Too much GRE :(

malign

(adj) evil in nature (verb) speak about in a spiteful, critical manner

concomitant

(adj) naturally accompanying or associated; (noun) a phenomenon that naturally accompanies or follows something

buoyant

(adj.) able to float easily; able to hold things up; cheerful, hopeful

surly

(adj.) angry and bad-tempered; rude

lithe

(adj.) bending easily, limber, flexible

trite

(adj.) commonplace; overused, stale

loquacious

(adj.) talkative, wordy; fond of talking

braggart

(n.) a boaster; (adj.) boastful in a loud, annoying way

demagogue

(n.) a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

equanimity

(n.) calmness, composure, refusal to panic

charlatan

(n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack

effrontery

(n.) shameless boldness, impudence

lassitude

(n.) weariness of body or mind, lack of energy

demur

(noun) a formal objection to an opponent's pleading (verb) take exception to

callousness

(noun) insenstitive and cruel disregard for others

scuffle

(noun) short, confused fight at close quarters, sound of moving in a hurried manner. (verb) engage in a aforementioned fight, move in hurried way.

prolix

(of speech or writing) using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy

ascribe

(v.) to assign or refer to (as a cause or source), attribute

substantiate

(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

Egalitarianism

A belief in the equality of all people

pecuniary

adjective: relating to or involving money Synonyms : monetary The defendent was found guilty and had to serve a period of community service as well as pay .............. damages to the client.//If your grandfather's antique watch has........... value, it's worth money — you could sell it for cash if you weren't sentimentally attached to keeping it.// As you might suspect, the couple's polar ............. perspectives has led to some iciness in their relationship.

pastoral

adjective: relating to the countryside in a pleasant sense, related to shepherds devoted to raising sheep or cattle. Synonyms : Arcadian , bucolic Those who imagine America's countryside as a ........... region are often disappointed to learn that much of rural U.S. is filled with cornfields extending as far as the eye can see.

bucolic

adjective: relating to the pleasant aspects of the country Synonyms : peasant , provincial The noble families of England once owned vast expanses of beautiful,.............land.

germane

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

self-effacing

adjective: reluctant to draw attention to yourself Synonyms : reticent , retiring The most admirable teachers and respected leaders are those who are ............................, directing attention and praise to their students and workers.

reticent

adjective: reluctant to draw attention to yourself; temperamentally disinclined to talk Synonyms : untalkative, retiring , self-effacing When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather ................

apposite

adjective: remarkably appropriate For a writer with such quick wit, Jonathan Swift has a rather ....................... name.

banal

adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse Synonyms : commonplace , hackneyed , old-hat , shopworn , stock , threadbare , timeworn , tired , trite , well-worn The professor used such .......... expression that many students in the class either fell asleep from bordeom or stayed awake to complete his sentences and humor friends.

exacting

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

amorphous

adjective: shapeless Synonyms : formless , shapeless , unstructured His study plan for the GRE was at best amorphous; he would do questions from random pages in any one of seven test prep books.

diffident

adjective: showing modest reserve; lacking self-confidence Synonyms : shy , timid , unsure, coy As a young girl she was ............. and reserved, but now as an adult, she is confident and assertive.

deferential

adjective: showing respect Synonyms : reverent , regardful If you ever have the chance to meet the president, stand up straight and be ...........

dolorous

adjective: showing sorrow Synonyms : lachrymose , tearful , weeping Chopin's ballades are filled with sharp changes in moods--a ......................... melody can give way to a lighthearted tempo.

lachrymose

adjective: showing sorrow: ............................ and depressed, Alexei Alexandrovich walked two miles home in the rain after learning that his wife was having an affair.

empathetic

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

telling

adjective: significant and revealing of another factor Her unbecoming dress was very ..........when it came to her sense of fashion. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

obtuse

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

mellifluous

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

negligible

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

aphoristic

adjective: something that is concise and instructive of a general truth or principle Sometimes I can't stand Nathan because he tries to impress everyone by being ..........., but he just states the obvious.//The book's flowery tone can occasionally distract, but its ........... philosophy is timeless.

thrifty

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

profligate

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

eminent

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

egregious

adjective: standing out in negative way; shockingly bad Synonyms : crying , flagrant , glaring , gross , rank The dictator's abuse of human rights was so egregious that many world leaders demanded that he be tried in an international court for genocide.

surreptitious

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

extant

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

besotted

adjective: strongly affectionate towards Even though her father did not approve, Juliet became ............... with the young Romeo. adjective: very drunk Never before have I seen my mom so ...................., and honestly, I hope it's the last time she drinks so much.

tenacious

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

appurtenant

adjective: supply added support In hiking Mt. Everest, sherpas are ...................., helping climbers both carry gear and navigate treacherous paths// Good physical health is ....................to mental well-being.

timorous

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

flush

adjective: to be in abundance. to turn red (especially in the face), to send down the toilet, to be in abundance, and to drive out of hiding .......... has all four of these totally unrelated definitions. Synonyms : bloom , blossom , efflorescence , flower , heyday , peak , prime The exam's passage is ........... with difficult words, words that you may have learned only yesterday. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

commensurate

adjective: to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount The convicted felon's life sentence was commensurate to the heinousness of his crime.

gregarious

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

demure

adjective: to be modest and shy Synonyms : coy , overmodest The portrait of her in a simple white blouse was sweet and ...............

sententious

adjective: to be moralizing, usually in a pompous sense The old man, casting his nose up in the air(idiom= behave in haughty manner) at the group of adolescents, intoned ................., "Youth is wasted on the young."

ingenuous

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

remiss

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

histrionic

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

contrite

adjective: to be remorseful Synonyms : remorseful , rueful , ruthful Though he stole his little sister's licorice stick with malevolent glee, Chucky soon became ............ when his sister wouldn't stop crying.

blinkered

adjective: to have a limited outlook or understanding, limited in view point In gambling, the addict is easily ............ by past successes and/or past failures, forgetting that the outcome of any one game is independent of the games that preceded it.//The characters have a ...............view and, misinterpreting what they see, sometimes take totally inexpedient action

vindictive

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

undermine

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

ineffable

adjective: too sacred to be uttered; when you find something hard to express While art critics can occasionally pinpoint a work's greatness, much of why a piece captures our imaginations is completely ................

pellucid

adjective: transparently clear; easily understandable Synonyms : crystal clear , limpid , perspicuous The professor had a remarkable ability make even the most difficult concepts seem ........................

itinerant

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

harried

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

unforthcoming

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

desiccated

adjective: uninteresting, lacking vitality/ dried out, preserved Synonyms : arid Few novelists over 80 are able to produce anything more than .......... work.//Residents left their homeland for a.......................nearby island called Rongerik where they nearly starved.

erratic

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

brazen

adjective: unrestrained by convention or propriety/ With ............... disregard for the sign that said "no cellphones please" the woman took a long call in the doctor's office waiting room. ............... refers to something shocking, done shamelessly. Synonyms : audacious , bald-faced , barefaced , bodacious , brassy , brazen-faced , insolent Their large "donations" to the local police department gave the drug cartel the ............... confidence to do their business out in the open.

spartan

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

loath

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

taxing

adjective: use to the limit; exhaust Synonyms : burdensome , onerous The hike to the summit of Mt. Whitney was so ............. that I could barely speak or stand up. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

munificent

adjective: very generous Synonyms : lavish , overgenerous , too-generous , unsparing , unstinted , unstinting Uncle Charley was known for his ................., giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year.

unstinting

adjective: very generous,giving without restraints Helen is ............... with her time, often spending hours at the house of a sick friend.

affluent

adjective: wealthy The center of the city had sadly become a pit of penury, while, only five miles away, multi-million dollar homes spoke of .............

cohesive

adjective: well integrated, forming a united whole A well-written,............. essay will keep on topic at all times, never losing sight of the main argument.

illustrious

adjective: widely known and esteemed; 2)having or deserving glory or glorious : e.g an ............ative carrier Synonyms : celebrated , famed , famous , far-famed , notable , noted , renowned Einstein was possibly the most ................. scientist in recent history.

quixotic

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

audacious

adjective: willing to be bold in social situations or to take risks Synonyms : brave , dauntless , fearless , hardy , intrepid , unfearing As all of the other campers cowered in their tents, Bill, armed only with a flashlight, .......... tracked down the bear that had raided their food.

callow

adjective: young and inexperienced Synonyms : fledgling , unfledged Both Los Angeles and New York are known for ........................out-of-towners hoping to make it big.

fledgling

adjective: young and inexperienced; describing any new participant in some activity Synonyms : callow , unfledged,entrant , fledgeling , freshman , neophyte , newbie , newcomer , starter, Murray has years of experience in family practice, but he is just a ................. in surgery.

assiduously

adverb: with care and persistence *1* The top college football program recruits new talent ............... only choosing those who were the top in their county.

pluralist

advocate of a system in which multiple groups (or similar) coexist

foppish

affecting extreme elegance in dress and manner

accord

agreement

droll

amusing; comical

coterie

an exclusive group of people

circumlocution

an indirect way of expressing something

ingrate

an ungrateful person

canonical

authorised, accepted

evasive

avoiding or escaping from difficulty or danger or commitment; deliberately vague or ambiguous

sullen

bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy

differentiate

be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait (sometimes in positive sense); evolve so as to lead to to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment

neophyte

beginner

affectation

behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress

chivalrous

being attentive to women like an ideal knight

disparage

belitte or critisize

belfry

bell tower

acerbic

biting, bitter in tone or taste

ennui

boredom

embroil

bring into an argument or negative situation

bridle

bring something under control, show resentment or anger (maybe a bride can bridle)

alacrity

brisk and cheerful readiness

practicable

capable of being done; feasible; usable

discreet

careful to protect one's speech or actions in order to avoid offense or draw attention

polemical

causing debate or argument

circumspect

cautious, discreet

impetuous

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

glib

chatty but insincere

bilk

cheat, swindle

corral

collect or gather

vanquish

come out better in a competition, race, or conflict (conquer)

prosaic

commonplace, opposed to poetry

vie

compete for something

unexpurgated

complete, containing all material; uncensored

destitute

completely wanting or lacking

cosmopolitan

comprising many cultures; global in reach and outlook

epistolary

concerned with letters; through correspondence

strictures

conditions or rules

manacle

confine or restrain (as if with manacles)

corroborate

confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding)

nonchalant

cool and confident, unconcerned

curmudgeon

cranky, difficult person

exegesis

critical interpretation

objurgate

criticize/criticism

diurnal

daily, daytime

tenebrous

dark and gloomy

chicanery

deception by means of craft or guile

rumination

deep thought about something

dalliance

deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working

devolve

deputize; pass or be passed to others (power, work, or property); Ex. devolve on/upon/to

convivial

describing a lively atmosphere

creditable

deserving of praise but not that amazing

decimation

destroying or killing a large part of the population

enumerate

determine the number or amount of; specify individually, one by one

cumbersome

difficult to handle or use especially because of size or weight

enigmatic

difficult to understand or interpret, mysterious

desultory

disconnected and random

diatribe

disconnected and random

contumacious

disobedient, rebellious

indignant

displaying anger at something unjust or wrong

louche

disreputable in an appealing way

augury

divine prediction

schism

division of a group into opposing factions

perfunctory

done without care; in a routine fashion

extemporaneous

done without preparation

declivity

downward slope

hortatory

encouraging; inciting

complementary

enhancing each other's qualities (for two things or more)

cupidity

excessive greed; avarice

florid

excessively decorated or embellished

effusive

excessively demonstrative

boorish

ill-mannered and coarse and contemptible in behavior or appearance (천박한)

cantakerous

ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable

amply

more than is adequate

ingenue

naive, unsophisticated person

skittish

nervous, easily excitable

august

noble, magestic

placid

not easily upset

inchoate

not fully formed; disorganized

frivolous

not having any serious purpose or value, carefree

extraneous

not relevant or essential

stipend

noun: a regular allowance (of money) He was hoping for a monthly allowance loan from the government, but after no such ........... was forthcoming he realized he would have to seek other means of paying for his college tuition.

simulacrum

noun: a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture):The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center showcases a ................................... of all the present and approved buildings in the city of Shanghai.

gaffe

noun: a socially awkward or tactless act, a mistake that embarrasses you in front of others. Synonyms : faux pas , gaucherie , slip , solecism In a famous ............, Vice President Quayle attempted to correct the spelling of a grade school student, only to find that the child was correct.

tumult

noun: a state of chaos, noise and confusion Synonyms : garboil , , uproar,commotion , din , ruckus , ruction , rumpus Riots broke out just in front of our apartment building, and the ............continued late into the night.

enmity

noun: a state of deep-seated ill-will Synonyms : antagonism , hostility Charles rude remark toward Sarah yesterday was due to his illness, not due to any real ............. toward Sarah.

flux

noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event) Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of ........ This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

prognostication

noun: a statement made about the future Synonyms : forecasting , foretelling , prediction When the Senator was asked about where the negotiations would lead, he said that any guess he could make would be an unreliable ................

predilection

noun: a strong liking Synonyms : penchant , preference , taste Monte had a .................. for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars, 200 dollar bottles of wine, and trips to the French Riviera.

recapitulation

noun: a summary (think of recap) Synonyms : recap , review Every point of the professors lesson was so clear that the students felt his concluding ................ was not necessary.

banality

noun: a trite or obvious remark Synonyms : bromide , cliche , commonplace , platitude Herbert regarded the minister's remark as a mere ............ until Sharon pointed out profound implications (deep inferences)to the seemingly obvious words.

conflagration

noun: a very intense and uncontrolled fire Synonyms : inferno In the summer months, .................. are not uncommon in the southwest, do to the heat and lack of rain.

invective

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

vitriol

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

audacity

noun: aggressive boldness in social situations Synonyms : audaciousness , temerity She surprised her colleagues by having the ............... to publically criticize the findings of an distinguished scientist.

collusion

noun: agreement on a secret plot Synonyms : connivance Many have argued that Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK's assassin, was in ............... with other criminals; others maintain that Oswald was a lone gunman.

apathy

noun: an absence of emotion or enthusiasm Widespread ............. among voters led to a very small turnout on election day.

travesty

noun: an absurd presentation of something; a mockery What I expected to be an intelligent, nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced ............. of the form.

cornucopia

noun: an abundant supply of something good Synonyms : profuseness , profusion , richness The International Food Expo was a ................ of culinary delights: gourmet foods from every continent were under one roof.

screed

noun: an abusive rant (often tedious) Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, enumerated all of the government's deficiencies--only to break ranks and launch into some ............ against big business. additional info: break ranks = to do or say something different from what a group you belong to does or says

enormity

noun: an act of extreme wickedness Synonyms : outrageousness, turpitude, heinous, diabolical, monstrousness The........................... of Pol Pot's regime is hard to capture in words--within months hundreds of thousands of Cambodians lost their lives. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

redress

noun: an act of making something right Barry forgot his wife's birthday two years in a row, and was only able to ................ his oversight/unintentional failure by surprising his wife with a trip to Tahiti.

bastardization

noun: an act that debases or corrupts: The movie World War Z is a complete ...................................... of the book with little more in common than zombies and a title.

junta

noun: an aggressive takeover by a group (usually military) As dangerous of a threat as North Korea is, some analysts believe that were a ............ suddenly to gain power, it could be even more unpredictable and bellicose(agressive) than the current leadership

row

noun: an angry dispute: The Prime Minister looked very foolish after his ............ with the foreign dignitary was caught on video and posted on youtube.

tirade

noun: an angry speech Synonyms : broadside , philippic In terms of political change, a .......... oftentimes does little more than make the person speaking red in the face.

intimation

noun: an indirect suggestion At first the hostess tried ................., praising the benefits of cutlery; when Cecil continued eating with his hands, the hostess told him to use a fork at dinner.

powwow

noun: an informal meeting or discussion Before the team takes the field, the coach always calls for a .............. so that he can make sure all the players are mentally in the right place.

pariah

noun: an outcast,someone that has been soundly rejected by their community Synonyms : castaway , ishmael The once eminent scientist, upon being found guilty of faking his data, has become a ............ in the research community.

panache

noun: distinctive and stylish elegance Jim, with his typical ............., came to the wedding reception with a top hat, a cane, and a long cape covered in sequins.

apotheosis

noun: exaltation(elevation) to divine status; the highest point of development Synonyms : ideal , nonesuch , nonpareil , non such , paragon , saint,deification , exaltation As difficult as it is to imagine, the ................. of Mark Zuckerberg's career, many believe, is yet to come.

largess

noun: extreme generosity and giving Uncle Frank was known for his ..........., so his nephew was sad when he did not receive a present for his birthday.

jingoism

noun: fanatical patriotism North Korea maintains intense control over its population through a combination of ............ and cult of personality.

chauvinism

noun: fanatical patriotism; belief that one's group/cause is superior to all other groups/causes : Vegetarians argue that man is ....................................... in his belief that animals do not consciously feel the pain we humans do.

apprehension

noun: fearful expectation Synonyms : dread,misgiving Test day can be one of pure ................, as many students worry about their test scores.

temerity

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

asperity

noun: harshness of manner The editor was known for his ..................., often sending severe letters of rejection to amateur writers.

clemency

noun: leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice In the final moments of the trial, during his closing speech, Phillips was nearly begging the judge for...................

raillery

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

calumny

noun: making of a false statement meant to injure a person's reputation Synonyms : calumniation , defamation , hatchet job , obloquy , aspersion , slander , denigration , traducement With the presidential primaries well under way, the air is thick with calumny, and the mud already waist-high.

paragon

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

moment

noun: significant and important value Synonyms : consequence , import Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great ................. in Hampton's writing career, and within a few years the public quickly forgot his foray into theater arts. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study More info: Hullabaloo is a lovely term for a fuss or commotion, usually over something of little or no importance, like a celebrity's new hair style.

resource

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

iconoclast

noun: somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions Lady Gaga, in challenging what it means to be clothed, is an iconoclast for wearing a "meat dress" to a prominent awards show.

tyro

noun: someone new to a field or activity Synonyms : beginner , initiate , novice All great writers, athletes, and artists were ................ at one time—unknown, clumsy, and unskilled with much to learn.

malingerer

noun: someone shirking their duty by pretending to be sick or incapacitated Synonyms : shammer , skulker At one time, our country was full of hardworking respectful people, but now it seems that everyone is a ................. with little inclination to work.

exiguity

noun: the quality of being meager : After two months at sea, the ........................ of the ship's supplies forced them to search for fresh water and food. exiguous means very small

artlessness

noun: the quality of innocence Synonyms : ingenuousness , innocence , naturalness I, personally, found the ............ of her speech charming.

volubility

noun: the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously Synonyms : articulateness , fluency The professor's.............. knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick's Day to the next.

jargon

noun: the specialized language used by people in the same work or profession. Synonyms : argot , cant , lingo , patois , slang , vernacular, palaver, patter, twaddle To those with little training in medicine, the ................ of doctors can be very difficult to understand.

zeitgeist

noun: the spirit or essence of a particular time, The spirit or genius which marks the thought or feeling of a period or age, it is "an idea or image that is iconic of a particular moment( http://www.dailywritingtips.com/using-................-coherently/) this link will help in how to use it Each decade has its own ................... - the 1990's was a prosperous time in which the promise of the American Dream never seemed more palpable.

primacy

noun: the state of being first in importance The .............. of Apple Computers is not guaranteed, as seen in the recent lawsuits and weak growth.

inanity

noun: total lack of meaning or ideas Bill's poem was nothing more than a list of impressive sounding words, so there was no point in trying to take meaning from the ...................//The broadcasters' complicity in the ............ of our politics is no laughing matter.

serendipitous

occurring or discovered by chance in a happy or beneficial way

outmoded

old-fashioned, outdated

sartorial

relating to a tailor. (sounds like sari tore - thus need a tailer to fix it).

lapidary

relating to precious stones or the art of cutting them (or polishing them)

gustatory

relating to the sense of taste

transmute

verb: change or alter in form, appearance, or nature Synonyms : metamorphose , transform,transubstantiate When you're fighting a wizard, don't be surprised if he .................. into a terrifying dragon.//One of the goals of alchemy was to find the substance or process that would ...................... lead into gold.

abstain

verb: choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable) Considered a health nut, Jessica .......... from anything containing sugar-even chocolate.

circumvent

verb: cleverly find a way out of one's duties or obligations One way of ............... the GRE is to apply to a grad school that does not require GRE scores.

subsume

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

lacerate

verb: deeply hurt the feelings of; distress The teacher was fired for ......................... a student who wrote a poor essay.

gainsay

verb: deny or contradict; speak against or oppose Synonyms : challenge , dispute I can't .............. a single piece of evidence James has presented, but I still don't trust his conclusion.

disenfranchise

verb: deprive of voting rights The U.S. Constitution ............... women until 1920 when they were given the right to vote.

extrapolate

verb: draw from specific cases for more general cases

machinate

verb: engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together, plan something The rebels met at night in an abandoned barn to ...................

objurgate

verb: express strong disapproval of, chastise, reprimand The manager spent an hour ............ the employee in the hopes that he would not make these mistakes again.// He .............. his clumsiness and went on, picking his way more cautiously.

renege

verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation Synonyms : go back on , renege on , renegue on We will no longer work with that vendor since it has .........d on nearly every agreement.

frustrate

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of I thought I would finish writing the paper by lunchtime, but a number of urgent interruptions served to ............ my plan. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

irk

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

preclude

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

guffaw

verb: laugh boisterously Synonyms : laugh loudly, chortle Whenever the jester( professional joker) fell to the ground in mock pain, the king...................., exposing his yellow, fang-like teeth.

belittle

verb: lessen the importance, dignity, or reputation of A good teacher will never ............... his students, but will instead empower them.

devolve

verb: pass on or delegate to another Synonyms : degenerate , deteriorate , drop The company was full of managers known for ..................... tasks to lower management, but never doing much work themselves. verb: grow worse (usually "............ into") The dialogue between the two academics .......... into a downright bitter argument.

repudiate

verb: reject as untrue or unfounded Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to ............... the rumors.

dissipate

verb: squander or spend money frivolously: The recent graduates ............................. their earnings on trips to Las Vegas and cruises in Mexico.

emulate

verb: strive to equal or match, especially by imitating; compete with successfully To really become fluent in a new language, .............. the speech patterns and intonation of people who speak the language.

squelch

verb: suppress or crush completely After the dictator consolidated his power, he took steps to ......... all criticism, often arresting any journalist who said anything that could be interpreted as negative about his regime.

supplant

verb: take the place or move into the position of; Supersede For many, a cell phone has ......... a traditional phone; in fact, most 20-somethings don't even have a traditional phone anymore.

conniving

verb: taking part in immoral and unethical plots The queen was so ........... that, with the help of the prince, she tried to overthrow the king.

pontificate

verb: talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner The vice-president would often ...................... about economic theory, as if no one else in the room were qualified to speak on the topic. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

vindicate

verb: to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof Synonyms : justify Even seven Tour de France wins cannot vindicate Lance Armstrong in the eyes of the public--that the athlete used performance enhancing drugs invalidates all those wins.

eradicate

verb: to completely destroy I tried .............ing the mosquitos in my apartment with a rolled up newspaper, but there were too many of them.

execrate

verb: to curse and hiss at(to make hissing sound at someone to show disapproval), to criticize very strongly Synonyms : accurse , anathematise , anathematize , anathemise , anathemize , comminate,imprecation Though the new sitcom did decently in the ratings, Nelson railed against the show, saying that it was nothing more than an ............ pastiche of tired cliché's and canned laughter.

fleece

verb: to deceive ........... by = deceived by Synonyms : gazump , hook , overcharge , pluck , plume , rob , soak , surcharge Many people have been.............. by Internet scams and never received their money back. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

indict

verb: to formally charge or accuse of wrong-doing The bankrobber was............... on several major charges, including possession of a firearm.

cow

verb: to intimidate Synonyms : overawe Do not be............... by a 3,000-word vocabulary list: turn that list into a deck of flashcards! This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

remonstrate

verb: to make objections while pleading( The sense is that the person ............ing is the victim — they're just making the injustice plain.), disapprove angrily Synonyms : bawl out , berate , call down , call on the carpet , chew out , chew up , chide , dress down , have words , jaw , lambast , lambaste , lecture , rag , rebuke , reprimand , reproof , scold , take to task , trounce The mothers of the kidnapped victims ..................... to the rogue government to release their children, claiming that the detention violated human rights.

mollify

verb: to make someone angry less angry; placate In the morning, Harriat was unable to........ Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he had his cup of coffee.

badger

verb: to pester ............. is to bother. Persistently. On and on. Without stop. Relentlessly. Over and over. Endlessly. It comes from the name of that chipmunk-like animal that burrows into the ground. Synonyms : beleaguer , bug , pester , tease ................. by his parents to find a job, the 30-year-old loafer instead joined a gang of itinerant musicians. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

propitiate

verb: to placate or appease The two sons, plying their angry father with cheesy neckties for Christmas, were hardly able to ............... him - the father already had a drawer full of ones he had never worn before or ever planned to.

contrive

verb: to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery Despite a low GPA, he ........... to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

castigate

verb: to reprimand harshly Synonyms : chasten , chastise , correct , objurgate Drill sergeants are known to castigate new recruits so mercilessly that the latter often break down during their first week in training.

venerate

verb: to respect deeply Synonyms : fear , revere , reverence The professor, despite his sleep-inducing lectures, was venerated amongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.

equivocate

verb: to speak vaguely, usually with the intention to mislead or deceive Synonyms : beat around the bush , palter , prevaricate , tergiversate After Sharon brought the car home an hour after her curfew, she ................ when her parents pointedly asked her where she had been.

mesmerize

verb: to spellbind or enthrall Synonyms : bewitch , magnetise , magnetize , mesmerise The plot and the characters were so well developed that many viewers were ..............d, unable to move their eyes from the screen for even a single second.

avert

verb: turn away Afraid to see the aftermath of the car crash, I ........d my eyes as we drove by. verb: ward off or prevent The struggling videogame company put all of its finances into one final, desperate project to ............. bankrupcy.

deter

verb: turn away from by persuasion Synonyms : dissuade His mother tried to ............ him from joining the army, but he was too intoxicated with the idea of war to listen. verb: try to prevent; show opposition to Synonyms : discourage The government's primary job should involve ................. paths to war, not finding ways to start them.

invective

violent criticism

palatable

adjective: Acceptable or agreeable to the mind or sensibilities Synonyms : toothsome MIkey didn't partake( take part in, join) much in his friends' conversations, but found their presence.....................

pristine

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

obsequious

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

economical

adjective: avoiding waste, efficient Synonyms : frugal , scotch , sparing , stinting Journalists favor an ............. style of writing, in which no unnecessary words are used and every sentence is as short as possible.

arbitrary

adjective: based on a random, groundless decision One of the .......... decrees in place during the emperor's rule is that all citizens pay him weekly homage at his palace. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

tantamount

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

rudimentary

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

coterminous

adjective: being of equal extent or scope or duration/ having boundary in common Synonyms : coextensive The border of the state is ......................... with geographic limits on travel; the east and north are surrounded by a nearly uncrossable river and the south by a desert.// If an earthquake in Australia was .................with the earthquake in China, that means it caused the same amount of destruction.

apocryphal

adjective: being of questionable authenticity The web is notorious for sandwiching ............... stories between actual news.

moribund

adjective: being on the point of death; declining rapidly losing all momentum in progress Synonyms : stagnant,dying Whether you like it or not, jazz as a genre is .............. at best, possibly already dead.//The weekend provided fresh evidence of the difficulty Hollywood has had in reviving ............ characters and franchises this year

peremptory

adjective: bossy and domineering Synonyms : autocratic , bossy , dominating , high-and-mighty , magisterial My sister used to ................ tell me to do the dishes, a chore I would either do perfunctorily or avoid doing altogether.

nettlesome

adjective: causing irritation or annoying Maria found her coworkers cell phone .........., because every few minutes it would buzz to life with another text message.

provincial

adjective: characteristic of the a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated, Individuals or groups of people who are considered narrow-minded are often labeled ............., even if they're from the city. Maggie's enthusiasm about her high school teams seemed ............ to her college classmates, all of whom were following a nationally ranked college team.

forthright

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

scrupulous

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

decorous

adjective: characterized by good taste in manners and conduct Sally's parties are .............. affairs, and instead of the usual beer and music, there is tea and intellectual conversation.

ethereal

adjective: characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible// delicacy, heavenly Synonyms : aerial , aeriform , aery , airy, gossamer Because she dances with an ...................... style, ballet critics have called her Madame Butterfly// Entrepreneurs eye the ................ real estate a couple of hundred miles up as a potentially lucrative new market

facetious

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

involved

adjective: complicated, and difficult to comprehend Synonyms : byzantine , convoluted , knotty , tangled , tortuous The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduate's eyes glazed over.

aesthetic

adjective: concerned with the appreciation of beauty Synonyms : aesthetical , esthetic , esthetical The director, not known for his ................. sensibilities, decided not to use costumes at all, and put on the play in everyday clothing. noun: a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. The artist operated according to a peculiar ................., not considering any photograph to be worth publishing unless it contained a marine mammal.

pithy

adjective: concise and full of meaning Synonyms : sententious(pompous and pretentious, and full of moralistic babble.)/ concise I enjoy reading the Daodejing for its ............ and insightful prose; it always gives me something to think about.

esoteric

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

equivocal

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

complacent

adjective: contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions Synonyms : self-complacent , self-satisfied After the water polo team won their sixth championship, they became .............. and didn't even make it to the playoffs the next year.

iconoclastic

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

arduous

adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance Synonyms : straining , strenuous In order to deal with the ............. cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.

stringent

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

stalwart

adjective: dependable; inured (get used) to fatigue or hardships,loyal, having rugged physical strengths Despite all the criticism directed at the President during this scandal, Lisa has remained his .................. supporter// "proud of her tall .................. son

scintillating

adjective: describes someone who is brilliant and lively Synonyms : aglitter , coruscant , fulgid , glinting , glistering , glittering , glittery , scintillant , sparkly, bubbling , effervescent , frothy Richard Feynman was renowned for his ..............lectures—the arcana (mysteries) of quantum physics was made lucid as he wrote animatedly (excitedly) on the chalkboard.

pyrrhic

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

concomitant

adjective: describing an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another: ................................. with his desire for nature was a desire for the culture and energy of a big city.

vacuous

adjective: devoid of intelligence, matter, or significance Synonyms : asinine , fatuous , inane , mindless,empty , hollow To the journalist's pointed question, the senator gave a ............response, mixing a few of his overall campaign slogans with platitudes(canned or phony phrases) and completely avoiding the controversial subject of the question.

elusive

adjective: difficult to capture or difficult to remember Synonyms : baffling , knotty , problematic , problematical , tough Many first time skydivers say that describing the act of falling from the sky is ....................

recondite

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

ignoble

adjective: dishonorable, completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose In the 1920s, the World Series was rigged--an ............. act which baseball took decades to recover from.

impermeable

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

hegemony

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

preemptive

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

sedulous

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

perfunctory

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

precipitous

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

humdrum

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

prosaic

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

insipid

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

jejune

adjective: dull; lacking flavor Synonyms : insubstantial,insipid Although many top chefs have secured culinary foam's popularity in haute cuisine, Waters criticizes it for being .........and unfilling. adjective: immature; childish Synonyms : adolescent , juvenile , puerile Her boss further cemented his reuptation for being .............. after throwing a fit(very angry) when the water cooler wasn't refilled.

pugnacious

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

venial

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

docile

adjective: easily handled or managed; willing to be taught or led or supervised or directed Barnyard animals are considerably more .......... than the wild animals.

limpid

adjective: easy understandable, clear and bright , transmitting light Synonyms : crystal clear , crystalline , lucid , pellucid , transparent,perspicuous,lucid Her ........... prose made even the most recondite(obscure) subjects accessible to all.

sentimental

adjective: effusively or insincerely emotional, especially in art, music, and literature, emotions are involved a little too much Synonyms : bathetic , drippy , hokey , kitschy , maudlin , mawkish , mushy , schmaltzy , schmalzy , slushy , soppy , soupy I don't like romanticism for the same reason I don't like melodramatic acting and soap operas - overly ...............

cadaverous

adjective: emaciated; gaunt, become very thin Synonyms : bony ,haggard , pinched , skeletal , wasted, attenuated Some actors take challenging roles in which they have to lose so much weight that they appear .................

poignant

adjective: emotionally touching Synonyms : affecting , touching After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play's most ............moment, the two griefstricken familes agree to end their feud once and for all. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

pernicious

adjective: exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way Synonyms : baneful , deadly , pestilent,insidious , subtle The most successful viruses are ............... : an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.

hagiographic

adjective: excessively flattering toward someone's life or work, noun (hagiography), ............. are often about saints. Most accounts of Tiger Woods life were ................, until, that is, his affairs made headlines.//The new film, opening Friday in District theaters, follows the typical ................ approach of re-examining a director's career through his output.

presumptuous

adjective: excessively forward.When someone takes liberties, doing things too boldly, you can describe them with the adjective....................... Many felt that Barney was ............ in moving into the large office before the management even made any official announcement of his promotion.

avaricious

adjective: excessively greedy Since ................. desire is similar to gluttony or lust--sins of excess-it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church.

lugubrious

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

artful

adjective: exhibiting artistic skill Picasso is generally considered the most artful member of the Cubist movement. adjective: clever in a cunning way Bernie Madoff's artful Ponzi scheme stole billions of dollars from investors and is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history.

dictatorial

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

pejorative

adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term) Synonyms : dislogistic , dyslogistic Most psychologists object to(disapprove) the ......... term "shrink", believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it.//If you call someone a politician in the ............... sense, you mean that they are scheming and out for personal gain.

elegiac

adjective: expressing sorrow, thernodial , sad, melancholy Few can listen to the .................. opening bars of the Moonlight sonata without feeling the urge to cry.

inflammable

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

benighted

adjective: fallen into a state of ignorance , intellectually or moral ignorant Synonyms : nighted,dark Far from being a period of utter ..................., The Medieval Ages produced some great works of theological speculation.

doleful

adjective: filled with or evoking sadness No event is more........... than the passing of my mother; she was a shining star in my life, and it brings me great sadness to think that she is now gone.

entrenched

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

baleful

adjective: foreshadowing evil or tragic developments Movies often use storms or rain clouds as a ............ omen of evil events that will soon befall the main character.

quotidian

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

precarious

adjective: fraught/filled with danger, unstable state (likely to get worse) People smoke to relax and forget their cares, but ironically, in terms of health risks, smoking is far more ......................... than either mountain-climbing or skydiving.

patent

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

adequate

adjective: good enough for what you need Synonyms : decent , enough A very light jacket will be ............. for Los Angeles's warm winter.

acerbic

adjective: harsh in tone Most movie critics are .............. towards summer blockbusters, often referring to them as garbage.

debonair

adjective: having a sophisticated charm,having good manners, and they probably look good too. James Bond is known for his good looks, high tech gadgets, and ............... manner.

consummate

adjective: having or revealing supreme mastery or skill Synonyms : masterful , masterly , virtuoso Tyler was the ............. musician: he was able to play the guitar, harmonica, and the drum at the same time. verb: to make perfect and complete in every respect The restoration of the ancient church was only ............. after a twenty years of labor. This word has other definitions but these are the most important ones to study

haughty

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

erudite

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

pertinent

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

ponderous

adjective: heavy; moving slowly; uninteresting Synonyms : heavy , lumbering Laden with 20 kilograms of college text books, the freshman moved ................ across the campus.

vaunted

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

phantasmagorical

adjective: illusive; unreal Synonyms : phantasmagoric , surreal , surrealistic Those suffering from malaria fall into a feverish(showing intense activity) sleep, their world a whirligig(a roundabout,constant change) of ........................; if they recover, they are unsure of what actually took place and what was simply a product of their febrile imaginations.

impregnable

adjective: immune to attack; incapable of being tampered with Synonyms : inviolable , secure , strong , unassailable , unattackable As a child, Amy would build pillow castles and pretend they were .................... fotresses.

unassailable

adjective: immune to attack; without flaws Synonyms : impregnable , inviolable , secure , strong , unattackable,bulletproof , unshakable , watertight Professor Williams is so self-assured as to seem arrogant, presenting each and every opinion as an .......................... fact.

incorrigible

adjective: impervious to correction by punishment, Someone .......... seems to be beyond correcting, improving, or changing. Tom Sawyer seems like an .............. youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can't match his fierce individual spirit.// Even though ...........implies a person is kind of hopeless, it's often used as a light-hearted word. When we describe someone as an .......... flirt or as an incorrigible gossip, we mean that this is just the way they are, and it would be foolish to try and change them. (His desire to be the winner, as a coach, in a shooting drill, or when playing cards is a driving force and ............... personality trait.)

ineluctable

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

irrefutable

adjective: impossible to deny or disprove Scientists are searching for .................. evidence that some form of life existed on mars at some point in its history.

imponderable

adjective: impossible to estimate or figure out ............. describes a situation that isn't able to be completely explained. "Where did we come from?" is one of those.................questions that defy human's ability for understanding. According to many lawmakers, the huge variety of factors affecting society make devising an efficient healthcare system an ..............task.

impudent

adjective: improperly forward or bold, brazen Synonyms : fresh , impertinent , overbold , sassy , saucy , smart , wise In an ................... move, the defendant spoke out of order to say terribly insulting things to the judge.

embryonic

adjective: in an early stage of development The Board of Directors is hoping to launch a new product soon, but planning for the Z7 is in an .............. stages.

didactic

adjective: instructive (especially excessively) Synonyms : didactical Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illyich is a ................. novel, instructing the reader on how to live a good life.

prolific

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

fecund

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

embroiled

adjective: involved in argument or contention Synonyms : entangled These days we are never short of a D.C. politician ..............in scandal—a welcome phenomenon for those who, having barely finished feasting on the sordid details of one imbroglio, can sink their teeth into a fresh one.

cerebral

adjective: involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct A ............ analysis of most pop music finds it to be simple and childish, but that ignores the point--the music's effect on the listener.//If you are a................ person, no one would ever call you a drama queen. You make decisions using your intelligence and cold, hard facts, instead of your emotions.

benign

adjective: kind I remember my grandfather's face was wrinkled,....................., and calm. adjective: (medicine) not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive The tumor located in your ear lobe seems to be.........and should not cause you any trouble.

myopic

adjective: lacking foresight or imagination The company ultimately went out of business because the ............ managers couldn't predict the changes in their industry. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

incongruous

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

churlish

adjective: lacking manners or refinement, bad tempered The manager was unnecessarily ............ to his subordinates, rarely deigning to say hello, but always quick with a sartorial jab if someone happened to be wearing anything even slightly mismatching.

impecunious

adjective: lacking money; poor Synonyms : hard up , in straitened circumstances , penniless , penurious , pinched In extremely trying(hard) times, even the moderately wealthy, after a few turns of ill-fortune, can become ...............

transitory

adjective: lasting a very short time Synonyms : ephemeral , fugacious , passing , short-lived , transient If we lived forever and life was not ......................., do you think we would appreciate life less or more?

disheartened

adjective: made less hopeful or enthusiastic Synonyms : demoralised , demoralized , discouraged After the visiting team scored nine times, the home team's fans were ............, some leaving the game early.

rarefied

adjective: made more subtle or refined, very esoteric or refined Jack's vulgar jokes were not so successful in the .................. environment of college professors.

sanctimonious

adjective: making a show of being pious; holier-than-thou Synonyms : holier-than-thou , pharisaic , pharisaical , pietistic , pietistical , self-righteous The ................. person sounds like a hypocrite when he preaches to a friend about the evils of drugs, while he drinks one beer after another.///Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a .................. sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.

extenuate

adjective: making less guilty or more forgivable, try to lessen the seriousness or extent of You'll be furious that your friend didn't bake the cupcakes she promised for your bake sale — until you learn the .................circumstances: her dog climbed onto her kitchen counter and ate all the cupcake batter. The jury was hardly moved by the man's plea that his loneliness was an ............... factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.

raffish

adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness Synonyms : devil-may-care , rakish, wallow The men found him......... but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.

rakish

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

plucky

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

punctilious

adjective: marked by precise accordance with details Synonyms : meticulous The colonel was so ..............about enforcing regulations that men feel compelled to polish even the soles of their shoes/// Are you always precisely on time? Is your room perfectly neat? Do you never forget a birthday or a library book's due date? Then you are one of the ................ people..

ambivalent

adjective: mixed or conflicting emotions about something Sam was ambivalent about studying for the exam because doing so ate up a lot of his time, yet he was able to improve his analytical skills.

tempered

adjective: moderated in effect Synonyms : hardened , toughened , treated The wide-eyed optimism of her youth was now ............... after she had worked many years in the criminal justice system.

incontrovertible

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

incumbent

adjective: necessary (for someone) as a duty or responsibility;morally binding,office-holder Middle managers at times make important decisions, but real responsibility for the financial well-being of the corporation is ultimately ................. on the CEO.//It's .................. on us as scientists to get scientific perspectives out there," he said.//But there's another view that new online brands could unlock profits through products aimed at people who are not well served by .........................

magnanimous

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

obstreperous

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

immutable

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

unviable

adjective: not able to work, survive, or succeed The plan was obviously ................ considering that it lead to complete environmental destruction in the river valley.

opaque

adjective: not clearly understood or expressed The meaning of the professor's new research was ............ to most people, so no one asked any questions. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

untrammeled

adjective: not confined or limited The whole notion of living .................. inspired the American Revolution and was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

unflappable

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

inscrutable

adjective: not easily understood; unfathomable Synonyms : cryptic , cryptical , deep , mysterious , mystifying His speech was so dense and confusing that many in the audience found it .............

improvident

adjective: not given careful consideration,somebody who doesn't plan wisely for future. Marty was ........................., never putting money aside for the future but spending it on decorating the interior of his home.

unseemly

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

indecorous

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society Synonyms : indecent , unbecoming , uncomely , unseemly , untoward Eating with elbows on the table is considered .............. in refined circles.

languid

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

uncompromising

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

anomalous

adjective: not normal According to those who do not believe in climate change, the extreme weather over the last five years is simply anomalous - daily temperatures should return to their old averages, they believe.

ersatz

adjective: not real or genuine; phony; an inferior substitute The car dealer's ........... laughter was immediately followed by a price quote, one that Shelley found highly inflated.// Perhaps more to the point, ............ re-creations of long-destroyed architecture or landscape architecture almost always turn out to feel saccharine and flimsy.

immaterial

adjective: not relevant Synonyms : extraneous , impertinent , orthogonal, incorporeal The judge found the defendant's comments ............. to the trial, and summarily dismissed him from the witness stand.

frivolous

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

frugal

adjective: not spending much money (but spending wisely) Synonyms : economical , scotch , sparing , stinting Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.

disingenuous

adjective: not straightforward/candid; giving a false appearance of frankness,dishonest Many adults think that they can lie to children, but kids are smart and know when people are ................

oblique

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

imprudent

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

fortuitous

adjective: occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause Synonyms : causeless , uncaused While the real objects are vastly different sizes in space, the sun and the moon seem to have the same ............ size in the sky, If you and your best friend's families happen to go on vacation to the same place at the same time, that's a ............... coincidence

fallacious

adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning The widespread belief that Eskimos have forty different words for snow is .............., based on one false report.

catholic

adjective: of broad scope; universal Jonah's friends said that Jonah's taste in music was eclectic; Jonah was quick to point out that not only was his taste eclectic but it was also ...............: he enjoyed music from countries as far-flung as Mali and Mongolia.,In recognition of the huge diversity of readers that shop at Amazon, book editors must be ............... in how they spend their reading time.

magisterial

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

portentous

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

indigenous

adjective: originating in a certain area Synonyms : autochthonal , autochthonic , autochthonous , endemic The plants and animals............ to Australia are notably different from those ...........to the U.S - one look at a duckbill platypus and you know you're not dealing with an opossum.

fastidious

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

spurious

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

profuse

adjective: plentiful; pouring out in abundance Synonyms : exuberant , lush , luxuriant , riotous During mile 20 of the Hawaii Marathon, Dwayne was sweating so ........... that he stopped to take off his shirt, and ran the remaining six miles wearing nothing more than skimpy(meager of clothes) shorts.

destitute

adjective: poor enough to need help from others Synonyms : impoverished , indigent , necessitous , needy , poverty-stricken Jean Valjean, is at first ................., but through the grace of a priest, he makes something of his life. adjective: completely wanting or lacking (usually ".............. of") Synonyms : barren , devoid , free , innocent Now that the mine is closed, the town is ............... of any economic activity.

puissant

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

propitious

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

efficacious

adjective: producing the intended result Synonyms : effective , effectual Since Maggie's cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer .............., she coughed through the night.

protean

adjective: readily taking on different roles; versatile Peter Sellers was truly a ............. actor - in Doctor Strangelove he played three very different roles: a jingoist general, a sedate(calm) President and a deranged(insane) scientist.

sporadic

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

quandary

a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do; a difficult situation

penchant for

a strong/habitual liking for something

caprice

a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior

stanched

Stopped or slowed down

imprecation

a curse

perspicacity

(n.) keenness in observing and understanding

cloy

(verb) digust, sicken due to excessive sweetness, richness or sentiment

amortize

Gradually pay off a debt, or gradually write off an asset

stingy

Not generous with money, reluctant to spend or give

remedial

Providing a remedy, curative; correcting a deficient skill

unconscionable

Something that is almost unimaginably unacceptable is .................. Think of it as being something that no reasonable person would even think of doing or saying — something unbelievable, outrageous, and often horrible. adjective: unreasonable; unscrupulous; excessive Synonyms : exorbitant , extortionate , outrageous , steep , usurious The lawyer's demands were so .............. that rather than pay an exorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the defendant decided to find a new lawyer.

pretension

a claim or the assertion of a claim to something; the use of affectation to impress; ostentatiousness

dichotomy

a division into two parts (which are represented as being opposed/entirely different)

calumny

a false and malicious accusation

harbinger

a forerunner; a person/thing that announces/signals something approaching

boon

a gift or blessing

pantheon

a group of people held in high esteem for their great achievements

vanguard

a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas

hedonist

a person dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure

miscreant

a person who breaks the law

misogynist

a person who dislikes women in particular

expatriate

a person who lives outside their native country

despoiler

a person who steals goods

interlocutor

a person who takes part in a conversation

epicure

a person with refined tastes, food and wine

perquisite

a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right)

boor

a rude or impolite person

despot

a ruler with complete power

elegy

a sad poem or song

cabal

a secret group seeking to overturn something

aphorism

a short instructive saying about a general truth

inkling

a slight suggestion or vague understanding

flippant

adj : Lacking in seriousness; disrespectful; showing inappropriate levity(the treatment of serious matter with less respect and humour) Although Sam was trying to honor Mark's sense of humor, many found it quite ................. that he wore a comic nose and glasses mask to Mark's funeral

inviolate

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

derelict

adjective: (of a person) not doing one's duties Synonyms : delinquent , neglectful , remiss The teacher was .................... in her duties because she hadn't graded a single student paper in three weeks. noun: (of a building) abandoned At one time the waterfront factories were busy and productive, but now they stand .............. and will be torn down.

mercurial

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

discursive

adjective: (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point Synonyms : digression , excursive , rambling, divagation Many readers find it tough to read Moby Dick since the author is .........................., often cutting the action short to spend 20 pages on the history of a whale.

turgid

adjective: (of language) tediously pompous// unhealthy Synonyms : bombastic , declamatory , large , orotund , tumid The amount of GRE vocabulary he used increased with his years--by the time he was 60, his novels were so ................... that even his diehard fans refused to read them./// I can finally see light at the end of a.......................... season for Manchester United.

lucid

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

plodding

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

unruly

adjective: (of persons) noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline; unwilling to submit to authority Synonyms : boisterous , rambunctious , robustious , rumbustious,disobedient, fractious Walk in to any preschool and I am sure that you will find an ......... and chaotic scene - unless it's nap time.//Canada and some countries in Europe have already adopted stiffer penalties for ........... passenger behavior and given themselves authority to prosecute.

untenable

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

inclement

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

derivative

adjective: (or a creative product, e.g. music, writing, etc.) not original but drawing on the work of another person Because the movies were utterly ..........of other popular movies, they did well at the box office. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

detrimental

adjective: (sometimes followed by "to") causing harm or injury Synonyms : damaging , prejudicial , prejudicious Many know that smoking is ................ to your health, but processed sugar in large quantities is equally bad.

ignominious

adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame Synonyms : black , disgraceful , inglorious , opprobrious , shameful Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was .............., bringing shame on both himself and his party.

complicit

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

candid

adjective: a straightforward and honest look at something Synonyms : blunt , forthright , frank , free-spoken , outspoken , plainspoken , point-blank , straight-from-the-shoulder Even with a perfect stranger, Charles was always ............ and would rarely hold anything back.

derisive

adjective: abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule Synonyms : gibelike , jeering , mocking , taunting I was surprised by her .......... tone; usually, she is sweet, soft spoken, and congenial.

perspicacious

adjective: acutely insightful and wise, clever insight and showing good judegment Synonyms : sagacious , sapient Many modern observers regard Eisenhower as ................, particularly in his accurate prediction of the growth of the military.// I'd much rather be told that I was peerless and ............... than that I was a pathetic peripatetic.

unequivocal

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

genial

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

internecine

adjective: an internal conflict that tears organization apart or adjective used to describe bloody battle where both sides are badly hurt The guerilla group, which had become so powerful as to own the state police, was finally destroyed by an .................... conflict.// An ......................meeting would be one where everyone gets mad, says really horrible things, and then suddenly leaves, plotting revenge

hoary

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

becoming

adjective: appropriate, and matches nicely Synonyms : comely , comme il faut , decent , decorous , seemly Her dress was .............. and made her look even more beautiful. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

facile

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

overweening

adjective: arrogant; presumptuous(failing to observe limits): used in negative sense Synonyms : excessive , extravagant , exuberant,uppity Mark was so convinced of his basketball skills that in his ............... pride he could not fathom(understand after much thought: a negative connotation) that his name was not on the varsity list; he walked up to the basketball coach and told her she had forgotten to add his name.

glib

adjective: artfully persuasive in speech(a .......... tongue),having only superficial plausibility(........... promises),marked by lack of intellectual depth(......... generalization)(a ..... response to a complex question) Synonyms : pat , slick A hiring manager might think you're being ........, or slick and insincere, if you say you've led a successful multinational corporation when you were actually in charge of flipping burgers for a fast-food restaurant chain.// It can also be applied to the kind of thoughtless comment that could get you into big trouble. Telling your boss that you had a "hot time" with his daughter is the kind of ......... remark that could end your career.// Investors need a philosophy, something more than a ............ statement like, "I want to make money."

factitious

adjective: artificial; not natural,phony The defendant's story was largely ............ and did not accord with eyewitness testimonies

tempestuous

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

forthcoming

adjective: available when required or as promised, You know when you go to a movie and they show the previews under the heading "coming soon?" They could just as well say ................, because it means the same thing. The President announced that the senators were about to reach a compromise, and that he was eager to read the ............details of the bill. adjective: at ease in talking to others As a husband, Larry was not ..............: if Jill didn't demand to know details, Larry would never share them with her.

specious

adjective: based on pretense; deceptively pleasing, Synonyms : gilded , meretricious Almost every image on TV is ............ and not to be trusted. adjective: something that seems to be good, correct , logical and plausible but false,Synonyms : spurious He made a career out of ............. arguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times. More Info : When you operate under a pretense, you're not being honest. You're pretending. If you say you're going to a party because you're eager to see your friend, but really you're just interested in the birthday cake, you're acting on pretense.

obtain

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

impertinent

adjective: being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold Synonyms : fresh , impudent , overbold , sassy , saucy , smart , wise Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer's questions impertinent - after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline's favorite snack was? (adj) not pertinent to the matter under consideration Synonyms : extraneous , immaterial , orthogonal

mordant

adjective: biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style Synonyms : caustic , corrosive , erosive , vitriolic,black , grim While Phil frequently made .............t remarks about company policy overall, he always was considerably gentler in discussing any person in particular.

beatific

adjective: blissfully happy That blissful grin on your face? It could be described as........, meaning it projects a peaceful sense of joy. Synonyms : angelic , angelical , sainted , saintlike , saintly Often we imagine all monks to wear the ............ smile of the Buddha, but, like any of us, a monk can have a bad day and not look very happy.

doughty

adjective: brave; bold; courageous synonym : redoubtable, intrepid, plucky I enjoy films in which a ...................... group comes together to battle a force of evil.

crestfallen

adjective: brought low in spirit I asked Maria on a date and she refused without a moment's thought; I was ......................

serene

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

impervious

adjective: can't be penetrated or not capable of being affected I am not .................... to your insults; they cause me great pain.

malleable

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

provident

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

slapdash

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

chary

adjective: cautious, suspiciously reluctant to do something Synonyms : cagey , cagy Having received three speeding tickets in the last two months, Jack was ..........of driving at all above the speed limit, even on a straight stretch of highway that looked empty for miles ahead.

autocratic

adjective: characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty Synonyms : authoritarian , despotic , dictatorial , tyrannic , tyrannical The last true ............................ country is certainly North Korea; nowhere does a leader exercise the absolute control over all aspects of a people the way that Kim Jong-un does. adjective: offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power Synonyms : bossy , dominating , high-and-mighty , magisterial , peremptory The manager was finally fired for his........................ leadership, which often bordered on rude and offensive.

belligerent

adjective: characteristic of one eager to fight Tom said that he was arguing the matter purely for philosophical reasons, but his ............ tone indicated an underlying anger about the issue.

rustic

adjective: characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial Synonyms : countrified , countryfied,bumpkinly , hick , unsophisticated The vacation cabin had no electricity and no indoor plumbing, but despite these inconveniences, Nigel adored its............ charm.

diligent

adjective: characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks Synonyms : persevering Michael was a ............. gardener, never leaving a leaf on the ground and regularly watering each plant.

industrious

adjective: characterized by hard work and perseverance Pete was an ................ student, completing every assignment thoroughly and on time.//The ............ fascinate us because of their penchant for distillation.

jocular

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

precocious

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

trenchant

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

gossamer

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

winsome

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

sanguine

adjective: cheerful; optimistic Synonyms : florid , rubicund , ruddy With the prospect of having to learn 3,000 words during the course of the summer, Paul was anything but ................... More infor : anything but means not

cogent

adjective: clear and persuasive Synonyms : telling , weighty A ........argument will change the minds of even the most skeptical audience.

impending

adjective: close in time; about to occur Synonyms : at hand , close at hand , imminent , impendent The ................... doom of our world has been a discussed and debated for 2000 years - maybe even longer.

relevant

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

maladroit

adjective: clumsy Syn: bumbling, gauche, unskillful As a child she was quite ..............., but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

nonchalant

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

expansive

adjective: communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner Synonyms : talkative After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became ....................., speaking fondly of the "good old days". This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

arrant

adjective: complete and wholly (usually modifying a noun with negative connotation), this word intensifies or put emphasis on negative words. Synonyms : complete , consummate , double-dyed , everlasting , gross , perfect , pure , sodding , staring , stark , thoroughgoing , unadulterated , utter An ........... fool, Lawrence surprised nobody when he lost all his money in a pyramid scheme that was every bit as transparent as it was corrupt.

replete

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

eclectic

adjective: comprised of a variety of styles Joey was known for his ........ tastes in music, one moment dancing to disco the next "air conducting" along to Beethoven's 9th symphony.

vociferous

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

discrete

adjective: constituting a separate entity or part What was once known as Czechoslovakia has since split into two ............, independent nations.

illicit

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

unprepossessing

adjective: creating an unfavorable or neutral first impression, you may find person unattractive, not ugly buy unattractive. World leaders coming to meet Gandhi would expect a towering sage, and often would be surprised by the ..................... little man dressed only in a loincloth and shawl.

inimitable

adjective: defying imitation; matchless,something that is so special or unique, it is impossible to duplicate Mozart's music follows a clear pattern that, anyone could copy but his music gives an overall sense of effortlessness that is ..............

implausible

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

estimable

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

capricious

adjective: determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason Synonyms : impulsive , whimsical Nearly every month our .............. CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.

whimsical

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

abstruse

adjective: difficult to understand; incomprehensible Physics textbooks can seem so ............... to the uninitiated that readers feel as though they are looking at hieroglyphics.

disaffected

adjective: discontented as toward authority After watching his superior take rations from the soliders, he quickly became ...............and rebelled.

sardonic

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

peevish

adjective: easily irritated or annoyed Synonyms : cranky , fractious , irritable , nettlesome , peckish , pettish , petulant , scratchy , techy , testy , tetchy Our office manager is .............., so the rest of us tip-toe around him, hoping not to set off another one of his fits.

petulant

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

amenable

adjective: easily persuaded Synonyms : conformable , tractable Even though she did not like the outdoors, Shirley was generally amenable and so her brother was able to persuade her to go camping.

edifying

adjective: enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement Synonyms : enlightening I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is............ or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral.

exorbitant

adjective: ex, meaning "out of," and orbita, meaning "wheel track." You can see how the word now has come to be described as something that has gone way off the beaten track, especially in terms of price and value.//greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation// something that is really just too much! : Shelley made one ............................. purchase after another, buying new clothes and taking vacations even though she earned a limited salary.

derogative

adjective: expressed as worthless or in negative terms Synonyms : disparaging Never before have we seen a debate between two political candidates that was so .............. and filthy.

approbatory

adjective: expressing praise or approval Synonyms : affirmative , approbative , approving , plausive Although it might not be her best work, Hunter's new novel has received generally .................. reviews.

snide

adjective: expressive of contempt; derogatory or mocking in an indirect way Synonyms : sneering , supercilious The chairman interpreted Taylor's question about promotions as a ...... remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company's process.......... means insulting or contemptuous in an indirect way. If your friend is wearing too much purple eye shadow and your other friend whispers to you, "What? Was she in a car wreck?" that's a ........... comment.

parsimonious

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

ravenous

adjective: extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities Synonyms : esurient , famished , sharp-set , starved,edacious , esurient , rapacious , ravening , voracious , wolfish John didn't eat much at all during the week he had the flu, so now that he is regaining his health, it's not surprising that he has a ............. appetite.//Well-trained gladiatorial athletes in combat in front of a .............. crowd.

Pollyannaish

adjective: extremely optimistic Synonyms : cheerful , upbeat Even in the midst(surrounded by other things) of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained ..............., never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when prospective customers hung up on her.

equitable

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

auspicious

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

intrepid

adjective: fearless Synonyms : audacious , brave , dauntless , fearless , hardy , unfearing Captain Ahab was an ............... captain whose reckless and fearless style ultimate leads to his downfall.

reverent

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

vicarious

adjective: felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another if something is ................, it delivers a feeling or experience from someone else. If your child becomes a big star, you might have a ............... experience of celebrity. The advent of twitter is a celebrity stalker's dream, as he or she can - through hundreds of intimate "tweets" - ............... live the life of a famous person.

mettlesome

adjective: filled with courage or valor Synonyms : game , gamey , gamy , gritty , spirited , spunky For its raid on the Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Seal Team Six has become, for many Americans, the embodiment of ..............(the ability to cope with difficulties)

staunch

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

impartial

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

guileless

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

unimpeachable

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

amiable

adjective: friendly Synonyms : affable , cordial , genial Amy's name was very apt: she was so .............. that she was twice voted class president.

jubilant

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

jovial

adjective: full of or showing high-spirited merriment, i.e. happiness Synonyms : gay , jocund , jolly , merry , mirthful The political candidate and his supporters were........... once it was clear that she had won.

garrulous

adjective: full of trivial conversation Synonyms : chatty , gabby , loquacious , talkative , talky Lynne was ............... : once, she had a fifteen minute conversation with a stranger before she realized the woman didn't speak English.

cavalier

adjective: given to haughty(arrongantly superior) disregard (ignoring) of others/Someone who is .............. has a bad attitude and regards other people as inferior, a gallant/aristocrat gentleman. synonym: hauteur, deign Percy dismissed the issue with a ..............wave of his hand.//Chinese law enforcement has taken a ............... approach to investigating violence against women.

demonstrative

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

pragmatic

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

inveterate

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

querulous

adjective: habitually complaining Synonyms : fretful , whiney , whiny The ............. old woman was beginning to wear down even the happier members of the staff with her ceaseless complaining.

taciturn

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

inadvertent

adjective: happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally Synonyms : accidental Although Prohibition was rooted in noble ideals, the ............. and costly consequences of making alcohol illegal in the U.S. led its the repeal.//When your actions are ........... you're not paying attention to their consequences

deleterious

adjective: harmful to living things Synonyms : hurtful , injurious The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was .............. to the fishing industry in the southern states.

innocuous

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

vitriolic

adjective: harsh or corrosive in tone Synonyms : acerb , acerbic , acid , acrid , bitter , blistering , caustic , sulfurous , sulphurous , virulent While the teacher was more moderate in her criticism of the other student's papers, she was .............. toward Peter's paper, casting every flaw in the harshest light.

precipitate

adjective: hasty or rash synonym =reckless, Synonyms : hasty , overhasty , precipitant , precipitous Instead of conducting a thorough investigation after the city hall break-in, the governor acted ............., accusing his staff of aiding and abetting the criminals. verb: to cause, to happen abruptly The government's mishandling the hurricane's aftermath ............... a widespread outbreak of looting and other criminal activity. This word has other definitions but these are the most important ones to study

supercilious

adjective: haughty and disdainful; looking down on others Synonyms : disdainful , haughty , imperious , lordly , overbearing , prideful , sniffy , swaggering Nelly felt the Quiz Bowl director acted ................ly towards the underclassmen; really, she fumed, must he act so preternaturally omniscient each time he intones some obscure fact - as though everybody knows that Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America.// There is something about his smarmy, ............. demeanor that repels delighted mirth," he said.

bleak

adjective: having a depressing or gloomy outlook Synonyms : bare , barren , desolate , stark Unremitting(uninterrupting in time and long continuing) overcast (gloomy semidarkness) skies tend to lead people to create ........... literature and lugubrious music - compare England's band Radiohead to any band from Southern California.//If you have looked for work and no one will hire you, you could describe your prospects as ...........

truculent

adjective: having a fierce, savage nature Standing in line for six hours, she became progressively ..........., yelling at DMV employees and elbowing other people waiting in line.//If you are quick to argue, always looking for a fight, and hard to please, you are .................. You can also write a ........... essay, and fans upset by a loss can become ...............

piquant

adjective: having an agreeably pungent/sharp/stinging taste,Someone who's.......... engages you with charm and wit. A story that's filled with ........ details has plenty of juicy, provocative(arousing strong reactions or desires) points. And grandma's homemade gravy? It's certainly zesty and .........., even with all the lumps. The chef, with a mere flick of the salt shaker, turned the bland tomato soup into a .........meal.

noisome

adjective: having an extremely bad smell Synonyms : fetid ,putrid , foetid , foul , foul-smelling , funky , ill-scented , smelly , stinking, miasma Each August, when the winds moved in a south easterly direction, the garbage dump would spread ...............vapors through the small town.

sagacious

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

unprecedented

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

incisive

adjective: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions Synonyms : acute , discriminating , keen , knifelike , penetrating , penetrative , piercing , sharp The lawyer had an ............ mind, able in a flash to dissect a hopelessly tangled issue and isolate the essential laws at play.

stolid

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

convoluted

adjective: highly complex or intricate Synonyms : byzantine , involved , knotty , tangled , tortuous Instead of solving the math problem in three simple steps, Kumar used a ....................solution requiring fifteen steps.

dogmatic

adjective: highly opinionated, not accepting that your belief may not be correct Bryan is .......... in his belief that the earth is flat, claiming that all pictures of a spherical earth are computer generated.

percipient

adjective: highly perceptive,showing acute of careful insight synonym : trenchant,perspicacious, sagacious Even the most .................. editor will make an occasional error when proofreading.

eccentric

adjective: highly unconventional or highly unusual (usually describes a person) Mozart was well-known for his .................ities, often speaking words backward to confuse those around him.//Others in the West may see the body-covering bathing suit as merely ...................

inimical

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

halcyon

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

morose

adjective: ill-tempered and not inclined to talk; gloomy Synonyms : dark , dour , glowering , glum , moody , saturnine , sour , sullen After Stanley found out he was no longer able to go on vacation with his friends, he sat in his room ...........ly.

inexorable

adjective: impossible to stop or prevent Synonyms : adamant , adamantine , intransigent The rise of the computer was an .............. shift in technology and culture.

copious

adjective: in abundant supply In midsummer, there are .............. popiscle stands at the beach; in the winter, there are none.

subversive

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

infelicitous

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

irrevocable

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

implacable

adjective: incapable of making less angry or hostile, they can't be just pleased Win or lose, the coach was always ............. never giving the athletes an easy practice or a break.

surly

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

soporific

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

redoubtable

adjective: inspiring fear or respect through impressive size, strength, capability, worth of respect and honor Synonyms : formidable , unnerving On television basketball players don't look that tall, but when you stand in front of a seven-foot tall NBA player, he is truly ..............

ostentatious

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

insufferable

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

byzantine

adjective: intricate and complex Synonyms : convoluted , involved , knotty , tangled , tortuous Getting a driver's license is not simply a matter of taking a test; the regulations and procedures are so .............. that many have found themselves at the mercy of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

officious

adjective: intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner// describe someone that acts more official than they actually are, They want to make their opinions known and followed, despite not having any kind of real power: The professor had trouble concentrating on her new theorem, because her ................... secretary would barge in frequently reminding her of some trivial detail involving departmental paperwork.

fractious

adjective: irritable and is likely to cause disruption Synonyms : cranky , irritable , nettlesome , peckish , peevish , pettish , petulant , scratchy , techy , testy , tetchy We rarely invite my.............. Uncle over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.

bilious

adjective: irritable; always angry Synonyms : atrabilious , dyspeptic , liverish Rex was .............. all morning, and his face would only take on a look of contentedness when he'd had his morning cup of coffee.

ebullient

adjective: joyously unrestrained: Can you blame him for his ..................... mood? He just graduated from medical school.

wanting

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

lethargic

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

anemic

adjective: lacking energy and vigor After three straight shows, the lead actress gave an ........... performance the fourth night, barely speaking loudly enough for those in the back rows to hear.

pedestrian

adjective: lacking imagination Synonyms : earthbound , prosaic , prosy While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more ............... concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

penurious

adjective: lacking money; poor Synonyms : hard up , impecunious , in straitened circumstances , penniless , pinched Truly............., Mary had nothing more than a jar full of pennies. adjective: miserly Synonyms : parsimonious Warren Buffett, famous multi-billionaire, still drives a cheap sedan, not because he is ............., but because luxury cars are gaudy and impractical.

bumbling

adjective: lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands, acting in a confused or ineffectual way; incompetent. Within a week of starting, the ............. new waiter was unceremoniously fired.

hackneyed

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

gauche

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

appreciable

adjective: large enough to be noticed (usu. refers to an amount) There is an ..................... difference between those who say they can get the job done and those who actually get the job done.

transient

adjective: lasting a very short time Synonyms : ephemeral , fugacious , passing , short-lived , transitory The unpredictable and ...........nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.

ephemeral

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

perennial

adjective: lasting an indefinitely long time; eternal; everlasting Even at the old-timers games, Stan Musial would get the loudest cheer: he was a ............. favorite of the fans there. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

feckless

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

lascivious

adjective: lecherous; sexually perverted Synonyms : lewd , libidinous , lustful Lolita is a challenging novel for many, not necessarily because of the elevated prose style but because of the depravity of the main character, Humbert, who, as an old, .................. man, falls in love with a girl.//If someone gives you a ............ smile, they've got only one thing in mind.

fickle

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

meteoric

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

affable

adjective: likeable; easy to talk to Synonyms : amiable , cordial , genial For all his surface .........., Marco was remarkably glum when he wasn't around other people.

contentious

adjective: likely to argue Synonyms : combative , disputatious , disputative , litigious Since old grandpa Harry became very ............. during the summer when only reruns were on T.V., the grandkids learned to hide from him at every opportunity.

invidious

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

tendentious

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

antic

adjective: ludicrously odd,grotesque(shockingly inappropriate),An .......... is a prank to the extreme. It's outrageous, but it's usually meant to be funny The clown's .......act was too extreme for the youngest children, who left the room in tears./After Trump supporters fought with protesters in California in June, Stewart posted on Facebook that he would not tolerate such .......... in Virginia as governor.

conducive

adjective: making a situation or outcome more likely to happen, This adjective is usually followed by the preposition to,providing the right conditions for something good to happen or exist Studying in a quiet room is ................ to learning; studying in a noisy environment makes learning more difficult//Disputes with any neighbor are not ............ for China," he said, when asked what China wanted in exchange for any concession to Duterte

apathetic

adjective: marked by a lack of interest Synonyms : indifferent Mr. Thompson was so talented at teaching math that even normally ............. students took interest.

pedantic

adjective: marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects, its a negative terms thus someone who is ..............makes a big display of knowing obscure facts and details. Professor Thompson was regarded as an expert in his field, but his lectures were utterly ................., focused on rigorous details of the most trivial conventions in the field.

avid

adjective: marked by active interest and enthusiasm Synonyms : zealous, foudroyant, brio Martin is an...................... birdwatcher, often taking long hikes into remote mountains to see some rare eagle.

elaborate

adjective: marked by complexity and richness of detail,the word comes from "to produce by labor" but it has come to mean a lot of labor, especially work that is very complicated and precise. can act as verb ( to add detail as to an account or idea) To imagine this word, think of a painting with lots of flourishes or a story with many sub-plots and characters that all fit together in extensive ways Synonyms : luxuriant Thomas, on returning from Morocco, replaced his dirty gray carpet with an ............. one he'd brought back with him.//Ms. Self's paintings convey an .............. material culture of history and fantasy. verb: explain in more detail Synonyms : dilate , enlarge , expand , expatiate , exposit , expound , flesh out , lucubrate Most high school physics teachers find themselves ............. the same point over and over again, since many concepts confuse students.

foolhardy

adjective: marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences, Use the adjective .................... when someone rushes into action without considering the consequences. The police regularly face dangerous situations, so for a police officer not to wear his bullet-proof vest is .............

rash

adjective: marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences; imprudently incurring risk, reckless Synonyms : foolhardy , heady , reckless Although Bruce was able to make the delivery in time with a nightime motorcycle ride in the rain, Susan criticized his actions as .............. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

ornate

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

smug

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

meticulous

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

vehement

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

steadfast

adjective: marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable Synonyms : firm , steady , stiff , unbendable , unfaltering , unshakable , unwavering A good captain needs to be................, continuing to hold the wheel and stay the course even during the most violent storm.

haphazard

adjective: marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance Synonyms : slapdash , slipshod , sloppy, hit-or-miss Many golf courses are designed with great care, but the greens on the county golf course seem entirely ............... .

effervescent

adjective: marked by high spirits or excitement After the sales result, the manager was in an .............. mood, letting several employees leave work early that day.

forlorn

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

furtive

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

genteel

adjective: marked by refinement in taste and manners Synonyms : civilised , civilized , cultivated , cultured , polite A live string quartet would provide a more ........... air to the wedding than would a folk singer.

tortuous

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

aberrant

adjective: markedly different from an accepted norm, unusual conduct When the financial director started screaming and throwing food at his co-workers, the police had to come in to deal with his ................ behavior.

malfeasance

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

saturnine

adjective: morose or gloomy Synonyms : dark , dour , glowering , glum , moody , morose , sour , sullen Deprived of sunlight, humans become ................; that's why in very northerly territories people are encouraged to sit under an extremely powerful lamp, lest they become morose.

cryptic

adjective: mysterious or vague, usually intentionally Synonyms : cabalistic , cryptical , kabbalistic , qabalistic , sibylline Since Sarah did not want her husband to guess the Christmas present she had bought him, she only answered ...........ally when he would ask her questions about it.

parochial

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

endemic

adjective: native; originating where it is found Synonyms : autochthonal , autochthonic , autochthonous , indigenous Irish cuisine makes great use of potatoes, but ironically, the potato is not ......... to Ireland.

inviolable

adjective: never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored Synonyms : impregnable , secure , strong , unassailable , unattackable To many the grass at Wimbledon is ........................... and only greater tennis players are able to enjoy a game there.

placid

adjective: not easily irritated Synonyms : equable , even-tempered , good-tempered Doug is normally ..............., so we were all shocked to see him yelling at the television when the Mets lost the game.

puerile

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

cardinal

adjective: of primary importance; fundamental Synonyms : central , fundamental , key , primal Most cultures consider gambling a ................. sin and thus have outlawed its practice. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

checkered

adjective: one that is marked by disreputable happenings. The author who sells a million copies of her first book, four of the second, wins a prize for the third and dies at the ceremony has had a .................... career: it's got bright spots and dark ones, like a checkerboard. One by one, the presidential candidates dropped out of the race, their respective .................. pasts - from embezzlement to infidelity - sabotaging their campaigns. More info : embezzlement means (the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property entrusted to your care but actually owned by someone else) and infidelity means ( the quality of being unfaithful)

laconic

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

inchoate

adjective: only partly in existence; imperfectly formed,just beginning to form (early) ............. ideas about the relation of humans to other animals had been discussed since the Middle Ages but the modern theory really began with Darwin.

aboveboard

adjective: open and honest Synonyms : straightforward The mayor, despite his avuncular face plastered about the city, was hardly ....................... - some concluded that it was his ingratiating smile that allowed him to engage in corrupt behavior and get away with it.

moot

adjective: open to argument or debate; irrelevant, (verb)think carefully about,(verb) bring up a topic for discussion Synonyms : arguable , debatable , disputable Since the Board just terminated Steve as the CEO, what the finance committe might have thought of his proposed marketing plan for next year is now a .......... point. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

ambiguous

adjective: open to more than one interpretation Synonyms : equivocal The coach told his team, "Move towards that side of the field"; because he did not point, his directions were ambiguous, and the team had no idea to which side he was referring.

leery

adjective: openly distrustful and unwilling to confide Synonyms : mistrustful , suspicious , untrusting , wary Without checking his references and talking to previous employers, I am.............. of hiring the candidate.

maudlin

adjective: overly emotional and sad Synonyms : bathetic , drippy , hokey , kitschy , mawkish , mushy , schmaltzy , schmalzy , sentimental , slushy , soppy , soupy Just as those who were alive during the 70's are mortified(ashamed) that they once cavorted(excited) about in bellbottoms, many who lived during the 80's are now aghast(shocked) at the .............. pop songs they used to enjoy - really, just what exactly is a total eclipse of the heart?

mawkish

adjective: overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting Synonyms : bathetic , drippy , hokey , kitschy , maudlin , mushy , schmaltzy , schmalzy , sentimental , slushy , soppy , soupy, cloying The film was incredibly ................., introducing highly likeable characters only to have them succumb (fail to resist, die from the effect of ) to a devastating illnesses by the end of the movie.

craven

adjective: pathetically cowardly Synonyms : recreant Though the man could have at least alerted the police, he crouched ..........ly in the corner as the old woman was mugged.

indigent

adjective: poor; having very little Synonyms : destitute , impoverished , necessitous , needy , poverty-stricken In the so-called Third World, many are ...........and only a privileged few have the resources to enjoy material luxuries. noun: a poor or needy person The .............., huddled under the overpass, tried to start a small bonfire in the hope of staying warm.

ascetic

adjective: practicing self-denial His.......... life is the main reason he inspired so many followers, especially since he gave up wealth and power to live in poverty. noun: one who practices great self-denial Historically, ........ like Ghandi are often considered wise men partially because of their restraint.

austere

adjective: practicing self-denial Synonyms : ascetic , ascetical , His lifestyle of revelry and luxurious excess could hardly be called .................... adjective: unadorned(plain/ not decorative) in style or appearance Late Soviet architecture, although remaining largely .................., moved into experimental territory that employed previously unused shapes and structures. adjective: harsh in manner of temperament The principal of my elementary school was a cold, ................... woman; I could never understand why she chose to work with children.

factious

adjective: produced by, or characterized by internal dissension/conflict Synonyms : dissentious , divisive The controversial bill proved ..........., as dissension even within parties resulted//Born in extremest poverty, he has struggled upward against the crushing weight of .............systems, to an influential position in society.

choleric

adjective: prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered, peevish , petulant Synonyms : hot-tempered , hotheaded , irascible , quick-tempered , short-tempered While a brilliant lecturer, Mr. Dawson came across(students find it by accident ) as .......... and unapproachable - very rarely did students come to his office hours.

grandiloquent

adjective: puffed up with vanity Synonyms : overblown , pompous , pontifical , portentous The dictator was known for his ............... speeches, puffing his chest out and using big, important-sounding words.

irascible

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

prodigal

adjective: rashly or wastefully extravagant Synonyms : extravagant , profligate , spendthrift Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to prodigality seem to be the exception - most live decadent lives.

tractable

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

adamant

adjective: refusing to change one's mind Civil rights icon Rosa Parks will forever be remembered for ..........ly refusing to give up her seat on a public bus--even after the bus driver insisted, she remained rooted in place.// But while Canada is where Toopakai found the freedom to play, she's ............ it's Pakistan she represents in competition.

sartorial

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

trite

adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse Synonyms : banal , commonplace , hackneyed , old-hat , shopworn , stock , threadbare , timeworn , tired , well-worn Many style guides recommend not using idioms in writing because these ........... expressions are uninteresting and show a lack of imagination on the part of the writer.

mundane

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

arcane

adjective: requiring secret or mysterious knowledge, runic Most college fraternities are known for .............. rituals that those hoping to the join the fraterntiy must learn.

obstinate

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

restive

adjective: restless Synonyms : edgy , high-strung , highly strung , jittery , jumpy , nervy , overstrung , uptight The crowd grew restive as the comedian's opening jokes fell flat.

telltale

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

resurgent

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

insolent

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

contemptuous

adjective: scornful, looking down at others with a sneering(mocking) attitude Synonyms : disdainful , insulting , scornful, pejorative Always on the forefront of fashion, Vanessa looked.................... at anyone wearing outdated clothing.

superfluous

adjective: serving no useful purpose Synonyms : otiose , pointless , purposeless , senseless , wasted How can we hope to stay open if we don't eliminate all................spending, like catered meetings and free acupucture Tuesday? adjective: more than is needed, desired, or required Synonyms : excess , extra , redundant , spare , supererogatory , supernumerary , surplus The third paragraph in your essay is ............... and can be deleted.

admonitory

adjective: serving to warn, something that's ............... is meant to correct or scold At the assembly, the high school vice-principal gave the students an ..............y speech, warning them of the many risks and dangers of prom night.//If you're caught throwing paper airplanes in class, your teacher will probably give you an ............... lecture.

antithetical

adjective: sharply contrasted in character or purpose, Something is............. when it is in complete and utter opposition to the character of something. If you're a vegetarian, eating giant T-bone steaks is ............... to your beliefs. His deep emotional involvement with these ideas is, in fact,................. to the disattachment Buddhism preaches.

sullen

adjective: showing a brooding ill humor Synonyms : dark , dour , glowering , glum , moody , morose , saturnine , sour Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing . ............. after losing.

complaisant

adjective: showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others Synonyms : obliging On her first day at the job, Annie was ............................, fulfilling every request of her new employee and anticipating future requests.If only the world were populated entirely with..................... people

urbane

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

solicitous

adjective: showing hovering attentiveness Our neighbors are constantly knocking on our door to make sure we are ok, and I don't know how to ask them to stop being so .......................... about our health. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

phlegmatic

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

philistine

adjective: smug and ignorant towards artistic and cultural values, anti-intellectual, not interested in learning. Jane considered Al completely ..............., because he talked almost exclusive about video games; she was entirely unaware of how well read he really was.//The others were entranced by his profane rants about the beauty of unalloyed creativity and the plague of cultural .....................

prodigious

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

archaic

adjective: so old as to appear to belong to a different period Synonyms : antediluvian , antiquated Hoping to sound intelligent, Mary spoke in..... English that was right out of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice--needless to say, she didn't have many friends.

muted

adjective: softened, subdued Synonyms : hushed , quiet , subdued Helen preferred...........earth colors, such as green and brown, to the bright pinks and red her sister liked. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

obdurate

adjective: stubbornly persistent in changing an opinion or action Synonyms : cussed , obstinate , unrepentant No number of pleas and bribes would get him to change his .................. attitude.

refractory

adjective: stubbornly resistant to authority or control Used to studious high school students, Martha was unprepared for the ............... Kindergartners who neither sat still nor listened to a single word she said. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

robust

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

macabre

adjective: suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome Synonyms : ghastly , grim , grisly ,sick Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the ............; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to - and often those moments after - a grisly death.

uncanny

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

martial

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

tawdry

adjective: tastelessly showy; cheap and shoddy(badly made), It can be used to describe almost anything from clothes to people to even events or affairs. Synonyms : brassy , cheap , flash , flashy , garish , gaudy , gimcrack , loud , meretricious , tacky , tatty , trashy,cheapjack , shoddy Carol expected to find New York City magical, the way so many movies had portrayed it, but she was surprised how often ............. displays took the place of genuine elegance// .......... things often have a hint of desperation and immorality — like ............... extramarital affairs or............tales. With.............. decorations and jewelry, quality has been exchanged for lots of flash and shine..

treacherous

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

evanescent

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

fell

adjective: terribly evil Synonyms : barbarous , brutal , cruel , roughshod , savage , vicious For fans of the Harry Potter series, the ........Lord Voldemort, who terrorized poor Harry for seven lengthy installments, has finally been vanquished by the forces of good - unless, that is(what i really mean is), JK Rowling decides to come out of retirement. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

base

adjective: the lowest, class were without any moral principles Synonyms : foot , foundation , fundament , groundwork , substructure , understructure She was not so.............as to begrudge the beggar the unwanted crumbs from her dinner plate. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

jaundice

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

arch

adjective: to be deliberately teasing, condescending Synonyms : condescending(show that one feels superior, do something despite that thing is below dignity) , patronizing The baroness was .............., making playful asides(remarks) to the townspeople; yet because they couldn't pick up on her dry humor, they thought her supercilious.

diabolical

adjective: to be extremely wicked like the devil Synonyms : demonic , diabolic , fiendish , hellish , infernal , satanic , unholy,devilish , diabolic , mephistophelean , mephistophelian The conspirators, willing to dispatch anyone who stood in their way, hatched a ............... plan to take over the city.

retiring

adjective: to be shy, and reluctant to draw attention to yourself Synonyms : reticent , self-effacing, modest Nelson was always the first to leave soirees - rather than mill about( to move around with no obvious purpose) with "fashionable" folk, he was ............, and preferred the solitude of his garret. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

errant

adjective: to be wandering; not sticking to a circumscribed path Unlike his peers, who spent their hours studying in the library, Matthew preferred .............. walks through the university campus. Don't confuse it with arrant.

vituperate

adjective: to criticize harshly; to berate Synonyms : rail , revile , vilify Jason had dealt with disciplinarians before, but nothing prepared him for the first week of boot camp, as drill sergeants .................... him for petty(minor) oversights(failures) such as forgetting to double knot the laces on his boots.

peripatetic

adjective: traveling by foot,unsettled , noun: a person who walks from place to place. Jim always preferred a ................... approach to discovering a city: he felt that he could see so many more details while walking.

picayune

adjective: trifling or petty (a person) Synonyms : fiddling , footling , lilliputian , little , niggling , petty , piddling , piffling , trivial English teachers are notorious for being .............; however, the English language is so nuanced and sophisticated that often such teachers are not being contrary but are only adhering to the rules.//Airline disaster investigators spend their lives rummaging through the debris, knowing that it might be the most .............. detail that leads them to understand the cause of a crash.

veracious

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

veritable

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

disparate

adjective: two things are fundamentally different With the advent of machines capable of looking inside the brain, fields as ............ as religion and biology have been brought together by scientists trying to understand what happens in the brain when people have a religious experience.

insolvent

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

dispassionate

adjective: unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice(a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation) Synonyms : cold-eyed A good scientist should be ................, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.

disinterested

adjective: unbiased; neutral The potential juror knew the defendant, and therefore could not serve on the jury, which must consist only of disinterested members.

irresolute

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

untoward

adjective: unfavorable; inconvenient Synonyms : indecent , indecorous , unbecoming , uncomely , unseemly,adverse , inauspicious Some professors find teaching ................as having to prepare for lectures and conduct office hours prevents them from focusing on their research.

incessant

adjective: uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing Synonyms : ceaseless , constant , never-ending , perpetual , unceasing , unremitting I don't mind small children in brief doses, but I think the ........... exposure that their parents have to them would quickly wear me down. More info: wear something down : to gradually lose energy or confidence

intransigent

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

voracious

adjective: very hungry; approaching an activity with gusto(vigour) Synonyms : edacious , esurient , rapacious , ravening , ravenous , wolfish Steven was a .............. reader, sometimes finishing two novels in the same day.

splenetic

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

thoroughgoing

adjective: very thorough; complete Synonyms : exhaustive , thorough As a ............. bibliophile, one who had turned his house into a veritable(actual) library, he shocked his friends when he bought a Kindle.

bellicose

adjective: warlike; inclined to quarrel Synonyms : battleful , combative Known for their...............ways, the Spartans were once the most feared people from Peloponnesus to Persia.

dilatory

adjective: wasting time Synonyms : laggard , pokey , poky Lawyers use...............tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.

malevolent

adjective: wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred Synonyms : evil , malefic , malign, imprecation Villians are known for their ............nature, oftentimes inflicting cruelty on others just for enjoyment.

conspicuous

adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious Synonyms : blatant , blazing American basketball players are always ............ when they go abroad-not only are they American, but some are over seven feet tall.

blatant

adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious; Allen was often punished in school for ...............ly disrespecting teachers.

wanton

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

artless

adjective: without cunning or deceit Synonyms : uncultivated , uncultured Despite the president's seemingly .............. speeches, he was a skilled and ruthless negotiator.

impeccable

adjective: without fault or error Synonyms : faultless , immaculate He was ............ dressed in the latest fashion without a single crease or stain.

evenhanded

adjective: without partiality, fair to all sides Teachers often have trouble being evenhanded to all of their varied students.

unscrupulous

adjective: without scruples or principles In the courtroom, the lawyer was ................., using every manner of deceit and manipulation to secure a victory for himself.

insidious

adjective: working in a subtle but destructive way Plaque is..........: we cannot see it, but each day it eats away at our enamel, causing cavities and other dental problems.

commendable

adjective: worthy of high praise Synonyms : applaudable , laudable , praiseworthy The efforts of the firefighters running into the burning building were ....................

laudable

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

bereft

adjective:So, they took the thing you most loved, and you're never going to get it back. You've gone beyond just plain grief-stricken — you're ...................... : After 64 years of marriage, William was........................ after the death of his wife.

indignant

adjective:angered at something unjust or wrong Synonyms : incensed , outraged , umbrageous When the cyclist swerved into traffic, it forced the driver to brake and elicited an .............. shout of "Hey, punk, watch where you're going!"

autonomously

adverb: In an .............. or self-governing manner. Many of the factory workers are worried about being replaced by machines and computers that will work completely ...............

brusquely

adverb: in a blunt, direct manner Synonyms : bluffly , bluntly , flat out , roundly, no-nonsense Not one for social pleasantries, the Chief of Staff would ............. ask his subordinates anything he wanted, even coffee.//Knocking on the doors of the neighborhood's chilly, ultramodern houses, he begs to be allowed to take a bath but is............ turned away.

amuck

adverb: in a frenzied or uncontrolled state Synonyms : amok , murderously Wherever the bowl haircut teen-idol went, his legions(large number ) of screaming fans ran through the streets ............, hoping for a glance at his boyish face.

askance

adverb: with a look of suspicion or disapproval The old couple looked ............. on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, "They've got rings through their noses and purple hair!"//Not so much a direct critic of the sporting establishment, Mr. Sherrod was more likely to raise an eyebrow ............ than to spit in outrage.

herald

an official employed to oversee ceremonies, a person/thing viewed as a sign that something will happen. (verb) a sign that something is about to happen

ersatz

artificial; not genuine; fake

relegate

assign to a lower position

impugn

attack as false or wrong

imperturbable

calm, cannot be agitated

halcyon

calm, peaceful

chary

cautious, timid, choosy

jocular

characterised by joking

staid

characterized by dignity and propriety

laborious

characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

corpulent

excessively fat

acquisitive

excessively interested in acquiring money or material things

exponent

explicator; one who explains or interprets

explicator

exponent; one who explains or interprets

debunk

expose as false ideas and claims, especially while ridiculing

laudatory

expressing praise

abysmal

extremely bad

ethereal

extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world

exacting

extremely demanding

ebullient

extremely excited or enthusiastic

excruciating

extremely painful

belie

fails to give a true representation of

affected

fake; phony

canard

false story or rumour

eminence

fame or acknowledged superiority within a particular sphere, an important or distinguished person

zealot

fanatic

aghast

feeling great dismay or horror

distaff

female part of a family

fecund

fertile; productive

flotsam

floating debris; homeless, impoverished people

fatuous

foolish and silly

vestigial

forming a very small remnant of something that was once much larger or more noticeable. e.g. a vestigial flicker of emotion

pellucidity

free from obscurity and easy to understand

bonhomie

friendliness

dirge

funeral song

garrulous

given to much talking, tediously chatty

gradation

gradual or successive changes

felicity

happiness

besiege

harass, as with questions or requests; cause to feel distressed or worried

draconian

harsh and severe

cursory

hasty, not thorough

malodorous

having an unpleasant smell

impecunious

having little or no money

pastoral

having to do with the country

shrewd

having/showing sharp powers of judgement; astute

encomium

high praise

stymie

hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of

ribald

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

heterdox

iconoclastic; not conforming with accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs

edify

improve someone morally

impetutous

impulsive

dilapidated

in terrible condition

dogmatic

inclined to lay down principles as undeniably true; stubbornly opinionated

aggrandize

increase in size

cajole

influence by gentle urging

invidious

intended to hurt, offend or discriminate

fervid

intensely emotional; feverish, passionate, hot

sordid

involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt (비도덕적인)

hermetic

isolated and protected

insular

isolated, narrow or provinicial

fecklessness

lack initiative or strength of character; irresponsible

levity

lack of seriousness

insipid

lacking flavour; lacking vigour or interest

meager

lacking in quantity or quality; lean, thin (body part)

impious

lacking respect or devotion, usually for a good

mercurial

liable to sudden unpredictable change

avuncular

like an uncle in kindness

harangue

long pompous speech

indemnify

make amends for; pay compensation for; secure against future loos, damage of liability

ascertain

make certain

compound

make more intense, stronger, or more marked

husband

manage wisely or thriftily

wrongheaded

misguided and stubborn

expurgate

moderate, to censor (remove offensive stuff)

licentious

morally unrestrained

conspicuous

noticeable, no attempt at hiding

capacity

noun noun: the amount or volume something can hold ability (especially mental) The hotel is full to maximum ..........; there are no empty rooms. Few birds have the............ to recognize themselves when looking in a mirror; most act as though there is a second bird behind the glass.

idiosyncrasy

noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual Peggy's numerous .................es include wearing mismatched shoes, laughing loudly to herself, and owning a pet aardvark.

foible

noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual Synonyms : idiosyncrasy , mannerism When their new roommate sat staring at an oak tree for an hour, Marcia thought it indicated a mental problem, but Jeff assured her it was a harmless .............

constituent

noun: a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes The mayor's ............... are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another candidate in the upcoming election. noun: an abstract part of something Synonyms : component , element , factor , ingredient The ............... of the metal alloy are nickel, copper, and tin.

ploy

noun: a clever plan to turn a situation to one's advantage Synonyms : gambit,stratagem Dennis arranged an elaborate..............., involving 14 different people lying for him in different situations, so that it could appear that he was meeting Mary completely by chance at the wedding reception.

imbroglio

noun: a complicated situation, entanglement,a confusing and potentially embarrassing situation Synonyms : embroilment The imports pose fresh challenges for China's leaders who are wary of getting dragged into regional ..........., while also protecting their interests overseas.

egotist

noun: a conceited(excessive pride in oneself) and self-centered person Synonyms : egoist , swellhead, narcissist An ..........., Natasha had few friends because of her inability to talk about anything except her dream of becoming the next American Idol.

hodgepodge

noun: a confusing mixture or jumble Synonyms : farrago , gallimaufry , hotchpotch , melange , mingle-mangle , mishmash , oddments , odds and ends , omnium-gatherum , ragbag Those in attendance represented a................ of the city's denizens: chimney sweepers could be seen sitting elbow to elbow with stockbrokers.

despot

noun: a cruel and oppressive dictator: The Emperor Claudius was regarded as a fair-minded leader; his successor, Nero, was an absolute ......................// democracy against .................ism

canard

noun: a deliberately misleading fabrication: The public will always be fooled by the media's ...................

boon

noun: a desirable state Synonyms : blessing Modern technology has been a ............... to the travel industry. adjective: very close and convivial(cheerful) He was a ................. companion to many, and will be sadly missed.

anathema

noun: a detested(intensely disliked) person; the source of somebody's hate, curse Synonyms : bete noire Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was ............ to the church; today the church is anathema to some on the left side of the political spectrum.// kryptonite is ........... for superman

aberration

noun: a deviation from what is normal or expected Synonyms : aberrance , aberrancy , deviance Aberrations in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines.

conundrum

noun: a difficult problem Computers have helped solve some of the mathematical .............................which have puzzled man for many centuries.

malady

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

umbrage

noun: a feeling of anger caused by being offended Synonyms : offence , offense Since he was so in love with her, he took ............... at her comments, even though she had only meant to gently tease him.

presentiment

noun: a feeling of evil to come On the night that Lincoln would be fatally shot, his wife had a ......................... about going to Ford's Theater, but Lincoln persuaded her that everything would be fine.

solicitude

noun: a feeling of excessive concern I walked to his house in the rain to make sure he had enough to eat while he was sick, but he seemed not to appreciate my .............

euphoria

noun: a feeling of great (usually exaggerated) elation The ............... of winning her first gold medal in the 100 meter dash overwhelmed Shelly-Ann Fraser and she wept tears of immense joy.

charlatan

noun: a flamboyant deceiver; one who deceive customers with tricks or jokes Synonyms : mountebank You may call him a "motivational speaker," but I call him a .............--he doesn't have any idea what he's really talking about.//As we move to the debates, let's remember that to expose .......... is not partisanship, but simply good journalism.

juggernaut

noun: a force that cannot be stopped Synonyms : steamroller Napoleon was considered a ................. until he decided to invade Russia in winter; after which, his once indomitable(unable to defeat) army was decimated by cold and famine.

panegyric

noun: a formal expression of praise,very elaborate tribute to someone Synonyms : encomium , eulogy , paean , pean Dave asked Andrew to do just a simple toast, but Andrew launched into a full.............................., enumerating a complete list of Dave's achievements and admirable qualities.

contingent

noun: a gathering of persons representative of some larger group A small ............. of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it. adjective: possible but not certain to occur, when something can occur only when something else does first. Whether the former world champions can win again this year is ............. upon none of its star players getting injured.

curmudgeon

noun: a grouchy, surly person/bad-tempered person synonym: irascible, cantankerous Since Uncle Mike was the family ................, each Thanksgiving he was plied with copious amounts of wine, in the hope that he would become less grouchy.

misanthrope

noun: a hater of mankind Kevin is such a .............. that he refused to attend the Christmas party, claiming that everyone's happiness was "fake" and "annoying."

paucity

noun: a lack of something Synonyms : dearth There is a .............of jobs hiring today that require mental skills, since most jobs have either been automated or outsourced. More info: outsourced means obtained from contract from outside supplier

dearth

noun: a lack or shortage Synonyms : famine , shortage,paucity I am surprised by the .......... of fast food chains; this is America and I assumed they were on every street.

myriad

noun: a large indefinite number Synonyms : countless , infinite , innumerable , innumerous , multitudinous , numberless , uncounted , unnumberable , unnumbered , unnumerable There are a ............... of internet sites hawking(selling) pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end.

raft

noun: a large number of something Synonyms : batch , deal , flock , good deal , great deal , hatful , heap , lot , mass , mess , mickle , mint , mountain , muckle , passel , peck , pile , plenty , pot , quite a little , sight , slew , spate , stack , tidy sum , wad Despite a ......... of city ordinances passed by an overzealous council, noise pollution continued unabated in the megalopolis. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study More info: ordinance: a law passed by authority, unabated means havent decreased in intensity

dissolution

noun: a living full of debauchery and indulgence in sensual pleasure: Many Roman emperors were known for their............................., indulging in unspeakable desires of the flesh.

harangue

noun: a long pompous speech; a tirade Synonyms : rant , ranting Dinner at Billy's was more a punishment than a reward, since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy's father's interminable harangues against the government. verb: to deliver a long pompous speech or tirade Tired of his parents haranguing him about his laziness and lack of initiative, Tyler finally moved out of home at the age of thirty-five.

gambit

noun: a manuveur or risk in a game or conversation, designed to secure an advantage Randy played a .............., telling his boss that he would leave at the end of the week if he didn't get a raise./This could be a.......... to force a new round of diplomatic concessions from the West—or the prelude to another war.

amalgam

noun: a mixture of multiple things The band's music was an amalgam of hip-hop, flamenco and jazz, blending the three styles with surprising results.

label

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

mendicant

noun: a pauper who lives by begging Synonyms : beggar Tolstoy was an aristocrat, but he strove to understand the Christianity of the Russian peasants by wandering among them as a ..........................

respite

noun: a pause from doing something (as work) Synonyms : break , recess , time out, relief , rest , rest period Every afternoon, the small company has a ................ in which workers play foosball or board games.

savvy

noun: a perceptive understanding Synonyms : apprehension , discernment , understanding Although a great CEO, he did not have the political ............. to win the election. verb: get the meaning of something Synonyms : apprehend , compass , comprehend , dig , get the picture , grasp , grok The student ............ the meaning of astrophysics with little effort. adjective: well-informed or perceptive With his ............. business partner, the company was able to turn a profit within a year.

raconteur

noun: a person skilled in telling anecdotes Synonyms : anecdotist Jude is entertaining, but he is no ............: beyond the handful of amusing stories he has memorized, he has absolutely no spontaneous story-telling ability.

chauvinist

noun: a person who believes in the superiority of their group Synonyms : flag-waver , hundred-percenter , jingo , jingoist , patrioteer The ............ lives on both sides of the political spectrum, outright shunning anybody whose ideas are not consistent with his own.

miser

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

apostate

noun: a person who has abandoned a religious faith or cause Synonyms : deserter , ratter , recreant , renegade , turncoat An ........ of the Republican Party, Sheldon has yet to become affiliated with any party and dubs himself an independent.

parvenu

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

arriviste

noun: a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class Synonyms : nouveau-riche , parvenu , upstart The city center was aflutter(in excitement) with .................. who each tried to outdo one another with their ostentatious sports cars and chic evening dress.

heretic

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

sybarite

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

proponent

noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea Synonyms : advocate , advocator , exponent Ironically, the leading .......... of Flat-Earth Theory flies all over the world in an effort to win more adherents.

jingoist

noun: a person who thinks that their country should be at war, fanatically patriotic Synonyms : chauvinist , flag-waver , hundred-percenter , jingo , patrioteer In the days leading up to war, a nation typically breaks up into the two opposing camps: doves, who do their best to avoid war, and ............., who are only too eager to wave national flags from their vehicles and vehemently denounce those who do not do the same.

sycophant

noun: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage Synonyms : ass-kisser , crawler , lackey , toady The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with ............. who would never dare criticize him.

corollary

noun: a practical consequence that follows naturally A ....................... of Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the east coast of the U.S., is a push to build higher sea walls to protect against future hurricanes.// You could say that your weight gain is a ................. of the recent arrival of a bakery across the street from your house.

atavism

noun: a reappearance of an earlier characteristic; throwback,it is a return to a previous way of doing, saying, or seeing things. Much of the modern art movement was an ............... to a style of art found only in small villages through Africa and South America.

reprisal

noun: a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime The Old Testament doctrine of an eye for an eye is not the kind of retaliation practiced in war; rather, an arm, a leg, and both ears are the ................ for the smallest scratch.

maxim

noun: a short saying expressing a general truth Synonyms : axiom Johnson initially suggests that the secret to business can be summarized in a single ............ but then requires a 300-page book to explain exactly what he means.

smattering

noun: a slight or superficial understanding of a subject; a small amount of something Synonyms : perfunctory understanding, rudimentary, smidgen, modicum, little I know only a ...............of German, but Helen is able to read German newspapers and converse with natives.

pittance

noun: a small amount (of money) Vinny's uncle beamed smugly about how he'd offered his nephew fifty dollars for his Harvard tuition; even twice the amount would have been a mere ............... more info: beamed smugly means smiled with too much satisfaction or confidence

modicum

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

solecism

noun: a socially awkward or tactless act Synonyms : faux pas , gaffe , gaucherie , slip Mother Anna was always on guard against any ........... from her children and scolded them immediately if any of them talked out of place in public.//Eager to avoid major ............, Scott wanted to do scientific justice to his imaginative story ideas by having them scrutinized by a physicist—namely me.

culpability

noun: a state of guilt Synonyms : blameworthiness Since John had left his banana peel at the top of the stairwell, he accepted .................. for Martha's broken leg.

martinet

noun: a strict disciplinarian Synonyms : disciplinarian , moralist The job seemed perfect to Rebecca, until she found out that her boss was a total .............; after each project the boss would come by to scrutinize - and inevitably criticize - every little detail of the work Rebecca had done.

broadside

noun: a strong verbal attack Political ............... are usually strongest in the weeks leading up to a national election.//The press may be vulnerable to these.................. because trust in journalism is so low.

diatribe

noun: a strong verbal attack against a person or institution Synonyms : fulmination Steve's mom launched into a ............. during the PTA meeting, contending that the school was little more than a daycare in which students stare at the wall and teachers stare at the chalkboard.

polemic

noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something. The professor launched into a ..........., claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

nuance

noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude Synonyms : nicety , refinement , shade , subtlety Because of the ................ involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advice us and help.

epiphany

noun: a sudden revelation or moment of insight Gary one day had an .............. that he was a people person; he promptly quit his factory job and began working as a salesman.

quisling

noun: a traitor Synonyms : collaborationist , collaborator History looks unfavorably upon .................s; indeed they are accorded about the same fondness as Nero—he who watched his city burn down while playing the violin.

platitude

noun: a trite or obvious remark Synonyms : banality , bromide , cliche , commonplace The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times, such as the Golden Rule, are now regarded as mere ..............

bromide

noun: a trite or obvious remark Synonyms : banality , cliche , commonplace , platitude Instead of sharing his umbrella, the cheeky stranger offered Martha the following ....................: "Looks like it's raining."

melee

noun: a wild, confusing fight or struggle Synonyms : battle royal , scrimmage After enduring daily taunts about my name, I became enraged and pummeled (strike repeatedly) the schoolyard bully and his sycophantic friends in a brutal .........

epigram

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

quip

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

perfidy

noun: an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust Synonyms : betrayal , treachery , treason, The lowest circles in Dante's Inferno were for those who had practiced ............, and among these, the very lowest was for those, such as Judas, who had been treacherous to one of their benefactors.

dilettante

noun: an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge Synonyms : dabbler , sciolist,dilettanteish , dilettantish , sciolistic Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a ...............

accolade

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

alacrity

noun: an eager willingness to do something Synonyms : briskness , smartness The first three weeks at his new job, Mark worked with such ........... that upper management knew they would be giving him a promotion.

cataclysm

noun: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune: The introduction of smallpox was a ............................ for Native Americans, killing off more than half of their population.

precedent

noun: an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time adj: subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time) synonym : paradigm, antecedent The principal explained that even though one student had done modelling work outside of school, the outfits that student wore in those photographs in no way established a ................. for what could be worn at school dances.// By World War I, 17 million foreigners had followed in her footsteps in "a movement of people without ............... in human history

surfeit

noun: an excessive amount of something, slew , glut , myriad There was no such thing as a ............................. of shopping for Nancy--she could stay at the outlet stores from opening to closing time

glut

noun: an excessive supply Synonyms : oversupply , surfeit The Internet offers such a ................. of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first. verb: supply with an excess of Synonyms : flood , oversupply In the middle of economic crises, hiring managers find their inboxes ................. with resumes.

dispensation

noun: an exemption from a rule or obligation Since her father is a billionaire, she is given ................ from many of the school's policies.

virago

noun: an ill-tempered or violent woman Synonyms : amazon Poor Billy was the victim of the ...........'s invective(abuse) - she railed at him for a good 30-minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.

antipathy

noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion Synonyms : aversion , distaste Maria had an ........... for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.

sinecure

noun: an office that involves minimal duties The position of Research Director is a ..............: the job entails almost no responsibilities, nor does the person in that position have to answer to anyone.// In African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda teaching is all too often a ..................., not a vocation(main profession). they don't dedicate efforts to teaching.

semblance

noun: an outward appearance,form that is deliberately misleading,illusion Synonyms : color , colour , gloss ( this word came from resemblance), evasiveness While the banker maintained a ................... of respectability in public, those who knew him well were familiar with his many crimes.

reservation

noun: an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something wholeheartedly Synonyms : arriere pensee , mental reservation I was initially excited by the idea of a trip to Washington, D.C. but now that I have read about the high crime statistics there, I have some ................... This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

litany

noun: any long and tedious account of something Mr. Rogers spoke to a Senate committee and did not give a .......... of reasons to keep funding the program, but instead, appealed to the basic human decency of all present.// the patient recited a.................. of complaints

empiricism

noun: any method that derives knowledge from experience, used in experimental science as a way to gain insight and knowledge ................. does not always lead to knowledge; an experience or experiment may raise more questions than it answers.

effrontery

noun: audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to Synonyms : assumption , presumption , presumptuousness The skateboarders acted with ................., skating through the church grounds and spray-painting signs warning trespassers.

credence

noun: belief in something He placed no .............. in psychics, claiming that they offered no special powers beyond the ability to make people part with their money. more info: part with means to give something to someone although you would prefer to keep it

acrimony

noun: bitterness and ill will Synonyms : acerbity , bitterness , jaundice , tartness , thorniness The acrimonious dispute between the president and vice-president sent a clear signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.

prolixity

noun: boring verbosity Synonyms : long-windedness , prolixness , windiness , wordiness I loved my grandfather dearly, but his ............would put me to sleep, regardless of the topic.

sangfroid

noun: calmness or poise in difficult situations The hostage negotiator exhibited a ................ that oftentimes was more menacing than the sword at his throat, or the gun at his head.

vicissitude

noun: change in one's circumstances, usually for the worse Even great rulers have their ...................... - massive kingdoms have diminished overnight, and once beloved kings have faced the scorn of angry masses.

duress

noun: compulsory force or threat The witness said he signed the contract under .............. and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.

tact

noun: consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offense,To talk carefully without hurting anyone's feelings, Synonyms : tactfulness In a tremendous display of .............., Shelly was able to maintain a strong friendship with Marcia, even though Marcia's husband, Frank, confessed to finding Shelley more attractive than Marcia.// Around a friend who's afraid of snakes, you use.......... when talking about reptiles because you don't want to upset them

graft

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

veneer

noun: covering consisting of a thin superficial layer that hides the underlying substance Mark Twain referred to the Victorian Period in America as the "Gilded Age", implying the ample moral corruption that lay beneath a mere ............... of respectability.

exegesis

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

artifice

noun: cunning tricks used to deceive others The mayoral candidates both spent much of the campaign accusing each other of .................designed to mislead the voting public.

duplicity

noun: deceitfulness, pretending to want one thing but interested in something else Synonyms : fraudulence A life of espionage is one of .............: an agent must pretend to be a totally different person than who she or he actually is.

truculence

noun: defiant(bold disobedience) aggressiveness;fierce kind of aggression When the boss confronted Aaron about his earlier remarks, Aaron responded with utter .............., simply throwing a glass of water in the boss' face and walking away.

turpitude

noun: depravity; a depraved act During his reign, Caligula indulged in unspeakable sexual practices, so it not surprising that he will forever be remembered for his .............

reprobate

noun: deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper or good, reject ( documents) as invalid Synonyms : miscreant( a person without moral principles) Those old ...........drinking all day down by the river-they are not going to amount to much.

aplomb

noun: great coolness and composure under strain Synonyms : assuredness , cool , poise , sang-froid, equanimity Nancy acted with ....................... during dangerous situations--she once calmly climbed up an oak tree to save a cat.

avarice

noun: greed (one of the seven deadly sins) Synonyms : avaritia , covetousness , greed , rapacity,avariciousness , covetousness , cupidity The Spanish conquistadors were known for their ................., plundering Incan land and stealing Incan gold.

cupidity

noun: greed for money Synonyms : avarice , avariciousness , covetousness Some people believe that amassing as much wealth as possible is the meaning to life - yet they often realize that ............ brings anything but happiness.

panacea

noun: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; a universal solution: While the company credit card has made most large purchases easier, it is no .........................: some smaller basic transactions still must be conducted in cash.

torpor

noun: inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy Synonyms : listlessness , torpidity , torpidness After work, I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing, but I found them in a state of complete ..............

inequity

noun: injustice; unfairness After decades of racial .................... the "separate but equal" doctrine was successfully overturned.

probity

noun: integrity, strong moral principles The ideal politician would have the ......... to lead, but reality gravely falls short of the ideal of morally upright leaders.// But the ..............of soccer here is now in the spotlight after a newspaper sting led to several coaches being accused of transgressions.

animosity

noun: intense hostility The governor's .............. toward his rival was only inflamed when the latter spread false lies regarding the governor's first term.

schadenfreude

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

discord

noun: lack of agreement or harmony Synonyms : strife Despite all their talented players, the team was filled with ..........--some players refused to talk to others--and lost most of their games.

insouciance

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

recrimination

noun: mutual accusations The two brothers sat and cried, pointing fingers and making elaborate ................. of the other's guilt

hauteur

noun: obnoxious/unpleasent display of overbearing pride Synonyms : arrogance , haughtiness , high-handedness , lordliness As soon as she won the lottery, Alice begin displaying a ..................... to her friends, calling them dirty-clothed peasants behind their backs// The rebellion of the voiceless screams: "Listen, liberal," check your moral .............. and accord us worth.

aesthete

noun: one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature Synonyms : esthete A true ................., Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum, staring at the same Picasso.

spendthrift

noun: one who spends money extravagantly Synonyms : scattergood , spend-all , spender Taking weekly trips to Vegas, Megan was a ................ whose excesses eventually caught up to her.

hubris

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

decorum

noun: propriety in manners and conduct "You will obey the rules of ............. for this courtroom or spend the night in a jail cell," said the judge to the prosecutor.

gumption

noun: resourcefulness and determination Synonyms : backbone , grit , guts , moxie , sand, sagacity, shrewdness, savvy, discernment Wallace Stegner lamented the lack of ........................... in the U.S. during the sixties, claiming that no young person knew the value of work.

apothegm

noun: short instructive saying that's easy to remember and sometimes even slightly witty Winston Churchill is famous for many ..................., but this might be his most famous: "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

firebrand

noun: someone who deliberately creates trouble Freddie is a ................: every time he walks into the office, he winds up at the center of heated argument.

maverick

noun: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action Synonyms : rebel Officer Kelly was a .............., rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

pundit

noun: someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field, a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully Steven Pinker's credentials are unquestioned as a.............; he has taught at MIT and Stanford, teaches at Harvard, and has published a number of influential books on cognition, language, and psychology.

desideratum

noun: something desired as a necessity The ........................ of the environmental group is that motorists should rely on carpooling// "the ........................a for a vacation are time and money"

chimera

noun: something desired or wished for but is only an illusion and impossible to achieve Many believe that a world free of war is a ..............—a dream that ignores humanity's violent tendencies.

chimera

noun: something desired or wished for but is only an illusion and impossible to achieve Many believe that a world free of war is a ..............—a dream that ignores humanity's violent tendancies.

subterfuge

noun: something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity, use of tricky actions to hide or get something. Finally deciding to abandon all ........................., Arthur revealed to Cindy everything about his secret affair over the past two years, "he wasn't sick--it was just a .......................",, This ...................... would be assisted by the fact of his staying at Corbin castle, instead of at the actual place of the tournament.

palimpsest

noun: something that has been changed numerous times but on which traces of former iterations can still be seen The downtown was a .............of the city's checkered(marked by variety) past: a new Starbucks had opened up next to an abandoned, shuttered building, and a freshly asphalted road was inches away from a pothole large enough to swallow a small dog.

anachronism

noun: something that is inappropriate for the given time period (usually something old). Dressed in 15th century clothing each day, Edward was a walking .....................//Some high-frequency firms exploit an .............. in the structure of markets.

anomaly

noun: something that is not normal, standard, or expected After finding an ........... in the data, she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.

anodyne

noun: something that soothes or relieves pain Synonyms : analgesic , pain pill , painkiller Muzak, which is played in department stores, is intended to be an .............., but is often so cheesy and over-the-top that customers become irritated. adjective: inoffensive Synonyms : analgesic , analgetic Wilbur enjoyed a spicy Mexican breakfast, but Jill preferred a far more ........... meal in the mornings.

catalyst

noun: something that speeds up an event Synonyms : accelerator Rosa Park's refusal to give up her bus seat acted as a .............. for the Civil Rights Movement, setting into motion historic changes for African-Americans.

exemplar

noun: something to be imitated(followed as model), perfect example Lena's homework is on the wall because it is an ............. of clean, neat, and thoughtful work.

tribulation

noun: something, especially an event, that causes difficulty and suffering synonym : cataclysm As of 2013, nearly 1.5 million Syrians have fled their country hoping to escape the ............ of a civil war tearing their country to pieces.

celerity

noun: speed, rapidity We aim to respond to customers' questions with............ and accuracy, with no longer than a 24 hour wait time.

quandary

noun: state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options Synonyms : dilemma Steve certainly is in a ...................: if he doesn't call Elaine, she will blame him for everything, but if he does call her, the evidence of where he currently is could cost him his job.

chagrin

noun: strong feelings of embarrassment Much to the the timid writer's ................, the audience chanted his name until he came back on the stage. verb: cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of,humiliate She never cared what others said about her appearance but was ................. by the smallest comment from her mother.

credulity

noun: tendency to believe readily, gullible Virginia's wide-eyed(innocent, inexperienced) .............. as a five-year old was replaced by suspicion after she learned that Santa Claus didn't really exist.

access

noun: the ability to go into (when somebody or something must allow you to enter) verb: to go into something when allowed to enter Only students have ............ to the university library. There is a large amount of oil under the ice, but we have not be able to ........... it.

verisimilitude

noun: the appearance of truth, truthlikeness All bad novels are bad for numerous reasons; all good novels are good for their .....................................of reality, placing the readers in a world that resembles the one they know.

venality

noun: the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption Even some of the most sacred sporting events are not immune to venality, as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.

malapropism

noun: the confusion of a word with another word that sounds similar Synonyms : malaprop Whenever I looked glum(morose), my mother would offer to share "an amusing antidote" with me - an endearing(affectionate,loving) ................ of "anecdote" that never failed to cheer me up.

contrition

noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad Synonyms : attrition , contriteness Those who show .................. during their prison terms--especially when under review by a parole board--often get shortened sentences.

denouement

noun: the final resolution of the many strands of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events At the ..................... of the movie, all questions were answered, and the true identity of the robber was revealed.

pinnacle

noun: the highest point Synonyms : acme , elevation , height , meridian , peak , summit , superlative , tiptop , top At its ............., the Roman Empire extended across most of the landmass of Eurasia, a feat not paralleled to the rise of the British Empire in the 18th and 19th century.

apex

noun: the highest point Synonyms : acme , peak , vertex The Ivy League is considered the .......... of the secondary education system.

apogee

noun: the highest point Synonyms : culmination The ........... of the Viennese style of music, Mozart's music continues to mesmerize audiences well into the 21st century.

acme

noun: the highest point of achievement Synonyms : elevation , height , meridian , peak , pinnacle , summit , superlative , tiptop , top The new Cessna airplanes will be the............ of comfort, offering reclining seats and ample legroom.

zenith

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

serendipity

noun: the instance in which an accidental, fortunate discovery is made, good luck in making unexpected and unfortunate discoveries synonym: fortuitous By pure ........., Sarah discovered, at a flea market ( a street market selling second hand goods)in Peoria, a matching earring to replace the one that fell down the storm drain back home.//These ..............ous little moments aren't just .................., but the result of machine learning and "neural nets."

nadir

noun: the lowest point Synonyms : low-water mark For many pop music fans, the rap and alternative-rock dominated 90s were the ............. of musical expression.

pith

noun: the most essential part of something When Cynthia hears a speaker presenting a complex argument, she is always able to discard the irrelevant details and extract the ............. of what the speaker is trying to convey.

eponym

noun: the name derived from a person (real or imaginary); the person for whom something is named : Alexandria, Egypt is an .................... because it is named after Alexander the Great.

summit

noun: the peak or highest point Synonyms : acme , elevation , height , meridian , peak , pinnacle , superlative , tiptop , top, crest , crown After hiking for two days, the climbers finally reached the ............ of Mount Kilimanjaro. noun: a meeting of high-level leaders Since climate change policy has been mired(being in difficult situation) in congressional fighting, this ..............should help set the goals for president's next term.

heyday

noun: the pinnacle or top of a time period or career Synonyms : bloom , blossom , efflorescence , flower , flush , peak , prime During the ..............of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.

ingenuity

noun: the power of creative imagination Synonyms : cleverness , inventiveness Daedalus was famous for his ................; he was able to fashion his son Icarus with a pair of wings, using wax to hold them together.

prescience

noun: the power to foresee the future Synonyms : prevision Baxter's warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of ................ after the whole market declined significantly.

profusion

noun: the property of being extremely abundant When Maria reported that she had been visited by Jesus Christ and had proof, a....................... of reporters and journalists descended on the town.

variance

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

candidness

noun: the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech Synonyms : candor , candour , directness , forthrightness , frankness Although I was unhappy that the relationship ended, I appreciated her .............. about why she was ready to move on from the relationship.

altruism

noun: the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others Synonyms : selflessness Albert Schweitzer spent most of his life doing missionary work as a doctor in Africa, seeking no reward, apparently motivated only by.................

rapprochement

noun: the reestablishing of cordial relations Although Ann hoped that her mother and her aunt would have a ...................., each one's bitter accusations against the other made any reconciliation unlikely.

ascendancy

noun: the state that exists when one person or group has power over another Synonyms : ascendance , ascendence , ascendency , control , dominance The................. of the Carlsbad water polo team is clear—they have a decade of championships behind them.

mendacity

noun: the tendency to be untruthful. I can forgive her for her ................. but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.

temperance

noun: the trait of avoiding excesses; Welles wasn't known for his .............--he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.

gall

noun: the trait of being rude and impertinent Synonyms : cheekiness , crust , freshness , impertinence , impudence , insolence Even though Carly was only recently hired, she had the ....... to question her boss's judgment in front of the office. noun: feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will Synonyms : bitterness , rancor , rancour , resentment In an act of ........, Leah sent compromising (embarrassing) photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts.

indifference

noun: the trait of seeming not to care In an effort to fight ..........., the president of the college introduced a new, stricter grading system.

diminutive

noun: to indicate smallness: He prefers to be called a .................................... of his name: "Bill" instead of "John William."

capitulate

noun: to surrender (usually under agreed conditions): Paul, losing 19-0 in a ping-pong match against his nimble friend, basically ............................ when he played the last two points with his eyes closed.

travail

noun: use of physical or mental energy; hard work; agony or anguish Synonyms : effort , elbow grease , exertion , sweat While they experienced nothing but ..................... in refinishing the kitchen, they completed the master bedroom in less than a weekend.

opulence

noun: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous (rich)living Synonyms : luxuriousness , luxury , sumptuousness Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive cavier.

presumption

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

antiquated

old-fashioned; belonging to an earlier period in time

libertine

one without moral restraint

aria

operatic solo; a song sung by one person in an opera or oratorio

sanguine

optimistic

anachronistic

out of chronological order

exuberant

overflowing, especially with joy

histrionic

overly dramatic

quixotic

overly idealistic; impractical

analgesic

painkiller, anodyne

cosset

pamper

assiduous

persistent, attentive, diligent

carping

persistently petty and unjustified criticism (잔소리)

pastiche

piece of literature or music imitating other works

Contextualization

place or study in context

curtail

place restrictions on, terminate before its proper end. (cut tail)

fallow

plowed but not seeded; inactive; reddish-yellow; land left unseeded; to plow but not seed

burnish

polish

genial

polite and friendly

pretentious

pompous, self-important

adulate

praise excessively

despite

preposition: ............ is used as a preposition when something happens even though it might have been prevented by something else. We enjoyed our vacation ............. the rain.

hamper

prevent the progress or free movement of

futile

producing no result or effect; unproductive of success

promulgate

put a law into effect, promote or make widely known

demure

quiet and modest; reserved

proliferation

rapid increase in number of amount

impetuous

rash, impulsive

insurrection

rebellion

incarnadine

red or pink, flesh coloured

snub

refuse to acknowledge; reject outright and bluntly

balk

refusing to comply

semantic

related to the study of meaning

effigy

respresentation of somebody

circumscribed

restricted within limits

churlish

rude and vulgar

sacrosanct

sacred

doctrinaire

seeking to impose a doctrine in all circumstances without regard to practical considerations

paradoxical

seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true

brio

sense of liveliness and vigorous movement

estrangement

seperation from hostility

demarcate

set, mark, or draw the boundaries of something

ephermal

short-lived

blithe

showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper; happy or carefree

obliging

showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others

punctilious

showing great attention to detail or correct behavior

penitential

showing that you are sorry for having done something wrong

canny

shrewd; showing good judgement

incredulous

skeptical; disbelieving

adroit

skillful; clever

phlegmatic

slow-moving, sluggish; unemotional

colossal

so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe

anachronism

something out of place in time

constraint

something that limits or restricts

veracious

speaking or representing the truth

disseminate

spreak widely

kept abreast of

stay up to date

austerity

sternness or severity of manner or attitude

extant

still in existence

capricious

subject to whims or passing fancies

preternatural

supernatural; beyond the normal use of nature

inculcate

teach through persisent repetition

lachrymose

tearful; sad

abeyance

temporary suspension

emollient

that which has a softening or soothing effect, especially to the skin

resignation

the acceptance of something unpleasant that can't be avoided

dispatch

the property of being prompt and efficient; dispose of rapidly and without delay and efficiently

efflorescence

the state or a period of flowering, an example or result of growth and development

ephemera

things that are important or used for only a short period of time

deliberate

think about carefully; weigh the pros and cons of an issue

interregnum

time between rulers

avail

to be of use or benefit to

inter

to bury

dissemble

to disguise, to pretend (especially one's true feelings or similar)

champion

to fight for a cause

disabuse

to free somebody from false ideas

glower

to glare or stare angrily and intensely

fulminate

to loudly attack or denounce

lampoon

to mock in satire

extol

to praise highly

morph

to undergo dramatic change in a seamless and barely noticeable fashion

legerdemain

trickery, slight of hand

provisional

under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon (임시의)

qualm

uneasiness about the fitness of an action

trifling

unimportant, trivial, insignificant

hapless

unlucky

fractious

unruly

hidebound

unwilling to change because of tradition

inexorable

unyield, cannot be stopped

exigent

urgent; requiring immediate action

hackneyed

used so often as to lack freshness or originality

laconic

using few words

ossify

verb : make rigid and set into a conventional pattern,become inflexible synonym: petrify, indurate Even as a young man, Bob had some bias against poor people, but during his years in social services, his bad opinions ............... into unshiftable view

misattribute

verb: To erroneously attribute; to falsely ascribe; used especially of authorship:I made a mistake; I ..............................."Crime and Punishment" to Leo Tolstoy when it was actually written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

eke

verb: To live off meager resources, make through a difficult time Stranded in a cabin over the winter, Terry was able to ........ out an existence on canned food.

countermand

verb: a contrary command cancelling or reversing a previous command: By the time the colonel ............................ his soldiers not to land in enemy territory, a few helicopters had already touched down amid heavy gunfire.

finagle

verb: achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods synonym : subterfuge , artifice Steven was able to ................ one of the last seats on the train by convincing the conductor that his torn stub was actually a valid ticket.

concede

verb: acknowledge defeat I............. You win! verb: admit (to a wrongdoing) Synonyms : confess , profess After a long, stern lecture from her father, Olivia .......... to having broken the window. verb: give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another Synonyms : cede , grant , yield The Spanish were forced to ............. much of the territory they had previously conquered.

expound

verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth The CEO refused to ............... on the decision to merge our department with another one, and so I quit.

tout

verb: advertize in strongly positive terms; show off Synonyms : blow , bluster , boast , brag , gas , gasconade , shoot a line , swash , vaunt At the conference, the CEO................ the extraordinary success of his company's Research & Development division.

lionize

verb: assign great social importance to Synonyms : celebrate , lionise Students in the U.S. learn to............. Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington because they are the founding fathers of the nation.

posit

verb: assume as fact Synonyms : postulate Initially, Einstein............a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder.

impugn

verb: attack as false or wrong , assail, contravene Though many initially tried to ............ Darwin's theory, in scientific circles today, the is idea taken as truth.

assail

verb: attack in speech or writing Synonyms : assault , attack , lash out , round , snipe In the weekly paper, the editor ............ the governor for wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars in public projects that quickly failed.

enamor

verb: attraction or feeling of love, besotted: She is completely..................... with Justin Bieber, and goes to all his concerts on the East coast./// Someone .................... with another will perhaps even swoon. A man who's in love sends the object of his affection a dozen roses, but if he is ........................ with her, he covers her entire front lawn with a blanket of rose petals.

impute

verb: attribute (responsibility or fault) to something Synonyms : ascribe , assign , attribute He ................... his subpar performance on the test to a combination of stress and poor sleep.

ascribe

verb: attribute or credit to History ........ The Odyssey and The Illiad to Homer, but scholars now debate whether he was a historical figure or a fictitious name.

eschew

verb: avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of Synonyms : shun Politicians are the masters of .........ing morals; academics are the masters of .........ing clarity.

impede

verb: be a hindrance or obstacle to Synonyms : hinder,block , close up , jam , obstruct , obturate , occlude Since the police sergeant had to train the pair of new hires, progress in his own case was ..........d.

flummox

verb: be a mystery or bewildering to Synonyms : amaze , baffle , beat , bewilder , dumbfound , get , gravel , mystify , nonplus , perplex , pose , puzzle , stick , stupefy , vex Mary's behavior completely ............. me: I never have any idea what her motivations might be.

denote

verb: be a sign or indication of; have as a meaning Even if the text is not visible, the red octagon ....... "stop" to all motorists in America.

exemplify

verb: be characteristic of Synonyms : represent Lincoln................. the best of not only America, but also the potential greatness that exists within each person. verb: clarify by giving an example of Synonyms : illustrate , instance Please present some case studies that ............ the results that you claim in your paper.

confound

verb: be confusing or perplexing to Though Harry loved numbers, he found calculus .............. verb: mistake one thing for another Americans often.............. sweet potatoes with yams, and refer to both vegetables by the same name.

vacillate

verb: be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action Synonyms : hover , oscillate , vibrate,fluctuate , waver Some students ............. between schools when deciding which to attend, while others focus only on one school. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

prevail

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

languish

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

importune

verb: beg persistently and urgently, use it only when you're talking about going beyond mere begging into more urgent territory. After weeks of ...............ing the star to meet for a five-minute interview, the journalist finally got what she wanted.// The woman ...............d the judge to release her innocent brother from jail.

flounder

verb: behave awkwardly; have difficulties Synonyms : stagger Sylvia has excelled at advanced calculus, but ironically, when she has to deal with taxes, she .............

elicit

verb: call forth or draw out (emotions, feelings, and responses) Synonyms : arouse , enkindle , evoke , fire , kindle , provoke , raise Just smiling-even if you are depressed--can .......... feelings of pleasure and happiness.

rescind

verb: cancel officially Synonyms : annul , countermand , lift , overturn , repeal , reverse , revoke , vacate The man's driver's license was ............... after his tenth car accident, which meant he would never be allowed to legally drive again.

rile

verb: cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations Dan is usually calm and balanced, but it takes only one intense glare from Sabrina to......... him.

placate

verb: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of Synonyms : appease , assuage , conciliate , gentle , gruntle , lenify , mollify , pacify I was able to ............ the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.

disseminate

verb: cause to become widely known Synonyms : broadcast , circularise , circularize , circulate , diffuse , disperse , distribute , pass around , propagate , spread Before the effects of anaethesia were.............., patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery.

perpetuate

verb: cause to continue or prevail If you do not let him do things for himself, you are merely ............ bad habits that will be even harder to break in the future.//He said the decision "further ........... a culture of policing that says killing unarmed black men and women is OK".

crystallize

verb: cause to take on a definite and clear shape Only after fifteen minutes of brainstorming did Samantha's ideas for the essay.....................

denigrate

verb: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone Count Rumford .................ed the new theory of heat, demonstrating that it was wholly inadequate to explain the observations.

glean

verb: collect information bit by bit Herb has given us no formal statement about his background, but from various hints, I have ............... that he grew up in difficult circumstances.

derive

verb: come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example Many words in the English language are ..........d from Latin, including the word "..........." verb: reason by deduction; establish by deduction From the multiple set of footprints in the living room, the investigator ........ an important clue: Sheila was not alone in the room at the time of the murder.

proscribe

verb: command against Synonyms : disallow , forbid , interdict , nix , prohibit , veto, embargo, ostracize My doctor ...................... that I not eat donuts with chocolate sauce and hamburger patties for breakfast.

dissemble

verb: conceal one's true motives, usually through deceit : To get close to the senator, the assassin ........................ his intentions, convincing many people that he was a reporter for a well-known newspaper.

proselytize

verb: convert to another religion, philosophy, or perspective Lisa loves her Mac but says little about it; by contrast, Jake will ......................., interrogating anyone with an Android about why she didn't purchase an iPhone.///Despite the ................. pabulum spackled into the cracks between the action scenes, the race itself is a sight to behold// Prepare to put up with "why meat is bad" ..................ing before you get to dozens and dozens of easy-to-prepare recipes.

implicate

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

lambast

verb: criticize severely or angrily Synonyms : bawl out , berate , call down , call on the carpet , chew out , chew up , chide , dress down , have words , jaw , lecture , rag , rebuke , remonstrate , reprimand , reproof , scold , take to task , trounce Showing no patience, the manager utterly .................. the sales team that lost the big account.

rebuke

verb: criticize severely or angrily; censure Synonyms : bawl out , berate , call down , call on the carpet , chew out , chew up , chide , dress down , have words , jaw , lambast , lambaste , lecture , rag , remonstrate , reprimand , reproof , scold , take to task , trounce The police chief ............. the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers.

besmirch

verb: damage the good name and reputation of someone The prince's distasteful choice of words .................ed not only his own name, but the reputation of the entire royal family.

delineate

verb: describe in detail After a brief summary of proper swimming technique, the coach .............d the specifics of each stroke, spending 30 minutes alone on the backstroke.

browbeat

verb: discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner, they're giving you a beating with their mouth and their mind. During the interrogation, the suspect was.........into signing a false confession.

perturb

verb: disturb in mind or cause to be worried or alarmed Synonyms : cark , disorder , disquiet , distract , trouble , unhinge Now that Henry is recovering from a major illnesses, he no longer lets the little trivialities, such as late mail,.................. him.

quail

verb: draw back, as with fear or pain Synonyms : cringe , flinch , funk , recoil , shrink , squinch , wince Craig always claimed to be a fearless outdoorsman, but when the thunderstorm engulfed the valley, he .................... at the thought of leaving the safety of his cabin. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

flag

verb: droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness; become less intense :After the three crushing defeats in the last three games, the team's enthusiasm began to............................. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

bowdlerize

verb: edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate Synonyms : bowdlerise , castrate , expurgate , shorten To receive an R rating, the entire movie was.......... because it contained so much violence and grotesque subject matter.// All the candidates have taken what was once a very specific ideology and extracted their favorite parts, selectively interpreting the vision and generally............ it.

augment

verb: enlarge or increase; improve Ideally, the restaurant's ................... menu will expand its clientele(customers collectively) and increase its profits.

hail

verb: enthusiastically acclaim/praise or celebrate something Synonyms : herald Many college superstar athletes are .......... as the next big thing, but then flop at the professional level. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

elude

verb: escape understanding,hard to grasp, to evade Synonyms : bilk , evade Even a basic understanding of physics can .......... most high schools students.//Tom ............ his captors by hiding under a table

ostracize

verb: exclude from a community or group Synonyms : ban , banish , blackball , cast out , ostracise , shun Later in his life, Leo Tolstoy was ............... from the Russian Orthodox Church for his writings that contradicted church doctrine.

banish

verb: expel from a community, residence, or location; drive away Synonyms : ban , blackball , cast out , ostracise , ostracize , shun The most difficult part of the fast was .............. thoughts of food. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

bemoan

verb: express discontent or a stong regret, or express displeasure or unhappiness While the CEO carefully explained all the reasons for the cuts in benefits, after the meeting employees................ the cuts as further evidence that management was against them.

decry

verb: express strong disapproval of The entire audience erupted in shouts and curses, .................... the penalty card issued by the referee

dovetail

verb: fit together tightly, as if by means of an interlocking joint Although Darwin's evolution and Mendel's genetics were developed in isolation from one another, they ................ very well.

coalesce

verb: fuse or cause to grow together Over time, the various tribes ..........................d into a single common culture with one universal language.

ingratiate

verb: gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts; Even though Tom didn't like his new boss, he decided to ............ himself to her in order to advance his career.

entice

verb: get someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises Synonyms : lure , tempt Harold ........d his wife, Maude, to go on a vacation to Hawaii, with promises of luaus( Hawaiian feast) on the beach and all-you-can-eat seafood buffets.

delegate

verb: give an assignment to (a person) Since the senior manager had to go on many international business trips, she was forced to ............. many of her responsibilities to two lower-level managers.

sanction

verb: give authority or permission to Synonyms :approve , o.k. , okay The authorities have ........... the use of the wilderness reserve for public use; many expect to see hikers and campers enjoying the park in the coming months. noun: a legal penalty for a forbidden action International ............... have been placed on certain shipping lanes that were thought to be involved in human trafficking.

underscore

verb: give extra weight to (a communication); emphasize While the hiking instructor agreed that carrying a first aid kit could be a good idea under certain circumstances, he ............ the importance of carrying enough water.

enjoin

verb: give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority Synonyms : order , say , tell, peremptory The government agency ..................... the chemical company to clean up the hazardous dump it had created over the years.

engender

verb: give rise to Synonyms : beget , bring forth , father , generate , get , mother , sire The restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles were so severe that they ............ed deep hatred and resentment in the German people.

rankle

verb: gnaw into; make resentful or angry Synonyms : eat into , fret , grate His constant whistling would .........her, sometimes causing her to leave in a huff.(showing annoyance in obvious way)

burgeon

verb: grow and flourish China's housing market is ................ing, but some predict that the growth is merely a bubble and will burst much like the U.S. real estate bubble of 2008.

thwart

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of Synonyms : baffle , bilk , cross , foil , frustrate , queer , scotch , spoil,bar I wanted to spend a week in New York this autumn, but the high costs of travel and lodging .........ed my plans.

encumber

verb: hold back The costume .................. all my movements and caused me to sweat profusely.

enthrall

verb: hold spellbound Synonyms : delight , enchant , enrapture , ravish , transport, mesmerize She was so ............... by the movie that she never heard people screaming, "Fire! Fire!" in the neighboring theater.

misconstrue

verb: interpret in the wrong way Synonyms : be amiss , misapprehend , misconceive , misinterpret , misunderstand The politician never trusted journalists because he thought that they ............... his words and misrepresent his positions.

construe

verb: interpreted in a particular way The author's inability to take a side on the issue was ..............d by both his opponents and supporters as a sign of weakness.

hamstrung

verb: made ineffective or powerless The FBI has made so many restrictions on the local police that they are absolutely .............., unable to accomplish anything.

reconcile

verb: make (one thing) compatible with (another) Peggy was unable to ............... her kind friend Jane with the cruel and merciless character Jane played on television.

elucidate

verb: make clearer and easier to understand Youtube is great place to learn just about anything-an expert .......... finer points so that even a complete novice can learn.

tarnish

verb: make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically Synonyms : defile , maculate , stain , sully Pete Rose was one of the best baseball players of his generation, but his involvement with gambling on baseball games has............ his image in the eyes of many.

incense

verb: make furious When Herb bought football tickets for a game on the day of their wedding anniversary, Jill was .................

mitigate

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

embellish

verb: make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; make more beautiful Synonyms : adorn , beautify , decorate , grace , ornament , fancify , prettify McCartney would write relatively straightforward lyrics, and Lennon would .................. them with puns and poetic images.

ameliorate

verb: make something bad better "Three Cups of Tea" tells the story of western man who hopes to ............ poverty and the lack of education in Afghanistan.

assuage

verb: make something intense less severe Her fear that the new college would be filled with unknown faces was ...............when she recognized her childhood friend standing in line.

buttress

verb: make stronger or defensible China's economy has been ......................ed by a global demand for the electronic parts the country manufactures.

obscure

verb: make unclear Synonyms : becloud , befog , cloud , fog , haze over , mist , obnubilate On the Smith's drive through the Grand Canyon, Mr. Smith's big head ................. much of Mrs. Robinson's view, so that she only saw momentary patches of red rock. adjective: known by only a few Synonyms : unknown , unsung Many of the biggest movie stars were once ................. actors who got only bit roles in long forgotten films. This word has other definitions but these are the most important ones to study

exacerbate

verb: make worse Synonyms : aggravate , exasperate , worsen Her sleeplessness ...........ed her cold--when she woke up the next day, her sinuses were completely blocked.

conflate

verb: mix together different elements or concepts Synonyms : blend , coalesce , combine , commingle , flux , fuse , immix , meld , merge , mix, confound ( but it is mixing for worse ) In her recent book, the author.................. several genres--the detective story, the teen thriller, and the vampire romance--to create a memorable read.

tender

verb: offer up something formally Synonyms : bid The government was loath to(reluctant).............. more money in the fear that it might set off inflation. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

appease

verb: pacify by acceding (agreeing)to the demands of Synonyms : assuage , conciliate , gentle , gruntle , lenify , mollify , pacify , placate Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister during WWII, tried to .............. Hitler and in doing so sent a clear message: you can walk all over us.

juxtapose

verb: place side by side The appeal of her paintings comes from a classical style which is ........... with modern themes.

exalt

verb: praise or glorify The teenagers..............the rock star, covering their bedrooms with posters of him.

antedate

verb: precede in time Harry was so unknowledgable that he was unaware the Egyptian pharaohs ................. the American Revolution.

exonerate

verb: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges synonym: exculpate The document clearly indicated that Nick was out of the state at the time of the crime, and so served to ............... him of any charges.

refute

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

afford

verb: provide with an opportunity The summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro ............. a panoramic view that encompasses both Tanzania and Kenya. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

retract

verb: pull inward or towards a center; formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure Synonyms : draw in,abjure , forswear , recant , resile Email is wonderfully efficient, but once something awkward or damaging has been sent, there is no way to ................ it.

brook

verb: put up with(accept) something or somebody unpleasant While she was at the chalkboard, the teacher did not ............ any form of talking--even a tiny peep resulted in afternoon detention//Instead, his deadly war on drugs and refusal to ............criticism on human rights have quickly strained relations with the Obama administration.

resolve

verb: reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation(long careful consideration) Synonyms : conclude After much thought, Ted .................. not to travel abroad this summer because he didn't have much money in his bank account. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

culminate

verb: reach the highest or most decisive point Synonyms : climax Beethoven's musical genius .............. in the 9th Symphony, which many consider his greatest work.

bristle

verb: react in an offended or angry manner As we discussed the painting, I noticed the artitst's wife ............... at our criticisms, ready to defend her husband's work.

discriminate

verb: recognize or perceive the difference Synonyms : know apart,separate Sarah couldn't ............ between a good wine and a bad wine, so she avoided wine tastings. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

degrade

verb: reduce in worth or character, usually verbally Synonyms : demean , disgrace , put down , take down Jesse had mockingly pointed out all of Nancy's faults in front of their friends, publicly ....................... the poor girl.

truncate

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

debase

verb: reduce the quality or value of something Synonyms : adulterate , dilute , load , stretch The third-rate script so ................. the film that not even the flawless acting could save it from being a flop.

spurn

verb: reject with contempt(that someone is worthless) Synonyms : disdain , freeze off , pooh-pooh , reject , scorn , turn down She ........... all his flattery and proposals, and so he walked off embarrassed and sad.

cede

verb: relinquish possession or surrender Synonyms : deliver , give up , surrenderr Eventually, all parents must ......... control of their growing childrens' educations and allow their offspring some autonomy.

deign

verb: reluctantly do something that one considers to be below one's dignity The master of the house never ......... to answer questions from the servants.//When threatened with the loss of her fortune, an heiress might ........... to get a job, but she might look down her nose at the people she'd have to work with.

buck

verb: resist Synonyms : go against The profits at our firm ............. the general downturn that affected the real estate industry.

circumscribe

verb: restrict or confine Synonyms : confine , limit Their tour of South America was .............. so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

abrogate

verb: revoke formally, abolish, get rid of As part of the agreement between the labor union and the company, the workers .......................... their right to strike for four years in exchange for better health insurance.

lampoon

verb: ridicule with satire Synonyms : satirise , satirize Mark Twain understood that............... a bad idea with humor was the most effective criticism.//The other fighters on the stage, champions many of them, had become his props, randomly selected for searing ..................

grovel

verb: show submission or fear, or to beg like a hungry dog Synonyms : cower , crawl , creep , cringe , fawn Every time Susan comes to the office, Frank .......... as if she were about to fire.

palaver

verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly: During the rain delay, many who had come to see the game ............................, probably hoping that idle chatter would make the time go by faster.

advocate

verb: speak, plead, or argue in favor of Synonyms : preach While the senator privately approved of gay marriage, he was unwilling to................ for the cause in a public venue. noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea Synonyms : advocator , exponent , proponent Martin Luther King Jr. was a tireless ..................... for the rights of African-Americans in the United States. This word has other definitions but these are the most important ones to study

squander

verb: spend thoughtlessly; waste time, money, or an opportunity Synonyms : blow , waste,consume , ware Fearing his money would be ............... by his family, he gave all of it to charity when he died.

vilify

verb: spread negative information about Todd was noble after the divorce, choosing to say only complimentary things about Barbara, but Barbara did not hesitate to ............Todd.

promulgate

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

bolster

verb: support and strengthen The case for the suspect's innocence was ................. considerably by the fact that neither fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene. Synonyms : bolster up This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

arrogate

verb: take over, usurp Arriving at the small town, the outlaw ........... the privileges of a lord, asking the frightened citizens to provide food, drink, and entertainment.

preempt

verb: take the place of or have precedence over, acquire for oneself before others can do so, acquire,get, bid A governmental warning about an imminent terrorist attack would .................. ordinary network programming on television.// He anticipated that the researcher would notice his sweaty armpits and used humor to ............ any awkwardness.

bridle

verb: the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess Synonyms : check , curb New curfew laws have................................people's tendency to go out at night. verb: anger or take offense The hostess.................... at the tactless dinner guests who insisted on eating before everybody had gotten their food.

espouse

verb: to adopt or support an idea or cause As a college student, Charlie ................ Marxism, growing his beard out and railing against the evils of the free-market.

maintain

verb: to assert Synonyms : defend The scientist maintained that the extinction of dinosaurs was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

perceive

verb: to be aware of, to sense or feel If hunters are skilled, the animals will not .............. their presence.

qualify

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

behoove

verb: to be one's duty or obligation The teacher looked down at the student and said, "It would ....................... you to be in class on time and complete your homework, so that you don't repeat freshman English for a third straight year."

kowtow

verb: to bow or act in a subservient (to obey others unquestionably) manner Synonyms : bootlick , fawn , kotow , suck up , toady , truckle, grovel Paul ........... to his boss so often the boss herself became nauseated by his sycophancy (excessive flattery)

recrudesce

verb: to break out or happen again,develop And as the old hunting instincts had aroused that day in the wolf-dog, so in him .............all the old hot desire of gold-hunting.

hector

verb: to bully or intimidate Synonyms : ballyrag , boss around , browbeat , bully , bullyrag , push around , strong-arm The boss's.............. manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs.

fete

verb: to celebrate a person Synonyms : celebrate After World War II, war heroes were ......... at first but quickly forgotten.

chortle

verb: to chuckle, laugh merrily Synonyms : chuckle , laugh softly, guffaw Walking past the bar, I could hear happy, ............ people and the blast of horns from a jazz band.

corroborate

verb: to confirm or lend support to (usually an idea or claim) Synonyms : affirm , confirm , substantiate , sustain,bear out , support , underpin, ancillary Her claim that frog populations were falling precipitously in Central America was ....................... by locals, who reported that many species of frogs had seemingly vanished overnight. More info: precipitous means dangerously steep or high

excoriate

verb: to criticize very harshly Synonyms : condemn , decry , objurgate , reprobate Entrusted with the prototype to his company's latest smartphone, Larry, during a late night karaoke bout, let the prototype slip into the hands of a rival company - the next day Larry was.................., and then fired.

hoodwink

verb: to deceive or trick someone: Someone tried to ............................ Marty with an email telling him that his uncle had just passed away, and to collect the inheritance he should send his credit card information.

mulct

verb: to defraud or swindle, money extracted as penalty or fine Synonyms : bunco , con , defraud , diddle , gip , goldbrick , gyp , hornswoggle , nobble , rook , scam , short-change , swindle , victimize The so-called magical diet cure simply ended up .............. Maria out of hundreds of dollars, but did nothing for her weight.

imbibe

verb: to drink or absorb as if drinking Synonyms : absorb , draw , soak up , sop up , suck , suck up , take in , take up Plato .......... Socrates' teachings to such an extent that he was able to write volumes of work that he directly attributed, sometimes word for word, to Socrates.

expunge

verb: to eliminate completely Synonyms : excise , scratch , strike When I turned 18, all of the shoplifting and jaywalking charges were .............. from my criminal record.

immure

verb: to enclose, usually in walls, confine,as in jail The modern supermarket experience makes many feel claustrophobic, as they are ............. in walls upon walls of products

begrudge

verb: to envy someone for possessing or enjoying something Sitting all alone in his room, Harvey ..................... the happiness of the other children playing outside his window. verb: to give reluctantly We never ................. money spent on ourselves. verb: to give, admit, or allow unwillingly or with a bad grace Cruz has positioned himself as an outsider on Capitol Hill, making few friends among his colleagues, who widely distrust and dislike him. Even among those who have endorsed him, support for Cruz is often a .......................ing tactic to defeat the even more feared Donald Trump.

beg

verb: to evade or dodge (a question) By assuming that Charlie was headed to college - which he was not - Maggie ........... the question when she asked him to which school he was headed in the Fall. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

censor

verb: to examine and remove objectionable material Synonyms : ban Every fall, high school English teachers are inundated by requests to ......... their curriculum by removing The Catcher in the Rye and Scarlet Letter from their reading lists. noun: an official who censors material The ..........r insisted that every reference to drugs should be removed from the manuscript.

galvanize

verb: to excite or inspire (someone) to action Synonyms : galvanise , startle At mile 23 of his first marathon, Kyle had all but given up, until he noticed his friends and family holding a banner that read, "Go Kyle"; galvanized, he broke into a gallop, finishing the last three miles in less than 20 minutes.

reproach

verb: to express criticism towards Synonyms : upbraid At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn't want to ............ him for telling the truth about the situation.

censure

verb: to express strong disapproval Synonyms : animadversion After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly censured by the city council.

inundate

verb: to flood or overwhelm Synonyms : deluge , submerge, flood , swamp The newsroom was ........... with false reports that only made it more difficult for the newscasters to provide an objective account of the bank robbery.

belie

verb: to give a false representation to; misrepresent Synonyms : contradict , negate The smile on her face belies the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.

appropriate

verb: to give or take something by force Synonyms : allow , earmark , reserve , set aside,capture , conquer , seize The government ................................. land that was occupied by squatters, sending them scurrying for another place to live. verb: to allocate The committe ...............................the funds to its various members.

wax

verb: to gradually increase in size or intensity Synonyms : climb , mount , rise Her enthusiasm for the diva's new album only ............ with each song; by the end of the album, it was her favorite CD yet. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

defray

verb: to help pay the cost of, either in part of full In order for Sean to attend the prestigious college, his generous uncle helped ............ the excessive tuition with a monthly donation.// "The poles .......... a lot of the tension and the stress from your knees and your joints."

stem

verb: to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something Sometimes ......... means to originate; other times it means to stop something its source. To .......... the tide of applications, the prestigious Ivy requires that each applicant score at least 330 on the Revised GRE. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

hobble

verb: to hold back the progress of something synonym:falter, entrammel, hamper , hinder, Bad weather has ................rescue efforts, making it difficult for crews to find bodies in the wreckage.

demean

verb: to insult; to cause someone to lose dignity or respect Synonyms : degrade , disgrace , put down , take down At first the soccer players bantered back and forth, but as soon as one of the players became ............ing, calling the other's mother a water buffalo, the ref whipped out a red card.

exasperate

verb: to irritate intensely Synonyms : aggravate , exacerbate , exacerbate , worsen, incense , infuriate As a child, I ................... my mother with strings of never-ending questions.

check

verb: to limit (usually modifying the growth of something) Deserted for six months, the property began to look more like a jungle and less like a residence - weeds grew un............ in the front yard noun: the condition of being held back or limited When government abuses are not kept in ............., that government is likely to become autocratic. This word has other definitions but these are the most important ones to study

hedge

verb: to limit or qualify a statement; to avoid making a direct statement Synonyms : circumvent , dodge , duck , elude , evade , fudge , parry , put off , sidestep , skirt When asked why he had decided to buy millions of shares at the very moment the tech companies stock soared, the CEO ............., mentioning something vague about gut instinct. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

stultify

verb: to lose energy and enthusiasm, demonstrate someone's incompetence, make useless or worthless Synonyms : cripple , anemic As an undergraduate Mark felt ......................... by classes outside his area of study; only in grad school, in which he could focus solely on literary analysis, did he regain his scholarly edge.

inure

verb: to make accustomed to something unpleasant , toughen Three years of Manhattan living has ................ her to the sound of wailing sirens; she could probably sleep through the apocalypse.

err

verb: to make an error Synonyms : mistake , slip He ..........ed in thinking that "indigent(poor)" and "indignant( feeling of anger at something unjust)" were synonyms.

consecrate

verb: to make holy or dedicate/set apart for a high purpose You need to .................. a building to turn it into a church, but you can also ................... a week in New York City to the pursuit of the perfect bagel.//The audience becomes a part of the music, dancing deep into the night, ....................ting a community bond.

unnerve

verb: to make nervous or upset Synonyms : enervate , faze , unsettle At one time .......... by math problems, she began avidly "Magoosh-ing", and soon became adept at even combinations and permutations questions.

conciliate

verb: to make peace with Synonyms : appease , assuage , gentle , gruntle , lenify , mollify , pacify , placate His opponents believed his gesture to be ..............ory, yet as soon as they put down their weapons, he unsheathed a hidden sword.

gerrymander

verb: to manipulate voting districts in order to favor a particular political party Years ago, savvy politicians had ..................... the city center to ensure their re-election.

demur

verb: to object or show reluctance Wallace disliked the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggested they going skiing in the Alps.

hound

verb: to pursue relentlessly Synonyms : hunt , trace An implacable(unablet to be stopped or appeased) foe (enemy) of corruption, Eliot Ness ............ed out graft in all forms - he even helped nab Al Capone. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

dog

verb: to pursue relentlessly; to hound Synonyms : chase , chase after , give chase , go after , tag , tail , track , trail Throughout his life, he was .........ed by insecurities that inhibited personal growth. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

register

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

peruse

verb: to read very carefully Instead of ...........ing important documents, people all too often rush to the bottom of the page and plaster their signatures at the bottom.

expurgate

verb: to remove objectionable material Synonyms : bowdlerise , bowdlerize , castrate , shorten The censor ................... every reference to sex and drugs, converting the rapper's raunchy(sexually explicit) flow into a series of bleeps.

chastise

verb: to reprimand harshly Synonyms : castigate , chasten , correct , objurgate Though chastised for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother's harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.

chastise

verb: to reprimand harshly Though.................. for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother's harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.

upbraid

verb: to reproach; to scold Bob took a risk walking into the "Students Barbershop" - in the end he had to upbraid the apparently drunk barber for giving him an uneven bowl cut.

betray

verb: to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally Synonyms : bewray With the gold medal at stake, the gymnast awaited his turn, his quivering lip betraying his intense emotions.

enervate

verb: to sap energy from Synonyms : faze , unnerve , unsettle John preferred to avoid equatorial countries; the intense sun would always leave him enervated after he'd spent the day sightseeing.

ferret

verb: to search for something persistently to dig for something until you find it. Synonyms : .......... out Ever the resourceful lexicographer, Fenton was able to ............... out the word origin of highly obscure words. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

adjudicate

verb: to serve as a judge in a competition;arbiter, to arrive at a judgment or conclusion: Only those with the most refined palates were able to ........................ during the barbeque competition.

prevaricate

verb: to speak in an evasive way Synonyms : beat around the bush , equivocate , palter , tergiversate The cynic quipped, "There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate".

exhort

verb: to strongly urge on; encourage Synonyms : barrack , cheer , inspire , pep up , root on , urge , urge on Nelson's parents .............. him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent(unwilling to change one opinion), Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist. More info: intransigent means unwilling to change one views

start

verb: to suddenly move in a particular direction All alone in the mansion, Henrietta ............... when she heard a sound. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

intimate

verb: to suggest something subtly Synonyms : adumbrate , insinuate At first Manfred's teachers intimated to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy's precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

underwrite

verb: to support financially Synonyms : subvent , subvention The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with ................from the Carnegie Endowment.

dupe

verb: to trick or swindle Synonyms : befool , cod , fool , gull , put on , put one across , put one over , slang , take in Once again a get-rich-fast Internet scheme had ..........Harold into submitting a $5,000 check to a sham operation. noun: a person who is easily tricked or swindled Synonyms : victim The charlatan( person falsely claiming to have special knowledge) mistook the crowd for a bunch of .........., but the crowd was quickly on to him and decried his bald-faced attempt to bilk them.

meander

verb: to wander aimlessly Synonyms : thread , wander , weave , wind A casual observer might have thought that Peter was ........................ through the city, but that day he was actually seeking out those places where he and his long lost love had once visited.

admonish

verb: to warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding Synonyms : caution , monish Before the concert began, security personel .............. the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.

attenuate

verb: to weaken (in terms of intensity); to taper off/become thinner. Synonyms : rarefy Her animosity(hostility) towards Bob .............. over the years, and she even went so far as to invite him to her party.

desecrate

verb: to willfully violate or destroy a sacred place Synonyms : outrage , profane , violate After ...............the pharaoh's tomb, the archaeologist soon fell victim to a horrible illness.

pine

verb: to yearn for, a desire for someone or something who is not present Synonyms : ache , languish , yearn , yen Standing forlornly(sad and lonely) by the window, she........... for her lost love. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

patronize

verb: treat condescendingly Synonyms : condescend , She says she genuinely wanted to help me, but instead she................... me, constantly pointing out how I was inferior to her. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

deride

verb: treat or speak of with contempt(other person is worthless) The nun ............... the students for trying to sneak insects and worms into the classroom.

cosset

verb: treat with excessive indulgence, in a negative sense = too protected The king and queen ....................... the young prince, giving him a prized miniature pony for his fifth birthday.

fawn

verb: try to gain favor by extreme flattery synonym : sycophant The media ............... over the handsome new CEO, praising his impeccable sense of style instead of asking more pointed questions.

foment

verb: try to stir up public opinion Synonyms : agitate , stir up After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to ............. a general feeling of discontent.

nonplussed

verb: unsure how to act or respond, surprised or confised Shirley was totally ............ when the angry motorist cut her off (interrupted)and then stuck his finger out the window.

goad

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

maunder

verb: wander aimlessly Max liked to ............. down by the seaside and pick up whatever sea shells he would stumble upon. verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly Synonyms : blab , blabber , chatter , clack , gabble , gibber , palaver , piffle , prate , prattle , tattle , tittle-tattle , twaddle After drinking two espressos each, the animated couple would ............ loudly, annoying the other patrons in the coffee shop.

abjure

verb: your rejection of something you once felt or believed. Synonyms : forswear , recant , resile , retract, renounce, abstain from While the church believed that Galileo .......................... the heliocentric theory under threat of torture, he later wrote a book clearly supporting the theory.

pillory

verb:gibbet/ ridicule or expose to public scorn:After the candidate confessed, the press of the opposing party took the opportunity to................. him, printing editorials with the most blatantly exaggerated accusations.// Remember the ...................... second season of "True Detective"? HBO President of Programming Michael Lombardo claims he was to blame for that mess.

opulent

wealthy; costly

iniquity

wickedness

inarticulate

without or deprived of the use of speech or words

debutante

young woman making debut in high society