Sentences (2/2)

rousing lively; stirring

"And now, let's have a rousing welcome for TV's own Roseanne Arnold, who'll lead us in a rousing

metaphor implied comparison

"He soared like an eagle" is an example of a simile; "He is an eagle in flight," is a metaphor.

mercenary motivated solely by money or gain

"I'm not in this war because I get my kicks waving flags," said the mercenary soldier. "I'm in it for the

stint be thrifty; set limits

"Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements.

occlude shut; close

A blood clot occluded an artery to the heart.

suffuse spread over

A blush suffused her cheeks when we teased her about her love affair.

narrative related to telling a story

A born teller of tales, Olsen used her impressive narrative skills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here

levy impose (a fine; collect (a payment

Crying "No taxation withouth representation," the colonists demonstrated against England's power to levy

torrent rushing stream; flood

Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents.

verdigris green coating on copper which has been exposed to the weather

Despite all attempts to protect the statue from the elements, it became coated with verdigris.

swarthy dark; dusky

Despite the stereotype, not all Italians are swarthy; many are fair and blond.

pore study industriously; ponder; scrutinize

Determined to become a physician, Beth spends hours poring over her anatomy text.

stupefy make numb; stun; amaze

Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might

saturnine gloomy

Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.

quack charlatan; impostor

Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.

precipitate headlong; rash

Do not be precipitate in this matter; investigate further.

touchy sensitive; irascible

Do not discuss this phase of the problem as he is very touchy about it.

nettle annoy; vex

Do not let him nettle you with his sarcastic remarks.

obfuscate confuse; muddle

Do not obfuscate the issues by dragging in irrelevant arguments.

rationalize reason; justify an improper act

Do not try to rationalize your behavior by blaming your companions.

temerity boldness; rashness

Do you have the temerity to argue with me?

surmount overcome

He had to surmount many obstacles in order to succeed.

unwonted unaccustomed

He hesitated to assume the unwonted role of master of ceremonies at the dinner.

metallurgical pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores

During the course of his metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous

satellite small body revolving around a larger one

During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United

pertinacious stubborn; persistent

He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit.

monarchy government under a single hereditary ruler with varying degrees of power

England today remains a monarchy.

manumit emancipate; free from bondage

Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil slavery in the

retaliate repay in kind (usually for bad treatment

Fear that we will retaliate immediately deters our foe from attacking us.

stealth slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness

Fearing detection by the sentries on duty, the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great

scruple fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons

Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary.

sagacious keen; shrewd; having insight

He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a trick like that.

suavity urbanity; polish

He is particulary good in roles that require suavity and sophistication.

marked noticeable; targeted for vengeance

He walked with a marked limp, a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a

rebus puzzle in which pictures stand for words

A coven of witches beside a tree is a possible rebus for the town Coventry.

objective goal; aim

A degree in medicine was her ultimate objective.

protuberance protrusion; bulge

A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor (generally benign that develops near a joint membrane or tendon

venturesome bold

A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt.Annapurna.

luminary celebrity; dignitary

A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical luminary whose name lives on.

limpid clear

A limpid stream ran through his property.

prudent cautious; careful

A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy.

narcissist conceited person

A narcissist is his own best friend.

tender offer; extend

Although no formal changes had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt

reserve self-control; formal but distant manner

Although some girls were attracted by Mark's reserve, Judy was put off by it, for she felt his aloofness

predilection partiality; preference

Although the artist used various media from time to time, she had a predilection for watercolors.

pomposity self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt

Although the commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and

temperament characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess

Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Tod is calm, but Rod is excitable.

putative supposed; reputed

Although there are some doubts, the putative author of this work is Massinger.

sporadic occurring irregularly

Although there are still sporadic outbursts of shooting in the streets, the rebellion is essentially over.

yield amount produced; crop; income on investment

An experienced farmer can estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy.

pathological pertaining to disease

As we study the pathological aspects of this disease, we must not overlook the psychological elements.

ovoid egg-shaped

At Easter she had to cut out hundreds of brightly colored ovoid shapes.

reprise recurrent action; musical repetition; repeat performance

At Waterloo, it was not the effect of any one skirmish that exhausted Colonel Audly; rather it was the

marshal put in order

At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts

tortuous winding; full of curves

Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.

stipulate make express conditions, specify

Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams

pulverize crush or grind into very small particles

Before sprinkling the dried herbs into the stew, Michael first pulverized them into a fine powder.

tether tie with a rope

Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night.

perforate pierce; put a hole through

Before you can open the aspirin bottle, you must first perforate the plastic safety seal that covers the cap.

splice fasten together; unite

Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly.

tenure holding of an office; time during which such an office is held

He was permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired.

vicissitude change of fortune

Humbled by life's vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over

obsequy funeral ceremony

Hundreads paid their last respects at his obsequies.

palpable tangible; easily perceptible

I cannot understand how you could overlook such a palpable blunder.

sensual devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptous

I cannot understand what caused him to drop his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.

stringent binding; rigid

I think these regulations are too stringent.

provident displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies

In his usual provident manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.

residue remainder; balance

In his will, he requested that after payment of debts, taxes, and funeral expenses, the residue be given to his

lechery gross lewdness; lustfulness

In his youth he led a life of lechery and debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age.

privation hardship; want

In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.

parquet floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosic-like pattern.

In laying the floor, the carpenters combined redwood and oak in an elegant parquet.

oculist physician who specialized in treatment of the eyes

In many states, an oculist is the only one who may apply medicinal drops to the eyes for the purpose of

subsequent following; later

In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems.

rapport emotional closeness; harmony

In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in the group have good rapport with one another.

veneer thin layer; cover

Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to recognize his fundamental

pliant flexible; easily influenced

Catherine's disposition was pliant; she was like putty in her suitor's hands.

perspicuous plainly expressed

Her perspicuous comments eliminated all posibility of misinterpretation.

rotunda circular building or hall covered with a dome

His body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol.

mausoleum monumental tomb

His body was placed in the family mausolem.

tactile pertaining to the organs or sense of touch

His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.

querulous fretful; whining

His classmates were repelled by his querulous and complaining statements.

obelisk tall column tapering and ending in a pyramid

Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk in New York City's Central Park.

retiring modest; shy

Given Susan't retiring personality, no one expected her to take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she

prescience ability to foretell the future

Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our

problematic perplexing; unsettled: questionable

Given the many areas of conflict still awaiting resolution, the outcome of the peace talks remains

turmoil confusion; strife

Conscious he had sinned, he was in a state of spiritual turmoil.

mite very small object or creature; small coin

Gnats are annoying mites that sing.

propensity natural inclination

Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to belittle the talents of others.

stalwart strong, brawny; steadfast

His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member.

rudimentary not developed; elementary

His dancing was limited to a few rudimentary steps.

paraphernalia equipment; odds and ends

His desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft.

manifest understandable; clear

His evil intentions were manifest and yet we could not stop him.

livid lead-coloredl; black and blue; ashen; enraged

His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.

supernumerary person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra

His first appearance on the stage was as a supernumerary in a Shakespearean tragedy.

malleable capable of being shaped by pounding

Gold is a malleable metal.

quixotic idealistic but impractical

His head is in the clouds; he is constantly presenting these quixotic schemes.

ponderous weighty; unwieldy

His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.

miscreant wretch; villain

His kindness to the miscreant amazed all of us who had expected to hear severe punishment pronounced.

maniacal raving mad

His maniacal laughter frightened us.

milieu environment; means of expression

His milieu is watercolors, although he has produced excellent oil paintings and lithographs.

mutable changing in form; fickle

His opinion were mutable and easily influenced by anyone who had any powers of persuasion.

traduce expose to slander

His opponents tried to traduce the candidate's reputation by spreading rumors about his past.

puerile childish

His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.

raucous harsh and shrill

His raucous laughter irritated me and grated on my ears.

plebeian common; pertaining to the common people

His speeches were aimed at the plebeian minds and emotions; they disgusted the more refined.

misnomer wrong name; incorrect designation

His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.

sophistry seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning

Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.

retrograde go backwards; degenerate

Instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture.

minatory menacing; threatening

Jabbing a minatory forefinger at Dorothy, the Wicked Witch cried, "I'll get you, and your little dog, too!"

nonplus bring to a halt by confusion; perplex

Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

monetary pertaining to money

Jane held the family purse strings: she made all monetary decisions affecting the household.

vogue popular fashion

Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.

trigger set off

John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you'll trigger an explosion.

nepotism favoritism (to a relative

John left his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepotism rather

regale entertain

John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.

truism self-evident truth

Many a truism is well expressed in a proverb.

requisite necessary requirement

Many colleges state that a student must offer three years of a language as a requisite for admission.

orthography correct spelling

Many of us find English orthography difficult to master because so many of our words are written

prim very precise and formal; exceedingly proper

Many people commented on the contrast between the prim attire of the young lady and the inappropriate

vicarious acting as a substitute; done by a deputy

Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen.

revulsion sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction

Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what

mammal vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young

Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.

salubrious healthful

Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of August

rigor severity

Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.

raconteur story-teller

My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of anecdotes.

sinecure well-paid position with little responsibility

My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.

posture assume an affected pose; act artificially

No matter how much Arnold boasted or postured, I could not believe he was as important as he pretended

shrew scolding woman

No one wanted to marry Shakespeare's Kate because she was a shrew.

pragmatist practical person

No pragmatist enjoys becoming involved in a game that he can never win

quintessence purest and highest embodiment

Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

sunder separate; part

Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.

ordinance decree

Passing a red light is a violation of a city ordinance.

perdition damnation; complete ruin

Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition.

strew spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter

Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.

lucre money

Preferring lucre to undying fame, he wrote stories of popular appeal.

regal royal

Prince Albert had a regal manner.

recidivism habitual return to crime

Prison reformers in the United States are disturbed by the high rate of recidivism; the number of persons

prosperity good fortune; financial success; physical well-being

Promising to stay together "for richer, for poorer," the newlyweds vowed to be true to one another in

malaise uneasiness; distress

She felt a sudden vague malaise when she heard sounds at the door.

savor enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality

Relishing his triumph, Costner especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure.

revoke cancel; retract

Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver's licenses

missile object to be thrown or projected

Scientists are experimenting with guided missiles.

ultimate final; not susceptible to further analysis

Scientists are searching for the ultimate truths.

trilogy group of three works

Romain Rolland's novel Jean Christophe was first published as a trilogy.

tremor trembling; slight quiver

She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.

petty trivial; unimportant; very small

She had no major complaints to make about his work, only a few petty quibbles that were almost too

skittish lively; frisky

She is as skittish as a kitten playing with a piece of string.

wangle wiggle out; fake

She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.

wrath anger; fury

She turned to him, full of wrath, and said, "What makes you think I'll accept lower pay for this job than

surveillance watching; guarding

The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of capturing all the criminals at one time.

oratorio dramatic poem set to music

The Glee Club decided to present an oratorio during their recital.

mace ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon

The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin.

orifice mouthlike opening; small opening

The Howe Caverns were discovered when someone observed that a cold wind was issuing from an orifice

seismic pertaining to earthquakes

The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances.

progenitor ancestor

The Roth family, whose progenitors emigrated from Germany early in the nineteenth century, settled in

missive letter

The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State.

papyrus ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant

The ancient Egyptians were among the first to write on papyrus.

supple flexible; pliant

The angler found a supple limb and used it as a fishing rod.

unction the act of anointing with oil

The anointing with oil of a person near death is called extreme unction.

provisional tentative

The appointment is provisional; only on the approval of the board of directors will it be made permanent.

shard fragment, generally of pottery

The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards

prelate church dignitary

The archbishop of Moscow and other high-ranking prelates visited the Russian Orthodox seminary.

proletarian member of the working class

The aristocrats feared mob rule and gave the right to vote only to the wealthy, thus depending the

rueful regretful; sorrowful; dejected

The artist has captured the sadness of childhood in his portrait of the boy with the rueful countenance.

musty stale; spoiled by age

The attic was dark and musty.

responsiveness state of reacting readily to appeals, order, etc.

The audience cheered and applauded, delighting the performers by its responsiveness.

rendition translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc.

The audience cheered enthusiastically as she completed her rendition of the aria.

perfunctory superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm

The auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.

rustic pertaining to country people; uncouth

The backwoodsman looked out place in his rustic attire.

medley mixture

The band played a medley of Gershwin tunes.

sanguinary bloody

The battle of lwo Jina was unexpectedly sanguinary with many casualties.

serrated having a sawtoothed edge

The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated leaves.

perspicacious having insight; penetrating; astute

The brillant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions.

ordination ceremony conferring holy orders

The candidate for ordination had to meet with the bishop and the diocean officers before being judged

vacuous empty; lacking in ideas; stupid

The candidate's vacuous remarks annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty

maelstrom whirlpool

The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.

motley parti-colored; mixed

The captain had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel.

mutinous unruly; rebellious

The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew.

taut tight; ready

The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.

malingerer one who feigns illness to escape duty

The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work.

thrall slave; bondage

The captured soldier was held in thrall by the conquering army.

momentum quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus

The car lost momentum as it tried to ascend the steep hill.

tribunal court of justice

The decision of the tribunal was final and the prisoner was sentenced to death.

resonant echoing; resounding; deep and full in sound

The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particulary effective when he appears

stymie present an obstacle; stump

The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation.

pyromaniac person with an insane desire to set things on fire

The detectives searched the area for the pyromaniac who had set these costly fires.

propellant substance that propels or drives forward

The development of our missile program has forced our scientists to seek more powerful propellants.

subside settle down; descend; grow quiet

The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.

stoic person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain

The doctor called her patient a stoic because he had borne the pain of the examination without

respiration breathing; exhalation

The doctor found that the patient's years of smoking had adversely affected both his lung capacity and his

virus disease communicator

The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus.

scabbard case for a sword blade; sheath

The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.

percussion striking one object against another sharply

The drum is a percussion instrument.

tendentious having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause

The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.

reverberate echo; resound

The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells.

ruthless pitiless

The escaped convict was a dangerous and ruthless murderer.

retribution vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses

The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.

welt mark from beating or whipping

The evidence of child abuse was very clear; Jennifer's small body was covered with welts and bruises.

pellmell in confusion; disorderly

The excited students dashed pellmell into the stadium to celebrate the victory.

welter turmoil; bewildering jumble

The existing welter of overlapping federal and state proclaims cries out for immediate reform.

talon claw of bird

The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk's talons.

petulant touchy; peevish

The feverish patient was petulant and restless.

nostalgia homesickness; longing for the past

The first settlers found so much work to do that they had little time for nostalgia.

larder pantry; place where food is kept

The first thing Bill did on returning home from school was to check what snacks his mother had in the

verity truth; reality

The four verities were revealed to Buddha during his long meditation.

pendant ornament (hanging from a necklace, etc.

The grateful team presented the coach with a silver chain and pendant engraved with the school's motto.

septic putrid; producing putrefaction

The hospital was in such a filthy state that we were afraid that many of the patients would suffer from

lassitude languor; weariness

The hot, tropical weather created a feeling of lassitude and encouraged drowsiness.

ramp slope; inclined plane

The house was built with ramps instead of stairs in order to enable the man in the wheelchair to move

venison the meat of a deer

The hunters dined on venison.

mesmerize hypnotize

The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance.

mirage unreal reflection; optical illusion

The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.

malicious dictated by hatred or spite

The malicious neighbor spread the gossip.

mammoth gigantic

The mammoth corporations of the twentieth century are a mixed blessing

ravage plunder; despoil

The marauding army ravaged the countryside.

maritime bordering on the sea; nautical

The maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth.

matriarch woman who rules a family or larger social group

The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand.

mauve pale purple

The mauve tint in the lilac bush was another indication that spring had finally arrived.

rankle irritate; fester

The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.

millinery person who makes or sells women's hats

The millinery displayed fashionable hats in the street where many women passed by.

solemnity seriousness; gravity

The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service.

miserly stingy; mean

The miserly old man hoarded his coins not out of prudence but out of greed.

mobile movable; not fixed

The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today.

metaphysical pertaining to speculative philosophy

The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth

lexicographer compiler of a dictionary

The new dictionary is the work of many lexicographers who spent years compiling and editing the work.

painstaking showing hard work; taking great care

The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.

severity harshness; plainness

The newspapers disapproved of the severity of the sentence.

pious devout

The pious parents gave their children a religious upbringing.

piquant pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating

The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal.

platitude trite remark; commonplace statement

The platitudes in his speech were applauded by the vast majority in his audience; only a few people

solder repair or make whole by using a metal alloy

The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.

vintner winemaker; seller of wine

The poet wondered what the vintners could buy that would be half as precious as the wine they sold.

quarry victim; object of a hunt

The police closed in on their quarry.

trajectory path taken by a projectile

The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory

quell put down; quiet

The police used fire hoses and teat gas to quell the rioters.

loiter hang around; linger

The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley.

recluse hermit

The recluse lived in a hut in the forest.

refractory stubborn; unmanageable

The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.

odyssey long, evenful journey

The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying odyssey.

turbid muddy; having the sediment disturbed

The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.

vent small opening; outlet

The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.

solstice point at which the sun is farthest from the equator

The winter solstice usually occurs on December 21.

waylay ambush; lie in wait

They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home.

lewd lustful

They found his lewd stories objectionable.

loll lounge about

They lolled around in their chairs watching television.

libidinous lustful

They objected to his libidinous behavior.

pinion restrain

They pinioned his arms against his body but left his legs free so that he could move about.

requiem mass for the dead; dirge

They played Mozart's Requiem at the funeral.

roster list

They print the roster of players in the season's program.

lofty very high

They used to tease him about his lofty ambitions.

motif theme

This simple motif runs throughout the score.

torso trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk

This torso, found in the ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.

prolific abundantly fruitful

She was a prolific writer who produced as many as three books a year.

spry vigorously active; nimble

She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.

visionary produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical

She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized.

swindler cheat

She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.

perennial something long-lasting

Tese plants are hardy perennials and will bloom for many years.

ominous threatening

Those clouds are ominous; they suggest that a severe storm is on the way.

thematic relating to a unifying motif or idea

Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss is underlying thematic

precursor forerunner

Though Gray and Burns share many traits with the Romantic poets who followed them, most critics

simplistic oversimplified

Though Jack's solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to

pedagogy teaching; art of education

Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations in pedagogy, it took years before her teaching

pauper very poor person

Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a pauper.

sentinel sentry; lookout

Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around

rave overwhelmingly favorable review

Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say about contemporary plays, his review of All in

sibylline prophetic; oracular

Until their destruction by fire in 83 B.C., the sibylline books were often consulted by the Romans.

restive restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control

Waiting impatiently in the line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to

rotundity roundness; sonorousness of speech

Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.

muster gather; assemble

Washington mustered his forces at Trenton.

unwarranted unjustified; groundless; undeserved

We could not understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.

pulsate throb

We could see the blood vessels in his temple pulsate as he became more angry.

venerable deserving high respect

We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.

wry twisted; with a humorous twist

We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wry wit.

parody humorous imitation; travesty

We enjoyed the clever parodies of popular songs that the chorus sang.

mangy shabby; wretched

We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed.

patrician noble; aristocratic

We greatly admired her well-bred, patrician elegance

listless lacking in spirit or energy

We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his listless attitude.

punctilious laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; precise

We must be punctilious in our planning of this affair, for any error may be regarded as a personal affront.

sinister evil

We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall.

protocol diplomatic etiquette

We must run this state dinner according to protocol if we are to avoid offending any of our guests.

toxic poisonous

We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten.

sublimate refine; purify

We must strive to sublimate these desires and emotions into worthwhile activities.

noxious harmful

We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.

malefactor criminal

We must try to bring these malefactors to justice.

ventral abdominal

We shall now examine the ventral plates of this serpent, not the dorsal side.

onslaught vicious assault

We suffered many casualties during unexpected onslaght of the enemy troops.

supplicate petition humbly; pray to grant a favor

We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty.

misanthrope one who hates mankind

We thought the hermit was a miantrope because he shunned our society.

suture stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing

We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals.

penury extreme poverty

When his pension fund failed, George feared he would end his days in penury.

perjury false testimony while under oath

When several witnesses appeared to challenge his story, he was indicted for perjury.

philatelist stamp-collector

When she heard the value of the Penny Black stamp, Phyllis was inspired to become a philatelist.

somatic pertaining to the body; physical

Why do you ignore the spiritual aspects and emphasize only the corporeal and the somatic ones?

minuscule extremely small

Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for success?

wistful vaguely longing; sadly pensive

With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study

transparent permitting to light to pass through freely; easily detected

Your scheme is so transparent that it will fool no one.

scurrilous obscene; indecent

Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.

reprehensible deserving blame

Your vicious conduct in this situation is reprehensible.

lank long and thin

lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln was a striking figure.

lunar pertaining to the moon

lunar craters can be plainly seen with the aid of a small telescope.

myriad very large number

myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight.

negligence carelessness

negligence can prove costly near complicated machinery.

nihilism denial of traditional values; total skepticism

nihilism holds that existence has no meaning.

syllogism logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive

or specious argument

paean song of praise or joy

paeans celebrating the victory filled the air.

skeptic doubter; person who suspends judgment until he has examined the evidence supporting a

point of view.

molecule the smallest particle (one or more atoms of a substance that has all the properties of that

substance

rampart defensive mound on earth

"From the ramparts we watched" as the fighting continued.

obsolete outmoded

"Hip" is an obsolete expression; it went out with love beads and tie-dye shirts.

raiment clothing

"How can I go to the ball?" asked Cinderella. "I have no raiment fit to wear."

precept practical rule guiding conduct

"Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile precept.

simile comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as

"My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile.

tensile capable of being stretched

Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes.

manifestation outward demonstration; indication

Mozart's early attraction to the harsichord was the first manifestation of his pronounced musical bent.

meek submissive; patient and long-suffering

Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.

nocturnal done at night

Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken coops.

nubile marrigeable

Mrs. Bennet, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, was worried about finding suitable husbands for her

testy irritable; short-tempered

My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as he is rather testy and may shout at you.

sundry various; several

My suspicions were aroused when I read sundry items in the newspapers about your behavior.

unerringly infallibly

My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay.

nostrum questionable medicine

No quack selling nostrums is going to cheat me.

legacy a gift made by a will

Part of my legacy from my parents is an album of family photographs.

natty neatly or smartly dresssed

Priding himself on being a natty dresser, the gangster Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits

paramount foremost in importance; supreme

Proper nutrition and hygiene are of paramount importance in adolescent development and growth.

sybarite lover of luxury

Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for a life of luxury.

scrutinize examine closely and critically

Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private's uniform.

protract prolong

Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to protract the negotiations

misogynist hater of women

She accused him of being a misogynist because he had been a bachelor all his life.

modish fashionable

She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish.

verve enthusiasm; liveliness

She approached her studies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly.

unfaltering steadfast

She approached the guillotine with unfaltering steps.

tumult commotion; riot; noise

She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.

vapid insipid; inane

She delivered an uninspired and vapid address.

vulpine like a fox; crafty

She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence.

visceral felt in one's inner organs

She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster.

restraint controlling force

She dreamt of living an independent life, free of all restraints.

vagary caprice; whim

She followed every vagary of fashion.

unconscionable unscrupulous; excessive

She found the load shark's demands unconscionable and impossible to meet.

rhapsodize to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner

She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.

unbridled violent

She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.

yen longing; urge

She had a yen to get away and live on her own for a while.

vivacious lively or animated; sprightly

She had always been vivacious and sparkling.

nebulous vague; hazy; cloudy

She had only a nebulous memory of her grandmother's face.

marred damaged; disfigured

She had to refinish the marred surface of the table.

vilify slander

She is a liar and is always trying to vilify my reputation.

virtual in essence; for practical purposes

She is a virtual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.

wily cunning; artful

She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.

loquacious talkative

She is very loquacious and can speak on the telephone for hours.

wheedle cajole; coax; deceive by flattery

She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.

musky having the odor of musk

She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.

repugnance loathing

She looked at the snake with repugnance.

obeisance bow

She made an obeisance as the king and queen entered the room.

plethora excess; overabundance

She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.

primp dress or groom oneself with care

She primps for hours before a dance.

lineaments features, especially of the face

She quickly sketched the lineaments of his face.

meditation reflection; thought

She reached her decision only after much meditation.

rebuff snub; beat back

She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed.

strident loud and harsh

She scolded him in a strident voice

volition act of making a conscious choice

She selected this dress of her own volition.

pique irritation; resentment

She showed her pique by her refusal to appear with the other contestants at the end of the contest.

paramour illicit lover

She sought a divorce on the grounds that her husband had a paramour in another town.

nomenclature terminology; system of names

She struggled to master scientific nomenclature.

misconstrue interpret incorrectly; misjudge

She took the passage seriously rather than humourously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.

umbrage resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult

She took umbrage at his remarks and stormed away in a huff.

saccharine cloyingly sweet

She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.

unfeigned genuine; real

She turned so pale that I am sure her surprise was unfeigned.

voluble fluent; glib

She was a voluble speaker, always ready to talk.

mode prevailing style

She was not used to their lavish mode of living.

prone inclined to; prostrate

She was prone to sudden fits of anger.

mortify humiliate; punish the flesh

She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.

omnivorous eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything

Some animals, including humans, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either

martrix point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die

Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization.

poseur person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others

Some thought Dali was a brillant painter; others dismissed him as a poseur.

sophistication artificiality; unnaturalness; act of employing sophistry in reasoning

Sophistication is an acquired characteristic, found more frequently among city dwellers than among

unrequited not reciprocated

Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hard-heartedness.

seminary school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women

Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman

philanderer faithless lover; flirt

Swearing he had never so much as looked at another woman, Jack assured Jill he was no philanderer.

memento token; reminder

Take this book as a memento of your visit.

ordeal severe trial or affliction

Terry Anderson spoke movingly of his long ordeal as a hostage in Lebanon.

. sphinx-like enigmatic; mysterious

The Mona Lisa's sphinx-like expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries.

primordial existing at the beginning (of time; rudimentary

The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.

vignette picture; short literary sketch

The New Yorker published her latest vignette.

prerogative privilege; unquestionable right

The President cannot levy taxes; that is the prerogative of the legislative branch of government.

natation swimming

The Red Cross emphasizes the need for courses in natation.

vivisection act of dissecting living animals

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposed vivisection and deplored the practice of

venue location

The attorney asked for a change of venue; he thought his client would do better if the trial were held in a

testator maker of a will

The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator.

podium pedestal; raised platform

The audience applauded as the conductor made his way to the podium.

quash subdue; crush; squash

The authorities acted quickly to quash the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators.

malfeasance wrongdoing

The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the

remonstrance protest; objection

The authorities were deaf to the pastor's remonstrances about the lack of police protection in the area.

unkempt disheveled; with uncared-for appearance

The beggar was dirty and unkempt.

regicide murder of a king or queen

The beheading of Mary Queen of Scots was an act of regicide.

slag residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter

The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.

practicable feasible

The board of directors decided that the plan was practicable and agreed to undertake the project.

replete filled to capacity; abundantly supplied

The book is replete with humorous situations.

snicker half-stifled laugh

The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack.

recourse resorting to help when in trouble

The boy's only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.

ramshackle rickety; falling apart

The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.

sacrosanct most sacred; inviolable

The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the

robust vigorous; strong

The candidate for the football team had a robust physique.

outspoken candid; blunt

The candidate was too outspoken to be a successful politician; he had not yet learned to weigh his words

subaltern subordinate

The captain treated his subalterns as though they were children rather than commissioned officers.

melee fight

The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members.

serpentine winding; twisting

The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.

swerve deviate; turn aside sharply

The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel.

prefactory introductory

The chairman made a few prefactory remarks before he called on the first speaker.

lectern reading desk

The chaplain delivered his sermon from a hastily improvised lectern.

mutter murmur or grumble

The child muttered at the doll.

virtuoso highly skilled artist

The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose virtuosity on the violin thrilled millions.

prattle babble

The children prattle endlessly about their new toys.

unison unity of pitch; complete accord

The choir sang in unison.

secular worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal

The church leaders decided not interfere in secular matters.

macabre gruesome; grisly

The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated.

molten melted

The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by molten lava flowing from Mount

paragon model of perfection

The class disliked him because the teacher was always pointing him out as a paragon of virtue.

tribute tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect

The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.

recumbent reclining; lying down completely or in part

The command "AT EASE" does not permit you to take a recumbent position.

martinet strict disciplinarian

The commanding officer was a martinet who observed each regulation to the ltter.

malodorous foul-smelling

The component heap was most malodorous in summer.

libretto text of an opera

The composer of an opera's music is remembered more frequently than the author of its libretto.

rent tear or rip; split

The conflict over abortion threatens to split our nation, creating a rent in the social fabric that will be

uninhibited unrepressed

The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter during the sermon.

urbane suave; refined; elegant

The courtier was urbane and sophisticated

throttle strangle

The criminal tried to throttle the old man with his bare hands.

shackle chain; fetter

The criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent his escape.

posthumous after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death

The critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the posthumous publication of his last

laudatory expressing praise

The critics' laudatory comments helped to make her a star.

obstreperous boisterous; noisy

The crowd became obstreperous and shouted their disapproval of the proposals made by the speaker.

vociferous clamorous; noisy

The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands.

rostrum platform for speech-making; pulpit

The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was

proximity nearness

The deer sensed the hunter's proximity and bounded away.

supine lying on back

The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas.

refute disprove

The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the

rebuttal refutation; response with contrary evidence

The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his

lout clumsy person

The delivery boy is an awkward lout.

obsidian clak volcanic rock

The deposits of obsidian on the mountain slopes were an indiacation that volcano had erupted in ancient

moribund at the point of death

The doctors called the family to the bedside of the moribund patient.

recuperate recover

The doctors were worried because the patient did not recuperate as rapidly as they had expected.

retrieve recover; find and bring in

The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter.

plaintive mournful

The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call

stolidity dullness; impassivenss

The earthquake shattered his usual stolidity; trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground.

outlandish bizzare; peculiar; unconventional

The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an

relapse fall back or sink again

The economy relapsed into a depression from the peak.

laxative facilitating evacuation of the bowels

The effect of the constipation medicine is laxative; it empties the bowels.

sap diminish; undermine

The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it sapped his strength.

pachyderm thick-skinned animal

The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm.

onus burden; responsibility

The emperor was spared the onus of signing the surrender papers; instead, he relegated the assignment to

solicitous worried, concerned

The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to get.

strut supporting bar

The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be reinforced.

pediatrician physician specializing in children's diseases.

The family doctor advised the parents to consult a pediatrician about their child's ailment.

pugilist boxer

The famous pugilist Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali.

oligarchy government by a few

The feudal oligarchy was supplanted by an autocracy.

undulate move with a wavelike motion

The flag undulated in the breeze.

refurbish renovate; make bright by polishing

The flood left a deposit of mud on everything; it was necessary to refurbish our belongings.

nauseate cause to become sick; fill with disgust

The foul smells began to nauseate him.

vendor seller

The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk.

putrid foul; rotten; decayed

The gangrenous condition of the wound was indicated by the putrid smell when the bandages were

striated marked with parallel bands; grooved

The glacier left many striated rocks.

opulence extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance

The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away.

pessimism belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess

The good news we have been receiving lately indicates that there is little reason for your pessimism.

satiate surfeit; satisfy fully

The guests, having eaten until they were satiated, now listened inattentively to the speakers.

viper poisonous snake

The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the

silt sediment deposited by running water

The harbor channel must be dredged annually to remove the silt.

predatory plundering

The hawk is a predatory bird.

nurture nourish; educate; foster

The head Start program attempts to nurture prekindergarten children so that they will do well when they

somnolent half asleep

The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker.

spurious false; counterfeit; forged; illogical

The hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell

writ written command issued by a court

The hero of Leonard's novel is a process server who invents unorthodox ways of serving writs on reluctant

spurn reject; scorn

The heroine spurned the villain's advances.

wallow roll in; indulge in; become helpless

The hippopotamus loves to wallow in the mud.

osseus made of bone; bony

The hollow "soft spot" found at the top of the infant's skull gradually closes as new osseus tissue fills in the

maim mutilate; injure

The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or maimed in the railroad accident.

satirical mocking

The humor of cartoonists Gary Trudeau often is satirical; though the comments of the Doonesbury

trough container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.

The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along

potent powerful; persuasive; greatly influential

The jury was swayed by the highly potent testimony of the crime's sole eyewitness.

portend foretell; presage

The king did not know what these omens might portend and asked his soothsayers to interpret them.

sycophant servile flatterer

The king enjoyed the servile compliments and attentions of the sycophants in his retinue.

ordain command; arrange; consecrate

The king ordained that no foreigner should be allowed to enter the city.

preeminent outstanding; superior

The king traveled to Boston because he wanted the preeminent surgeon in the field to perform the

laity laypersons; persons not connected with the clergy

The laity does not always understand the clergy's problems.

peon landless agricultural worker; bond servant

The land reformers sought to liberate the peons and establish them as independent farmers.

unwieldy awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable

The large carton was so unwieldy that the movers had trouble getting it up the stairs.

sheaf bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together

The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.

pertinent suitable; to the point

The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.

mulct defraud a person of something

The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy.

magisterial authoritative; imperious

The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice.

legend explanatory list of symbols on a map

The legend at the bottom of the map made it clear which symbols stood for rest areas along the highway

licentious wanton; lewd; dissolute

The licentious monarch helped bring about his country's downfall.

resuscitate revive

The lifeguard tried to resuscitate the drowned child by applying artificial respiration.

usury lending money at illegal rates of interest

The loan shark was found guilty of usury.

vassal in feudalism, one who held land of a superior lord

The lord demanded that his vassals contribute more to his military campaign.

tryst meeting

The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger.

lugubrious mournful

The lugabrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.

lurid wild; sensational

The lurid stories he told shocked his listeners.

sleight dexterity

The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.

legerdemain sleight of hand

The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.

molt shed or cast off hair or feathers

The male robin molted in the spring.

personable attractive

The man I am seeking to fill this position must be personable since he will be representing us before the

spatula broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing

The manufacturers of this frying pan recommended the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the

masochist person who enjoys his own pain

The masochist begs, "Hit me." The sadist smiles and says, "I won't."

mosaic picture made of smell, colorful inlaid tiles

The mayor compared the ciry to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth.

metamorphosis change of form

The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is typical of many such changes in animal life.

linguistic pertaining to language

The modern tourist will encounter very little linguistic difficulty as English has become an almost universal

panegyric formal praise

The modest hero blushed to hear the speakers delivering panegyrics about his valorous act.

omnipotent all-powerful

The monarch regarded himself as omnipotent and responsible to no one for his acts.

shimmer glimmer intermittently

The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment.

mores customs

The mores of Mexico are those of Spain with some modifications.

mortician undertaker

The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.

pyre heap of combustible material, esp. for burning a corpse.

The mortician put pyre on the corpse before burning a corpse.

marsupial one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch

The most common marsupial in North America is the opposum.

somnambulist sleepwalker

The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her monologue in the sleepwalking scene is

rarefied made less dense [of a gas]

The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere.

purchase firm grasp or footing

The mountaineer struggled to get a proper purchase on the slippery rock.

munificent very generous

The munificent gift was presented to the bride by her rich uncle.

remorse guilt; self-reproach

The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.

murkiness darkness; gloom

The murkiness and fog of the waterfront that evening depressed me.

seethe be disturbed; boil

The nation was seething with discontent as the nobleman continued their arrogant ways.

thermal pertaining to heat

The natives discovered that the host springs gave excellent thermal baths and began to develop their

propitiate appease

The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.

niggardly meanly stingy; parsimonious

The niggardly pittance the widow receives from the government cannot keep her from poverty.

numismatist person who collects coins

The numismatist had a splendid collection of antique coins.

phlegmatic calm; not easily disturbed

The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.

occult mysterious; secret; supernatural

The occult rites of the organization were revealed only to members.

whet sharpen; stimulate

The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served.

mogul powerful person

The oil moguls made great profits when the price of gasoline rose.

skinflint miser

The old skinflint refused to give her a raise.

olfactory concerning the sense of smell

The olfactory organ is the nose.

unruly disobedient; lawless

The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas.

opaque dark; not transparent

The opaque window kept the sunlight out of the room.

repertoire list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present

The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.

raze destroy completely

The owners intend to raze the hotel and erect an office building on the site.

pacifist one opposed to force; antimilitarist

The pacifists urged that we reduce our military budget and recall our troops stationed overseas.

secrete hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism.

The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans.

stem check the flow

The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery.

parched extremely dry; very thirsty

The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.

sedate composed; grave

The parents were worried because they felt their son was too quiet and sedate.

mountebank charlatan; boastful pretender

The patent medicine man was a mountebank.

optician maker and seller of eyeglasses

The patient took the prescription given him by his oculist to the optician.

parley conference

The peace parley has not produced the anticipated truce.

pendulous hanging; suspended

The pendulous chandeliers swayed in the breeze as if they were about to fall from the ceiling.

pensive dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness

The pensive youth gazed at the painting for a long time and then sighed.

peripatetic walking about; moving

The peripatetic school of philosophy derives its name from the fact that Aristotle walked with his pupils

peroration conclusion of an oration

The peroration was largely hortatory and brought the audience to its feet clamoring for action at its close.

perquisite any gain above stipulated salary

The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates.

procurement obtaining

The personnel department handles the procurement of new employees.

optimist person who looks on the bright side

The pessimist says the glass is half-empty; the optimist says it is half-full.

pied variegated; multicolored

The pied piper of Hamelin got his name from the multicolored clothing he wore.

rift opening; break

The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds.

manacle restrain; handcuff

The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape.

volatile changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly

The political climate today is extremely volatile: no one can predict what the electorate will do next.

subpoena writ summoning a witness to appear

The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness.

libido emotional urges behind human activity

The psychiatrist maintained that suppression of the libido often resulted in maladjustment and neuroses.

psychopathic pertaining to mental derangement

The psychopathic patient suffers more frequently from a disorder of the nervous system than from a

salutary tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome

The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.

retentive holding; having a good memory

The pupil did not need to spend much time in study as he had a retentive mind.

warranty guarantee; assurance by seller

The purchaser of this automobile is protected by the manufacturer's warranty that he will replace any

retinue following; attendants

The queen's retinue followed her down the aisle.

pathos tender to sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings.

The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly

smolder burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment

The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.

rampant rearing up on hind legs; unrestrained

The rampant weeds in the garden killed all the flowers that had been planted in the spring.

realm kingdom; sphere

The realm of possibilities for the new invention was endless.

preponderance superiority of power, quantity, etc.

The rebels sought to overcome the preponderance of strength of the government forces by engaging in

undermine weaken; sap

The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city government.

potable suitable for drinking

The recent drought in the Middle Atlantic States has emphasized the need for extensive research in ways of

rout stampede; drive out

The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy

pterodactyl extinct flying reptile

The remains of pterodactyls indicate that these flying reptiles had a wingspan of as much as twenty feet.

precipitate throw headlong; hasten

The removal of American political support appeared to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos

repulsion act of driving back; distaste

The repulsion of the enemy forces was not accomplished bloodlessly; many of the defenders were

usurp seize power; supplant

The revolution ended when the victorious rebel leader usurped the throne.

travesty comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous

The ridiculous decision the jury has arrived at is a travesty of justice.

mayhem injury to the body

The riot was marked not only by mayhem, with its attendant loss of life and limb, but also by arson and

luscious pleasing to taste or smell

The ripe peach was luscious.

vendetta blood feud

The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

maul handle roughly

The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans.

perigee point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth

The rocket which was designed to take photographs of the moon was launched as the moon approached

rococo ornate; highly decorated

The rococo style in furniture and architecture, marked by scrollwork and excessive decoration, flourished

reek emit (odor

The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke.

ruffian bully; scoundrel

The ruffians threw stones at the police.

scuttle sink

The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.

portly stout; corpulent

The salesclerk tactfully referred to the overweight customer as portly rather than fat.

sardonic disdainful; sarcastic; cynical

The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some

wince shrink back; flinch

The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.

secession withdrawal

The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration.

unobtrusive inconspicuous; not blatant

The secret service agents in charge of protecting the President tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

quorum number of members necessary to conduct a meeting

The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.

serenity calmness; placidity

The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion.

oblique slanting; deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line

The sergeant ordered the men to march "oblique right."

raspy grating; harsh

The sergeant's raspy voice grated on the recruits' ears.

severance division; partition; separation

The severance of church and state is a basic principle of our government.

pummel beat

The severity with which he was pummeled was indicated by the bruises he displayed on his head and face.

whiff puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.; hint

The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.

saline salty

The slightly saline taste of this mineral water is pleasant.

recession withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity

The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the

sinuous winding; bending in and out; not morally honest

The snake moved in a sinuous manner.

sordid filthy; base; vile

The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless.

luster shine; gloss

The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing.

soliloquy talking to oneself

The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions.

martial warlike

The sound of marital music was always inspiring to the young poet.

reprobation severe disapproval

The students showed their reprobation of his act by refusing to talk with him.

lethargic drowsy; dull

The stuffy room made her lethargic; she felt as if she was about to nod off.

stygian literary dark

The stygian room reminded him of an empty space.

subtlety nicety; cunning; guile; delicacy

The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.

luminous shining; issuing light

The sun is a luminous body.

prohibitive extremely high (of prices etc.

The super computer's price was prohibitive.

superannuated retired or disqualified because of age

The superannuated man was indignant because he felt that he could still perform a good day's work.

probe explore with tools

The surgeon probed the wound for foreign matter before suturing it.

placate pacify; conciliate

The teacher tried to placate the angry mother.

warren tunnels in which rabbits live; crowded conditions in which people live

The tenement was a veritable warren, packed with people too poor to live elsewhere.

plauditory approving; applauding

The theatrical company reprinted the plauditory comments of the critics in its advertisement.

spangle small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation

The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.

throes violent anguish

The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain.

obliterate destroy completely

The tidal wave obliterated several island villages.

mote small speck

The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.

tonic invigorating medicine

The tonic water invigorated her, contrary to the enervating effect of the alcohol.

resplendent brilliant; lustrous

The toreador wore a resplendent costume called a suit of lights.

mutilate maim

The torturer threatened to mutilate his victim.

stentorian extremely loud

The town crier had stentorian voice.

velocity speed

The train went by at considerable velocity.

trek travel; journey

The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game.

viscid adhesive; gluey

The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.

turgid swollen; distended

The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the contryside.

scuffle struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry.

The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled,

minute extremely small

The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart.

rendezvous meeting place

The two fleets met at the rendezvous at the appointed time.

reciprocal mutual; exchangeable; interacting

The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.

plenary complete; full

The union leader was given plenary power to negotiate a new contract with the employers.

nuance shade of difference in meaning or color

The unskilled eye of the layperson has difficulty in dicerning the nuances of color in the paintings.

uproarious marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy

The uproarious comedy hit Home Alone featured Macaulay Culkin, whose mugging and comic antics

upshot outcome

The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his

virulent extremely poisonous

The virus is highly virulent and has made many of us ill for days.

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

The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.

vital vibrant and lively; critical; living, breathing

The vital, highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note

presage foretell

The vultures flying overhead presaged the discovery of the corpse in the desert.

tureen deep dish for serving soup

The waiters brought the soup to the tables in silver tureens.

rig fix or manipulate

The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked

prestige impression produced by achievements or reputation

The wealthy man sought to obtain social prestige by contributing to popular charities.

pallet small, poor bed

The weary traveler went to sleep on his straw pallet.

malediction curse

The witch uttered maledictions against her captors.

wizened withered; shriveled

The wizened old man in the home for the aged was still active and energetic.

voracious ravenous

The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.

oust expel; drive out

The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office.

yield give in; surrender

The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe.

requite repay; revenge

The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.

misadventure mischance; ill luck

The young explorer met death by misadventure.

sedulous diligent

The young woman was so sedulous that she received a commendation for her hard work.

saturate soak

Their clothes were saturated by the rain.

nuptial related to marriage

Their nuptial ceremony was performed in Golden Gate Park.

mire entangle; stick in swampy ground

Their rear wheels became mired in mud.

propinquity nearness; kinship

Their relationship could not be explained as being based on mere propinquity: they were more than

stipend pay for services

There is a nominal stipend for this position.

parallelism state of being parallel; similarity

There is a striking parallelism between the twins.

unearthly not earthly; weird

There is an unearthly atmosphere in her work that amazes the casual observer.

panacea cure-all; remedy for all diseases

There is no easy panacea that will solve our complicated international situation.

repine fret; complain

There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.

whit smallest speck

There is not a whit of intelligence or understanding in your observations.

lien legal claim on a property

There was a delay before Ralph could take possession of his late uncle's home; apparently, another

viand food

There was a variety of viands at the feast.

renovate restore to good condition; renew

They claim that they can renovate worn shoes so that they look like new ones.

paucity scarcity

They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.

lagoon shallow body of water near a sea; lake

They enjoyed their swim in the calm lagoon.

promontory headland

They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their nearness to the shore.

pandemic widespread; affecting the majority of people

They feared the AIDS epidemic would soon reach pandemic proportions.

vantage position giving an advantage

They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find.

unscathed unharmed

They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.

quarry dig into

They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside.

queue line

They stood patiently in the queue outside the movie theatre.

loath averse; reluctant

They were both loath for him to go.

skimp provide scantily; live very economically

They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter.

wrangle quarrel; obtain through arguing; herd cattle

They wrangled over their inheritance.

scanty meager; insufficient

Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.

precedent something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action

This decision sets a precedent for future cases of a similar nature.

saga Scandinavian myth; any legend

This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.

sleazy flimsy; unsubstantial

This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well.

miscellany mixture of writings on various subjects

This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.

supersede cause to be set aside; replace

This regulation will supersede all previous rules.

winnow sift; separate good parts from bad

This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don't bother.

unintimidating unfrightening

Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Joe Montana, he found the experience

remission temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; forgiveness or pardon

Though Senator Tsongas had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he was

seasoned experienced

Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned

pine languish, decline; long for, yearn

Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff

prosaic dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual

Though the ad writers had come up with a highly creative campaign to publicize the company's newest

title right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.

Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as

singular unique; extraordinary; odd

Though the young man tried to understand Father William's singular behavior, he still found it odd that the

trite hackneyed; commonplace

Thr trite and predictable situations in many television programs alienate many viewers.

throng crowd

Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles.

proliferate grow rapidly; spread; multiply

Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage countless get-rich-quick schemes to proliferate

lilliputian extremely small

Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale.

quotidian daily; commonplace; customary

To Philip, each new day of his internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as

misapprehension error; misunderstanding

To avoid msapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.

unfrock to strip a priest or minister of church authority

To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to suspend a doctor's license to practice--these are extreme steps

perimeter outer boundary

To find the perimeter of any quadrilateral, we add the lengths of the four sides.

scale climb up; ascend

To locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.

litotes understatement for emphasis

To say, "He little realizes," when we mean that he does not realize at all, is an example of the kind of

succulent juicy; full of richness

To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California.

replicate reproduce; duplicate

To the chagrin of the scientists, they were unable to replicate the results of their controversial experiment.

maverick rebel; nonconformist

To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking

notoriety disrepute; ill fame

To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for

physiological pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms

To understand this disease fully, we must examine not only its physiological aspects but also its

squat stocky; short and thick

Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good food.

runic mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet

Tolkien's use of Old English words and inscriptions in the runic alphabet give The Lord of the Rings its

skiff small, light sailboat or rowboat

Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.

tantalize tease; torture with disappointment

Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.

trivia trifles; unimportant matters

Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivia.

profane violate; desecrate

Tourists are urged not to profane the sanctity of holy places by wearing improper garb.

nether lower

Tradition locates hell in the nether regions.

slander defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements

Unless you can prove your allegations, your remarks constitute slander.

obstetrician physician specializing in delivery of babies

Unlike midwives, who care for women giving birth at home, obstetricians generally work in a hospital

sleeper something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable

Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper.

untoward unfortunate; annoying

Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.

quagmire soft, wet, boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself

Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this

unctous oily; bland; insincerely suave

Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his "'umility."

tanner person who turns animal hides into leather

Using a solution of tanbark, the tanner treated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.

palimpsest parchment used for second time after original writing has been erased

Using chemical reagents, scientists have been able to restore the original writings on many palimpsests.

pigment coloring matter

Van Gogh mixed various pigments with linseed oil to create his paints.

zeal eager enthusiasm

Wang's zeal was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent

monastic related to monks

Wanting to live a religious life, he took his monastic vows.

poignancy quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion

Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the

meteoric swift; momentarily brilliant

We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame.

vanguard forerunners; advance forces

We are the vanguard of a tremendous army that is following us.

tarry delay; dawdle

We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.

ruminate chew the cud; ponder

We cannot afford to wait while you ruminate upon these plans.

pastiche imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing

We cannot even say that her music is a pastiche of this or that composer; it is rather, reminiscent of many

moodiness fits of depression or gloom

We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness.

translucent partly transparent

We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.

pinnacle peak

We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the mountain lay in shadow.

vestige trace; remains

We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave.

lax careless

We dislike restaurants where the service is lax and inattentive.

privy secret; hidden; not public

We do not care for privy chamber of government.

tacit understood; not put into words

We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.

terrestrial on or relating to the earth

We have been able to explore the terrestrial regions much more thoroughly than the aquatic or celestial

synchronous similary timed; simultaneous with

We have many examples of scientists in different parts of the world who have made synchronous

supererogatory superfluous; more than needed or demanded

We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be

tedium boredom; weariness

We hope this radio will help overcome the tedium of your stay in the hospital.

posterity descendants; future generations

We hope to leave a better world to posterity.

timbre quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument

We identify the instrument producing a musical sound by its timbre.

premonition forewarning

We ignored these premonitions of disaster because they appeared to be based on childish fears.

phenomena observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation

We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.

peripheral marginal; outer

We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of

loathe detest

We loathed the wicked villain.

vernal pertaining to spring

We may expect vernal showers all during the month of April.

subliminal below the threshold

We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking.

sibling brother or sister

We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong to the same family.

venial forgivable; trivial

We may regard a hugry man's stealing as a venial crime.

postulate self-evident truth

We must accept these statements as postulates before pursuing our discussions any further.

psychosis mental disorder

We must endeavor to find an outlet for the patient's repressed desires if we hope to combat this psychosis.

ramification branching out; subdivision

We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.

trepidation fear; trembling agitation

We must face the enemy without trepidation if we are to win this battle.

puissant powerful; strong; potent

We must keep his friendship for he will make a puissant ally.

masticate chew

We must masticate our food carefully and slowly in order to avoid digestive disorders.

rehabilitate restore to proper condition

We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.

malevolent wishing evil

We must thwart his malevolent schemes.

tarantula venomous spider

We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.

philistine narrow-minded person, uncultured and exculsively interested in material gain

We need more men of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among us.

parameter limit; independent variable

We need to define the parameters of the problem.

rebate discount

We offer a rebate of ten percent to those who pay cash.

succor aid; assistance; relief

We shall be ever grateful for the succor our country gave us when we were in need.

vertigo dizziness

We test potential plane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo.

mollify soothe

We tried to mollify the hysterical child by promising her many gifts.

obstinate stubborn

We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change.

noncommittal neutral; unpledged; undecided

We were annoyed by his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his

mediocre ordinary; commonplace

We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.

sallow yellowish; sickly in color

We were disturbed by his sallow complexion, which was due to jaundice.

spectral ghostly

We were frightened by the spectral glow that filled the room.

turbulence state of violent agitation

We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean during the storm.

unanimity complete agreement

We were surprised by the unanimity with which our proposals were accepted by the different groups.

transpire be revealed; happen

When Austen writes the sentence "It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him," her

perifidious treacherous; disloyal

When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend.

perverse stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and unacceptable

When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims.

swathe wrap around; bandage

When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages.

overwrought extremely agitated; hysterical

When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave

malapropism comic misuse of a word

When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she

ovation enthusiastic applause

When Placido Domingo came on stage in the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous

regime method or system of government

When a Frenchman mentions the Old Regime, he refers to the government existing before the revolution.

waffle speak equivocally about an issue

When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary

mettle courage; spirit

When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination

plasticity ability to be molded

When clay dries out, it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable.

relent give in

When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped

rejoinder retort; comeback; reply

When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.

ramify divide into branches or subdivisions

When the plant begins to ramify, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches.

spoonerism accidental transposition of sounds in sucessive words

When the radio announcer introduced the President as Hoobert Herver, he was guilty of spoonerism.

xenophobia fear or hatred of foreigners

When the refugee arrived in America, he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there.

seine net for catching fish

When the shad run during the spring, you may see fishermen with seines along the banks of our coastal

zenith point directly overhead in the sky; summit

When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as strong as at sunrise and sunset.

quandary dilemma

When the two colleges to which he had applied accepted him, he was in a quandary as to which one he

zephyr gentle breeze; west wind

When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail.

unearth dig up

When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.

morose ill-humored; sullen

When we first meet Hamlet, we find him morose and depressed.

slake quench; sate

When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.

rummage ransack; thoroughly search

When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days.

modulation toning down; changing from one key to another

When we she spoke, it was with quiet modulation of voice.

refraction bending of a ray of light

When you look at a stick inserted in water, it looks bent because of the refraction of the light by the water.

leeway room to move; margin

When you set a deadline, allow a little leeway.

transcribe copy

When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr.Smith and keep the original for our files.

traverse go through or across

When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.

refrain v. abstain from; resist n. chorus

Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could never refrain from joining in on the refrain.

trinket knickknack; bauble

Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.

undergird strengthen the base of

Whereas relativity theory undermined the Newtonian mechanics, cosmology was undergirded by it.

ratiocination reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises

While Watson was a man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made

quizzical bantering; comical; humorously serious

Will Rogers' quizzical remarks endeared him to his audiences.

smirk conceited smile

Wipe that smirk off your face!

mishap accident

With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.

unravel disentangle; solve

With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.

torque twisting force; force producing rotation

With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the nut the loosen it.

wrest pull away; take by violence

With only ten seconds left to play, our team wrested victory from their grasp.

wax increase; grow

With proper handling, his fortunes waxed and he became rich.

monumental massive

Writing a dictionary is a monumental task.

sanctimonious displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness

You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.

scintilla shred; least bit

You have not produced a scintilla of evidence to support your argument.

uncanny strange; mysterious

You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.

unique without an equal; single in kind

You have the unique distinction of being the first student whom I have had to fail in this course.

rail scold; rant

You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.

ulterior situated beyond; unstated and often questionable

You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it.

worldly engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual

You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker.

toil work laboriously; make slow painful progress

You must toil through 3500 words list in order to achieve a high score on GRE.

piebald of different colors; motled; spotted

You should be able to identify Polka Dot in this race; he is the only piebald horse running.

pusillanimous cowardly; fainthearted

You should be ashamed of your pusillanimous conduct during this dispute.

premonitory serving to warn

You should have visited a doctor as soon as you felt these premonitory chest pains.

tractable docile

You will find the children in this school very tractable and willing to learn.

shoddy sham; not genuine; inferior

You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material.

ruse trick; stratagem

You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse.

valid logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable

You're going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is

subjective occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal

Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your

superimpose place over something else

Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of

redundant superfluous; excessively wordy; repetitious

Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce its length.

tantamount equal

Your ignoring their pathetic condition is tantamount to the murder.

unseemly unbecoming; indecent

Your levity is unseemly at this time of mourning.

mawkish sickening; insipid

Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust.

militate work against

Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion.

sophomoric immature; shallow

Your sophomoric remarks are a sign of your youth and indicate that you have not given much thought to

tentative provisional; experimental

Your tentative plans sound plausible; let me know when the final details are worked out.

multifarious varied; greatly diversified

A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.

officious meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services

After her long flight, Jill just wanted to nap, but the officious bellboy was intent on showing her all the

sojourn temporary stay

After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home.

placid peaceful; calm

After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested.

sententious terse; concise; aphoristic

After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particulary pleasing.

pellucid transparent; limpid; easy to understand

After reading these stodgy philosophers, I find his pellucid style very enjoyable.

scapegoat someone who bears the blame for others

After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.

proponent person who supports or proposes (an idea

After the bill had been amended and re-amended in committee, even its original proponents didn't want to

tranquillity calmness; peace

After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests.

marital pertaining to marriage

After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often consulted by married people on the verge

sere parched; dry

After the unseasonably dry winter the Berkeley hills looked dusty and sere.

quiescent at rest; dormant

After this geyser erupts, it will remain quiescent for twenty-four hours.

sluggish slow; lazy; lethargic

After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion.

verbiage pompous array of words

After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little.

terminus last stop of railroad

After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses.

veer change in direction

After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.

perceptive insightful; aware; wise

Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic, she had her blind sports: she could never see flaws in the

tangible able to be touched; real; palpable

Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets--a car, a television, a PC--that he could

optometrist one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects

Although an optometrist is qualified to treat many eye disorders, she may not use medicinesor surgery in

nadir lowest point

Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an

sidereal relating to the stars

Although hampered by optical and mechanical flaws, the orbiting Hubble space telescope has relayed

titular having the title of an office without the obligations

Although he was the titular head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager.

substantive essential; pertaining to the substance

Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the

ostensible apparent; professed; pretended

Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in

random without definite purpose, plan, or aim; haphazard

Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions

semblance outward appearance; guise

Although this book has a semblance of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many

vitreous pertaining to or resembling glass

Although this plastic has many vitreous qualties such as transparency, it is unbreakable.

militant combative; bellicose

Althoughat this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more

stoke stir up a fire; feed plentifully

As a Scout, Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to

leaven cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven

As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in volume.

promulgate make known by official proclamation or publication

As soon as the Civil Service Commission promulgates the names of the successful candidates, we shall

ostracize exclude from public favor; ban

As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection with the criminals, his friends began to

stratified divided into classes; arranged into strata

As the economic gap between the rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified.

lope gallop slowly

As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery.

liaison officer who acts as go-between for two armies; intermediary

As the liason, he had to avoid offending the leaders of the two armies.

levitate float in the air (especially by magical means

As the magician passed his hands over the recumbent body of his assistant, she appeared to rise and

rivulet small stream

As the rains continued, the trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to

levee earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding

As the river rose and threatened to overflow the levee, emergency workers rushed to reinforce the walls

queasy easily nauseated; squeamish

As the ship left the harbor, he became queasy and thought that he was going to suffer from seasickness.

slacken slow up; loosen

As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.

sectarian narrow-minded; limited in scope

As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to mere

wont custom; habitual procedure

As was his wont, he jogged two miles every morning before going to work.

rant rave; speak bombastically

As we heard him rant on the platform, we could not understand his strange popularity with many people.

neologism new or newly coined word or phrase

As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also invent neologisms such as "microcomputer"

subversive tending to overthrow; destructive

At first glance, the notion that Styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups

universal characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere

At first, no one shared Christopher's opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal

temporal not lasting forever; limited by time; secular

At one time in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.

yokel country bumpkin

At school, his classmates regarded him as a yokel and laughed at his rustic mannerisms.

welter wallow

At the height of the battle, the casualties were so numerous that the victims weltered in their blood while

reparation amends; compensation

At the peace conference, the defeated country promised to pay reparations to the victors.

palette board on which a painter mixes pigments

At the present time, art supply stores are selling a paper palette that may be discarded after use.

obscure darken; make unclear

At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

peregrination journey

Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tiajuana to Timbuctoo.

vixen female fox; ill-tempered woman

Aware that she was right once again, he lost his temper and called her a shrew and a vixen.

surly rude; cross

Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company.

ursine bearlike; pertaining to a bear

Because of its ursine appearance, the great panda has been identified with the bears; actually, it is closely

rescind cancel

Because of public resentment, the king had to rescind his order.

quay dock; landing place

Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

larceny theft

Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand larceny to

negligible so small, trifling, or unimportant as to be easily disregarded

Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the

retroactive taking effect before its enactment (as a law or imposition (as a tax

Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in

multilingual having many languages

Because they are bordered by so many countries, the Swiss people are multilingual.

lascivious lustful

Because they might arouse lascivious impulses in their readers, the lewd books were banned by the clergy.

vise tool for holding work in place

Before filling its edges, the keysmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.

plumb vertical

Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide.

scaffold temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution

Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.

topography physical features of a region

Before the generals gave the order to attack, they ordered a complete study of the topography of the

warrant justify; authorize

Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this action is warranted.

ratify approve formally; verify

Before the treaty could go into effect, it had to be ratified by the president.

opiate sleep producer; deadener of pain

By such opiates, she made the people forget their difficulties and accept their unpleasant circumstances.

shambles slaughterhouse; scene of carnage

By the time the police arrived, the room was a shambles.

primogeniture seniority by birth

By virtue of primogeniture, in some cultures the first-born child has many privileges denied his brothers

nemesis revenging agent

Captain Bligh vowed to be Christian's nemesis.

motility ability to move spontaneously

Certain organisms exhibit remarkable motility; motile spores, for example, may travel for miles before

unfettered liberated; freed from chains

Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered.

transitoriness impermanence

Conscious that all things pass, the psalmist relates the transitoriness of happiness and fame.

leniency mildness; permissiveness

Considering the gravity of the offense, we were surprised by the leniency of the sentence.

servile slavish; cringing

Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature.

supplant replace; usurp

Corazon Aquino supplanted Ferdinand Marcos as president of the Philippines.

verisimilitude appearance of truth; likelihood

Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely

submissive yielding; timid

Crushed by his authoritarian father, Will had no defiance left in him; he was totally submissive in the face

skirmish minor fight

Custer's troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on maneuvers; they did not expect to face a

wither shrivel; decay

Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither.

vernacular living language; natural style

Cut out those old-fashioned "thee's" and "thou's" and write in the vernacular.

waft moved gently by wind or waves

Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window.

pivotal central; critical

De Klerk's decision to set Nelson Mandela free was pivotal; without Mandela's release, there was no

prophylactic used to prevent disease

Despite all prophylactic measures introduced by the authorities, the epidemic raged until cool weather set

voluminous bulky; large

Despite her family burdens, she kept up a voluminous correspondence with her friends.

tundra rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America

Despite the cold, many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.

thrive prosper; flourish

Despite the impact of recession on the restaurant trade, Philip's cafe thrived.

megalomania mania for doing grandiose things

Developers who spend millions trying to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.

quibble equivocate; play on words

Do not quibble; I want a straightforward and definite answer.

stanza division of a poem

Do you know the last stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

redress remedy; compensation

Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries?

willful intentional; headstrong

Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder,

recalcitrant obstinately stubborn

Donkeys are reputed to be the most recalcitrant of animals.

unprepossessing unattractive

During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance

penumbra partial shadow (in an eclipse

During an eclipse, we can see an area of total darkness and a lighter area, which is the penumbra.

redoubtable formidable; causing fear

During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to offend the Russians because they could be

transition going from one state of action to another

During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.

relic surviving remnant; memento

Egypt's Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of

renounce abandon; disown; repudiate

Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her

plausible having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious

Even though your argument is plausible, I still would like to have more proof.

retort quick, sharp reply

Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a retort.

surfeit satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything

Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats.

spruce neat and trim

Every button buttoned, tie firmly in place, young Alex Keaton looked spruce and tidy for his job interview

metropolis large city

Every evening this terminal is filled with the thousands of commuters who are going from this metropolis

warble sing; babble

Every morning the birds warbled outside her window.

reconcile correct inconsistencies; become friendly after a quarrel

Every time we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite these

pathetic causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching

Everyone in the auditorium was weeping by the time he finished his pathetic tale about the orphaned boy.

probity uprightness; incorruptibility

Everyone took his probity for granted; his defalcations, therefore, shocked us all.

luxuriant fertile; abundant; ornate

Farming was easy in this luxuriant soil.

tilter handle used to move the boat's rudder (to steer

Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tilter at all times.

spawn lay eggs

Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams.

renown fame

For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won

opportunist individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances

Forget about ethics! He's such an opportunist that he'll vote in favor of any deal that will give him a break.

transgression violation of a law; sin

Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do.

reparable capable of being repaired

Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were reparable and our car looks brand new.

urchin mischievous child (usually a boy

Get out! This store is no place for grubby urchins!

offensive attacking; insulting; distasteful

Getting into street brawls is no minor offense for professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict

studied unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful

Given Jill's previous slights, Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult.

sextant navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude

Given a clear night, with the aid of his sextant and compass, he could keep the ship safely on course.

permeable porous; allowing passage through

Glass is permeable to light.

pedagogue teacher

He could never be a stuffy pedagogue; his classes were always lively and filled with humor.

sultry sweltering

He could not adjust himself to the sultry climate of the tropics.

pittance a small allowance or wage

He could not live on the pittance he received as a pension and had to look for an additional source of

suppliant entreating; beseeching

He could not resist the dog's suppliant whimpering, and he gave it some food.

wean accustom a baby not to nurse; give up a cherished activity

He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.

whimsical capricious; fanciful

He dismissed his generous gift to his college as a sentimental fancy, an old man's whimsical gesture.

yore time past

He dreamed of the elegant homes of yore, but gave no thought to their inelegant plumbing.

retraction withdrawal

He dropped his libel suit after the newspaper published a retraction of its statement.

meddlesome interfering

He felt his marriage was suffering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law.

ragamuffin person wearing tattered clothes

He felt sorry for the ragamuffin who was begging for food and gave him money to buy a meal.

thwart baffle; frustrate

He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success.

sully tarnish; soil

He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial labor.

tipple drink (alcoholic beverages frequently

He found that his most enjoyable evenings occurred when he tippled with his friends at the local pub.

ungainly awkward

He is an ungainly young man; he trips over everything.

treatise article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly

He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.

tertiary third

He is so thorough that he analyzes tertiary causes where other writers are content with primary and

unassuming modest

He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is.

reputed supposed

He is the reputed father of the child.

taper candle

He lit the taper on the windowsill.

pretext excuse

He looked for a good pretext to get out of paying a visit to his aunt.

trappings outward decorations; ornaments

He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet.

prodigious enormous; marvelous

He marveled at her prodigious appetite when he saw all the food she ate.

potpourri heterogeneous mixture; medley

He offered a potpourri of folk songs from many lands.

nominal in name only; trifling

He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominal fee.

restitution reparation; indemnification

He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his son.

valor bravery

He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.

rote repetition

He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood what he was saying.

opprobrium infamy; vilification

He refused to defend himself against the slander and opprobrium hurled against him by the newspapers; he

portent sign; omen; forewarning

He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil.

reiterate repeat

He reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.

misogamy hatred of marriage

He remained a bachelor not because of misogamy but because of ill fate: his fiancee died before the

render deliver; provide; represent

He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.

renege deny; go back on

He reneged on paying off his debt.

verbatim word for word

He repeated the message verbatim.

ribald wanton; profane

He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners.

scoff mock; ridicule

He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.

periphery edge, especially of a round surface

He sensed that there was something just beyond the periphery of his vision.

sodden soaked; dull, as if from drink

He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.

sham pretend

He shammed sickness to get out of going to school.

simulate feign

He simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for his crime.

skulk move furtively and secretly

He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former

piscatorial pertaining to fishing

He spent many happy hours at the lake in his piscatorial activities.

tome large volume

He spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes.

vehement impetuous; with marked vigor

He spoke with vehement eloquence in defense of his client.

libelous defamatory; injurious to the good name of a person

He sued the newspaper because of its libelous story.

sustain experience; support; nourish

He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his

monotony sameness leading to boredom

He took a clerical job, but soon grew to hate the monotony of his daily routine.

lineage descent; ancestry

He traced his lineage back to Mayflower days.

mete measure; distribute

He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete out justice.

prevail induce; triumph over

He tried to prevail on her to type his essays for him.

vagrant stray; random

He tried to study, but could not collect his vagrant thoughts.

lucrative profitable

He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.

rabid like a fanatic; furious

He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ball park.

versatile having many talents; capable of working in many fields

He was a versatile athlete; at college he had earned varsity letters in baseball, football, and track.

susceptible impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease

He was a very susceptible young man, and so his parents worried that he might fall into bad company.

liquidate settle accounts; clear up

He was able to liquidate all his debts in short period of time.

remiss negligent

He was accused of being remiss in his duty when the prisoner escaped.

poultice soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body

He was advised to apply a flaxseed poultice to the inflammation.

malcontent person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs

He was one of the few malcontents in the Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the Presidential

subservient behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious

He was proud and dignified; he refused to be subservient to anyone.

progeny children; offspring

He was proud of his progeny but regarded George as the most promising of all his children.

rectitude uprightness

He was renowned for his rectitude and integrity.

sensuous pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses

He was stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells about him; he was enjoying his sensuous experience.

unimpeachable blameless and exemplary

Her conduct in office was unimpeachable and her record is spotless.

polemic controversy; argument in support of point of view

Her essays were, for the main part, polemics for the party's policy.

lucid easily understood; clear; intelligible

Her explanation was lucid enought for a child to grasp.

phobia morbid fear

Her fear of flying was more than mere nervousness; it was a real phobia.

mimicry imitation

Her gift for mimicry was so great that her friends said that she should be in the theater.

pedant scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities

Her insistence that the book be memorized marked the teacher as a pedant rather than a scholar.

meretricious flashy; tawdry; falsely attractive

Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious.

liability drawback; debts

Her lack of an extensive vocabulary was a liability that she was able to overcome.

prolix verbose; drawn out

Her prolix arguments irritated and bored the jury.

quaint odd; old-fashioned; picturesque

Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

reminiscence recollection

Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she ought to write a book.

languid weary; sluggish; listless

Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

passe old-fashioned; past the prime

Her style is passe and reminiscent of the Victorian era.

thespian pertaining to drama

Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career.

oblivion forgetfulness

Her work had fallen into a state of oblivion; no one bothered to read them.

resilient elastic; having the power of springing back

Highly resilient, steel makes excellent bedsprings.

sarcasm scornful remarks, stinging rebuke

His feelings were hurt by the sarcasm of his supposed friends.

protrude stick out

His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves.

uxorious excessively devoted to one's wife

His friends laughed at him because he was so uxorious and submissive to his wife's desires.

languor lassitude; depression

His friends tried to overcome the languor into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the

laudable praiseworthy; commendable

His laudable deeds will be remarked by all whom he aided.

stultify cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder

His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had

overweening presumptuous; arrogant

His overweening pride in his accomplishments was not justified.

sylvan pertaining to the woods; rustic

His paintings of nymphs in sylvan backgrounds were criticized as oversentimental.

parsimonious stingy; excessively frugal

His parsimonious nature did not permit him to enjoy any luxuries.

madrigal pastoral song

His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute.

reactionary recoiling from progress; retrograde

His program was reactionary since it sought to abolish many of the social reforms instituted by the

qualms misgivings

His qualms of conscience had become so great that he decided to abandon his plans.

succinct brief; terse; compact

His remarks are always succinct and pointed.

reverent respectful

His reverent attitude was appropriate in a house of worship.

ruddy reddish; healthy-looking

His ruddy features indicated that he had spent much time in the open.

meager scanty; inadequate

His salary was far too meager for him to afford to buy a new car.

sonorous resonant

His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.

staccato played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt, sharp sound

His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.

sacrilegious desecrating; profane

His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.

stilted bombastic; stiffly pompous

His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances.

stricture critical comments; severe and adverse criticism

His strictures on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted.

strut pompous walk

His strut as he marched about the parade ground revealed him for what he was: a pompous buffoon.

petrify turn to stone

His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her.

muddle confuse; mix up

His thoughts were muddled and chaotic.

timorous fearful; demonstrating fear

His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment.

tonsure shaving of the head, especially by person entering religious orders

His tonsure, even more than his monastic garb, indicated that he was a member of the religious order.

sedition resistance to authority; insubordination

His words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition.

patois local or provincial dialect

His years of study of the language at the university did not enable him to understand the patois of the

slight insult to one's dignity; snub

Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or

terse concise; abrupt; pithy

I admire his terse style of writing; he comes directly to the point.

tutelary protective; pertaining to a guardianship

I am acting in my tutelary capacity when I refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus.

wreak inflict

I am afraid he will wreak his vengeance on the innocent as well as the guilty.

provender dry food; fodder

I am afraid of a severe winter because I have stored a large quantity of provender for the cattle.

trenchant cutting; keen

I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic.

reprimand reprove severely

I am afraid that my parents will reprimand me when I show them my report card.

prelude introduction; forerunner

I am afraid that this border raid is the prelude to more serious attacks.

repercussion rebound; reverberation; reaction

I am afraid that this event will have serious repercussions.

perturb disturb greatly

I am afraid this news will perturb him and cause him grief.

roseate rosy; optimistic

I am afraid you will have to alter your roseate views in the light of the distressing news that has just arrived.

perusal reading

I am certain that you have missed important details in your rapid perusal of this document.

reprisal retaliation

I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the enemy may undertake.

partial biased; having a liking for something

I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs.

swelter be oppressed by heat

I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another

unsullied untarnished

I am happy that my reputation is unsullied.

titillate tickle

I am here not to titillate my audience but to enlighten it.

mercantile concerning trade

I am more interested in the opportunites available in the mercantile field than I am in those in the legal

pariah social outcast

I am not a pariah to be shunned and ostracized.

provenance origin or source of something

I am not interested in its provenance; I am more concerned with its usefulness than with its source.

proviso stipulation

I am ready to accept your proposal with the two proviso that you meet your obligations within the next

victuals food

I am very happy to be able to provide you with these victuals; I know you are hungry.

spate sudden flood

I am worried about the possibility of a spate if the rains do not diminish soon.

supposition hypothesis; surmise

I based my decision to confide in him on the supposition that he would be discreet.

scrupulous conscientious; extremely thorough

I can recommend him for a position of responsibility for I have found him a very scrupulous young man.

veracious truthful

I can recommend him for this position because I have always found him veracious and reliable.

vouchsafe grant condescendingly; guarantee

I can safely vouchsafe you fair return on your investment.

machinations schemes

I can see through your wily machinations.

zany crazy; comic

I can watch the Marx brothers' zany antics for hours.

manifold numerous; varied

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses.

naivete quality of being unsophisticated

I cannot believe that such naivete is unassumed in a person of her age and experience.

nicety precision; minute distinction

I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning.

odium repugnance; dislike

I cannot express the odium I feel at your heinous actions.

lexicon dictionary

I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

temporize avoid committing oneself; gain time

I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today.

sumptuous lavish; rich

I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.

menial suitable for sevants; low

I cannot understand why a person of your ability and talent should engage in such menial activities.

reprobate person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency

I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.

maudlin effusively sentimental

I do not like such maudlin pictures. I call them tearjerkers.

soporific sleep producing

I do not need a sedative when I listen to one of his soporific speeches.

omniscient all-knowing

I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.

machiavellian crafty; double-dealing

I do not think he will be a good embassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian

vegetate live in a monotonous way

I do not understand how you can vegetate in this quiet village after the adventurous life you have led.

smattering slight knowledge

I don't know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere smattering of information

yoke join together, unite

I don't wish to be yoked to him in marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow.

stamina strength; staying power

I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.

regimen prescribed diet and habits

I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.

scintillate sparkle; flash

I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates.

pithy concise; meaty

I enjoy reading his essays because they are always compact and pithy.

tumid swollen; pompous; bombastic

I especially dislike his tumid style; I prefer writing which is less swollen and bombastic.

nexus connection

I fail to see the nexus that binds these two widely separated events.

remunerative compensating; rewarding

I find my new work so renumerative that I may not return to my previous employment.

supposititious assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical

I find no similarity between your supposititious illustration and the problem we are facing.

tempo speed of music

I find the conductor's tempo too slow for such a brilliant piece of music.

odious hateful

I find the task of punishing you most odious.

parity equality; close resemblance

I find your analogy inaccurate because I do not see the parity between the two illustrations.

obnoxious offensive

I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.

untenable unsupportable

I find your theory untenable and must reject it.

obituary dealth notice

I first learned of her death when I read the obituary in the newspaper.

obtrusive pushing forward

I found her a very obstrusive person, constantly seeking the center of the stage.

valedictory pertaining to farewell

I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be brief.

tenacious holding fast

I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm.

predecessor former occupant of a post

I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my late predecessor in this office.

obviate make unnecessary; get rid of

I hope this contribution will obviate any need for further collections of funds.

vindicate clear of charges

I hope to vindicate my client and return him to society as a free man.

solace comfort in trouble

I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss.

substantiate verify; support

I intend to substantiate my statement by producing witnesses.

verbalize put into words

I know you don't like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your feelings.

rusticate banish to the country; dwell in the country

I like city life so much that I can never understand how people can rusticate in the suburbs.

tout publicize; praise excessively

I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment.

negation denial

I must accept his argument since you have been unable to present any negation of his evidence.

solecism construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically

I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms.

upbraid scold; reproach

I must upbraid him for his unruly behavior.

noisome foul smelling; unwholesome

I never could stand the noisome atmosphere surrounding the slaughter houses.

pecuniary pertaining to money

I never expected a pecuniary reward for my work in this activity.

supercilious contemptuous; haughty

I prefer Jill's modesty to Jack's supercilious and arrogant attitude.

sherbet flavored dessert ice

I prefer raspberry sherbet to ice cream since it is less fattening.

prognosticate predict

I prognosticate disaster unless we change our wasteful ways.

tesselated inlaid; mosaic

I recall seeing a table with a tesselated top of bits of stone and glass in a very interesting pattern.

relish savor; enjoy

I relish a good joke as much as anyone else.

obloquy slander; disgrace; infamy

I resent the obloquy that you are casting upon my reputation.

succumb yield; give in; die

I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way.

remnant remainder

I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on sale.

surmise guess

I surmise that he will be late for this meeting.

propitious favorable; kindly

I think it is advisable that we wait for a more propitious occasion to announce our plans; this is not a good

precarious uncertain; risky

I think this stock is a precarious investment and advise against its purchase.

latitude freedom from narrow limitations

I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this matter.

pert impertinent; forward

I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology.

reproach blame; censure

I want my work to be above reproach and without error

rectify correct

I want to rectify my error before it is too late.

propriety fitness; correct conduct

I want you to behave at this dinner with propriety; don't embarass me.

optional not compulsory; left to one's choice

I was impressed by the range of optional accessories for my microcomputer that were available.

validate confirm; ratify

I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.

relinquish abandon

I will relinquish my claims to this property if you promise to retain my employees.

waive give up temporarily; yield

I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision.

seedy run-down; decrepit; disreputable

I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy

whorl ring of leaves around stem; ring

Identification by fingerprints is based on the difference in shape and number of whorls on the fingers.

resignation patient submissiveness; statement that one is quitting a job

If Bob Cratchit had not accepted Scrooge's bullying with timid resignation, he might have gotten up the

retrench cut down; economize

If they were to be able to send their children to college, they would have to retrench.

lode metal-bearing vein

If this lode that we have discovered extends for any distance, we have found a fortune.

sadistic inclined to cruelty

If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden.

palliate ease pain; make less severe or offensive

If we cannot cure this disease at present, we can, at least try to palliate the symptoms.

nascent incipient; coming into being

If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate

moratorium legal delay of payment

If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six months, I am sure the farmers will be able

peccadillo slight offense

If we examine these escapades carefully, we will realize that they are mere peccadilloes rather than major

relegate banish; consign to inferior position

If we relegate these experts to minor posts because of their political persuasions, we shall lose their

purge clean by removing impurities; clear of changes

If you are to be purged of the charge of contempt of Congress, you must be willing to answer the

timidity lack of self-confidence or courage

If you are to succeed as a salesperson, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.

precise exact

If you don't give me precise directions and a map, I'll never find your place.

reconnaissance survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering

If you encounter any enemy soldiers during your reconnaissance, capture them for questioning.

scavenge hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food

If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto

prod poke; stir up; urge

If you prod him hard enough, he'll eventually clean his room.

optimum most favorable

If you wait for the optimum moment to act, you may never begin your project .

reputable respectable

If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too many dealers today pass off fakes as

mandate order; charge

In his inaugural address, the President stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to

traumatic pertaining to an injury caused by violence

In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle.

pulmonary pertaining to the lungs

In his researches on pulmonary diseases, he discovered many facts about the lungs of animals and human

stupor state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness

In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him.

summation act of finding the total, summary

In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses.

maladroit clumsy; bungling

In his usual maladroit way, he managed to upset the cart and spill the food.

patriarch father and ruler of a family or tribe

In many primitive tribes, the leader and lawmaker was the patriarch.

rubric title or heading (in red print; directions for religious ceremony; protocol

In ordaining the new priests, the bishop carefully observed all the rubrics for the ordination service.

lateral coming from the side

In order to get good plant growth, the gardener must pinch off all lateral shoots.

provoke stir up anger; cause retaliation

In order to prevent a sudden outbreak of hostilities, we must not provoke our foe.

suffragist advocate of voting rights (for women

In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar

pliable flexible; yielding; adaptable

In remodeling the bathroom, we replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing.

languish lose animation; lose strength

In stories, lovelorn damsels used to languish and pine away.

vagabond wanderer; tramp

In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds.

muted silent; muffled; toned down

In the funeral parlor, the mourners' voices had a muted quality.

microcosm small world

In the microcosm of our rural village, we find illustrations of all the evils that beset the universe.

promiscuous mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular, particularly sexually

In the opera La Boheme, we get a picture of the promiscuous life led by the young artists of Paris.

preamble introductory statement

In the preamble to the Constitution, the purpose of the document is set forth.

tautological needlessly repetitious

In the sentence "It was visible to the eye," the phrase "to the eye" is tautological.

proscenium part of stage in front of curtain

In the theater-in-the-round there can be no proscenium or proscenium arch.

sustenance means of support, food, nourishment

In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to obtain because of all the fruit trees.

prolong extend; draw out; lengthen

In their determination to discover ways to prolong human life, doctors fail to take into account that longer

magniloquent boastful, pompous

In their stories of the trial, the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney.

proselytize induce someone to convert to religion or belief

In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to proselytize; we must respect all points of view.

pastoral rural

In these stories of pastoral life, we find an understanding of the daily tasks of country folk.

myopic nearsighted

In thinking only of your present needs and ignoring the future, you are being rather myopic.

refectory dining hall

In this huge refectory, we can feed the entire student body at one sitting.

partial incomplete

In this issue we have published only a partial list of contributors because we lack space to acknowledge

profilgate dissipated; wasteful; licentious

In this profilgate company, she lost all sense of decency.

purgatory place of spiritual expiation

In this purgatory, he could expect no help from his comrades.

subsistence existence; means of support; livelihood

In those days of inflated prices, my salary provided mere subsistence.

sluice artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water

In times of drought, this sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation.

schematic relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols

In working out the solution to an analytical logic question, you may find it helpful to construct a simple

propound put forth for analysis

In you discussion, you have propounded several questions; let us consider each one separately.

perversion corruption; turning from right to wrong

Inasmuch as he had no motive for his crimes, we could not understand his perversion.

zealot fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal

It is good to have a few zealots in our group for their enthusiasm is contagious.

unfledged immature

It is hard for an unfledged writer to find a sympathetic publisher.

stanch check flow of blood

It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.

overhaul thoroughly examine the condition of and repair if necessary

It is necessary for the engineers of NASA to overhaul the rocket everyday; otherwise, an incident similar to

subjugate conquer; bring under control

It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in establishing peaceful relations.

obligatory binding; required

It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within two weeks.

retrospective looking back on the past

It is only when we become retrospective that we can appreciate the tremendous advances made during this

outrtip surpass; outdo

Jesse Owens easily outstripped his competitors to win the gold metal at the Olympic Games.

tightwad excessively frugal person; miser

Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check.

voyeur Peeping

Jill called Jack a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at a bedroom window of the house

tycoon wealthy leader

John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.

preternatural beyond that which is normal in nature

John's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying struck him as almost preternatural.

mediate settle a dispute through the services of an outsider

Let us mediate out differences rather than engage in a costly strike.

memorialize commemorate

Let us memorialize his great contribution by dedicating this library in his honor.

specious seemingly reasonable but incorrect

Let us not be misled by such specious arguments.

sanguine cheerful; hopeful

Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong.

passive not active; acted upon

Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance as he felt that it was more

projectile missile

Man has always hurled projectiles at his enemy whether in the form of stones or of highly explosive shells.

regatta boat or yacht race

Many boating enthusiasts followed the regatta in their own yachts.

panache flair; flamboyance

Many performers imitate Noel Coward, but few have his panache and sense of style.

serendipity gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck

Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity

toga Roman outer robe

Marc Antony pointed to the slashes in Caesar's toga.

unprecedented novel; unparalleled

Margaret Mitchell's book Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success.

transport strong emotion

Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset, at another

stemfrom arise from

Milton's problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.

mnemonic pertaining to memory

He used mnemonic tricks to master new words.

vent express; utter

He vented his wrath on his class.

quail cower; lose heart

He was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

minion a servile dependent

He was always accompanied by several of his minions because he enjoyed their subservience and flattery.

mendacious lying; false

He was pathological liar, and his friends learned to discount his mendacious stories.

schism division; split

Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.

recapitulate summarize

Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.

niggle spend too much time on minor points; carp

Let's not niggle over details.

transient momentary; temporary; staying for a short time

Lexy's joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient; she still had to find presents for the

repository storehouse

Libraries are repositories of the world's best thoughts.

streotyped oversimplified; lacking individuality; seen as a type

My chief objection to the book is that the characters are stereotyped; they come across as ethnic

lurk stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived

"Who knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men? The shadow knows."

sluggard lazy person

"You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite," the angry father shouted at his lazy son.

partiality inclination; bias

As a judge, not only must I be unbiased, but I must also avoid any evidence of partiality when I award the

whittle pare; cut off bits

As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.

quaff drink with relish

As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the gay songs of the students in the tavern.

waif homeless child or animal

Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif.

recipient receiver

Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful to his benefactor.

psychiatrist a doctor who treats mental diseases

A psychiatrist often needs long conferences with his patient before a diagnosis can be made.

prevalent widespread; generally accepted

A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the

rancid having the odor of stale fat

A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the crew.

protean versatile; able to take on many forms

A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness could take on any role.

shrewd clever; astute

A shrewd investor, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market.

ravel fall apart into tangles; unravel or untwist; entangle

A sigle thread pulled loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.

sequester retire from public life; segregate; seclude

Although he had hoped for a long time to sequester himself in a small community, he never was able to

vigor active strength

Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime.

thrifty careful about money; economical

A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.

virtue goodness; moral excellence; good quality

A virtue carried to extremes can turn into something resembling vice; humility, for example, can

turpitude depravity

A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.

recount narrate or tell; count over again

About to recount the latest adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Watson lost track of exactly how many cases

monotheism belief in one God

Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism.

sear char or burn; brand

Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.

overt open to view

According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for

platonic purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire

Accused of impropriety in his dealings with female students, the professor maintained he had only a

vulnerable susceptible to wounds

Achilles was vulnerable only in his heel.

mordant biting; sarcastic; stinging

Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.

modicum limited quantity

Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.

underscore emphasize

Adressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.

receptive quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc.

Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved a receptive audience for Tom's tales of buried treasure and piracy.

maxim proverb; a truth pithily stated

Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.

uniformity sameness; consistency; monotony

After a while, the uniformity of TV situation comedies becomes boring.

tribulation distress; suffering

After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through, we need this rest.

rationalization bringing into conformity with reason

All attempts at rationalization at this time are doomed to failure; tempers and emotions run too high for

salvage rescue from loss

All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.

parlance language; idiom

All this legal parlance confuses me; I need an interpreter.

rhetoric art of effective communication; insincere or grandiloquent language

All writers, by necessity, must be skilled in rhetoric.

seminal germinal; influencing future developments; related to seed or semen

Although Freud has generally been regarded as a seminal thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his

unsightly ugly

Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced

parochial narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes

Although Jane Austen writes novels set in small rural communities, her concerns are universal, not

saunter stroll slowly

As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.

limbo region near heaven or hell where certain souls are kept

Among the divisions of Hell are Purgatory and limbo.

methodical systematic

An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records.

nutrient nourishing substance

As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic

pugnacious combative; disposed to fight

As a child he was pugnacious and fought with everyone.

sepulcher tomb

Annabel Lee was buried in a sepulcher by the sea.

repress restrain; crush; oppress

Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.

proscribe ostracize; banish; outlaw

Antony, Octavius and Lepidus proscribed all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.

replica copy

Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom or in the

preen make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction

As Kitty preened before the mirror, carefully smoothing her shining hair, she couldn't help preening herself

palpitate throb; flutter

As he became excited, his heart began to palpitate more and more erratically.

philanthropist lover of mankind; doer of good

As he grew older, he became famous as a philanthropist and benefactor of the needy.

provincial pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated

As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada.

purveyor furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer

As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new

sheathe place into a case

As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends.

subterfuge pretense; evasion

As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge we withdrew our endorsement of

mannered affected; not natural

Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of

ornithologist scientific student of birds

Auduborn's drawings of American bird life have been of interest not only to the ornithologists but also to

muggy warm and damp

August in New York City is often muggy.

roil to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb

Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.

steep soak; saturate

Be sure to steep the fabric in the dye bath for the full time prescribed.

premise assumption; postulate

Because Jack had based his argument upon a faulty premise, his opponent cheerfully pointed out the holes

sedentary requiring sitting

Because he had a sedentary occupation, he decided to visit a gymnasium weekly.

renegade deserter; traitor

Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the

vagrant homeless wanderer

Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a

necromancy black magic; dealings with the dead

Because he was able to perform feats of necromancy, the natives thought he was in league with the devil.

tithe tax of one-tenth

Because he was an agnostic, he refused to pay his tithes to the clergy.

obtuse blunt; stupid

Because he was so obtuse, he could not follow the teacher's reasoning and asked foolish questions.

pantomime acting without dialogue

Because he worked in pantomime, the clown could be understood wherever he appeared.

pallid pale; wan

Because his occupation required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally

malign speak evil of; defame

Because of her hatred of the family, she maligns all who are friendly to them.

theoretical not practical or applied; hypothetical

Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and

symbiosis interdependent relationship (between groups, species, often mutually beneficial

Both the crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis; pecking away at food

shirk avoid (responsibility, work, etc.; malinger

Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.

quirk startling twise; caprice

By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.

solvent able to pay all debts

By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings.

outwit outsmart; trick

By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his pursuers and escape capture.

precocious advanced in development

By her rather adult manner of discussing serious topics, the child demonstrated that she was precocious.

winsome agreeable; gracious; engaging

By her winsome manner, she made herself liked by everyone who met her.

materialism preoccupation with physical comforts and things

By its nature, materialism is opposed to idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the

rigid stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending

By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society's most rigid rule

mischance ill luck

By mischance, he lost his week's salary.

salacious lascivious; lustful

Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.

squabble minor quarrel; bickering

Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let

vampire ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living

Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampires.

simper smirk; smile affectedly

Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered.

reaper one who harvests grain

Death, the Grim Reaper, cuts down men and women, just as a farmer cuts down the ripened grain.

taxonomist specialist in classifying (animals, etc.

Dental patterns often enable the taxonomist to distinguish members of one rodent species from those of

pacify soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue

Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.

tangential peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing

Despite Clark's attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main

pervasive spread throughout

Despite airing them for several hours, she could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothbals that

subsume include; encompass

Does the general theory of relativity contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity subsumed

nonentity person of no importance; nonexistence

Don't dismiss John as a nonentity; in his quiet way, he's very important to the firm.

leery suspicious; cautious

Don't eat sushi at this restaurant; I'm a bit leery about how fresh it is.

mollycoddle pamper; indulge excessively

Don't mollycoddle the boy, Maud! You'll spoil him.

snivel run at the nose; snuffle; whine

Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother.

seep ooze; trickle

During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards.

slither slip or slide

During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station.

resumption taking up again; recommencement

During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of

tepid lukewarm

During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one.

synthetic artificial; resulting from synthesis

During the twentieth century, many synthetic products have replaced the natural products.

reprieve temporary stay

During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent.

mentor counselor; teacher

During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for the teacher was sympathetic

slough cast off

Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin.

spendthrift someone who wastes money

Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop.

vigilance watchfulness

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

novice beginner

Even a novice can do good work if he follows these simple directions.

lament grieve; express sorrow

Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in combat.

obscure dark; vague; unclear

Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure.

pluck courage

Even the adversaries of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy's pluck in trying to rescue the

pundit learned Hindu; any learned person; authority on a subject

Even though he discourses on the matter like a pundit, he is actually rather ignorant about this topic.

politic expedient; prudent; well devised

Even though he was disappointed, he did not think it politic to refuse the offer.

objective not influenced by emotions; fair

Even though he was her son, she tried to be objective about his behavior.

pillory punish by placing in a wooden frame; subject to criticism and ridicule

Even though he was mocked and pilloried, he maintained that he was correct in his beliefs.

redolent fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor

Even though it is February, the air is redolent of spring.

offhand casual; done without prior thought

Expecting to be treated with due propriety by her costs, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand

patronize support; act superior toward

Experts in a field sometimes appear to patronize people who are less knowledgeable of the subject.

orthodox traditional; conservative in belief

Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone.

nonchalance indifference; lack of interest

Few people could understand how he could listen to the news of the tragedy with such nonchalance; the

retain keep; employ

Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection

surrogate substitute

For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.

tyro beginner; novice

For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results.

muse ponder

For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thought soon changed as he recalled his

stodgy stuffy; boringly conservative

For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you'd expect someone of his age to have a little

vitiate spoil the effect of; make inoperative

Fraud will vitiate the contract.

tyranny oppression; cruel government

Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life.

orientation act of finding oneself in society

Freshman orientation provides the incoming students with an opportunity to learn about their new

profound deep; not superficial; complete

Freud's remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound

peremptory demanding and leaving no choice

From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.

wane grow gradually smaller

From now until December 21, the winter solstice, the hours of daylight will wane.

somber gloomy; depressing

From the doctor's grim expression, I could tell he had somber news.

low moo

From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely hear the cattle low.

mendicant beggar

From the moment we left the ship, we were surrounded by mendicants and peddlers.

slapdash haphazard; careless; sloppy

From the number of typos and misspellings I've found on it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a

pontifical pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious

From the very beginning of his ministry it was clear from his pontifical pronouncements that John was

pestle tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl

From the way in which the elderly pharmacist pounded the drug with his pestle, young George could tell

plutocracy society ruled by the wealthy

From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a plutocracy rather than a

ornate excessively or elaborately decorated

Furniture of the Baroque period can be recognized by its ornate carvings.

satire form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly

Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking

troth pledge of good faith especially in betrothal

He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always.

penchant strong inclination; liking

He had a strong penchant for sculpture and owned many statues.

stifle suppress; extinguish; inhibit

Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.

misgivings doubts

Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of

presentiment premonition; foreboding

Hamlet felt a presentiment about his meeting with Laertes.

prominent conspicuous; notable; protruding

Have you ever noticed that Prince Charles's prominent ears make him resemble the big-eared character in

rapacious excessively grasping; plundering

Hawks and other rapacious birds prey on variety of small animals.

repudiate disown; disavow

He announced that he would repudiate all debts incurred by his wife.

pernicious very destructive, harmful

He argued that these books had a pernicious effect on young and susceptible minds.

onerous burdensome

He asked for an assistant because his work load was too onerous.

punitive punishing

He asked for punitive measures against the offender.

oaf stupid, awkward person

He called the unfortunate waiter a clumsy oaf.

podiatrist doctor who treats ailments of the feet

He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches.

physiognomy face

He prided himself on his ability to analyze a person's character by studying his physiognomy.

prostrate stretch out full on ground

He prostrated himself before the idol.

palatial magnificent

He proudly showed us through his palatial home.

recondite abstruse; profound; secret

He read many recondite books in order to obtain the material for the scholarly thesis.

penurious stingy; parsimonious

He was a penurious man, averse to spending money even for the necessities of life.

pest troublesome or annoying person

He was a pest; always bothering people.

practical based on experience; useful

He was a practical man, opposed to theory

waggish mischievous; humorous; tricky

He was a prankster who, unfortunately, often overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish

multiplicity state of being numerous

He was appalled by the multuplicity of details he had to complete before setting out on his mission.

polygamist one who has more than one spouse at a time

He was arrested as a polygamist when his two wives filed complaints about him.

sartorial pertaining to tailors

He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his attire as he was for his acting.

reverie daydream; musing

He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher's question.

mundane worldly as opposed to spiritual

He was concerned only with mundane matters, especially the daily stock market quotations.

parry ward off a blow

He was content to wage a defensive battle and tried to parry his opponent's thrusts.

wastrel profligate

He was denounced as a wastrel who had dissipated his inheritance.

repartee clever reply

He was famous for his witty repartee and his sarcasm.

quietude tranquillity

He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.

leonine like a lion

He was leonine in his rage.

satyr half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus, portrayed as wanton and cunning

He was like a satyr in his lustful conduct.

meticulous excessively careful

He was meticulous in checking his accounts and never made mistakes.

obdurate stubborn

He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints.

mercurial fickle; changing

He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.

stellar pertaining to the stars

He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance.

timid easily frightened; apprehensive

He was timid and cowardish; always backing up at daunting situations.

transmute change; convert to something different

He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.

nefarious very wicked

He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.

writhe squirm, twist

He was writhing in pain, desperate for the drug his body required.

weather endure the effects of weather or other forces

He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide.

tawdry cheap and gaudy

He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island.

rakish stylish; sporty

He wore his hat at a rakish and jaunty angle.

lustrous shining

Her large and lustrous eyes gave a touch of beauty to an otherwise drab face.

latent dormant; hidden

Her latent talent was discovered by accident.

pendant hanging down from something

Her pendant earrings glistened in the light.

sage person celebrated for wisdom

Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed

scotch stamp out; thwart; hinder

Heather tried to scotch the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiance.

obsequious slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic

Helen valued people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an

surpass exceed

Her SAT scores surpassed out expectations.

unassuaged unsatisfied; not soothed

Her anger is unassuaged by your apology.

titter nervous laugh

Her aunt's constant titter nearly drove her mad.

staid sober; sedate

Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.

lithe flexible; supple

Her figure was lithe and willowy.

resolve decide; settle; solve

Homes resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between Irene Adler and the King.

pan criticize harshly

Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics panned it

preempt head off; forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself; supplant

Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue, the

limber flexible

Hours of ballet classes kept him limber.

manipulate operate with the hands; control or change by artful means

How do you manipulate these puppets?

travail painful labor

How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation without rebelling?

virile manly

I do not accept the premise that a man is virile only when he is belligerent.

stigma token of disgrace; brand

I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted

pulchritude beauty; comeliness

I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss America from this collection of female

millenium thousand-year period; period of happiness and prosperity

I do not expect the milennium to come during my lifetime.

pretentious ostentatious; ambitious

I do not feel that your limited resources will permit you to carry out such a pretentious program.

prognosis forecasted course of a disease; prediction

If the doctor's prognosis is correct, the patient will be in a coma for at least twenty-four hours.

purport intention; meaning

If the purport of your speech was to arouse the rabble, you succeeded admirably.

shunt turn aside; divert; sidetrack

If the switchman failed to shunt the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union

reciprocate repay in kind

If they attack us, we shall be compelled to reciprocate and bomb their territory.

paraphrase restate a passage in one's own words while retaining thought of author

In 250 words or less, paraphrase this article.

venerate revere

In China, the people venerate their ancestors.

prey target of a hunt; victim

In Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons has as his prey not wild beasts but wild plants.

placebo harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill

In a controlled experiment, fifty volunteers were given erythromycin tablets; the control group received

lumen unit of light energy (one candle's worth

In buying light bulbs, she checked not only their power, as measured in watts, but their brightness, as

quisling traitor who aids invaders

In his conquest of Europe, Hitler was aided by the quislings who betrayed their own people and served in

rend split; tear apart

In his grief, he tried to rend his garments.

seamy sordid; unwholesome

In the Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his

suborn persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury

In the Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael

rife abundant; current

In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent.

pejorative negative in connotation; having a belittling effect.

Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character.

maculated spotted; stained

Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead, the pompous young poet sang of the

oscillate vibrate pendulumlike; waver

It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.

prate speak foolishly; boast idly

Let us not prate about our qualities; rather, let our virtues speak for themselves.

obese excessively fat

It is advisable that obese people try to lose weight.

sedative calming drug or influence

It is dangerous to drive after taking the sedative; it brings drowsiness.

magnitude greatness; extent

It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.

meander to wind or turn in its course

It is difficult to sail up this stream because of the way it meanders through the countryside.

spatial relating to space

It is difficult to visualize the spatial extent of our universe.

squalid dirty; neglected; poor

It is easy to see how crime can breed in such a squalid neighborhood.

tenacity firmness; persistency; adhesiveness

It is extremely difficult to overcome the tenacity of a habit such as smoking.

lethal deadly

It is unwise to leave lethal weapons where children may find them.

procrastinate postpone; delay

It is wise not to procrastinate; otherwise, we find ourselves bogged down in a mass of work that should

presumptous arrogant; taking liberties

It seems presumptous for one so relatively new to the field to challenge the conclusions of its leading

solicit request earnestly; seek

Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass, the mayor telephoned all the members

monolithic solidly uniform; unyielding

Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.

yeoman man owing small estate; middle-class farmer

It was not the aristocrat but the yeoman who determined the nation's policies.

lambaste beat; thrash verbally or physically

It was painful to watch the champion lambaste his opponent, tearing into him mercilessly.

patent open for the public to read; obvious

It was patent to everyone that the witness spoke the truth.

occident the West

It will take occident to understand the ways and customs of the orient.

mellifluous flowing smoothly; smooth

Italian is a mellifluous language.

sate satisfy to the full; cloy

Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.

patina green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly taken by varnished painting

Judging by the patina on this bronze statue, we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist.

savory tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable

Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.

largess generous gift

Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.

seemly proper; appropriate

Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a proper family; no baby abandoned on a

pedantic showing off learning; bookish

Leaving his decisions with humorous, down-to-earth anecdotes, Judge Walker was not at all pedantic legal

simian monkeylike

Lemurs are nocturnal mammals and have many simian characteristics, although they are less intelligent

reimburse repay

Let me know what you have spent and I will reimburse you.

parable short, simple story teaching a moral

Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this parable teaches.

remediable reparable

Let us be grateful that the damage is remediable.

ludicrous laughable; trifling

Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue.

vertex summit

Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base.

rancor bitterness; hatred

Let us forget out rancor and cooperate in this new endeavor.

ramble wander aimlessly (physically or mentally

Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy wondered whether he'd ever get to his point.

piety devoutness; reverence for God

Living her life in prayer and good works, Mother Teresa exemplifies the true sprit of piety.

outskirts fringes; outer borders

Living outskirts of Boston, Sarah sometimes felt as if she were cut off from the cultural heart of the city.

tirade extended scolding; denunciation

Long before he had finished his tirade, we were sufficiently aware of the seriousness of our misconduct.

plenitude abundance; completeness

Looking in the pantry, we admired the plenitude of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer.

spartan lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined

Looking over the bare, unheated room with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan

recrimination countercharges

Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his accusations.

verge border; edge

Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive elements.

viscous sticky, gluey

Melted tar is a viscous substance.

saboteur one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property

Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the

prodigy highly gifted child; marvel

Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.

wizardry sorcery; magic

Merlin amazed the knights with his wizardry.

unequivocal plain; obvious

My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and absolute "No."

regeneration spiritual rebirth

Modern penologists strive for the regeneration of the prisoners.

verdant green; lush in vegetation

Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green.

prehensile capable of grasping or holding

Monkeys use not only their arms and legs but also their prehensile tails in traveling through the trees.

repellent driving away; unattractive

Mosquitoes find the odor so repellent that they leave any spot where this liquid has been sprayed.

quadruped four-footed animal

Most mammals are quadrupeds.

senility old age; feeble mindedness of old age

Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the senility of the

monochromatic having only one color

Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish several colors; some, however, have a truly

sublime exalted; noble; uplifting

Mother Teresa has been honored for her sublime deeds.

stalemate deadlock

Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to

palatable agreeable; pleasing to the taste

Neither Jack's underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to me.

sobriety moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol; seriousness

Neither drunkards nor comics are noted for sobriety.

trident three-pronged spear

Neptune is usually depicted as rising from the sea, carrying his trident on his shoulder.

toady servile flatterer; yes man

Never tell the boss anything he doesn't wish to hear: he doesn't want an independent adviser, he just wants

taciturn habitually silent; talking a little

New Englanders are reputedly taciturn people.

revelry boisterous merrymaking

New Year's Eve is a night of revelry.

polyglot speaking several languages

New York City is a polyglot community because of the thousands of immigrants who settle there.

surreptitious secret

News of their surreptitious meeting gradually leaked out.

temper moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel

Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.

lull moment of calm

Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning for a lull in the rain.

sloth slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal

Note how well the somewhat greenish coat of the sloth enables it to blend in with its arboreal

magnanimity generosity

Noted for his magnanimity, philanthropist Eugene Lang donated millions to charity.

temperate restrained; self-controlled

Noted for his temperate appetite, he seldom gained weight.

resolution determination

Nothing could shake his resolution to succeed despite all difficulties.

resolve determination

Nothing could shake his resolve that his children would get the best education that money could buy.

static unchanging; lacking development

Nothing had changed at home; things were static there

mitigate appease

Nothing he did could mitigate her wrath; she was unforgiving.

torpor lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy

Nothing seemed to arouse him from his torpor; he had wholly surrendered himself to lethargy.

sanction approve; ratify

Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.

therapeutic curative

Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of

synthesis combining parts into a whole

Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next problem is to plan its synthesis in the

oracular foretelling; mysterious

Oedipus could not understand the oracular warning he received.

omnipresent universally present; ubiquitous

On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is omnipotent.

shyster lawyer using questionable methods.

On L.A. Law, respectable attorney Brackman was horrified to learn that his newly discovered half brother

panoramic denoting an unobstructed and comprehensive view

On a clear day, from the top of the World Trade Center you can get a panoramic view of New York City

partisan one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party

On certain issues of conscience, she refused to take a partisan stand.

momentous very important

On this momentous occasion, we must be very solemn.

litany supplicatory prayer

On this solemn day, the congregation responded to the prayers of the priest during the litany with fervor

nullify to make invalid

Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

seclusion isolation; solitude

One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion.

perspicuity clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity

One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear.

salient prominent

One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page.

perpetrate commit an offense

Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.

precedent preceding in time, rank, etc.

Our discussions, precedent to this event, certainly did not give you any reason to believe that we would

savant scholar

Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants.

polity form of government of nation or state

Our polity should be devoted to the concept that the government should strive for the good of all citizens.

puny insignificant; tiny; weak

Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.

limn draw; outline; describe

Parodoxically, the more realistic the details this artist chooses, the better able to limn her fantastic, other-

paradigm model; example; pattern

Pavlov's experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the conditioned-

steadfast loyal; unswerving

Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.

pestilential causing plague; baneful

People were afraid to explore the pestilential swap.

unsavory distasteful; morally offensive

People with unsavory reputations should not be allowed to work with young children.

scurvy despicable; contemptible

Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew.

ligneous like wood

Petrified wood may be ligneous in appearance, but it is stonelike in composition.

orient get one's bearings; adjust

Philip spent his first day in Denver orienting himself to the city.

proxy authorized agent

Please act as my proxy and vote for this slate of candidates in my absence.

superfluous excessive; overabundant, unnecessary

Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the bare facts.

vex annoy; distress

Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can.

wanton unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste

Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sara

vie contend; compete

Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.

slur insult to one's character or reputation; slander

Polls revealed that the front-runner's standing had been damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by

perpetual everlasting

Ponce de Leon hoped to find perpetual youth.

misdemeanor minor crime

The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a felony.

mealymouthed indirect speech; hypocritical; evasive

Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change

withdrawn introverted; remote

Rebuffed by his colleagues, the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn.

rile vex; irritate; muddy

Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.

scad a great quantity

Refusing Dave's offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, "No, thanks: I've got scads of clothes."

pseudonym pen name

Samuel Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain.

scenario plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto

Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their

profusion lavish expenditure; overabundant condition

Seldom have I seen food and drink served in such profusion as at the wedding feast.

rider amendment or clause added to a legislative bill

Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster's tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add

stipple paint or draw with dots

Seurat carefully stippled dabs of pure color on the canvas, juxtaposing dots of blue and yellow that the

nomadic wandering

Several nomadic tribes of Indians would hunt in this area each year.

utopia imaginary land with perfect social and political system

Shangri-la was the name of James Hilton's Tibetan utopia.

unwitting unintentional; not knowing

She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers

vindictive revengeful

She was very vindictive and never forgave an injury.

talisman charm

She wore the talisman to ward off evil.

minutiae petty details

She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living.

wrench pull; strain; twist

She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap.

propagate multiply; spread

Since bacteria propagate more quickly in unsanitary environments, it is important to keep hospital rooms

ultimatum last demand; warning

Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only recourse is to declare war.

superficial trivial; shallow

Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing

swill drink greedily

Singing, "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum," Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog.

ogle glance coquettishly at; make eyes at

Sitting for hours at the sidewalk cafe, the old gentleman would oggle the young girls and recall his youthful

multiform having many forms

Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal.

mirth merriment; laughter

Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.

theocracy government of a community by religious leaders

Some Pilgrims favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England.

prevaricate lie

Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and regard the statement as a "white

rubble fragments

Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen.

ravine narrow valley with steep sides

Steeper than a gully, less precipitous than a canyon, a ravine is, like them, the product of years of erosion.

lumber move heavily of clumsily

Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear lumbered through the woods.

levity lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity

Stop giggling abd wriggling around in the pew; such levity is improper in church.

prototype original work used as a model by others

The crude typewriter on display in this museum is the prototype of the elaborate machines in use today.

sportive playful

Such a sportive attitude is surprising in a person as serious as you usually are.

sloth laziness

Such sloth in a young person is deplorable; go to work!

slovenly untidy; slipshod

Such slovenly work habits will never produce good products.

vitriolic corrosive; sarcastic

Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.

witless foolish; idiotic

Such witless and fatuous statements will create the impression that you are an ignorant individual.

vortex whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged

Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz.

wan having a pale or sickly color; pallid

Suckling asked, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"

precipice cliff; dangerous position

Suddenly Indiana Jones found himself dangling from the edge of a precipice.

paranoia psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution

Suffering from paranois, he claimed everyone was out to get him; ironically, his claim was accurate; even

ubiquitous being everywhere; omnipresent

That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed ubiquitous: Justin heard the tune everywhere he went.

list tilt; lean over

That flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it lists to one side.

opalescent iridescent

The Ancient Mariner admired the opalescent sheen on the water.

penance self-imposed punishment for sin

The Ancient Mariner said, "I have penance done and penance more will do," to atone for the sin of killing

turncoat traitor

The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat.

manifesto declaration; statement of policy

The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism.

tenet doctrine; dogma

The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.

stickler perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right

The Internal Revenue Service agent was a stickler for accuracy; no approximations or rough estimates

tract pamphlet; a region of indefinite size

The King granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World.

nautical pertaining to ships or navigation

The Maritime Museum contains many models of clipper ships, logbooks, anchors and many other items of

scurry move briskly

The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.

prude excessively modest or proper person

The X-rated film was definitely not for prudes.

polarize split into opposite extremes or camps

The abortion issue has polarized the country into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps.

lavish liberal; wasteful

The actor's lavish gifts pleased her.

symmetry arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity

The addition of a second tower will give this edifice the symmetry that it now lacks.

tenuous thin; rare; slim

The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties; let us hope they will remain loyal.

rejuvenate make young again

The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.

tantrum fit of petulance; caprice

The child learned that he could have almost anything if he went into tantrums.

viable capable of maintaining life; practicable; workable

The infant, though prematurely born, is viable and has a good chance to survive.

skulduggery dishonest behavior

The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of skulduggery daily.

propulsive driving forward

The jet plane has a greater propulsive power than the engine-driven plane.

respite delay in punishment; interval of relief; rest

The judge granted the condemned man a respite to enable his attorneys to file an appeal.

statutory created by statute or legislative action

The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes.

potential expressing possibility; latent

The juvenile delinquent is a potential murderer.

nib beak; pen point

The nibs of fountain pens often become clotted and corroded.

voluptuous gratifying the senses

The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.

potentate monarch; sovereign

The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.

reprove censure; rebuke

The principal reproved the students when they became unruly in the auditorium.

nondescript undistinctive; ordinary

The private detective was a short, nondescript fellow with no ourstanding features, the sort of person one

prodigal wasteful; reckless with money

The prodigal son squandered his inheritance.

squander waste

The prodigal son squandered the family estate.

philology study of language

The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an international language.

synoptic providing a general overview; summary

The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new

pungency sharpness; stinging quality

The pungency of the cigarette smoke made me cough.

resurgent rising again after defeat, etc.

The resurgent nation surprised everyone by its quick recovery after total defeat.

migratory wandering

The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring.

ravenous extremely hungry

The revenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.

pander cater to the low desires of others

The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses' taste of violence.

riveting absorbing; engrossing

The reviewer described Byatt's novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, he had finished it

spasmodic fitful; periodic

The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers.

terminology terms used in a science or art

The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse laypersons

wary very cautious

The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.

stagnant motionless; stale; dull

The stagnant water was a breeding ground for disease

sinewy tough; strong and firm

The steak was too sinewy to chew

magnate person of prominence or influence

The steel magnate decided to devote more time to city politics.

visage face; appearance

The stern visage of the judge indicated that she had decided to impose a severe penalty.

macerate soften by soaking in liquid; waste away

The strawberries had been soaking in the champagn for so long that they had begun to macerate: they

pall grow tiresome

The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.

mandatory obligatory

These instructions are mandatory; any violation will be severely punished.

migrant changing its habitat; wandering

These migrant birds return every spring.

morbid given to unwholesome thought; gloomy

These morbid speculations are dangerous; we must lighten our spirits by emphasizing more pleasant

recurrent occurring again and again

These recurrent attacks disturbed us and we consulted a physician.

preclude make impossible; eliminate

This contract does not preclude my being employed by others at the same time that I am working for you.

transcend exceed; surpass

This accomplishment transcends all our previous efforts.

nugatory futile; worthless

This agreement is nugatory for no court will enforce it.

pristine characteristic of earlier times; primitive, unspoiled

This area has been preserved in all its pristine wildness.

verbose wordy

This article is too verbose; we must edit it.

lampoon ridicule

This article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls.

prosody the art of versification

This book on prosody contains a rhyming dictionary as well as samples of the various verse forms.

whelp young wolf, dog, tiger, etc.

This collie whelp won't do for breeding, but he'd make a fine pet.

precipitous steep; overhasty

This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as

windfall fallen fruit; unexpected lucky event

This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.

subsidiary subordinate; secondary

This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument.

malignant having an evil influence; virulent

This is a malignant disease; we must have to use drastic measures to stop its spread.

paltry insignificant; petty

This is a paltry sum to pay for such a masterpiece.

unilateral one-sided

This legislation is unilateral since it binds only one party in the controversy.

neophyte recent convert; beginner

This monuntain slope contains slides that will challenge esperts as well as neophytes.

vaunted boasted; bragged; highly publicized

This much vaunted project proved a disappointment when it collapsed.

obsession fixed idea; continued brooding

This obsession with the supernatural has made him unpopular with his neighbors.

recant repudiate; withdraw previous statement

Unless you recant your confession, you will be punished severely.

odorous having an odor

This variety of hybrid tea rose is more odorous than the one you have in your garden.

ventriloquist someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing

This ventriloquist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.

terminate to bring to an end

When his contract was terminated unexpectedly, he desperately needed a new job.

potion dose (of liquid

Tristan and Lsolde drink a love potion in the first act of the opera.

ostentatious showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention

Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling place in the East: it easily

litigation lawsuit

Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to start litigation.

veracity truthfulness

Trying to prove Hill a liar, Senator Spector repeatedly questioned her veracity.

truculence agressiveness; ferocity

Tynan's reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence.

qualified limited; restricted

Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement.

vacillate waver; fluctuate

Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other.

stratum layer of earth's surface; layer of society

Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt.

outmoded no longer stylish; old-fahioned

Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they

tutelage guardianship; training

Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.

pedestrian ordinary; unimaginative

Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose.

spontaneity impulsiveness; absence of premeditation

What I liked best about Dale's parties was their spontaneity: a couple of friends would drop by, someone

spat squabble; minor dispute

What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.

mottled spotted

When he blushed, his face took on a mottled hue.

ossify change or harden into bone

When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he implied that his adversary's brain had ossified and that he

paroxysm fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage

When he heared of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a paroxysm of rage.

longevity long life

When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

penitent repentant

When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and penitent.

touchstone stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion

What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person?

repeal revoke; annul

What would the effect on our society be if we decriminalized drug use by repealing the laws against the

witticism witty saying; facetious remark

What you regard as witticisms are often offensive to sensitive people.

prompt cause; provoke; provide a cue for an actor

Whatever prompted you to ask for such a big piece of cake when you're on a diet?

preposterous absurd; ridiculous

When the candidate tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled,

merger combination (of two business corporations

When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't a

pandemonium wild tumult

When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out among the passengers.

prune cut away; trim

With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her manuscript into publishable form.

variegated many-colored

Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.

subsidy direct financial aid by government, etc.

Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets.

onomatopoeia words formed in imitation of natural sounds

Words like "rustle" and "gargle" are illustrations of onomatopoeia.

paradox statement that looks false but is actually correct; a contradictory statement

Wordworth's "The child is father to the man" is an example of paradox.

wispy thin; slight; barely discernible

Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair, Walter carefully massaged his scalp and applied hair

quip taunt

You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments.

sophist teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning

You are using all the devices of a sophist in trying to prove your case; your argument is specious.

opportune timely; well chosen

You have come at an opportune moment for I need a new secretary.

mincing affectedly dainty

Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.

miasma swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive

corrupting influence

pharisaical pertaining to Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous;

hypocritical

nirvana Buddihist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an

impersonal beatitude

pragmatic practical (as opposed to idealistic; concerned with the practical worth or impact of

something

titanic gigantic

titanic waves beat aginst the shore during the hurricane.