rank

imminent

(adj) ready to occur, impending

Pathological

(adj) relating to or caused by disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior

covert

(adj) secret, veiled, concealment, cover

autonomous

(adj) self-governing, independent

Keen

(adj) sharp, piercing; very perceptive or mentally sharp; intense (of a feeling)

Gauche

(adj) tactless, lacking social grace, awkward, crude

Loquacious

(adj) talkative, wordy

Presumptuous

(adj) too bold or forward; going beyond that which is proper

Esoteric

(adj) understood by or intended for only a few; secret

Exacting

(adj) very severe in making demands; requiring precise attention

Liberal

(adj, n) favorable to progress or reform; believing in maximum possible individual freedom; tolerant, open-minded; generous (adj); a person with such beliefs or practices (noun)

Likewise

(adv) also, in addition to; similarly, in the same way

Propriety

(n) conforming to good manners or appropriate behavior; justness

Pith

(n) core, essence; significance or weight

bureaucracy

(n) government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless requirements

Levity

(n) lightness (of mind, spirit, or mood) or lack of seriousness, sometimes in an inappropriate way

Enigma

(n) puzzle, mystery, riddle; mysterious or contradictory person

Maverick

(n) rebel, individualist, dissenter

Potentate

(n) ruler, person of great power

Efficacy

(n) the quality of being able to produce the intended effect

Finesse

(n, v) extreme delicacy, subtlety, or diplomacy in handling a sensitive situation or in a performance or skill (noun); use tact or diplomacy; employ a deceptive strategy (verb)

default

(n, v) failure to act, neglect (noun); fail to fulfill an obligation, esp. a financial one (verb)

bromide

(noun): banality, platitude, cliche, a trite or obvious remark Mnk: Bro don't mind.. A common statement to soothe someone. <Instead of sharing his umbrella, the cheeky stranger offered Martha the following bromide: "Looks like it's raining.">

antagonize

(v) alienate, irritate, make/provoke hostile or unfriendly Mnk: AUNTY+GONE(goes)+ON+ICE....when an aunty goes on ice bare footed,it provokes her hostility

alienate

(v) antagonize, cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant

concur

(v) approve, agree

denote

(v) be a name or symbol for

denigrate

(v) belittle, attack the reputation of

Implode

(v) burst inward

bolster

(v) buttress, reinforce, strengthen or support

Elicit

(v) call forth, bring out, evoke

Mollify

(v) calm or soothe (an angry person); lessen or soften

debase

(v) degrade; lower in quality, value, rank, etc.; lower in moral quality

ascertain

(v) find out with certainty

Mitigate

(v) make less severe; lessen or moderate (damage, grief, pain, etc.)

Fathom

(v) measure the depth of (usually of water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand

Obviate

(v) prevent, eliminate, or make unnecessary

Pre-empt

(v) prevent; take the place of, supplant; take before someone else can

Repudiate

(v) reject, cast off, deny that something has authority

Oscillate

(v) swing back and forth; waver, change one's mind

consolidate

(v) unite, combine, solidify, make coherent

advocate

(v, n) speak or argue in favor of (verb); a person who pleads for a cause or on behalf of another person (noun), preaches

chagrin

1. abase, strong feelings of embarrassment, annoyance Mnk: I was in a meeting and, CHAI GIR gayi on my pant making it very embarrassing for me. <Having been beaten in a trial of soothsaying, Calchas died of chagrin or committed suicide.> 2. cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of <She never cared what others said about her appearance but was chagrined by the smallest comment from her mother.>

Protean

1. able to do many things; versatile 2. to change frequently/easily

boon

1. blessing, benefit, benevolent, benediction, a desirable state Mnk: boon - bonus - something helpful Modern technology has been a boon to the travel industry. 2.very close and convivial He was a boon companion to many, and will be sadly missed.

Precipitate

1. part of the solution left inside test tube; 2. to be hasty or rash; 3. to make something happens suddenly

forthcoming

"adjective:

inclement

"adjective: (of weather) unpleasant, stormy

austere

"adjective: ascetic, austere, grim, desolate, deary, abstain, practicing self-denial, severely simple and unornamented, severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined; without luxury or ease; sober or serious, forbiddingly stern; His lifestyle of revelry and luxurious excess could hardly be called austere. Late Soviet architecture, although remaining largely austere, moved into experimental territory that employed previously unused shapes and structures. (adjective): harsh in manner of temperament The principal of my elementary school was a cold, austere woman; I could never understand why she chose to work with children.

specious

"adjective: based on pretense; deceptively pleasing, plausible but false <Almost every image on TV is specious and not to be trusted.> <He made a career out of specious arguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times.">

malleable

"adjective: capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out, easily influenced <The clay became malleable and easy to work with after a little water was added.> <My little brother is so malleable that I can convince him to sneak cookies from the cupboard for me.">

scrupulous

"adjective: characterized by extreme care and great effort, having a sense of right and wrong; principled <Because of his scrupulous nature, Mary put him in charge of numbering and cataloging the entire collection of rare stamps.> Everyone trusted what he said and followed his example because he was scrupulous and honest.">

jejune

"adjective: dull; lacking flavor

precipitate

"adjective: hasty or rash, to cause to happen <Instead of conducting a thorough investigation after the city hall break-in, the governor acted precipitately, accusing his staff of aiding and abetting the criminals.> <The government's mishandling the hurricane's aftermath precipitated a widespread outbreak of looting and other criminal activity.">

superfluous

"adjective: serving no useful purpose, more than is needed, desired, or required <How can we hope to stay open if we don't eliminate all superfluous spending, like catered meetings and free acupuncture Tuesday?> <The third paragraph in your essay is superfluous and can be deleted.">

profligate

"adjective: spending resources recklessly or wastefully; someone who spends resources recklessly or wastefully <The composer Wagner, while living on a limited salary, was so profligate as to line all the walls of his apartment with pure silk.> <；Most lottery winners go from being conservative, frugal types to outright profligates who blow millions on fast cars, lavish homes, and giant yachts.">

savvy

"noun: a perceptive understanding, Verb: get the meaning of something, well-informed or perceptive <Although a great CEO, he did not have the political savvy to win the election.> <The student savvies the meaning of astrophysics with little effort.> <With his savvy business partner, the company was able to turn a profit within a year.">

simulacrum

"noun: a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture), a bad imitation <The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center showcases a simulacrum of all the present and approved buildings in the city of Shanghai.> <The early days of computer graphics made real people into a simulacrum that now seems comical.">

quip

"noun: a witty saying or remark, to make a witty remark, to say in jest <In one of the most famous quips about classical music, Mark Twain said: ""Wagner's music is better than it sounds.""> <When a old English teacher criticized Churchill for ending a sentence with a preposition, he quipped, ""This is the kind of criticism up with which we will not put!""">

paragon

"noun: model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal.an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept <Even with the rise of Kobe Bryant, many still believe that Michael Jordon is the paragon for basketball players. <Some say that Athens was the paragon of democracy, but these people often forget that slaves and women were still not allowed to vote.">

resource

"noun: some saved material that can be used for a purpose (especially money, anything used to make energy such as oil, or information sources such as books) <Many of the richest countries have surprisingly few natural resources and must buy oil or gas from other countries.> <Never forget to make use of the library during your studies; it's full of great resources.">

summit

"noun: the peak or highest point, a meeting of high-level leaders <After hiking for two days, the climbers finally reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.> <Since climate change policy has been mired in congressional fighting, this summit should help set the goals for president's next term.">

exemplify

"verb: clarify by giving an example of, <Please present some case studies that exemplify the results that you claim in your paper.>"

register

"verb: to put your name or other information in a list for something, to identify and show on a tool for measuring <If you'd like to buy a meal plan, you can register at the student affairs office.> <The bomb was so strong that far away weather balloons registered the heat.">

dupe

"verb: victim, fool, TO DECEIVE; TRICK to deceive; Someone easily fooled Mnk: duplicates(in movies) are used to fool people.... <New York is not the only publication that would have been duped.>

Plastic

(adj) able to be shaped or formed; easily influenced

Affable

(adj) amiable, polite, gentle, warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable, easy to talk Mnk: affection+able=affection to others

Lucid

(adj) clear, easy to understand; rational, sane

Empirical

(adj) coming from, based on, or able to be verified by experience or experimentation; not purely based on theory

Nascent

(adj) coming into existence, still developing

Mundane

(adj) common, ordinary, everyday

commensurate

(adj) comparable, the same in size, extent, etc., equivalent; proportional, to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount, corresponding in extent, degree, amount, etc.; Mnk: SPLIT AS COMMON - ENSURED -RATE. WHICH MEANS, OUR RATE WILL BE EQUAL TO THE CHEAPEST PRODUCT!

Explicit

(adj) direct, clear, fully revealed; clearly depicting sex or nudity

disquieting

(adj) disturbing, causing anxiety

Inherent

(adj) existing as a permanent, essential quality; intrinsic

Objective

(adj) factual, related to reality or physical objects; not influenced by emotions, unbiased

artless

(adj) free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured

credulous

(adj) gullible; prone to believing or trusting too easily or without enough evidence

Posthumous

(adj) happening or continuing after death

Predisposed

(adj) having an inclination or tendency beforehand; susceptible

Principled

(adj) having high moral standards

Modest

(adj) humble; simple rather than showy; decent (esp. "covering up" in terms of dress); small, limited

Implicit

(adj) implied, not stated directly; involved in the very essence of something, unquestionable

Figurative

(adj) metaphorical, based on figures of speech; containing many figures of speech (as fancy-sounding writing); related to portraying human or animals figures

Erroneous

(adj) mistaken, in error; improper, morally incorrect

Qualified

(adj) modified, limited, conditional on something else

Novel

(adj) new, fresh, original

Indeterminate

(adj) not fixed or determined, indefinite; vague

Lackluster

(adj) not shiny; dull, mediocre, lacking brilliance or vitality

Catalyst

N: impetus, agitator, substance speeds up chemical reaction, agent that stimulates or precipitates a reaction, development, or change

creditable

adjective: commendable, deserving of praise but not that amazing <Critics agreed the movie was creditable, but few gave it more than three out of five stars.>

illicit

adjective: contrary to or forbidden by law<Though Al Capone was engaged in many illicit activities, he was finally arrested for income tax evasion, a relatively minor offense.

humdrum

adjective: dull and lacking excitement<Having grown up in a humdrum suburb, Jacob relished life in New York City after moving.

lugubrious

adjective: excessively mournful<At the funeral, lugubrious songs filled the small church.

deleterious

adjective: harmful or damaging to living things Mnk: relate it to DELETE...so you DELETE all the spam mails because they may BE HARMFUL to your PC. <The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was deleterious to the fishing industry in the southern states.>

erudite

adjective: having or showing profound knowledge<Before the Internet, the library was typically were you would find erudite readers.>

lethargic

adjective: lacking energy<Nothing can make a person more lethargic than a big turkey dinner.

immutable

adjective: not able to be changed<Taxes are one of the immutable laws of the land, so there is no use arguing about paying them.

grandiloquent

adjective: puffed up with vanity<The dictator was known for his grandiloquent speeches, puffing his chest out and using big, important-sounding words.

germane

adjective: relevant and appropriate<The professor wanted to tell the jury in detail about his new book, but the lawyer said it wasn't germane to the charges in the cases.

restive

adjective: restless<The crowd grew restive as the comedian's opening jokes fell flat.

telling

adjective: significant and revealing of another factor<Her unbecoming dress was very telling when it came to her sense of fashion.

itinerant

adjective: traveling from place to place to work<Doctors used to be itinerant, traveling between patients' homes.

desultory

aimless; haphazard; digressing at random

Juggernaut

any large force that cannot be stopped; think of x-men character

Lagniappe

any unexpected gift

approbation

approval

Factitious

artificial, not natural

stint

be thrifty; set limits

Panglossian

blind optimism

fatuous

brainless; inane; foolish, yet smug

Insolvent

can't pay your bills

metamorphosis

change of form

artful

clever in a cunning way, adroit, ingenious, shrewd, dexterous, smart, tricky <Picasso is generally considered the most artful member of the Cubist movement.;

levee

earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding

Misanthrope

hater of mankind

Pittance

inadequate and will do little to take care of one's cost; small amount of money

Sybarite

indulges in luxury

opprobium

infamy; vilification

levity

lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity

Nadir

lowest point

attenuate

make thinner; weaken or lessen (in density, force, degree)

Bwana

master

Sententious

moralizing usually in a pompous sense

Parochial

narrow minded in one's views

malady

noun: a disease or sickness<The town was struck by a malady throughout the winter that left most people sick in bed for two weeks.

reprobate

noun: a person who is disapproved of<Those old reprobates drinking all day down by the river-they are not going to amount to much.

inkling

noun: a slight suggestion or vague understanding<Lynne speaks four Romance languages, but she doesn't have an inkling about how East Asian languages are structured.

broadside

noun: a strong verbal attack <Political broadsides are usually strongest in the weeks leading up to a national election.>

enormity

noun: an act of extreme wickedness<The enormity of Pol Pot's regime is hard to capture in words--within months hundreds of thousands of Cambodians lost their lives.>

pariah

noun: an outcast <The once eminent scientist, upon being found guilty of faking his data, has become a pariah in the research community.

graft

noun: corruption, usually through bribery<In countries with rampant graft, getting a driver's license can require no more than paying an official.

hauteur

noun: overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors<As soon as she won the lottery, Alice begin displaying a hauteur to her friends, calling them dirty-clothed peasants behind their backs.

viable

practical or workable; capable of maintaining life

laud

praise

Overweening

presumptuously arrogant

Restive

restless

Tender

something you offer it up

Palimpsest

the vague traces of previous writing can be seen

implicit

understood but not stated

languish

verb: become feeble<Stranded in the wilderness for four days, the hiker languished, eating protein bars and nuts.

encumber

verb: hold back<The costume encumbered all my movements and caused me to sweat profusely.>妨碍，阻碍

oscillate

vibrate pendulumlike; waver

ascetic

"adjective: practicing self-denial, austere, abstain, Mnk: someone who leaves all AESTHETICs is an ascetic <His ascetic life is the main reason he inspired so many followers, especially since he gave up wealth and power to live in poverty.>

audacious

(adj) effrontery, brazen, very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original, daring; bold

Germane

(adj) relevant and appropriate, on topic

Prudent

(adj) wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future

disposition

(n) a person's general or natural mood; tendency

artifact

(n) any object made by humans, especially those from an earlier time, such as those excavated by archaeologists

Juncture

(n) critical point in time, such as a crisis or a time when a decision is necessary; a place where two things are joined together

Mores

(n) customs, manners, or morals of a particular group

cacophony

(n) harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds

Probity

(n) honesty, integrity

Penchant

(n) liking or inclination

cartography

(n) mapmaking

Paradigm

(n) model or pattern; worldview, set of shared assumptions, values, etc.

activism

(n) the practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations

Rescind

(v) annul, repeal, make void

converge

(v) assemble, move towards one another or towards a point; unite, approach; tend to meet; come together. Mnk: Co- together Verge- become one

diverge

(v) avert, differ, deviate; branch off or turn aside, as from a path, digress <Parallel beams can therefore be induced to converge or diverge. >

dismiss

(v) banish, dissolve, expel, decline, allow to disperse or leave; fire from a job; put aside or reject, esp. after only a brief consideration <It was the fourth time the government moved to dismiss the case. >

Gainsay

(v) declare false, deny; oppose

abhor

(v) detest, regard with disgust

Hearken

(v) listen, pay attention to

Exacerbate

(v) make worse (more violent, severe, etc.), inflame; irritate or embitter (a person)

Impair

(v) make worse, weaken

delineate

(v) mark the outline of; sketch; describe in detail

contextualize

(v) place in context, such as by giving the background or circumstances

Proscribe

(v) prohibit, outlaw; denounce; exile or banish

Outstrip

(v) surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind

Forfeit

(v) surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, or failure to fulfill an obligation

dissent

(v, n)disagreement, disagree or take an opposing view, esp. in relation to a formal body such as a government, political party, or church; such a view Mnk: ASSENT, ACCORD etc mean, to agree and DISSENT, DISCORD etc mean to disagree. <They have killed or threatened to kill anyone who dissents from their view of Christian.>

constraint

1. restraint, pressure, A limit to a design process. Constraints may be such things as appearance, funding, space, materials, and human capabilities. 2. A limitation or restriction. Mnk: in constrain - strain. You will get strained if you are forced to do something over and over again. <many are constrained by new regulations or their own inertia.>

construe

1. restraint, pressure, A limit to a design process. Constraints may be such things as appearance, funding, space, materials, and human capabilities. 2. A limitation or restriction. Mnk: in constrain - strain. You will get strained if you are forced to do something over and over again. <many are constrained by new regulations or their own inertia.>

bridle

1.Control, the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess Mnk: a bride bridles, ie, she restrains you( husband) from a lot things like friends, temper, food etc <New curfew laws have bridled people's tendency to go out at night.> 2. anger or take offense The hostess bridled at the tactless dinner guests who insisted on eating before everybody had gotten their food

confound

1.confuse; puzzle, perplexing, <Though Harry loved numbers, he found calculus confounding.> 2.mistake one thing for another <Americans often confound sweet potatoes with yams, and refer to both vegetables by the same name>

Tendentious

Biased in perspective; preferring one view over another

Doctrinal

Philosophy, A belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school

Defenestrate

V: throw through or out of the window Mnk: in order to defense you have to throw <The rebels stormed the palace and defenestrated the President">

disparage

Verb: ridicule, denigrate, belittle deride, belittle, to speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way; Mnk: dispa-rage can be read as display a rage. When you display your RAGE on your juniors you BELITTLE them in front of the others. <Emma stone disparaged other student while going through the corridor of the college> <Her pictures do not denigrate or disparage.>

Hodgepodge

a confusing mixture or jumble

curmudgeon

a person (especially an old man) who is easily annoyed or angered and who often complains Mnk: Cur-mud-geon Car mud main gone... to driver went bad tempered... i.e. curmudgeon

anomalous

abnormal; irregular, not normal, out of the ordinary

anarchy

absence of governing body; state of disorder

glib

adjective: (of a person) speaking with ease but without sincerity<I have found that the more glib the salesman, the worse the product.

staid

adjective: characterized by dignity and propriety<Frank came from a staid environment, so he was shocked that his college roommate sold narcotics.

stringent

adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures<Most of the students disliked the teacher because of his stringent homework policy, but many students would later thank him for demanding so much from them.

peevish

adjective: easily irritated or annoyed<Our office manager is peevish, so the rest of us tip-toe around him, hoping not to set off another one of his fits.

colossal

adjective: enormous, gigantic, huge, so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe <Few appreciate the colossal scale of the sun: if hollow, it could contain a million Earths.>

excruciating

adjective: extremely painful<After the boulder rolled a couple of feet, pinning my friend's arm, he experienced excruciating pain.>

quotidian

adjective: found in the ordinary course of events<Phil gets so involved thinking about Aristotle's arguments that he totally forgets quotidian concerns, such as exercising and eating regularly.

vaunted

adjective: highly or widely praised or boasted about<For years, they had heard of New York City's vaunted skyline, and when they finally saw it, the spectacular cityscape did not disappoint them in the least.

morose

adjective: ill-tempered and not inclined to talk; gloomy<After Stanley found out he was no longer able to go on vacation with his friends, he sat in his room morosely.

jejune

adjective: immature; childish <Although many top chefs have secured culinary foam's popularity in cuisine, Waters criticizes it for being jejune and unfilling.> <Her boss further cemented his reputation for being jejune after throwing a fit when the water cooler wasn't refilled.">

impregnable

adjective: immune to attack; incapable of being tampered with<As a child, Amy would build pillow castles and pretend they were impregnable fotresses.

unassailable

adjective: immune to attack; without flaws<Professor Williams is so self-assured as to seem arrogant, presenting each and every opinion as an unassailable fact.

inexorable

adjective: impossible to stop or prevent<The rise of the computer was an inexorable shift in technology and culture.

gauche

adjective: lacking social polish<Sylvester says the most gauche things, such as telling a girl he liked that she was much prettier when she wore makeup.

smug

adjective: marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction<When Phil was dating the model, he had a smug attitude that annoyed his buddies.

ersatz

adjective: not real or genuine; phony<The car dealer's ersatz laughter was immediately followed by a price quote, one that Shelley found highly inflated.>

fastidious

adjective: overly concerned with details; fussy<Whitney is fastidious about her shoes, arranging them on a shelf in a specific order, each pair evenly spaced.

mawkish

adjective: overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting<The film was incredibly mawkish, introducing highly likeable characters only to have them succumb to a devastating illnesses by the end of the movie.

abstruse

adjective: perplexing, esoteric, intricate, complex, profound, recondite, difficult to understand; incomprehensible <Physics textbooks can seem so abstruse to the uninitiated that readers feel as though they are looking at hieroglyphics.>

spurious

adjective: plausible but false<When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones.

profuse

adjective: plentiful; pouring out in abundance<During mile 20 of the Hawaii Marathon, Dwayne was sweating so profusely that he stopped to take off his shirt, and ran the remaining six miles wearing nothing more than skimpy shorts.

puissant

adjective: powerful<Over the years of service, and quite to his surprise, he became a puissant advisor to the community.

propitious

adjective: presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success<The child's heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many propitious signs and I think that she may be healing.

factious

adjective: produced by, or characterized by internal dissension<The controversial bill proved factious, as dissension even within parties resulted

futile

adjective: producing no result or effect; unproductive of success<I thought I could repair the car myself, but after two days of work with no success, I have to admit that my efforts were futile.

protean

adjective: readily taking on different roles; versatile<Peter Sellers was truly a protean actor—in Doctor Strangelove he played three very different roles: a jingoist general, a sedate President and a deranged scientist.

sporadic

adjective: recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances<The signals were at first sporadic, but now we detect a clear, consistent pattern of electromagnetic radiation eminating from deep space.

sartorial

adjective: related to fashion or clothes<Monte was astute at navigating the world of finance; sartorially, however, he was found wanting—he typically would attempt to complement his beige tie with a gray suit and white pants.

pecuniary

adjective: relating to or involving money<The defendent was found guilty and had to serve a period of community service as well as pay pecuniary damages to the client.

pastoral

adjective: relating to the countryside in a pleasant sense<Those who imagine America's countryside as a pastoral region are often disappointed to learn that much of rural U.S. is filled with cornfields extending as far as the eye can see.

reticent

adjective: reluctant to draw attention to yourself; temperamentally disinclined to talk<When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather reticent.

self-effacing

adjective: reluctant to draw attention to yourself<The most admirable teachers and respected leaders are those who are self-effacing, directing attention and praise to their students and workers.

trite

adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse<Many style guides recommend not using idioms in writing because these trite expressions are uninteresting and show a lack of imagination on the part of the writer.

exacting

adjective: requiring and demanding accuracy<Though his childhood piano teacher was so exacting, Max is thankful now, as a professional pianist.>

obstinate

adjective: resistant to guidance or discipline; stubbornly persistent<The coach suggested improvements Sarah might make on the balance beam, but she remained obstinate, unwilling to modify any of the habits that made her successful in the past.

telltale

adjective: revealing<The many telltale signs of chronic smoking include yellow teeth, and a persistent, hacking cough.

resurgent

adjective: rising again as to new life and vigor<The team sank to fourth place in June, but is now resurgent and about to win the division.

paradoxical

adjective: seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true<That light could be both a particle and a wave seems paradoxical, but nonetheless, it is true.

mellifluous

adjective: smooth and sweet-sounding<Chelsea's grandmother thought Franz Schubert's music to be the most mellifluous ever written; Chelsea demurred, and to her grandmother's chagrin, would blast Rihanna on the home stereo speakers.

philistine

adjective: smug and ignorant towards artistic and cultural values<Jane considered Al completely philistine, because he talked almost exclusive about video games; she was entirely unaware of how well read he really was.

negligible

adjective: so small as to be meaningless; insignificant<The GRE tests cumulative knowledge, so if you cram the night before it is, at best, likely to only have a negligible impact on your score.

flush

adjective: to be in abundance<The exam's passage is flush with difficult words, words that you may have learned only yesterday.

gregarious

adjective: to be likely to socialize with others<Often we think that great leaders are those who are gregarious, always in the middle of a large group of people; yet, as Mahatma Gandhi and many others have shown us, leaders can also be introverted.

demure

adjective: to be modest and shy, reserved Mnk: demur is the one who objects; demure is who doest not object, who is reserved and shy <The portrait of her in a simple white blouse was sweet and demure.>

sententious

adjective: to be moralizing, usually in a pompous sense<The old man, casting his nose up in the air at the group of adolescents, intoned sententiously, "Youth is wasted on the young."

vituperate

adjective: to criticize harshly; to berate<Jason had dealt with disciplinarians before, but nothing prepared him for the first week of boot camp, as drill sergeants vituperated him for petty oversights such as forgetting to double knot the laces on his boots.

vindictive

adjective: to have a very strong desire for revenge<Though the other girl had only lightly poked fun of Vanessa's choice in attire, Vanessa was so vindictive that she waited for an entire semester to get the perfect revenge.

irresolute

adjective: uncertain how to act or proceed<He stood irresolute at the split in the trail, not sure which route would lead back to the camp.

untoward

adjective: unfavorable; inconvenient<Some professors find teaching untoward as having to prepare for lectures and conduct office hours prevents them from focusing on their research.

splenetic

adjective: very irritable<Ever since the car accident, Frank has been unable to walk without a cane, and so he has become splenetic and unpleasant to be around.

bilious

adjective: wan, atrabilious, dyspeptic, liverish, irritable; always angry Mnk: bili-ili-ill..so it resembles ill in bile,ie stomach. <Rex was bilious all morning, and his face would only take on a look of contentedness when he'd had his morning cup of coffee.>

illustrious

adjective: widely known and esteemed; having or conferring glory<Einstein was possibly the most illustrious scientist in recent history.

fledgling

adjective: young and inexperienced; describing any new participant in some activity<Murray has years of experience in family practice, but he is just a fledgling in surgery.

amply +

adverb: more than is adequate, fully, richly <The boat was amply supplied for its year at sea—no man would go hungry or thirst.>

Junta

aggressive take over of a group

Tirade

angry speech

felicitous

apt; suitably expressed; well chosen

empirical

base on experience

caustic

burning; acerbic, sarcastically biting

implode

burst inward

volatile

changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly

spectrum

colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism

Expansive

communicative; prone to talk in a sociable manner

Byzantine

complicated, convoluted, abstruse, intricate and complex; negative connotation Mnk: Recall the chemistry where we studied Benzene which is complex in structure.

coda

conclusion, concluding section of a musical or literary composition; something that summarizes

Mettle

courage or valor

Exegesis

critical interpretation of a scholarly work

savor

enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality

Vicarious

enjoying something through another person's experience

appreciable (adj.)

enough to be perceived, considerable

substantiate

establish by evidence; verify; support

hyperbole

exaggeration; overstatement

plethora

excess; overabundance

Extant

existent

distend

expand; augment, amplify, enlarge swell out

Parsimonious

extremely frugal

Truculent

fierce, savage nature

Serendipity

finding something pleasant that you weren't even looking for

Mulct

fine someone; swindle or defraud someone

inherent

firmly established by nature or habit

propriety

fitness; correct conduct

precursor

forerunner; harbinger

shard

fragment; generally of pottery

Amiable

friendly

Amicable

friendly relationship between people Mnk: amicable ~ am + I + cable; there is a cable (friendly connection) between me (I) and him

porous

full of pores; like a sieve

aggregate

gather; accumulate

magnanimity

generosity

Venality

government taking bribes; to be corrupt

Innocuous

harmless and doesn't produce any ill effects; inoffensive

Slapdash

hastily put together

Supercilious

haughty and disdainful; when you look down at someone in demeaning way

Vindictive

having very strong desire for revenge

Anathema

he or she, or it is the source of somebody's hate; to curse

Fractious

he/she is irritable and likely to cause disruption

supposition

hypothesis; surmise

Feckless

lazy or irresponsible

Extenuating

less guilty or more forgivable

qualified

limited; restricted

Imbibe

literally drinking a lot; in take of knowledge

harangue

long, passionate, and vehement speech

obviate

make unnecessary; get rid of

Becoming

matched nicely

Telltale

means revealing

Perfunctory

merely going through the motions; routine way

Ingenuous

naive and innocent

insularity

narrow-mindedness; isolation

propensity

natural inclination

Untoward

not favorable; inconvenient; inauspicious

miscreant

noun: a person who breaks the law<"Come back you miscreant!" yelled the woman who just had her purse stolen.

miser

noun: a person who doesn't like to spend money (because they are greedy)<Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.

arriviste

noun: a person who has recently reached a position of power; a social climber, ruthless ambition arriviste - arrive + vista ,Microsoft Vista suddenly gained very high popularity after "reaching" at high technicians' group but later they didn't accept it in their technical space. <The city center was aflutter with arrivistes who each tried to outdo one another with their ostentatious sports cars and chic evening dress.>

parvenu

noun: a person who has suddenly become wealthy, but not socially accepted as part of a higher class<The theater was full of parvenus who each thought that they were surrounded by true aristocrats.

heretic

noun: a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)<Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights, Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse.

sybarite

noun: a person who indulges in luxury<Despite the fact that he'd maxed out fifteen credit cards, Max was still a sybarite at heart: when the police found him, he was at a $1,000 an hour spa in Manhattan, getting a facial treatment.

modicum

noun: a small or moderate or token amount<If my sister had even a modicum of sense, she wouldn't be engaged to that barbarian.

banality

noun: a trite or obvious remark <Herbert regarded the minister's remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.>

melee

noun: a wild, confusing fight or struggle<After enduring daily taunts about my name, I became enraged and pummeled the schoolyard bully and his sycophantic friends in a brutal melee.

epigram

noun: a witty saying<My favorite epigram from Mark Twain is "A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way.">

invective

noun: abusive or denunciatory language<The Internet has unleashed the invectives in many of us; many people post stinging criticism on the comments section underneath newspaper articles or YouTube videos.

vitriol

noun: abusive or venomous language used to express blame or bitter deep-seated ill will<His vitriol spewed forth from a deep-seated racism that consumed his whole life.

credulity

noun: acceptance, belief, conviction, tendency to believe readily Mnk: CRED means to believe so, credo, credible, credence, credit, credential, credulity, incredulous, creed, incredible all are associated with believe. <Virginia's wide-eyed credulity as a five-year old was replaced by suspicion after she learned that Santa Claus didn't really exist.> <He is not sending out spam in turn or trying to take advantage of their credulity.>

asperity

noun: acerbity, acrimony, sharpness, tartness, bitterness, harshness of manner, Mnk: aspiri + ty : aspiriN; ASPIRIN - IS given when there is SEVERE pAIN OR headache; <The editor was known for his asperity, often sending severe letters of rejection to amateur writers.>

audacity

noun: aggressive boldness in social situations, valor, fearlessness. <She surprised her colleagues by having the audacity to publicly criticize the findings of an distinguished scientist.>

celerity

noun: alacrity, quickness , rapidity , rapidness , speediness Mnk: Relate to: Accelerate = Ac (celerity) = which means speed up something or doing something rapidly. <We aim to respond to customers' questions with celerity and accuracy, with no longer than a 24 hour wait time.>

accolade

noun: an award or praise granted as a special honor<Jean Paul-Sartre was not a fan of accolades, and as such, he refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964.>

exegesis

noun: critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text<The Bible is fertile ground for exegesis—over the past five centuries there have been as many interpretations as there are pages in the Old Testament.>

temerity

noun: fearless daring<No child has the temerity to go in the rundown house at the end of the street and see if it is haunted.

gall

noun: feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will, the trait of being rude and impertinent <Even though Carly was only recently hired, she had the gall to question her boss's judgment in front of the office.> <In an act of gall, Leah sent compromising photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts.">

inequity

noun: injustice by virtue of not conforming with rules or standards<After decades of racial inequity, the "separate but equal" doctrine was successfully overturned.

schadenfreude

noun: joy from watching the suffering of others<From his warm apartment window, Stanley reveled in schadenfreude as he laughed at the figures below, huddled together in the arctic chill.

insouciance

noun: lack of concern<Surprisingly, Hank had become a high-powered CEO; his high school friends remembered him as "Hanky Panky", who shrugged off each failed class with insouciance.

raillery

noun: light teasing<The new recruit was not bothered by the raillery, finding most of it light-hearted and good-natured.

spendthrift

noun: one who spends money extravagantly <Taking weekly trips to Vegas, Megan was a spendthrift whose excesses eventually caught up to her.>

denouement

noun: outcome, climax, the final resolution of the many strands of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events Mnk: de+NOUncEMENT(ANNOUNCEMENT)..SO you are making an annoucement of your company's FINAL OUTCOME report.DEAL +ANOUNCEMENT <At the denouement of the movie, all questions were answered, and the true identityof the robber was revealed.>

hubris

noun: overbearing pride or presumption<Bill Clinton was criticized for his hubris, since he believed he could get away with anything once in the White House.

zenith

noun: the highest point; culmination<At the zenith of his artistic career, Elvis was outselling any other artist on the charts.

variance

noun: the quality of being different<The cynic quipped, "There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to lie".

Histrionic

overly theatrical

Inundate

overwhelmed by to many people or things

tangential

peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing

sage

person celebrated for wisdom

Desecrate

person willfully violates or destroys any sacred place

Indigent

poor

extrapolation

projection; superfluous

castigation

punishment; severe criticism

Variance

quality of varying

Peruse

read over quickly

neophyte

recent convert; beginner

Expurgate

remove objectionable material; censor; TV beeping of bad words

Telling

significant and stands out

dormant

sleeping; lethargic; latent

Errand

small chore

saturate

soak thoroughly

Pariah

social outcast

Venal

someone corrupt; likely accept bribe

Mellifluous

something sounds as sweet as honey

Fell

terribly evil; satan fell from the heavens

coagulate

thicken; congeal; clot

tenuous

thin; rare; slim

Jaundice

to be biased against, as result of envy or prejudice

Jejune

to be dull, insipid and lacking flavor; childish and immature

Gregarious

to be likely to socialize with others

Saturnine

to be morose; gloomy disposition; sullen and ill tempered

Retiring

to be shy; inclination to retract from company

Errant

to be wandering; not sticking to a circumscribed path

Embroiled

to become caught up in a scandal

Inveigle

to coax

Repine

to complain or fret over something

Indignant

to feel anger over a perceived injustice

Blinkered

to have a limited outlook or understanding

Attenuate

to weaken; to taper off, become thinner

Quisling

traitor

perfidious

treacherous; disloyal

chicanery

trickery; deception

Picayune

trifling or meager; person who is petty; fussing over trivial point

Catholic

universal

intractable

unruly; stubborn; unyielding

Malapropism

use of an incorrect word in place of a word with simliar sounds, resulting in nonsense

belie

verb: (v) repudiate, negate, confound, contravene, oppose, contradiction of thought emotion and appearance; misrepresent, outward appearance does not match up with the reality; Mnk: belie has lie <The smile on her face belies the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.>

buttress

verb: (v, n)support or encourage make stronger or defensible <China's economy has been buttressed by a global demand for the electronic parts the country manufactures.>

eschew

verb: avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of<Politicians are the masters of eschewing morals; academics are the masters of eschewing clarity.>

elicit

verb: call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)<Just smiling--even if you are depressed--can elicit feelings of pleasure and happiness.>

deliberate

verb: careful, calculated, debate, study, think about carefully; weigh the pros and cons of an issue Mnk: daily + berate => if you get berated(scolded) daily, you need to think it over as to why it happens. <Emergency situations such as this call for immediate action and leave no room to deliberate over options.>

decry

verb: condemn, objurgate, criticize, blame, express strong disapproval of MnK: deep + cry... focus on the CRY PART ...a girl CRYING to express her disapproval of getting married now. <The entire audience erupted in shouts and curses, decrying the penalty card issued by the referee.>

ostracize

verb: exclude from a community or group<Later in his life, Leo Tolstoy was ostracized from the Russian Orthodox Church for his writings that contradicted church doctrine.

abjure

verb: formally reject or give up (as a belief), give up, renounce; repudiate, recant, or shun (especially formally or under oath) <While the church believed that Galileo abjured the heliocentric theory under threat of torture, he later wrote a book clearly supporting the theory.>

rankle

verb: gnaw into; make resentful or angry<His constant whistling would rankle her, sometimes causing her to leave in a huff.

irk

verb: irritate or vex<My little sister has a way of irking and annoying me like no other person.

preclude

verb: keep from happening or arising; make impossible<The manager specified that all other gates be locked, to preclude the possibility of persons without tickets entering the arena undetected.

antedate -

verb: precede in time, antecede, forego, forgo, precede, predate <The church antedates the village itself.>

dissemble

verb: pretend, act, camouflage, feign , sham, disguise, conceal one's true motives, usually through deceit Mnk: seems like "dis assemble"(break) you broke the favourite pot of mom n den tried to "conceal" ur mistake...or pretending <To get close to the senator, the assassin dissembled his intentions, convincing many people that he was a reporter for a well-known newspaper.>

refute

verb: prove to be false or incorrect<No one could refute his theories or propositions, and that is why he was esteemed by all his colleagues in the philosophy department.

truncate

verb: reduce the length of something<The soccer game was truncated when the monsoon rain began to fall.

grovel

verb: show submission or fear<Every time Susan comes to the office, Frank grovels as if she were about to fire.

promulgate

verb: state or announce<The President wanted to promulgate the success of the treaty negotiations, but he had to wait until Congress formally approved the agreement.

maintain

verb: to assert<The scientist maintained that the extinction of dinosaurs was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate.

hector

verb: to bully or intimidate<The boss's hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs.

fleece

verb: to deceive<Many people have been fleeced by Internet scams and never received their money back.

mulct

verb: to defraud or swindle<The so-called magical diet cure simply ended up mulcting Maria out of hundreds of dollars, but did nothing for her weight.

champion

verb: to fight for a cause <Martin Luther King Jr. championed civil rights fiercely throughout his short life.>

defray

verb: to help pay the cost of, either in part of full Mnk: def + ray -> by paying for their education, you provide a "ray" of hope for "deaf" people!! <In order for Sean to attend the prestigious college, his generous uncle helped defray the excessive tuition with a monthly donation.>

prevaricate

verb: to speak in an evasive way<The cynic quipped, "There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate".

goad

verb: urge on with unpleasant comments<Doug did not want to enter the race, but Jim, through a steady stream of taunts, goaded him into signing up for it.

Sartorial

way we dress

Factious

when large group splinters into small ones

Melee

wild, confusing fight or struggle

impassive

without feeling; imperturbable; stoical

Malfeasance

wrongdoing, by public official

Naive

(adj) simple and unsophisticated, unsuspecting, lacking worldly experience and critical judgment

Hackneyed

(adj) so commonplace as to be stale; not fresh or original

Obstinate

(adj) stubborn or hard to control

Replete

(adj) supplied in abundance, filled, gorged (used with with)

Meticulous

(adj) taking extreme care in regards to details; precise, fussy

Prohibitive

(adj) tending to forbid something, or serving to prevent something

Pervasive

(adj) tending to spread throughout

cynical

(adj) thinking the worst of others' motivations; bitterly pessimistic

Impartial

(adj) unbiased, fair

Inadvertent

(adj) unintentional; characterized by a lack of attention, careless

counterintuitive

(adj) unreasonable, absurd, irratic, contrary to common sense, against what one would intuitively expect <How did he arrive at this counterintuitive conclusion?>

Precarious

(adj) unstable, insecure, dangerous

Judicious

(adj) using good judgment; wise, sensible

cogent

(adj) very convincing, logical, clear and persuasive, convincing Mnk: cogent - gent - a cooperative agent/person is always the right person to convince others. <A cogent argument will change the minds of even the most skeptical audience.>

Elated

(adj) very happy, in high spirits

Profound

(adj) very insightful, penetrating deeply into a subject; pervasive intense, "down to the very bottom;" at the very bottom

Fanciful

(adj) whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely imaginative rather than based on reason or reality

Estimable

(adj) worthy of esteem, admirable; able to be estimated

bygone

(adj, n) antiquated, ancient, archaic, past, former (adj); that which is in the past (usually plural noun)

aesthetic

(adj, n) concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj); a sense of beauty and taste of a particular time and place (noun) artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful

Partisan

(adj, n) devoted to a particular group, cause, etc. (adj); fervent supporter of a group, party, idea, etc.; guerilla fighter (noun)

Retrospective

(adj, n) looking to the past or backward; applying to the past, retroactive (adj); an art exhibit of an artist's work over a long period of time (n)

Patent

(adj, n) obvious, apparent, plain to see (adj); a letter from the government guaranteeing an inventor rights to his or her invention (noun)

Lavish

(adj, v) abundant or giving in abundance; marked by excess (adj); give very generously (verb)

Net

(adj, v) remaining after expenses or other factors have been deducted; ultimate (adj); to bring in as profit or to catch as in a net (verb)

articulate

(adj, verb) using language in a clear, fluent way (adj); speak distinctly or give clarity to an idea (verb) Mnk: ariculate sounds like 'article + ate'. An article in a magazine or newspaper must be 'clear and fluent in what they say' <"He articulated his concerns to the board of trustees">

beatific

(adj.) angelic, joy, blissful; rendering or making blessed, experiencing or bestowing, celestial joy Mnk: Beautiful beats makes one feel heavenly blissful <They liked to crowd around him, offering him cookies and bathing in his beatific essence.>

Moreover

(adv) besides; in addition to what was just stated

Nevertheless/Nonetheless

(adv) however, even so, despite that

conversely

(adv) in an opposite way; on the other hand

Inasmuch

(adv) in like manner, considering that (contradiction of "in as much," generally followed by "as")

Respectively

(adv) in the order given

Dogma

(n) A doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritativey; established belief <"he believed all the Marxist dogma">

Metamorphosis

(n) a complete change or transformer (in biology, a change such as a caterpillar becoming a pupa and then a butterfly)

Layperson

(n) a person who is not a member of the clergy or not a member of a particular profession (such as medicine, law, etc.)

Gradation

(n) a progression, a process taking place gradually, in stages; one of these stages

Hierarchy

(n) a ranked series; a classification of people according to rank, ability, etc.; a ruling body

Nuance

(n) a subtle difference in tone, meaning, and expression

Implication

(n) act of implying or that which is implied; close connection, esp. in an incriminating way

crescendo

(n) apex, acme, apogee, escalation, elevation, steady increase in force, intensity, or the loudness of a musical passage; a climactic moment or peak Mnk: CRESCENDO - CR + ESCENDO (ASCEND) - ascend means a gradual rising...here it refers to an increase in volume.

credibility

(n) believability, trustworthiness, integrity,

Plausible

(n) believable; having the appearance of truth

Idiosyncrasy

(n) characteristic or habit peculiar to an individual; peculiar quality, quirk

Guile

(n) clever deceit, cunning, craftiness

Paradox

(n) contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is actually true

counterpoint

(n) contrast, contradiction, contrasting item, opposite; a complement; the use of contrast or interplay in a work of art <Now, the counterpoints have disappeared and the news is in "raw" form, focused solely on reality.>

Hyperbole

(n) deliberate exaggeration for effect

anomaly

(n) deviation from what is common; inconsistency

discrepancy

(n) difference or inconsistency

Philanthropy

(n) efforts to improve the well-being of humankind, generally through giving money

connoisseur

(n) expert, especially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes

Fidelity

(n) faithful, loyalty; strict observance of duty; accuracy in reproducing a sound or image

chauvinism

(n) fanaticism, narrowness, bellicism, fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc.

dissonance

(n) harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement

Entitlement

(n) having the right to certain privileges; believing, sometimes without cause, that one deserves or has a right to certain privileges

Notoriety

(n) ill fame; the state of being well-known for a disgraceful reason

Prologue

(n) introductory part to a book, play, etc.

Preamble

(n) introductory statement, preface

apathy

(n) lack of caring; indifference, not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern Mnk: consider pathy==sympathy, there are two words. 1. antipathy = dislike 2. apathy = disinterested Since "anti" is stronger than "a".. disliking is 1 step above disinterested..

din

(n) loud, confused noise, esp. for a long period of time Mnk: DIN (morning) mein you will hear the loud noises of the traffic etc, but at night its very quiet <Noise-canceling headphones reduce the din without shattering your eardrums. >

Gist

(n) main idea, essence

Libertine

(n) morally or sexually unrestrained person; freethinker (regarding religion)

illiberality

(n) narrow-mindedness, bigotry; strictness or lack of generosity

Hedonist

(n) person devoted to pleasure

Exponent

(n) person who expounds or explains; champion, advocate, or representative

Recluse

(n) person who lives in seclusion

Ranks

(n) personnel; a group of people considered all together

Kudos

(n) praise, honor, congratulations

affectation

(n) pretension, imitation, fake behavior (such as in speech or dress) adopted to give a certain impression Mnk: 'affection' is natural and true, but 'affectation' is artificial and pretentious

deference

(n) respectful submission; yielding to the authority or opinion of another Mnk: people respect deferential equation problem bcoz they are hard <He responded with courtly deference, giving them his full attention. >

conundrum

(n) riddle, enigma, any mystery, a difficult problem, riddle; difficult problem Mnk: drum ke andar kaun hai <Computers have helped solve some of the mathematical conundrums which have puzzled man for many centuries.>

boor

(n) rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin Boor- boora (hindi)

Monotony

(n) sameness or repetitiousness to the point of being boring; lack of variation, uniformity, esp. repetition in sound

Paucity

(n) scarcity, the state of being small in number

Peccadillo

(n) small sin or fault

Precursor

(n) something that comes before, esp. something that also announces or suggests something on its way

Incentive

(n) something that encourages greater action or effort, such as a reward

deterrent

(n) something that restrains or discourages <New laws would act as a deterrent to spammers. >

buffer

(n) something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions

Eulogy

(n) speech of praise or written work of praise, esp. a speech given at a funeral

acme

(n) summit, peak, highest point

Rhetoric

(n) the art or study of persuasion through speaking or writing; language that is elaborate or pretentious but actually empty, meaning little

Resolution

(n) the quality of being firmly determined; resolving to do something; a formal judgment, esp. decided by a vote

Lassitude

(n) tiredness, weariness; lazy indifference

Quandary

(n) uncertainty or confusion about what to do, dilemma

Jargon

(n) vocabulary specific to a group or occupation; convoluted or unintelligible language

Makeshift

(n, adj) a temporary, often improvised, substitute (noun); improvised for temporary use (adj)

Landmark

(n, adj) object (such as a building) that stands out and can be used to navigate by; very important place, event, etc.

Fringe

(n, adj) on the margin, periphery (adj); the people in a group who hold the most extreme views (noun)

Occult

(n, adj, v) the supernatural (noun); pertaining to magic, astrology, etc.; mysterious, secret or hidden (adj); to hide, to shut off from view

Lampoon

(n, v) a harsh satire (noun); ridicule or satirize (verb)

Reproach

(n, v) blame, disgrace (noun); criticize, express disappointment in (verb)

Lull

(n, v) soothe or cause to fall asleep (as in a lullaby); quiet down; make to feel secure, sometimes falsely (verb); a period of calm or quiet (noun)

Eclipse

(n, v) the obscuring of one thing by another, such as the sun by the moon or a person by a more famous or talented person (noun); to obscure, darken, make less important (verb)

countenance

(n, v) visage, allow, let, permit, grant, endorsement, sanction, warrant facial expression or face (noun); approve or tolerate (verb) Mnk: (count+ten) A ten year old kid is learning how to count upto 10 and his dad's countenance gave kid a lot of encouragement <We would never countenance such work in humans, they say. >

pristine

"adjective: Unspoiled, untouched (usu. of nature), Immaculately clean and unused <The glacial lake was pristine and we filled our canteens to drink deeply.> <Drill sergeants are known for demanding pristine cabinets, uniforms, and beds, and often make new recruits clean and clean and clean until they meet the expected high standards.">

penurious

"adjective: lacking money; poor, miserly <Truly penurious, Mary had nothing more than a jar full of pennies.> <Warren Buffett, famous multi-billionaire, still drives a cheap sedan, not because he is penurious, but because luxury cars are gaudy and impractical.">

elaborate

"adjective: marked by complexity and richness of detail <Thomas, on returning from Morocco, replaced his dirty gray carpet with an elaborate one he'd brought back with him. 2.verb: explain in more detail

indigent

"adjective: poor; having very little, a poor or needy person , <In the so-called Third World, many are indigent and only a privileged few have the resources to enjoy material luxuries.> <The indigents, huddled under the overpass, tried to start a small bonfire in the hope of staying warm.">

mundane

"adjective: repetitive and boring; not spiritual, relating to the ordinary world <Nancy found doing dishes a thorougly mundane task, although Peter found a kind of Zen pleasure in the chore.> <Though we think of the pope as someone always dealing in holy matters, he is also concerned with mundane events, such as deciding when to set his alarm each morning.">

treacherous

"adjective: tending to betray, dangerously unstable and unpredictable<Even though Jesse James was an outlaw, his killer, Robert Ford, is remembered more for his treacherous actions than for eliminating a criminal and murder.> <The bridge built from twine and vine is treacherous to walk across, and so I think I will stay put right here.">

label

"noun: a name or phrase given to a group of things to identify them (often negative), to give a label to something <The meaning of the label """"punk"""" has changed greatly in the last 30 years.> <Children are often unkind and label others who look different as outsiders.">

presumption

"noun: an assumption that is taken for granted, audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to <When Mr. Baker found out the family car was gone, he acted under the presumption that his rebellious son had taken the car, calling his son's phone and yelling at him; only later did Mr. Baker realize that Mrs. Baker had simply gone out to get her nails done.> <The new neighbor quickly gained a reputation for her presumption; she had invited herself to several neighbors' homes, often stopping over at inopportune times and asking for a drink.">

prevail

"verb: be widespread in a particular area at a particular time; be current:, prove superior <During the labor negotiations, an air of hostility prevailed in the office.> Before the cricket match, Australia was heavily favored, but India prevailed."

censor

"verb: bowdlerize, Expurgate, removing objectionable words or materials; abridge, to examine and remove objectionable material Every fall, high school English teachers are inundated by requests to censor their curriculum by removing the Catcher in the Rye and Scarlet Letter from their reading lists.

subsume

"verb: contain or include, consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle<The rogue wave quickly subsumed the pier and boardwalk, destroying everything in its path.> <Don Quixote of La Mancha subsumes all other modern novels, demonstrating modern literary devices and predating even the idea of a postmodern, meta narrative.">

implicate

"verb: convey a meaning; imply, to indicate in wrongdoing, usually a crime <By saying that some of the guests were uncomfortable, the manager implicated to the hotel staff that it needed to be more diligent.> <The crime boss was implicated for a long list of crimes, ranging from murder to disturbing the peace.">

sanction

"verb: give authority or permission to, a legal penalty for a forbidden action <The authorities have sanctioned the use of the wilderness reserve for public use; many expect to see hikers an campers enjoying the park in the coming months.> <International sanctions have been placed on certain shipping lanes that were thought to be involved in human trafficking.">

mitigate

"verb: make less severe or harsh, lessen the severity of an offense <I can only spend so much time mitigating your disagreements with your wife, and at certain point, you need to do it on your own.> <If it weren't for the mitigating circumstances, he would have certainly lost his job.">

obscure

"verb: make unclear, adjective: known by only a few <On the Smith's drive through the Grand Canyon, Mr. Smith's big head obscured much of Mrs. Robinson's view, so that she only saw momentary patches of red rock.> <Many of the biggest movie stars were once obscure actors who got only bit roles in long forgotten films.">

dissipate

"verb: squander or spend frivolously and unwisely Mnk: di-SIP-ATE Sip = drinking, Ate = Eating,, a life of drinking and eating , thus spending a lot and pursuin pleasure! <The recent graduates dissipated their earnings on trips to Las Vegas and cruises in Mexico. 2，: disperse, to disperse or scatter < Kathleen's perfume was overwhelming in the cramped apartment, but once we stepped outside the smell dissipated and we could breathe once again.>"

qualify

"verb: to be eligible for a role, status, or benefit by meeting specific requirements; to make less severe; to limit (a statement) <If James had made more than $50,000 last year, then he wouldn't have qualified for the low-income scholarship.;> <Chris qualified his love for San Francisco, adding that he didn't like the weather as much as the weather in Los Angeles.">

check

"verb: to limit (usually modifying the growth of something), Stop its growth; if something is left unchecked, it grows freely

maunder

"verb: wander aimlessly, verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly <Max liked to maunder down by the seaside and pick up whatever sea shells he would stumble upon.> <After drinking two espressos each, the animated couple would maunder loudly, annoying the other patrons in the coffee shop.">

e.g.

(abbre.) for example, such as

Fallacious

(ad) containing a fallacy, or mistake in logic; logically unsound; deceptive

disjointed

(adj) divided, dislocated, separated, confused, disconnected, not coherent, jerky; having the joints separated <Play was occasionally disjointed, and there were four yellow cards handed out.> <It's a fragmented, disjointed landscape for the consumer.>

Malleable

(adj) able to be bent, shaped, or adapted

Intelligible

(adj) able to understood, clear

aberrant

(adj) abnormal, deviant

Orthodox

(adj) adhering to a traditional, established faith, or to anything customary or commonly accepted

Dubious

(adj) ambiguous , arguable, doubtful, questionable, suspect MNK: dubious - opposite of obvious..i.e) in doubt or questionable <When online travel agencies started rolling out smartphone apps, I was dubious. > <The study being done is of dubious value. >

chronological

(adj) arranged in or relating to time order

Dormant

(adj) asleep, inactive, on a break, indolent, sleeping; lethargic; latent <They can live up to 18 months without a meal and can lie dormant until they do damage. >

canonical

(adj) authorized, recognized; pertaining to the canon, or body of accepted rules, standards or artistic works Mnk: The canon shoots with traditional accuracy under law.

Presumptive

(adj) based on inference or assumption; providing reasonable grounds for belief

decorous

(adj) behaving with propriety and good taste; polite

Intrinsic

(adj) belonging to the essential nature of a thing

Optimal/Optimum

(adj) best, most desirable or favorable

Partial

(adj) biased, prejudiced, favoring one over the others; having a special liking for something or someone (usually partial to)

Hardy

(adj) bold, brave, capable of enduring hardship, fatigue, cold, etc.

Onerous

(adj) burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure

archaic

(adj) bygone, antiquated, characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive, antiquated <Hoping to sound intelligent, Mary spoke in archaic English that was right out of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice--needless to say, she didn't have many friends.>

Offhand

(adj) casual, informal; done without preparation or forethought; rude in a short way, brusque

Pretentious

(adj) claiming or demanding a position of importance or dignity, esp. when unjustified; showing off creating deceptive, false show of worth

analogous

(adj) comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a good analogy), comparable

complementary

(adj) completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs

Exhaustive

(adj) comprehensive, thorough, exhausting a topic or subject, accounting for all possibilities; draining, tending to exhaust

Patronizing

(adj) condescending, having a superior manner, treating as an inferior

crafty

(adj) cunning, skillful in deception or underhanded schemes

Quotidian

(adj) daily; everyday, ordinary

Ingrained

(adj) deep-rooted, forming part of the very essence; worked into the fiber

derivative

(adj) derived from something else; not original

Pious

(adj) devout; religiously reverent and dutiful

Heterogeneous

(adj) different in type, incongruous; composed of different types of elements

Intractable

(adj) difficult to control, manage, or manipulate; hard to cure; stubborn

Perfidious

(adj) disloyal, treacherous, violating one's trust

detached

(adj) dispassionate, impartial, disinterested; unconcerned, distant, aloof

Pronounced

(adj) distinct, strong, clearly indicated

Polarized

(adj) divided into sharply opposed groups

Languid

(adj) drooping from exhaustion, sluggish, slow; lacking in spirit

Fanatical

(adj) excessively devoted, enthusiastic, or zealous in an uncritical way

Officious

(adj) excessively eager in giving unwanted advice or intruding where one is not wanted; meddlesome, pushy

conversant

(adj) experienced, proficient, skilled, knowledgeable about or experienced with Mnk: Through conversations you can gain more knowledge and thus become conversant. < Politicians are more conversant with human irrationality than most. >

Prodigious

(adj) extraordinarily large, impressive, etc.

Equitable

(adj) fair, equal, just

Phony

(adj) fake, counterfeit; insincere, not genuine

bogus

(adj) fake, fraudulent

Intrepid

(adj) fearless, brave, enduring in the face of adversity

Reverent

(adj) feeling or expressing very deep respect and awe

Glib

(adj) fluent and easy in a way that suggests superficiality or insincerity

Haven

(adj) harbor or port; refuge, safe place

counterproductive

(adj) harmful, detrimental, unfavorable, inimical, defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal <Some discussions may be counterproductive, but greater awareness of and conversation about cyber threats is a net positive for security.>

Pristine

(adj) in an original, pure state; uncorrupted

Inconsequential

(adj) insignificant, unimportant; illogical

Extraneous

(adj) irrelevant; foreign, coming from without, not belonging

Jocular

(adj) joking or given to joking all the time; jolly, playful

Facetious

(adj) joking, humorous, esp. inappropriately; not serious, concerned with frivolous things

discriminating

(adj) judicious, discerning, having good judgment or insight

Incipient

(adj) just beginning; in a very early stage

Inchoate

(adj) just begun, undeveloped, unorganized

discerning

(adj) knowledgeable, insightful, discriminating, astute, having good judgment or insight; able to distinguish mentally Mnk: READ IT AS di-screening. A DUAL SCREENING PERSON, WHO KEEPS ON SCREENING EVERYTHING AROUND TWICE( VERY OBSERVANT, ALERT) <Thank you for this refreshing bit of logical, discerning analysis. >

Ephemeral

(adj) lasting only a short time, fleeting

Mendacious

(adj) lying, habitually dishonest

Eloquent

(adj) marked by forceful, fluid, apt speech; expressive, emotionally moving

Indifferent

(adj) not caring, having no interest; unbiased, impartial

Reticent

(adj) not talking much; private (of a person), restrained, reserved

Opaque

(adj) not translucent; not allowing light, hear, etc. to pass through; dark, dull, unclear or stupid

compliant

(adj) obeying, submissive; following the requirements, yielding; conforming to requirements Mnk: compli(comply)+ant(aunt)..TO comply with UR AUNT wishes or willings.

Homogeneous

(adj) of the same kind; uniform throughout

adverse

(adj) opposing, harmful, inimical, reluctant inimical--inimi=enemy, and enemies cause damage. So inimical means something damaging.

Pedestrian

(adj) ordinary, dull, commonplace

Obsolete

(adj) out of date, no longer in use

Incongruous

(adj) out of place, inappropriate, not harmonious

Placid

(adj) peaceful, calm, tranquil

Feasible

(adj) possible; logical or likely; suitable

Futile

(adj) producing no useful result, ineffective; trivial unimportant

Remedial

(adj) providing a remedy, curative; correcting a deficient skill

Egalitarian

(adj) related to the belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political, economic, or social spheres

Peripheral

(adj) relating to or making up an outer boundary or region; not of primary importance

abrasive

(adj) rough, suitable for grinding or polishing (such as sandpaper); causing irritation or annoyance

Erudite

(adj) scholarly, knowledgeable; possessing a deep, often systematic, knowledge

complacent

(adj) self-satisfied, pleased, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy, neglectful, or some other bad quality), contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions, Mnk: complacent = completely placement -- satisfied <After the water polo team won their sixth championship, they became complacent and didn't even make it to the playoffs the next year.>

Obsequious

(adj) servile, very compliant, fawning

Incendiary

(adj) setting on fire, pertaining to arson; arousing strife, rebellion, etc.; "inflaming" the senses

clamor

(v) cacophony, dissonance, noise, agitation, turmoil, noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; a loud, continuous noise Mnk: CLAIM+MORE: So when you claim for more or demand more there is a loud noise or complain <Fans are already clamoring for the best seats to this major>

Overshadow

(v) cast a shadow over, darken; dominate, make to seem less important

Exculpate

(v) clear from guilt or blame

Incorporate

(v) combine, unite; form a legal corporation; embody, give physical form to

Extrapolate

(v) conjecture about an unknown by projecting information about something known; predict by projecting past experience

coalesce

(v) consolidate, amalgamate, adhere, cling, integrate, fuse, come together, unite; fuse together Mnk: coalesce: coa+LACE: lace is used to tie things together or mix things together <Over time, the various tribes coalesced into a single common culture with one universal language.>

confer

(v) consult, compare views; bestow or give

Emulate

(v) copy in an attempt to equal or be better than

Enumerate

(v) count or list; specify one-by-one

aver

(v) declare or affirm with confidence, assert confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact,

Embellish

(v) decorate, add ornamentation; enhance (a story) with fictional or fanciful details

Negate

(v) deny or refute; make void or cause to be ineffective

digress

(v) depart, ramble, go off-topic when speaking or writing, <I'm going to have to digress a little to answer you. >

Divest

(v) deprive or strip of rank, title, etc., or of clothing or gear; to sell off holdings (opposite of invest) MNk: opposite to invest; di + vest; vest means an inner garment; divest is to remove it. <The Federal Trade Commission ordered the companies to divest 168 stores.>

disperse

(v) diffuse, broadcast , circularise , circularize ,,scatter, spread widely, cause to vanish <Police had to disperse them.>

daunt

(v) discourage, dishearten, lessen the courage of

abdicate

(v) formally give up the throne (or some other power or responsibility)

disabuse

(v) free someone from a mistake in thinking, free somebody (from an erroneous belief) <No one in my family could disabuse me of that belief. >

Flag

(v) get tired, lose enthusiasm; hang limply or droop

Render

(v) give, submit, surrender; translate; declare formally; cause to become

Reap

(v) harvest, such as by cutting; gather; get as a result of one's effort

Impede

(v) hold back, obstruct the progress of

Foment

(v) incite, instigate, stir up, promote the growth of; apply medicated liquid to a body part

Proliferate

(v) increase or spread rapidly or excessively

Foreshadow

(v) indicate or suggest beforehand, presage

discredit

(v) injure the reputation of, destroy credibility of or confidence in

Inform

(v) inspire, animate; give substance, essence, or context to; be the characteristic quality of

deem

(v) judge; consider, expect, presume, hold Mnk: Seem will mean appear and deem will mean consider. <The school will teach what the parents deem important. >

alleviate

(v) lessen, make easier to endure, relieve

Facilitate

(v) make easier, help the progress of

aggrandize

(v) make greater; exaggerate

Quibble

(v) make trivial arguments or criticisms, find faults in a petty way, esp. to evade something more important

Plummet

(v) plunge, fall straight down

deflect

(v) preclude, avert, avoid, distract, debar,bend, turn away cause to curve; turn aside, esp. from a straight course; avoid Mnk: sounds like reflect. If some thing reflects, it turns away <"He deflected his competitors"> <he deflected responsibility to the private sector,>

Refute

(v) prove to be false

distill

(v) purify; extract the essential elements of

Enhance

(v) raise to a higher value, desirability, etc.

Elevate

(v) raise, lift up; lift the spirits of; move up to a higher rank or status or raise up to a higher spiritual or intellectual plane

Requite

(v) reciprocate, repay, or revenge

abridge

(v) reduce or lessen; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea

abate

(v) reduce, diminish, subside or moderate

anoint

(v) rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by ceremony that includes applying oil to someone Mnl: AN+OIL > apply an oil to consecrate someone

Placate

(v) satisfy or calm down (angry or dissatisfied person), esp. by conciliatory gestures

Relegate

(v) send or commit to an inferior place, rank, condition, etc.; exile, banish; assign (a task) to someone else

Eschew

(v) shun, avoid, abstain from

Permeate

(v) spread or penetrate throughout

constrict

(v) squeeze, compress; restrict the freedom of, attenuate, circumscribe Mnk: Con+strict <Macau's short supply of land will also constrict growth>

adhere

(v) stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief <They adhered to their plan >

Fortify

(v) strengthen, invigorate, encourage

Document

(v) support with evidence, cite sources in a detailed way, create documentary evidence of

desiccate

(v) thoroughly dried up, dehydrated

deface

(v) vandalize, demolish, ruin, mar the appearance of Mnk: "DE-FACE".. deforming the face <Never deface rock art by scratching or rubbing the rock surface. >

assuage

(v)alleviate, mitigate, placate, make milder, pacify, relieve; soothe, pacify, or calm, ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger)

Divine

(v)celestial, eternal, spiritual, beatific, discover through divination or supernatural means; perceive by insight <The roast venison, made with spices from southern Asia, is divine. >

console

(v, n) Assuage, soothe, lessen the suffering or grief of (verb); a control panel, or small table or cabinet (noun) Mnk: con sa sol lagaye apke shoe me ki app comfort feel karenge

Levy

(v, n) collect tax from, wage war on, or enlist for military service (verb); act of collecting tax or amount owed, or the drafting of troops into military service (noun)

Offset

(v, n) counteract, compensate for (verb); a counterbalance (noun)

Resolve

(v, n) find a solution to; firmly decide to do something; decide by formal vote (verb); firmness of purpose (noun)

Log

(v, n) keep a record of, write down; travel for or at a certain distance or speed (verb); a written record (noun)

Lament

(v, n) mourn; express grief, sorrow, or regret (verb); an expression of grief, esp. as a song or poem (noun)

succumb

(v.) to give way to superior force, yield, To give in

appropriate

(verb): to give or take something by force, acquire; take possession of for one's own use, capture, seize The government appropriated land that was occupied by squatters, sending them scurrying for another place to live. (verb): to allocate, proper, befitting The committee appropriated the funds to its various members.

dispatch

1"noun: Shipment, expedition, complete, discharge, the property of being prompt and efficient, the act of sending off something, killing a person or animal, complete or carry out Mnk: dispatch = [DIS]tribute + [FAST]ly <She finished her thesis with dispatch, amazing her advisors who couldn't believe she hadn't written 60 scholarly pages so quickly. 2.dispose of rapidly and without delay and efficiently <The two officers were then dispatched to track down the vehicle..>"

contingent

1. adj conditional; accidental, dependent, possible, incidental, haphazard, possible but not certain to occur, a gathering of persons representative of some larger group Mnk: remember contingent virus >>> contingent virus spreads or prevails due to the prevailing conditions or circumstances.. <A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.> <Whether the former world champions can win again this year is contingent upon none of its star players getting injured.>

Inflammable

1. can easily light one fire; 2. extremely controversial, incendiary

concede

1. capitulate, cede, acknowledge defeat, give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing a war) I concede. You win! 2. admit (to a wrongdoing) After a long, stern lecture from her father, Olivia conceded to having broken the window. 3. give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another The Spanish were forced to concede much of the territory they had previously conquered.

Excoriate

1. criticize really harshly; 2. tear one's skin from the body

Iconoclast

1. one who destroys religious images; 2. somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institution

derelict

1.MnK: dairy + licked=> people will tend to abandon/discard a "dairy milk" chocolate that has been licked.. (of a person) not doing one's duties <The teacher was derelict in her duties because she hadn't graded a single student paper in three weeks.> 2.(of a building) abandoned <The teacher was derelict in her duties because she hadn't graded a single student paper in three weeks.> 3. adj. damaged, in deplorable condition

constituent

1.a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes <The mayor's constituents are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another> candidate in the upcoming election. 2. essential, fundamental, ingredient, an abstract part of something <The constituents of the metal alloy are nickle, copper, and tin.>

devolve

1.verb: assign, transfer, pass on or delegate to another, be inherited by, <The company was full of managers known for devolving tasks to lower management, but never doing much work themselves. 2.verb: degenerate, deteriorate, drop, grow worse (usually ""devolve into""), <The dialogue between the two academics devolved into a downright bitter argument.>"

deter

1.verb: discourage, avert, preclude, prohabit, restrain, turn away from by persuasion Mnk: DETERgent prevents dirt <His mother tried to deter him from joining the army, but he was too intoxicated with the idea of war to listen. 2.verb: try to prevent; show opposition to The government's primary job should involve deterring paths to war, not finding ways to start them.>"

destitute

1。adjective: impoverished, indigent, exhausted, poor enough to need help from others Mnk: desi+tit+cute like prostitute ->they r poor thats why they det into prostitution.... no hard feelings <Jean Valjean, is at first destitute, but through the grace of a priest, he makes something of his life. 2.adjective: completely wanting or lacking (usually ""destitute of"") <Now that the mine is closed, the town is destitute of any economic activity.>"

cornucopia

Abundance

Animosity

Acrimony, Antipathy, asperity , intense hostility, resentment Mnk: pronounce animosity like 'Enemy'sity. so if someone is having enemysity he will have ill will intentions.

crestfallen

Adj: Disappointed, discouraged, dejected, downcast MnK; after fell from the everest(crest).u felt sad and disappointed. <My husband was crestfallen, although he laughed, too>

consummate

Adj: Skilled, accomplished, conspicuous, talented Mnk: if you want to consume your mate(wife), you have to be complete 'a complete man- raymonds <Tyler was the consummate musician: he was able to play the guitar, harmonica, and the drum at the same time.> 2.absolute, to make perfect and complete in every respect The restoration of the ancient church was only consummated after a twenty years of labor

discordant

Adj: not harmonious; conflicting, discrepant, dissonant, clashing, cacophonous, <The only discordant note in the entire house, it seemed, was the occupant herself. >

Cadaverous

Adj: pale, gaunt; skinny or emaciated that they look like a dead person Mnk: the presence of a carnivorous(feeding on flesh) makes you cadaverous.

diffidence

Adj: shyness, hesitance, timidness Mnk: it is like opposite of confidence means you are shy not confident <Building robotic traffic police and guides will make it easier for people to overcome their diffidence. >

adulterate

Alloy, amalgamate, attenuate, impair, degrade make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances

albeit

Although, even though

Involved

Complicated; difficult to comprehend

clemency

N: forgiveness, mercifulness, mercy, compassion Mnk: cle=claim+ mency=mercy give me some mercy... <In the final moments of the trial, during his closing speech, Phillips was nearly begging the judge for clemency.>

Cosset

V: to pamper; treat with great care Mnk: you will treat him/her with care regardless of the COSt SET

Phantasmagorical

a series of images that seem as though they are out of a dream, real or in one's head

Fusillade

a series of shots fired or missiles thrown all at the same time or in a quick succession

Venial

a sin or an offense, minor or pardonable; not referred to a person

Apostasy

abandonment, renunciation, disaffection, believers turn against their faith and renounce it Mnk: A+POST+STAY....when you postpone staying in your own country, you renounce your country.....

plasticity

ability to be molded

Thoroughgoing

absolute

compendium

abstract, brief, comprehensive summary

Kafkaesque

absurdity we have to deal with living in a world of faceless bureaucracies

Screed

abusive rant; tedious; hackneyed

vituperative

abusive; scolding

inured

accustomed; hardened

Preemptive

act before someone else

Turpitude

acts deemed to be down right wicked and immoral

derogative

adj disparaging, expressed as worthless or in negative terms <Never before have we seen a debate between two political candidates that was so derogative and filthy.> <"derogative comments">

contentious

adj: antagonistic, quarrelsome, likely to argue Mnk: Contentious- (Contender+Serious) One who takes competition too serious always fights and quarrels) <Since old grandpa Harry became very contentious during the summer when only reruns were on T.V., the grandkids learned to hide from him at every opportunity.>

contrite

adj: regretful, apologetic, humble, remorseful, rueful , ruthful Mnk: SPLIT AS cont (COUNT) - rite (RIGHT). COUNT THE CASH RIGHT, ELSE YOU WILL REGRET IT. <Though he stole his little sister's licorice stick with malevolent glee, Chucky soon became contrite when his sister wouldn't stop crying.>

craven

adj: very cowardly, lacking courage Mnk: Craven sounds like Cita + RAVana => Ravana was a coward man!!! he proved it by taking away Cita/Sita in absence of Ram.

laudable

adj: worthy of high praise <To say that Gandhi's actions were laudable is the greatest understatement; he overthrew an empire without violence.>

base

adjective: (adj) morally low, mean, dishonorable; of little or no value; crude and unrefined; counterfeit, the lowest, class were without any moral principles <She was not so base as to begrudge the beggar the unwanted crumbs from her dinner plate.>

unpropitious

adjective: (of a circumstance) with little chance of success<With only a bottle of water and a sandwich, the hikers faced an unpropitious task: ascending a huge mountain that took most two days to climb.

mercurial

adjective: (of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood<The fact that Ella's moods were as mercurial as the weather was problematic for her relationships—it didn't help that she lived in Chicago.

internecine

adjective: (of conflict) within a group or organization<The guerilla group, which had become so powerful as to own the state police, was finally destroyed by an internecine conflict.

turgid

adjective: (of language) pompous and tedious<The amount of GRE vocabulary he used increased with his years--by the time he was 60, his novels were so turgid that even his diehard fans refused to read them.

lucid

adjective: (of language) transparently clear; easily understandable<Though Walters writes about physics and time travel, his writing is always lucid, so readers with little scientific training can understand difficult concepts.

plodding

adjective: (of movement) slow and laborious<Charlie may seem to run at a plodding pace, but he is an ultramarathoner, meaning he runs distances of up to 100 miles, and can run for ten hours at a stretch.

unruly

adjective: (of persons) noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline; unwilling to submit to authority<Walk in to any preschool and I am sure that you will find an unruly and chaotic scene—unless it's nap time.

untenable

adjective: (of theories etc) incapable of being defended or justified<With the combination of Kepler's brilliant theories and Galileo's telescopic observations, the old geocentric theory became untenable to most of the educated people in Europe.

ignominious

adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame<Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party.

dictatorial

adjective: : authoritarian, autocratic, despotic, expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler<The coach was dictatorial in his approach: no players could ever argue or question his approach.>

complicit

adjective: Associated with or participating in an activity, especially one of a questionable nature.<While the grand jury cleared the senator of all criminal charges, in the public mind he was still complicit in the corruption.>

eccentric

adjective: Unconventional, capricious, erratic, strange, highly unconventional or unusual (usually describes a person) Mnk: ec(x)-centric(normal): going away from the center that is departing from the norms <Mozart was well-known for his eccentricities, often speaking words backward to confuse those around him.>

derisive

adjective: abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule Mnk: derisive is like der se receive..so If you receive something late ..then you abuse that person from whom you have received <Bush's derisive idea, for which he was derided.>

palatable

adjective: acceptable to the taste or mind<MIkey didn't partake much in his friends' conversations, but found their presence palatable.

capricious

adjective: acting on impulse, erratic, unpredictable; fickle, determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason <Nearly every month our capricious CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.>

perspicacious

adjective: acutely insightful and wise<Many modern observers regard Eisenhower as perspicacious, particularly in his accurate prediction of the growth of the military.

cohesive

adjective: adhere, well integrated, forming a united whole Mnk: co+hes+iveâ€"CO members of group HES(has) to STICK TOGTHER inorder to achieve a goal <A well-written, cohesive essay will keep on topic at all times, never losing sight of the main argument.>

commendable

adjective: admirable, creditable, meritorious, worthy of high praise Mnk: commendable= come to an end able i.e he is able to come to end of this process that's why he is praiseworthy. <The efforts of the firefighters running into the burning building were commendable.>

unequivocal

adjective: admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion<The President's first statement on the subject was vague and open to competing interpretations, so when he spoke to Congress about the same subject later, he was cafeful to make his position completely unequivocal.

genial

adjective: agreeable, conducive to comfort<Betty is a genial young woman: everyone she meets is put at ease by her elegance and grace.

hoary

adjective: ancient<Most workout gurus are young, fit people, whereas most yoga gurus are hoary men with long white beards.

facile

adjective: arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth<Many news shows provide facile explanations to complex politics, so I prefer to read the in-depth reporting of The New York Times.

cavalier

adjective: arrogant, given to haughty disregard of others Mnk: CAVALIER sounds like cavalry, which is the part of the army which serve on the horse back and they are definitely more arrogant than the soldier on feet <Percy dismissed the issue with a cavalier wave of his hand.>

overweening

adjective: arrogant; presumptuous<Mark was so convinced of his basketball skills that in his overweening pride he could not fathom that his name was not on the varsity list; he walked up to the basketball coach and told her she had forgotten to add his name.

disingenuous

adjective: artful, distorted, deceitful, dishonest, perverted, twisted, not straightforward; giving a false appearance of frankness Mnk: INGENUOUS(can be remembered as genuine) IS SINCERE, INNOCENT AND SOPHISTICATED. AND disingenuous IS not naive, insincere <Many adults think that they can lie to children, but kids are smart and know when people are disingenuous.>

factitious

adjective: artificial; not natural<The defendant's story was largely factitious and did not accord with eyewitness testimonies

tempestuous

adjective: as if driven by turbulent or conflicting emotions; highly energetic and wildly changing or fluctuating<Chuck and Kathy had always been stable and agreeable people on their own, but when they got involved, it was a tempestuous relationship.

forthcoming

adjective: at ease in talking to others, available when required or as promised <The President announced that the senators were about to reach a compromise, and that he was eager to read the forthcoming details of the bill.> <As a husband, Larry was not forthcoming: if Jill didn't demand to know details, Larry would never share them with her.">

concomitant

adjective: attendant , consequent, ensuant , incidental , resultant , sequent, describing an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another Mnk: con(together) +comitant(sounds like commitment)..so if we have committed to each other, we'll go together. <We are seeing a concomitant increase in deployment.>

obsequious

adjective: attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery<The obsequious waiter did not give the couple a moment's peace all through the meal, constantly returning to their table to refill their water glasses and to tell them what a handsome pair they made.

doughty

adjective: audacious , intrepid, chivalrous ,brave; bold; courageous, Resolute and without fear <I enjoy films in which a doughty group comes together to battle a force of evil.>

cumbersome

adjective: awkward , clumsy , bulky, inapt , inept, burdensome, ponderous, difficult tohandle or use especially because of size or weight Mnk: (Come-bear-some) come bear some heavy things that are hard to manage <Only ten years ago, being an avid reader and a traveler meant carrying a cumbersome backpack stuffed with books--these days we need only an e-reader.>

obtain

adjective: be valid, applicable, or true<The custom of waiting your turn in line does not obtain in some countries, in which many people try to rush to front of the line at the same time.

impertinent

adjective: being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold<Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer's questions impertinent—after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline's favorite snack was?

tantamount

adjective: being essentially equal to something<In many situations, remaining silent is tantamount to admitting guilt, so speak to prove your innocence.

rudimentary

adjective: being in the earliest stages of development; being or involving basic facts or principles<I would love to be able to present a fully polished proposal to the board, but right now, our plans for the product are still in the most rudimentary stages.

moribund

adjective: being on the point of death; declining rapidly losing all momentum in progress<Whether you like it or not, jazz as a genre is moribund at best, possibly already dead.

mordant

adjective: biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style<While Phil frequently made mordant remarks about company policy overall, he always was considerably gentler in discussing any person in particular.

candid

adjective: blunt, impartial,truthful, open, sincere, honest, a straightforward and honest look at something Mnk: candiadates in a interview are recommended to be straight forward,outspoken and honest in an interview for best result..... <Even with a perfect stranger, Charles was always candid and would rarely hold anything back.>

peremptory

adjective: bossy and domineering<My sister used to peremptorily tell me to do the dishes, a chore I would either do perfunctorily or avoid doing altogether.

effervescent

adjective: bubbly, sparkling, marked by high spirits or excitement Mnk: efferve+scent = scent arouse sprite within us <After the sales result, the manager was in an effervescent mood, letting several employees leave work early that day.>

serene

adjective: calm and peaceful<I'd never seen him so serene; usually, he was a knot of stress and anxiety from hours of trading on the stock exchange.

whimsical

adjective: capricious; fanciful, determined by impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason <Adults look to kids and envy their whimsical nature at times, wishing that they could act without reason and play without limitation.

provident

adjective: careful in regard to your own interests; providing carefully for the future<In a move that hardly could be described as provident, Bert spend his entire savings on a luxurious cruise, knowing that other bills would come due a couple months later.

slapdash

adjective: carelessly and hastily put together<The office building had been constructed in a slapdash manner, so it did not surprise officials when, during a small earthquake, a large crack emerged on the façade of the building.

nettlesome

adjective: causing irritation or annoyance<Maria found her coworker's cell phone nettlesome, because every few minutes it would buzz to life with another text message.

chary

adjective: cautious, WARY, suspiciously reluctant to do something, fastidious, cagey, canny. Mnk: CHARY sounds similar to WARY, meaning CAUTIOUS. <Having received three speeding tickets in the last two months, Jack was chary of driving at all above the speed limit, even on a straight stretch of highway that looked empty for miles ahead.>

rustic

adjective: characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial<The vacation cabin had no electricity and no indoor plumbing, but despite these inconveniences, Nigel adored its rustic charm.

provincial

adjective: characteristic of the a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated<Maggie's enthusiasm about her high school teams seemed provincial to her college classmates, all of whom were following a nationally ranked college team.

forthright

adjective: characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion<I did not expect the insurance agent to give us any straight answers, but I was pleasantly surprised by how forthright he was.

laborious

adjective: characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort<The most laborious job I've had was working 20 hours a day as a fisherman in King Salmon, Alaska.

industrious

adjective: characterized by hard work and perseverance<Pete was an industrious student, completing every assignment thoroughly and on time.

jocular

adjective: characterized by jokes and good humor<My uncle was always in a jocular mood at family gatherings, messing up people's hair and telling knock-knock jokes to anyone who would listen.

ethereal

adjective: characterized by lightness and insubstantiality<Because she dances with an ethereal style, ballet critics have called her Madame Butterfly.>

precocious

adjective: characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude)<Though only seven years old, she was a precocious chess prodigy, able to beat players twice her age.

trenchant

adjective: characterized by or full of force and vigor; having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect<Jill presented a rather superficial treatment of sales in Asia, but her trenchant analysis of sales in Europe inspired a number of insights into how to proceed in that market.

impetuous

adjective: characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation<Herbert is rarely impetuous, but on the spur of the moment, he spent thousands of dollars on a motorcycle today.

gossamer

adjective: characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy<The gossamer wings of a butterfly, which allow it to fly, are also a curse, so delicate that they are often damaged.

winsome

adjective: charming in a childlike or naive way<She was winsome by nature, and many people were drawn to this free and playful spirit.

debonair

adjective: charming, elegant, affable, having a sophisticated charm Mnk: DEBOnair : DEBO sounds like BEBO which is Kareena kapoor whose very charming ,sauve and urbane. Shes also very cheerful all the times <James Bond is known for his good looks, high tech gadgets, and debonair manner.>

discreet

adjective: chary, wary, cautious, sensible, circumspect, prudent, discerning, tactful careful to protect one's speech or actions in order to avoid offense or gain an advantage Mnk: discreet-> diSECRET. "You must be discreet about our SECRET." <The professor thought that he was discreet, subtly wiping the stain off of his shirt, but as soon as he stepped off the podium a member of the audience pointed out the large ketchup stain.>

sanguine

adjective: cheerful; optimistic<With the prospect of having to learn 3,000 words during the course of the summer, Paul was anything but sanguine.

limpid

adjective: clarity in terms of expression<Her limpid prose made even the most recondite subjects accessible to all.

facetious

adjective: cleverly amusing in tone<Facetious behavior will not be tolerated during sex eduation class; it's time for all of you to treat these matters like mature adults.

impending

adjective: close in time; about to occur<The impending doom of our world has been a discussed and debated for 2000 years—maybe even longer.

relevant

adjective: closely connected to the topic and therefore important<I think Professor McGarry can give you some relevant books to help you write that essay.

maladroit

adjective: clumsy<As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer.

nonchalant

adjective: coming across as uninterested or unconcerned; overly casual<The twenty-somethings at the coffee shop always irked Sheldon, especially the way in which they acted nonchalantly towards everything, not even caring when Sheldon once spilled his mocha on them.

expansive

adjective: communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner<After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became expansive, speaking fondly of the "good old days".>

docile

adjective: complaint, gentle, obedient, yelding, teachable, easily handled or managed; willing to be taught or led or supervised or directed Mnk: Doc + File >>> when documents are arranged properly in a file, it can be easily handled and managed... <Barnyard animals are considerably more docile than the wild animals.>

replete

adjective: completely stocked or furnished with something<Only weeks after the hurricane made landfall, the local supermarket shelves were replete with goods, so quick was the disaster relief response.

involved

adjective: complicated, and difficult to comprehend<The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduate's eyes glazed over.

pithy

adjective: concise and full of meaning<I enjoy reading the Daodejing for its pithy and insightful prose; it always gives me something to think about.

esoteric

adjective: confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle<Map collecting is an esoteric hobby to most, but to geography geeks it is a highly enjoyable pasttime.>

equivocal

adjective: confusing or ambiguous<The findings of the study were equivocal—the two researchers had different opinions on what the results signified.>

vociferous

adjective: conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry<In giving Marcia a particular vociferous response, Paul caused people at every other table in the restaurant to turn around an look at them angrily.

unprepossessing

adjective: creating an unfavorable or neutral first impression<World leaders coming to meet Gandhi would expect a towering sage, and often would be surprised by the unprepossessing little man dressed only in a loincloth and shawl.

doleful

adjective: crestfallen, dejected, depressing, mournful, sad, filled with or evoking sadness Mnk: Read it as DULL'FULL means SAD <No event is more doleful than the passing of my mother; she was a shining star in my life, and it brings me great sadness to think that she is now gone.>

dolorous

adjective: crestfallen, lachrymose, dolourous, tearful, weeping, sorrowful, showing sorrow Mnk: DULL ARE US <On a dolorous day, at the beginning of baseball's summer, he was a rare sign of hope.> <Mr. Logan laughed dolorously at the obvious question: Giuseppi, what happened to you?>

cosmopolitan

adjective: cultured, metropolitan, sophisticated, comprising many cultures; global in reach and outlook, free from local or national prejudices or attachments Mnk: cosmos has variety <There are few cities in the world as diverse and cosmopolitan as New York.>

detrimental

adjective: damaging,, annihilating, iconoclastic, pernicious, (sometimes followed by "to") causing harm or injury Mnk: look at the part MENTAL...a MENTAL person can cause serious harm or injury when violent. <Many know that smoking is detrimental to your health, but processed sugar in large quantities is equally bad.>

inimitable

adjective: defying imitation; matchless<Mozart's music follows a clear pattern that, anyone could imitate, but his music gives an overall sense of effortlessness that is inimitable.

iconoclastic

adjective: defying tradition or convention<Jackson Pollack was an iconoclastic artist, totally breaking with tradition by splashing paint on a blank canvas.

evasive

adjective: deliberately vague or ambiguous, avoiding or escaping from difficulty or danger or commitment <His responses were clearly evasive; he obviously did not want to take on any responsibility or any new work.> <Every time I call the bank, I receive the same evasive answers about our mortgage and never get a clear response.>"

stalwart

adjective: dependable; inured to fatigue or hardships<Despite all the criticism directed at the President during this scandal, Lisa has remained his stalwart supporter.

dilapidated

adjective: derelict, bedraggled, crumbling, decaying, in terrible/deplorable condition Mnk: I drank a DILuted API(appy) juice which was outDATED(expired).... my stomach got RUINED as a result of my own NEGLECT. <The main house has been restored but the gazebo is still dilapidated and unuseable.>

scintillating

adjective: describes someone who is brilliant and lively<Richard Feynman was renowned for his scintillating lectures—the arcana of quantum physics was made lucid as he wrote animatedly on the chalkboard.

implausible

adjective: describing a statement that is not believable<The teacher found it implausible that the student was late to school because he had been kidnapped by outlaws on horseback.

pyrrhic

adjective: describing a victory that comes at such a great cost that the victory is not worthwhile<George W. Bush's win in the 2000 election was in many ways a pyrrhic victory: the circumstances of his win alienated half of the U.S. population.

estimable

adjective: deserving of esteem and respect<After serving thirty years, in which he selflessly served the community, Judge Harper was one of the more estimable people in town.>

vacuous

adjective: devoid of intelligence, matter, or significance<To the journalist's pointed question, the senator gave a vacuous response, mixing a few of his overall campaign slogans with platitudes and completely avoiding the controversial subject of the question.

recondite

adjective: difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge<I found Ulysses recondite and never finished the book, waiting instead to read it with someone else so we could penetrate its meaning together.

discursive

adjective: digressive, excursive, rambling,indirect, (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point MnK: dis(means NOT)+CURSIVE(MEANS NEAT AND CLEAR)...so anything which is not clear and neat, is said to be discursive.ex a discursive novel <I wish my vagrant pen were less discursive.> <Many readers find it tough to read Moby Dick since the author is discursive, often cutting the action short to spend 20 pages on the history of a whale.>

disaffected

adjective: discontented/rebellious/dissatisfied as toward authority Mnk: Dis+Affection <Many of them are disaffected sociopaths who enjoy killing others> <After watching his superior take rations from the soldiers, he quickly became disaffected and rebelled.>

disheartened

adjective: discourage, daunt, deterrent, dejected, abject, crestfallen, deter, made less hopeful or enthusiastic <After the visiting team scored nine times, the home team's fans were disheartened, some leaving the game early.>

sardonic

adjective: disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking<A stand-up comedian walks a fine line when making jokes about members of the audience; such fun and joking can quickly become sardonic and cutting.

ignoble

adjective: dishonorable<In the 1920s, the World Series was rigged--an ignoble act which baseball took decades to recover from.

dispassionate

adjective: disinterested, sober, cold eyed, unfeeling, impartial, honest, unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice Mnk: dis-passionate, without any passion usually people without passions are calm <"a journalist should be a dispassionate reporter of fact"> <A good scientist should be dispassionate, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.>

discrete

adjective: distinct, disconnected, constituting a separate entity or part, individual Mnk: this crate (thats used to keep cold drink bottles ) that keeps the bottles separate n unconnected... so that they don break dis+crate <What was once known as Czechoslovakia has since split into two discrete, independent nations.>

eclectic

adjective: diverse, discriminating varied comprised of a variety of styles Mnk: eclectic or elect means, chosing the best from many sources which is the meaning of the word eclectic <Joey was known for his eclectic tastes in music, one moment dancing to disco the next "air conducting" along to Beethoven's 9th symphony.>

checkered

adjective: diversified, patterned, marked by disreputable happenings Mnk: 1)Similiar to CHESS BOARD pattern of squares. (2)Compare colors on CHESS BOARD to one's life with WHITE n DARK periods(SUCCESSFUL N UNSUCCESSFUL PERIODS). <I have a checkered past.> <One by one, the presidential candidates dropped out of the race, their respective checkered pasts— from embezzlement to infidelity—sabotaging their campaigns.>

impermeable

adjective: does not allow fluids to pass through<The sand bags placed on the river formed an impermeable barrier, protecting the town from flooding.

hegemony

adjective: dominance over a certain area<Until the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1587, Spain had hegemony over the seas, controlling waters stretching as far as the Americas.

preemptive

adjective: done before someone else can do it<Just as Martha was about to take the only cookie left on the table, Noah preemptively swiped it.

sedulous

adjective: done diligently and carefully<An avid numismatist, Harold sedulously amassed a collection of coins from over 100 countries—an endeavor that took over fifteen years, and to five continents.

perfunctory

adjective: done routinely and with little interest or care<The short film examines modern perfunctory cleaning rituals such as washing dishes, doing laundry and tooth-brushing.

precipitous

adjective: done with very great haste and without due deliberation<He was expecting a precipitous rise in the value of a "hot" tech stock, so he was disappointed when it only inched up a dollar or two each day.

desiccated

adjective: dry up, uninteresting, lacking vitality Mnk: desi cake is always dried up. <Few novelists over 80 are able to produce anything more than desiccated works--boring shadows of former books.>

prosaic

adjective: dull and lacking imagination<Unlike the talented artists in his workshop, Paul had no such bent for the visual medium, so when it was time for him to make a stained glass painting, he ended up with a prosaic mosaic.

insipid

adjective: dull and uninteresting<The movie director was known for hiring beautiful actors in order to deflect attention away from the insipid scripts he would typically use.

pugnacious

adjective: eager to fight or argue; verbally combative<The comedian told one flat joke after another, and when the audience started booing, he pugnaciously spat back at them, "Hey, you think this is easy - why don't you buffoons give it a shot?"

venial

adjective: easily excused or forgiven; pardonable<His traffic violations ran the gamut from the venial to the egregious—on one occasion he simply did not come to a complete stop; another time he tried to escape across state lines at speeds in excess of 140 mph.

petulant

adjective: easily irritated or annoyed<When Ed first met Ruth, he didn't realize she was so petulant, but now that they are three months into their relationship, Ed feels a day doesn't go by in which she isn't whining about some minor issue.

didactic

adjective: educational, academic, pedantic, instructive (especially excessively) Mnk: didi always acts in a way she is teaching something...''didi-act'ic <Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illyich is a didactic novel, instructing the reader on how to live a good life.> <Classrooms are supposed to be didactic and challenging," he said.>

efficacious

adjective: efficient, productive, impressive, powerful, producing the intended result Mnk: efficacious= the EFFECT IS OK FOR US which is intended <Then there are other vaccines that are more efficacious than this> <Since Maggie's cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer efficacious, she coughed through the night.>

sentimental

adjective: effusively or insincerely emotional, especially in art, music, and literature<I don't like romanticism for the same reason I don't like melodramatic acting and soap operas—overly sentimental.

poignant

adjective: emotionally touching<After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play's most poignant moment, the two griefstricken familes agree to end their feud once and for all.

ebullient

adjective: enthusiastic, exuberant , high-spirited , effusive, joyously unrestrained Mnk: Your dad purchasing you a new 'Enfield Bullet' so you shpw ur 'Excitement' -> ebullient! :D <Can you blame him for his ebullient mood? He just graduated from medical school.>

pernicious

adjective: exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way<The most successful viruses are pernicious: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.

hagiographic

adjective: excessively flattering toward someone's life or work<Most accounts of Tiger Woods life were hagiographic, until, that is, his affairs made headlines.

presumptuous

adjective: excessively forward<Many felt that Barney was presumptuous in moving into the large office before the management even made any official announcement of his promotion.

pejorative

adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term)<Most psychologists object to the pejorative term "shrink", believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it.

approbatory

adjective: expressing praise or approval Mnk: A probationary officer got praise from senior managers <Although it might not be her best work, Hunter's new novel has received generally approbatory reviews.>

elegiac

adjective: expressing sorrow<Few can listen to the elegiac opening bars of the Moonlight sonata without feeling the urge to cry.>

snide

adjective: expressive of contempt; derogatory or mocking in an indirect way<The chairman interpreted Taylor's question about promotions as a snide remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company's process.

inflammatory

adjective: extremely controversial, incendiary<It only takes one person to leave an inflammatory comment on an Internet thread for that thread to blow up into pages upon pages of reader indignation.

parsimonious

adjective: extremely frugal; miserly<Katie is so parsimonious that she only buys a pair of socks if all of her other socks have holes in them.

ravenous

adjective: extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities<John didn't eat much at all during the week he had the flu, so now that he is regaining his health, it's not surprising that he has a ravenous appetite.

Pollyannaish

adjective: extremely optimistic<Even in the midst of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when prospective customers hung up on her.

equitable

adjective: fair to all parties as dictated by reason and conscience<The equitable distribution of ice cream to a group of 5 year olds will ensure little to no fighting—at least until the ice cream is gone.>

carping

adjective: faultfinding, nagging, criticizing, persistently petty and unjustified criticism Mnk: If you will ping with your car horn, people will shout at you...they will complain... carping... <What seemed like incessant nagging and carping about my behavior from my mother turned out to be wise and useful advice that has served me well.>

auspicious

adjective: favorable, the opposite of sinister, felicitous, <Despite an auspicious beginning, Mike's road trip became a series of mishaps, and he was soon stranded and penniless, leaning against his wrecked automobile.>

intrepid

adjective: fearless<Captain Ahab was an intrepid captain whose reckless and fearless style ultimate leads to his downfall.

indignant

adjective: feeling anger over a perceived injustice <When the cyclist swerved into traffic, it forced the driver to brake and elicited an indignant shout of "Hey, punk, watch where you're going!">

reverent

adjective: feeling or showing profound respect or veneration<The professor could speak objectively about the other composers, but he always lectured about Brahms with a particularly reverent air, unable to offer a single criticism of his compositions.

vicarious

adjective: felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another<The advent of twitter is a celebrity stalker's dream, as he or she can—through hundreds of intimate "tweets"—vicariously live the life of a famous person.

convivial

adjective: festive, cheerful, pleasant, cordial, describing a lively atmosphere Mnk: somewhat close to carnival which also implies festivity. <The wedding reception was convivial; friends who hadn't seen each other for ages drank and ate together before heading to the dance floor.>

mettlesome

adjective: filled with courage or valor<For its raid on the Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Seal Team Six has become, for many Americans, the embodiment of mettle.

staunch

adjective: firm and dependable especially in loyalty<No longer a staunch supporter of the movement, Todd now will openly question whether its goals are worthwhile.

entrenched

adjective: fixed firmly or securely<By the time we reach 60-years old, most of our habits are so entrenched that it is difficult for us to change.>

precarious

adjective: fraught with danger<People smoke to relax and forget their cares, but ironically, in terms of health risks, smoking is far more precarious than either mountain-climbing or skydiving.

impartial

adjective: free from undue bias or preconceived opinions<The judge was not impartial since he had been bribed by the witness's family.

guileless

adjective: free of deceit<At first I thought my niece was guileless, but I then found myself buying her ice cream every time we passed a shop.

unimpeachable

adjective: free of guilt; not subject to blame; beyond doubt or reproach<After his long and unimpeachable service to the company, Sharat felt that a gold watch was a slap in the face rather than an honor.

jubilant

adjective: full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success<My hardwork paid off, and I was jubilant to receive a perfect score on the GRE.

jovial

adjective: full of or showing high-spirited merriment<The political candidate and his supporters were jovial once it was clear that she had won.

garrulous

adjective: full of trivial conversation<Lynne was garrulous: once, she had a fifteen minute conversation with a stranger before she realized the woman didn't speak English.

patent

adjective: glaringly obvious<Since the book had been through no fewer than six proof runs, the staff was shocked to see such a patent spelling mistake remaining, right in the middle of the front cover!

exorbitant

adjective: greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation<Shelley made one exorbitant purchase after another, buying new clothes and taking vacations even though she earned a limited salary.>

pragmatic

adjective: guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory<Rather than make a philosophical appeal to the Congressmen, the Speaker decided to take a far more pragmatic approach, making small side-deals that would add votes to his bill.

inveterate

adjective: habitual<He is an inveterate smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit.

querulous

adjective: habitually complaining<The querulous old woman was begining to wear down even the happier members of the staff with her ceaseless complaining.

taciturn

adjective: habitually reserved and uncommunicative<While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more taciturn, rarely revealing his perspective.

inadvertent

adjective: happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally<Although Prohibition was rooted in noble ideals, the inadvertent and costly consequences of making alcohol illegal in the U.S. led its the repeal.

innocuous

adjective: harmless and doesn't produce any ill effects<Everyone found Nancy's banter innocuous—except for Mike, who felt like she was intentionally picking on him.

vitriolic

adjective: harsh or corrosive in tone<While the teacher was more moderate in her criticism of the other student's papers, she was vitriolic toward Peter's paper, casting every flaw in the harshest light.

supercilious

adjective: haughty and disdainful; looking down on others<Nelly felt the Quiz Bowl director acted superciliously towards the underclassmen; really, she fumed, must he act so preternaturally omniscient each time he intones some obscure fact—as though everybody knows that Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America.

truculent

adjective: having a fierce, savage nature<Standing in line for six hours, she became progressively truculent, yelling at DMV employees and elbowing other people waiting in line.

piquant

adjective: having an agreeably pungent taste<The chef, with a mere flick of the salt shaker, turned the bland tomato soup into a piquant meal.

noisome

adjective: having an extremely bad smell<Each August, when the winds moved in a south easterly direction, the garbage dump would spread noisome vapors through the small town.

malodorous

adjective: having an unpleasant smell<Some thermally active fountains spew sulfur fumes--the air around them is sometimes so malodorous that many have to plug their noses.

sagacious

adjective: having good judgement and acute insight<Steve Jobs is surely one of the most sagacious CEOs, making Apple the most recognizable and valuable companies in the world.

unprecedented

adjective: having never been done or known before; novel<When America first created its national parks, the idea of setting aside the most beautiful land in a country was unprecedented in the history of mankind.

incisive

adjective: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions<The lawyer had an incisive mind, able in a flash to dissect a hopelessly tangled issue and isolate the essential laws at play.

stolid

adjective: having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited<Elephants may appear stolid to casual observers, but they actually have passionate emotional lives.

imperious

adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy<Children are imperious with each other before they learn that earning someone's respect is better than demanding.

haughty

adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy<The haughty manager didn't believe that any of his subordinates could ever have an insight as brilliant his own.

pertinent

adjective: having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand<While the salaries of the players might draw attention in the media, such monetary figures are not pertinent to the question of who plays the best on the field.

conducive

adjective: helpful, attribute, promote, convenient, making a situation or outcome more likely to happen Mnk: Conducive sounds like conductive. Conductivity, property of a metal, means passing electricity smoothly, i.e. helpful in making it pass..so, conducive means helpful or favoring. <Studying in a quiet room is conducive to learning; studying in a noisy environment makes learning more difficult.>

dogmatic

adjective: highly opinionated, not accepting that your belief may not be correct Mnk: If you try to read "dogmatic" from back to front, you will get "i am god". the person who think that he is a god is arrogant and stubborn <We need more such balanced analyses, and fewer dogmatic opinions, on both sides."> <Bryan is dogmatic in his belief that the earth is flat, claiming that all pictures of a spherical earth are computer generated.>

percipient

adjective: highly perceptive<Even the most percipient editor will make an occasional error when proofreading.

inimical

adjective: hostile (usually describes conditions or environments)<Venus, with a surface temperature that would turn rubber to liquid, is inimical to any form of life.

ribald

adjective: humorously vulgar<The speaker was famous for his ribald humor, but the high school principal asked him to keep the talk G-rated when he spoke to the student body.

halcyon

adjective: idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity; marked by peace and prosperity<The first decade after WWI was a halcyon period in America with new-found wealth and rapidly improving technology.

churlish

adjective: ill tempered, crude, boorish, sullen, grumpy, ornery, lacking manners or refinement, offhand, Mnk: churlish == boorish, the same rhythm <The manager was unnecessarily churlish to his subordinates, rarely deigning to say hello, but always quick with a sartorial jab if someone happened to be wearing anything even slightly mismatching.>

phantasmagorical

adjective: illusive; unreal<Those suffering from malaria fall into a feverish sleep, their world a whirligig of phantasmagoria; if they recover, they are unsure of what actually took place and what was simply a product of their febrile imaginations.

demonstrative

adjective: illustrative, effusive, outspoken, given to or marked by the open expression of emotion <When Sally told James that she wanted to break up with him, she expected he would react demonstratively, but he quietly nodded his head and left without saying a word.>

incorrigible

adjective: impervious to correction by punishment<Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can't match his fierce individual spirit.

ineluctable

adjective: impossible to avoid or evade:<For those who smoke cigarettes for years, a major health crisis brought on by smoking is ineluctable.

irrefutable

adjective: impossible to deny or disprove<The existence of life on earth is irrefutable; the existence of intelligent life on earth is still hotly debated.

imponderable

adjective: impossible to estimate or figure out<According to many lawmakers, the huge variety of factors affecting society make devising an efficient healthcare system an imponderable task.

impudent

adjective: improperly forward or bold<In an impudent move, the defendant spoke out of order to say terribly insulting things to the judge.

edifying

adjective: improving, enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement Mnk: Edison invented the light bulb which gives light.so edifying is something which "enlightens" <I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is edifying or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral.>

subversive

adjective: in opposition to a civil authority or government<The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down subversive websites that it deems as a threat to "national safety."

infelicitous

adjective: inappropriate<During the executive meeting, the marketing director continued to make infelicitous comments about the CEO's gambling habit.

irrevocable

adjective: incapable of being retracted or revoked<Once you enter your plea to the court, it is irrevocable so think carefully about what you will say.

implacable

adjective: incapable of making less angry or hostile<Win or lose, the coach was always implacable, never giving the athletes an easy practice or a break.

surly

adjective: inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace<Every morning, Bhavin was a surly unhappy person, but once he ate breakfast, he became loving, laughing, and a joy to be around.

soporific

adjective: inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing<Although the professor is brilliant, his bland monotone gives his lectures a soporific effect.

callow

adjective: infant, young and inexperienced Mnk: Callow = Cal + low; caliber is low. (madness) as well as cal-low= YOUTH N IMMATURE PPL DO THAT! <Both Los Angeles and New York are known for callow out-of-towners hoping to make it big.>

redoubtable

adjective: inspiring fear or awe<On television basketball players don't look that tall, but when you stand in front of a seven-foot tall NBA player, he is truly redoubtable.

prolific

adjective: intellectually productive<Schubert was the most prolific composer, producing hundreds of hours of music before he died at the age of 31.

fecund

adjective: intellectually productive<The artist had entered a fecund period, producing three masterpieces in the span of two months.

cerebral

adjective: intelligence, intellectual, erudite, recondite, involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct Mnk: cereBRAINa <A cerebral analysis of most pop music finds it to be simple and childish, but that ignores the point--the music's effect on the listener.>

ostentatious

adjective: intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar<Matt wanted to buy stone lions for front of the house, but Cynthia convinced him that such a display would be too ostentatious for a modest house in an unassuming neighborhood.

insufferable

adjective: intolerable, difficult to endure<Chester always tried to find some area in which he excelled above others; unsurprisingly, his co-workers found him insufferable and chose to exclude him from daily luncheons out.

chivalrous

adjective: intrepid, doughty, bold, courageous, gallant, valiant, being attentive to women like an ideal knight Mnk: chivalrous is pronounced as SHIVA+LROUS and "Shiva" is a symbol of bravery <Marco's chivalrous ways, like opening doors and pulling out chairs, was much appreciated by his date.>

officious

adjective: intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner<The professor had trouble concentrating on her new theorem, because her officious secretary would barge in frequently reminding her of some trivial detail involving departmental paperwork.

sordid

adjective: involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt; foul and run-down and repulsive<The nightly news simply announced that the senator had had an affair, but the tabloid published all the sordid details of the interaction.

fractious

adjective: irritable and is likely to cause disruption<We rarely invite my fractious Uncle over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.

myopic

adjective: lacking foresight or imagination<The company ultimately went out of business because the myopic managers couldn't predict the changes in their industry.

pedestrian

adjective: lacking imagination<While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more pedestrian concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household.

incongruous

adjective: lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness<The vast economic inequality of modern society is incongruous with America's ideals.

impecunious

adjective: lacking money; poor<In extremely trying times, even the moderately wealthy, after a few turns of ill-fortune, can become impecunious.

hackneyed

adjective: lacking significance through having been overused<Cheryl rolled her eyes when she heard the lecturer's hackneyed advice to "be true to yourself."

wanting

adjective: lacking<She did not think her vocabulary was wanting, yet there were so many words that inevitably she found a few she didn't know.

transitory

adjective: lasting a very short time<If we lived forever and life was not transitory, do you think we would appreciate life less or more?

ephemeral

adjective: lasting a very short time<The lifespan of a mayfly is ephemeral, lasting from a few hours to a couple of days.>

transient

adjective: lasting a very short time<The unpredictable and transient nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.

perennial

adjective: lasting an indefinitely long time; eternal; everlasting<Even at the old-timers games, Stan Musial would get the loudest cheer: he was a perennial favorite of the fans there.

feckless

adjective: lazy and irresponsible<Two years after graduation, Charlie still lived with his parents and had no job, becoming more feckless with each passing day.

lascivious

adjective: lecherous; sexually perverted<Lolita is a challenging novel for many, not necessarily because of the elevated prose style but because of the depravity of the main character, Humbert Humbert, who, as an old, lascivious man, falls in love with a girl.

fickle

adjective: liable to sudden unpredictable change, esp. in affections or attachments<She was so fickle in her politics, it was hard to pinpoint her beliefs; one week she would embrace a side, and the next week she would denounce it.

meteoric

adjective: like a meteor in speed or brilliance or transience<The early spectacular successes propelled the pitcher to meteoric stardom, but a terribly injury tragically cut short his career.

invidious

adjective: likely to cause resentment<At a time when many others in the office were about to be laid off, many considered Cheryl's fine clothes that day an invidious display.

tendentious

adjective: likely to lean towards a controversial view<Because political mudslinging has become a staple of the 24-hour media cycle, most of us, despite protestations to the contrary, are tendentious on many of today's pressing issues.

sanctimonious

adjective: making a show of being pious; holier-than-thou<Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a sanctimonious sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.

extenuating

adjective: making less guilty or more forgivable<The jury was hardly moved by the man's plea that his loneliness was an extenuating factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.

rakish

adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness<As soon as he arrived in the city, the rakish young man bought some drugs and headed straight for the seedy parts of town.

raffish

adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness<The men found him raffish, but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.

pedantic

adjective: marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects<Professor Thompson was regarded as an expert in his field, but his lectures were utterly pedantic, focused on rigorous details of the most trivial conventions in the field.

plucky

adjective: marked by courage and determination<Some scouts initially doubted Pedroia because of his short stature, but he is a plucky player, surprising everyone with his boundless energy and fierce determination.

rash

adjective: marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences; imprudently incurring risk<Although Bruce was able to make the delivery in time with a nightime motorcycle ride in the rain, Susan criticized his actions as rash.

foolhardy

adjective: marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences<The police regularly face dangerous situations, so for a police officer not to wear his bullet-proof vest is foolhardy.

ornate

adjective: marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details<The ornate Victorian and Edwardian homes spread throughout San Francisco are my favorite part of the city.

meticulous

adjective: marked by extreme care in treatment of details<The Japanese noodle maker was meticulous in making his noodles and would never let another person take over the task.

vehement

adjective: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions<While the other employees responded to the bad news in a measured way, Andrew responded in a vehement manner, tipping over his desk and shouting at the top of his lungs.

steadfast

adjective: marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable<A good captain needs to be steadfast, continuing to hold the wheel and stay the course even during the most violent storm.

haphazard

adjective: marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance<Many golf courses are designed with great care, but the greens on the county golf course seem entirely haphazard.

forlorn

adjective: marked by or showing hopelessness<After her third pet dog died, Marcia was simply forlorn: this time even the possibility of buying a new dog no longer held any joy.

punctilious

adjective: marked by precise accordance with details<The colonel was so punctilious about enforcing regulations that men feel compelled to polish even the soles of their shoes.

furtive

adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed<While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship.

genteel

adjective: marked by refinement in taste and manners<A live string quartet would provide a more genteel air to the wedding than would a folk singer.

tortuous

adjective: marked by repeated turns and bends; not straightforward<Because the logic behind McMahon's side of the debate was so tortuous, his audience came out either completely confused or, worse, feeling they'd been tricked.

malfeasance

adjective: misconduct or wrongdoing (especially by a public official)<Not even the mayor's trademark pearly-toothed grin could save him from charges of malfeasance: while in power, he'd been running an illegal gambling rink in the room behind his office.

tempered

adjective: moderated in effect<The wide-eyed optimism of her youth was now tempered after she had worked many years in the criminal justice system.

saturnine

adjective: morose or gloomy<Deprived of sunlight, humans become saturnine; that's why in very northerly territories people are encouraged to sit under an extremely powerful lamp, lest they become morose.

inviolate

adjective: must be kept sacred<While the literary critic subjected most of the classics to the harshest reviews, he regarded Cervantes as inviolate, and had nothing but praise for him.

parochial

adjective: narrowly restricted in scope or outlook<Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply tooparochial; "After all," she quipped on her blog, "he considered Chef Boyardee ethnic food."

endemic

adjective: native; originating where it is found<Irish cuisine makes great use of potatoes, but ironically, the potato is not endemic to Ireland.>

incontrovertible

adjective: necessarily or demonstrably true; impossible to deny or disprove<Unless you can provide incontrovertible evidence, I will remain skeptical.

incumbent

adjective: necessary (for someone) as a duty or responsibility<Middle managers at times make important decisions, but real responsibility for the financial well-being of the corporation is ultimately incumbent on the CEO.

coterminous

adjective: neighboring, adjacent, interconnected, impinging, being of equal extent or scope or duration Mnk: co+ term+ inous. Term usually means time period or "meaning". Coterm - inous is something having same term( meaning or time or extent ) <The border of the state is coterminous with geographic limits on travel; the east and north are surrounded by a nearly uncrossable river and the south by a desert.> <Social Networks" is another, and it's probably alarmingly coterminous with Youth.>

inviolable

adjective: never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored<To many the grass at Wimbledon is inviolable and only greater tennis players are able to enjoy a game there.

magnanimous

adjective: noble and generous in spirit, especially towards a rival or someone less powerful<He was a great sportsman: in defeat he was complementary and in victory he was magnanimous.

obstreperous

adjective: noisily and stubbornly defiant; willfully difficult to control<When the teacher asked the obstreperous student simply to bus his tray, the student threw the entire tray on the floor, shouted an epithet, and walked out.

unviable

adjective: not able to work, survive, or succeed (also spelled inviable).<The plan was obviously unviable considering that it lead to complete environmental destruction in the river valley.

impervious

adjective: not admitting of passage or capable of being affected<I am not impervious to your insults; they cause me great pain.

opaque

adjective: not clearly understood or expressed<The meaning of the professor's new research was opaque to most people, so no one asked any questions.

untrammeled

adjective: not confined or limited<untrammeled inspired the American Revolution and was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

placid

adjective: not easily irritated<Doug is normally placid, so we were all shocked to see him yelling at the television when the Mets lost the game.

unflappable

adjective: not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure<The house shook and the ground quaked, but my dad was unflappable and comforted the family.

inscrutable

adjective: not easily understood; unfathomable<His speech was so dense and confusing that many in the audience found it inscrutable.

improvident

adjective: not given careful consideration<Marty was improvident, never putting money aside for the future but spending it on decorating the interior of his home.

indecorous

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society<Eating with elbows on the table is considered indecorous in refined circles.

unseemly

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society<He acted in an unseemly manner, insulting the hostess and then speaking ill of her deceased husband.

languid

adjective: not inclined towards physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed<As the sun beat down and the temperature climbed higher, we spent a languid week lying around the house.

uncompromising

adjective: not making concessions<The relationship between Bart and Hilda ultimately failed because they were both so uncompromising, never wanting to change their opinions.

immaterial

adjective: not relevant<The judge found the defendant's comments immaterial to the trial, and summarily dismissed him from the witness stand.

frivolous

adjective: not serious in content or attitude or behavior<Compared to Juliet's passionate concern for human rights, Jake's non-stop concern about football seems somewhat frivolous.

frugal

adjective: not spending much money (but spending wisely)<Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.

oblique

adjective: not straightforward; indirect<Herbert never explicitly revealed anything negative about Tom's past, but at times he would obliquely suggest that Tom was not as innocent as he seemed.

imprudent

adjective: not wise<Hitler, like Napoleon, made the imprudent move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had.

fortuitous

adjective: occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause<While the real objects are vastly different sizes in space, the sun and the moon seem to have the same fortuitous size in the sky.

fallacious

adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning<adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning

puerile

adjective: of or characteristic of a child; displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity<Helen enjoyed blowing soap bubbles, but Jim regarded this as puerile, totally unworthy of a woman with a Ph.D.

magisterial

adjective: offensively self-assured or given to exercising unwarranted power<Though she was only a third grade teacher, Ms. Martinet was magisterial in dealing with her class, lording over them like a queen.

portentous

adjective: ominously prophetic<When the captain and more than half the officers were sick on the very first night of the voyage, many of the passengers felt this was portentous, but the rest of the voyage continued without any problems.

laconic

adjective: one who says very few words<While Martha always swooned over the hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies, her boyfriends inevitably were very talkative—and not very hunky.

inchoate

adjective: only partly in existence; imperfectly formed<Inchoate ideas about the relation of humans to other animals had been discussed since the Middle Ages but the modern theory really began with Darwin.

moot

adjective: open to argument or debate; undecidable in a meaningless or irrelevant way<Since the Board just terminated Steve as the CEO, what the finance committe might have thought of his proposed marketing plan for next year is now a moot point.

leery

adjective: openly distrustful and unwilling to confide<Without checking his references and talking to previous employers, I am leery of hiring the candidate.

indigenous

adjective: originating in a certain area<The plants and animals indigenous to Australia are notably different from those indigenous to the U.S—one look at a duckbill platypus and you know you're not dealing with an opossum.

maudlin

adjective: overly emotional and sad<Just as those who were alive during the 70's are mortified that they once cavorted about in bellbottoms, many who lived during the 80's are now aghast at the maudlin pop songs they used to enjoy—really, just what exactly is a total eclipse of the heart?

cardinal

adjective: prime, principal, of primary importance; fundamental Mnk: 'cardinal' also means pertaining to the 'heart' and the heart is the 'most important' part of our body. It is responsible for the working of our body <Most cultures consider gambling a cardinal sin and thus have outlawed its practice.>

choleric

adjective: prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered, highly irascible Mnk: cholera is a disease . When you are sick you get irritated and bad-tempered, you are choleric. So choleric <The last admonition is characteristic, as Shammai was choleric and brusque.>

irascible

adjective: quickly aroused to anger<If Arthur's dog is not fed adequately, he becames highly irascible, even growling at his own shadow.

prodigal

adjective: rashly or wastefully extravagant<Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to prodigality seem to be the exception—most live decadent lives.

tractable

adjective: readily reacting to suggestions and influences; easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)<Compared to middle school students, who have an untamed wildness about them, high school students are somewhat more tractable.

insolent

adjective: rude and arrogant<Lilian could not help herself from being insolent, commenting that the Queen's shoes were showing too much toe.

sullen

adjective: showing a brooding ill humor<Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing sullen after losing.

complaisant

adjective: showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others, reconciling, appeasing, attempting to make the peace, reconciling; soothing; overly polite; obliging, <On her first day at the job, Annie was complaisant, fulfilling every request of her new employee and anticipating future requests.>

obliging

adjective: showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others<Even after all his success, I found him to be accommodating and obliging, sharing with me his "secret tips" on how to gain wealth and make friends.

urbane

adjective: showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience<Because of his service as an intelligence officer and his refined tastes, W. Somerset Maugham became the inspiration for the urbane and sophistcate spy James Bond.

solicitous

adjective: showing hovering attentiveness<Our neighbors are constantly knocking on our door to make sure we are ok, and I don't know how to ask them to stop being so solicitous about our health.

flippant

adjective: showing inappropriate levity<Although Sam was trying to honor Mark's sense of humor, many found it quite flippant that he wore a comic nose and glasses mask to Mark's funeral.

phlegmatic

adjective: showing little emotion<Arnold is truly noble, remaining reserved until an issue of significance arises, but Walter is simply phlegmatic: he doesn't have the energy or inclination to care about anything.

lachrymose

adjective: showing sorrow <Something annoyed me yesterday, and this is the lachrymose aftermath.> <Lachrymose and depressed, Alexei Alexandrovich walked two miles home in the rain after learning that his wife was having an affair.

empathetic

adjective: showing understanding and ready comprehension of other peoples' states and emotions<Most discrimination and hatred is based on a lack of empathetic awareness of people that have the same aspirations and fears.>

obtuse

adjective: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; lacking in insight or discernment<Jackson was the most obtuse member of the team: the manager's subtle ironies were always lost on him.

prodigious

adjective: so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe<After the relatively small homerun totals in the "dead ball" era, Babe Ruth's homerun totals were truly prodigious: every year, he set a new all-time record.

muted

adjective: softened, subdued<Helen preferred muted earth colors, such as green and brown, to the bright pinks and red her sister liked.

thrifty

adjective: spending money wisely<He was economical, spending his money thriftily and on items considered essential.

eminent

adjective: standing above others in quality or position<Shakespeare is an eminent author in the English language, but I find his writing uninteresting and melodramatic.>

surreptitious

adjective: stealthy, taking pains not to be caught or detected<Since his mom was a light sleeper, Timmy had to tiptoe surreptitiously through the entire house, careful to not make the floors creak, until he at last was able to enjoy his plunder: a box of chocolate chip cookies.

extant

adjective: still in existence (usually refers to documents).<Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be extant generations from now.

intermittent

adjective: stopping and starting at irregular intervals<The intermittent thunder continued and the night was punctuated by cracks of lightning—a surreal sleepless night.

obdurate

adjective: stubbornly persistent in changing an opinion or action<No number of pleas and bribes would get him to change his obdurate attitude.

refractory

adjective: stubbornly resistant to authority or control<Used to studious high school students, Martha was unprepared for the refractory Kindgergarteners who neither sat still nor listened to a single word she said.

tenacious

adjective: stubbornly unyielding<Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present.

robust

adjective: sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction<Chris preferred bland and mild beers, but Bhavin preferred a beer with more robust flavor.

deferential

adjective: submissive, showing respect, regardful Mnk: Since deferential equations are difficult to solve, people stupid at math do not attempt them because they respect their difficulty....and probably have a life.... <If you ever have the chance to meet the president, stand up straight and be deferential.>

macabre

adjective: suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome<Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the macabre; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to—and often those moments after—a grisly death.

uncanny

adjective: suggesting the operation of supernatural influences; surpassing the ordinary or normal<Reggie has an uncanny ability to connect with animals: feral cats will readily approach him, and sometimes even wild birds will land on his finger.

martial

adjective: suggesting war or military life<Americans tend to remember Abraham Lincoln as kindly and wise, not at all martial, despite the fact that he was involved in the fiercest war America has even fought.

contemptuous

adjective: supercilious, disdainful , insulting, scornful, looking down at others with a sneering attitude Mnk: in movie we usually listen contempt of court so remember from there "contempt of court" means insult of court <Always on the forefront of fashion, Vanessa looked contemptuously at anyone wearing dated clothing.>

tawdry

adjective: tastelessly showy; cheap and shoddy<Carol expected to find New York City magical, the way so many movies had portrayed it, but she was surprised how often tawdry displays took the place of genuine elegance.

evanescent

adjective: tending to vanish like vapor<The storm flashed into existence above us and lasted only a short time—an evanescent turbulence of wind and cloud.>

fell

adjective: terribly evil<For fans of the Harry Potter series, the fell Lord Voldemort, who terrorized poor Harry for seven lengthy installments, has finally been vanquished by the forces of good—unless, that is, JK Rowling decides to come out of retirement.

timorous

adjective: timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness<Since this was her first time debating on stage and before an audience, Di's voice was timorous and quiet for the first 10 minutes.

jaundice

adjective: to be biased against due to envy or prejudice<Shelly was jaundiced towards Olivia; though the two had once been best friends, Olivia had become class president, prom queen, and, to make matters worse, the girlfriend of the one boy Shelly liked.

arch

adjective: to be deliberately teasing <The baroness was arch, making playful asides to the town's people; yet because they couldn't pick up on her dry humor, they thought her supercilious.>

diabolical

adjective: to be extremely evil or cruel like the devil, devilish, diabolic, mephistophelean Mnk: di + aboli(abolition)....process of destroying something usually done by devils <The conspirators, willing to dispatch anyone who stood in their way, hatched a diabolical plan to take over the city.>

ingenuous

adjective: to be naïve and innocent<Two-years in Manhattan had changed Jenna from an ingenuous girl from the suburbs to a jaded urbanite, unlikely to fall for any ruse, regardless of how elaborate.

remiss

adjective: to be negligent in one's duty<Remiss in his duty to keep the school functioning efficiently, the principal was relieved of his position after only three months.

histrionic

adjective: to be overly theatrical<Though she received a B- on the test, she had such a histrionic outburst that one would have thought that she'd been handed a death sentence.

retiring

adjective: to be shy, and to be inclined to retract from company<Nelson was always the first to leave soirees—rather than mill about with "fashionable" folk, he was retiring, and preferred the solitude of his garret.

errant

adjective: to be wandering; not sticking to a circumscribed path<Unlike his peers, who spent their hours studying in the library, Matthew preferred errant walks through the university campus.>

undermine

adjective: to weaken (usually paired with an abstract term)<The student undermined the teacher's authority by questioning the teacher's judgment on numerous occasions.

ineffable

adjective: too sacred to be uttered; defying expression or description<While art critics can occasionally pinpoint a work's greatness, much of why a piece captures our imaginations is completely ineffable.

pellucid

adjective: transparently clear; easily understandable<The professor had a remarkable ability make even the most difficult concepts seem pellucid.

peripatetic

adjective: traveling by foot<Jim always preferred a peripatetic approach to discovering a city: he felt that he could see so many more details while walking.

picayune

adjective: trifling or petty (a person)<English teachers are notorious for being picayune; however, the English language is so nuanced and sophisticated that often such teachers are not being contrary but are only adhering to the rules.

harried

adjective: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances<With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects.

veracious

adjective: truthful, truthful <While we elect our leaders in the hope that every word they speak will be veracious, history has shown that such a hope is naive.

veritable

adjective: truthfully, without a doubt<Frank is a veritable life-saver -- last year, on two different occasions, he revived people using CPR.

convoluted

adjective: twisted; jargon, very complicated, perplexing, baffling, highly complex or intricate <Instead of solving the math problem in three simple steps, Kumar used a convoluted solution requiring fifteen steps.>

insolvent

adjective: unable to pay one's bills; bankrupt<With credit card bills skyrocketing, a shockingly large number of Americans are truly insolvent.

unforthcoming

adjective: uncooperative, not willing to give up information<The teacher demanded to know who broke the window while he was out of the room, but the students understandably were unforthcoming.

provisional

adjective: under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon<Until the corporate office hands down a definitive decision on use of the extra offices, we will share their use in a provisional arrangement.

incessant

adjective: uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing<I don't mind small children in brief doses, but I think the incessant exposure that their parents have to them would quickly wear me down.

erratic

adjective: unpredictable; strange and unconventional<It came as no surprise to pundits that the President's attempt at re-election floundered; even during his term, support for his policies was erratic, with an approval rating jumping anywhere from 30 to 60 percent.>

unconscionable

adjective: unreasonable; unscrupulous; excessive<The lawyer's demands were so unconscionable that rather than pay an exorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the defendant decided to find a new lawyer.

spartan

adjective: unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; practicing great self-denial<After losing everything in a fire, Tim decided to live in spartan conditions, sleeping on the floor and owning as little furniture as a possible.

intransigent

adjective: unwilling to change one's beliefs or course of action<Despite many calls for mercy, the judge remained intransigent, citing strict legal precedence.

loath

adjective: unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom (usually followed by 'to')<I was loath to leave the concert before my favorite band finished playing.

taxing

adjective: use to the limit; exhaust<The hike to the summit of Mt. Whitney was so taxing that I could barely speak or stand up.

inclement

adjective: used of persons or behavior; showing no mercy<After a week of inclement weather, we finally are able to go outside and enjoy the sun.> <Marcus Aurelius, though a fair man, was inclement to Christians during his reign, persecuting them violently.">

unstinting

adjective: very generous<Helen is unstinting with her time, often spending hours at the house of a sick friend.

munificent

adjective: very generous<Uncle Charley was known for his munificence, giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year.

voracious

adjective: very hungry; approaching an activity with gusto<Steven was a voracious reader, sometimes finishing two novels in the same day.

thoroughgoing

adjective: very thorough; complete<As a thoroughgoing bibliophile, one who had turned his house into a veritable library, he shocked his friends when he bought a Kindle.

conspicuous

adjective: vociferous, blatant, without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious Mnk: Con(can)+ s(see) + the + pic(picture) --> can see the clear picture of the situation. So conspicuous means which can be easily seen. <American basketball players are always conspicuous when they go abroad--not only are they American, but some are over seven feet tall.>

dilatory

adjective: wasting time, late, pokey , poky, slow Mnk: Extract 'late' from the word dilatory and you get.... delay which is generally due to waste of time. <Lawyers use dilatory tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.>

ponderous

adjective: weighed-down; moving slowly<Laden with 20 kilograms of college text books, the freshman moved ponderously across the campus.

quixotic

adjective: wildly idealistic; impractical<For every thousand startups with quixotic plans to be the next big name in e-commerce, only a handful ever become profitable.

malevolent

adjective: wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred<Villians are known for their malevolent nature, oftentimes inflicting cruetly on others just for enjoyment.

wanton

adjective: without check or limitation; showing no moral restraints to one's anger, desire, or appetites<Due to wanton behavior and crude language, the drunk man was thrown out of the bar and asked to never return.

impeccable

adjective: without fault or error<He was impeccably dressed in the latest fashion without a single crease or stain.

inarticulate

adjective: without or deprived of the use of speech or words<Although a brilliant economist, Professor Black was completely inarticulate, a terrible lecturer.

evenhanded

adjective: without partiality<Teachers often have trouble being evenhanded to all of their varied students.>

unscrupulous

adjective: without scruples or principles<In the courtroom, the lawyer was unscrupulous, using every manner of deceit and manipulation to secure a victory for himself.

insidious

adjective: working in a subtle but destructive way<Plaque is insidious: we cannot see it, but each day it eats away at our enamel, causing cavities and other dental problems.

laudable

adjective: worthy of high praise<To say that Gandhi's actions were laudable is the greatest understatement; he overthrew an empire without violence.

amok

adverb: Amuck, wildly; without self-control, in a murderous frenzy, frenzied as if possessed by a demon Syn: murderously, berserk, demoniac, demoniacal, possessed, insane Mnenik: amok or amuck-->a mock...if somebody mocks you will be in rage <when the restaurant caught fire the patrons ran amok, blocking the exit> <rioters running amok and throwing sticks and bottles and stones>

belligerent

antagonistic, aggressive, ornery, bellicose, quarrelsome. Mnk: belli (TOM) and gerry always quarrel in TOM and GERRY cartoon. <Tom said that he was arguing the matter purely for philosophical reasons, but his belligerent tone indicated an underlying anger about the issue.>

repugnance

antipathy -- re and pugna (pugnacious). well pugnacious means war-like. people indulge in war wen they extremesly dislike each other.

Vicissitude

any change in one's circumstances, for the worse

Macabre

any description is filled with gruesome details about death and horror

Eponyms

any word that is derived from a person's name

Mercurial

anyone who easily changes his or her mood

Chauvinist

anyone who thinks that their group is better than anybody else group; remember Napoleon

Apogee

apex, acme, summit, highest point Mnk: A FAUJI(soldier in hindi) is highly respected, hence is at a higher point compared to other professions

quiescent

at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive

arbitrary (adj.)

based entirely on one's discretion; capricious, unreasonable, or having no basis

Jingoist

bellicosity meets patriotism; person who thinks their country should always be at war

Hedge

bet safely; avoid making direct statements

Peremptory

bossy and domineering

Hector

bully or intimidate

onerous

burdensome

Schadenfreude

cackling sardonically at the suffering of other

imperturbable

calm; placid

Sangfroid

calmness and poise

equanimity

calmness of temperament; composure

defamatory (adj.)

calumniatory, calumnious, denigrating, denigratory, libelous, libelous, slanderous, injurious to someone's reputation Mnk: de+fam = defame someone <The courts serve to prevent and punish defamatory statements. >

aspersion

calumny, defamation , denigration , Sounds like ass-person, if you defame someone you make them look like an ass.

negate

cancel out; nullify; deny

supersede

cause to be set aside; replace; make obsolete

Sanguine

cheerful and optimistic

contention

claim; thesis, to agrue <School sports teams also are a source of contention.>

Limpid

clarity in terms of expression

exculpate

clear from blame

amalgamate

combine; unite in one body

Execrable

condemn it as awful

Disconcert

confound, perplex, baffle, agitate, to confuse; to disturb the composure of Mnk: When you are getting ready to perform at a concert, you are tensed and confused as to how your show will fair with the audience. <They've cleverly changed their name to disconcert us here. >

Imbroglio

confusing and potentially embarrassing situation; embroil

Bilious

constantly irritable; angry; think of bile

disparate

contrasting, discordant, divergent, diverse, basically different; unrelated, two things fundamentally different <The crowd was a disparate group>

Maudlin

cries in public for no good reason

Execrate

curse and hiss at people

Fleece

deceiving

Wane

decrease

profound

deep; not superficial; complete

abscond

depart secretly and hide

resolution

determination

Aberration

deviation from what is normal or expected

piety

devoutness; reverence for God

assiduous

diligent

recant

disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error

Unnerve

disconcert a person to the point they likely fail

cacophonous

discordant; inharmonious

skeptic

doubter; person who suspends judgment until having examined the evidence supporting a point of view

problematic

doubtful; unsettled; questionable; perplexing

Prosaic

dull; lacking imagination; think prozac drug for depression

gullible

easily deceived

Amenable

easily persuaded, agreeable, obedient Mnk: Amen is a word used in islam and christinity. meaning of which is i agree. So amenable means something able to be agreed.

eulogy

expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death

abysmal

extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless

plummet

fall sharply

zealot

fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal

Hawkish

favoring conflict over compromise

Scintillating

gives off sparks, such as photons collide; someone who is brilliant

fervor

glowing ardor; intensity of feeling

August

grand , lordly, revered , venerable, of or befitting a lord, profoundly honored Mnk: au stands for gold. which is a majestic mineral <"august holy men"> <"of august lineage>

Curmudgeon

grouchy, surly person; one who is always sulking as they grumble about something

proliferate

grow rapidly; spread; multiply

salubrious

healthful

facilitate

help bring about; make less difficult

recluse

hermit; loner

secrete

hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism

insinuate

hint; imply; creep in

Stem

hold back or limit flow or growth of something

Mesmerize

hold spellbound

Aboveboard

honest, trustworthy, truthful Mnk: when every1 is ABORD, a ship must be honest for a smooth n safe journey.

Voracious

hungry, literally or figuratively

condone

ignore, overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse

Virago

ill tempered and sometimes violent women; think old lady screaming at you

Imponderable

impossible to estimate, fathom or figure out

ameliorate

improve, alleviate, mitigate

inert

inactive; lacking power to move

prohibitive

inclined to prevent or forbid

Wax

increase

enhance

increase; improve

apprise

inform

Powwow

informal discussion or colloquy

impair

injure; hurt

inconsequential

insignificant; unimportant

incorporate

introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite

preamble

introductory statement

Qualify

is to limit, praise/approval/disapproval

warranted

justified; authorized

beneficent

kindly; doing good

incongruity

lack of harmony; absurdity

Wanting

lacking

dirge

lament with music

lassitude

languor; weariness

Raft

large number of something; think of large number of rafts

indolent

lazy

mendacious

lying; habitually dishonest

stipulate

make express conditions, specify

Remonstrate

make objections while pleading

burnish

make shiny by rubbing; polish

Gerrymander

manipulation of boundaries to favor a certain group; remember US politics

striated

marked with parallel bands; grooved

euphemism

mild expression in place of an unpleasant one

quibble

minor objection or complaint

Penurious

miserly; impecunious

Remiss

negligent in one's duty

Impecunious

not having any money

diatribe

noun harangue, criticism, a strong verbal attack against a person or institution Mnk: diatribe = di-tribe = two tribes fighting...criticize <One man posted his diatribe against a hard-rock group on the site. > <Steve's mom launched into a diatribe during the PTA meeting, contending that the school was little more than a daycare in which students stare at the wall and teachers stare at the chalkboard.>

platitude

noun: , bromide, a trite or obvious remark<The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times, such as the Golden Rule, are now regarded as mere platitudes.

idiosyncrasy

noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual<Peggy's numerous idiosyncrasies include wearing mismatched shoes, laughing loudly to herself, and owning a pet aardvark.

foible

noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual<When their new roommate sat staring at an oak tree for an hour, Marcia thought it indicated a mental problem, but Jeff assured her it was a harmless foible.

jargon

noun: a characteristic language of a particular group<To those with little training in medicine, the jargon of doctors can be very difficult to understand.

ploy

noun: a clever plan to turn a situation to one's advantage<Dennis arranged an elaborate ploy, involving 14 different people lying for him in different situations, so that it could appear that he was meeting Mary completely by chance at the wedding reception.

imbroglio

noun: a confusing and potentially embarrassing situation<The chef cook-off featured one gourmand who had the unfortunate distinction of mixing the wrong broths, creating an imbroglio that diners would not soon forget.

hodgepodge

noun: a confusing mixture or jumble<Those in attendance represented a hodgepodge of the city's denizens: chimney sweepers could be seen sitting elbow to elbow with stockbrokers.

despot

noun: a cruel and oppressive dictator, autocrat Mnk: Cruel dictators kill thousands of people on de (the) spot (despot) <The Emperor Claudius was regarded as a fair-minded leader; his successor, Nero, was an absolute despot.>

melancholy

noun: a deep, long-lasting sadness<Hamlet is a figure of tremendous melancholy: he doesn't have a truly cheerful scene throughout the entire play.

umbrage

noun: a feeling of anger caused by being offended<Since he was so in love with her, he took umbrage at her comments, even though she had only meant to gently tease him.

presentiment

noun: a feeling of evil to come<On the night that Lincoln would be fatally shot, his wife had a presentiment about going to Ford's Theater, but Lincoln persuaded her that everything would be fine.

solicitude

noun: a feeling of excessive concern<I walked to his house in the rain to make sure he had enough to eat while he was sick, but he seemed not to appreciate my solicitude.

euphoria

noun: a feeling of great (usually exaggerated) elation<The euphoria of winning her first gold medal in the 100 meter dash overwhelmed Shelly-Ann Fraser and she wept tears of immense joy.>

juggernaut

noun: a force that cannot be stopped<Napoleon was considered a juggernaut until he decided to invade Russia in winter; after which, his once indomitable army was decimated by cold and famine.

panegyric

noun: a formal expression of praise<Dave asked Andrew to do just a simple toast, but Andrew launched into a full panegyric, enumerating a complete list of Dave's achievements and admirable qualities.

misanthrope

noun: a hater of mankind<Kevin is such a misanthrope that he refused to attend the Christmas party, claiming that everyone's happiness was "fake" and "annoying."

paucity

noun: a lack of something<There is a paucity of jobs hiring today that require menial skills, since most jobs have either been automated or outsourced.

myriad

noun: a large indefinite number<There are a myriad of internet sites hawking pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end.

raft

noun: a large number of something<Despite a raft of city ordinances passed by an overzealous council, noise pollution continued unabated in the megalopolis.

gambit

noun: a maneuver or risk in a game or conversation, designed to secure an advantage<Randy played a gambit, telling his boss that he would leave at the end of the week if he didn't get a raise.

amalgam

noun: a mixture of multiple things 1. alloy made of mercury and some other metal; 2. mixture of two or more things <The band's music was an amalgam of hip-hop, flamenco and jazz, blending the three styles with surprising results.>

mendicant

noun: a pauper who lives by begging<Tolstoy was an aristocrat, but he strove to understand the Christianity of the Russian peasants by wandering among them as a mendicant.

respite

noun: a pause from doing something (as work)<Every afternoon, the small company has a respite in which workers play foosball or board games.

raconteur

noun: a person skilled in telling anecdotes<Jude is entertaining, but he is no raconteur: beyond the handful of amusing stories he has memorized, he has absolutely no spontaneous story-telling ability.

misogynist

noun: a person who dislikes women in particular<Many have accused Hemingway of being a quiet misogynist, but recently unearthed letters argue against this belief.

proponent

noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea<Ironically, the leading proponent of Flat-Earth Theory flies all over the world in an effort to win more adherents.

jingoist

noun: a person who thinks that their country should be at war<In the days leading up to war, a nation typically breaks up into the two opposing camps: doves, who do their best to avoid war, and jingoists, who are only too eager to wave national flags from their vehicles and vehemently denounce those who do not do the same.

sycophant

noun: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage<The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him.

stipend

noun: a regular allowance (of money)<He was hoping for a monthly allowance loan from the government, but after no such stipend was forthcoming he realized he would have to seek other means of paying for his college tuition.

reprisal

noun: a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime<The Old Testament doctrine of an eye for an eye is not the kind of retaliation practiced in war; rather, an arm, a leg, and both ears are the reprisal for the smallest scratch.

perquisite

noun: a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right)<Even as the dishwasher at the French restaurant, Josh quickly learned that he had the perquisite of being able to eat terrific food for half the price diners would pay.

maxim

noun: a short saying expressing a general truth<Johnson initially suggests that the secret to business can be summarized in a single maxim but then requires a 300-page book to explain exactly what he means.

smattering

noun: a slight or superficial understanding of a subject; a small amount of something<I know only a smattering of German, but Helen is able to read German newspapers and converse with natives.

pittance

noun: a small amount (of money)<Vinny's uncle beamed smugly about how he'd offered his nephew fifty dollars for his Harvard tuition; even twice the amount would have been a mere pittance.

gaffe

noun: a socially awkward or tactless act<In a famous gaffe, Vice President Quayle attempted to correct the spelling of a grade school student, only to find that the child was correct.

solecism

noun: a socially awkward or tactless act<Mother Anna was always on guard against any solecism from her children and scolded them immediately if any of them talked out of place in public.

tumult

noun: a state of chaos, noise and confusion<Riots broke out just in front of our apartment building, and the tumult continued late into the night.

flux

noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event)<Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.

prognostication

noun: a statement made about the future<When the Senator was asked about where the negotiations would lead, he said that any guess he could make would be an unreliable prognostication.

martinet

noun: a strict disciplinarian<The job seemed perfect to Rebecca, until she found out that her boss was a total martinet; after each project the boss would come by to scrutinize—and inevitably criticize—every little detail of the work Rebecca had done.

predilection

noun: a strong liking<Monte had a predilection for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars, 200 dollar bottles of wine, and trips to the French Riviera.

polemic

noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.<The professor launched into a polemic, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory.

nuance

noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude<Because of the nuances involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advice us and help.

epiphany

noun: a sudden revelation or moment of insight<Gary one day had an epiphany that he was a people person; he prompty quit his factory job and began working as a salesman.>

recapitulation

noun: a summary (think of recap)<Every point of the professors lesson was so clear that the students felt his concluding recapitulation was not necessary.

quisling

noun: a traitor<History looks unfavorably upon quislings; indeed they are accorded about the same fondness as Nero—he who watched his city burn down while playing the violin.

travesty

noun: an absurd presentation of something; a mockery<What I expected to be an intelligent, nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.

screed

noun: an abusive rant (often tedious)<Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, enumerated all of the government's deficiencies--only to break ranks and launch into some screed against big business.

perfidy

noun: an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust<The lowest circles in Dante's Inferno were for those who had practiced perfidy, and among these, the very lowest was for those, such as Judas, who had been treacherous to one of their benefactors.

redress

noun: an act of making something right<Barry forgot his wife's birthday two years in a row, and was only able to redress his oversight by surprising his wife with a trip to Tahiti.

junta

noun: an aggressive takeover by a group (usually military)<As dangerous of a threat as North Korea is, some analysts believe that were a junta suddenly to gain power, it could be even more unpredictable and bellicose than the current leadership

row

noun: an angry dispute<The Prime Minister looked very foolish after his row with the foreign dignitary was caught on video and posted on youtube.

tirade

noun: an angry speech<In terms of political change, a tirade oftentimes does little more than make the person speaking red in the face.

alacrity

noun: an eager willingness to do something,cheerful promptness; eagerness <The first three weeks at his new job, Mark worked with such alacrity that upper management gave him a promotion.>

precedent

noun: an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time<The principal explained that even though one student had done modelling work outside of school, the outfits that student wore in those photographs in no way established a precedent for what could be worn at school dances.

surfeit

noun: an excessive amount of something<There was no such thing as a surfeit of shopping for Nancy--she could stay at the outlet stores from opening to closing time.

virago

noun: an ill-tempered or violent woman<Poor Billy was the victim of the virago's invective—she railed at him for a good 30-minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.

intimation

noun: an indirect suggestion<At first the hostess tried intimation, praising the benefits of cutlery; when Cecil continued eating with his hands, the hostess told him to use a fork at dinner.

powwow

noun: an informal meeting or discussion<Before the team takes the field, the coach always calls for a powwow so that he can make sure all the players are mentally in the right place.

sinecure

noun: an office that involves minimal duties<The position of Research Director is a sinecure: the job entails almost no responsibilities, nor does the person in that position have to answer to anyone.

semblance

noun: an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading<While the banker maintained a semblance of respectability in public, those who knew him well were familiar with his many crimes.

reservation

noun: an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something wholeheartedly<I was initially excited by the idea of a trip to Washington, D.C. but now that I have read about the high crime statistics there, I have some reservations.

litany

noun: any long and tedious account of something<Mr. Rogers spoke to a Senate committee and did not give a litany of reasons to keep funding the program, but instead, appealed to the basic human decency of all present.

empiricism

noun: any method that derives knowledge from experience, used in experimental science as a way to gain insight and knowledge<Empiricism does not always lead to knowledge; an experience or experiment may raise more questions than it answers.>

calumny

noun: aspersion , defamation , denigration , slander, making of a false statement meant to injure a person's reputation Mnk: Cal (californians) talk shit about NY (new yorkers)...SLANDER!!!! <There is absolutely nothing to support the calumny, which has often been repeated since.>

culpability

noun: avarice, avidity, lust, greed for money Mnk: cupidity:look for CUPID HERE..cupid is the god of love. so cupidity means having an desire or greed for wealth. cupid-wealth- cupidity...greed for wealth. <Some believe people that amassing as much wealth as possible is the meaning to life—yet they often realize that cupidity brings anything but happiness.>

cupidity

noun: avarice, avidity, lust, greed for money Mnk: cupidity:look for CUPID HERE..cupid is the god of love. so cupidity means having an desire or greed for wealth. cupid-wealth-cupidity...greed for wealth. <Some believe people that amassing as much wealth as possible is the meaning to life—yet they often realize that cupidity brings anything but happiness.>

credence

noun: belief in something, acceptance <He placed no credence in psychics, claiming that they offered no special powers beyond the ability to make people part with their money.> <That argument is losing credence because even its per capita emissions overtook those of the average EU citizen in 2013, the study said.>

prolixity

noun: boring verbosity<I loved my grandfather dearly, but his prolixity would put me to sleep, regardless of the topic.

effrontery

noun: brazen, audacious, arrogance, behavior that you have no right to Mnk: or every discussion he comes to the FRONT and argues...in a rude manner. <The skateboarders acted with effrontery, skating through the church grounds and spray-painting signs warning trespassers.>

cataclysm

noun: calamity , catastrophe , disaster , tragedy, an event resulting in great loss and misfortune Mnk: it is a CATASTROPHE in the earth's surface. <The introduction of smallpox was a cataclysm for Native Americans, killing off more than half of their population.>

sangfroid

noun: calmness or poise in difficult situations<The hostage negotiator exhibited a sangfroid that oftentimes was more menacing than the sword at his throat, or the gun at his head.

vicissitude

noun: change in one's circumstances, usually for the worse<Even great rulers have their vicissitudes—massive kingdoms have diminished overnight, and once beloved kings have faced the scorn of angry masses.

charlatan

noun: cheat, fraud, imposter, pretender Mnk: you hit CHAR LATEIN (লাথি) (4 kicks) to the person who misguides you as he himself doesn't know anything.... <You may call him a "motivational speaker," but I call him a charlatan--he doesn't have any idea what he's really talking about.>

capitulate

noun: concede, cede, relent, succumb, to surrender (usually under agreed conditions) Mnk: CAPtain it's too late, we will have to surrender.. <Paul, losing 19-0 in a ping-pong match against his nimble friend, basically capitulated when he played the last two points with his eyes closed.>

corollary

noun: conclusion, analogy, consequence, effect, a practical consequence that follows naturally Mnk: Corolla- My decision to buy a Corolla is a natural consequence of my desire to own the most popular car in the world. <A corollary of Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the east coast of the U.S., is a push to build higher sea walls to protect against future hurricanes.>

tact

noun: consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offense<In a tremendous display of tact, Shelly was able to maintain a strong friendship with Marcia, even though Marcia's husband, Frank, confessed to finding Shelley more attractive than Marcia.

collusion

noun: conspiracy, deceit, intrigue, plot, agreement on a secret plot Mnk: people who involve in collusion, try to create an Illusion that everything is fine <Collusions of hand and machine, they begin as luscious paint studies that are fed into a computer and greatly enlarged..>

contrition

noun: contriteness, humiliation, sorrow, repentance, the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad Mnk: CON(not)+TREATion...ifyor girlfriend does,t treat you properly you will be in great remorse/sorrow...... <Those who show contrition during their prison terms--especially when under review by a parole board--often get shortened sentences.>

veneer

noun: covering consisting of a thin superficial layer that hides the underlying substance<Mark Twain referred to the Victorian Period in America as the "Gilded Age", implying the ample moral corruption that lay beneath a mere veneer of respectability.

dilettante

noun: dabbler, sciolist, an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge Mnk: DIL(my heart) ETTANTE ATU..watever my heart says ill just follow bilndly <Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a dilettante>

duplicity

noun: deceitfulness, pretending to want one thing but interested in something else <She apologized for her duplicity and was allowed to leave China.> <A life of espionage is one of duplicity: an agent must pretend to be a totally different person than who she or he actually is.>

truculence

noun: defiant aggressiveness<When the boss confronted Aaron about his earlier remarks, Aaron responded with utter truculence, simply throwing a glass of water in the boss' face and walking away.

turpitude

noun: depravity; a depraved act<During his reign, Caligula indulged in unspeakable sexual practices, so it not surprising that he will forever be remembered for his turpitude.

dissolution

noun: disintegration, dissipation, a living full of debauchery and indulgence in sensual pleasure Mnk: dissolution is the opposite of resolution. When you make a resolution you make a promise, when you make a dissolution you BREAK or dissolve the promise! <Many Roman emperors were known for their dissolution, indulging in unspeakable desires of the flesh.>

panache

noun: distinctive and stylish elegance<Jim, with his typical panache, came to the wedding reception with a top hat, a cane, and a long cape covered in sequins.

dispensation

noun: distribution, variance, an exemption from a rule or obligation, the act of dispensing (giving out in portions) Mnk: pension is being distributed among employees <Dispensation of drugs is harmful for society> <Since her father is a billionaire, she is given dispensation from many of the school's policies.>

egotist

noun: egoist , swellhead, a conceited and self-centered person <An egotist, Natasha had few friends because of her inability to talk about anything except her dream of becoming the next American Idol.>

duress

noun: enforce, compulsory force or threat Mnk:u + dress; that is u enforce your wife to put on a particular dress. <The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.>

desideratum

noun: essential, aspiration, something desired as a necessity Mnk: Desi dog is essential/desired to catch thief <Health is also the chief desideratum to happiness.> <The desideratum of the environmental group is that motorists should rely on carpooling.>

largess

noun: extreme generosity and giving<Uncle Frank was known for his largess, so his nephew was sad when he did not receive a present for his birthday.

canard

noun: fabrication, exaggeration, a deliberately misleading fabrication, Mnk: canard - can hard, it can hardly happen. It is exaggerated. <The public will always be fooled by the media's canards.>

chimera

noun: fabrication, illusion, something desired or wished for but is only an illusion and impossible to achieve Mnk: sounds like camera which captures images <Many believe that a world free of war is a chimera—a dream that ignores humanity's violent tendencies.>

jingoism

noun: fanatical patriotism<North Korea maintains intense control over its population through a combination of jingoism and cult of personality.

panacea

noun: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; a universal solution<While the company credit card has made most large purchases easier, it is no panacea: some smaller basic transactions still must be conducted in cash.

torpor

noun: inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy<After work, I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing, but I found them in a state of complete torpor.

probity

noun: integrity, strong moral principles<The ideal politician would have the probity to lead, but reality gravely falls short of the ideal of morally upright leaders.

recrimination

noun: mutual accusations<The two brothers sat and cried, pointing fingers and making elaborate recriminations of the other's guilt

decorum

noun: politeness, etiquette, appropriate behavior, good manners Mnk: decor um"; decor them to make them more proper and correct <"You will obey the rules of decorum for this courtroom or spend the night in a jail cell," said the judge to the prosecutor.>

gumption

noun: resourcefulness and determination<Wallace Stegner lamented the lack of gumption in the U.S. during the sixties, claiming that no young person knew the value of work.

moment

noun: significant and important value<Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great moment in Hampton's writing career, and within a few years the public quickly forgot his foray into theater arts.

iconoclast

noun: somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions<Lady Gaga, in challenging what it means to be clothed, is an iconoclast for wearing a "meat dress" to a prominent awards show.

tyro

noun: someone new to a field or activity<All great writers, athletes, and artists were tyros at one time—unknown, clumsy, and unskilled with much to learn.

malingerer

noun: someone shirking their duty by pretending to be sick or incapacitated<At one time, our country was full of hardworking respectful people, but now it seems that everyone is a malingerer with little inclination to work.

firebrand

noun: someone who deliberately creates trouble<Freddie is a firebrand: every time he walks into the office, he winds up at the center of heated argument.

maverick

noun: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action<Officer Kelly was a maverick, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

pundit

noun: someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field<Steven Pinker's credentials are unquestioned as a pundit; he has taught at MIT and Stanford, teaches at Harvard, and has published a number of influential books on cognition, language, and psychology.

subterfuge

noun: something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity<Finally deciding to abandon all subterfuge, Arthur revealed to Cindy everything about his secret affair over the past two years.

palimpsest

noun: something that has been changed numerous times but on which traces of former iterations can still be seen<The downtown was a palimpsest of the city's checkered past: a new Starbucks had opened up next to an abandoned, shuttered building, and a freshly asphalted road was inches away from a pothole large enough to swallow a small dog.

exemplar

noun: something to be imitated<Lena's homework is on the wall because it is an exemplar of clean, neat, and thoughtful work.>

tribulation

noun: something, especially an event, that causes difficulty and suffering<As of 2013, nearly 1.5 million Syrians have fled their country hoping to escape the tribulations of a civil war tearing their country to pieces.

zeitgeist

noun: spirit of the times<Each decade has its own zeitgeist—the 1990's was a prosperous time in which the promise of the American Dream never seemed more palpable.

quandary

noun: state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options<Steve certainly is in a quandary: if he doesn't call Elaine, she will blame him for everything, but if he does call her, the evidence of where he currently is could cost him his job.

resignation

noun: the acceptance of something unpleasant that can't be avoided<Since Jack could not think of a convincing reason why he had to miss the seminar, he attended it with a sense of resignation.

verisimilitude

noun: the appearance of truth<All bad novels are bad for numerous reasons; all good novels are good for their verisimilitude of reality, placing the readers in a world that resembles the one they know.

venality

noun: the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption<Even some of the most sacred sporting events are not immune to venality, as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.

malapropism

noun: the confusion of a word with another word that sounds similar<Whenever I looked glum, my mother would offer to share "an amusing antidote" with me—an endearing malapropism of "anecdote" that never failed to cheer me up.

pinnacle

noun: the highest point<At its pinnacle, the Roman Empire extended across most of the landmass of Eurasia, a feat not paralleled to the rise of the British Empire in the 18th and 19th century.

serendipity

noun: the instance in which an accidental, fortunate discovery is made<By pure serendipity, Sarah discovered, at a flea market in Peoria, a matching earring to replace the one that fell down the storm drain back home.

nadir

noun: the lowest point<For many pop music fans, the rap and alternative-rock dominated 90s were the nadir of musical expression.

pith

noun: the most essential part of something<When Cynthia hears a speaker presenting a complex argument, she is always able to discard the irrelevant details and extract the pith of what the speaker is trying to convey.

heyday

noun: the pinnacle or top of a time period or career<During the heyday of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.

ingenuity

noun: the power of creative imagination<Daedalus was famous for his ingenuity; he was able to fashion his son Icarus with a pair of wings, using wax to hold them together.

prescience

noun: the power to foresee the future<Baxter's warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of prescience after the whole market declined significantly.

profusion

noun: the property of being extremely abundant<When Maria reported that she had been visited by Jesus Christ and had proof, a profusion of reporters and journalists descended on the town.

exiguity

noun: the quality of being meager<After two months at sea, the exiguity of the ship's supplies forced them to search for fresh water and food.>

volubility

noun: the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously<The professor's volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick's Day to the next.

rapprochement

noun: the reestablishing of cordial relations<Although Ann hoped that her mother and her aunt would have a rapprochement, each one's bitter accusations against the other made any reconciliation unlikely.

primacy

noun: the state of being first in importance<The primacy of Apple Computers is not guaranteed, as seen in the recent lawsuits and weak growth.

mendacity

noun: the tendency to be untruthful<I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.

temperance

noun: the trait of avoiding excesses<Welles wasn't known for his temperance--he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.

indifference

noun: the trait of seeming not to care<In an effort to fight indifference, the president of the college introduced a new, stricter grading system.

inanity

noun: total lack of meaning or ideas<Bill's poem was nothing more than a list of impressive sounding words, so there was no point in trying to take meaning from the inanity.

qualm

noun: uneasiness about the fitness of an action<While he could articulate no clear reason why Harkner's plan would fail, he neverless felt qualms about committing any resources to it.

travail

noun: use of physical or mental energy; hard work; agony or anguish<While they experienced nothing but travails in refinishing the kitchen, they completed the master bedroom in less than a weekend.

opulence

noun: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living<Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive cavier.

conflagration

noun: wildfire, holocaust, a very intense and uncontrolled fire Mnk: if you check the word flag in the above word, watching our flag fly high fills our hearts with extra josh and ignites a fire within us when we salute it... <In the summer months, conflagrations are not uncommon in the southwest, do to the heat and lack of rain.>

recalcitrant

obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly

Ecclesiastical

of or relating to the church

homogenous

of the same kind

Syncretic

one that combines elements of different religions

partisan

one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party

Ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation

Spendthrift

opposite of thrifty

gouge

overcharge

appease (v.)

pacify or soothe; relieve, satisfy, relieve; concede to be belligerent demands, sometimes at the expense of principles

permeable

penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through

Disabuse

persuade somebody that his/her belief is not valid,

pathological

pertaining to disease

Lascivious

perversion; lecherous

Badger

pester repeatedly

Miserly

pinch every penny; negative connotation

Heyday

pinnacle or top, of a person, time period or career

Propitiate

placate or appease people who are angry

itinerary

plan of a trip; related to travel

elegy

poem or song expressing lamentation

Mettlesome

poke your nose in somebody else's business

bombastic

pompous; using inflated language

latent

potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden

Profuse

pours out in abundance

indigence

poverty

efficacy

power to produce desired effect

forestall

prevent by taking action in advance

Vindicate

prove oneself right

document

provide written evidence

Dog

pursue relentlessly

Hound

pursue relentlessly; dog

Sanctimonious

quality that can overcome someone who feels that they are holier than everyone else

Beatific

radiate bliss, delightful, euphoric, happy, joyful, rapturous, celestial Mnk: divide this word like beati+fic--beati sounds like beautiful and something which is beautiful is blissful.

Parvenu

recently acquired wealth; risen in class

Reprobate

recipient of the disapproval

log

record of a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities

intransigence

refusal of any compromise; stubbornness

Stipend

regular allowance

flout

reject; mock; show contempt for

Indigenous

relating to a certain area

Amuck

run about frenzied; behave uncontrollably and disruptively Mnk: sounds like a monk imagine A Monk is angrily coming to hit you

Enervate

sap the energy from; weaken

satiate

satisfy fully

Laconic

says very few words; think about batman

Goosebumps

sensation on our skin when we become frightened

subside

settle down; descend; grow quiet

penury

severe poverty; stinginess

Amorphous

shapeless

luminous

shining; issuing light

Galvanize

shock or urge somebody or something into action

occlude

shut; close

Moment

significant and important; think of momentous

anachronism

something or someone misplaced in time

abstemious

sparing in eating and drinking; temperate

Prevaricate

speak evasive way; equivocate

Invective

speak or write about (something) with great hostility; inveigh

Equivocate

speak vaguely; intention to mislead or deceive; having more than one interpretation

Thrifty

spend money wisely

Frugal

spend money wisely; positive connotation

Profligate

spending recklessly almost to the point of immorality

Zeitgeist

spirit of the times

dichotomy

split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)

pervasive

spread throughout

Prodigal

squander or waste wealth

Egregious

standing out in a bad way

Benighted

state of ignorance; depressed

viscous

sticky, gluey

pungent

stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic

Erratic

strange and unconventional; unpredictable

Martinet

strict disciplinarian

penchant

strong inclination; liking

Exhort

strongly urge on, encourage

Sedulous

studying diligently and carefully

Kowtow

subservient or sycophantic manner

Insidious

subtly harmful

Start

suddenly move or dart in a particular direction

Intimate

suggest something subtly

Underwrite

support financially

strut

supporting bar

abeyance

suspended action

Garrulous

talkative

loquacious

talkative

ambivalence

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes

frugality

thrift; economy

Harangue

tirade; diatribe

Maintain

to assert

Beg

to evade a question; invite an obvious question; ask a question that in itself makes unwarranted assumptions

Conciliate

to make peace with

Expunge

to remove; wipe out

Venerate

to respect that person deeply

Upbraid

to scold or berate

Ferret

to search for something persistently

stigma

token of disgrace; brand

Veracious

truthful

Veracity

truthful

fawning

trying to please by behaving obsequiously, flattering or cringing

welter

turmoil; bewildering jumble

Disinterested

unbiased, neutral

indeterminate

uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite

ambiguous

unclear or doubtful in meaning

insensible

unconscious; unresponsive

tacit

understood; not put into words

inadvertently

unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly

exigency

urgent situation; pressing needs or demands; state of requiring immediate attention

conciliatory

v: assuaging, appeasing, flexible, apologetic, making or willing to yield, Mnk: concil is pronouncing like council,in council elections the standing candidate wants to win the feelings of others

Equivocal

vague and undecided

bristle

verb: Barb, react in an offended or angry manner, Rise up as in fear Mnk: remember tooth brush bristles <As we discussed the painting, I noticed the artist's wife bristling at our criticisms, ready to defend her husband's work.>

misattribute

verb: To erroneously attribute; to falsely ascribe; used especially of authorship.<I made a mistake; I misattributed "Crime and Punishment" to Leo Tolstoy when it was actually written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

eke

verb: To live off meager resources, to scrape by<Stranded in a cabin over the winter, Terry was able to eke out an existence on canned food.>

morph

verb: To undergo dramatic change in a seamless and barely noticeable fashion.<The earnestness of the daytime talk shows of the 1970's has morphed into something far more sensational and vulgar: today guests actually standup and threaten to take swings at one another.

countermand

verb: abolish, abrogate, annihilate, annul, lift , overturn , repeal , rescind , reverse , revoke , vacate, a contrary command cancelling or reversing a previous command Mnk: counter + command....so counter the previous command/cancel/revoke. <By the time the colonel countermanded his soldiers not to land in enemy territory, a few helicopters had already touched down amid heavy gunfire.>

finagle

verb: achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods<Steven was able to finagle one of the last seats on the train by convincing the conductor that his torn stub was actually a valid ticket.

expound

verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth<The CEO refused to expound on the decision to merge our department with another one, and so I quit.>

censure

verb: admonishment, castigate, chastise, upbraid, reproach, strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun); to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb), express strong disapproval of a person, to express strong disapproval Mnk: Try to link the meaning of this word with the censor board which always criticizes every inch of the film and also disapproves of some of the parts. <After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly censured by the city council.>

tout

verb: advertize in strongly positive terms; show off<At the conference, the CEO touted the extraordinary success of his company's Research & Development division.

besiege

verb: assail, circumvent, harass, blockade, encircle, beleaguer, trap, as with questions or requests; cause to feel distressed or worried Mnk: divide it like-->be+siege(seize)-- Army has seized the line of control, and now the whole area is surrounded by armed forces. <After discovering a priceless artifact in her backyard, Jane was besieged by phone calls, emails, and reporters all trying to buy, hold or see the rare piece of history.>

lionize

verb: assign great social importance to<Students in the U.S. learn to lionize Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington because they are the founding fathers of the nation.

relegate

verb: assign to a lower position<When Dexter was unable to fulfill his basic duties, instead of firing him, the boss relegated him to kitchen cleanup.

posit

verb: assume as fact<Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder.

clinch

verb: assure, conclude, confirm, seal, secure a goal. make final or settle conclusively; Mnk: Clinch = Clin + ch CLINton goes to CHurch assured the wish <On Sunday night, Arizona, having clinched a playoff spot and now playing for the NFC West title, hosted Seattle.>

impugn

verb: attack as false or wrong<Though many initially tried to impugn Darwin's theory, in scientific circles today, the is idea taken as truth.

enamor

verb: attraction or feeling of love<She is completely enamored with Justin Bieber, and goes to all his concerts on the East coast.>

impute

verb: attribute (responsibility or fault) to something<He imputed his subpar performance on the test to a combination of stress and poor sleep.

ascribe

verb: attribute or credit to, impute Mnk: Take ascr=oscar award;so if I will win an Oscar I will ascribe it to my parents. <some accounts ascribe the murder to Cynethryth.>

impede

verb: be a hindrance or obstacle to<Since the police sergeant had to train the pair of new hires, progress in his own case was impeded.

flummox

verb: be a mystery or bewildering to<Mary's behavior completely flummoxes me: I never have any idea what her motivations might be.

exemplified

verb: be characteristic of <Lincoln exemplified the best of not only America, but also the potential greatness that exists within each person.>

vacillate

verb: be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action<Some students vacillate between schools when deciding which to attend, while others focus only on one school.

importuned

verb: beg persistently and urgently<After weeks of importuning the star to meet for a five-minute interview, the journalist finally got what she wanted.

flounder

verb: behave awkwardly; have difficulties<Sylvia has excelled at advanced calculus, but ironically, when she has deal with taxes, she flounders.

circumvent

verb: besiege, preclude, thwart, prevent, avoid, surround, cleverly find a way out of one's duties or obligations Mnk: circle + prevent => to form a CIRCLE or a boundary around the target to prevent <One way of circumventing the GRE is to apply to a grad school that does not require GRE scores.>

rescind

verb: cancel officially<The man's driver's license was rescinded after his tenth car accident, which meant he would never be allowed to legally drive again.

cosseted

verb: caress, care for lovingly, treat with excessive indulgence <The king and queen cosseted the young prince, giving him a prized miniature horse for his fifth birthday.>

upbraid

verb: castigate, to reproach; to scold<Bob took a risk walking into the "Students Barbershop"—in the end he had to upbraidthe apparently drunk barber for giving him an uneven bowl cut.

rebuke

verb: castigate, upbraid, criticize severely or angrily; censure <The police chief rebuked the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers.

rile

verb: cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations<Dan is usually calm and balanced, but it takes only one intense glare from Sabrina to rile him.

stultify

verb: cause one, through routine, to lose energy and enthusiasm<As an undergraduate Mark felt stultified by classes outside his area of study; only in grad school, in which he could focus solely on literary analysis, did he regain his scholarly edge.

placate

verb: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of<I was able to placate the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.

perpetuate

verb: cause to continue<If you do not let him do things for himself, you are merely perpetuating bad habits that will be even harder to break in the future.

transmute

verb: change or alter in form, appearance, or nature<One of the goals of alchemy was to find the substance or process that would transmute lead into gold.

abstain

verb: choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable), hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or unhealthy); decline to vote, austere ascetic <Considered a health nut, Jessica abstained from anything containing sugar--even chocolate.>

crystallize

verb: clear, elucidate , enlighten , illuminate , shed light on , sort out , straighten out, cause to take on a definite and clear shape <Only after fifteen minutes of brainstorming did Samantha's ideas for the essay crystallize.>

culminate

verb: clear, elucidate , enlighten , illuminate , shed light on , sort out , straighten out, cause to take on a definite and clear shape <Only after fifteen minutes of brainstorming did Samantha's ideas for the essay crystallize.>

dovetail

verb: coincide, jibe, fit together tightly, as if by means of a interlocking joint MnK: Dove has a tail which fit with it's body tightly <Food dovetails with nutrition, which dovetails with health.> <Although Darwin's evolution and Mendel's genetics were developed in isolation from one another, they dovetail very well.>

glean

verb: collect information bit by bit<Herb has given us no formal statement about his background, but from various hints, I have gleaned that he grew up in difficult circumstances.

conniving

verb: collusion, plot, scheme, intrigue, taking part in immoral and unethical plots Mnk: Conni+ving=viking always plot plant to kill dragon <The queen was so conniving that, with the help of the prince, she tried to overthrow the king.>

vanquish

verb: come out better in a competition, race, or conflict<For years, Argentina would dominate in World Cup qualifying matches, only to be vanquished by one of the European countries during the late stages of the tournament.

proscribe

verb: command against<My doctor proscribes that I not eat donuts with chocolate sauce and hamburger patties for breakfast.

consecrate

verb: commit , dedicate , devote , give, vow, consecrated, hold in high religious regard Mnk: CON(disadvantages)+CIGARETTE...you are telling your chain-smoker friend the disadvantages of cigarette and trying to make him SACRED <At the church of Notre Dame in France, the new High Altar was consecrated in 1182.>

vie

verb: compete for something<While the other teams in the division actively vie for the championship, this team seems content simply to go through the motions of playing.

proselytize

verb: convert to another religion, philosophy, or perspective<Lisa loves her Mac but says little about it; by contrast, Jake will proselytize, interrogating anyone with an Android about why she didn't purchase an iPhone.

lambast

verb: criticize severely or angrily<Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.

lacerate

verb: deeply hurt the feelings of; distress<The teacher was fired for lacerating a student who wrote a poor essay.

demean

verb: degrade, to insult; to cause someone to lose dignity or respect Mnk: it could be interfered as we are 'de'creasing the 'mean'ing of something <At first the soccer players bantered back and forth, but as soon as one of the players became demeaning, calling the other's mother a water buffalo, the ref whipped out a red card.>

circumscribe

verb: delineate, restrict or confine, encircle, bound Mnk: circumscribe -> circle + scribe(a writer of manuscripts); so circumscribe means a person writing around the same lines or topic. <Their tour of South America was circumscribed so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities.>

degrade

verb: demean, reduce, denigrate, disgrace, corrupt, impair, reduce in worth or character, usually verbally <Jesse had mockingly pointed out all of Nancy's faults in front of their friends, publicly degrading the poor girl.>

gainsay

verb: deny or contradict; speak against or oppose<I can't gainsay a single piece of evidence James has presented, but I still don't trust his conclusion.

disenfranchise

verb: deprive of voting rights MnK: 'Franchise' means right to freedom .. disFranchise means restricted freedom.. deprived of voting! <How many voters were disenfranchised by Texas' ID law?> <The U.S. Constitution disenfranchised women until 1920 when they were given the right to vote.>

demur

verb: disagree, except, to object or show reluctance Mnk: sounds a little like Damn U R wrong!! I object! <Paul disliked the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggested they going skiing in the Alps.>

debunk

verb: disprove, disparage, to show that something (such as a belief or theory) is not true : to show the falseness of (a story, idea, statement, etc.) MnK: DE+BUNK..so when you bunked your college, and got caught by your teacher... your teacher exaggerated this fact and ridiculed you in front of the class. <Richard Dawkins tries to debunk religious belief, but his ridicule tends to push people away from his points rather than convince them.>

discriminate

verb: distinguish, separate, recognize or perceive the difference MnK: "discri" + "minate" = "describe in one minute" when someone can describe something in one minute he can distinguish that. <Sarah couldn't discriminate between a good wine and a bad wine, so she avoided wine tastings.>

disseminate

verb: distribute, scatter, distribute, broadcast, circulate, propagate, disperse, spread, cause to become widely known<Before the effects of anaethesia were disseminated, patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery.>

perturb

verb: disturb in mind or cause to be worried or alarmed<Now that Henry is recovering from a major illnesses, he no longer lets the little trivialities, such as late mail, perturb him.

quail

verb: draw back, as with fear or pain<Craig always claimed to be a fearless outdoorsman, but when the thunderstorm engulfed the valley, he quailed at the thought of leaving the safety of his cabin.

extrapolate

verb: draw from specific cases for more general cases<By extrapolating from the data on the past three months, we can predict a 5% increase in traffic to our website.

flag

verb: droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness; become less intense<After the three crushing defeats in the last three games, the team's enthusiasm began to flag.

machinate

verb: engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together<The rebels met at night in an abandoned barn to machinate.

hail

verb: enthusiastically acclaim or celebrate something<Many college superstar athletes are hailed as the next big thing, but then flop at the professional level.

elude

verb: escape understanding<Even a basic understanding of physics can elude most high schools students.>逃避;使...迷惑

objurgate

verb: express strong disapproval of<The manager spent an hour objurgating the employee in the hopes that he would not make these mistakes again.

renege

verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation<We will no longer work with that vendor since it has reneged on nearly every agreement.

ingratiate

verb: gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts <Even though Tom didn't like his new boss, he decided to ingratiate himself to her in order to advance his career.

entice

verb: get someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises<Harold enticed his wife, Maude, to go on a vacation to Hawaii, with promises of luaus on the beach and all-you-can-eat seafood buffets.>

chortle

verb: giggle, to chuckle, laugh merrily Mnk: chortle - ch + turtle, when turtle won the race with hare , i chuckled with delight <Walking past the bar, I could hear happy, chortling people and the blast of horns from a jazz band.>

delegate

verb: give an assignment to (a person) <Since the senior manager had to go on many international business trips, she was forced to delegate many of her responsibilities to two lower-level managers.>

underscore

verb: give extra weight to (a communication)<While the hiking instructor agreed that carrying a first aid kit could be a good idea under certain circumstances, he underscored the importance of carrying enough water.

enjoin

verb: give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority<The government agency enjoined the chemical company to clean up the hazardous dump it had created over the years.>

engender

verb: give rise to<The restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles were so severe that they engendered deep hatred and resentment in the German people.>

frustrate

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of<I thought I would finish writing the paper by lunchtime, but a number of urgent interruptions served to frustrate my plan.

thwart

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of<I wanted to spend a week in New York this autumn, but the high costs of travel and lodging thwarted my plans.

stymie

verb: hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of<The engineers found their plans stymied at every turn and were ultimately able to make almost no progress on the project.

enthrall

verb: hold spellbound<She was so enthralled by the movie that she never heard people screaming, "Fire! Fire!" in the neighboring theater.>

deride

verb: insult, disdain, disparage, eschew, scorn, treat or speak of with contempt Mnk: de -ride -- riding a horse upside down.. ppl will make fun of you ( ridicule) <The teacher derided the students for failing in the exam.>

misconstrue

verb: interpret in the wrong way<The politician never trusted journalists because he though that they misconstrue his words and misrepresent his positions.

guffaw

verb: laugh boisterously<Whenever the jester fell to the ground in mock pain, the king guffawed, exposing his yellow, fang-like teeth.

hamstrung

verb: made ineffective or powerless<The FBI has made so many restrictions on the local police that they are absolutely hamstrung, unable to accomplish anything.

reconcile

verb: make (one thing) compatible with (another)<Peggy was unable to reconcile her kind friend Jane with the cruel and merciless character Jane played on television.

elucidate

verb: make clearer and easier to understand<Youtube is great place to learn just about anything--an expert elucidates finer points so that even a complete novice can learn.>

tarnish

verb: make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically<Pete Rose was one of the best baseball players of his generation, but his involvement with gambling on baseball games has tarnished his image in the eyes of many.

incense

verb: make furious<When Herb bought football tickets for a game on the day of their wedding anniversary, Jill was incensed.

embellish

verb: make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; make more beautiful<McCartney would write relatively straightforward lyrics, and Lennon would embellish them with puns and poetic images.>

compound

verb: make more intense, stronger, or more marked<Her headache was compounded by the construction crew outside, which had six jackhammers going at the same time.>

rarefied

verb: make more subtle or refined<Jack's vulgar jokes were not so successful in the rarefied environment of college professors.

ossify

verb: make rigid and set into a conventional pattern<Even as a young man, Bob had some bias against poor people, but during his years in social services, his bad opinions ossified into unshiftable views.

exacerbate

verb: make worse<Her sleeplessness exacerbated her cold--when she woke up the next day, her sinuses were completely blocked.>

conflate

verb: merge, amalgamate, consolidate, unified, mix together different elements or concepts Mnk: conflates sounds similar to cornflakes which gives us strength by bringing together all the vitamin and minerals together <In her recent book, the author conflates several genres--the detective story, the teen thriller, and the vampire romance--to create a memorable read.>

tender

verb: offer up something formally<The government was loath to tender more money in the fear that it might set off inflation.

juxtapose

verb: place side by side<The appeal of her paintings comes from a classical style which is juxtaposed with modern themes.

exalt

verb: praise or glorify<The teenagers exalted the rock star, covering their bedrooms with posters of him.>

hamper

verb: prevent the progress or free movement of<As the rain water began to collect in pools on the highway, it began to hamper the flow of traffic.

exonerate

verb: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges <The document clearly indicated that Nick was out of the state at the time of the crime, and so served to exonerate him of any charges.

afford

verb: provide with an opportunity <The summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro affords a panoramic view that encompasses both Tanzania and Kenya.>

retract

verb: pull inward or towards a center; formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure<Email is wonderfully efficient, but once something awkward or damaging has been sent, there is no way to retract it.

resolve

verb: reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation<After much thought, Ted resolved not to travel abroad this summer because he didn't have much money in his bank account.

cede

verb: recapitulate, concede, give in, abandon, surrender, relinquish possession or control over <The squatters had to cede the building after the police moved in">

snub

verb: refuse to acknowledge; reject outright and bluntly<Wheeler was completely qualified for the committee, but the board snubbed him, choosing an obviously lesser qualified candidate instead.

repudiate

verb: reject as untrue or unfounded<Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to repudiate the rumors.

spurn

verb: reject with contempt<She spurned all his flattery and proposals, and so he walked off embarrassed and sad.

buck

verb: resist, charge Mnk: sounds like bucks ...money...resist proverty <The profits at our firm bucked the general downturn that affected the real estate industry.>

pillory

verb: ridicule or expose to public scorn<After the candidate confessed, the press of the opposing party took the opportunity to pillory him, printing editorials with the most blatantly exaggerated accusations.

lampoon

verb: ridicule with satire<Mark Twain understood that lampooning a bad idea with humor was the most effective criticism.

arrogate

verb: seize and control without authority, appropriate, assume, confiscate, expropriate, presume, take, Mnk: A surrogate mom arrogate the custody of the child for ever <Arriving at the small town, the outlaw arrogated the privileges of a lord, asking the frightened citizens to provide food, drink, and entertainment.>

palaver

verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly<During the rain delay, many who had come to see the game palavered, probably hoping that idle chatter would make the time go by faster.

squander

verb: spend thoughtlessly; waste time, money, or an opportunity<Fearing his money would be squandered by his family, he gave all of it to charity when he died.

vilify

verb: spread negative information about<Todd was noble after the divorce, choosing to say only complimentary things about Barbara, but Barbara did not hesitate to vilify Todd.

emulate

verb: strive to equal or match, especially by imitating; compete with successfully<To really become fluent in a new language, emulate the speech patterns and intonation of people who speak the language.>

glut

verb: supply with an excess of, an excessive supply <The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first.> <In the middle of economic crises, hiring managers find their inboxs glutted with resumes.">

squelch

verb: suppress or crush completely<After the dictator consolidated his power, he took steps to squelch all criticism, often arresting any journalist who said anything that could be interpreted as negative about his regime.

preempt

verb: take the place of or have precedence over<A governmental warning about an imminent terrorist attack would preempt ordinary network programming on television.

supplant

verb: take the place or move into the position of<For many, a cell phone has supplanted a traditional phone; in fact, most 20-somethings don't even have a traditional phone anymore.

pontificate

verb: talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner<The vice-president would often pontificate about economic theory, as if no one else in the room were qualified to speak on the topic.

espouse

verb: to adopt or support an idea or cause<As a college student, Charlie espoused Marxism, growing his beard out and railing against the evils of the free-market.>

perceive

verb: to be aware of, to sense or feel<If hunters are skilled, the animals will not perceive their presence.

kowtow

verb: to bow or act in a subservient manner<Paul kowtowed to his boss so often the boss herself became nauseated by his sycophancy.

recrudesce

verb: to break out or happen again<After years of gamblers anonymous, Tony thought he'd broken his compulsive slot machine playing, but it took only one trip to the Atlantic City for a full recrudescence--he lost $5k on the one armed bandit.

fete

verb: to celebrate a person<After World War II, war heroes were feted at first but quickly forgotten.

vindicate

verb: to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof<Even seven Tour de France wins cannot vindicate Lance Armstrong in the eyes of the public--that the athlete used performance enhancing drugs invalidates all those wins.

eradicate

verb: to completely destroy<I tried eradicating the mosquitos in my apartment with a rolled up newspaper, but there were too many of them.>

excoriate

verb: to criticize very harshly<Entrusted with the prototype to his company's latest smartphone, Larry, during a late night karaoke bout, let the prototype slip into the hands of a rival company—the next day Larry was excoriated, and then fired.>

execrate

verb: to curse and hiss at<Though the new sitcom did decently in the ratings, Nelson railed against the show, saying that it was nothing more than an execrable pastiche of tired cliché's and canned laughter.>

hoodwink

verb: to deceive or trick someone<Someone tried to hoodwink Marty with an email telling him that his uncle had just passed away, and to collect the inheritance he should send his credit card information.

harangues

verb: to deliver a long pompous speech or tirade, a long pompous speech; a tirade; <Dinner at Billy's was more a punishment than a reward, since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy's father's interminable harangues against the government.;> <Tired of his parents haranguing him about his laziness and lack of initiative, Tyler finally moved out of home at the age of thirty-five.">

imbibe

verb: to drink or absorb as if drinking<Plato imbibed Socrates' teachings to such an extent that he was able to write volumes of work that he directly attributed, sometimes word for word, to Socrates.

expunge

verb: to eliminate completely<When I turned 18, all of the shoplifting and jaywalking charges were expunged from my criminal record.>

immure

verb: to enclose, usually in walls<The modern supermarket experience makes many feel claustrophobic, as they are immured in walls upon walls of products.

galvanize

verb: to excite or inspire (someone) to action<At mile 23 of his first marathon, Kyle had all but given up, until he noticed his friends and family holding a banner that read, "Go Kyle"; galvanized, he broke into a gallop, finishing the last three miles in less than 20 minutes.

reproach

verb: to express criticism towards<At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn't want to reproach him for telling the truth about the situation.

inundate

verb: to flood or overwhelm<The newsroom was inundated with false reports that only made it more difficult for the newscasters to provide an objective account of the bank robbery.

indict

verb: to formally charge or accuse of wrong-doing<The bankrobber was indicted on several major charges, including possession of a firearm.

wax

verb: to gradually increase in size or intensity<Her enthusiasm for the diva's new album only waxed with each song; by the end of the album, it was her favorite CD yet.

stem

verb: to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something<To stem the tide of applications, the prestigious Ivy requires that each applicant score at least 330 on the Revised GRE.

hobble

verb: to hold back the progress of something<Bad weather has hobbled rescue efforts, making it difficult for crews to find bodies in the wreckage.

cow

verb: to intimidate, frighten, daunt <Do not be cowed by a 3,000-word vocabulary list: turn that list into a deck of flashcards!>

exasperate

verb: to irritate intensely<As a child, I exasperated my mother with strings of never-ending questions.>

hedge

verb: to limit or qualify a statement; to avoid making a direct statement<When asked why he had decided to buy millions of shares at the very moment the tech companies stock soared, the CEO hedged, mentioning something vague about gut instinct.

inure

verb: to make accustomed to something unpleasant<Three years of Manhattan living has inured her to the sound of wailing sirens; she could probably sleep through the apocalypse.

err

verb: to make an error<He erred in thinking that "indigent" and "indignant" were synonyms.>

unnerve

verb: to make nervous or upset<At one time unnerved by math problems, she began avidly "Magoosh-ing", and soon became adept at even combinations and permutations questions.

remonstrate

verb: to make objections while pleading<The mothers of the kidnapped victims remonstrated to the rogue government to release their children, claiming that the detention violated human rights.

mollify

verb: to make someone angry less angry; placate<In the morning, Harriat was unable to mollify Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he had his cup of coffee.

gerrymander

verb: to manipulate voting districts in order to favor a particular political party<Years ago, savvy politicians had gerrymandered the city center to ensure their re-election.

badger

verb: to pester, beleaguer , bug , pester , tease Mnk: BAD GIRL.....bad girls always annoy people <Badgered by his parents to find a job, the 30-year-old loafer instead joined a gang of itinerant musicians.>

propitiate

verb: to placate or appease<The two sons, plying their angry father with cheesy neckties for Christmas, were hardly able to propitiate him - the father already had a drawer full of ones he had never worn before or ever planned to.

contrive

verb: to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery<Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation.>

hound

verb: to pursue relentlessly<An implacable foe of corruption, Eliot Ness hounded out graft in all forms—he even helped nab Al Capone.

peruse

verb: to read very carefully<Instead of perusing important documents, people all too often rush to the bottom of the page and plaster their signatures at the bottom.

expurgate

verb: to remove objectionable material<

chastise

verb: to reprimand harshly , upbraid, objurgate, lambast, censure, to reprimand, admonish Mnk: chastise = chest ice... The kid was punished or criticized severely by his mother for playing with ice on chest <Though chastised for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother's harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.>

venerate

verb: to respect deeply, revere <The professor, despite his sleep-inducing lectures, was venerate damongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.

ferret

verb: to search for something persistently<Ever the resourceful lexicographer, Fenton was able to ferret out the word origin of highly obscure words.

adjudicate

verb: to serve as a judge in a competition; to arrive at a judgment or conclusion <Only those with the most refined palates were able to adjudicate during the barbeque competition.>

equivocate

verb: to speak vaguely, usually with the intention to mislead or deceive<After Sharon brought the car home an hour after her curfew, she equivocated when her parents pointedly asked her where she had been.>

mesmerize

verb: to spellbind or enthrall<The plot and the characters were so well developed that many viewers were mesmerized, unable to move their eyes from the screen for even a single second.

exhort

verb: to strongly urge on; encourage<Nelson's parents exhorted him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent, Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist.>

start

verb: to suddenly move in a particular direction<All alone in the mansion, Henrietta started when she heard a sound.

intimate

verb: to suggest something subtly<At first Manfred's teachers intimated to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy's precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade.

underwrite

verb: to support financially<The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with underwriting from the Carnegie Endowment.

meander

verb: to wander aimlessly<A casual observer might have thought that Peter was meandering through the city, but that day he was actually seeking out those places where he and his long lost love had once visited.

pine

verb: to yearn for<Standing forlornly by the window, she pined for her lost love.

patronize

verb: treat condescendingly<She says she genuinely wanted to help me, but instead she patronized me, constantly pointing out how I was inferior to her.

fawn

verb: try to gain favor by extreme flattery<The media fawned over the handsome new CEO, praising his impeccable sense of style instead of asking more pointed questions.

foment

verb: try to stir up public opinion<After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to foment a general feeling of discontent.

nonplussed

verb: unsure how to act or respond<Shirley was totally nonplussed when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window.

castigate

verb: upbraid, chastise, objurgate, lambast, censure, to reprimand or criticize harshly, very critical or sarcastic, punish in order to correct to reprimand harshly Mnk: cast+i+hate - if you hate caste, you criticize it.. <Drill sergeants are known to castigate new recruits so mercilessly that the latter often break down during their first week in training.>

corroborate

verb: verify (usually an idea), add evidence, authenticate, affirm , confirm , substantiate , support , sustain Mnk: just focus on borate part of this word -- Borate test is a confirmatory test in chemistry. <Her claim that frog populations were falling precipitously in Central America was corroborated by locals, who reported that many species of frogs had seemingly vanished overnight.>

Pugnacious

verbally combative

wary

very cautious

transgression

violation of a law; sin

Vituperation

violently launch into an invective tirade

digression

wandering away from the subject

Bellicose

warlike and inclined to quarrel

enervate

weaken

Undermine

weaken; slowly or insidiously eroding

Nabob

wealthy, inflential person

Ponderous

weighed down to move slowly; think of a pound

Quixotic

wildly idealistic

verbose

wordy

diffuse

wordy; rambling; spread out (like a gas)

solicious

worried, concerned

idolatry

worship of idols; excessive admiration

subpoena

writ summoning a witness to appear

apocryphal

(adj) fictitious, of questionable authenticity; false, being of questionable authenticity Mnk: Derived from root "crypt" which means "secret". So, Apocryphal means "of doubtful authenticity" <The web is notorious for sandwiching apocryphal stories between actual news.>

autocratic

(adjective): characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty Mnk: auto(means self)+cratic(cracy)......means government... government by self ,government by one person. The last true autocratic country is certainly North Korea; nowhere does a leader exercise the absolute control over all aspects of a people the way that Kim Jong-un does.

besotted

1. Adj. enamored, drunken, infatuated, intoxicated, dull, buzzed, cooked strongly affectionate towards Mnk: BESOTTED -> BEER + SODDEN = SODDEN with BEER. <Even though her father did not approve, Juliet became besotted with the young Romeo.> 2.very drunk <Never before have I seen my mom so besotted, and honestly, I hope it's the last time she drinks so much.>

begrudge

1. be jealous, be reluctant, envy, resent, Mnk: begrudge can be broken into beg + rude... so some one who behave rudely with beggars ... the beggar 'wish ill ' for that person <Sitting all alone in his room, Harvey begrudged the happiness of the other children playing outside his window.> 2. to give reluctantly <We never begrudge money spent on ourselves.>

bereft

1.DEPRIVED , cut off, devoid, unhappy in love; suffering from unrequited love Mnk: bereft = beer + left and therefore DEPRIVED of beer <After 64 years of marriage, William was bereft after the death of his wife.> 2,deprived of or lacking something <"her room was stark and bereft of color">

benign

1.harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not cancerous, kind Mnk: benign- bene(good) + sign I remember my grandfather's face was wrinkled, benign, and calm. 2.(medicine) not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive The tumor located in your ear lobe seems to be benign and should not cause you any trouble.

aesthete

One who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature <Ask even an erudite aesthete who designed it, however, and you're likely to draw silence and stares.>

aerie

a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling, Dwelling or fortress built on a high place; the nest of a bird of prey, such as an eagle or hawk, built on a mountain or cliff

bucolic

adjective: agrarian, pastoral, relating to the pleasant aspects of the country Mnk: bucolic sounds a bit like bullock which is used in the "country side"... <The noble families of England once owned vast expanses of beautiful, bucolic land.>

brazen

adjective: audacious , blatant, impudent, bald-faced , barefaced, bodacious , brassy , brazen-faced , insolent unrestrained by convention or propriety Mnk: Split the word brazen as Bra + Zen. Suppose you went out with your friends and saw a girl in a Zen car wearing only a bra. How was the attempt of the girl? Really bold and brazen! <Their large "donations" to the local police department gave the drug cartel the brazen confidence to do their business out in the open.>

bleak

adjective: austere, grim, desolate, deary, having a depressing or gloomy outlook, very depressing take on life Mnk: Bleak sounds like leak, when someone leak urine in his pants he feels cold and cheerless <The landscape around them was bleak, almost as devoid of plant life as the white sands had been.>

blatant

adjective: blazing , clamant , clamorous , strident , vociferous conspicuous, without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious Mnk: Bla( Blah Blah Blah) + Tent..... so extreme noise in a tent..... <Allen was often punished in school for blatantly disrespecting teachers.> (adj) conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry

bumbling

adjective: blundering, awkward, lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands <Within a week of starting, the bumbling new waiter was unceremoniously fired.>

antiquated

adjective: bygone, archaic, old-fashioned; belonging to an earlier period in time, antediluvian, old, Mnk: read as antique(old item)+dated(outdated)..hence outdated <Aunt Betty had antiquated notions about marriage, believing that a man should court a woman for at least a year before receiving a kiss.>

arrant

adjective: complete and wholly (usually modifying a noun with negative connotation), notorious, absolute, unmitigated Mnk: arrant sounds like error - the less qualified the more errors you make. <An arrant fool, Lawrence surprised nobody when he lost all his money in a pyramid scheme that was every bit as transparent as it was corrupt.>

arduous

adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance, very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure, hard; strenuous <In order to deal with the arduous cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.>努力的;艰巨的

adamant

adjective: intransigent, stubborn, resolute, rigid, refusing to change one's mind intransigent- imagine you are going on a trip. the TRANSPORT AGENT is very strict in payment of money. so INTRANSIGENT= transport + agent = very stubborn <Civil rights icon Rosa Parks will forever be remembered for adamantly refusing to give up her seat on a public bus--even after the bus driver insisted, she remained rooted in place.>

anemic -

adjective: lacking energy and vigor <After three straight shows, the lead actress gave an anemic performance the fourth night, barely speaking loudly enough for those in the back rows to hear.>

appreciable

adjective: large enough to be noticed (usu. refers to an amount) <There is an appreciable difference between those who say they can get the job done and those who actually get the job done.>

antic -

adjective: ludicrously odd, grotesque, strange, unusual, clown, Mnemk: antic can be think as anti-c. anti means opposite and c stands for culture. so antic means anti-culture which is extremely odd <The clown's antic act was too extreme for the youngest children, who left the room in tears.>

ambivalent

adjective: mixed or conflicting emotions about something (adj) uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once <Sam was ambivalent about studying for the exam because doing so ate up a lot of his time, yet he was able to improve his analytical skills.>

arcane

adjective: requiring secret or mysterious knowledge, known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret, esoteric, mystic, recondite, occult Mnk: Arcane=ar+cane(Kane).... this is for WWF watchers...Kane (undertaker brother) he has really mysterious behavior....as he many times fought with his brother also. <Most college fraternities are known for arcane rituals that those hoping to the join the fraternity must learn.>

boorish

adjective: rude; insensitive, ill-mannered and coarse or contemptible in behavior or appearance Mnk: boor means =bura .... ill mannered... so make adj boorish..!..:) <Bukowski was known for being a boorish drunk and alienating close friends and family.>

antithetical -

adjective: sharply contrasted in character or purpose, antithetic Mnk - Anti- contrast or against , so antithetical is something that contrasts in meaning , character ,or purpose <His deep emotional involvement with these ideas is, in fact, antithetical to the dis-attachment Buddhism preaches.> <the antithetical forces of good and evil>

aphoristic

adjective: something that is concise and instructive of a general truth or principle, epigrammatic, concise Mnk: aphor= A4 ; write in just a4 sheet => brief & short <Sentences like that last one show up throughout the book—short, aphoristic.> <Sometimes I can't stand Nathan because he tries to impress everyone by being aphoristic, but he just states the obvious.>

appurtenant

adjective: supply added support, additional, secondary, subsidiary, adjuvant Mnk: Appurtenant were added in new Apartment <n hiking Mt. Everest, sherpas are appurtenant, helping climbers both carry gear and navigate treacherous paths.>

baleful

adjective: threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments, forbidding , menacing , minacious , minatory , ominous , sinister , threatening MNK: BALEFUL.....remind yourself of christian bale.....in The Dark Knight.....the movie immediately reminds you of Joker....the BALEFUL joker!! <Movies often use storms or rain clouds as a baleful omen of evil events that will soon befall the main character.>

avid

adjective: voracious, devoted, enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous, marked by active interest and enthusiasm Mnk: a person is always eager to be in avid(a video) <Martin is an avid birdwatcher, often taking long hikes into remote mountains to see some rare eagle.>

affluent

adjective: wealthy, to be wealthy <The center of the city had sadly become a pit of penury, while, only five miles away, multi-million dollar homes spoke of affluence.>

autonomously

adverb: In an autonomous or self-governing manner. <Many of the factory workers are worried about being replaced by machines and computers that will work completely autonomously.>

askance

adverb: skeptically, askew disapprovingly disdainfully, obliquely, with a look of suspicion or disapproval Mnk: When you want to take a girl out for a date and are very hesitant to ask her about it, then you make up your mind and ASK her with a glANCE..i.e not looking directly into her eyes...hence ASKANCE is looking sideways or indirectly. <The old couple looked askance on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, "They've got rings through their noses and purple hair!">

brusquely

adverb: vigorously, rapidly, nimbly, in a blunt, direct manner Mnk: Blunt in speech can bruise quickly the other person ego. <Not one for social pleasantries, the Chief of Staff would brusquely ask his subordinates anything he wanted, even coffee.>

avert

avert (verb): turn away Mnk: sounds like DIVERT. Afraid to see the aftermath of the car crash, I averted my eyes as we drove by. avert (verb): ward off or prevent The struggling videogame company put all of its finances into one final, desperate project to avert bankrupcy.

Banal

bromide, platitude, adage, cliche, repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse, hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality <The professor used such banal expression that many students in the class either fell asleep from bordeom or stayed awake to complete his sentences and humor friends.>

anathema -

noun: a detested person; the source of somebody's hate Mnemk: ASTHMA...anathema...I hate asthma because it affects respiratory system....anathema also means curse....to have ASTHAMA is a kind of ANATHEMA.. <Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was anathema to the church; today the church is anathema to some on the left side of the political spectrum.>

aphorism

noun: a short instructive saying about a general truth, apophthegm, apothegm, adage, axiom, proverb Mnk: aphorism---> a + phrase.. <To illustrate the discussion, a little shorthand in the form of some moral aphorisms would help>

apothegm

noun: a short, pithy instructive saying, aphorism Mnk: APOlogize THE GM(general manager) because he only says things short-has no time to explain things fully <Winston Churchill is famous for many apothegms, but this might be his most famous: "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.">

antipathy -

noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion, repugnance, sometimes without reason <Maria had an antipathy for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.>

atavism

noun: backsliding, reverting, relapse, throwback, a reappearance of an earlier characteristic; Mnk: by ATAVISM you should remember AVATAR, i.e. you are an avatar(incarnation) of one of your ancestors <Much of the modern art movement was an atavism to a style of art found only in small villages through Africa and South America.>

acrimony

noun: bitterness and ill will, antipathy, acerbity, harshness <The acrimonious dispute between the president and vice-president sent a clear signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.>

artifice

noun: cunning tricks used to deceive others Mnk: ARTIFICE: sounds like artificial fish which is nothing but a trick. <The mayoral candidates both spent much of the campaign accusing each other of artifices designed to mislead the voting public.>

aplomb

noun: equanimity, confidence, great coolness and composure under strain, self confidence or assurance in a demanding situation Mnk: Take it as a-bomb, so a bomb defusing team must have following characteristics: assurance, balance, confidence, coolness, equanimity, nerve, nonchalance, poise, surety, tact... Nd these are the synonyms of aplomb!!! <Nancy acted with aplomb during dangerous situations--she once calmly climbed up an oak tree to save a cat.>

apprehension

noun: fearful expectation <Test day can be one of pure apprehension, as many students worry about their test scores.>

avarice

noun: greed (one of the seven deadly sins), thrift Mnk: avarice- a + very + rich > a strong greed to be 'a very rich' person. <The Spanish pirates were known for their avarice, plundering Incan land and stealing Incan gold.>

apotheosis

noun: person or thing reached a point as to be god-like, exaltation to divine status; the highest point of development Mnk: Theos means god(you can remember it by THE O.S means the operating sytem that control's our live's must be god)AAP+THEOSis....aperson saying to another that aap toh god ho.....apotheosis..... <As difficult as it is to imagine, the apotheosis of Mark Zuckerberg's career, many believe, is yet to come.>

ascendancy

noun: the state that exists when one person or group has power over another, dominance, control, authority, supremacy, superiority Mnk: Ascend means to rise... as u rise, u always gain power...& den u dance :p <The ascendancy of the Carlsbad water polo team is clear—they have a decade of championships behind them.>

assail

verb: besiege, impugn, criticize, attack in speech or writing <In the weekly paper, the editor assailed the governor for wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars in public projects that quickly failed.>

admonish

verb: chastise, to warn strongly, even to the point of , warn; reprove, reprimanding, mildly scold; caution, advise, or remind to do something <Before the concert began, security personel admonished the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.>

betray

verb: deceive, cheat, abandon, forsake, mislead, to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally <With the gold medal at stake, the gymnast awaited his turn, his quivering lip betraying his intense emotions.> <You didn't betray my trust.>

banish

verb: dismiss, eradicate, outlaw, exile, ostracize, discharge, expel from a community, residence, or location; drive away <The most difficult part of the fast was banishing thoughts of food.>

augment

verb: enlarge or increase; improve, wax <Ideally, the restaurant's augmented menu will expand its clientele and increase its profits.>

bowdlerize

verb: expurgate, castrate, edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate Mnk: BORDERLIZE by BULLDOZERIZE (remove indelicate or extra parts) <To receive an R rating, the entire movie was bowdlerized because it contained so much violence and grotesque subject matter.>

browbeat

verb: harass, badger, bully, coerce, intimidate, be bossy towards; discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner Mnk: hav u ever tasted crow meat...never taste it..its dangerous n yuck..m intimidating u!! <During the interrogation, the suspect was browbeaten into signing a false confession.>

bemoan

verb: lament, mourn, deplore, regret, express discontent or a strong regret Mnk: bemoan... look at moan..means cryin,..whn does one cry when dey loose something..when one looses something they express disapproval.. <People today often bemoan what's happened to society.>

burgeon

verb: prosper, snowball, grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant). <China's housing market is burgeoning, but some predict that the growth is merely a bubble and will burst much like the U.S. real estate bubble of 2008.>

brook

verb: put up with something or somebody unpleasant Mnk: relate this to BROOK BOND tea....jst drink the tea and then u can tolerate any tension. :-) <While she was at the chalkboard, the teacher did not brook any form of talking--even a tiny peep resulted in afternoon detention.>

balk

verb: refuse to comply, refuse to proceed or to do something <The students were willing to clean up the broken glass, but when the teacher asked them to mop the entire floor, they balked, citing reasons why they needed to leave.>

abrogate

verb: revoke formally <As part of the agreement between the labor union and the company, the workers abrogated their right to strike for four years in exchange for better health insurance.>

besmirch

verb: smear, denigrate, calumniate , defame , blacken, dishonor, slander, stain, damage the good name and reputation of someone Mnk: Besmirch= kisi ki achi reputation ko mirche lga ke bigadna <The prince's distasteful choice of words besmirched not only his own name, but the reputation of the entire royal family.>

behooves

verb: to be one's duty or obligation, ought to Mnk: be+hook (hooves) <The teacher looked down at the student and said, "It would behoove you to be in class on time and complete your homework, so that you don't repeat freshman English for a third straight year.">