Sentences (1/2)

dorsal relating to the back of an animal

A shark may be identified by its dorsal fin, which projects above the surface of the ocean.

caucus private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy

At the opening of Congress the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the majority

determinate having a fixed order of procedure; invariable

At the royal wedding, the procession of the nobles followed a determinate order of precedence.

juncture crisis;joining point

At this critical juncture, let us think carefully before determining the course we shall follow.

friction clash in opinion; rubbing against

At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to have any friction in our group.

expatiate talk at length

At this time, please give us a brief resume of your work; we shall permit you to expatiate later.

audacious daring; bold

Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death-defying leap to

facile easy; expert

Because he was a facile speaker, he never refused a request to address an organization.

discerning mentally quick and observant; having insight

Because he was considered the most discerning member of the firm, he was assigned the most difficult

centurion Roman army officer

Because he was in command of a company of one hundred soldiers, he was called a centurion.

indubitably beyond a doubt

Because her argument was indubitably valid, the judge accepted it.

extemporaneous not planned; impromtu

Because his extemporaneous remarks were misinterpreted, he decided to write all his speeches in advance.

convene assemble

Because much is needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in

distrait absentminded

Because of his concentration on the problem, the professor often appeared distrait and unconcerned about

exotic not native; strange

Because of his exotic headdress, he was followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange

inebriety habitual intoxication

Because of his inebriety, he was discharged from his position as family chauffeur.

infraction violation

Because of his many infractions of school regulations, he was suspended by the dean.

entree entrance; a way in

Because of his wealth and social position, he had entree into the most exclusive circles.

fabricate build; lie

Because of the child's tendency to fabricate, we had trouble believing her.

imbalance lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion

Because of the great imbalance between the number of men and women invited, the dance was

impropriety state of being inappropriate

Because of the impropriety of his costume, he was denied entrance into the dining room.

exhume dig out of the ground; remove from a grave

Because of the rumor that he had been poisoned, his body was exhumed in order that an autopsy might be

circuitous roundabout

Because of the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route.

asymmetric not identical on both sides of a dividing central line

Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric

indifferent unmoved; lacking concern

Because she felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to his constant proposals.

coquette flirt

Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette.

headstrong stubborn; willful; unyielding

Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called

flora plants of a region or era

Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying the flora of the desert.

amnesia loss of memory

Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

clairvoyant having foresight; fortuneteller

Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans.

baleful menacing; deadly

Casting a baleful eye at his successful rival, the rejected suitor stole off, vowing to have his revenge.

blatant extremely obvious; loudly offensive

Caught in a blatant lie, the scoundrel had only one regret: he wished that he had lied more subtly.

grovel crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate

Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to grovel before our conquerors.

imply suggest a meaning not expressed

Even though your statement does not declare that you are at war with that country, your actions imply that

holster pistol case

Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm.

amazon female warrior

Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons.

foliage masses of leaves

Every autumn before the leaves fell he promised himself he would drive though the New England to

cull pick out; reject

Every month the farmer culls the nonplaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher.

endorse approve; support

Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse.

hiatus gap; pause

Except for a brief two-year hiatus, during which she enrolled in the Peace Corps, Ms. Clements has

inscrutable impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious

Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards

idyllic charmingly carefree; simple

Far from the city, she led an idyllic existence in her rural retreat.

inquisitor questioner (specially harsh; investigator

Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her inquisitors with trepidation.

contagion infection

Fearing contagion, they took drastic steps to prevent the spread of the disease.

contrived forced; artificial; not spontaneous

Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws; James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then

bombast pompous, inflated language

Filled with bombast, the orator's speech left the audience more impressed with his pomposity than with his

hubris arrogance; excessive self-conceit

Filled with hubris, Lear refused to heed his friends' warnings.

affix attach or add on; fasten

First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal.

cuisine style of cooking

French cuisine is noted for its use of sauces and wines.

balm something that relieves pain

Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

amphibian able to live both on land and in water

Frogs are classified as amphibian.

cadaverous like a corpse; pale

From his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.

enthrall capture; enslave

From the moment he saw her picture, he was enthralled by her beauty.

daub smear (as with paint

From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils.

barrister counselor-at-law

Galsworthy started as a barrister, but when he found the practice of law boring, turned to writing.

clout great influence (especially political or social

Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club.

gusto enjoyment; enthusiasm

He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary.

husbandry frugality; thrift; agriculture

He accumulated his small fortune by diligence and husbandry.

belated delayed

He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just

emollient soothing or softening remedy

He applied an emollient to the inflamed area.

embroil throw into confusion

He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.

inarticulate speechless; producing indistinct speech

He became inarticulate with rage and uttered sounds without meaning.

appurtenances subordinate possessions

He bought the estate and all its appurtenances.

ingenious clever

He came up with a use for Styrofoam packing balls that was so ingenious that his business school

aquiline curved, hooked

He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.

comport bear one's self; behave

He comported himself with great dignity.

conjure summon a devil; proactive magic; imagine; invent

He conjured up an image of a reformed city and had the voters completely under his spell.

calumny malicious misrepresentation

He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

fritter waste

He could not apply himself to any task and frittered away his time in idle conversation.

dissuade advise against

He could not dissuade his friend from joining the conspirators.

ejaculation exclamation

He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard the news.

alacrity cheerful promptness

He demonstrated his eagerness to serve by his alacrity in executing the orders of his master.

broach open up

He did not even try to broach the subject of poetry.

flinch hesitate; shrink

He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely.

enormity hugeness (in a bad sense

He did not realize the enormity of his crime until he saw what suffering he had caused.

fickle changeable; faithless

He discovered his supposedly faithful girlfriend was fickle

empirical based on experience

He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.

heedless not noticing; disregarding

He drove on, heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous.

evoke call forth

He evoked much criticism by his hostile manner.

compute reckon; calculate

He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate.

berate scold strongly

He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.

apathetic indifferent

He felt apathetic about the conditions he had observed and did not care to fight against them.

giddy light-hearted; dizzy

He felt his giddy youth was past.

carat unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold

He gave her a diamond that weighed three carats and was mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band.

ample abundant

He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him.

exchequer treasury

He had been Chancellor of the exchequer before his promotion to the office he now holds.

invective abuse

He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal.

confidant trusted friend

He had no confidants with whom he could discuss his problems at home.

deranged insane

He had to be institutionalized because he was deranged.

callous hardened; unfeeling

He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffering in the wards.

dubious doubtful

He has the dubious distinction of being the lowest man in his class.

anathema solemn curse; someone or something that is despised

He heaped anathema upon his foe.

implore beg

He implored her to give him a second chance.

animosity active enmity

He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

abrogate abolish

He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

augury omen; prophecy

He interpreted the departures of the birds as an augury of evil.

glib fluent

He is a glib and articulate speaker.

fatuous foolish; inane

He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.

guileless without deceit

He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.

detraction slandering; aspersion

He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.

delineate portray

He is weakest when he attempts to delineate character.

atone make amends for; pay for

He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

demotic pertaining to the people

He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the

eschew avoid

He tried to eschew all display of temper.

adamant hard, inflexible

He was adamant in his determination to punish the wrongdoer.

circumlocution indirect or roundabout expression

He was afraid to call spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

aghast horrified

He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host.

apposite appropriate; fitting

He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.

appellation name; title

He was amazed when the witches hailed him with his correct appellation.

amenable readily managed; willing to be led

He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his

conceit whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor

He was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of

itinerant wandering; traveling

He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his wares.

assail assault

He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

apex tip; summit; climax

He was at the apex of his career.

averse reluctant

He was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

avid greedy; eager for

He was avid for learning and read everything he could get.

fortitude bravery; courage

He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.

cumbersome heavy; hard to manage

He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.

imbroglio complicated situation; perplexity; entanglement

He was called in to settle the imbroglio but failed to bring harmony into the situation.

elucidate explain; enlighten

He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article.

censure blame; criticize

He was censured for his inappropriate behavior.

compliant yielding

He was compliant and ready to go along with his friends' desires.

improvident thriftless

He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to "save for a rainy day."

apoplexy stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis

He was crippled by an attack of apoplexy.

ambulatory able to walk

He was described as an ambulatory patient because he was not confined to his bed.

devoid lacking

He was devoid of any personal desire for gain in his endeavor to secure improvement in the community.

brindled tawny or grayish with streaks or spots

He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled; he had hoped for animals of uniform

braggadocio boasting

He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio.

divest strip; deprive

He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern.

endue provide with some quality; endow

He was endued with a lion's courage.

conclave private meeting

He was present at all their conclaves as an unofficial observer.

genealogy record of descent; lineage

He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievements of his ancestors.

histrionic theatrical

He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to paly the role of Hamlet.

ape imitate or mimic

He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.

cozen cheat; hoodwink; swindle

He was the kind of individual who would cozen his friends in a cheap card game but remain eminently

heresy opinion contrary to popular belief or to accepted religion

He was threatened with excommunication because his remarks were considered to be pure heresy.

bestow confer

He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

hovel shack; small, wretched house

He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel.

incidence rate of occurrence; particular occurrence

Health professionals expressed great concern over the high incidence of infant mortality in major urban

expatriate exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land

Henry James was an American expatriate who settled in England.

interregnum period between two reigns

Henry VIII desperately sought a male heir because he feared the civil strife that might occur if any

adjuration solemn urging

Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony.

consonance harmony; agreement

Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm.

animated lively

Her animated expression indicated a keenness of intellect.

arduous hard; strenuous

Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.

articulate effective; distinct

Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.

badinage teasing conversation

Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.

commiserate feel or express pity or sympathy for

Her friends commiserated with the widow.

gaudy flashy; showy

Her gaudy taste in clothes apalled us.

infirmity weakness

Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower.

knead mix; work dough

Her hands grew strong from kneading bread.

irrepressible unable to be restrained or held back

Her high spirits were irrepressible.

irascible irritable; easily angered

Her irascible temper frightened me.

impromptu without previous preparation

Her listeners were amazed that such a thorough presentation could be made in an impromptu speech.

gratify please

Her parents were gratified by her success.

chagrin vexation; disappointment

Her refusal to go with us filled us with chagrin.

kindle start a fire; inspire

Her teacher's praise kindled a spark a hope inside her.

affected artificial; pretended

His affected mannerisms irritated may of us who had known him before his promotion.

affiliation joining; associating with

His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues.

ambiguous unclear or doubtful in meaning

His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.

apocalyptic prophetic; pertaining to revelations; especially of disaster

His apocalyptic remarks were dismissed by his audience as wild surmises.

apprehensive fearful; discerning

His apprehensive glances at the people who were walking in the street revealed his nervousness.

convoluted coiled around; involved; intricate

His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow a it intelligently.

abysmal bottomless

His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

atheistic denying the existence of God

His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

befuddle confuse thoroughly

His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only on befuddling her further.

austere strict, stern

His austere demeanor prevented us from engaging in our usual frivolous activities.

bellicose warlike

His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.

benevolent generous; charitable

His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.

bilious suffering from indigestion; irritable

His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

congeal freeze; coagulate

His blood congealed in his veins as he saw the dread monster rush toward him.

acumen mental keenness

His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

inflated exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas

His claims about the new product were inflated; it did not work as well as he had promised.

belie contradict; give a false impression

His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity.

florid flowery; ruddy

His complexion was even more florid than usual because of his anger.

congenital existing at birth

His congenital deformity disturbed his parents.

conventional ordinary; typical

His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccentric family.

captious faultfinding

His criticisms were always captious and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions.

cryptic mysterious; hidden; secret

His cryptic remarks could not be interpreted.

ablution washing

His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

disavowal denial; disclaiming

His disavowal of his part in the conspiracy was not believed by the jury.

delta flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river

His dissertation discussed the effect of intermittent flooding on the fertility of the Nile delta.

clime region; climate

His doctors advised him to move to a milder clime.

earthy unrefined; coarse

His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in the audience.

elusive evasive; baffling; hard to grasp

His elusive dreams of wealth were costly to those of his friends who supported him financially.

claustrophobia fear of being locked in

His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room.

choleric hot-tempered

His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature.

frenetic frenzied; frantic

His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of operation.

banal hackneyed; commonplace; trite

His frequent use of cliches made his essay seem banal.

condole express sympathetic sorrow

His friends gathered to condole with him over his loss.

bereavement state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved

His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.

fulsome disgustingly excessive

His fulsome praise of the dictator annoyed his listeners.

grandiose imposing; impressive

His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.

haphazard random; by chance

His haphazard reading left him unaquainted with the authors of the books.

avocation secondary or minor occupation

His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation

insubstantial lacking substance; insignificant; frail

His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role.

humane kind

His humane and considerate treatment of the unfortunate endeared him to all.

imperiousness lordliness; domineering manner; arrogance

His imperiousness indicated that he had long been accustomed to assuming command.

culmination attainment of highest point

His inauguration as President of the United States marked the culmination of his political career.

incisive cutting; sharp

His incisive remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans.

incontinent lacking self-restraint

His incontinent behavior off stage shocked many people and they refused to attend the plays and movies

inherent firmly established by nature or habit

His inherent love of justice compelled him to come to their aid.

innate inborn

His innate talent for music was soon recognized by his parents.

deflect turn aside

His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

emaciated thin and wasted

His long period of starvation had left him emaciated.

equine resembling a horse

His long, bony face had an equine look to it.

anesthetic substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness

His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep.

gaunt lean and angular; barren

His once-round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weight.

attribute essential quality

His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

anodyne drug that relieves pain; opiate

His pain was so great that no anodyne could relieve it.

incur bring upon oneself

His parents refused to pay any future debts he might incur.

disjointed disconnected

His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

flaccid flabby

His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.

eclectic selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources

His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods,

acrimonious stinging, caustic

His tendency to utter acrimonious remarks alienated his audience.

imbue saturate, fill

His visits to the famous Gothic cathedrals imbued him with feelings of awe and reverence.

lachrymose producing tears

His voice has a lachrymose quality that is more appropriate at a funeral than a class reunion.

effeminate having womanly traits

His voice was high-pitched and effeminate.

bludgeon club; heavy-headed weapon

His walking stick served him as a bludgeon on many occasions.

heinous atrocious; hatefully bad

Hitler's heinous crimes will never be forgotten.

factitous artificial; sham

Hollywood actresses often create factitious tears by using glycerine.

consistency absence of contradictions; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness

Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency; he liked his puddings without lumps and

amend correct; change, generally for the better

Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.

asceptic preventing infection; having a cleansing effect

Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced asceptic conditions.

inconsistency state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness

How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? Where lawyers check inconsistencies in witnesses'

augment increase

How can we hope to augment our forces when our allies are deserting us?

impenetrable not able to be pierced or entered

How could the murderer have gotten into the locked room? To Watson, the mystery, like the room, was

impinge infringe; touch; collide with

How could they be married without impinging on one another's freedom?

insolence imprudent disrespect; haughtiness

How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of you insolence.

concoct prepare by combining; make up in concert

How did the inventive chef ever concoct such strange dish?

enunciate speak distinctly

How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?

enumerate list; mention one by one

Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws.

illimitable infinite

Human beings, having explored the far corners of the earth, are now reaching out into illimitable space.

dermatologist one who studies the skin and its diseases

I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne.

instigate urge; start; provoke

I am afraid that this statement will instigate a revolt.

imbecility weakness of mind

I am amazed at the imbecility of the readers of these trashy magazines.

forte strong point or special talent

I am not eager to play this rather seious role, for my forte is comedy.

dialectic art of debate

I am not skilled in dialectic and therefore, cannot answer your arguments as forcefully as I wish.

equitable fair; impartial

I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute, one which will be fair and acceptable to both sides.

exonerate acquit; exculpate

I am sure this letter naming the actual culprit will exonerate you.

attribute ascribe; explain

I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents.

begrudge resent

I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings.

beguile amuse; delude; cheat

I beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.

credo creed

I believe we may best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Goldren Rule.

ascribe refer; attribute; assign

I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

innuendo hint; insinuation

I can defend myself against direct accusations; innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what

imponderable weightless

I can evaluate the data gathered in this study; the imponderable items are not so easily analyzed.

exegesis explanation, especially of biblical passages

I can follow your exegesis of this passage to a limited degree; some of your reasoning eludes me.

distend expand;swell out

I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.

ken range of knowledge

I cannot answer your question since this matter is beyond my ken.

impugn doubt; challenge; gainsay

I cannot impugn your honesty without evidence.

idiom spcial usage in language

I could not understand their idioms because literal translation made no sense.

despise scorn

I despise your attempts at a reconciliation at this time and refuse to meet you.

harrow break up ground after plowing; torture

I don't want to harrow you at this time by asking you to recall the details of your unpleasant experience.

colloquy informal discussion

I enjoy our colloquies but I sometimes wish that they could be made more formal and more searching.

esteem repect; value; judge

I esteem Ezra Pound both for his exciting poetry and for his acute comments on literature.

actuate motivate

I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.

funereal sad; solemn

I fail to understand why there is such a funereal atmosphere; we have lost a battle, not a war.

import significance

I feel that you have not grasped the full import of the message sent tous by the enemy.

fathom comprehend; investigate

I find his motives impossible to fathom.

caption title; chapter heading; text under illustration

I find the captions that accompany these cartoons very clever and humorous.

apropos with reference to; regarding

I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent.

entomology study of insects

I found entomology the least interesting part of my course in biology; studying insects bored me.

glossary brief explanation of words used in the text

I have found the glossary in this book very useful; it has eliminated many trips to the dictionary.

consummate complete

I have never seem anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate idiot.

cede transfer; yield title to

I intend to cede this property to the city.

fallible liable to err

I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.

inclement stormy; unkind

I like to read a good book in inclement weather.

avow declare openly

I must avow that I am innocent.

chastise punish

I must chastise you for this offense.

forthright straightforward; direct; frank

I prefer Jill's forthright approach to Jack's tendency to beat around the bush.

haggle argue about prices

I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am

impertinent insolent

I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them.

haughtiness pride; arrogance

I resent his haughtiness because he is no better than we are.

hypocritical pretending to be virtuous; deceiving

I resent his hypocritical posing as a friend for I know he is interested only in his own advancement.

derogatory expressing a low opinion

I resent your derogatory remarks.

cavil make frivolous objections

I respect your sensible criticisms, but I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant details.

append attach

I shall append this chart to my report.

impolitic not wise

I think it is impolitic to raise this issue at the present time because the public is too angry.

hallucination delusion

I think you were frightened by a hallucination that you created in you own mind.

infringe violate; encroach

I think your machine infringes on my patent and intend to sue.

dolt stupid person

I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself addressing a pack of dolts.

erroneous mistaken; wrong

I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.

glossy smooth and shining

I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte.

bungle spoil by clumsy behavior

I was afraid you would bungle his assignment but I had no one else to send.

graphic pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described

I was particularly impressed by the graphic presentation of the storm.

centaur mythical figure, half man and half horse

I was particularly impressed by the statue of the centaur in the Roman Hall of the museum.

decrepitude state of collagse caused by illness or old age

I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged

comely attractive; agreeable

I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one.

accede agree

If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

construe explain; interpret

If I construe your remarks correctly, you disagree with the theory already advanced.

disclaim disown; renounce claim to

If I grant you this previlege, will you disclaim all other rights?

bugaboo bugbear; object of baseless terror

If we become frightened by such bugaboos, we are no wiser than the birds who fear scarecrows.

culvert artificial channel for water

If we build a culvert under the road at this point, we will reduce the possibility of the road at this point, we

fulcrum support on which a lever rests

If we use this stone as a fulcrum and the crowbar as a lever, we may be able to move this boulder.

deface mar; disfigure

If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

delete erase; strike out

If you delete this paragraph, the composition will have more appeal.

despoil plunder

If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.

cardinal chief

If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is to read.

foil contrast

In "Star Wars," dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker.

dapper neat and trim

In "The Odd Couple," Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand

concurrent happening at the same time

In America, the colonists were resisting the demands of the mother contry; at the concurrent moment in

apothecary druggist

In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills.

accolade award of merit

In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

contend struggle; compete; assert earnestly

In Revolt of the Black Athlete, sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes have been

jaunty lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree

In Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way throughtthe lighthearted title number in a

defoliate destroy leaves

In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands.

dispassionate calm; impartial

In a dispassionate analysis of the problem, he carefully examined the causes of the conflict and proceeded

heterogeneous dissimilar

In a heterogeneous group, we have an unassorted assemblage, while in a homogeneous group we have

dissent disagree

In a landmark Supreme Court decision, Justice Marshall dissented from the majority opinion.

isthmus narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land

In a magnificent feat of engineering, Goethals and his men cut through the isthmus of Panama in

hireling one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously

In a matter of such importance, I do not wish to deal with hirelings; I must meet with the chief.

actuarial calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics

According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

foster rear; encourage

According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf that raised the abandoned

affront insult; offend

Accustomed to being treated with respect, Miss Challoner was affronted by Vidal's offensive behavior.

antiquated obsolete; outdated

Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for

baroque highly ornate

Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of baroque

invulnerable incapable of injury

Achilles was invulnerable except in his heel.

deify turn into a god; idolize

Admire the rock star all you want; just don't deify him.

hale healthy

After a brief illness, he was soon hale.

blowhard talkative boaster

After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere, Sally decided he was just another

clandestine secret

After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

canvass determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.

After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the

abstain refrain; withhold from participation

After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking

harping tiresome dwelling on a subject

After he had reminded me several times about what he had done for me I told him to stop his harping on

anvil iron block used in hammering out metals

After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the

eminent high; lofty

After his appointment to this emiment position, he seldom had time for his former friends.

coterie group that meets socially; select circle

After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coteri that lunched daily at the hotel.

comeuppance rebuke; deserts

After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance.

arraign charge in court; indict

After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

haggard wasted away; gaunt

After his long illness, he was pale and haggard.

cubicle small chamberused for sleeping

After his many hours of intensive study in the library he retired to his cubicle.

fitful spasmodic; intermittent

After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.

commodious spacious and comfortable

After sleeping in a small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.

diversion act of turning aside; pastime

After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion from work.

disarray a disorderly or untidy state

After the New Year's party, the once orderly house was in total disarray.

aphasia loss of speech due to injury or illness

After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could

glean gather leavings

After the crops had been harvested by the machines, the peasants were permitted to glean the wheat left in

depredation plundering

After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless.

equilibrium balance

After the divorce, he needed some time to regain his equilibrium.

bowdlerize expurgate

After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture's rating was changed

anticlimax letdown in thought or emotion

After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.

anneal reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling

After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking.

equable tranquil; steady; uniform

After the hot summers and cold winters of New England, he found the climate of the West Indies equable

induce persuade; bring about

After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again.

combustible easily burned

After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible

germinate cause to sprout; sprout

After the seeds germinate and develop their permanent leaves, the plants may be removed from the cold

frond fern leaf; palm or banana leaf

After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of palm trees.

hermetic sealed by fusion so as to be airtight

After these bandages are sterilized, they are placed in hermetic containers.

humdrum dull; monotonous

After years of adventure, he could not settle down to a humdrum existence.

effluvium noxious smell

Air pollution has become a serious problem in our major cities; the effluvium and the poisons in the air are

catapult slingshot; hurling machine

Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults.

frigid intensely cold

Alaska is in the frigid zone.

abase lower; degrade; humiliate

Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before

dowdy slovenly; untidy

She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a fashionable new wardrobe.

dissimulate pretend; conceal by feigning

She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude.

integrate make whole; combine; make into one unit

She tried to integrate all their activities into one program.

discordant inharmonious; conflicting

She tried to unite the discordant factions.

bland soothing; mild

She used a bland ointment for her sunburn.

awl pointed tool used for piercing

She used an awl to punch additional holes in the leather belt she had bought.

caprice whim

She was an unpredictable creature, acting on caprice, never taking thought of the consequences.

arbitrate act as judge

She was called upon to arbitrate the dispute between the union and the management.

fawning courting favor by cringing and flattering

She was constantly surrounded by a group of fawning admirers who had hoped to win some favor.

coy shy; modest; coquettish

She was coy in her answers to his offer.

ferret drive or hunt out of hiding

She was ferreted out their secret.

badger pester; annoy

She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.

imposture assuming a false identity; masquerade

She was imprisoned for her imposture of a doctor.

accord agreement

She was in complete accord with the verdict.

inveigle lead astray; wheedle

She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance.

inception start; beginning

She was involved with the project from its inception.

hallowed blessed; consecrated

She was laid to rest in hallowed ground.

brusque blunt; abrupt

She was offended by his brusque reply.

heretic person who maintains opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church

She was punished by the Spanish Inquisition because she was a heretic.

enervate weaken

She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window evervated her.

conciliatory reconciling; soothing

She was still angry despite his conciliatory words.

gainsay deny

She was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report.

abet assist, usually in doing something wrong

She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

ambience environment; atmosphere

She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

corrugated wrinkled; ridged

She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow.

garish gaudy

She wore a garish rhinestone necklace.

improvise compose on the spur of the moment

She would sit at the piano and improvise for hours on themes from Bach and Handel.

felicity happines; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.

She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.

blithe gay; joyous; careless

Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song.

insensible unconscious; unresponsive

Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems

barefaced shameless; bold; unconcealed

Shocked by Huck Finn's barefaced lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his

decorum propriety; seemliness

Shocked by the unruly behavior, the teacher criticized the class for its lack of decorum.

aloof apart; reserved

Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

formality adherence to established rules or procedures

Signing this petition is a mere formality; it does not obligate you in any way.

beholden obligated; indebted

Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone, I cannot accept this favor.

couple join; unite

The Flying Karamazovs couple expert juggling and amateur joking in their nightclub act.

bourgeois middle class

The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois, who resented the aristocracy.

catastrophe calamity

The Johnstown flood was a catastrophe.

austerity sternness; severity; lack of luxuries

The austerity and dignity of the court were maintained by the new justices, who were a strict and solemn

aviary enclosure for birds

The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

hue color; aspect

The aviary contained birds of every possible hue.

concave hollow

The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff.

desolate rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake

The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest.

embezzlement stealing

The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.

barb sharp projection form fishhook, etc.; pointed comment

The barb from the fishhook caught in his finger as he grabbed the fish.

barterer trader

The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs.

beatific giving bliss; blissful

The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy.

incoherent unintelligible; muddled; illogical

The bereaved father sobbed and stammered, his words becoming almost incoherent in his grief.

extort wring from; get money by threats, etc.

The blackmailer extorted money from his victim.

clangor loud, resounding noise

The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.

diminution lessening; reduction in size

The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as soon as the diminution of the enemy's supplies became serious.

feint trick; shift; sham blow

The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and dropped his guard.

furtive stealthy; sneaky

The boy gave a furtive look at his classmate's test paper.

filch steal

The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.

dispel scatter; drive away; cause to vanish

The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.

coalesce combine; fuse

The brooks coalesce into one large river.

impunity freedom from punishment

The bully mistreated everyone in the class with impunity for he felt that no one would dare retaliate.

burly husky; muscular

The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.

cabal small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests

The cabal was defeated when its scheme was discovered.

arid dry; barren

The cactus had adapted to survive in an arid environment.

inaugurate begin formally; install in office

The candidate promised that he would inaugurate a new nationwide health care plan as soon as he was

candor frankness

The candor and simplicity of his speech impressed all, it was all clear he held nothing back.

canny shrewd; thrifty

The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

forswear renounce; abandon

The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the

acclivity sharp upslope of a hill

The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.

caricature distortion; burlesque

The caricatures he drew always emphasized personal weaknesses of the people he burlesqued.

docket program asfor trial; book where such entries are made

The case of Smith v. Jones was entered in the docket for July 15.

fresco painting in plaste (usually fresh

The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Glotto.

hew cut to pieces with ax or sword

The cavalry rushed into melee and hewed the enemy with their swords.

cession yielding to another; ceding

The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter.

capillary having a very fine bore

The changes in surface tension of liquids in capillary vessels is of special interest to physicists.

alchemy medieval chemistry

The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy.

disband dissolve; disperse

The chess club disbanded after its disastrous initial season.

balk stoop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue

The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area.

covetous avaricious; eagerly desirous of

The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates.

bauble trinket; trifle

The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

inhibit prohibit; restrain

The child was not inhibited in her responses.

crabbed sour; peevish

The children avoided the crabbed old man because he scolded them when they made noise.

bicker quarrel

The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents.

declivity downward slope

The children loved to ski down the declivity.

defection desertion

The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.

cantata story set to music, to be sung by a chorus

The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.

execute put into effect; carry out

The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute a pirouette.

harbor provide a refuge for; hide

The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees.

excerpt selected passage (written or musical

The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a clip from a film.

citadel fortress

The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

franchise right granted by authority

The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for ninety-nine

indemnify make secure against loss; compensate for loss

The city will indemnify all home owners whose property is spoiled by this project.

clamor noise

The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap.

arbitrary unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical

The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls.

dispirited lacking in spirit

The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which I had become

contraband illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods

The coast guard tries to prevent contraband in U.S. waters.

efface rub out

The coin had been handled so many times that its data had been effaced.

initiate begin; originate; receive into a group

The college is about to initiate a program for reducing math anxiety among students.

exacting extremely demanding

The colonies rebelled against the exacting financial claims of the mother country.

inclusive tending to include all

The comedian turned down the invitation to join the Player's Club, saying any club that would let him in

eccentric odd; whimsical; irregular

The comet passed close by the earth in its eccentric orbit.

gratis free

The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products.

barrage barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion

The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy canyons.

interim meantime

The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the interim, let us proceed as we have in

impious irreverent

The congregation was offended by her impious remarks.

constituent supporter

The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment

consensus general agreement

The consensus indicates that we are opposed to entering into this pact.

disapprobation disapproval; condemnation

The conservative father viewed his daughter's radical boyfriend with disapprobation.

cerebral pertaining to the brain or intellect

The content of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought.

contingent conditional

The continuation of this contract is contingent on the quality of your first output.

contumacious disobedient; resisting authority

The contumacious mob shouted defiantly at the police.

convivial festive; gay; characterized by joviality

The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs.

derelict neglectful of duty; abandoned

The corporal who fell asleep while on watch was thrown into the guardhouse for being derelic in his duty.

destitute extremely poor

The costs of the father's illness left the family destitute.

aptitude fitness; talent

The counselor evaluated his aptitudes before advising him about the career he should follow.

gawk stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe

The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city.

ignominious disgraceful

The country smarted under the ignominious defeat and dreamed of the day when it would be victorious.

consign deliver officially; entrust; set apart

The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother's care.

affidavit written statement made under oath

The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit.

complaisant trying to please; obliging

The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner.

hindmost furthest behind

The coward could always be found in the hindmost lines whenever a battle was being waged.

allay calm; pacify

The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.

incessant uninterrupted

The crickets kept up an incessant chirping that disturbed our attempts to fall asleep.

flay strip off skin; plunder

The criminal was condemned to be flayed alive.

blunder error

The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture.

emend correct, usually a text

The critic emended the book by retranslating several passages.

caustic burning; sarcastically biting

The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm.

effusion pouring forth

The critics objected to her literary effusion because it was too flowery.

harbinger forerunner

The crocus is an early harbinger of spring.

hortatory encouraging; exhortive

The crowd listened to his hortatory statements with ever-growing excitement; finally they rushed from the

eloquence expressiveness; persuasive speech

The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King's eloquence.

bouillon clear beef soup

The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold

abeyance suspended action

The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

brook tolerate; endure

The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions.

dearth scarcity

The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

disconcolate sad

The death of his wife left him disconsolate.

galaxy the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities

The deaths of such famous actors as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, and Marlene Dietrich

belabor explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally

The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring his point.

bolster support; reinforce

The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments.

debonair friendly; aiming to please

The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner.

contest dispute

The defeated candidate attempted to contest the election results.

deft neat; skillful

The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.

degraded lowered in rank; debased

The degraded wretch spoke only of his past glories and honors.

incite arouse to action

The demogogue incited the mob to take action into its own hands.

depravity corruption; wickedness

The depravity of the tyrant's behavior shocked us all.

compliance conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield

The design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

cache hiding place

The detectives followed the suspects until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot.

elicit draw out by discussion

The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.

detonation explosion

The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away.

devout pious

The devout man prayed daily.

dichotomy branching into two parts

The dichotomy of our legislative system provides us with many safeguards.

didactic teaching; instructional; preaching or moralizing

The didactic qualities of his poetry overshadow its literary qualities; the lesson he teaches is more

caste one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society, social stratification; prestige

The differences created by caste in India must be wiped out if true democracy is to prevail in that country.

din continued loud noise

The din of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice.

hieroglyphic picture writing

The discovery of the Rosetta Stone enabled scholars to read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

inductive pertaining to induction or preceeding from the specific to the general

The discovery of the planet Pluto is an excellent example of the results that can be obtained from inductive

disparity difference; condition of inequality

The disparity in their ages made no difference at all.

amicable friendly

The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words.

dissection analysis; cutting apart in order to examine

The dissection of frogs on the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students.

distraught upset; distracted by anxiety

The distraught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child.

diversity variety; dissimilitude

The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of ability are being served.

anemia condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles

The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia.

hypochondriac person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness

The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypocondriac.

frailty weakness

The doctor prescribed vitamin and mineral supplements for the sick old woman because of her frailty.

chronic long established, as a disease

The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas

cringe shrink back, as if in fear

The dog cringed, expecting a blow.

fancier breeder or dealer of animals

The dog fancier exhibited her prize collie at the annual Kennel Club show.

bristling rising like bristles; showing irritation

The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

hackles hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog

The dog's hackles rose and he began to growl as the sound of footsteps grew louder.

delirium mental disorder marked by confusion

The drunkard in his delirium saw strange animals.

dulcet sweet sounding

The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel.

dutiful respectful; obedient

The dutiful child grew up to be a conscientious adult aware of his civic obligations.

ecologist person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment

The ecologist was concerned that the new dam would upset the natural balance of the creatures living in

expurgate clean; remove offensive parts of a book

The editors felt that certain passages in the book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the

efficacy power to produce desired effect

The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the dosage.

encroachment gradual intrusion

The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate.

cornucopia horn overflowing wiht fruit and grain; symbol of abundance

The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an

capitulate surrender

The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.

impending nearing; approaching

The entire country was saddened by the news of his impending death.

galvanize stimulate by shock; stir up

The entire nation was galvanized into strong military activity by the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

erotic pertaining to passionate love

The erotic passages in this novel should be removed as they are merely pornographic.

irremediable incurable; uncorrectable

The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it.

estranged separated; alienated

The estranged wife sought a divorce.

exhort urge

The evangelist will exhort all sinners in his audience to reform.

embryonic undeveloped; rudimentary

The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated while it is still in an embryonic state; otherwise, it may

ensue follow

The evils that ensued were the direct result of the miscalculations of the leaders.

exertion effort; expenditure of much physical work

The exertion involved in unscrewing the rusty bolt left her exhausted.

exodus departure

The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday evenings.

fanfare call by bugles or trumpets; showy display

The exposition was opened with fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon.

euphemism mild expression in place of an unpleasant one

The expression "he passed away" is a euphemism for "he died."

blighted suffering from a disease; destroyed

The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

facade front of the building

The facade of the church had often been photographed by tourists because it was more interesting than

alluvial pertaining to soil deposits left by running water

The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile.

absolve pardon (an offense

The father confessor absolved him of his sins.

fecundity fertility; fruitfulness

The fecundity of his mind is illustrated by the many vivid images in his poems.

jollity gaiety; cheerfulness

The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and young alike joined in the general jollity.

insidious treacherous; stealthy; sly

The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.

fugitive fleeting or transitory; roving

The film brought a few fugitive images to her mind, but on the whole it made no lasting impression upon

finesse delicate skill

The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon impressed the observers in the operating room.

incendiary arsonist

The fire spread in such an unusual manner that the fire department chiefs were certain that it had been set

accoutre equip

The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply

ewe female sheep

The flock of sheep was made up of dozens of ewes, together with only a handful of rams.

bereft deprived of; lacking

The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.

decry express strong disapproval of ; disparage

The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of

indomitable unconquerable

The founders of our country had indomitable willpower.

fractious unruly

The fractious horse unseated its rider.

glaze cover with a thin and shiny surface

The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving hazardous.

frieze ornamental band on a wall

The frieze of the church was adorned with sculpture.

cower shrink quivering, as from fear

The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.

frolicsome prankish; gay

The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master.

countermand cancel; revoke

The general countermand the orders issued in his absence.

deploy move troops so that the battle line is extended at the expense of depth

The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the offensive of the enemy.

concerted mutually agreed on; done together

The girl scouts in the troop made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing, and emitted a

epoch period of time

The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of years.

bode foreshadow; portend

The gloomy skies and the sulfurious odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who

gorge stuff oneself

The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten for days.

gnarled twisted

The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several deeds.

anthropoid manlike

The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.

chronicle report; record (in chronological order

The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities.

gourmet connoisseur of food and drink

The gourmet stated that this was the best onion soup she had ever tasted.

fraudulent cheating; deceitful

The government seeks to prevent fraudulent and misleading advertising.

astronomical enormously large or extensive

The government seemed willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.

biennial every two years

The group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones.

harry harass, annoy, torment; raid

The guerrilla band harried the enemy nightly.

gusty windy

The gusty weather made sailing precarious.

escapade prank; flighty conduct

The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.

flout reject; mock

The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.

anathematize curse

The high priest anathematized the heretic.

equipoise balance; balancing force; equilibrium

The high-wire acrobat used his pole as an equipose to overcome the swaying caused by the wind.

hilarity boisterous mirth

The hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning.

aggrandize increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank or honor

The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act

defile pollute; profane

The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

flick light stroke as with a whip

The horse needed no encouragement; only one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the

intractable unruly; refractory

The horse was intractable and refused to enter the starting gate.

duress forcible restraint, especially unlawfully

The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners' demands were met.

icon religious image; idol

The icons on the walls of the church were painted in the 13th century.

gerrymander change in voting district lines in order to favor a political party

The illogical pattern of the map of this congressional district is proof that the state legislature

disenfranchise deprive of a civil right

The imposition if the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

incarnation act of assuming a human body and human nature

The incarnation of Jesus Christ is a basic tenet of Christian theology.

incongruity lack of harmony; absurdity

The incongruity of his wearing sneakers with formal attire amused the observers.

incubus burden; mental care; nightmare

The incubus of financial worry helped bring on her nervous breakdown.

indissoluble permanent

The indissoluble bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved.

converse opposite

The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

compunction remorse

The judge was especially severe in this sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no

condescend bestow courtesies with a superior air

The king condescended to grant an audience to the friends of the condemned man.

diadem crown

The king's diadem was on display at the museum.

gall bitterness; nerve

The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall.

impuissance powerlessness; feebleness

The lame duck President was frustrated by his shift from enormous power to relative impuissance.

gait manner of walking or running; speed

The lame man walked with an uneven gait.

arable fit for plowing

The land was no longer arable; erosion had removed the valuable topsoil.

hatch deck opening; lid covering a deck opening

The latch on the hatch failed to catch, so the hatch remained unlatched.

consanguinity kinship

The lawsuit developed into a test of the consanguinity of the claimant to the estate.

conversant familiar with

The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

germane pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand

The lawyer objected that the testimony being offered was not germane to the case at hand.

disconcert confuse; upset; embarrass

The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.

clemency disposition ot be lenient; mildness, as of the weather

The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for

extradition surrender of prisoner by one state to another

The lawyers opposed the extradition of their client on the grounds that for more than five years he had

colossus gigantic statue

The legendary Colossus of Rhodes, bronze statue of the sun god that dominated the harbor of the Greek

cleave split asunder

The lightening cleaves the tree in two.

erode eat away

The limestone was eroded by the dripping water

carnivorous meat-eating

The lion is a carnivorous animal.

effete worn out; exhausted; barren

The literature of the age reflected the effete condition of the writers; no new ideas were forthcoming.

cow terrorize; intimidate

The little boy was so cowed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of

babble chatter idly

The little girl babbled about her doll.

gentry people of standing; class of people just below nobility

The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the

comatose in a coma; extremely sleepy

The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state.

guffaw boisterous laughter

The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committe had not yet

dour sullen; stubborn

The man was dour abd taciturn.

hoary white with age

The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70.

garrulity talkativeness

The man who married a dumb wife asked the doctor to make him deaf because of his wife's garrulity after

assimilate absorb; cause to become homogenous

The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the

expository explanatory; serving to explain

The mannual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece of expository prose: its explanations were so

glut overstock; fill to excess

The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the many articles they had

exude discharge; give forth

The maple syrup is obtained from the sap that the trees exude in early spring.

incompatible inharmonious

The married couple argued incessantly and finally decided to separate because they were incompatible.

ephemeral short-lived; fleeting

The mayfly is an ephemeral creature.

implement put into effect; supply with tools

The mayor was unwilling to implement the plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing.

autopsy examination of a dead body; postmortem

The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

curator superintendent; manager

The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and

interloper intruder

The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade.

fracas brawl; melee

The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents.

ecclesiastic pertaining to the church

The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the pulpit.

hamper obstruct

The minority party agreed not to hamper the efforts of the leaders to secure a lasting peace.

amass collect

The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

effigy dummy

The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in effigy.

intersperse scatter

The molecules will intersperse throughout the space according to the second law of thermodynamics.

incognito with identity concealed; using an assumed name

The monarch enjoyed traveling throughthe town incognito and mingling with the populace.

ennui boredom

The monotonous routine of hopital life induced a feeling of ennui which made him moody and irritable.

decadence decay

The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

insalubrious unwholesome; not healthful

The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion.

crevice crack; fissure

The mountain climbers found footholds in the tiny crevices in the mountainside.

fissure crevice

The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.

bevy large group

The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of startlets.

ghastly horrible

The murdered man was a ghastly sight.

bulwark earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends

The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion.

fetid malodorous

The neglected wound became fetid.

deadlock standstill; stalemate

The negotiations had reached a deadlock.

baffle frustrate; perplex

The new code baffled the enemy agents.

commemorative remembering; honoring

The new commemorative stamp honors the late Martin Luther King, Jr.

increment increase

The new contract calls for a 10 percent increment in salary for each employee for the next two years.

eclipse darken; extinguish; surpass

The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1985.

incumbent officeholder

The newly elected public official received valuable advice from the present incumbent.

deciduous falling off, as of leaves

The oak is a deciduous tree.

finicky too particular; fussy

The old lady was finicky about her food and ate very little.

benign kindly; favorable; not malignant

The old man was well liked because of his benign attitude toward friend and stranger alike.

disinterested unprejudiced

The only disinterested person in the room was the judge.

fusion union; coalition

The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of disgruntled groups and became an

flourish grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures

The orange trees flourished in the sun.

beneficent kindly; doing good

The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money

crescendo increase in the volume or intensity, as in a musical passage; climax

The overture suddenly changed from a quiet pastoral theme to a crescendo featuring blaring trumpets and

enjoin command; order; forbid

The owners of the company asked the court to enjoin the union from picketing the plant.

ciliated having minute hairs

The paramecium is a ciliated, one-celled animal.

annul make void

The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

ensconce settle comfortably

The parents thought that their children were ensconced safely in the private school and decided to leave

disgruntle make discontented

The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.

filigree delicate, lacelike metalwork

The pendant with gold filigree that she wore round her neck trembled with each breath she took.

fulminate thunder; explode

The people against whom she fulminated were innocent of any wrongdoing.

deride scoff at

The people derided his grandiose schemes.

exorbitant excessive

The people grumbled at his exorbitant prices but paid them because he had a monopoly.

authoritarian favoring or exercising total control; non-democratic

The people had no control over their destiny; they were forced to obey the dictates of the authoritarian

blasphemous profane; impious

The people in the room were shocked by his his blasphemous language.

despotism tyranny

The people rebelled against the despotism of the king.

crass very unrefined; grossly insensible

The philosophers deplored the crass commercialism.

coda concluding section of a musical or literary composition

The piece concluded with a distinctive coda that strikingly brought together various motifs.

dissolution disintegration; looseness in morals

The profligacy and dissolution of life in Caligula's Rome appall some historians.

anoint consecrate

The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.

compelling overpowering; irresistible in effect

The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for

causal implying a cause-and-effect relationship

The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood

condign adequate; deservedly severe

The public approved the condign punishment for the crime.

carnal fleshly

The public was more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters.

courier messenger

The publisher sent a special courier to pick up the manuscript.

faction party; clique; dissension

The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions within the club disturbed the majority of the

appropriate acquire; take possession of for one's own use

The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

boon blessing; benefit

The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

denounce condemn; critcize

The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust.

asylum place of refuge or shelter; protection

The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.

invalidate weaken; destroy

The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had

fete honor at a festival

The returning hero was feted at a community supper and dance.

internecine mutually destructive

The rising death toll on both sides indicates the internecine natire of his conflict.

comestible something fit to be eaten

The roast turkey and other comestibles, the wines, and the excellent service made this Thanksgiving dinner

clientele body of customers

The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

adulation flattery; admiration

The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men.

hurtle crash; rush

The runaway train hurtled toward disaster.

aloft upward

The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging.

laggard slow; sluggish

The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders.

jocose given to joking

The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that he become a stand-up comic.

besmirch soil, defile

The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.

fauna animals of a period or region

The scientist could visualize the fauna of the period by examining the skeletal remains and the fossils.

grate make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred

The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves.

consort husband or wife

The search for a consort for the young Queen Victoria ended happily.

emissary agent; messenger

The secretary of State was sent as the President's special emissary to the conference on disarmament.

expletive interjection; profane oath

The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that offended the new recruits.

contaminate pollute

The sewage system of the city so contaminated the water that swimming was forbidden.

floe mass of floating ice

The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes.

ballast heavy substance used to add stability or weight

The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an

discernible distinguishable; perceivable

The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog.

epaulet ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.

The shoulder loops on Sam Spade's trench coat are the nonmilitary counterparts of the fringed epaulets on

compact agreement; contract

The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government.

kudos honor; glory; praise

The singer complacently received kudos on his performance from his entourage.

headlong hasty; rash

The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.

brocade rich, figured fabric

The sofa was covered with expensive brocade.

bait harass; tease

The soldiers baited the prisoners, terrorizing them.

desecrate profane; violate the sanctity of

The soldiers desecrated the temple.

impede hinder; block

The special prosecutor determined that the Attorney General, though inept, had not intentionally set out to

amphitheater oval building with tiers of seats

The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.

diverge vary; go in different directionsfrom the same point

The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub.

facet small plane surface (of a gem; a side

The stonecutter decided to improve the rough diamond by providing it with several facets.

capricious fickle; incalculable

The storm was capricious and changed course constantly.

furor frenzy; great excitement

The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on the stock exchange.

congruence correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship

The student demonstrated the congruence of the two triangles by using the hypotenuse-arm theorem.

isotope varying form of an element

The study of the isotopes of uranium led to the development of the nuclear bomb.

collateral security given for loan

The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral.

dappled spotted

The sunlight filtering though the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.

collusion conspiring in a fraudulent scheme

The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

concentric having a common center

The target was made of concentric circles.

careen lurch; sway from side to side

The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

fluster confuse

The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.

abscond depart secretly and hide

The teller absconded with the bonds and was not found.

fray brawl

The three musketeers were in the thick of fray.

crone hag

The toothless crone frightened us when she smiled.

awe solemn wonder

The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

inundate overflow; flood

The tremendous waves inundated the town.

immolate offer as a sacrifice

The tribal kind offered to immolate his daughter to quiet the angry gods.

fleece rob; plunder

The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.

contiguous adjacent to; touching upon

The two countries are contiguous for a few miles; then they are separated by the gulf.

divergent differing; deviating

The two witnesses presented the jury with remarkably divergent accounts of the same epipode.

ascetic practicing self-denial; austere

The wealthy young man could not understand the ascetic life led by the monks.

decoy lure or bait

The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy.

credulity belief on slight evidence

The witch doctor took advantage of the credulity of the superstitious natives.

bedizen dress with vulgar finery

The witch doctors were bedizened in their gaudiest costumes.

incriminate accuse; serve as evidence against

The witness's testimony against the racketeers incriminates some high public officials as well.

cessation stopping

The workers threatened a cessation of all activities if their demands were not met.

execrate curse; express abhorrence for

The world execrates the memory of Hitler and hopes that genocide will never again be the policy of any

irreverent lacking proper respect

The worshippers resented her irreverent remarks about their faith.

discourse formal disscussion; conversation

The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers.

dissipate squander

The young man quickly dissipated his inheritance and was soon broke.

assumption something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of

The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her Assumption of

conjugal pertaining to marriage

Their dreams of conjugal bliss were shattered as soon as their temperaments clashed.

fervor glowing ardor

Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love.

aversion firm dislike

Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

asunder into parts; apart

Their points of view are poles asunder.

gall annoy; chafe

Their taunts galled him.

festive joyous; celebratory

Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion.

diverse differing in some characteristics; various

There are diverse ways of approaching this problem.

inverse opposite

There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance.

adage wise saying; proverb

There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

complacent self-satisfied

There was a complacent look on his face as he examined his paintings.

constraint compulsion; repression of feelings

There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker.

disinter dig up; unearth

They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

douse plunge into water; drench; extinguish

They doused each other with hoses and balloons.

discrimination ability to see differences; prejudice

They feared he lacked sufficient discrimination to judge complex works of modern art.

coercion use of force

They forced him to obey, but only by great coercion.

breach breaking of contract or duty; fissure; gap

They found a breach in the enemy's fortifications and penetrated their lines.

derision ridicule

They greeted his proposal with derision and refused to consider it seriously.

bantering good-naturedly ridiculing

They resented his bantering remarks because they misinterpreted his teasing as sarcasm.

inviolability security from being destroyed, corrupted or profaned

They respected the inviolability of her faith and did not try to change her manner of living.

diaphanous sheer; transparent

They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain.

hinterlands back country

They seldom had visitors, living as they did way out in the hinderlands.

fleece wool coat of a sheep

They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool.

dwindle shrink; reduce

They spent so much money that their funds dwindled to nothing.

discursive digressing; rambling

They were annoyed and bored by her discursive remarks.

compatible harmonious; in harmony with

They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters.

impair worsen; diminish in value

This arrest will impair her reputation in the community.

comprehensive thorough; inclusive

This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.

brochure pamphlet

This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.

fruition bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization

This building marks the fruition of all our aspirations and years of hard work.

inkling hint

This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans.

codicil supplement to the body of a will

This codicil was drawn up five years after the writing of the original will.

endemic prevailinig among a specific group of people or in a specific are or country

This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one time or

hapless unfortunate

This hapless creature had never known a moment's pleasure.

addle muddle; drive crazy

This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone.

fanciful whimsical; visionary

This is a fanciful scheme because it does not consider the facts.

illusive deceiving

This is only a mirage; let us not be fooled by its illusive effect.

crux crucial point

This is the crux of the entire problem.

autonomous self-governing

This island is a colony; however, in most matters, it is autonomous and receives no orders from the mother

exacerbate worsen; embitter

This latest arrest will exacerbate the already existing discontent of the people and enrage them.

impermeable impervious; not permitting passage through its substance

This new material is impermeable to liquids.

fructify bear fruit

This peach tree should fructify in three years.

ignoble of lowly origin; unworthy

This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it.

generality vague statement

This report is filled with generalities; you must be more specific in you statements.

foment stir up; instigate

This report will foment disssension in the club.

geniality cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy

This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor, who tries to make

discomfit put to rout; defeat; disconcert

This ruse will discomfit the enemy.

hyperbole exaggeration; overstatement

This salesman is guilty of hyperbole in describing his product; it is wise to discount his claims.

delusion false belief; hallucination

This scheme is a snare and a delusion.

diabolical devilish

This scheme is so diabolical that I must reject it.

alleviate relieve

This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.

irrelevant not applicable; unrelated

This statement is irrelevant and should be disregarded by the jury.

compendium brief, comprehensive summary

This text can serve as a compendium of the tremendous amount of new material being developed in this

circlet small ring; band

This tiny circlet is very costly because it is set with precious stones.

antithesis contrast; direct opposite of or to

This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.

inclined tending or leaning toward; bent

Though I am inclined to be skeptical, the witness's manner inclines me to believe his story.

cognitive having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental precesses

Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced

boorish rude; insensitive

Though Mr. Potts constantly interrupted his wife, she ignored his boorish behavior, for she had lost hope

frivolous lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant

Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he

abnegation renunciation; self-sacrifice

Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the

adjutant staff officer assisting the commander; assistant

Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no

incorrigible uncorrectable

Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible and said he

episodic loosely connected

Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic.

implausible unlikely; unbelievable

Though her alibi seened implausible, it in fact turned out to be true.

cartographer map-maker

Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of the fictional world.

junket trip, especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense

Though she maintained she had gone abroad to collect firsthand data on the Common Market, the

categorical without exceptions; unqualified; absolute

Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally qualified his categorical denial; he

intangible not able to be perceived by touch; vague

Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible

celibate abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried

Though the late Havelock Ellis wrote extensively about sexual customs and was considered an expert in

check stop motion; curb or restrain

Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better

deplete reduce; exhaust

We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.

incontrovertible indisputable

We must yield to the incontrovertible evidence that you have presented and free your client.

inquisitive unduly curious; prying; seeking knowledge

We need more inquisitive students in this school; lectures are dull.

grudging unwilling; reluctant; stingy

We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.

anchor secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place

We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place.

consecrate dedicate; sanctify

We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose.

appal dismay; shock

We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.

lackluster dull

We were disappointed by the lackluster performance.

breadth width; extent

We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

bedraggle wet thoroughly

We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing.

crestfallen dejected; dispirited

We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen, he was busily

insurgent rebellious

We will not discuss reforms until the insurgent troops have returned to their homes.

clarion shrill, trumpetlike sound

We woke to the clarion to muffle its striking.

carping petty criticism; fault-finding

Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexy appreciated her editor's comments, finding them free of carping.

acme peak; pinnacle; highest point

Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such

imperturbable calm; placid

Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation in spite of the hyteria and panic

aplomb poise; composure

Wellington's nonchalance and aplomb in the heat of battle always heartened his followers.

insatiable not easily satisfied; greedy

Welty's thirst for knowledge was insatiable; she was in the library day and night.

doctrinaire unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding

Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the

insinuate hint; imply

What are you trying to insinuate by that remark?

criteria standards used in judging

What criteria did you use when you selected this essay as the prize winner?

camaraderie good-fellowship

What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his co-workers shared.

empathy ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc

What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and

knotty intricate; difficult; tangled

What to Watson had been a knotty problem to Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself.

arcane secret; mysterious

What was arcane to us was clear to the psychologist.

countenance face

Whe Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance.

don put on

When Clark Kent had to don his Superman outfit, he changed clothes in a convenient phone booth.

ignite kindle; light

When Desi crooned, "Baby, light my fire," literal-minded Lucy looked around for some paper to ignite.

abdicate renounce; give up

When Edward VII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.

assurance promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence

When Gutherie gave Guiness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance

irate angry

When John's mother found out that he had overthrown his checking account for the third month in a row,

glutton someone who eats too much

When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton.

dais raised platform for guests of honor

When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.

horticultural pertaining to cultivation of gardens

When he bought his house, he beganto look for flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books

harass annoy by repeated attacks

When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised, he was harrassed by his creditors.

invert turn upside down or inside out

When he inverted his body in a hand stand, he felt the blood rush to his head.

archipelago group of closely located islands

When he looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.

climactic relating to the highest point

When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading.

craven cowardly

When he saw the enemy troops advancing, he had a craven impulse to run for his life.

evince show clearly

When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter.

apprise inform

When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.

console lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort

When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette.

fester generate pus

When her finger began to fester, the doctor lanced it and removed the splinter that had caused the pus to

hue outcry

When her purse was snatched, she raised such a hue and cry that the thief was captured.

grievance cause of complaint

When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union.

amnesty pardon

When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

imperial like an emperor; related to an empire

When hotel owner Leona Helmsley appeared in ads as Queen Leona standing guard over the Palace Hotel,

insolvent bankrupt; lacking money to pay

When rumors that he was insolvent reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the

amble moving at an easy pace

When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble.

dismember cut into small parts

When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new countries were established.

audit examination of accounts

When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the

amputate cut off part of body; prune

When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the

apogee highest point

When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.

flag droop; grow feeble

When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first period, the home team's

dismantle take apart

When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before restoring it.

conclusive decisive; ending all debate

When the stolen books turned up in John's locker, we finally had conclusive evidence of the identity of the

accost approach and speak first to a person

When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.

balk foil

When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt.

assay analyze; evaluate

When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein.

charlatan quack; pretender to knowledge

When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends

communal held in common; of a group of people

When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property.

falter hesitate

When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once.

deluge flood; rush

When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

infantile childish; infantlike

When will he outgrow such infantile behavior?

concise brief and compact

When you define a new word, be concise; the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.

disburse pay out

When you disburse money on the company's behalf, be sure to get a receipt.

excise cut away; cut out

When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance

belligerent quarrelsome

Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers.

hoard stockpile; accumulate for future use

Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, people are tempted to hoard food.

flux flowing; series of changes

While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair.

bivouac temporary encampment

While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars.

fledgling inexperienced

While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is not

dupe someone easily fooled

While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more

gestate evolve, as in prenatal growth

While this scheme was being gestated by the conspirators, they maintained complete silence about their

chasten discipline; punish in order to correct

Whom God loves, God chastens.

hypothetical based on assumptions or hypotheses

Why do we have to consider hypothetical cases when we have actual case histories that we may examine?

fatalism belief that events are determined by forces beyond one's control

With fatalism, he accepted the hardships that beset him.

auspicious favoring success

With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail.

cherubic angelic; innocent-looking

With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child.

chase ornament a metal surface by indenting

With his hammer, he carefully chased an intricate design onto the surface of the chalice.

ferment agitation; commotion

With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment.

connivance pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend

With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher.

deleterious harmful

Workers in nuclear research must avoid the deleterious effects of radioactive substances.

hypercritical excessively exacting

You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes.

fancied imagined; unreal

You are resenting fancied insults. No one has ever said such things about you.

coiffure hairstyle

You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the 60's many African-Americans affirmed their

impervious not penetrable; not permitting passage through

You cannot change their habits for their minds are impervious to reasoning.

complicity participation; involvement

You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your

disdain treat with scorn or contempt

You make enemies of all you disdain.

beneficiary person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy

You may change your beneficiary as often as you wish.

diffidence shyness

You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson.

accrue come about by addition

You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum.

dispatch speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed

Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters,

detrimental harmful; damaging

Your acceptance of her support will ultimately prove detrimental rather than helpful to your cause.

analogy similarity; parallelism

Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar.

irreparable not able to be corrected or repaired

Your apology cannot atone for the irreparable damage you have done to her reputation.

asinine stupid

Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

incarnate endowed with flesh; personified

Your attitude is so fiendish that you must be a devil incarnate.

blase bored with pleasure or dissipation

Your blase attitude gives your students an erroneous impression of the joys of scholarship.

enhance advance; improve

Your chances for promotion in this department will be enhanced if you take some more courses in evening

diffusion wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas

Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas; try to be more compact.

chicanery trickery

Your deceitful tactics in this case are indications of chicanery.

despicable contemptible

Your despicable remarks call for no reply.

devious going astray; erratic

Your devious behavior in this matter puzzles me since you are usually direct and straightforward.

dilatory delaying

Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the contract.

disheveled untidy

Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

bask luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth

basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep.

euphoria feeling of exaggerated (or unfounded well-being

"Jill's been on cloud nine ever since Jacj asked her out," said Betty, dismissing her friend's euphoria.

archaic antiquated

"Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

knell tolling of a bell, especially to indicate a funeral, disaster, etc.; sound of the funeral bell

"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day."

balmy mild; fragrant

A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

cog tooth projecting from a wheel

A bicycle chain moves through a series of cogs in order to propel the bike.

anomaly irregularity

A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

homeostasis tendency of a system to maintain relative stability

A breakdown of the body's immune system severely undermines the body's ability to maintain

cataclysm deluge; upheaval

A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries.

chauvinist blindly devoted patriot

A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be.

etymology study of word parts

A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English tests.

gloat express evil satisfaction; view malevolently

As you gloat over your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?

enmity ill will; hatred

At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented Egypt and Israel

avuncular like an uncle

Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.

egress exit

Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and

extrapolation projection; conjecture

Based on their extrapolation from the results of the primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted

foreboding premonition of evil

Caeser ridiculed his wife's foreboding about the Ides of March.

compensatory making up for; repaying

Can a compensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

definitive most reliable or complee

Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great

cloying distasteful (because excessive; excessively sweet or sentimental

Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose a homemade carrot cake

checkered marked by changes in fortune

During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.

curtail shorten; reduce

During the coal shortage, we must curtail our use of this vital commodity.

chassis framework and working parts of an automobile

Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the

chide scold

Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.

arrears being in debt

He was in arrears with his payments on the car.

ebb recede; lessen

His fortunes began to ebb during the recession.

decipher decode

I could not decipher the doctor's handwriting.

cajole coax; wheedle

I will not be cajoled into granting your wish.

incandescent stikingly bright; shining with intense heat

If you leave on an incandescent light bulb, it quickly grows too hot to touch.

defeatist resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome

If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed.

depreciate lessen in value

If you neglect this properly, it will depreciate.

hazy slightly obscure

In hazy weather, you cannot see the top of this mountain.

infinitesimal very small

In the twentieth century, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about the characteristics of

adherent supporter; follower

In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherent quietly deserted him.

ethnic relating to races

Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is based on lack of information.

circumspect prudent; cautious

Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.

erratic odd; unpredictable

Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic.

hierarchy body divided into ranks

It was difficult to step out of one's place in this hierarchy.

implicit understood but not stated

Jack never told Jill he adored her; he believed his love was implicit in his deeds.

ichthyology study of fish

Jacques Cousteau's rpograms about sea life have advanced the cause of ichthyology.

acidulous slightly sour; sharp; caustic

James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

inerrancy infallibility

Jane refused to believe in the pope's inerrancy, reasoning: "All human beings are capable of error. The

addendum addition; appendix to book

Jane's editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an

infamous notoriously bad

Jesse James was an infamous outlaw.

bemused confused; lost in thought; preoccupied

Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.

buffoonery clowning

John Candy's buffoonery in Uncle Buck was hilarious.

askance with a sideways or indirect look

Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

choreography art of dancing

Martha Graham introduced a form of choreography that seemed awkward and alien to those who had

cerebration thought

Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

aromatic fragrant

Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

hybrid mongrel; mixed breed

Mendel's formula explains the appearance of hybrids and pure species in breeding.

fluctuation wavering

Meteorologists watch the fluctuations of the barometer in order to predict the weather.

flamboyant ornate

Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.

immobility state of being immovable

Modern armies cannot afford the luxury of immobility, as they are vulnerable to attack while standing still.

braggart boaster

Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.

glutinous sticky; viscous

Molasses is a glutinous substance.

abominate loathe; hate

Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.

advent arrival

Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached

digression wandering away from the subject

Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their offical theme; his digressions

dote be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline

Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the

euphony sweet sound

Noted for its euphony even when it is spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when

conviction strongly held belief

Nothing could shake his conviction that she was innocent.

halting hesitant; faltering

Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words.

fodder coarse food for cattle, horses etc.

One of Nancy's chores ar the ranch was to put fresh supplies of fodder in the horses' stalls.

idiosyncrasy peculiarity; eccentricity

One of his personal idiosyncrasies was his habit of rinsing all cutlery given him in a restaurant.

gastronomy science of preparing and serving good food

One of the by-products of his trip to Europe was his interest in gastronomy; he enjoyed preparing and

acclimate adjust to climate or environment

One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travellers to acclimate themselves to their new

demolition destruction

One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the

anarchist person who rebels against the established order

Only the total overthrow of all governmental regulations would satisfy the anarchist.

gesticulation motion; gesture

Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in

entrepreneur businessperson; contractor

Opponents of our present tax program argue that it discourages entrepreneurs from trying new fields of

dossier file of documents on a subject

Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete dossier.

belittle disparage; depreciate

Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts.

environ enclose; surround

Paris was environed by a wall

garnish decorate

Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato.

disputatious argumentative; fond of argument

People avoided discussing contemporary problems with him because of his disputatious manner.

dire disastrous

People ignored her dire predictions of an approaching depression.

conducive helpful; contributive

Rest and proper diet are conducive to good health.

cacophony discord

Some people seem to enjoy the cacophony of an orchestra that is tuning up.

condiments seasonings; spices

Spanish food is full of condiments.

invincible unconquerable

Superman is invincible.

agility nimbleness

The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

chafe warm by rubbing

The collar chafed his neck.

foray raid

The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost.

corpulent very fat

The corpulent man resolved to reduce.

imbibe drink in

The dry soil imbibed the rain quickly.

gape open widely

The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in.

defunct dead; no longer in use or existence

The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation.

fanaticism excessive zeal

The leader of the group was held responsible even though he could not control the fanaticism of his

grueling exhausting

The marathon is a grueling race.

carousal drunken revel

The party degenerated into an ugly carousal.

fetter shackle

The prisoner was fettered to the wall.

controvert oppose with arguments; contradict

To controvert your theory will require much time but it is essential that we disprove it.

fret to be annonyed or vexed

To fret over your poor grades is foolish; instead, decide to work harder in the future.

apocryphal untrue; made up

To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.

existential pertaining to existence; pertaining to the philosophy of existentialism

To the existential philosopher, human reason is inadequate to explain an irrational, meaningless universe.

assert state strongly or positively; insist on or demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc.

When Jill asserted that nobody else in the junior class had such an early curfew, her parents Asserted

chaff worthless products of an endeavor

When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

knit contract into wrinkles

Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown.

abut border upon; adjoin

Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

censorious critical

censorious people delight in casting blame.

cogitate think over

cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.

hedonism belief that pleasure is the sole aim in life

hedonism and asceticism are opposing philosophies of human behavior.

homespun domestic; made at home

homespun wit, like homespun cloth, was often coarse and plain.

kismet fate

kismet is the Arabic word for "fate."

atavism resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type;

throwback

alliteration repetition of beginning sound in poetry

"The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration.

figurative not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech

"To lose one's marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects

epistemologist philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge

"What is more important, a knowledge of nature of the nature of knowledge?" the epistemologist asked the

conscientious scrupulous; careful

A conscientious editor checked every definition for its accuracy.

felon person convicted of a grave crime

A convicted felon loses the right to vote

cursory casual; hastily done

A cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson; a more extensive study should be

devotee enthusiastic follower

A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

denotation meaning; distinguishing by name

A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will always give us its connotation.

hydrophobia fear of water; rabies

A dog that bites a human being must be observed for symptoms of hydrophobia.

fidelity loyalty

A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite household pet.

dynamic active; efficient

A dynamic government is necessary to meet the demands of a changing society.

diurnal daily

A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows, for example, must be milked regularly.

garbled mixed up; jumbled; distorted

A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another; by the time it

apathy lack of caring; indifference

A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never

deprecate express disapproval of; protest against; belittle

A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new

cohesion tendency to keep together

A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the emperor, by lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the

jovial good natured; merry

A frown seemed out of place on his invariably jovial face.

debris rubble

A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, workers were still carting away the debris.

doff take off

A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady.

conservatory school of the fine arts (especiallymusic or drama

A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the conservatory.

extrovert person interested mostly in external objects and actions

A good salesperson in usually an extrovert, who likes to mingle with people.

indicative suggestive; implying

A lack of appetite may be indicative of a major mental or physical disorder.

caliber ability; capacity

A man of such caliber should not be assigned such menial tasks.

distill purify; refine; concentrate

A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips.

impetus moving force; incentive; stimulus

A new federal highway program would create jobs and five added impetus to our economic recovery.

expedient suitable; practical; politic

A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical.

genuflect bend the knee as in worship

A proud denocrat, he refused to genuflect to any man.

chary cautious; sparing or restrained about giving

A prudent, thrifty New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary

detached emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent

A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with her patients' perssonal

inopportune untimely; poorly chosen

A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation.

intimidation fear

A ruler who maintains his power by intimidation is bound to develop clandestine resistance.

comity courtesy; civility

A spirit of comity should exist among nations.

disengage uncouple; separate; disconnect

A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving

emanate issue forth

A strong odor of sulfur emanated from the spring.

ambidextrous capable of using either hand with equal ease

A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

desiccate dry up

A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to

debauch corrupt; make intemperate

A vicious newspaper can debauch public ideals.

foresight ability to foresee future happenings; prudence

A wise investor, she had the foresight to buy land just before the current real estate boom.

gaffe social blunder

According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a

conifer pine tree; cone-bearing tree

According to geologists, the conifers were the first plants to bear flowers.

founder fail completely; sink

After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.

inexorable relentless; unyielding; implacable

After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the

crotchety eccentric; whimsical

Although he was reputed to be a crochety old gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and

impotent weak; ineffective

Although he wished to break the nicotine habit, he found himself impotent in resisisting the craving for a

derivative unoriginal; obtained from another source

Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and

edify instruct; correct morally

Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused

interminable endless

Although his speech lasted for only twenty minutes, it seemed interminable to his bored audience.

civil having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite

Although internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax

elysian relating to paradise; blissful

An afternoon sail on the bay was for her an elysian journey.

amulet charm; talisman

Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her.

artisan a manually skilled worker

Artists and artisans alike are necessary to the development of a culture.

herpetologist one who studies reptiles

As a boy, Indiana Jones had a traumatic experience involving snakes; sensibly enough, he studies to be

debutante yound woman making formal entrance into society

As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

default failure to do

As a result of her husband's failure to appear in court, she was granted a divorce by default.

agrarian pertaining to land or its cultivation

As a result of its recent industrialization, the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions.

frantic wild

At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.

adversary opponent; enemy

Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker.

discount disregard

Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

decant pour off gently

Be sure to decant this wine before serving it.

flotsam drifting wreckage

Beachcombers eke out a living by salvaging the flotsam and jetsam of the sea.

hibernate sleep throughout the winter

Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate.

hibernal wintry

Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating.

alimony payments make to an ex-spouse after divorce

Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award

gamely in a spirited manner; with courage

Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when

apostate one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs

Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.

labile likely to change; unstable

Because the hormonal changes they undergo affect their spirits, adolescents may become emotionally labile

canter slow gallop

Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won

irreconsilable incompatible; not able to be resolved

Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce.

cornice projecting molding on building (usually above columns

Because the stones forming the cornice had been loosened by the storms, the police closed the building

context writings preceding and following the passage quoted

Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the message the author intended.

diorama like-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history

Because they dramatically pose actual stuffed animals against realistic painted landscapes, the dioramas at

abbreviate shorten

Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

axiom self-evident truth requiring no proof

Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain

antecedents preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; early life; ancestors

Before giving permission for Drummie to marry Estella, Miss Havisham had a few questions about the

itinerary plan of a trip

Before leaving for his first visit to France and England, he discussed his itinerary with people who had

colander utensil with perforated bottom used for straining

Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it.

blurt utter impulsively

Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

inchoate recently begun; rudimentary; elementary

Before the Creation, the world was an inchoate mass.

disembark go ashore; unload cargo from a ship

Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.

concession an act of yielding

Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions.

dismiss eliminate from consideration; reject

Believing in John's love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful.

browbeat bully; intimidate

Billy resisted Ted's attempts to browbeat him into handing over his lunch money.

genre particular variety of art or literature

Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre.

incorporate introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite

Breaking with precedent, President Truman ordered the military to incorporate blacks into every branch of

corollary consequence; accompaniment

Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with a sibling rivalry its natural corollary.

bigotry stubborn intolerance

Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by

inconsequential insignificant; unimportant

Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken the wine glass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's

conspiracy treacherous plot

Brutus and Cassius joined in the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar.

desperado reckless outlaw

Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head.

carrion rotting flesh of a dead body

Buzzards are nature's scavengers; they eat the carrion left behind by other predators.

dint means; effort

By dint of much hard work, the volunteers were able to control the raging forest fire.

exorcise drive our evil spirits

By incantation and prayer, the medicine man sought to exorcise the evil spirits that had taken possession of

forestall prevent by taking action in advance

By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential

gyroscope apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.

By using a rotating gyroscope, they were able to stabilize the vessel, counteracting the rolling movements

attenuate make thin; weaken

By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

exploit make use of, sometimes unjustly

Caesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farmworkers in California.

cohorts armed band

Caesar and his Roman cohorts conquered almost all of the known world.

downcast disheartened; sad

Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.

drudgery menial work

Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of drudgery.

holocaust destruction by fire

Citizens of San Francisco remember that the destruction of the city was caused not by the earthquake but

interdict prohibit; forbid

Civilized nations must interdict the use of nuclear weapons if we expect out society to live.

bluff pretense (of strength; deception; high cliff

Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff, she was astounded

calorific heat-producing

Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

juxtapose place side by side

Comparison will be easier if you juxtapose the two objects.

convoke call together

Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency.

cantankerous ill-humored; irritable

Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a

drone idle person; male bee

Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.

consequential pompous; self-important

Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air.

ductility malleability; flexibility; ability to be drawn out

Copper wire has many industrial uses because of its extreme ductility.

culpable deserving blame

Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable.

concomitant that which accompanies

Culture is not always a concomitant of wealth.

indite write; compose

Cyrano indited many letters for Christian.

canto division of a long poem

Dante's poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.

dregs sediment; worthless residue

David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs.

inevitable unavoidable

Death and taxes are both inevitable.

importune beg persistently

Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for contributions so frequently that she

enigma puzzle

Depite all attempts to decipher the code, it remained an enigma.

kinetic producing motion

Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest obstacle lies in the development of light and

affirmation positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath

Despite Tom's affirmation of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

concede admit; hield

Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right.

antagonistic hostile; opposed

Despite his lawyers' best efforts to stop him, the angry prisoner continued to make antagonistic remarks to

forgo give up; do without

Determined to lose weight for the summer, Ida decided to forgo dessert until she could fit into a size eight

conscript draftee; person forced into military service

Did Rambo volunteer to fight in Vietnam, or was he a conscript, drafted against his will?

gibberish nonsense; babbling

Did you hear that foolish boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space?

churlish boorish; rude

Dismayed by his churlish manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.

evenhanded impartial; fair

Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do

extrinsic external; not inherent; foreign

Do not be fooled by extrinsic causes. We must look for the intrinsic reason.

dogmatic positive; arbitrary

Do not be so dogmatic about that statement; it can be easily refuted.

aspersion slanderous remark

Do not cast aspersions on her character.

debase reduce to lower state

Do not debase youself by becoming maudlin.

delude deceive

Do not delude yourself into believing that he will relent.

deviate turn away from

Do not deviate from the truth; you must face the facts.

credence belief

Do not place any credence in his promises.

amorous moved by sexual love; loving

Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures.

foolhardy rash

Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture.

coddle treat gently; pamper

Don't coddle the children to much; they need a taste of discipline.

explicit totally clear; definite; outspoken

Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied: be explicit about what's bugging you.

cognizance knowledge

During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international

diatribe bitter scolding; invective

During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled.

conundrum riddle; difficult problem

During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

conveyance vehicle; transfer

During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances.

incapacitate disable

During the winter, many people were incapacitated by respiratory ailments.

feckless feeble, ineffective; unthinking, irresponsible

Einstein was noted for his extraordinary inspirations; on the other hand, he was noted for being feckless in

hoax trick; practical joke

Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room.

bacchanalian drunken

Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.

cleft split

Erosion caused a cleft in the huge boulder.

coagulate thicken; congeal; clot

Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands.

hermitage home of a hermit

Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world.

composure mental calmness

Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

dissemble disguise; pretend

Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew there not to dance

insipid lacking in flavor; dull

Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle.

convention social or moral custom; established practice

Flying in the face of convention, George Sand (Amandine Dudevant shocked her contemporaries by

evanescent fleeting; vanishing

For a brief moment, the entire skyline was bathed in an orange-red hue in the evanescent rays of the

intrepid fearless

For his intrepid conduct in battle, he was promoted.

affluence abundance; wealth

Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

connotation suggested or implied meaning of an expression

Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.

iconoclastic attacking cherished traditions

George Bernard Shaw's iconoclastic plays often startled more conventional people.

denizen inhabitant of

Ghosts are denizens of the land of the dead who return to earth.

aberrant abnormal or deviant

Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.

insurrection rebellion; uprising

Given the current state of affairs in South Africa, an insurrection seems unavoidable.

irony hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning

Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing was merely irony; he was

exiguous small; minute

Grass grew there, an exiguous outcropping among the rocks.

elated overjoyed; in high spirits

Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her Olympic victory.

beatitude blessedness; state of bliss

Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

gerontocracy government ruled by old people

Gulliver visited a gerontocracy in which the young people acted as servants to their elders, all the while

celerity speed; rapidity

Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death.

apparition ghost; phantom

Hamlet was uncertain about the identity of the apparition that had appeared and spoken to him.

explicate explain; interpret; clarify

Harry Levin explicated James Joyce's novels with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed

hoodwink deceive; delude

Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he was extremely cautious when he went to

attest testify; bear witness

Having served as a member of a grand jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need

abjure renounce upon oath

He abjured his allegiance to the king.

admonish warn; reprove

He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.

indignation anger ar an injustice

He felt indignation at the ill-treatment of the helpless animals.

deign condescend

He felt that he would debase himself if he deigned to answer his critics.

demean degrade; humiliate

He felt that he would demean himself if he replied to the scurrilous letter.

ineluctable irresistable; not to be escaped

He felt that his fate was ineluctible and refused to make any attempt to improve his lot.

extricate free; disentangle

He found that he could not extricate himself from the trap.

dolorous sorrowfrl

He found the dolorous lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as

brackish somewhat saline

He found the only wells in the area were brackish; drinking the water made him nauseous.

adventitious accidental; casual

He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate.

irksome annoying; tedious

He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to

grapple wrestle; come to grips with

He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him.

jaded fatigued; surfeited

He looked for exotic foods to stimulate his jaded appetite.

deposition testimony under oath

He made his deposition in the judge's chamber.

indolence laziness

He outgrew his youthful indolence to become a model of industry and alertness on the job.

convex curving outward

He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

gullible easily deceived

He preyed upon gullible people, who believed his stories of easy wealth.

autocrat monarch with supreme power

He ran his office like an autocrat, giving no one else any authority.

gazette official publication

He read the gazettes regularly for announcement of his promotion.

countenance approve; tolerate

He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.

insomnia wakefulness; inability to sleep

He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he claimed it gave him insomnia.

animadversion critical remark

He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true.

correlation mutual relationship

He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret

fluency smoothness of speech

He spoke French with fluency and ease.

humility humbleness of spirit

He spoke with a humility and lack of pride that impressed his listeners.

catechism book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer

He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer.

intellect higher mental powers

He thought college would develop his intellect.

jaunt trip; short journey

He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City.

chaotic in utter disorder

He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs.

expiate make amends for (a sin

He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.

facilitate make less difficult

He tried to facilitate repayment of the loan by getting a part-time job.

importunate urging; demanding

He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his allowance arrived.

foppish vain about dress and appearance

He tried to imitate the foppish manner of the young men of the court.

ingratiate become popular with

He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good graces.

hirsute hairy

He was a hitsute individual with a heavy black beard.

droll queer and amusing

He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.

demagogue person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader

He was accused of being a demogogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

exculpate clear from blame

He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal confessed.

catholic universal; wide-ranging liberal

He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library.

felicitous apt; suitably expressed; well chosen

He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many

goad urge on

He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes.

impale pierce

He was impaled by the spear hurled by his adversary.

indefatigable tireless

He was indefatigable in his constant efforts to raise funds for the Red Cross.

lackadaisical affectedly languid

He was lackadaisical and indifferent about his part in the affair.

jurisprudence science of law

He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the law.

corporeal bodily; material

He was not a churchgoer; he was interested only in corporeal matters.

abash embarrass

He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

dilettante aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler

He was not serious in his painting; he was rather a dilettante.

anomalous abnormal; irregular

He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that he despised.

impeccable faultless

He was proud of his impeccable manners.

alienate make hostile; separate

Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

amplify enlarge

Her attempts to amplify her remarks were drowned out by the jeers of the audience.

bloated swollen or puffed as with water or air

Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water.

lacerate mangle; tear

Her body was lacerated in the automobile crash.

brazen insolent

Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

chaste pure

Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion.

fleck spot

Her cheeks flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.

contrite penitent

Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence.

effusive pouring forth; gushing

Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them.

defray provide ofr the payment of

Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.

diligence steadiness of effort; persisten hard work

Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm.

exemplary serving as a model; outstanding

Her exemplary behavior was praised at commencement.

ashen ash-colored; deadly pale

Her face was ashen with fear.

fervid ardent

Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.

agitate stir up; disturb

Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

buxom full-bosomed; plump; jolly

High fashion models usually are slender rather than buxom.

cliche phrase culled in meaning by repetition

High school compositions are often marred by such cliches as "strong as an ox."

acquittal deliverance from a charge

His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty.

array marshal; draw up in order

His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him.

adroit skillful

His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers.

amiable agreeable; lovable

His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him.

erudite learned; scholarly

His erudite writing was difficult to read because of the many allusions which were unfamiliar to most

antipathy aversion; dislike

His extreme antipathy to dispute caused him to avoid argumentative discussions with his friends.

dishearten discourage

His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him.

angular sharp-cornered; stiff in manner

His features, though angular, were curiously attractive.

compact tightly packed; firm; brief

His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball.

demeanor behavior; bearing

His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.

homily sermon; serious warning

His speeches were always homilies, advising his listeners to repent and reform.

exuberant abundant; effusive; lavish

His speeches were famous for his exuberant language and vivid imagery.

fiat command

I cannot accept government by fiat; I feel that I must be consulted.

disabuse correct a false impression; undeceive

I will attempt to diabuse you of your impression of my client's guilt; I know he is innocent.

conjecture surmise; guess

I will end all your conjectures; I admit I am guilty as charged.

adjunct something attached to but holding an inferior position

I will entertain this concept as an adjunct to the main proposal.

incipient beginning; in an early stage

I will go to sleep early for I want to break an incipient cold.

foist insert improperly; palm off

I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group.

divulge reveal

I will not tell you this news because I am sure you will divulge it prematurely.

component element; ingredient

I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same time.

aver state confidently

I wish to aver that I am certain of success.

assessment estimation; appraisal

I would like to have your assessment of the situation in South Africa.

implication that which is hinted at or suggested

If I understand the implications of your remark, you do not trust our captain.

impute attribute; ascribe

If I wished to impute blame to the officers in charge of this program, I would state my feelings definitely

comprise include; consist of

If the District of Columbia were to be granted a statehood, the United States of America would comprise

indict charge

If the grand jury indicts the suspect, he will go to trial.

deducible derived byreasoning

If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.

effectual efficient

If we are to succeed, we must seek effectual means of securing our goals.

expunge cancel; remove

If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your record.

chalice goblet; consecrated cup

In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous

emolument salary; compensation

In addition to the emolument this position offers, you must consider the social prestige it carries with it.

ancillary serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary

In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to

creed system of religious or ethical belief

In any loyal American's creed, love of democracy must be emphasized.

die device for stamping or impressing; mold

In coining pennies, workers at the old mint squeezed sheets of softened copper between two dies.

demographic related to population balance

In conducting a survey, one should take into account demographic trends in the region.

forensic suitable to debate or courts of law

In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury.

harangue long, passionate, and vehement speech

In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders.

homage honor; tribute

In her speech she tried to pay homage to a great man.

eerie weird

In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings.

gouge tear out

In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes

callow youthful; immature

In that youthful movement, the leaders were only a little less callow than their immature followers.

figurine small ornamental statuette

In the Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird.

annals records; history

In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

annotate comment; make explanatory notes

In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references.

argot slang

In the argot of the underworld, she "was taken for a ride."

capacious spacious

In the capacious areas of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train.

conflagration great fire

In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.

dilate expand

In the dark, the pupils of your eyes dilate.

dissident dissenting; rebellious

In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tianamen Square, the government hunted down

burgeon grow forth; send out buds

In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.

jostle shove; bump

In the subway he was jostled by the crowds.

heyday time of greatest success; prime

In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running.

incommodious not spacious; inconvenient

In their incommodious quarters, they had to improvise for closet space.

frugality thrift; economy

In these economically difficult days businesses must practice frugality or risk bankruptcy.

depict portray

In this book, the author depicts the slave owners as kind and benevolent masters.

dilemma problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives

In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice.

exigency urgent situation

In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies.

impasse predicament from which there is no escape

In this impasse, all turned to prayer as their last hope.

gamut entire range

In this performance, the leading lady was able to demonstrate the complete gamut of her acting ability.

behoove be suited to; be incumbent upon

In this time of crisis, it behooves all of us to remain calm and await the instructions of our superiors.

halcyon calm; peaceful

In those halcyon days, people were not worried about sneak attacks and bombings.

casual accidental; not regular or permanent; careless; informal

It can be argued that physical laws can be casual as well as inveterate, since it is based on an induction.

devolve deputize; pass to others

It devolved upon us, the survivors, to arrange peace terms with the enemy.

assent agree; accept

It gives me great pleasure to assent to your request.

eon long period of time; an age

It has taken eons for our civilization to develop.

antiseptic substance that prevents infection

It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant.

allege state without proof

It is alleged that she had worked for the enemy.

canard unfounded rumor

It is almost impossible to protect oneself from such a base canard.

finite limited

It is difficult for humanity with its finite existence to grasp the infinite.

appraise estimate the value of

It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless.

distortion twisting out of shape

It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of this event because of the distortions and exaggerations

disparate basically different; unrelated

It is difficult, if not impossible, to organize these disparate elements into a coherent whole.

extenuate weaken; mitigate

It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of others.

eugenic pertaining to the improvement of race

It is easier to apply eugenic principles to the raising of racehorses or prize cattle than t the development of

illusion misleading vision

It is easy to create an optical illusion in which lines of equal length appear different.

imprudent lacking caution; injudicious

It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and become overheated when you are unwell.

ironic occurring in an unexpected and contrary manner

It is ironic that his success came when he least wanted it.

finale conclusion

It is not until we reach the finale of this play that we can understand the author's message.

hermetic obscure and mysterious; occult

It is strange to consider that modern chemistry originated in the hermetic teachings of the ancient

brawn muscular strength; sturdiness

It takes brawn to become a champion weight-lifter.

assiduous diligent

It took Rembrandt weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son.

girth distance around something; circunference

It took an extra-large cummerbund to fit around Andrew Carnegie's considerable girth.

agglomeration collection; heap

It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip.

alias an assumed name

John Smith's alias was Bob Jones.

engross occupy fully

John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.

amorphous shapeless; vague; indeterminate

John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague, amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified,

exasperate vex

Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks.

illuminate brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten

Just as a lamp can illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem.

horde crowd

Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers.

ardor heat; passion; zeal

Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing

enduring lasting; surviving

Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which outlast its creator's brief lives.

avarice greed for wealth

King Midas's avarice has been famous for centuries.

interrogate question closely; cross-examine

Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover

epic long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art

Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of

bane cause of ruin

Lack of public transportation is the bane of urban life.

cipher secret code

Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher.

feign pretend

Lady Macbeth feigned illness in the courtyard although she was actually healthy.

dally trifle with; procrastinate

Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet could only dally with her affections.

igneous produced by fire; volcanic

Lava, pumice, and other igneous rocks are found in great abundance around Mount Vesuvius near Naples.

jeopardy exposure to death or danger

Legally, one cannot be placed in double jeopardy.

dogged determined;stubborn

Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long, dogged pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.

innocuous harmless

Let him drink it; it is innocuous and will have no ill effect.

irrevocable unalterable

Let us not brood over past mistakes since they are irrevocable.

benison blessing

Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world.

flit fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by

Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one boyfriend to the next.

gadfly animal-biting fly; an irritating person

Like a gadfly, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty eight hours, everyone regarded him as an

chameleon lizard that changes color in different situations

Like the chameleon, he assumed the political coloration of every group he met.

consternation anxiety, dismay

Lincoln is famous for saying that the consternations during the civil war had left him decrepit.

integrity uprightness; wholeness

Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the

appreciate be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of

Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks ave her, whose value appreciated

automaton mechanism that imitates actions of humans

Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were creating stories of automation

equivocal doubtful; ambiguous

Macbeth was misled by the equivocal statements of the witches.

implacable incapable of being pacified

Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family.

errant wandering

Many a charming tale has been written about the knights-errant who helped the weak and punished the

centrifugal radiating; departing from the center

Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

culinary relating to cooking

Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices.

catalyst agent that brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged

Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst.

filial pertaining to a son or daughter

Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents.

garrulous excessively talkative, especially about unimportant subjects; loquacious; wordy

Many club members avoided the company of the garrulous junior executive because his contant chatter

homogeneous of the same kind

Many educators try to put pupils of similar abilities in the same class because they believe that his

enigmatic obscure; puzzling

Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa.

indenture bind as servant or apprentice to master

Many immigrants could come to America only after they had indentured themselves for several years.

aureole sun's corona; halo

Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureols around their heads.

dross waste matter; worhtless impurities

Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross.

facsimilie copy

Many museums sell facsimilies of the works of art on display.

contravene contradict; oppose: infringe on or transgress

Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert

bullion gold and silver in the form of bars

Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox.

extrude force or push out

Much pressure is required to extrude these plastics.

brittle easily broken; difficult

My employer's brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.

enamored in love

Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.

indigence poverty

Neither the economists nor the political scientists have found a way to wipe out the inequities of wealth

glacial like a glacier; extremely cold

Never a warm person, when offended hugo could seem positively glacial.

esoteric hard to understand; known only to the chosen few

New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is if

counterpart a thing that completes another; things very much alike

Night and day are counterparts.

faze disconcert; dismay

No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.

gloss over explain away

No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he

grandeur impressiveness; stateliness; majesty

No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of

confound confuse; puzzle

No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long.

forsake desert; abandon; renounce

No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run off with another woman.

impecunious without money

Now that he was wealthy, he gladly contributed to funds to assist impecunious and disbled persons.

gossamer sheer; like cobwebs

Nylon can be woven into gossaner or thick fabrics.

deliberate consider; ponder; unhurried

Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she made her decision.

equity fairness; justice

Our courts guarantee equity to all.

gruel thin, liquid porridge

Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable.

cordial gracious; heartfelt

Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug.

inertia state of being inert or indisposed to move

Our inertia in this matter may prove disastrous; we must move to aid our allies immediately.

intermittent periodic; on and off

Our picnic was marred by intermittent rains.

debilitate weaken; enfeeble

Overindulgence debilitates character as well as physical stamina.

integral complete; necessary for completeness

Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are

allegory story in which characters are used as symbols; fable

Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul.

emendation correction of errors; improvement

Please initial all the emendations you have made in this contract.

application diligent attention; (secondary meaning apply

Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application.

chimerical fantastic; highly imaginative

Poe's chimerical stories are sometimes too morbid for reading in bed.

exploit deed or action, particularly a brave deed

Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his exploits in rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces.

energize invigorate; make forceful and active

Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing energized her.

abate subside or moderate

Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.

anecdote short account of an amusing or interesting event

Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Raegan told anecdotes about poor

ford place where a river can be crossed on foot

Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a half-mile downstream until he came to the

economy efficiency or conciseness in using something

Reading the epigrams of Pope, I admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of

artless without guile; open and honest

Red Riding Hood's artless comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" indicates the child's innocent

dingy dull; not fresh; cheerless

Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and

forebears ancestors

Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship plays an important part in many

knoll little, round hill

Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in Samoa; to reach the grave site, you must climb uphill and

imminent near at hand; impending

Rosa was such a last-minute worker that she could never start writing a paper till the deadline was

imprecation curse

Roused from the bed at what he considered an ungodly hour, Roy muttered imprecations under his breath.

jocund merry

Santa Claus is always vivacious and jocund.

immutable unchangeable

Scientists are constantly seeking to discover the immutable laws of nature.

collage work of art put together from fragments

Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage.

benefactor gift giver; patron

Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him a benediction.

amiss wrong; faulty

Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss.

ethos underlying character of a culture, group, etc.

Seeing how tenderly Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how

decelerate slow down

Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.

cavalier casual and offhand; arrogant

Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's cavalier dismissal of her

castigation punishment; severe criticism

Sensitive even to mild criticism, Woolf could not bear castigation that she found in certain reviews.

entrance put under a spell; carry away with emotion

Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound.

indiscriminate choosing at random; confused

She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing and decided to restrict him to educational

aperture opening; hole

She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.

bountiful generous; showing bounty

She distributed gifts in a bountiful and gracious manner.

entreat plead; ask earnestly

She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight.

affinity kinship

She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains.

fervent ardent; hot

She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.

copious plentiful

She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal.

intimate hint

She intimated rather than stated her preferences.

invoke call upon; ask for

She invoked her advisor's aid in filling out her financial aid forms.

inveterate deep-rooted; habitual

She is an inveterate smoker and cannot break the habit.

flaunt display ostentatiously

She is not the one of those actresses who flaunt their physical charms; she can act.

document provide written evidence

She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm.

insensate without feeling

She lay there as insensate as a log.

array clothe; adorn

She liked to watch her motherarray herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening.

innovation change; introduction of something new

She loved innovatins just because they were new.

intelligentsia intellectuals; members of the educated elite

She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia.

dilute make less concentrated; reduce in strength

She preferred her coffee diluted with milk.

continence self-restraint; sexual chastity

She vowed to lead a life of continence.

espouse adopt; support

She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.

astral relating to the stars

She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.

egregious notorious; conspicuously bad; shocking

She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.

fraught filled

Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks.

advert refer to

Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important.

epitome perfect example or embodiment

Singing "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General

injurious harmful

Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to your health.

epithet word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing

So many kings of France were named Charles that modern students need epithets to tell them apart:

ethnology study of mankind

Sociology is one aspect of the science of ethnology.

censor overseer of morals; person who eliminates inappropriate matter

Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution.

cohere stick together

Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.

dissonance discord

Some contemporary musicians deliberately use dissonance to achieve certain effects.

defamation harming a person's reputation

Such defamation of character may result in a slander suit.

idolatry worship of idols; excessive admiration

Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical of the excessive enthusiasm of youth.

ineffable unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech

Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described.

gauche clumsy; boorish

Such remarks are gauche and out of place; you should apologize for making them.

generic characteristic of an entire class or species

Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she

granulate form into grains

Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar.

embed enclose; place in something

Tales of actual historical figures like King Alfred have become embedded in legends.

fusilade simultaneous firing or outburs (of missiles, questions, etc.

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture concludes with a thunderous fusilade of cannon fire.

collation a light meal

Tea sandwiches and cookies were offered at the collation.

bestial beastlike; brutal; inhuman

The Red Cross sought to put an end to the bestial treatment of prisoners of war.

apotheosis deification; glorification

The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too,

extirpate root up

The Salem witch trials were a misguided attempt to extirpate superstition and heresy.

infidel unbeliever

The Saracens made war against tne infidels.

galleon large sailing ship

The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the British, on the smaller and faster

demoniac fiendish

The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture.

bicameral two-chambered, as a legislative body

The United States Congress is a bicameral body.

anarchy absence of governing body; state of disorder

The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy.

carillon set of bells capable of being played

The carillon in the bell tower of the Coca-Cola pavilion at the New York World's Fair provided musical

carnage destruction of life

The carnage that can be caused by atomic warfare adds to the responsibilities of our statesmen.

compilation listing of statistical information in tabular or book form

The compilation of available scholarships serves a very valuable purpose.

bilk swindle; cheat

The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

cupidity greed

The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.

illicit illegal

The defense attorney claimed that the police had entrapped his client; that is, they had elicited the illicit

annihilate destroy

The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

dirge lament with music

The funeral dirge stirred us to tears.

gargantuan huge; enormous

The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice.

gargolye waterspout carved in groteque figures on a building

The gargoyles adorning the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris are amusing in their grotesqueness.

influx flowing into

The influx of refugees into the country has taxed the relief agencies severely.

insubordinate disobedient

The insubordinate private was confined to the barracks.

insularity narrow-mindedness; isolation

The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anyuthing foreign.

intransigence state of stubborn unwillingness to compromise

The intransigence of both parties in the dispute makes an early settlement almost impossible to obtain.

disseminate scatter (like seeds

The invention of the radio helped propagandists to disseminate their favorite doctrines very easily.

antecede precede

The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.

dexterous skillful

The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow his movements as he performed his tricks.

burnish make shiny by rubbing; polish

The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.

compound combine; constitute; pay interest; increase

The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine.

elixir cure-all; something invigorating

The news of her chance to go abroad acted on her like an elixir.

fell cruel; deadly

The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease

incursion temporary invasion

The nightly incursions and hit-and-run raids of our neighbors across the border tried the patience of the

discombobulated confused; discomposed

The novice square dancer became so discombobulated that he wandered into wrong set.

casualty serious or fatal accident

The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

cloister monastery or convent

The nuns lived in the cloister.

denouement outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work

The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the

gambit opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed

The player was afraid to accept his opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not

bizarre fantastic; violently contrasting

The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.

cordon extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress

The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area.

disperse scatter

The police fired tear gas into crowd to disperse the protesters.

hover hang about; wait nearby

The police helicopter hovered above the accident.

discrepancy lack of consistency; difference

The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.

bogus counterfeit; not authentic

The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills.

firebrand hothead; troublemaker

The police triedto keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town.

apprehend arrest ( a criminal; dread; perceive

The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.

commandeer to draft for military purposes; to take for public use

The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest

grandiloquent pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language

The politician could bever speak simply; she was always grandiloquent.

disport amuse

The popularity of Florida as a winter resort is constantly increasing; each year, thousands more disport

bandy discuss lightly; exchange blows or words

The president refused to bandy words with reporters at the press conference.

archaeology study of artifacts and relics of early mankind

The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

incidental not essential; minor

The scholarship covered his major expenses at college and some of his incidental expenses as well.

amalgamate combine; unite in one body

The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

discrete separate; unconnected

The universe is composed of discrete bodies.

boisterous violent; rough; noisy

The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.

emetic substance causing vomiting

The use of an emetic like mustard is useful in cases of poisoning.

equinox period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn

The vernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms.

bastion stronghold; something seen as a source of protection

The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrila

complement complete; consummate; make perfect

The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese.

fastidious difficult to please; squeamish

The waitresses disliked serving him dinner because of his very fastidious taste.

dank damp

The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.

incarcerate imprison

The warden will incarcerate the felon after conviction.

eddy swirling current of water, air, etc.

The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.

jubilation rejoicing

There was great jubilitation when the armistice was announced.

archives public records; place where public records are kept

These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the

equestrian rider on horseback

These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds.

asperity sharpness (of temper

These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

excoriate flay; abrade

These shoes are so ill-fitting that they will excoriate the feet and create blisters.

inter bury

They are going to inter the body tomorrow ar Broadlawn Cemetry.

confluence flowing together; crowd

They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.

collate examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order

They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age.

chasm abyss

They could not see the bottom of the chasm.

infernal pertaining to hell; devilish

They could think of no way to hinder his infernal scheme.

attrition gradual wearing down

They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than to rely on all-out attack.

decapitate behead

They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her.

kleptomaniac person who has a compulsive desire to steal

They discovered that the wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap

alcove nook; recess

Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an

exemplify show by example; furnish an example

Three-time winner of the Super Bowl, Joe Montana exemplifies the ideal quarterback.

altercation noisy quarrel

Throughout the altercation, not one sensible word was uttered.

dislodge remove (forcible

Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to

demur delay; object

To demur at this time will only worsen the already serious situation; now is the time for action.

eulogistic praising

To everyone's surprise, the speech was eulogistic rather than critical in tone.

abstract theoretical; not concrete; non-representational

To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

hone sharpen

To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care.

auxiliary offering or providing help; additional or sub-sidiary

To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station.

engender cause; produce

To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child.

heterodox unorthodox; unconventional

To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun

indigenous native

Tobacco is one of the indigenous plants that the early explorers found in this country.

kindred related; similar in nature or character

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two kindred spirits.

labyrinth maze

Tom and Becky were lost in the labyrinth of secret caves.

ambivalence the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes

Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the

cameo shell or jewel carved in relief

Tourists are advised not to purchase cameos from the street peddlers of Rome who sell poor specimens of

genesis beginning; origin

Tracing the genesis of a family is the theme of "Roots."

ingrained deeply established; firmly rooted

Try as they would, the missionaries were unable to uproot the ingrained superstitions of the natives.

allude refer indirectly

Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him.

collaborate work together

Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.

gregarious sociable

Typically, party-throwers are gregarious; hermits are not.

aegis shield; defense

Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights, we enjoy our most treasured freedoms.

encomium high praise; eulogy

Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise.

illusory deceptive; not real

Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom's profits proved illusory.

incense enrage; infuriate

Unkindness to children incensed her.

corroborate confirm

Unless we find a witness to corroborate your evidence, it will not stand up in court.

condone overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse

Unlike Widow Douglass, who condoned Huck's minor offenses, Miss Watson did nothing but scold.

bate let down; restrain

Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity.

crypt secret recess or vault usually used for burial

Until recently only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in this crypt.

dehydrate remove water from; dry out

Vigorous dancing quickly dehydrates the body; between dances, be sure to drink more water than normal.

august impressive; majestic

Visiting the palace at Versailes, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

anguish acute pain; extreme suffering

Visiting the site of explosion, Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.

ethereal light; heavenly; fine

Visitors were impressed by her ethereal beauty, her delicate charm.

cumulative growing by addition

Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to

arboretum place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited

Walking along the treelined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine

adorn decorate

Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple.

approbation approval

Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation.

impetuous violent; hasty; rash

We tried to curb his impetuous behavior because we felt that in his haste he might offend some people.

jargon language used by special group; gibberish

We tried to understand the jargon of the peddlers in the market place but could not find any basis for

deadpan wooden; impassive

We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

agog highly excited; intensely curious

We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a

askew crookedly; slanted; at an angle

When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed.

futile ineffective; fruitless

Why waste your time on futile pursuits?

clapper striker (tongue of a bell

Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle its striking.

bifurcated divided into two branches; forked

With a bifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber, he made a crude but effective slingshot.

carafe glass water bottle

With each dinner, the patron receives a carafe of red or white wine.

evasive not frank; eluding

Your evasive answers convinced the judge that you were witholding important evidence.

facetious humorous; jocular

Your facetious remarks are not appropriate at this serious moment.

fantastic unreal; grotesque; whimsical

Your fears are fantastic because no such animal as you have described exists.

flippancy trifling gaiety

Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive.

endearment fond word or act

Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence.

incredulity a tendency to disbelief

Your incredulity in the face of all the evidence is hard to understand.

insouciant indifferent; without concern or care

Your insouciant attitude at such a critical moment indicates that you do not understand the gravity of the

assuage ease; lessen(pain

Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering.

hazardous dangerous

Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your application.

compromise adjust; endanger the interests or reputation of

Your presence at the scene of the dispute compromises our claim to neutrality in this matter.

fallacious misleading

Your reasoning must be fallacious because it leads to a ridiculous answer.

commensurate equal in extent

Your reward will be commensurate with your effort.

factious inclined to form factions; causing dissension.

Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists.

daunt intimidate

Your threats cannot daunt me.

colloquial pertaining to conversational or common speech

Your use of colloquial expressions in a formal essay such as the one you have presented spoils the effect

adverse unfavorable; hostile

adverse circumstances compelled him to close his business.

alloy mixture as of metals

alloy of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

allure entice; attract

allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef.

ambrosia food of the gods

ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it.

azure sky blue

azure skies are indicative of good weather.

brevity conciseness

brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.

chivalrous courteous; faithful; brave

chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.

coeval living at the same time as; contemporary

coeval with the dinosaur, the pterodactyl flourished during the Mesozoic era.

cynical skeptical or distrustful of human motives

cynical at all times, he was suspicious of all altruistic actions of others.

delve dig; investigate

delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job.

epicure connoisseur of food and drink

epicures frequent this restaurant because it features exotic wines and dishes.

glaring highly conspicuous; harshly bright

glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume will unfavorably impress potential employers.

gourmand epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink

goumands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it.

indulgent humoring; yielding; lenient

indulgent parents spoil their children by giving in to their every whim.

inept lacking skill; inadequate; inappropriate

inept as a carpenter, Ira was all thumbs.

egoism excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in

others

kaleidoscope tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc.,

produce interesting symmetrical effects

gist essence

she was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentence.

inanimate lifeless

she was asked to identify the still and inanimate body.

exposure risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the elements; unmasking; act of laying

something open

allusion indirect reference

the allusions to mythological characters in Milton's poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin.

bawdy indecent; obscene

She took offense at his bawdy remarks.

brooch ornamental clasp

She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.

engage attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront

"Your case has engaged my interest, my lord," said Holmes, "You many engage my services."

denigrate blacken

All attempts to denigrate the character of our late President have failed; the people still love him and

fluted having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar

All that remained of the ancient building were the fluted columns.

eulogy praise

All the eulogies of his friends could not remove the sting of the calumny heaped upon him by his enemies.

dyspeptic suffering from indigestion

All the talk about rich food made him feel dyspeptic.

aspirant seeker after position or status

Although I am as aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses.

deplore regret

Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

blanch bleach; whiten

Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

enfranchise admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote

Although blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote

disclose reveal

Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company's

affable courteous

Although he held a position of responsibility, he was an affable individual and could be reached by anyone

doddering shaky; infirm from old age

Although he is not as yet a doddering and senile old man, his ideas and opinions no longer can merit the

indignity offensive or insulting treatment

Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the indignities heaped upon him, he was inwardly very angry.

apiary a place where bees are kept

Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.

gruff rough-mannered

Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children.

curmudgeon churlish, miserly individual

Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and

intrinsically essentially; inherently; naturally

Although my grandmother's china has intrinsically little value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it

acquiesce assent; agree passively

Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about

expertise specialized knowledge; expert skill

Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in

ingenuous naive; young and unsophisticated

Although she was over forty, the movie star still insisted that she be cast as an ingenuous sweet young

absolute complete; totally unlimited; certain

Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife

extant still in existence

Although the authorities suppressed the book, many copies are extant and may be purchased at exorbitant

fictitious imaginary

Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious.

doggerel poorverse

Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel.

factotum handyman; person who does all kinds of work

Although we had hired him as a messenger, we soon began to use him as a general factotum around the

encompass surround

Although we were encompassed by enemy forces, we were cheerful for we were well stocked and could

diva operatic singer; prima donna

Although world famous as a diva, she did not indulge in fits of temerament.

domicile home

Althoughhis legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away from his residence for many

aristocracy hereditary nobility; privileged class

Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy:

founder person who establishes (an organization, business

Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus chain.

abusive coarsely insulting; physically harmful

An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.

aphorism pithy maxim

An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific.

elliptical oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have been left out

An elliptical billiad ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because it is

authenticate prove genuine

An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.

disfigure mar the appearance of; spoil

An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.

cant pious phraseology; jargon of criminals

Angry that the president had slashed the education budget, we dismissed his speech on the importance of

anthropologist student of the history and science of humankind

Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric humans in this area.

artifacts products of primitive culture

Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor and came to

catharsis purging or cleansing of any passage of the body

Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts.

embargo ban on commerce or other activity

As a result of the embargo, trade with colonies was at a standstill.

arbiter person with power to decide a matter in a dispute; judge

As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

cavalcade procession; parade

As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was motley group.

docile obedient; easily managed

As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast.

faculty mental or bodily powers; teaching staff

As he grew old, he feared he might lose his faculties and become useless to his employer.

functionary official

As his case was transferred from one functionary to another, he began to despair of ever reaching a

emulate rival; imitate

As long as our political leaders emulate the virtues of the great leaders of this country, we shall flourish.

calamity disaster; misery

As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community.

hegemony dominance, especially of one nation over others

As one Eastern European nation after another declared its independence, commentators marveled at the

junta group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal

As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the

astigmatism eye defect that prevents proper focus

As soon as his parents discovered that the boy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the

entity real being

As soon as the charter was adopted, the United Nations became an entity and had to be considered as a

beleaguer besiege

As soon as the city was beleaguered, the life became more subdued as the citizens began their long wait for

cynosure object of general attention

As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.

frenzied madly excited

As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their cages.

contortions twistings; distortions

As the effects of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and

degenerate become worse; deteriorate

As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.

coup highly successful action or sudden attack

As the news of his coup spread throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him.

calligraphy beautiful writing; excellent penmanship

As we examine ancient manuscripts, we became impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.

gibe mock

As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish

judicious sound in judgment; wise

At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.

killjoy grouch; spoilsport

At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that killjoy John started talking about how

emancipate set free

At first, the attempts of the Abolitioninst to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well

aria operatic solo

At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma.

carapace shell covering the back (of a turtle, crab, etc

At the children's zoo, Richard perched on top of the giant turtle's hard carapace as it slowly made its way

centrifuge machine that separates substances by whirling them

At the dairy, we employ a centrifuge to separate cream from milk.

conception beginning; forming of a idea

At the first conception of the work, he was consulted.

decomposition decay

Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man.

dauntless bold

Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.

blandishment flattery

Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

expostulation protest; remonstrance

Despite the teacher's scoldings and expostulations, the class remained unruly.

disparage belittle

Do not disparage anyone's contribution; these little gifts add up to large sums.

extraneous not essential; external

Do not pad your paper with extraneous matters; stick to essential items only.

delusive deceptive; raising vain hopes

Do not raise your hopes on the basis of his delusive promises.

jocular said or done in jest

Do not take my jocular remarks seriously.

centripetal tending toward the center

Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface?

deterrent something that discourages; hindrance

Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?

grimace a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc.

Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure.

clavicle collarbone

Even though he wore shoulder pads, the football player broke his clavicle during a practice scrimmage.

filibuster block legislation by making long speeches

Even though we disapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to

conformity harmony; agreement

In conformity with our rules and regulations, I am calling a meeting of our organization.

deference courteous regard for another's wish

In deference to his desires, the employers granted him a holiday.

inequity unfairness

In demanding equal pay for equal work, women protest the basic inequity of a system that allots greater

embark commence; go on board a boat; begin a journey

In devoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost

burlesque give an imitation that ridicules

In his caricature, he burlesqued the mannerisms of his adversary.

disquisition a formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry

In his disquisition, he outlined the steps he had taken in reaching his conclusions.

dotage senility

In his dotage, the old man bored us with long tales of events in his childhood.

febrile feverish

In his febrile condition, he was subject to nightmares and hallucinations.

equanimity calmness of temperament

In his later years, he could look upon the foolishness of the world with equanimity and humor.

hap chance; luck

In his poem hap, Thomas Hardy objects to the part chance plays in our lives.

introvert one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself

In his poetry, he reveals that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems.

connubial pertaining to maffige or the matrimonial state

In his telegram, he wished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss.

bequeath leave to someone by means of a will; hand down

In his will, Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy.

epitaph inscription in memory of a dead person

In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone.

gnome dwarf; underground spirit

In medieval mythology, gnomes were the special guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines.

flail thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about

In medieval times, warriors flailed their foe with a metal ball attached to a handle.

cursive flowing, running

In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters.

circumvent outwit; baffle

In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting

dissertation formal essay

In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to

jettison throw overboard

In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to jettison much of his cargo.

humus substance formed by decaying vegetable matter

In order to improve his garden, he spread humus over his lawn and flower beds.

infiltrate pass into or through; penetrate (an organization sneakily

In order to infiltrate enemy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore

espionage spying

In order to maintain its power, the government developed a system of espionage that penetrated every

cauterize burn with hot iron or caustic

In order to prevent infection, the doctor cauterized the wound.

accelerate move faster

In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

desultory aimless; haphazard; digressing at random

In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him reading was

altruistic unselfishly generous; concerned for others

In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged

laborious demanding much work or care; tedious

In putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.

dormer window projecting from roof

In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient

foreshadow give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure

In retrospect, political analysts realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his

cadaver corpse

In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.

conglomeration mass of material sticking together

In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis.

glimmer shine erratically; twinkle

In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars.

descry catch sight of

In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

foil defeat; frustrate

In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader's diabolical schemes.

insuperable insurmountable; invincible

In the face of insuperable difficulties they maintained their courage and will to resist.

indisputable too certain to be disputed

In the face of these indisputable statements, I withdraw my complaint.

dinghy small boat (often ship's boat

In the film Lifeboat, an ill-assorted group of passengers from a sunken ocean liner are marooned at sea in a

guise appearance; costume

In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case.

acuity sharpness

In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

atrocity brutal deed

In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

grill question severely

In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several hours before reading him his

incubate hatch; scheme

Inasmuch as our supply of electricity is cut off, we shall have to rely on the hens to incubate these eggs.

dawdle loiter; waste time

Inasmuch as we must meet a deadline, do not dawdle over this work.

fester rankle, produce irritation or resentment

Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.

abrasive rubbing away; tending to grind down

Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's

buttress support; prop up

Just as architects buttress the walls of cathedrals with flying buttresses, debates buttress their arguments

laconic brief and to the point

Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.

bureaucracy government by bureaus

Many people fear that the constant introduction of federal agencies will create a government by

euthanasia mercy killing

Many people support euthanasia for terminally ill patients who wish to die.

beset harass; trouble

Many problems beset the American public school system.

gratuity tip

Many service employees rely more on gratuities than on salaries for their livelihood.

ameliorate improve

Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

carcinogenic causing cancer

Many supposedly harmless substances have been revealed to be carcinogenic.

converge come together

Marchers converged on Washington for the great Save Our Cities-Save Our Children March.

cadence rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds; beat

Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

graduated arraged by degree (of height, difficulty, etc.

Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the

agape openmouthed

She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo.

juggernaut irresistible crushin force

Nothing could survive in the path of the juggernaut.

effervescence inner excitement; exuberance

Nothing depressed her for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself.

bovine cowlike; placid and dull

Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery, she still preserved her air of bovine calm.

divine perceive intuitively; foresee the future

Nothing infuriated Tom more than Aunt Polly's ability to divine when he was not telling the truth.

farce broad comedy; mockery

Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce.

grotesque fantastic; comically hideous

On Halloween people enjoy wearing groteque costumes.

drone talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee

On a gorgeous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone?

convert one who has adopted a different religion or opinion

On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the merits of American automobiles, he

abject wretched; lacking pride

On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from

doldrums blues; listlessness; slack period

Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums.

disaffected disloyal

Once the most loyal of Gorbachev's supporters, Shverdnaze found himself becoming increasingly

beget father; produce; give rise to

One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another.

ceremonious marked by formality

Ordinary dress would be in appropriate at so ceremonious an affair.

fiasco total failure

Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.

interpolate insert between

She talked so much that I could not interpolate a single remark.

egotism conceit; vanity

She thought so much of herself that we found her egotism unwarranted and irritating.

gruesome grisly

People screamed when her gruesome appearance was flashed on the screen.

deplicity double-dealing; hypocrisy

People were shocked and dismayed when they learned of his duplicity in this affair, as he had always

debunk expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule

Pointing out that he conhsistently had voted afainst strenghtening antipollution legislation, reporters

atrophy wasting away

Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs.

charisma divine gift; great popular charm or appeal

Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of television

epigram witty thought or saying, usually short

Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous.

canker any ulcerous sore; any evil

Poverty is a canker in the body politic; it must be cured.

ascendancy controlling influence

President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendency over Philippines.

anthropomorphic having human form or characteristics

Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics.

apothegm pithy, compact saying

Proverbs are apothegms that have become familiar sayings.

armada fleet of warships

Queen Elizabeth's navy was able to defeat the mighty armada that threatened the English coast.

gratuitous given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for

Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion.

colossal huge

Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

anachronism something or someone misplaced in time

Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.

guile deceit; duplicity

She achieved her high position by guile and treachery.

iridescent exhibiting rainbowlike colors

She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the surface of the water.

entice lure; attract; tempt

She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief.

avert prevent; turn away

She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

demented insane

She became increasingly demented and had to be hospitalized.

inured accustomed; hardened

She became inured to the Alaskan cold.

accessory additional object; useful but not essential thing

She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress.

analogous comparable

She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that

clique small, exclusive group

She charged that a clique had assumed control of school affairs.

cipher nonentity; worthless person or thing

She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.

intuition power of knowing without reasoning

She claimed to know the truth by intuition.

clamber climb by crawling

She clambered over the wall.

compress close; squeeze; contract

She compressed the package under her arm.

cite quote; commend

She could cite passages in the Bible from memory.

humid damp

She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area.

covert secret; hidden; implied

She could understand the covert threat in the letter.

inimical unfriendly; hostile

She felt that they were inimical and were hoping for her downfall.

jaundiced yellowed; prejudiced; envious

She gazed at the painting with jaundiced eyes; she knew it was better than hers.

cataract great waterfall; eye abnormality

She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls.

impediment hindrance; stumbling-block

She had a speech impediment that prevented her from speaking clearly.

inordinate unrestrained; excessive

She had an inordinate fondness for candy.

connoisseur person competent to act as judge of art, ect.; a lover of an art

She had developed into a connoisseur of fine china.

irresolute uncertain how to act; weak

She had no respect for him because he seemed weak-willed and irresolute.

effrontery shameless boldness

She had the effrontery to insult the guest.

iota very small quantity

She hadn't an iota of common sense.

flair talent

She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.

intrude trespass; enter as an uninvited person

She hesitated to intrude on their conversation.

garner gather; store up

She hoped to garner the world's literature in one library.

inadvertently carelessly; unintentionally; by oversight

She inadvertently omitted two questions on the examination and mismarked her answer sheet.

intervene come between

She intervened in the argument between her two sons.

cogent convincing

She presented cogent arguments to the jury.

dictum arthoritative and weighty statement

She repeated the statement as though it were the dictum of the most expert worker in the group.

grisly ghastly

She shuddered at the grisly sight.

celestial heavenly

She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter.

encomiastic praising; eulogistic

Some critics believe that his encomiastic statements about Napoleon were inspired by his desire for

canine related to dogs; doglike

Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population.

cathartic purgative

Some drugs act as laxatives when taken in small doses but act as cathartics when taken in much larger

herbivorous grain-eating

Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food.

disinclination unwilingness

Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed.

eccentricity oddity; idiosyncrasy

Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to strangers as the eccentricity of genius.

encumber burden

Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage, when they take short trips.

coincident occurring at the same time

Some people find the coincident events in Hardy's novels annoyingly improbable.

ellipsis omission of words from a text

Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as in the sentence "Once dressed, you should

dormant sleeping; lethargic; torpid

Sometimes dormant talents in our friends surprise those of us who never realize how gifted our

chaffing bantering; joking

Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us.

behemoth huge creature; something of monstrous size or power

Sportcasters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth."

corrosive eating away by chemicals or disease

Stainless steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chemicals.

hindrance block; obstacle

Stalled cars along the highway are a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks should remove without delay.

amity friendship

Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote

domineer rule over tyrannically

Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer.

grouse complain; fuss

Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dornitory food.

incentive spur; motive

Students who dislike school must be given an incentive to learn.

germinal pertaining to a germ; creative

Such an idea is germinal; I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations.

idiosyncratic private; peculiar to an individual

Such behavior is idiosyncratic, it is as easily identifiable as a signature.

inane silly; senseless

Such comments are inane because they do not help us solve our program.

elaboration addition of details; intricacy

Tell what happened simply, without any elaboration.

gorge narrow canyon; steep, rocky cleft

Terrified of heights, George could not bring himself to peer down into the gorge to see the rapids below.

ideology ideas of a group of people

That ideology is dangerous to this country because it embraces undemocratic philosophies.

figment invention; imaginary thing

That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination.

ingrate ungrateful person

That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him.

indeterminate uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite

That interest rates shall rise appears certain; when they will do so, however, remains indeterminate.

astute wise; shrewd

That was a very astute observation.

bleak cold; cheerless

The Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts.

grotto small cavern

The Blue Grotto in Capri can be entered only by small boats rowed by natives through a natural opening in

archetype prototype; primitive pattern

The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island

inalienable not to be taken away; nontransferable

The Declaration of Independence mentions the inalienable rights that all of us possess.

drab dull; lacking color; cheerless

The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore

hackneyed commonplace; trite

The English teacher criticized her story because of its hackneyed and unoriginal plot.

cognate related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature

The English word "mother" cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words

impassive without feeling; not affected by pain

The Native American has been incorrectly depicted as an impassive individual, undemonstrative and

gustatory affecting the sense of taste

The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used in a bland cuisine.

artifice deception; trickery

The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military

enclave territory enclosed within an alien land

The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy.

immaculate pure; spotless

The West Point cadets were immaculate as they lined up for inspection.

advocate urge; plead for

The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves.

accretion growth; increase

The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.

exalt raise in rank or dignity; praise

The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the Queen; he now is known as Sir Alec

aggregate sum; total

The aggregate wealth of this country is staggering to the imagination.

agnostic one who is skeptical of the existence of knowability of a god or any ultimate reality

The agnostic demanded proof before she would accept the statement of the minister.

alimentary supplying nourishment

The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there.

amoral non-moral

The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral.

analgesic causing insensitivity to pain

The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief.

bard poet

The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.

execrable very bad

The anecdote was in execrable taste and shocked the audience.

glower scowl

The angry boy glowered at his father.

impeach charge with crime in office; indict

The angry congressman wanted to impeach the President for his misdeeds.

animus hostile feeling or intent

The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting

ecstasy rapture, joy; any overpowering emotion

The announcement that the war had ended brought on an ecstasy that resulted in many uncontrolled

betroth become engaged to marry

The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any

annuity yearly allowance

The annuity he set up with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can

antediluvian antiquated; ancient

The antediluvian customs had apparently not changed for thousands of years.

benediction blessing

The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

arcade a covered passageway, usually lined with shops

The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the

incline slope; slant

The architect recommended that the nursing home's ramp be rebuilt because its incline was too steep for

depose dethrone; remove form office

The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government.

confiscate seize; commandeer

The army confiscated all available supplies of uranium.

arrogance pride, haughtiness

The arrogance of the nobility was resented by the middle class.

hummock small hill

The ascent of the hummock is not difficult and the view from the hilltop is ample reward tor the effort.

impalpable imperceptible; intangible

The ash is so fine that it is impalpable to the touch but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window

astringent binding; causing contraction; harsh or severe

The astringent quality of unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult.

extol praise; glorify

The astronauts were extolled as the pioneers of the Space Age.

equivocate lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth

The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his

gory bloody

The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre.

enrapture please intensely

The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.

epilogue short speech at conclusion of dramatic work

The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.

auroral pertaining to the aurora borealis

The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening.

impregnable invulnerable

Until the development of the airplane as a military weapon, the fort was considered impregnable.

arroyo gully

Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed.

disgorge surrender something; efect; vomit

Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

demise death

Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.

discretion prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances

Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss it with anyone.

incantation singing or chanting of magical formula

Uttering incantations to make the brew more potent, the witch doctor stirred the liquid in the caldron.

concord harmony

Watching Tweediedum and Tweedledee battle, Alice wondered why the two brothers could not manage to

gambol skip; leap playfully

Watching children gamboling in the park is a pleasant experience

conduit aqueduct; passageway for fluids

Water was brought to the army in the desert by an improvised conduit from the adjoining mountain.

authoritative having the weight of authority; dictatorial

We accepted her analysis of the situation as authoritative.

inimitable matchless; not able to be imitated

We admire Auden for his inimitable use of language; he is one of a kind.

introspective looking within oneself

We all have our introspective moments during which we examine our souls.

genteel well-bred; elegant

We are looking for a man with a genteel apperance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner.

accessible easy to approach; obtainable

We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

hardy sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather

We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh

foible weakness; slight fault

We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.

flagrant conspicuously wicked

We cannot condone such flagrant violations of the rules.

knavery rascality

We cannot condone such knavery in public officials.

impenitent not repentant

We could see by his brazen attitude that he was impenitent.

gravity seriousness

We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of her expression.

invidious designed to create ill will or envy

We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was.

decimate kill, usually one out of ten

We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.

exult rejoice

We exulted when our team won the victory.

dilapidated ruined because of neglect

We felt that the dilapidated building needed several coats of paint.

asceticism doctrine of self-denial

We find asceticism practiced in many monastries.

consort associate with

We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort.

agenda items of business at a meeting

We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

abortive unsuccessful; fruitless

We had to abandon our abortive attempts.

appease pacify; soothe

We have discovered that, when we try to appease our enemies, we encourage them to make additional

granary storehouse for grain

We have reason to be thankful, for our crops were good and our granaries are full.

contentious quarrelsome

We heard loud and contentious noises in the next room.

expedite hasten

We hope you will be able to expedite delivery because of our tight schedule.

defrock to strip a priest or minister of church authority

We knew the minister had violated church regulations, but we had not realized his offense was serious

jingoism extremely aggressive and militant patriotism

We must be careful to prevent a spirit of jingoism from spreading at this time.

infer deduce; conclude

We must be particularly cautious when we infer that a person is guilty on the basis of circumstantial

covenant agreement

We must comply with the terms of the covenant.

incorporeal immaterial; without a material body

We must devote time to the needs of our incorporeal mind as well as our corporeal body.

adversity poverty, misfortune

We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

formidable menacing; threatening

We must not treat the battle lightly for we are facing a formidable foe.

impiety irreverence; wickedness

We must regard your blasphemy as an act of impiety.

infallible unerring

We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes.

forberance patience

We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.

asteroid small planet

asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction

bent determined; natural talent or inclination

bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high

cosmic pertaining to the universe; vast

cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space.