GMAT Vocabulary Lis t
Movie HONG
abaft
(adv.) on or towar d the r e ar of a s hip
T he pas s e nge r s move d abaft of the s hip s o as to e s cape the fir e in the
fr ont of the s hip.
abandon
(v.; n) to le ave be hind; to give s ome thing up; fr e e dom; e nthus ias m;
impe tuos ity
Afte r failing for s e ve r al ye ar s , he abandone d his dr e am of s tar ting a
gr oc e r y bus ine s s .
Lucy e mbar ke d on he r ne w adve ntur e with abandon.
abas e
(v.) to de gr ade ; humiliate ; dis gr ace
T he mothe r 's public r e pr imand abas e d the gir l.
T he ins e cur e fathe r , afte r failing to achie ve his own life - long goals ,
abas e d his childr e n whe ne ve r the y faile d.
abbr e viate
(v.) to s hor te n; compr e s s ; diminis h
His vacation to Japan was abbr e viate d whe n he acquir e d an illne s s
tr e ata ble only in the Unite d State s .
abdicate
(v.) to r e je ct, r e nounce , or abandon
Due to his poor payme nt r e cor d, it may be ne ce s s ar y to abdicate our
r e lations hip with the clie nt.
abe r r ant
(adj.) abnor mal; s tr aying fr om the nor mal or us ual path
T he abe r r ant flight patte r n of the air plane alar me d the air tr affic
contr olle r s .
His abe r r ant be havior le d his fr ie nds to wor r y the divor ce had take n its
toll.
abe yance
(n.) a s tate of te mpor ar y s us pe ns ion or inactivity
Since the powe r failur e , the town has be e n in abe yance .
abhor
(v.) to hate
By the way he r jaw te ns e d whe n he walke d in, it is e as y to s e e that s he
abhor s him.
T he dog abhor r e d cats , chas ing and gr owling at the m whe ne ve r he had
the oppor tunity.
abje ct
(adj.) of the wor s t or lowe s t de gr e e
T he Halde mans live d in abje ct pove r ty, with bar e ly a r oof ove r the ir
he ads .
abjur e
(v.) to give up
T he los ing te am may abjur e to the te am that is winning.
abne gation
(n.) a de nial
T he woman's abne gation of he r los s was appar e nt whe n s he be gan to
laugh.
abominate
(v.) to loathe ; to hate
Randall abominate d all the tr affic he e ncounte r e d on e ve r y mor ning
commute .
Ple as e do not abominate the guilty pe r s on until you he ar the comple te
e x planation.
abr idge
(v.) to s hor te n; to limit
T he e ditor abr idge d the s tor y to make the book e as ie r to dige s t.
abr ogate
(v.) to cance l by author ity
T he judge would not abr ogate the law.
abr upt
(adj.) happe ning or e nding une x pe cte dly
T he abr upt e nd to the ir mar r iage was a s hock to e ve r yone .
abs cond
(v.) to go away has tily or s e cr e tly; to hide
T he ne wly we d couple will abs cond fr om the r e ce ption to le ave on the
hone ymoon.
abs olve
(v.) to for give ; to acquit
T he judge will abs olve the pe r s on of all char ge s .
Afte r fe uding for many ye ar s , the br othe r s abs olve d e ach othe r for the
many ar gume nts the y had.
abs te mious
(adj.) s par ing in us e of food or dr inks
If we be come s tr ande d in the s now s tor m, we will have to be abs te mious
with our food s upply.
In many abs te mious cultur e s the pe ople ar e s o thin due to the be lie f that
too much take n into the body le ads to contamination of the s oul.
abs tine nce
(n.) the act or pr oce s s of voluntar ily r e fr aining fr om any action or
pr actice ; s e lf- contr ol; chas tity
In pr e par ation for the Olympic game s , the athle te s pr actice d abs tine nce
fr om r e d me at and junk food, adhe r ing ins te ad to a me nu of pas ta and
pr oduce .
abs tr us e
(adj.) har d to unde r s tand; de e p; r e condite
T he topic was s o abs tr us e the s tude nt was for ce d to s top r e ading.
T he conce pt was too abs tr us e for the ave r age s tude nt to gr as p.
abys mal
(adj.) ve r y de e p
T he abys mal wate r s containe d little plant life .
acce de
(v.) to comply with; to cons e nt to
With de fe at immine nt, the r e be l ar my acce de d to has h out a pe ace tr e aty.
acclaim
(n.) loud appr oval; applaus e
Edwar d Albe e 's br illiantly wr itte n Br oadway r e vival of A De licate
Balance r e ce ive d wide acclaim.
accolade
(n.) appr oving or pr ais ing me ntion; a s ign of appr oval or r e s pe ct
Rich accolade s we r e be s towe d on the r e tur ning he r o.
Accolade s flowe d into he r dr e s s ing r oom following the ope ning- night
tr iumph.
accomplice
(n.) co- cons pir ator ; par tne r ; par tne r - in- cr ime
T he bank r obbe r 's accomplice dr ove the ge t- away car .
accr e tion
(n.)gr owth by addition; a gr owing toge the r by par ts
With the accr e tion of the ne w me mbe r s , the club double d its or iginal s ize .
T he addition of the ne w de par tme nts accounts for the accr e tion of the
company.
accr ue
(v.) a natur al gr owth; a pe r iodic incr e as e
Ove r the cour s e of he r colle ge car e e r , s he manage d to accr ue a gr e at
de al of knowle dge .
T he s avings we r e able to accr ue a s izable amount of inte r e s t e ach ye ar .
Dur ing his many ye ar s of colle cting s tamps , he was able to accr ue a
lar ge colle ction of valuable ite ms .
ace r bic
(adj.) tas ting s our ; har s h in language or te mpe r
T oo much Bay Le af will make the e ggplant ace r bic.
T he baby's mouth pucke r e d whe n s he was give n the ace r bic me dicine .
T he columnis t's ace r bic comme nts about the Fir s t Lady dr e w a s tr ong
de nunciation fr om the Pr e s ide nt.
acquie s ce
(v.) to agr e e without pr ote s t
T he gr oup acquie s ce d to the ne w r e gulations e ve n though the y we r e
oppos e d to the m.
Afte r a har d- fought battle , the r e taile r s finally acquie s ce d to the dr aft
r e gulations .
acr id
(adj.) s har p; bitte r ; foul s me lling
Although the s oup is a he althy food choice , it is s o acr id not many pe ople
choos e to e at it.
T he fir e at the plas tics factor y caus e d an acr id odor to be e mitte d
thr oughout the s ur r ounding ne ighbor hood.
acr imony
(n.) s har pne s s or bitte r ne s s in language or manne r .
T he acr imony of he r r e s pons e was s hocking.
adage
(n.) an old s aying now acce pte d as be ing tr uthful
T he adage "do unto othe r s as you wis h the m to do unto you" is s till
wide ly pr actice d.
adamant
(adj.) not yie lding, fir m
Afte r taking an adamant s tand to s e ll the hous e , the man calle d the r e al
e s tate age ncy.
T he gir l's par e nts we r e adamant about not allowing he r to go on a
dange r ous backpacking tr ip.
addle d
(adj.) r otte n
T he e gg will be come addle d if it is le ft unr e fr ige r ate d.
ade pt
(adj.) s kille d; pr actice d
T he s kille d cr afts man was quite ade pt at cr e ating be autiful vas e s and
candle holde r s .
adjur e
(v.) s ole mnly or de r e d
T he jur or s we r e adjur e d by the judge to make a fair de cis ion.
adr oit
(adj.) e x pe r t or s killful
T he r e pair was not difficult for the adr oit cr afts man.
T he dr ive r 's adr oit dr iving avoide d a s e r ious accide nt.
adulation
(n.) pr ais e in e x ce s s
T he adulation was in r e s pons e to the he r oic fe at.
T he adulation give n to the movie s tar was s icke ning.
adulte r ate
(v.) to cor r upt, de bas e , or make impur e
T he dumping of che micals will adulte r ate the pur e ne s s of the lake .
adve r s ar y
(n.) an e ne my; foe
T he pe ace tr e aty unite d two countr ie s that we r e his tor ically gr e at
adve r s ar ie s .
adve r s e
(adj.) ne gative ; hos tile ; antagonis tic; inimical
Contr ar y to the s ki r e s or t's e x pe ctations , the war m we athe r ge ne r ate d
adve r s e conditions for a pr ofitable we e ke nd.
advocate
(v.; n.) to ple ad in favor of; s uppor te r ; de fe nde r
Amne s ty Inte r national advocate s the caus e for human r ights .
Mar tin Luthe r King, Jr . was a gr e at advocate of civil r ights .
ae s the tic
(adj.) of be auty; pe r taining to tas te in ar t and be auty
She found that he r ae s the tic s e ns e and that of the ar tis t we r e at odds .
His r e vie w made one wonde r what kind of ae s the tic tas te the cr itic had.
affable
(adj.) fr ie ndly; amiable ; good- natur e d
He r affable puppy love d to play with childr e n.
affiliate
(v.) to conne ct or as s ociate with; to acce pt as a me mbe r
T he hiking club affiliate d with the bir d- watching club.
affinity
(n.) a conne ction; s imilar ity of s tr uctur e
T he r e is a s tr ong e motional affinity be twe e n the two s iblings .
It tur ns out that the e le me nts be ar a s tr ong affinity to e ach othe r .
aggr andize
(v.) to make mor e powe r ful
T he king wante d to aggr andize hims e lf and his kingdom.
aghas t
(adj.) as tonis he d; amaze d; hor r ifie d; te r r ifie d; appalle d
Stockholde r s we r e aghas t at the company's r e ve lation.
T he landlor d was aghas t at his wate r bill.
agr ar ian
(adj.) of the land
Many agr ar ian pe ople ar e poor .
alacr ity
(n.) e age r r e adine s s or s pe e d
T he manage r was s o impr e s s e d by the wor ke r 's alacr ity; he s ugge s te d a
pr omotion.
On the fir s t day of he r ne w job, the r e ce nt colle ge gr aduate was able to
le ave e ar ly afte r comple ting all of he r tas ks with alacr ity.
alche mis t
(n.) a pe r s on who s tudie s che mis tr y
T he alche mis t's labor ator y was full of bottle s and tube s of s tr ange
looking liquids .
alche my
(n.) any mys te r ious change of s ubs tance or natur e
T he magician us e d alche my to change the powde r into a liquid
alle gor y
(n.) a s ymbolic de s cr iption
T he book containe d many alle gor ie s on Rus s ian his tor y.
alle viate
(v.) to le s s e n or make e as ie r
T he air por t's monor ail alle viate s ve hicular tr affic.
allocate
(v.) s e t as ide ; de s ignate ; as s ign
T he r e have be e n fr ont r ow s e ats allocate d to the pe r for me r 's family.
T he far me r allocate d thr e e acr e s of his fie lds to cor n.
allude
(v.) to r e fe r indir e ctly to s ome thing
T he s tor y allude s to par t of the author 's life .
Without s tating that the de fe ndant was an e x - convict, the pr os e cutor
allude d to the fact by me ntioning his le ngth of une mployme nt.
allur e
(v.; n.) to attr act; e ntice ; attr action; te mptation; glamour
T he r omantic young man allur e d the be autiful woman by pr e par ing a
wonde r ful dinne r .
Singapor e 's allur e is its bus tling e conomy.
allus ion
(n.) an indir e ct r e fe r e nce (ofte n lite r ar y); a hint
T he me ntion of the pe t s nake was an allus ion to the man's s ne aky ways .
In mode r n plays allus ions ar e ofte n made to ancie nt dr ama.
aloof
(adj.) dis tant in inte r e s t; r e s e r ve d; cool
Eve n though the ne w cowor ke r was aloof, we atte mpte d to be fr ie ndly.
T he calm de fe ndant r e maine d aloof whe n he was wr ongly accus e d of
fabr icating his s tor y.
alte r cation
(n.) contr ove r s y; dis pute
A s e r ious alte r cation caus e d the mar r iage to e nd in a bitte r divor ce .
altr uis m
(n.) uns e lfis h de votion to the we lfar e of othe r s
Afte r the or ganization aide d the catas tr ophe victims , it was give n an
awar d for altr uis m.
She dis playe d s uch altr uis m by giving up all of he r be longings and joining
a pe ace cor ps in Afr ica.
altr uis tic
(adj.) uns e lfis h
T he altr uis tic volunte e r donate d much time and e ne r gy in an e ffor t to
r ais e funds for the childr e n's hos pital.
amalgam
(n.) a mix tur e or combination (ofte n of me tals )
T he ar t dis play was an amalgam of mode r n and tr aditional pie ce s .
T hat r ing is made fr om an amalgam of mine r als ; if it we r e pur e gold it
would ne ve r hold its s hape .
amalgamate
(v.) to mix , me r ge , combine
If the e conomy doe s not gr ow, the bus ine s s may ne e d to amalgamate
with a r ival company.
T he thr e e pr e s ide nts de cide d to amalgamate the ir bus ine s s e s to build
one s tr ong company.
amas s
(v.) to colle ct toge the r ; accumulate
Ove r the ye ar s the s ailor has amas s e d many r e plicas of boats .
T he wome n amas s e d a huge colle ction of pr ice le s s diamonds and pe ar ls .
ambiguous
(adj.) not cle ar ; unce r tain; vague
T he ambiguous law did not make a cle ar dis tinction be twe e n the ne w and
old land boundar y.
ambivale nt
(adj.) unde cide d
T he ambivale nt jur y could not r e ach a unanimous ve r dict.
ame lior ate
(v.) to impr ove or make be tte r
A cons is te nt r outine of e x e r cis e has s hown to ame lior ate he alth.
We can ame lior ate the flooding pr oble m by changing the gr ading.
ame ndme nt
(n.) a pos itive change
T he ame ndme nt in his ways s howe d the r e was s till r e as on for hope .
amiable
(adj.) fr ie ndly
T he ne wcome r picke d the mos t amiable pe r s on to s it ne x t to dur ing the
me e ting.
amis s
(adj.; adv.) wr ong; awr y; wr ongly; in a de fe ctive manne r
Se e ing that his anor ak was gone , he kne w s ome thing was amis s .
Its ne w muffle r as ide , the car was be having amis s .
amity
(n.) fr ie ndly r e lations
T he amity be twe e n the two bor de r ing nations put the populations at e as e .
amor phous
(adj.) with no s hape ; unor ganize d; having no de te r minate for m
T he amor phous ge l s e e pe d thr ough the cr acks .
T he amor phous gr oup quickly got los t.
T he s cie ntis t could not de te r mine the s e x of the amor phous or ganis m.
amor tize
(v.) to put mone y into a fund at fix e d inte r vals
T he couple was able to amor tize the ir mor tgage s oone r than the y
thought.
anachr onis m
(n.) s ome thing out of place in time (e .g., an air plane in 1492)
T he e ditor r e cognize d an anachr onis m in the manus cr ipt whe r e the
char acte r fr om the 1500s boar de d an air plane .
He r e alize d that the film about cave me n containe d an anachr onis m whe n
he s aw a je t cut acr os s the hor izon dur ing a hunting s ce ne .
analogy
(n.) s imilar ity; cor r e lation; par alle lis m
T he te ache r us e d an analogy to de s cr ibe the s imilar itie s be twe e n the two
books .
Compar ing the ne wly dis cove r e d vir us with one found long ago, the
s cie ntis t made an analogy be twe e n the two or ganis ms .
anaphylax is
(n.) an alle r gic r e action
T he boy's s e ve r e anaphylax is to a s e r ie s of me dications made wr iting
pr e s cr iptions a tr icky pr opos ition.
anar chis t
(n.) one who be lie ve s that a for mal gove r nme nt is unne ce s s ar y
T he ye ll fr om the cr owd came fr om the anar chis t pr ote s ting the
gove r nme nt.
T he anar chis t atte mpte d to ove r thr ow the e s tablis he d de mocr atic
gove r nme nt of the ne w nation and r e ins tate chaos and dis ar r ay.
anchor age
(n.) s ome thing that can be r e lie d on
Knowing the ne ighbor s we r e r ight ne x t door was an anchor age for the
e lde r ly woman.
ane cdote
(n.) a s hor t account of happe nings
T he s pe ake r told an ane cdote about how he los t his s hoe s whe n he was
young.
animos ity
(n.) a fe e ling of hatr e d or ill will
Animos ity gr e w be twe e n the two fe uding familie s .
anoint
(v.) to cr own; or dain;
A me mbe r of the monar chy was anointe d by the king.
anomaly
(n.) an oddity, incons is te ncy; a de viation fr om the nor m
An anomaly e x is te d whe n the r e por t lis te d one s tatis tic, and the
s poke s woman r e por te d anothe r .
In a par king lot full of Buicks , Che vys , and Plymouths , the Jaguar was an
anomaly.
anonymous
(adj.) name le s s ; unide ntifie d
Not wis hing to be ide ntifie d by the police , he r e maine d anonymous by
r e tur ning the mone y he had s tole n by s e nding it thr ough the mail.
antagonis m
(n.) hos tility; oppos ition
T he antagonis m was cr e ate d by a mis unde r s tanding.
T he r e be llious clan captur e d a hos tage to dis play antagonis m to the ne w
pe ace tr e aty.
antipathy
(n.) a s tr ong dis like or r e pugnance
He r antipathy for lar ge cr owds convince d he r to de cline the invitation to
the city.
T he ve ge tar ian had an antipathy towar d me at.
apathy
(n.) lack of e motion or inte r e s t
He s howe d apathy whe n his r e lative was injur e d.
T he dis he ar te ne d pe as ants e x pr e s s e d apathy towar d the ne w law which
pr omis e d ne w hope and pr os pe r ity for all.
apocalyptic
(adj.) pe r taining to a dis cove r y or ne w r e ve lation
Scie nce - fiction movie s s e e m to r e lis h apocalyptic vis ions .
apocr yphal
(adj.) counte r fe it; of doubtful author s hip or authe nticity
T he man who s aid he was a doctor was tr uly apocr yphal.
appe as e
(v.) to s atis fy; to calm
A milk bottle us ually appe as e s a cr ying baby.
appos ite
(adj.) s uitable ; apt; r e le vant
Dis cus s ion of pove r ty was appos ite to the cur r iculum, s o the pr ofe s s or
allowe d it.
Without r e e nacting the e ntir e s ce nar io, the s ituation can be unde r s tood if
appos ite infor mation is give n.
appr e he ns ive
(adj.) fe ar ful; awar e ; cons cious
T he ne r vous child was appr e he ns ive about be ginning a ne w s chool ye ar .
appr obator y
(adj.) appr oving or s anctioning
T he judge s howe d his acce ptance in his appr obator y r e mar k.
ar able
(adj.) s uitable (as land) for plowing
Whe n the land was de e me d ar able the far me r de cide d to plow.
ar bite r
(n.) one who is author ize d to judge or de cide
T he de cis ion of who would r e pr e s e nt the pe ople was made by the
ar bite r .
ar bitr ar y
(adj.) bas e d on one 's pr e fe r e nce or judgme nt
Rick admitte d his de cis ion had be e n ar bitr ar y, as he claime d no e x pe r tis e
on the matte r .
ar cane
(adj.) obs cur e ; s e cr e t; mys te r ious
With an ar cane e x pr e s s ion, the young boy le ft the family wonde r ing what
s or t of mis chie f he had committe d.
T he wizar d's de s cr iption of his magic was pur pos e fully ar cane s o that
othe r s would be unable to copy it.
ar che type
(n.) or iginal patte r n or mode l; pr ototype
T his man was the ar che type for s cor e s of fictional char acte r s .
T he s cie ntis t was car e ful with the ar che type of he r inve ntion s o that
once manufactur ing be gan, it would be e as y to r e pr oduce it.
ar de nt
(adj.) with pas s ionate or inte ns e fe e lings
T he fans ' ar de nt love of the game ke pt the m r e tur ning to watch the
te r r ible te am.
ar duous
(adj.) labor ious , difficult; s tr e nuous
Comple ting the plans for the ne w building pr ove d to be an ar duous affair .
Building a hous e is ar duous wor k, but the r e s ult is we ll wor th the labor .
ar id
(adj.) e x tr e me ly dr y, par che d; bar r e n, unimaginative
T he te r r ain was s o ar id that not one s pe cie s of plant could s ur vive .
T he ir thir s t be came wor s e due to the ar id condition of the de s e r t.
ar omatic
(adj.) having a s me ll which is s we e t or s picy
T he ar omatic s me ll coming fr om the ove n made the man's mouth wate r .
ar r ogant
(adj.) acting s upe r ior to othe r s ; conce ite d
Afte r pur chas ing his ne w, e x pe ns ive s por ts car , the ar r ogant doctor
r e fus e d to allow anyone to r ide with him to the countr y club.
ar r ogate
(v.) to claim or de mand unduly
T he te e nage r ar r ogate d that he s hould be able to us e his par e nt's car
whe ne ve r he de s ir e d.
ar ticulate
(v.; adj.) to utte r cle ar ly and dis tinctly; cle ar , dis tinct; e x pr e s s e d with
clar ity; s killful with wor ds
It's e ve n mor e impor tant to ar ticulate your wor ds whe n you'r e on the
phone .
You didn't have to vote for him to agr e e that Adlai Ste ve ns on was
ar ticulate .
A s ale s pe r s on mus t be ar ticulate whe n s pe aking to a cus tome r .
ar tifice
(n.) s kill in a cr aft
T he ar tifice of glas s - making take s many ye ar s of pr actice .
as ce tic
(n.; adj.) one who le ads a s imple life of s e lf- de nial; r igor ous ly abs tine nt
T he monas te r y is fille d with as ce tics who have de vote d the ir live s to
r e ligion.
T he nuns le ad an as ce tic life de vote d to the Lor d.
as e ptic
(adj.) ge r m fr e e
It is ne ce s s ar y for an ope r ating r oom to be as e ptic.
as kance
(adv.) a s ide ways glance of dis appr oval
T he look as kance pr ove d the guar d s us pe cte d s ome wr ongdoing.
as pe r ity
(n.) har s hne s s
T he man us e d as pe r ity to fr ighte n the gir l out of going.
T he as pe r ity of the winte r had mos t e ve r ybody ye ar ning for s pr ing.
as pe r s ion
(n.) s lande r ous s tate me nt; a damaging or de r ogator y cr iticis m
T he as pe r s ion damage d the cr e dibility of the or ganization.
He blame d the los s of his job on an as pe r s ion s tate d by his co- wor ke r to
his s upe r ior .
as pir ant
(n.) a pe r s on who goe s afte r high goals
T he as pir ant would not s e ttle for as s is tant dir e ctor - - only the top job
was good e nough.
as s ay
(n.) to de te r mine the quality of a s ubs tance .
Have the s oil as s aye d.
as s e s s
(v.) to e s timate the value of
She as s e s s e d the pos s ible r e war ds to s e e if the pr oje ct was wor th he r
time and e ffor t.
as s iduous
(adj.) car e fully atte ntive ; indus tr ious
It is ne ce s s ar y to be as s iduous if a pe r s on wis he s to make the mos t of
his time at wor k.
He e njoys having as s iduous e mploye e s be caus e he can e x plain a
pr oce dur e once and have it pe r for me d cor r e ctly e ve r y time .
as s uage
(v.) to r e lie ve ; e as e ; make le s s s e ve r e
Me dication s hould as s uage the pain.
T he me dication he lpe d as s uage the pain of the wound.
as tr inge nt
(n.; adj.) a s ubs tance that contr acts bodily tis s ue s ; caus ing contr action;
tighte ning; s te r n, aus te r e
Afte r the ope r ation an as tr inge nt was us e d on his s kin s o that the
s tr e tche d ar e a would r e tur n to nor mal.
T he downtur n in s ale s caus e d the CEO to impos e as tr inge nt me as ur e s .
He r as tr inge nt r e mar ks at the podium would not s oon be for gotte n.
as tute
(adj.) cunning; s ly; cr afty
T he as tute lawye r 's que s tioning convince d the jur y of the de fe ndant's
guilt.
atr ophy
(v.; n.) to was te away, as fr om lack of us e ; to withe r ; failur e to gr ow
A fe w months afte r he los t his ability to walk, his le gs be gan to atr ophy.
T he atr ophy of the mus cle s was due to the injur y.
atte nuate
(v.) to thin out; to we ake n
Wate r is commonly us e d to atte nuate s tr ong che micals .
T he che mis t atte nuate d the s olution by adding wate r .
atypical
(adj.) s ome thing that is abnor mal
T he atypical be havior of the wild animal alar me d the hunte r s .
audacious
(adj.) fe ar le s s ; bold
T he audacious s oldie r we nt into battle without a s hie ld.
augme nt
(v.) to incr e as e or add to; to make lar ge r
T he y ne e de d mor e s oup s o the y augme nte d the r e cipe .
T he y we r e able to augme nt the ir s avings ove r a pe r iod of time .
augus t
(adj.) to be impos ing or magnifice nt
T he palace was augus t in gold and cr ys tal.
aus picious
(adj.) be ing of a good ome n; s ucce s s ful
It was aus picious that the s un s hone on the fir s t day of the tr ip.
T he campaign had an aus picious s tar t, for e s hadowing the futur e .
aus te r e
(adj.) having a s te r n look; having s tr ict s e lf- dis cipline
T he old woman always has an aus te r e look about he r .
T he aus te r e te ache r as s igne d five page s of home wor k e ach day.
authe ntic
(adj.) r e al; ge nuine ; tr us twor thy
An authe ntic diamond will cut glas s .
author itar ian
(n.; adj.) acting as a dictator ; de manding obe die nce
T he author itar ian made all of the r ule s but did none of the wor k.
Fide l Cas tr o is r e luctant to give up his author itar ian r ule .
autocr acy
(n.) an abs olute monar chy; gove r nme nt whe r e one pe r s on holds powe r
T he autocr acy was he ade d by a de manding man.
She was e x tr e me ly powe r - hungr y and the r e for e wante d he r gove r nme nt
to be an autocr acy.
autocr at
(n.) an abs olute r ule r
T he autocr at in char ge of the gove r nme nt was a man of powe r and
pr e s tige .
T he autocr at made e ve r y de cis ion and divide d the tas ks among his
s ubor dinate s .
avar ice
(n.) inor dinate de s ir e for gaining and pos s e s s ing we alth
T he man's avar ice for mone y ke pt him at wor k thr ough the e ve nings and
we e ke nds .
T he avar ice of the pr e s ide nt le d to his downfall.
ave r
(v.) to affir m as tr ue
T he witne s s was able to ave r the ide ntity of the de fe ndant.
awr y
(adj; adv.) cr ooke d(ly); une ve n(ly); wr ong; as ke w
He ar ing the e x plos ion in the labor ator y, the s cie ntis t r e alize d the
e x pe r ime nt had gone awr y.
azur e
(adj.) the cle ar blue color of the s ky
T he azur e s ky made the picnic day pe r fe ct.
bale ful
(adj.) har mful, malign, de tr ime ntal
Afte r s he was fir e d, s he r e alize d it was a bale ful move to point the blame
at he r s upe r ior .
T he s tr ange liquid could be bale ful if inge s te d.
banal
(adj.) tr ite ; without fr e s hne s s or or iginality
Atte nding par tie s be came tr ite afte r a fe w we e ks .
It was a banal s ugge s tion to have the annual picnic in the par k, s ince that
was whe r e it had be e n for the pas t five ye ar s .
bane ful
(adj.) de adly or caus ing dis tr e s s , de ath
Not we ar ing a s e at be lt could be bane ful.
bar oque
(adj.) e x tr avagant; or nate ; e mbe llis he d
T he bar oque ar twor k was made up of intr icate de tails which ke pt the
mus e um- goe r s e nthr alle d.
T he bar oque fur nis hings did not fit in the plain, mode s t home .
bas tion
(n.) a for tifie d place or s tr ong de fe ns e
T he s tr e ngth of the bas tion s ave d the s oldie r s ins ide of it.
batte n
(v.) to gain
T he te am could only batte n by dr afting the top playe r .
bauble
(n.) a s howy ye t us e le s s thing
T he woman had many bauble s on he r books he lf.
be ge t
(v.) to br ing into be ing
T he king wis he d to be ge t a ne w he ir .
be holde n
(adj.) inde bte d to
T he childr e n we r e be holde n to the ir par e nts for the car loan.
be hoove
(v.) to be advantage ous ; to be ne ce s s ar y
It will be hoove the s tude nts to buy the ir te x tbooks e ar ly.
be little
(v.) to make s mall; to think lightly of
T he uns ympathe tic fr ie nd be little d he r fr ie nd's pr oble ms and s poke of
he r own as the mos t impor tant.
be llicos e
(adj.) quar r e ls ome ; war like
T he be llicos e gue s t would not be invite d back again.
be mus e
(v.) to pr e occupy in thought
T he gir l was be mus e d by he r tr ouble s .
be ne factor
(n.) one who he lps othe r s ; a donor
An anonymous be ne factor donate d $10,000 to the childr e n's hos pital.
be ne fice nt
(adj.) confe r r ing be ne fits ; kindly; doing good
He is a be ne fice nt pe r s on, always taking in s tr ay animals and talking to
pe ople who ne e d s ome one to lis te n.
A be ne fice nt donation he lpe d the or ganization me e t its goal.
be ne vole nt
(adj.) kind; ge ne r ous
T he pr ofe s s or pr ove d a tough que s tione r , but a be ne vole nt gr ade r .
T he be ne vole nt ge ntle man volunte e r e d his s e r vice s .
be nign
(adj.) mild; har mle s s
A lamb is a be nign animal, e s pe cially whe n compar e d with a lion.
be r ate
(v.) s cold; r e pr ove ; r e pr oach; cr iticize
T he child was be r ate d by he r par e nts for br e aking the china.
be r e ft
(v.; adj.) to be de pr ive d of; to be in a s ad manne r ; hur t by s ome one 's
de ath
T he los s of his job will le ave the man be r e ft of many lux ur ie s .
T he widowe r was be r e ft for many ye ar s afte r his wife 's de ath.
be s e e ch
(v.) to as k e ar ne s tly
T he s oldie r s be s e e che d the civilians for he lp.
be s mir ch
(v.) to dir ty or dis color
T he s oot fr om the chimne y will be s mir ch cle an cur tains .
be s tial
(adj.) having the qualitie s of a be as t; br utal
T he be s tial e mploye r made his e mploye e s wor k in an unhe ate d r oom.
be tr oth
(v.) to pr omis e or ple dge in mar r iage
T he man be tr othe d his daughte r to the pr ince .
bias e d
(adj.) pr e judice d; influe nce d; not ne utr al
T he ve ge tar ian had a bias e d opinion r e gar ding what s hould be or de r e d
for dinne r .
bie nnial
(adj.; n.) happe ning e ve r y two ye ar s ; a plant which blooms e ve r y two
ye ar s
T he bie nnial jour nal's influe nce s e e me d only magnifie d by its infr e que nt
publication.
She has live d he r e for four ye ar s and has s e e n the bie nnials bloom twice .
bilate r al
(adj.) pe r taining to or affe cting both s ide s or two s ide s ; having two s ide s
A bilate r al de cis ion was made s o that both par tne r s r e ape d e qual be ne fits
fr om the s ame amount of wor k.
T he br ain is a bilate r al or gan, cons is ting of a le ft and r ight he mis phe r e .
blas phe mous
(adj.) ir r e ligious ; away fr om acce ptable s tandar ds ; s pe aking ill of us ing
pr ofane language
T he uppe r - clas s par e nts thought that it was blas phe mous for the ir s on to
mar r y a waitr e s s .
His blas phe mous outbur s t was he ar d thr oughout the r oom.
blatant
(adj.) obvious ; unmis takable ; cr ude ; vulgar
T he blatant foul was r e as on for e je ction.
T he de fe ndant was blatant in his te s timony.
blighte d
(adj.) caus ing fr us tr ation or de s tr uction
T he blighte d tor nado le ft only one building s tanding in its wake .
blithe
(adj.) happy; che e r y; me r r y; a che e r ful dis pos ition
T he we dding was a blithe ce le br ation.
T he blithe child was a ple as ant s ur pr is e .
bode
(v.) to for e te ll s ome thing
T he s tor m bode that we would not r e ach our de s tination.
bombas t
(n.) pompous s pe e ch; pr e te ntious wor ds
Afte r he de live r e d his bombas t at the podium, he ar r ogantly le ft the
me e ting.
T he pr e s e nte r e nde d his bombas t with a pr e diction of his futur e s ucce s s .
bombas tic
(adj.) pompous ; wor dy; tur gid
T he bombas tic woman talks a lot about he r s e lf.
boor
(n.) a r ude pe r s on
T he boor was not invite d to the par ty, but he came anyway.
br e adth
(n.) the dis tance fr om one s ide to anothe r
T he table cloth was too s mall to cove r the br e adth of the table .
br e vity
(n.) br ie fne s s ; s hor tne s s
On T op 40 AM r adio, br e vity was the coin of the r e alm.
br indle d
(adj.) mix e d with a dar ke r color
In or de r to ge t matching paint we made a br indle d mix tur e .
br oach
(v.) to intr oduce into conve r s ation
Br oaching the touchy s ubje ct was difficult.
br us que
(adj.) abr upt in manne r or s pe e ch
His br us que ans we r was ne ithe r acce ptable nor polite .
bucolic
(adj.) having to do with s he phe r ds or the countr y
T he bucolic s e tting ins pir e d the ar tis t.
bumptious
(adj.) ar r ogant
He was bumptious in manne r as he appr oache d the podium to acce pt his
anticipate d awar d.
bungle r
(n.) a clums y pe r s on
T he one who br oke the cr ys tal vas e was a tr ue bungle r .
bur ge on
(v.) to gr ow or de ve lop quickly
T he tumor appe ar e d to bur ge on mor e quickly than nor mal.
Afte r the fir s t punch was thr own, the dis pute bur ge one d into a br awl.
bur le s que
(v.; n.) to imitate in a non- s e r ious manne r ; a comical imitation
His s tump s pe e che s we r e s o hackne ye d, he s e e me d to be bur le s quing of
his r ole as a congr e s s man.
Ge or ge Bur ns was cons ide r e d one of the gr e at pr actitione r s of
bur le s que .
bur ly
(adj.) s tr ong; bulky; s tocky
T he lumbe r jack was a bur ly man.
bur nis h
(v.) to polis h by r ubbing
T he vas e ne e de d to be bur nis he d to r e s tor e its be auty.
cabal
(n.) a gr oup of pe r s ons joine d by a s e cr e t
T he ve r y ide a that the r e could be a cabal cas t s us picion on the whole
ope r ation.
cache
(n.) s tockpile ; s tor e ; he ap; hiding place for goods
T he town ke pt a cache of s alt on hand to me lt winte r 's s now off the
r oads .
Ex tr a food is ke pt in the cache unde r the pantr y.
T he cache for his je we lr y was hidde n unde r the be d.
cacophonous
(adj.) s ounding jar r ing
T he cacophonous s ound fr om the be nding me tal s e nt s hive r s up our
s pine s .
cacophony
(n.) a har s h, inhar monious colle ction of s ounds ; dis s onance
T he be autiful har mony of the s ymphony was we ll e njoye d afte r the
cacophony coming fr om the s tage as the or che s tr a war me d up.
T he amate ur band cr e ate d mor e cacophony than be autiful s ound.
cajole
(v.) to coax with ins ince r e talk
T o cajole the dis gr untle d e mploye e , the manage r coax e d him with lie s
and s we e t talk.
T he s ale s man will cajole the couple into buying the s te r e o.
calamity
(n.) dis as te r
T he fir e in the apar tme nt building was a gr e at calamity.
calibe r
(n.) quality
T he calibe r of tale nt at the s how was e x ce lle nt.
callow
(adj.) be ing young or immatur e
With the callow r e mar k the young man de mons tr ate d his age .
Although the gir l could be cons ide r e d an adult, the action was ve r y
callow.
calumny
(n.) s lande r
I fe lt it ne ce s s ar y to s pe ak agains t the calumny of the man's good
r e putation.
canar d
(n.) a fals e s tate me nt or r umor
T he canar d was r e por te d in a s candalous tabloid.
candid
(adj.) hone s t; tr uthful; s ince r e
Pe ople tr us t he r be caus e s he 's s o candid.
cant
(n.) ins ince r e or hypocr itical s tate me nts of high ide als ; the jar gon of a
par ticular gr oup or occupations
T he the ate r major s had difficulty unde r s tanding the cant of the compute r
s cie ntis ts .
T he r e mar ks by the doctor we r e cant and me ant only for his as s ociate s .
capr ice
(n.) a s udde n, unpr e dictable or whims ical change
T he capr ice with which the couple appr oache d the change of plans was
e vide nce to the ir young age .
T he king r ule d by capr ice as much as law.
capr icious
(adj.) change able ; fickle
T he capr icious br ide - to- be has a diffe r e nt chur ch in mind for he r
we dding e ve r y fe w days .
captious
(adj.) dis pos e d to find fault
A captious attitude ofte n caus e s difficultie s in a r e lations hip.
car te blanche
(n.) unlimite d author ity
T he de s igne r was give n car te blanche to cr e ate a ne w line for the fall.
cas cade
(n; v.) wate r fall; pour ; r us h; fall
T he hike r s s toppe d along the path to take in the be auty of the r us hing
cas cade .
T he wate r cas cade d down the r ocks into the pool.
He took a photogr aph of the love ly cas cade .
T he dr ape s for me d a cas cade down the window.
cas tigate
(v.) to punis h thr ough public cr iticis m
T he mayor cas tigate d the police chie f for the r as h of r obbe r ie s .
cataclys m
(n.) an e x tr e me natur al for ce
T he e ar thquake has be e n the fir s t cataclys m in five ye ar s .
catalys t
(n.) anything which cr e ate s a s ituation in which change can occur
T he low pr e s s ur e s ys te m was the catalys t for the nor 'e as te r .
cathar s is
(n.) a pur ging or r e lie ving of the body or s oul
He e x pe r ie nce d a total cathar s is afte r the pr ie s t abs olve d his s ins .
Admitting his guilt s e r ve d as a cathar s is for the man.
caus tic
(adj.) e ating away at; s ar cas tic wor ds
T he caus tic che micals ar e dange r ous .
T he gir l har me d he r mothe r with he r caus tic r e mar ks .
His caus tic s e ns e of humor doe s n't go ove r s o we ll whe n pe ople don't
know what the y'r e in for .
cavil
(v.) to bicke r
T he childr e n ar e cons tantly caviling.
ce ns or
(v.) to e x amine and de le te obje ctionable mate r ial
T he childr e n we r e allowe d to watch the adult movie only afte r it had
be e n ce ns or e d.
ce ns ur e
(n.; v.) a dis appr oval; an e x pr e s s ion of dis appr oval; to cr iticize or
dis appr ove of
His r e mar ks dr e w the ce ns ur e of his e mploye r s .
A ce ns ur e of the ne w s how ups e t the dir e ctor s .
He r par e nts ce ns ur e d he r ide a of dr opping out of s chool.
ce r e monious
(adj.) ve r y for mal or pr ope r
T he black- tie dinne r was highly ce r e monious .
ce s s ation
(n.)ce as ing; a s topping
T he ce s s ation of a bad habit is ofte n difficult to s us tain.
chafe
(v.) to annoy, to ir r itate ; to we ar away or make s or e by r ubbing
His cons tant te as ing chafe d he r .
He doe s n't we ar pur e wool s we ate r s be caus e the y us ually chafe his s kin.
chaffing
(n.) bante r ; te as ing
T he king was us e d to his je s te r s good- natur e d chaffing.
chagr in
(n.) a fe e ling of e mbar r as s me nt due to failur e or dis appointme nt
T o the chagr in of the inve ntor , the machine did not wor k.
She tur ne d r e d- face d with chagr in whe n s he le ar ne d that he r s on had
be e n caught s hoplifting.
char is ma
(n.) appe al; magne tis m; pr e s e nce
She has s uch char is ma that e ve r yone like s he r the fir s t time the y me e t
he r .
char latan
(n.) a pe r s on who pr e te nds to have knowle dge ; an impos tor ; fake
T he char latan de ce ive d the towns pe ople .
It was finally dis cove r e d that the char latan s itting on the thr one was not
the r e al king.
char y
(adj.) cautious ; be ing s par ing in giving
Be char y whe n dr iving at night.
T he char y man had fe w fr ie nds .
chas te
(adj.) vir tuous ; fr e e of obs ce nity
Be caus e the woman be lie ve d in be ing chas te , s he would not le t he r date
into the hous e .
chas tis e
(v.) to punis h; dis cipline ; admonis h
T he de an chas tis e d the fir s t- ye ar s tude nt for che ating on the e x am.
che r is h
(v.) to fe e l love for
T he br ide vowe d to che r is h the gr oom for life .
chicane r y
(n.) tr icke r y or de ce ption
T he s windle r was tr aine d in chicane r y.
A ne ws br oadcas t is no place for chicane r y.
chime r a
(n.) an impos s ible fancy
Pe r haps he s aw a flying s auce r , but pe r haps it was only a chime r a.
chole r ic
(adj.) cr anky; cantanke r ous ; e as ily move d to fe e ling dis ple as ur e
T he chole r ic man was continually ups e t by his ne ighbor s .
Rolly be come s chole r ic whe n his vie ws ar e challe nge d.
chor tle
(v.) to make a gle e ful, chuckling s ound
T he chor tle s e manating fr om the audie nce indicate d it wouldn't be as
tough a cr owd as the s tand- up comic had e x pe cte d.
chur lis hne s s
(n.) cr ude or s ur ly be havior ; be havior of a pe as ant
T he fr ate r nity's chur lis hne s s r an afoul of the de an's office .
T he chur lis hne s s of the te e nage r caus e d his e mploye r to los e faith in
him.
cir cumlocution
(n.) a r oundabout or indir e ct way of s pe aking; not to the point
T he man's s pe e ch containe d s o much cir cumlocution that I was uns ur e of
the point he was tr ying to make .
T he child made a long s pe e ch us ing cir cumlocution to avoid s tating that it
was s he who had knocke d ove r the lamp.
cir cumlocutor y
(adj.) be ing too long, as in a de s cr iption or e x pr e s s ion; a r oundabout,
indir e ct, or ungainly way of e x pr e s s ing s ome thing
It was a cir cumlocutor y docume ntar y that could have be e n cut to half its
r unning time to s ay twice as much.
cir cums pe ct
(adj.) cons ide r ing all cir cums tance s
A cir cums pe ct de cis ion mus t be made whe n s o many pe ople ar e involve d.
citade l
(n.) a for tr e s s s e t up high to de fe nd a city
A citade l s at on the hill to pr ote ct the city be low.
clande s tine
(adj.) s e cr e t
T he clande s tine plan mus t be ke pt be twe e n the two of us !
cle me ncy
(n.) me r cy towar d an offe nde r ; mildne s s
T he gove r nor gr ante d the pr is one r cle me ncy.
T he we athe r 's cle me ncy made for a pe r fe ct picnic.
clotur e
(n.) a par liame ntar y pr oce dur e to e nd de bate and be gin to vote
Clotur e was de clar e d as the par liame ntar ians r e adie d to r e gis te r the ir
vote s .
cloying
(adj.) too s ugar y; too s e ntime ntal or flatte r ing
Afte r ye ar s of mar r iage the hus band s till gave cloying gifts to his wife .
Complime nting he r on he r we ight los s , clothing and hair s tyle was a
cloying way to be gin as king for a r ais e .
coagulate
(v.) to be come a s e mis olid, s oft mas s ; to clot
T he liquid will coagulate and clos e the tube if le ft s tanding.
coale s ce
(v.) to gr ow toge the r
T he br ide and gr oom coale s ce d the ir funds to incr e as e the ir collate r al.
At the e nd of the confe r e nce the five gr oups coale s ce d in one r oom.
coda
(n.) in mus ic, a concluding pas s age
By the e nd of the coda, I was r e ady to bur s t with e x cite me nt ove r the
thr illing pe r for mance .
T he audie nce kne w that the conce r to was about to e nd whe n the y he ar d
the or che s tr a be gin playing the coda.
coddle
(v.) to tr e at with te nde r ne s s
A baby ne e ds to be coddle d.
codify
(v.) to or ganize laws or r ule s into a s ys te matic colle ction
T he laws we r e codifie d by thos e whom the y affe cte d.
T he inte r n codifie d all the city's laws into a compute r ize d filing s ys te m.
coffe r
(n.) a che s t whe r e mone y or valuable s ar e ke pt
T he coffe r that containe d the je we ls was s tole n.
coge nt
(adj.) to the point; cle ar ; convincing in its clar ity and pr e s e ntation
T he lawye r make s compe lling and coge nt pr e s e ntations , which e vide ntly
he lp him win 96 pe r ce nt of his cas e s .
He made a s hor t, coge nt s pe e ch which his audie nce e as ily unde r s tood.
cogitate
(v.) to think har d; ponde r ; me ditate
It is ne ce s s ar y to cogitate on de cis ions which affe ct life goals .
T he r oom was quie t while e ve r y s tude nt cogitate d dur ing the calculus
e x am.
cognate
(adj.; n.) having the s ame family; a pe r s on r e late d thr ough ance s tr y
Englis h and Ge r man ar e cognate language s .
T he woman was a cognate to the r oyal family.
cognitive
(adj.) pos s e s s ing the powe r to think or me ditate ; me ditative ; capable of
pe r ce ption
Cognitive thought make s humans adaptable to a quickly changing
e nvir onme nt.
Once the toddle r was able to s olve puzzle s , it was obvious that he r
cognitive abilitie s we r e de ve loping.
cognizant
(adj.) awar e of; pe r ce ptive
She be came alar me d whe n s he was cognizant of the man following he r .
It was cr itical to e s tablis h whe the r the de fe ndant was cognizant of his
r ights .
cohe r e nt
(adj.) s ticking toge the r ; conne cte d; logical; cons is te nt
T he cour s e was a s ucce s s due to its cohe r e nt infor mation.
If he couldn't make a cohe r e nt s pe e ch, how could he r un for office ?
cohe s ion
(n.) the act of holding toge the r
T he cohe s ion of the gr oup incr e as e d as fr ie nds hips we r e for me d.
T he cohe s ion of diffe r e nt mole cule s for ms diffe r e nt s ubs tance s .
cohor t
(n.) a gr oup; band
T he cohor t of te e ns gathe r e d at the athle tic fie ld.
collabor ate
(v.) to wor k toge the r ; coope r ate
T he two builde r s collabor ate d to ge t the hous e finis he d.
colloquial
(adj.) having to do with conve r s ation; infor mal s pe e ch
T he colloquial r e fe r e nce indicate d the fr e e s pir it of the gr oup.
Whe n you lis te n to the diffe r e nce be twe e n s poke n colloquial
conve r s ation and wr itte n wor k, you r e alize how good an e ar a nove lis t
mus t have to wr ite authe ntic dialogue .
collus ion
(n.) s e cr e t agr e e me nt for an ille gal pur pos e
T he author ity dis cove r e d a collus ion be twe e n the dir e ctor and tr e as ur e r .
come line s s
(n.) be auty; attr active ne s s in appe ar ance or be havior
T he come line s s of the woman attr acte d e ve r yone 's atte ntion.
commis e r ate
(v.) to s how s ympathy for
T he hur r icane victims commis e r ate d about the los s of the ir home s .
commodious
(adj.) s pacious and conve nie nt; r oomy
T he ne w home was s o commodious that many ne w pie ce s of fur nitur e
ne e de d to be pur chas e d.
communal
(adj.) s har e d or common owne r s hip
T he communal natur e of the pr oje ct made e ve r yone pitch in to he lp.
compatible
(adj.) in agr e e me nt with; har monious
Whe n r e pair ing an automobile , it is ne ce s s ar y to us e par ts compatible
with that make and mode l.
complace nt
(adj.) conte nt; s e lf- s atis fie d; s mug
T he CEO wor r ie s r e gular ly that his fir m's winning ways will make it
complace nt.
T he candidate was s o complace nt with his poll numbe r s that he vir tually
s toppe d campaigning.
complais ance
(n.) the quality of be ing agr e e able or e age r to ple as e
T he complais ance of the ne w as s is tant made it e as y for the manage r s to
give him a lot of wor k without wor r ying that he may complain.
compliant
(adj.) complying; obe ying; yie lding
Compliant actions s hould be r e infor ce d.
T he s lave was compliant with e ve r y or de r to avoid be ing whippe d.
compor t
(v.) fitting in
It was e as y to compor t to the ne w gr oup of e mploye e s .
compr e he ns ive
(adj.) all- inclus ive ; comple te ; thor ough
It's the only he alth facility ar ound to offe r compr e he ns ive car e .
compr omis e
(v.) to s e ttle by mutual adjus tme nt
Labor le ade r s and the automake r s compr omis e d by agr e e ing to a s tar ting
wage of $16 an hour in e x change for conce s s ions on he alth- car e
pr e miums .
conce de
(v.) to acknowle dge ; admit; to s ur r e nde r ; to abandon one 's pos ition
Afte r much wr angling, the conce de d that the minis te r had a point.
Satis fie d with the r e count, the mayor conce de d gr acious ly.
conce it
(n.) an e x agge r ate d pe r s onal opinion
T he man's be lie f that he was the be s t playe r on the te am was pur e
conce it.
conciliation
(n.) an atte mpt to make fr ie ndly or placate
T he atte mpt at conciliation
conciliator y
(adj.) to r e concile
T he diplomat s ought to take a conciliator y appr oach to ke e p the talks
going.
concis e
(adj.) in fe w wor ds ; br ie f; conde ns e d
T he concis e ins tr uctions we r e pr inte d on two page s r athe r than the
cus tomar y five .
conclave
(n.) any pr ivate me e ting or clos e d as s e mbly
T he conclave was to me e t in the e x e cutive s uite .
conde s ce nd
(v.) to come down fr om one 's pos ition or dignity
T he ar r ogant, r ich man was us ually conde s ce nding towar ds his s e r vants .
condone
(v.) to ove r look; to for give
T he loving and for giving mothe r condone d he r s on's life of cr ime
I will condone your actions of ne glige nce .
conflue nce
(n.) a thing which is joine d toge the r
Gr e at citie s ofte n lie at the conflue nce of gr e at r ive r s .
confound
(v.) to lump toge the r , caus ing confus ion; to damn
T he pr oble m confounde d our ability to s olve it.
Confound you, you s coundr e l!
conglome r ation
(n.) a colle ction or mix tur e of var ious things
T he conglome r ation is made up of four diffe r e nt inte r e s t gr oups .
T he s oup was a conglome r ation of me ats and ve ge table s .
conjoin
(v.) to combine
T he clas s e s will conjoin to do the play.
conjur e
(v.) to call upon or appe al to; to caus e to be , appe ar , come
T he s me ll of the dinne r conjur e d image s of childhood.
T he magician conjur e d a r abbit out of a hat.
connivance
(n.) s e cr e t coope r ation in wr ongdoing
With the guar d's connivance , the convict was able to make his e s cape .
connois s e ur
(n.) e x pe r t; author ity (us ually r e fe r s to a wine or food e x pe r t)
T he y allowe d he r to choos e the wine for dinne r s ince s he was the
connois s e ur .
connotative
(adj.) containing as s ociate d me anings in addition to the pr imar y one
Along with the pr imar y me aning of the wor d, the r e we r e two connotative
me anings .
T he connotative me aning of the ir mus ic was s pe lle d out in the vide o.
cons e cr ate
(v.) to de clar e s acr e d; to de dicate
We will cons e cr ate the pact dur ing the ce r e mony.
T he par k was cons e cr ate d to the me mor y of the mis s ing s oldie r .
cons e que ntial
(adj.) following as an e ffe ct; impor tant
His long illne s s and cons e que ntial abs e nce s e t him be hind in his
home wor k.
T he de cis ion to move the company will be cons e que ntial to its s ucce s s .
cons or t
(n.; v.) a companion, s pous e ; to as s ociate
An e lde r ly woman was s e e king a cons or t.
T he y waite d until dar k to cons or t unde r the moonlight.
cons picuous
(adj.) e as y to s e e ; notice able
T he dilige nt and har dwor king e ditor thought the obvious mis take was
cons picuous .
cons te r nation
(n.) amaze me nt or te r r or that caus e s confus ion
T he look of cons te r nation on the child's face caus e d he r fathe r to panic.
cons tr ain
(v.) to for ce , compe l; to r e s tr ain
It may be ne ce s s ar y to cons tr ain the wild animal if it appr oache s the
town.
T he s tude nt was cons tr aine d to r e main in he r s e at until the te ache r gave
he r pe r mis s ion to le ave .
cons ummation
(n.) the comple tion; finis h
Following the cons ummation of final e x ams , mos t of the s tude nts
gr aduate d.
conte mpor ar y
(adj.) living or happe ning at the s ame time ; mode r n
Conte mpor ar y fur nitur e will clas h with your tr aditional s e ctional.
conte mpt
(n.) s cor n; dis r e s pe ct
T he gr e e dy, s e lfis h banke r was ofte n dis cus s e d with gr e at conte mpt.
conte ntious
(adj.) quar r e ls ome
T he conte ntious s tude nt was as ke d to le ave the clas s r oom.
T he y hate his conte ntious be havior be caus e e ve r y s ugge s tion the y give
e nds in a fight.
conte s t
(v.) to atte mpt to dis pr ove or invalidate
I will atte mpt to conte s t the cr iminal char ge s agains t me .
contiguous
(adj.) touching; or adjoining and clos e , but not touching
T he r e ar e many contiguous buildings in the city be caus e the r e is no
e x ce s s land to allow s pace be twe e n the m.
contr ave ne
(v.) to act contr ar y to; to oppos e or contr adict
T he s tor y of the accus e d contr ave ne d the s tor y of the witne s s .
T he Unite d Nations he ld that the Eas te r n Eur ope an nation had
contr ave ne d the tr e aty.
contr ite
(adj.) r e gr e tful; s or r owful; having r e pe ntance
Re gr e tting his de cis ion not to atte nd colle ge , the contr ite man did not
le ad a ve r y happy life .
A contr ite he ar t has fix e d its wr ongs .
contumacious
(adj.) r e s is ting author ity
T he man was put in jail for contumacious actions .
contus ion
(n.) a br uis e ; an injur y whe r e the s kin is not br oke n
T he man was for tunate to r e ce ive only contus ions fr om the cr as h.
conundr um
(n.) a puzzle or r iddle
I s pe nt two hour s tr ying to figur e out the conundr um.
T he le ge nd s ays that to e nte r the s e cr e t pas s age way, one mus t ans we r
the ancie nt conundr um.
conve ntional
(adj.) tr aditional; common; r outine
T he br ide wante d a conve ntional we dding ce r e mony, comple te with white
dr e s s e s , many flowe r s , and a gr and r e ce ption par ty.
Conve ntional te le phone s ar e giving way to vide ophone s .
conve r ge
(v.) to move towar d one point (oppos ite : dive r ge )
It was obvious that an accide nt was going to occur as the onlooke r s
watche d the two car s conve r ge .
T he two r oads conve r ge at the cor ne r .
conviviality
(n.) a fondne s s for fe s tive ne s s or joviality
His conviviality make s him a we lcome gue s t at any s ocial gathe r ing.
convoke
(v.) a call to as s e mble
T he te ache r convoke d he r s tude nts in the auditor ium to he lp pr e par e
the m for the play.
copious
(adj.) abundant; in gr e at quantitie s
He r copious note s touche d on e ve r y s ubje ct pr e s e nte d in the le ctur e .
cor pule nce
(n.) obe s ity
T he cor pule nce of the man ke pt him fr om fitting into the s e at.
cor r e late
(v.) to br ing into mutual r e lation
T he s e r vice man was as ke d to cor r e late the two compute r de mons tr ation
pamphle ts .
cor r obor ate
(v.) to confir m the validity
T he witne s s mus t cor r obor ate the pr is one r 's s tor y if s he is to be s e t
fr e e .
cote r ie
(n.) a clique ; a gr oup who me e t fr e que ntly, us ually s ocially
A s pe cial as pe ct of campus life is joining a cote r ie .
Eve r y day afte r s chool s he joins he r cote r ie on the playgr ound and the y
go out for a s oda.
cove nant
(n.) a binding and s ole mn agr e e me nt
With the e x change of vows , the cove nant was comple te .
cove tous
(adj.) gr e e dy; ve r y de s ir ous
Lonnie , cove tous of e ducation, we nt to almos t e ve r y le ctur e at the
unive r s ity.
Cove tous of he r ne ighbor 's pool, s he did e ve r ything s he could to make
things unple as ant..
cowe r
(v.) to huddle and tr e mble
T he los t dog cowe r e d ne ar the tr e e .
T he te lle r s cowe r e d in the cor ne r as the bandit r ans acke d the bank.
coy
(adj.) mode s t; bas hful; pr e te nding s hyne s s to attr act
He r coy manne r s attr acte d the man.
He 's not r e ally that s hy, he 's jus t be ing coy.
cr as s
(adj.) s tupid or dull; ins e ns itive ; mate r ialis tic
T o make light of s ome one 's we akne s s is cr as s .
T he y made the ir mone y the old- fas hione d way, but s till the y we r e
accus e d of be ing cr as s .
My r e s pe ct for the man was lowe r e d whe n he made the cr as s r e mar k.
cr ave n
(n.; adj.) cowar d; abje ct pe r s on; cowar dly
While many fought for the ir r ights , the cr ave n s at s haking, off in a cor ne r
s ome whe r e .
Cr ave n me n will not s tand up for what the y be lie ve in.
culpable
(adj.) de s e r ving blame ; guilty
T he convicte d cr iminal s till de nie s that he is culpable for the r obbe r y.
cur b
(n.) a r e s tr aint or fr ame wor k
A cur b was put up along the s tr e e t to he lp dr ainage .
cur mudge on
(n.) an ill- te mpe r e d pe r s on
T he cur mudge on as ke d the childr e n not to play ne ar the hous e .
cur s or y
(adj.) has ty; s light
T he de te ctive 's cur s or y e x amination of the cr ime s ce ne caus e d him to
ove r look the le s s e r clue s .
cynic
(n.) one who be lie ve s that othe r s ar e motivate d e ntir e ly by s e lfis hne s s .
T he cynic fe lt that the he r o s ave d the man to be come famous .
dais
(n.) a r ais e d platfor m at one e nd of a r oom
T he dais was lowe r e d to make the s pe ake r look talle r .
dally
(v.) to loite r ; to was te time
Ple as e do not dally or we will mis s our appointme nt.
dank
(adj.) damp and chilly
T he ce llar be came ve r y dank dur ing the winte r time .
dauntle s s
(adj.) fe ar le s s ; not dis cour age d
T he dauntle s s r ange r s cale d the mountain to comple te the r e s cue .
de ar th
(n.) s car city; s hor tage
A s e r ie s of coincide ntal r e s ignations le ft the fir m with a de ar th of tale nt.
T he de ar th of the cove r age for ce d him to look for a ne w ins ur ance age nt.
de bacle
(n.) dis as te r ; collaps e ; a r out
T he Se cur itie s and Ex change Commis s ion and the s tock e x change s
imple me nte d nume r ous s afe guar ds to he ad off anothe r de bacle on Wall
Str e e t.
de bas e
(v.) to make lowe r in quality
T he Fr e nch ar e conce r ne d that "Fr anglais ," a ble nding of Englis h and
Fr e nch, will de bas e the ir language .
de bauche r y
(n.) indulge nce in one 's appe tite s
T he pr e ache r de cr ie d de bauche r y and ur ge d char ity.
de bilitate
(v.) to e nfe e ble ; to we ar out
T he phle bitis de bilitate d him to the point whe r e he was unable e ve n to
walk.
T he illne s s will de bilitate the mus cle s in his le gs .
de bonair
(adj.) having an affable manne r ; car e fr e e ; ge nial
Ope ning the door for anothe r is a de bonair action.
de cade nce
(n.) a de cline in mor als or ar t
Some be lie ve the de cade nce of Ne r o's r ule le d to the fall of the e mpir e .
de ciduous
(adj.) s he dding; te mpor ar y
Whe n the le ave s be gan to fall fr om the tr e e we le ar ne d that it was
de ciduous .
de cis ive ne s s
(n.) an act of be ing fir m or de te r mine d
De cis ive ne s s is one of the ke y qualitie s of a s ucce s s ful e x e cutive .
de cor ous
(adj.) s howing de cor um; pr opr ie ty, good tas te
T his movie pr ovide s de cor ous r e fuge fr om the viole nce and mayhe m that
pe r me ate s the late s t cr op of Hollywood films .
T he de cor ous s uit was made of fine mate r ial.
de cr y
(v.) to de nounce or conde mn ope nly
T he pas tor de cr ie d all for ms of dis cr imination agains t any minor ity
gr oup.
de famation
(n.) to har m a name or r e putation; to s lande r
T he car pe nte r fe lt that the notor ious ne s s of his for me r par tne r br ought
de famation to his cons tr uction bus ine s s .
de fe r e nce
(n.) a yie lding of opinion; cour te ous r e s pe ct for
T o avoid a confr ontation, the man s howe d de fe r e nce to his fr ie nd.
T he de fe r e nce s hown to the e lde r ly woman's opinion was he ar twar ming.
de fe r e ntial
(adj.) yie lding to the opinion of anothe r
Afte r de bating s tude nts living in the Six th War d for months , the mayor 's
de fe r e ntial s tate me nts indicate d that he had come to s ome unde r s tanding
with the m.
de funct
(adj.) no longe r living or e x is ting
T he man los t a lar ge s um of mone y whe n the company we nt de funct.
de ign
(v.) conde s ce nd; s toop
He s aid he wouldn't de ign to dignify he r s tate me nt with a r e s pons e .
Fir e d fr om his job as a pr ogr amme r analys t, Joe vowe d he would ne ve r
de ign to mop floor s - e ve n if he we r e down to his las t pe nny.
de le te r ious
(adj.) har mful; hur tful; nox ious
De le te r ious fume s e s cape d fr om the ove r tur ne d tr uck.
de libe r ate
(v.; adj.) to cons ide r car e fully; we igh in the mind; inte ntional
T he jur y de libe r ate d for thr e e days be for e r e aching a ve r dict.
T he br othe r 's de libe r ate atte mpt to ge t his s ibling blame d for his mis take
was obvious to all.
de line ate
(v.) to outline ; to de s cr ibe
She de line ate d he r plan s o that e ve r yone would have a bas ic
unde r s tanding of it.
de lique s ce
(v.) to dis s olve
T he s now de lique s ce d whe n the te mpe r atur e r os e .
de lus ion
(n.) a fals e be lie f or opinion
T he his tor ian s uffe r e d fr om the de lus ion that he was Napole on.
de mis e
(n.) ce as ing to e x is t as in de ath
T he de mis e of Gimbe ls followe d ye ar s of de cline .
de mur
(v.; n.) to obje ct; obje ction; mis giving
She hate d animals , s o whe n the s ubje ct of buying a cat came up, s he
de mur r e d.
She s aid ye s , but he de te cte d a de mur in he r voice .
She was nominate d to s it on the committe e , but s he de mur r e d.
T he council pr e s ide nt calle d for a vote , and he ar ing no de mur , as ke d for
a count by the cle r k.
de nigr ate
(v.) to de fame , to blacke n or s ully; to be little
Afte r finding out he r e vil s e cr e t, he announce d it to the council and
de nigr ate d he r in public.
He r atte mpt to de nigr ate the man's name was not s ucce s s ful.
de nounce
(v.) to s pe ak out agains t; conde mn
A s tude nt r ally was calle d to de nounce the us e of dr ugs on campus .
de pict
(v.) to por tr ay; de s cr ibe
T he mur al de picts the life of a typical ur ban dwe lle r .
de ple te
(v.) to r e duce ; to e mpty, e x haus t
Having to pay the e ntir e bill will de ple te the family's s avings .
de pos ition
(n.) a r e moval fr om office or powe r ; a te s timony
Failing to act lawfully could r e s ult in his de pos ition.
She me t with he r lawye r this mor ning to r e vie w he r de pos ition.
de pr avity
(n.) mor al cor r uption; badne s s
Dr ugs and mone y caus e d de pr avity thr oughout the once de cor ous
community.
T he de pr avity of the old man was bound to land him in jail one day.
de pr e cate
(v.) to e x pr e s s dis appr oval of; to pr ote s t agains t
T he e nvir onme ntalis ts de pr e cate d the pape r companie s for cutting down
ancie nt for e s ts .
T he or ganization will de pr e cate the ope ning of the s e wage plant.
de pr e dation
(n.) a plunde r ing or laying was te
T he phar aoh's once r ich tomb was e mpty afte r ce ntur ie s of de pr e dation
fr om gr ave r obbe r s .
de r ide
(v.) to laugh at with conte mpt; to mock
No matte r what he s aid, he was de r ide d.
It is impolite to de r ide s ome one e ve n if you dis like him.
de r is ion
(n.) the act of mocking; r idicule , mocke r y
A day of de r is ion fr om the bos s le ft the e mploye e fe e ling de pr e s s e d.
Cons tant de r is ion fr om clas s mate s made him quit s chool.
de r is ive
(adj.) s howing dis r e s pe ct or s cor n for
T he de r is ive comme nt was aime d at the man's life long e ne my.
de r ogator y
(adj.) be littling; uncomplime ntar y
He was ups e t be caus e his annual r e vie w was full of de r ogator y
comme nts .
de s cant
(v.) le ngthy talking or wr iting
T he man will de s cant on the s ubje ct if you give him too much s pe aking
time .
de s e cr ate
(v.) to pr ofane ; violate the s anctity of
T he te e nage r s ' atte mpt to de s e cr ate the chur ch dis tur be d the community.
de s is t
(v.) to s top or ce as e
T he judge or de r e d the man to de s is t fr om calling his e x - wife in the
middle of the night.
de s olate
(adj.) to be le ft alone or made lone ly
Dr iving down the de s olate r oad had Ke lvin wor r ie d that he wouldn't
r e ach a gas s tation in time .
de s poil
(v.) to take e ve r ything; plunde r
T he Huns de s poile d village afte r village .
de s potis m
(n.) tyr anny; abs olute powe r or influe nce
T he r ule r 's de s potis m we nt unconte s te d for 30 ye ar s .
de s titute
(adj.) poor ; pove r ty- s tr icke n
One Banglade s hi bank make s loans to de s titute citize ns s o that the y may
ove r come the ir pove r ty.
Many of the city's s e ctions ar e de s titute .
de s ultor y
(adj.) moving in a r andom, dir e ctionle s s manne r
T he the fts we r e occur r ing in a de s ultor y manne r making the m difficult to
tr ack.
de tache d
(adj.) s e par ate d; not inte r e s te d; s tanding alone
De tache d fr om mode r n conve nie nce s , the is lande r s live a s imple ,
unhur r ie d life .
de te r
(v.) to pr e ve nt; to dis cour age ; hinde r
He de te r r e d the r abbits by putting down gar lic ar ound the gar de n.
de te r minate
(adj.) dis tinct limits
T he ne w laws we r e ve r y de te r minate as far as what was allowe d and
what was not allowe d.
de void
(adj.) lacking; e mpty
T he inte r plane tar y pr obe indicate d that the plane t was de void of any
atmos phe r e .
de x te r ous
(adj.) s killful, quick me ntally or phys ically
T he de x te r ous gymnas t was the e pitome of gr ace on the balance be am.
diatr ibe
(n.) a bitte r or abus ive s pe e ch
Dur ing the divor ce he ar ings s he de live r e d a diatr ibe full of the e motion
pus hing he r away fr om he r hus band.
T he diatr ibe was dir e cte d towar ds a dis r e s pe ctful s upe r vis or .
dichotomy
(n.) a divis ion into two par ts or kinds
T he dichotomy within the par ty thr e ate ns to s plit it.
T he dichotomy be twe e n chur ch and s tate r e nde r s s chool pr aye r
uncons titutional.
dictum
(n.) a for mal s tate me nt of e ithe r fact or opinion
Compute r pr ogr amme r s have a dictum: gar bage in, gar bage out.
didactic
(adj.) ins tr uctive ; dogmatic; pr e achy
Our te ache r 's didactic te chnique boos te d our s cor e s .
T he didactic activis t was not one to be s waye d.
diffide nce
(n.) a he s itation in as s e r ting one s e lf
A s hy pe r s on may have gr e at diffide nce whe n for ce d with a pr oble m.
diffide nt
(adj.) timid; lacking s e lf- confide nce
T he dir e ctor is looking for a s e lf- as s ur e d actor , not a diffide nt one .
He r diffide nt s is te r couldn't wor k up the cour age to as k for the s ale .
diffus e
(adj.) s pr e ad out; ve r bos e (wor dy); not focus e d
T he toys we r e dis cove r e d in a diffus e manne r afte r the bir thday par ty.
His monologue was s o diffus e that all his points we r e los t.
digr e s s
(v.) s tr ay fr om the s ubje ct; wande r fr om topic
It is impor tant to not digr e s s fr om the plan of action.
dile ttante
(n.) an admir e r of the fine ar ts ; a dabble r
T hough s he playe d the piano occas ionally, s he was mor e of a dile ttante .
dilige nce
(n.) har d wor k
Anything can be accomplis he d with dilige nce and commitme nt.
diminutive
(adj.; n.) s malle r than ave r age ; a s mall pe r s on; a wor d, e x pr e s s ing
s mallne s s , for me d whe n a s uffix is adde d
T he y live d in a diminutive hous e .
T he diminutive woman could not s e e ove r the counte r .
din
(n.) a nois e which is loud and continuous
T he din of the jackhamme r s r e ve r be r ate d thr oughout the concr e te
canyon.
dint
(n.) s tr e ngth
T he dint of the br idge could hold tr ucks we ighing many tons .
dir ge
(n.) a hymn for a fune r al; a s ong or poe m e x pr e s s ing lame nt
T he mour ne r s s ang a tr aditional Ir is h dir ge .
dis appr obation
(n.) dis appr oval
He r dis appr obation of he r daughte r 's fiancZ' divide d the family.
dis ar r ay
(n.) (s tate of) dis or de r
T he thie f le ft the hous e in dis ar r ay.
dis avow
(v.) to de ny; to r e fus e to acknowle dge
T he actor has dis avowe d the r umor .
dis ce r ning
(adj.) dis tinguis hing one thing fr om anothe r ; having good judgme nt
He has a dis ce r ning e ye for knowing the or iginal fr om the copy.
Be ing dis ce r ning about a cus tome r 's char acte r is a ke y qualification for a
loan office r .
dis comfit
(v.) to fr us tr ate the e x pe ctations of
T he clos e game dis comfite d the numbe r one playe r .
dis cor d
(n.) dis agr e e me nt; lack of har mony
T he r e was dis cor d amids t the jur y, and the r e for e a de cis ion could not be
made .
dis cour s e
(v.) to conve r s e ; to communicate in an or de r ly fas hion
T he s cie ntis ts dis cour s e d on a confe r e nce call for jus t five minute s but
we r e able to s olve thr e e major pr oble ms .
T he inte r vie we e dis cour s e d s o flue ntly, s he was hir e d on the s pot.
dis cr e e t
(adj.) s howing good judgme nt in conduct; pr ude nt
We confide d our s e cr e t in Mar y be caus e we kne w s he 'd be dis cr e e t.
dis cr e te
(adj.) s e par ate ; individually dis tinct; compos e d of dis tinct par ts
T he r e we r e four dis cr e te as pe cts to the ar chite ctur e of the home .
T he citize ns committe e maintaine d that r oad wide ning and dr ainage we r e
har dly dis cr e te is s ue s .
dis cr iminate
(v.) dis tinguis h; de mons tr ate bias
Be ing a che f, he dis cr iminate d car e fully among ingr e die nts .
Re e ling fr om the fact that s e nior manage r s had be e n caught on tape
making offe ns ive r e mar ks , the CEO s aid he would not tole r ate any of his
fir m's e mploye e s dis cr iminating agains t anyone for any r e as on.
dis dain
(n.; v.) inte ns e dis like ; look down upon; s cor n
She s howe d gr e at dis dain towar d anyone who did not agr e e with he r .
She dis dains the ve r y gr ound you walk upon.
dis e ntangle
(v.) to fr e e fr om confus ion
We ne e d to dis e ntangle our s e lve s fr om the dizzying var ie ty of choice s .
dis he ar te ne d
(adj.) dis cour age d; de pr e s s e d
Afte r failing the e x am, the s tude nt be came dis he ar te ne d and wonde r e d if
he would e ve r gr aduate .
dis inge nuous
(adj.) not fr ank or candid; de ce ivingly s imple (oppos ite : inge nious )
T he dir e ctor us e d a dis inge nuous r e mar k to make his point to the
s tude nt.
He always give s a quick, dis inge nuous r e s pons e ; you ne ve r ge t a s tr aight
ans we r .
dis inte r e s te d
(adj.) ne utr al; unbias e d (alte r nate me aning; uninte r e s te d)
A dis inte r e s te d pe r s on was ne e de d to s e r ve as ar bitr ator of the
ar gume nt.
He ne ve r take s s ide s ; he 's always dis inte r e s te d.
dis par age
(v.) to be little ; unde r value ; to dis cr e dit
Afte r s he fir e d him s he r e alize d that s he had dis par age d the value of his
as s is tance .
T he lawye r will atte mpt to dis par age the te s timony of the witne s s .
dis par ate
(adj.) une qual; dis s imilar ; diffe r e nt
T he y came fr om dis par ate backgr ounds , one a r e al e s tate magnate , the
othe r a cus todian.
T he dis par ate numbe r s of playe r s made the game a s ur e blowout.
dis par ity
(n.) diffe r e nce in for m, char acte r , or de gr e e
T he r e is a gr e at dis par ity be twe e n a light s nack and a gr e at fe as t.
dis pas s ionate
(adj.) lack of fe e ling; impar tial
She was a ve r y e motional pe r s on and could not wor k with s uch a
dis pas s ionate e mploye r .
dis pe r s e
(v.) to s catte r ; s e par ate
T he pilots dis pe r s e d the food dr ops ove r a wide ar e a of de vas tation.
T e ar gas was us e d to dis pe r s e the cr owd.
dis putatious
(adj.) ar gume ntative ; incline d to dis pute s
His dis putatious s tr e ak e ve ntually wor e down his fe llow par liame nt
me mbe r s .
T he child was s o dis putatious he ne e de d to be r e move d fr om the r oom.
dis s e mble
(v.) to pr e te nd; to fe ign; to conce al by pr e te ns e
T he man dis s e mble d his as s e ts s hame le s s ly to avoid paying alimony.
Age nt 007 has a mar ve lous ability to dis s e mble his r e al inte ntions .
dis s e minate
(v.) to cir culate ; s catte r
He was hir e d to dis s e minate ne ws pape r s to e ve r yone in the town.
T he pr e ache r tr ave le d acr os s the countr y to dis s e minate his me s s age .
dis s e nt
(v.) to dis agr e e ; diffe r in opinion
T he y agr e e d that s ome thing had to be done , but dis s e nte d on how to do
it.
dis s onance
(n.) mus ical dis cor d; a mingling of inhar monious s ounds ; nonmus ical;
dis agr e e me nt; lack of har mony
Much twe ntie th- ce ntur y mus ic is not like d by clas s ical mus ic love r s
be caus e of the dis s onance it holds and the har monie s it lacks .
T he dis s onance of his compos ition make s for s ome r ough lis te ning.
dis s onant
(adj.) not in har mony; in dis agr e e me nt
De s pite s e ve r al inte ns e r e he ar s als , the voice s of the choir me mbe r s
continue d to be dis s onant.
T he dis s onant natur e of the man's te mpe r ame nt made the woman fe ar ful
to appr oach him with the ne w ide a.
dis tant
(adj.) having s e par ations or be ing r e s e r ve d
Rolonda's fr ie nds have be come mor e dis tant in r e ce nt ye ar s .
dis te ntion
(n.) inflation or e x te ns ion
T he bulge in the car pe t was caus e d by the dis te ntion of the wood
unde r ne ath.
dithe r
(v.; n.) to act inde cis ive ly; a confus e d condition
She dithe r e d e ve r y time s he had to make a de cis ion.
Having to take two te s ts in one day le ft the s tude nt in a dithe r .
dive r ge
(v.) s e par ate , s plit
T he path dive r ge s at the old bar n, one for k le ading to the hous e , and the
othe r le ading to the pond.
T he wide , long r ive r dive r ge d into two dis tinct s e par ate r ive r s , ne ve r
again to join.
dive r s e
(adj.) diffe r e nt; var ie d
T he cour s e offe r ings we r e s o dive r s e I had a tough time choos ing.
dive s titur e
(n.) be ing s tr ippe d
Whe n it was found the te am che ate d, the r e was a dive s titur e of the ir
cr own.
docile
(adj.) manage able ; obe die nt; ge ntle
We ne e de d to choos e a docile pe t be caus e we hadn't the patie nce for a
lot of tr aining.
docume nt
(n.; v.) official pape r containing infor mation; to s uppor t; s ubs tantiate ;
ve r ify
T he y ne e de d a wr itte n docume nt to pr ove that the tr ans action occur r e d.
Facing an audit, s he had to docume nt all he r clie nt contacts .
dogge r e l
(n.) ve r s e char acte r ize d by for ce d r hyme and me te r
Contr ar y to its appe ar ance , dogge r e l can contain s ome we ighty
me s s age s .
dogma
(n.) a colle ction of be lie fs
T he dogma of the village was bas e d on s upe r s tition.
dogmatic
(adj.) s tubbor n; bias e d; opinionate d
T he ir dogmatic de clar ation clar ifie d the ir pos ition.
T he dogmatic s tate me nt had not ye t be e n pr ove n by s cie nce .
T he s tude nt's dogmatic pr e s e ntation annoye d his clas s mate s as we ll as
his ins tr uctor .
dor mant
(adj.) as if as le e p
T he animals lay dor mant until the s pr ing thaw.
doting
(adj.) e x ce s s ive ly fond of
With gr e at joy, the doting fathe r he ld the toddle r .
doughty
(adj.) br ave and s tr ong
T he doughty fir e man s ave d the woman's life .
dowdy
(adj.) s habby in appe ar ance
T he dowdy gir l had no buttons on he r coat and the thr e ads we r e falling
apar t.
dubious
(adj.) doubtful; unce r tain; s ke ptical; s us picious
Many pe ople ar e dubious about the pos s ibility of inte llige nt life on othe r
plane ts .
T he ne w infor mation was dubious e nough to r e - ope n the cas e .
duplicity
(n.) de ce ption
She for gave his duplicity but divor ce d him anyway.
dur e s s
(n.) impr is onme nt; the us e of thr e ats
His dur e s s was s uppos e d to las t 10- 15 ye ar s .
T he police woman put the man unde r dur e s s in or de r to ge t a confe s s ion.
T he Labor De par tme nt ins pe ctor ne e de d to e s tablis h whe the r the plant
wor ke r s had be e n he ld unde r dur e s s .
e ar thy
(adj.) unr e fine d
T he e ar thy- looking table was bar e .
e bullie nce
(n.) an ove r flowing of high s pir its ; e ffe r ve s ce nce
She e manate d e bullie nce as s he s kippe d and s ang down the hallway afte r
le ar ning of he r pr omotion.
e cce ntr ic
(adj.) odd; pe culiar ; s tr ange
Pe ople like to talk with the e cce ntr ic ar tis t s ince he has s uch diffe r e nt
vie ws on e ve r yday s ubje cts .
We ar ing polka dot pants and a ne cklace made of r e cycle d bottle tops is
cons ide r e d e cce ntr ic.
e ccle s ias tic
(adj.) pe r taining or r e lating to a chur ch
Eccle s ias tic obligations include atte nding mas s .
e cle ctic
(adj.) picking fr om var ious pos s ibilitie s ; made up of mate r ial fr om var ious
s our ce s
You have e cle ctic tas te .
T he e cle ctic colle ction of fur nitur e did not match.
e conomical
(adj.) not was te ful; thr ifty
With he r e conomical s e ns e s he was able to s ave the company thous ands
of dollar s .
e difice
(n.) a lar ge building
T he e difice r os e 20 s tor ie s and s panne d two blocks .
e dify
(v.) to build or e s tablis h; to ins tr uct and impr ove the mind
Accor ding to the ir s che dule , the cons tr uction company will e dify the
foundation of the building in one we e k.
T he te ache r s wor ke d to e dify the ir s tude nts thr ough le s s ons and
dis cus s ion.
e duce
(v.) to dr aw out; to infe r fr om infor mation
Be caus e s he is s o dour , I was for ce d to e duce a r e s pons e .
I e duce fr om the r e por t that the e x pe r ime nt was a s ucce s s .
e fface
(v.) to e r as e ; to make incons picuous
Hiding in the woods , the s oldie r was e fface d by his camouflage unifor m.
e ffe minate
(adj.) having qualitie s attr ibute d to a woman; de licate
A high- pitche d laugh made the man s e e m e ffe minate .
e ffe r ve s ce nce
(n.) live line s s ; s pir it; e nthus ias m; bubbline s s
He r e ffe r ve s ce nce was contagious ; s he made e ve r yone ar ound he r
happy.
T he e ffe r ve s ce nce of champagne is what make s it diffe r e nt fr om wine .
e ffigy
(n.) the image or like ne s s of a pe r s on
De mons tr ator s car r ie d e ffigie s of the dictator the y wante d ove r thr own.
e ffluvium
(n.) an outflow of vapor of invis ible par ticle s ; a nox ious odor
T he e ffluvium fr om the e x haus t had a bad s me ll.
It was difficult to de te r mine fr om whe r e the e ffluvium is s ue d.
e ffr onte r y
(n.) ar r ogance
T he e ffr onte r y of the young man was offe ns ive .
e ffus ive
(adj.) pour ing out or for th; ove r flowing
T he e ffus ive cur r e nts r us h thr ough the br oke n dam.
e goce ntr ic
(adj.) s e lf- ce nte r e d, vie wing e ve r ything in r e lation to one s e lf
T he e goce ntr ic pr ofe s s or could not acce pt the s tude nts ' opinions as
valid.
e gr e s s
(n.) a way out; e x it
T he door way pr ovide d an e gr e s s fr om the chambe r .
e labor ation
(n.) act of clar ifying; adding de tails
T he mayor calle d for an e labor ation on the or dinance 's fir s t dr aft.
e le gy
(n.) a poe m of lame nt and pr ais e for the de ad
Upon conclus ion of the e le gy, the cas ke t was clos e d.
e llips is
(n.) omis s ion of wor ds that would make the me aning cle ar
T he accide ntal e llips is confus e d all thos e who he ar d the s pe e ch.
e loque nce
(n.) the ability to s pe ak we ll
T he s pe ake r 's e loque nce was attr ibute d to his ar ticulate manne r of
s pe aking.
e lucidate
(v.) to make cle ar ; to e x plain
In the pape r 's conclus ion, its pur pos e was e lucidate d in one s e nte nce .
e lus ive
(adj.) har d to catch
Eve n the e x pe r ie nce d, old fis he r man admitte d that the tr out in the r ive r
we r e quite e lus ive .
e manate
(v.) to e mit
Happine s s e manate s fr om the loving home .
e mbar kation
(v.) to e ngage or inve s t in
T he e mbar kation into s e lf- e mployme nt was a ne w s tar t for the woman.
e mbe llis h
(v.) to impr ove by adding de tails
Adding be ads to a gar me nt will e mbe llis h it.
e mine nce
(n.) a lofty place ; s upe r ior ity
Afte r toiling in the s hadows for ye ar s , at las t s he achie ve d e mine nce .
T he e mine nce of the ins titution can be s e e n in the impact of its r e s e ar ch.
e mollie nt
(adj.) s ofte ning or s oothing to the s kin; having powe r to s ofte n or r e lax
living tis s ue s
Whe n hands be come dr y, it may be ne ce s s ar y to s oothe the m with an
e mollie nt lotion.
e mulate
(v.) to tr y to e qual or e x ce l
T he ne ophyte te ache r was hoping to e mulate he r me ntor .
e namor e d
(adj.) fille d with love and de s ir e
T he young couple ar e e namor e d with e ach othe r .
e ncomium
(n.) for mal e x pr e s s ion of high pr ais e
T he s itcom actr e s s gave he r co- s tar s a long e ncomium as s he acce pte d
he r Emmy.
e ncr oach
(v.) to tr e s pas s or intr ude
It is unlawful to e ncr oach on anothe r 's pr ivate pr ope r ty.
e ncumbe r
(v.) to hold back; to hinde r ; to bur de n, load down
T he r e vie w of the e thic's committe e e ncumbe r e d the de al fr om be ing
finalize d.
A br ace will e ncumbe r the gir l's move me nt.
e nde mic
(adj.) native to a par ticular ar e a; cons tantly pr e s e nt in a par ticular
countr y or locality
T he e nde mic fauna was of gr e at inte r e s t to the anthr opologis t.
A fas t- pace d s tyle is e nde mic to thos e who live in Ne w Yor k City.
e ndor s e
(v.) s uppor t; to appr ove of; r e comme nd
T he e ntir e community e ndor s e d the politician who pr omis e d lowe r tax e s
and a be tte r s chool s ys te m.
e ne r vate
(v.) to we ake n; to de pr ive of ne r ve or s tr e ngth
T he s ickne s s e ne r vate s its victims until the y can no longe r ge t out of
be d.
e nfe e ble
(v.) to make we ak
T he illne s s will e nfe e ble anyone who catche s it.
e nfr anchis e d
(v.) to fr e e fr om obligation; to admit to citize ns hip
T he playe r was e nfr anchis e d whe n the de al was calle d off.
T he r e ce nt immigr ants we r e e nfr anchis e d whe n the y took the ir oath to
the ir ne w countr y.
e nge nde r
(v.) to br ing about; be ge t; to br ing for th
T he gr oup atte mpte d to e nge nde r change s to the law.
e nhance
(v.) to impr ove ; complime nt; make mor e attr active
T he ne w fue l e nhance d the pe r for mance of the r ocke t's e ngine s .
e nigma
(n.) mys te r y; s e cr e t; pe r ple x ity
T o all of the s e ar che r s , the mis s ing child's location r e maine d a gr e at
e nigma.
e nigmatic
(adj.) baffling
T he e nigmatic mur de r plague d the de te ctive .
e nnui
(n.) bor e dom; apathy
Ennui s e t in whe n the childr e n r e alize d the y had alr e ady playe d with all
the toys .
e on
(n.) an inde finite ly long pe r iod of time
T he s tar may have e x is te d for e ons .
e phe me r al
(adj.) ve r y s hor t- live d; las ting only a s hor t time
Living alone gave him an e phe me r al happine s s , s oon to be r e place d with
utte r lone line s s .
e picur e
(n.) a pe r s on who has good tas te in food and dr ink
As an e picur e , Lance is choos y about the r e s taur ants he vis its .
e pigr am
(n.) a witty or s atir ical poe m or s tate me nt
T he poe t wr ote an e pigr am about the upcoming e le ction.
e pilogue
(n.) clos ing s e ction of a play or nove l pr oviding fur the r comme nt.
T he e pilogue told us the de s tiny of the char acte r s .
e piphany
(n.) an appe ar ance of a s upe r natur al be ing
T he man bowe d to the e piphany.
e pitaph
(n.) an ins cr iption on a monume nt; in honor or me mor y of a de ad pe r s on
T he e pitaph de s cr ibe d the actions of a br ave man.
e pitome
(n.) mode l; typification; r e pr e s e ntation
T he woman chos e n to le ad the dance r s was the e pitome of tr ue gr ace .
e quanimity
(n.) the quality of r e maining calm and undis tur be d
Equanimity can be r e ache d whe n s tr e s s is r e move d fr om life .
e quinox
(n.) pr e cis e time whe n day and night is of e qual le ngth
On the e quinox we had twe lve hour s of night and day.
e quivocal
(adj.) doubtful; unce r tain
Scie ntific e vide nce was ne e de d be for e the e quivocal hypothe s is was
acce pte d by the doubting r e s e ar che r s .
e quivocations
(n.) a pur pos e ly mis le ading s tate me nt
T he e quivocations by the man s e nt the s e ar ch te am looking in the wr ong
dir e ction.
e r adication
(n.) the act of annihilating, de s tr oying, or e r as ing
Some have the or ize d that the e r adication of the dinos aur s was due to a
r adical change in climate .
e r r ant
(adj.) r oving in s e ar ch of adve ntur e
T he young man s e t out acr os s countr y on an e r r ant e x pe dition.
e r r atic
(adj.) unpr e dictable ; ir r e gular
His e r r atic be havior was attr ibute d to the s hocking ne ws he had
r e ce ive d.
T he kitte n's e r r atic be havior was attr ibute d to the owne r 's cr ue l me thod
of dis ciplining his pe t.
e r r one ous
(adj.) untr ue ; inaccur ate ; not cor r e ct
T he r e por te r 's e r r one ous s tor y was cor r e cte d by a ne w ar ticle that
s tate d the tr uth.
e r udite
(adj.) having a wide knowle dge acquir e d thr ough r e ading
T he woman was s o e r udite , s he could r e cite points on mos t any s ubje ct.
e s che w
(v.) to s hun; to avoid
Es che w the tr affic and you may ar r ive on time .
e s ote r ic
(adj.) unde r s tood by only a chos e n fe w; confide ntial
T he e s ote r ic language was only known by the s e le ct gr oup.
We have had a numbe r of e s ote r ic conve r s ations .
e s timable
(adj.) de s e r ving r e s pe ct
T he e s timable he r o was give n a par ade .
e the r e al
(adj.) ve r y light; air y; he ave nly; not e ar thly
T he e the r e al quality of the mus ic had a hypnotic e ffe ct.
T he dance r wor e an e the r e al outfit which made he r look like an ange l.
e thnic
(adj.) pe r taining to r ace s or pe ople s and the ir or igin clas s ification, or
char acte r is tics
Ethnic foods fr om five contine nts we r e s e t up on the table .
e ulogy
(n.) wor ds of pr ais e , e s pe cially for the de ad
T he e ulogy was a r e me mbr ance of the good things the man accomplis he d
in his life time .
e uphe mis m
(n.) the us e of a wor d or phr as e in place of one that is dis tas te ful
T he announce r us e d a e uphe mis m whe n he wante d to complain.
e uphony
(n.) ple as ant combination of s ounds
T he ge ntly s inging bir ds cr e ate d a be autiful e uphony.
T he e uphony cr e ate d by the or che s tr a was due to ye ar s of pr actice .
e vane s ce nt
(adj.) vanis hing quickly; dis s ipating like a vapor
T he e vane s ce nt mir age could only be s e e n at a ce r tain angle .
e vas ion
(n.) the avoiding of a duty
T he company was char ge d with tax e vas ion, as the y did not pay all that
the y owe d.
e voke
(v.) to call for th; pr ovoke
Se e ing he r only daughte r ge t mar r ie d e voke d te ar s of happine s s fr om the
mothe r .
Announce me nt of the r e s ults e voke d a che e r fr om the cr owd.
e x culpate
(v.) to fr e e fr om guilt
T he the r apy s e s s ion will e x culpate the man fr om his guilty fe e lings .
e x e cute
(v.) to put to de ath; kill; to car r y out; fulfill
T he e vil, mur de r ous man was e x e cute d for killing s e ve r al innoce nt
childr e n.
I e x pe cte d him to e x e cute my or de r s imme diate ly.
e x e mplar y
(adj.) s e r ving as an e x ample ; outs tanding
T he honor s tude nt's e x e mplar y be havior made him a r ole mode l to the
younge r childr e n.
Employe e s of the month ar e chos e n for the ir e x e mplar y s e r vice to the
fir m.
e x haus tive
(adj.) thor ough; comple te
It took an e x haus tive e ffor t, us ing many cons tr uction wor ke r s , to
comple te the ne w home by the de adline .
e x hume
(v.) to une ar th; to r e ve al
T he s cie ntis ts e x hume d the body fr om the gr ave to te s t the body's DNA.
T he ne x t e pis ode will e x hume the r e al be tr aye r .
e x ige nt
(adj.) a s ituation calling for imme diate atte ntion; ne e ding mor e than is
r e as onable
T he e x ige nt r e que s t for mor e as s is tance was ans we r e d quickly.
T he bank s e e me d to fe e l that anothe r e x te ns ion on the ir loan payme nt
was too e x ige nt a r e que s t to honor .
e x one r ate
(v.) to de clar e or pr ove blame le s s
Hope fully, the judge will e x one r ate you of any wr ongdoing.
e x or bitant
(adj.) going be yond what is r e as onable ; e x ce s s ive
Paying hundr e ds of dollar s for the dr e s s is an e x or bitant amount.
e x otic
(adj.) unus ual; s tr iking; for e ign
Many pe ople as ke d the name of he r e x otic pe r fume .
T he me nu of authe ntic T ur kis h cuis ine s e e me d e x otic to the m,
cons ide r ing the y we r e only accus tome d to Ame r ican food.
e x pe die nt
(adj.) conve nie nt in obtaining a r e s ult; guide d by s e lf- inte r e s t
T he mayor chos e the mor e e x pe die nt path r athe r than the mor e cor r e ct
one .
T he r e is no e x pe die nt me thod a te e nage r will not r e s or t to in or de r to
ge t the ke ys to a car of the ir own.
e x pe dite
(v.) to has te n the action of
We can e x pe dite the bank tr ans action if we te ll the m it is an e me r ge ncy.
e x plicit
(adj.) s pe cific; de finite
T he e x plicit r e cipe gave dir e ctions for making a ve r y complicate d
de s s e r t.
e x pos ition
(n.) s e tting for th facts
T he e x pos ition by the witne s s s ubs tantiate d the s tor y give n by the
pr is one r .
e x punge
(v.) to blot out; to de le te
Ble ach may be us e d to e x punge the s tain.
e x tant
(adj.) e x is ting; r e fe r s e s pe cially to books or docume nts
Some of my ance s tor 's le tte r s r e main e x tant.
e x te mpor ize
(v.) to impr ovis e ; to make it up as you go along
It was ne ce s s ar y for the mus ician to e x te mpor ize whe n his mus ic fe ll off
the s tand.
e x tol
(v.) to give gr e at pr ais e
T he fathe r will e x tol the s ucce s s of his s on to e ve r yone he me e ts .
e x tr ane ous
(adj.) ir r e le vant; not r e late d; not e s s e ntial
Dur ing the long, bor ing le ctur e , mos t pe ople agr e e d that much of the
infor mation was e x tr ane ous .
e x tr icable
(adj.) capable of be ing dis e ntangle d
T he knots we r e complicate d, but e x tr icable .
e x ultation
(n.) the act of r e joicing
Ex ultation was e vide nt by the par tying and r e ve lr y.
face tious
(adj.) joking in an awkwar d or impr ope r manne r
His face tious s ar cas m was inappr opr iate dur ing his fir s t s taff me e ting.
facilitate
(v.) make e as ie r ; s implify
T he ne w r amp by the door 's e ntr ance facilitate d acce s s to the building
for thos e in whe e lchair s .
facs imile
(n.) copy; r e pr oduction; r e plica
T he facs imile of the e labor ate painting was indis tinguis hable fr om the
or iginal.
faction
(n.) a numbe r of pe ople in an or ganization wor king for a common caus e
agains t the main body
A faction of the s tude nt body s uppor te d the pr e s ide nt's vie w.
fallacious
(adj.) mis le ading
A us e d car s ale s man pr ovide d fallacious infor mation that caus e d the
naive man to pur chas e the old, br oke n car .
fallible
(adj.) liable to be mis take n or e r r one ous
By not diffe r e ntiating the ms e lve s fr om the popular band, the gr oup was
e s pe cially fallible .
fanatic
(n.) e nthus ias t; e x tr e mis t
T he te r r or is t gr oup was compr is e d of fanatics who wante d to de s tr oy
thos e who dis agr e e d with the m.
fas tidious
(adj.) difficult to ple as e ; dainty
T he fas tidious gir l would not acce pt any offe r s as s uitable .
T he woman was e x tr e me ly fas tidious , as e vide nt in he r occas ional
fainting s pe lls .
fathom
(v.; n.) to unde r s tand; a nautical unit of de pth
It was difficult to fathom the r e as on for clos ing the ins titution.
T he s ubmar ine cr uis e d at 17 fathoms be low the s ur face .
fatuous
(adj.) lacking in s e r ious ne s s ; vain and s illy
T he fatuous pr ank was me ant to add come dy to the s ituation.
His fatuous pe r s onality de mands that he s top in fr ont of e ve r y mir r or .
fe alty
(n.) loyalty
T he bar on was give n land in e x change for his fe alty to the king.
fe as ible
(adj.) r e as onable ; pr actical
Incr e as e d e x e r cis e is a fe as ible me ans of we ight los s .
fe cund
(adj.) pr oductive
T he cons tr uction cr e w had a fe cund day and we r e able to le ave e ar ly.
fe ign
(v.) pr e te nd
It is not uncommon for a child to fe ign illne s s in or de r to s tay home fr om
s chool.
fe int
(v.; n.) to pr e te nd to thr ow a punch, as in box ing; a fake s how inte nde d to
de ce ive
T he fighte r fe inte d a le ft hook jus t be for e he we nt for the knockout.
fe r me nt
(v.) to e x cite or agitate
T he r ally cr y was me ant to fe r me nt and confus e the oppone nt.
fe r r e t
(v.; n.) to for ce out of hiding; to s e ar ch for ; a s mall, we as e l- like mammal
T he police will fe r r e t the fugitive out of his hiding place .
I s pe nt the mor ning fe r r e ting for my ke ys
I have a pe t fe r r e t.
fe r ve nt
(adj.) pas s ionate ; inte ns e
T he y have a fe r ve nt r e lations hip that ke e ps the m toge the r e ve r y minute
of e ve r y day.
fe r vid
(adj.) inte ns e ly hot; fe r ve nt; impas s ione d
He r fe r vid s kin ale r te d the doctor to he r fe ve r .
T he fe r vid s e r mon of the pr e ache r s waye d his congr e gation.
fe r vor
(n.) pas s ion; inte ns ity of fe e ling
T he cr owd was full of fe r vor as the candidate e nte r e d the hall.
fe s te r
(v.) to be come mor e and mor e vir ule nt and fix e d
His ange r fe s te r e d until no one could change his mind.
fe tid
(adj.) having a s me ll of de cay
T he fe tid s me ll le d us to be lie ve s ome thing was de caying in the
bas e me nt.
fe tis h
(n.) anything to which one give s e x ce s s ive de votion
T he clay figur e of a fe r tility godde s s was a fe tis h fr om an ancie nt
civilization.
fe tte r
(n.) a chain to bind the fe e t
A fe tte r ke pt the dog chaine d to the fe nce .
fickle
(adj.) change able ; unpr e dictable
He is quite fickle ; jus t be caus e he wants s ome thing today doe s not me an
he will want it tomor r ow.
Be caus e the man was fickle he could not be tr us te d to make a compe te nt
de cis ion.
fide lity
(n.) faithfulne s s ; hone s ty
His fide lity was pr ove n whe n he tur ne d in the los t mone y.
figme nt
(n.) s ome thing made up in the mind
T he unicor n on the hill was a figme nt of his imagination.
fine s s e
(n.) the ability to handle s ituations with s kill and diplomacy
T he e x e cutor with the mos t fine s s e was chos e n to me e t with the
diploma ts .
finite
(adj.) me as ur able ; limite d; not e ve r las ting
It was dis cove r e d de cade s ago that the unive r s e is not finite ; it has
unknown limits which cannot be me as ur e d.
T he finite amount of s tor e d food will s oon r un out.
fis s ur e
(n.) a cle ft or cr ack
T he e ar thquake caus e d a fis s ur e which s plit the cliff face .
flaccid
(adj.) lacking fir mne s s
T he old dog's flaccid tail r e fus e d to wag.
flag
(v.) to be come we ak; to s e nd a me s s age
T he s malle r animal flagge d be for e the lar ge r one .
flagr ant
(adj.) glar ingly wr ong
T he flagr ant foul was appar e nt to e ve r yone .
flamboyant
(adj.) be ing too s howy or or nate
T he flamboyant natur e of the couple was e vide nt in the ir loud clothing.
fle dgling
(n.; adj.) ine x pe r ie nce d pe r s on; be ginne r
T he fle dgling mountain climbe r ne e de d as s is tance fr om the mor e
e x pe r ie nce d mountaine e r s .
T he cour s e was not r e comme nde d for fle dgling s kie r s .
flinch
(v.) wince ; dr awback; r e tr e at
T he olde r br othe r made his younge r s is te r flinch whe n he jokingly tr ie d
to punch he r ar m.
flippant
(adj.) talkative ; dis r e s pe ctful
T he youngs te r s we r e flippant in the r e s taur ant.
T he te ache r be came ups e t with the flippant ans we r fr om the s tude nt.
flout
(v.) to mock or je e r
Do not flout an oppone nt if you be lie ve in fair play.
flue ncy
(n.) ability to wr ite e as ily and e x pr e s s ive ly
T he child's flue ncy in Spanis h and Englis h was r e mar kable .
T he immigr ant acquir e d a flue ncy in Englis h afte r s tudying for only two
months .
flux
(n.) a flow; a continual change
With the flux of ne w s tude nts into the s chool, s pace was limite d.
fois t
(v.) to fals e ly ide ntify as r e al
T he s muggle r tr ie d to fois t the cut glas s as a pr ice le s s ge m.
for ay
(v.) to r aid for s poils , plunde r
T he s oldie r s we r e told not to for ay the town.
for be ar ance
(n.) patie nce ; s e lf- r e s tr aint
He e x hibite d r e mar kable for be ar ance whe n confr onte d with the
mis chie vous childr e n.
for e ns ic
(adj.) pe r taining to le gal or public ar gume nt
T he for e ns ic s quad de alt with the le gal inve s tigation.
for midable
(adj.) s ome thing which caus e s dr e ad or fe ar
T he for midable te am caus e d we ak kne e s in the oppone nts .
for titude
(n.) fir m cour age ; s tr e ngth
It is ne ce s s ar y to have for titude to comple te the hike .
for tuitous
(adj.) happe ning accide ntally
Finding the mone y unde r the bus h was for tuitous .
fos te r
(v.) e ncour age ; nur tur e ; s uppor t
A good pr actice r outine fos te r s s ucce s s .
Afte r the s e ve r e s tor m the gar de ne r fos te r e d many of his plants back to
he alth.
fr actious
(adj.) r e be llious ; apt to quar r e l
Fr actious s iblings aggr avate the ir par e nts .
fr aught
(adj.) loade d; char ge d
T he comme nt was fr aught with s ar cas m.
fr e ne tic
(adj.) fr e nzie d
A fr e ne tic call was made fr om the cr ime s ce ne .
fr e t
(v.) to make r ough or dis tur b
T he pe t will fr e t the floor if he continue s to s cr atch.
fr ivolity
(adj.) giddine s s ; lack of s e r ious ne s s
T he har d- wor king s tude nts de s e r ve d we e ke nd gathe r ings fille d with
fr ivolity.
fr owar d
(adj.) not willing to yie ld or comply with what is r e as onable
T he e x e cutive had to de al with a fr owar d pe e r who was be coming
incr e as ingly difficult.
fr ugality
(n.) thr ift; e conomical us e or e x pe nditur e
His fr ugality limite d him to pur chas ing the ite m for which he had a
coupon.
Pr e par ing to s ave mone y to s e nd the ir daughte r to colle ge , the par e nts
pr actice d e x tr e me fr ugality for s e ve r al ye ar s .
fulminate
(v.) to blame , de nunciate
It is impolite to fulminate s ome one for your mis take s .
Se nator Shay fulminate d agains t he r oppone nt's double - s tandar d on
campaign finance r e for m.
fuls ome
(adj.) dis gus ting due to e x ce s s
T he man be came obe s e whe n he indulge d in fuls ome e ating.
fundame ntal
(adj.) bas ic; ne ce s s ar y
She lte r is one of the fundame ntal ne e ds of human e x is te nce .
fur tive
(adj.) s e cr e tive ; s ly
T he de te ctive had much difficulty finding the fur tive cr iminal.
fus tian
(n.) pompous talk or wr iting
T he fus tian by the pr ofe s s or made him appe ar ar r ogant.
futile
(adj.) wor thle s s ; unpr ofitable
It was a futile de cis ion to inve s t in that company s ince the y ne ve r made
any mone y.
gaffe
(n.) a blunde r
Calling the woman by the wr ong name was a huge gaffe .
gains ay
(v.) to s pe ak agains t; to contr adict; to de ny
With Se nator Bowke r the only one to gains ay it, the bill pas s e d
ove r whe lmingly.
galvanize
(v.) to s timulate as if by e le ctr ic s hock; s tar tle ; e x cite
T he pe p r ally will galvanize the te am.
gamut
(n.) a comple te r ange ; any comple te mus ical s cale
T he woman's war dr obe r uns the gamut fr om je ans to s uits .
His fir s t compos ition cove r e d the e ntir e gamut of the major s cale .
gar ble d
(adj.) mix e d up; dis tor te d or confus e d
T he inte r fe r e nce on the phone line caus e d the data to be come gar ble d on
the compute r s cr e e n.
gar is h
(adj.) gaudy, s howy
T he gold fix tur e s s e e me d gar is h.
gar ne r
(v.) to gathe r up and s tor e ; to colle ct
T he s quir r e ls gar ne r e d nuts for the winte r .
gar r ulous
(adj.) e x tr e me ly talkative or wor dy
No one wante d to s pe ak with the gar r ulous man for fe ar of be ing s tuck in
a long, one - s ide d conve r s ation.
gauche
(adj.) awkwar d; lacking s ocial gr ace
Unfor tunate ly, the gir l was too gauche to fit into high s ocie ty.
gauntle t
(n.) a pr ote ctive glove
T he gauntle t s ave d the man's hand fr om be ing bur ne d in the fir e .
ge ne r ic
(adj.) common; ge ne r al; unive r s al
While ge ne r ic dr ugs ar e ofte n a be tte r value , it always a good ide a to
cons ult your doctor be for e pur chas ing the m.
ge nial
(adj.) contr ibuting to life ; amiable
Ke y We s t's ge nial climate is among its many attr active as pe cts .
He r ge nial pe r s onality made he r a favor ite par ty gue s t.
ge nr e
(adj.) de s ignating a type of film or book
T he ge nr e of the book is his tor ical fiction.
ge r mane
(adj.) pe r tine nt; r e late d; to the point
He r e s s ay containe d ge r mane infor mation, r e le vant to the ne w
Cons titutional ame ndme nt.
ge r r ymande r
(v.) to gain advantage by manipulating unfair ly
T o ge r r ymande r dur ing ne gotiations is cons ide r e d unfair .
gibbe r
(v.) to r apidly s pe ak uninte lligibly
T he y did not want him to r e pr e s e nt the ir pos ition in fr ont of the
committe e s ince he was pr one to gibbe r ing whe n s pe aking in fr ont of an
audie nce .
glib
(adj.) s mooth and s lippe r y; s pe aking or s poke n in a s mooth manne r
T he s ale s man was s o glib that the cus tome r s faile d to notice the de fe cts
in the s te r e o.
gloat
(v.) br ag; glor y ove r
She gloate d ove r the fact that s he r e ce ive d the highe s t s cor e on the
e x am, annoying he r clas s mate s to no e nd.
glutton
(n.) ove r e ate r
T he glutton ate 12 hot dogs
gnar le d
(adj.) full of knots ; twis te d
T he r ave n pe r che d in the gnar le d br anche s of the ancie nt tr e e .
goad
(n.; v.) a dr iving impuls e ; to pus h into action
His goad ur ge d him to pur s ue the obje ct of his affe ction.
T hinking about mone y will goad him into ge tting a job.
gour mand
(n.) one who e ats e age r ly
A gour mand may e at s e ve r al s e r vings of an e ntr e e .
gr andios e
(adj.) magnifice nt; flamboyant
His gr andios e ide a was to r e nt a plane to fly to Las Ve gas for the night.
gr avity
(n.) s e r ious ne s s
T he gr avity of the incide nt was s ufficie nt to involve the police and the
FBI.
gr e gar ious
(adj.) fond of the company of othe r s
Gr e gar ious pe ople may find thos e jobs with human contact mor e
e njoyable than jobs that is olate the m fr om the public.
guffaw
(n.) bois te r ous laughte r
A come dian's s ucce s s is as s ur e d whe n the audie nce give s for th a guffaw
following his joke s .
guile
(n.) s lyne s s ; de ce it
By us ing his guile , the gamble r almos t always won at the car d table .
guis e
(n.) appe ar ance
T he unde r cove r de te ctive , unde r the guis e of fr ie nds hip, offe r e d to he lp
the dr ug r unne r make a conne ction.
gullible
(adj.) e as ily foole d
Gullible pe ople ar e vulne r able to pr actical joke s .
hackne ye d
(adj.) commonplace ; tr ite
Jus t whe n you thought ne cktie s we r e be coming a hackne ye d gift ite m,
along come s the Gr ate ful De ad colle ction.
Have a nice day has be come s ome thing of a hackne ye d e x pr e s s ion.
haggar d
(adj.) untame d; having a wor n look
T he lawn in fr ont of the abandone d hous e adde d to its haggar d look.
He looke d as haggar d as you would e x pe ct a ne w fathe r of quadr uple ts
to look.
Jus t by looking at he r haggar d fe atur e s , you can te ll s he has not s le pt for
many hour s .
halcyon
(adj.) tr anquil; happy
T he old man fondly r e me mbe r e d his halcyon days gr owing up on the
far m.
hampe r
(v.) inte r fe r e with; hinde r
T he r oadblock hampe r e d the ir pr ogr e s s , but the y kne w a s hor tcut.
haphazar d
(adj.) dis or ganize d; r andom
He cons tantly mis place d impor tant docume nts be caus e of his haphazar d
way of r unning his office .
haple s s
(adj.) unlucky; unfor tunate
T he haple s s te am could not win a game .
har angue
(n; v.) a le ngthy, he ar tfe lt s pe e ch; to talk or wr ite e x cite dly
We s at patie ntly and lis te ne d to he r har angue .
Whe n he finally s toppe d his har anguing, I r e s ponde d calmly.
har bor
(n.; v.) a place of s afe ty or s he lte r ; to give s he lte r or to pr ote ct.
We s tood at the dock as the s hip s aile d into the har bor .
T he pe as ants we r e e x e cute d for har bor ing known r e be ls .
T he r abbits us e d the s he d as a har bor fr om the r aging s tor m.
He r de cis ion to har bor a known cr iminal was an unwis e one .
har monious
(adj.) having pr opor tionate and or de r ly par ts
T he challe nge for the ne w conductor was to mold his mus icians ' tale nts
into a har monious or che s tr a.
haughty
(adj.) pr oud of one s e lf and s cor nful of othe r s
T he haughty ways s he dis playe d he r wor k tur ne d off he r pe e r s .
T he haughty gir l dis playe d he r wor k as if s he we r e the mos t pr ize d
ar tis t.
he donis tic
(adj.) living for ple as ur e
T he gr oup was known for its he donis tic r ituals .
Hot tubs , good food, and a ple thor a of le is ur e time we r e the hallmar ks of
this he donis tic s ocie ty.
he e d
(v.) obe y; yie ld to
If the pe as ant he e ds the king's commands , s he will be able to ke e p he r
land.
he fty
(adj.) he avy or powe r ful
T he unabr idge d dictionar y make s for a he fty book.
he r e s y
(n.) opinion contr ar y to popular be lie f
In this town it is cons ide r e d he r e s y to want par king s pace s to have
me te r s .
he r e tic
(n.) one who holds opinion contr ar y to that which is ge ne r ally acce pte d
Be caus e he be lie ve d the wor ld was r ound, many pe ople cons ide r e d
Columbus to be a he r e tic.
hiatus
(n.) inte r val; br e ak; pe r iod of r e s t
Summe r vacation pr ovide d a much- ne e de d hiatus for the s tude nts .
Be twe e n gr aduation and the fir s t day of his ne w job, T im took a thr e e month hiatus in the Car ibbe an.
hie r ar chy
(n.) a s ys te m of pe r s ons or things ar r ange d accor ding to r ank
I was put at the bottom of the hie r ar chy while Jane was put at the top.
hoar y
(adj.) white ne d by age
T he paint had a hoar y appe ar ance , as if it we r e applie d de cade s ago.
homage
(n.) honor ; r e s pe ct
T he police office r s paid homage to the ir falle n colle ague with a
ce r e mony that ce le br ate d he r life .
home os tas is
(n.) mainte nance of s tability
Knowing the s e r ious ne s s of the ope r ation, the s ur ge ons we r e conce r ne d
about r e s tor ing the patie nt to home os tas is .
homily
(n.) s ole mn mor al talk; s e r mon
T he pr e ache r gave a moving homily to the gathe r e d cr owd.
hone
(n.; v.) s ome thing us e d to s har pe n; to s har pe n; to long or ye ar n for
He r an the knife ove r the hone for hour s to ge t a r azor - s har p e dge .
T he appr e ntice s hip will give he r the oppor tunity to hone he r s kills .
T he tr ave le r hone s for his home land.
hubr is
(n.) ar r ogance
Some think it was hubr is that br ought the pr e s ide nt to the point of
impe achme nt.
humility
(n.) lack of pr ide ; mode s ty
Full of humility, s he acce pte d the awar d but gave all the cr e dit to he r
me ntor .
hybr id
(n.) anything of mix e d or igin
T he flowe r was a hybr id of thr e e diffe r e nt flowe r s .
hype r bole
(n.) an e x agge r ation, not to be take n s e r ious ly
T he full moon was almos t blinding in its br ightne s s , he s aid with a
me as ur e of hype r bole .
hypocr itical
(adj.) two- face d; de ce ptive
His cons titue nts be lie ve d that the gove r nor was hypocr itical for calling
for a mor ator ium on "ne gative " campaigning while continuing to air s ome
of the mos t vicious ads e ve r pr oduce d agains t his oppone nt.
Mos t of his cons titue nts be lie ve d the gove r nor was hypocr itical for
calling his oppone nt a "mud- s linging hack" whe n his own campaign had
s lung mor e than its s har e of dir t.
hypothe tical
(adj.) as s ume d; unce r tain; conje ctur al
A hypothe tical s ituation was s e t up s o we could pr actice our r e s pons e s .
T he pr ofe s s or was good at us ing hypothe tical s ituations to illus tr ate
complicate d the or ie s .
iconoclas t
(n.) one who s mas he s r e ve r e d image s ; an attacke r of che r is he d be lie fs
Nie tzche 's attacks on gove r nme nt, r e ligion, and cus tom made him an
iconoclas t of gr and dime ns ion.
T he iconoclas t s poke agains t the tr aditions of the holiday.
ide ology
(n.) s pe culation; r e pr e s e ntative way of thinking
His ide ology pr ove d to be faulty.
T he ide ology of bus ine s s can be found in the ne w book.
He joine d the r e ligious gr oup be caus e he agr e e d with the ir ide ology.
idios yncr as y
(n.) any pe r s onal pe culiar ity, manne r is m
He r te nde ncy to bite he r lip is an idios yncr as y.
idyll
(n.) a wr itte n pie ce of wor k de s cr ibing a pe ace ful r ur al s ce ne
Re ading the idyll made me think of the family far m.
igne ous
(adj.) having the natur e of fir e ; volcanic
Whe n the s un s hone upon it, the mate r ial took on an igne ous quality.
ignoble
(adj.) or dinar y; dis honor able ;
T he king was adamant about ke e ping his s on fr om we dding an ignoble
s e r f.
Cons cious ly lying to s ome one is ignoble .
It was ignoble to dis gr ace the family in fr ont of all of the towns pe ople .
ignominious
(adj.) conte mptible ; dis gr ace d; de gr ading
T he be havior was s o ignominious he was as hame d to be as s ociate d with
it.
She le ft him be caus e of his ignominious tr e atme nt of he r .
illuminate
(v.) make unde r s tandable
I as ke d a clas s mate to illuminate the pr ofe s s or 's far - r anging le ctur e for
me .
illus ive
(adj.) de ce iving, mis le ading
It was as illus ive as a mir age .
illus or y
(adj.) unr e al; fals e ; de ce ptive
He was pr ove n guilty whe n his alibi was found to be illus or y.
imbue
(v.) to s oak or s tain; pe r me ate
T he wound will imbue the s hir t in blood.
T he ne w day imbue d him with a s e ns e of optimis m.
immaculate
(adj.) pe r fe ctly cle an; cor r e ct; pur e
An immaculate hous e is fr e e of dus t or clutte r .
immine nt
(adj.) like ly to happe n without de lay
T he s tor m clouds war ne d of the immine nt downpour .
immune
(adj.) e x e mpt fr om or pr ote cte d agains t s ome thing
Doe s n't e ve r ybody wis h to be immune fr om the common cold?
immutable
(adj.) unchange able ; pe r mane nt
T he tie s that bind alumni to the ir unive r s ity ar e immutable .
T he man's immutable s che dule s oon be came bor ing.
impale
(v.) pie r ce thr ough with, or s tick on; s ome thing pointe d
T he knight was impale d by the s har p lance .
impar tial
(adj.) unbias e d; fair
Ex as pe r ate d by char ge s to the contr ar y, the judge r e ite r ate d that he had
be nt ove r backwar ds to be impar tial in a cas e that cr ackle d with e motion.
impas s e
(n.) a s ituation that has no s olution or e s cape
T he wor ke r s and adminis tr ation we r e at an impas s e in the ir ne gotiations .
impas s ive
(adj.) s howing no e motion
Eve n whe n his fathe r die d he gave an impas s ive r e s pons e and walke d out
te ar le s s .
He r e x pe cte d announce me nt was me t by an impas s ive facial e x pr e s s ion.
impe cunious
(adj.) poor ; having no mone y
T he Gr e at De pr e s s ion made family afte r family impe cunious .
impe de
(v.) to s top the pr ogr e s s of; obs tr uct
T he r ain impe de d the wor k on the building.
impe nite nt
(adj.) without r e gr e t, s hame , or r e mor s e
It was obvious afte r his impe nite nt r e mar k to the pr e s s that the
de fe ndant fe lt no r e mor s e for his cr ime .
impe r ious
(adj.) ar r ogant; ur ge nt
He r impe r ious manne r cos t he r he r two be s t fr ie nds .
It was impe r ious that the me s s age r e ach the police chie f.
impe r tur bable
(adj.) calm; not e as ily e x cite d
T he impe r tur bable We s t Point gr aduate made a fine ne gotiator .
impe r vious
(adj.) impe ne tr able ; not allowing anything to pas s thr ough; unaffe cte d
T he ve s t that the police man we ar s is impe r vious to bulle ts .
T he child was impe r vious to the actions of the adult.
impe tuous
(adj.) moving with gr e at for ce ; done with little thought
T he impe tuous move me nt took the ar t community by s tor m.
T he impe tuous te e nage r s pe nt he r mone y without cons ide r ing what s he
ne e de d the ne w pur chas e for .
Dagmar came to r e gr e t his impe tuous actions , once he r e alize d what he 'd
done .
T he pir ate 's me n boar de d the s hip with impe tuous matte r - of- factne s s .
impie ty
(n.) ir r e ve r e nce towar d God; lack of r e s pe ct
T he bis hop conde mne d the impie ty of the ce le br ity's as s e r tions .
Impie ty is e vide nt in the way many pe ople commit r ude actions .
implacable
(adj.) unwilling to be pacifie d or appe as e d
T he baby was s o implacable a war m bottle would not s e ttle he r .
T he two ye ar old was an implacable child; he cr ie d no matte r what his
par e nts did to comfor t him.
imple me nt
(v.; n.) to car r y into e ffe ct; s ome thing us e d in a give n activity
In cas e of e me r ge ncy imple me nt the e vacuation plan imme diate ly.
T he r ack is an imple me nt of tor tur e .
implication
(n.) s ugge s tion; infe r e nce
An implication was made that the r e might be tr icke r y involve d.
implicit
(adj.) unde r s tood but not plainly s tate d; without doubt
T he child's ange r was implicit.
Implicit tr us t mus t be e ar ne d.
impolitic
(adj.) unwis e ; impr ude nt
If you ar e planning to inve s t your mone y, impolitic de cis ions may be
cos tly.
impr e cate
(v.) to pr ay for e vil; to invoke a cur s e
A witch may impr e cate an e ne my with a cur s e of bad luck.
impr omptu
(adj.) without pr e par ation
He r impr omptu s pe e ch was we ll- r e ce ive d, giving he r ne w confide nce in
he r ability to s pe ak off the cuff.
impr ovide nt
(adj.) not pr oviding for the futur e
An impr ovide nt pe r s on may e nd up de s titute in latte r life .
impude nt
(adj.) dis r e s pe ctful and s hame le s s
Impude nt actions caus e d him to be unpopular .
impugn
(v.) to attack with wor ds ; to que s tion the tr uthfulne s s or inte gr ity
T he de fe ns e lawye r impugne d the witne s s 's te s timony, which s e t back
the pr os e cution's cas e .
If I be lie ve the man is a fr aud I will impugn his comme nts .
imputation
(n.) to char ge , to attr ibute a fault or mis conduct to anothe r
T he imputation of guilt was made by the judge .
inadve r te nt
(adj.) not on pur pos e ; uninte ntional
It was an inadve r te nt e r r or , to be s ur e , but none the le s s a mis take that
r e quir e d cor r e ction.
inanimate
(adj.) to be dull or s pir itle s s ; not animate d, not e ndowe d with life
T he boy nagge d his fathe r for a r e al puppy, not s ome inanimate s tuffe d
animal.
inar ticulate
(adj.) s pe e chle s s ; unable to s pe ak cle ar ly
He was s o inar ticulate that he had tr ouble making hims e lf unde r s tood.
inaudible
(adj.) not able to be he ar d
T he s ignals we r e inaudible whe n the fans be gan to che e r .
ince s s ant
(adj.) cons tant and une nding
T he mothe r gave in to the child afte r he r ince s s ant cr ying.
Ince s s ant r ain caus e d the r ive r to flood ove r its banks .
inchoate
(adj.) not ye t fully for me d; r udime ntar y
T he inchoate building appe ar e d as if it would be a fas t- food r e s taur ant.
T he outline of the the s is was the inchoate for m of a ve r y comple x
the or y.
incide ntal
(adj.) e x tr ane ous ; une x pe cte d
T he de fe ns e lawye r ar gue d that the whe r e abouts of the de fe ndant's
s ne ake r s we r e only incide ntal to the commis s ion of the cr ime .
incis ive
(adj.) ge tting to the he ar t of things ; to the point
His incis ive que s tioning he lpe d s e ttle the matte r quickly.
incline d
(adj.) apt to; like ly; angle d
T he man's e ar for mus ic indicate d he was incline d towar d le ar ning an
ins tr ume nt.
T he hills ide was incline d jus t e nough to make for a fair ly s e r ious climb.
incognito
(adj.) unide ntifie d; dis guis e d; conce ale d
T he fe de r al Witne s s Pr ote ction Pr ogr am make s its char ge s pe r mane ntly
incognito.
incohe r e nt
(adj.) illogical; r ambling; dis jointe d
Following the accide nt, the woman we nt into s hock and be came
incohe r e nt as me dics s tr uggle d to unde r s tand he r .
incommodious
(adj.) inconve nie nt
T he incommodious illne s s caus e d he r to mis s an impor tant inte r vie w.
incompatible
(adj.) dis agr e e ing; dis har monious not compatible
Be ing incompatible with e ach othe r , childr e n we r e as s igne d to s it on
oppos ite s ide s of the r oom.
incompe te nce
(n.) failing to me e t ne ce s s ar y r e quir e me nts
T he alle ge d incompe te nce of the cons tr uction cr e w would late r be come
the s ubje ct of a clas s - action s uit.
inconclus ive
(adj.) not final or of a de finite r e s ult
T he r e s ults be ing inconclus ive , the doctor s continue d to look for a caus e
of the illne s s .
incor por e al
(adj.) not cons is ting of matte r
T he appar ition appe ar e d to be incor por e al.
incor r igible
(adj.) not capable of cor r e ction or impr ove me nt
T he mis chie vous boy was an incor r igible pr actical joke r .
incr e dulous
(adj.) s ke ptical
T he incr e dulous look on his face le d me to be lie ve he was not convince d
of its impor tance .
T he r e por te r was incr e dulous on he ar ing the compute r e x e cutive 's UFO
account.
inculcate
(v.) to impr e s s upon the mind, as by ins is te nt ur ging
I will inculcate the dir e ctions if pe ople ar e uns ur e of the m.
incur s ion
(n.) an e ntr y into, e s pe cially whe n not de s ir e d
T he incur s ion by e ne my for ce s le ft the countr y s hocke d.
inde ciphe r able
(adj.) ille gible
T he s cr ibbling on the pape r is inde ciphe r able .
inde lible
(adj.) that which cannot be blotte d out or e r as e d
T he photogr aph of Ne il Ar ms tr ong s e tting foot on the moon made an
inde lible impr e s s ion on all who s aw it.
inde mnify
(v.) to ins ur e agains t or pay for los s or damage
It is impor tant to inde mnify your valuable s with a r e liable ins ur ance
company.
indict
(v.) char ge with a cr ime
T he gr and jur y indicte d he r and he r hus band for e mbe zzle me nt and s ix
othe r le s s e r counts .
indiffe r e nt
(adj.) unconce r ne d
T he r e he lay, indiffe r e nt to all the e x cite me nt ar ound him.
indige nce
(n.) the condition of be ing poor
T he family's indige nce was e vide nt by the r un- down hous e the y live d in.
indige nous
(adj.) native to a r e gion; inbor n or innate
T he s e plants ar e indige nous to all of the we s te r n s tate s .
Pir anha ar e indige nous to the tr opics .
indignant
(adj.) e x pr e s s ing ange r to an injus tice
He was indignant ove r the way he was tr e ate d.
indole nt
(adj.) lazy; inactive
If we find him goofing off one mor e time , we won't be able to e s cape the
fact that he 's indole nt.
An indole nt s tude nt s le pt all day.
indomitable
(adj.) not e as ily dis cour age d or de fe ate d
T he unde r dog candidate had an indomitable s pir it.
indubitably
(adj.) unque s tionably; s ur e ly
T he office r was be s t indubitably the candidate for captain.
indulge nt
(adj.) le nie nt; patie nt; pe r mis s ive
He has indulge nt te nde ncie s to e at chocolate whe n he is happy.
ine luctable
(adj.) s ome thing ine vitable
T he y we r e pr e par e d for the ine luctable dis as te r .
ine pt
(adj.) incompe te nt; clums y
She would r athe r update the budge t book he r s e lf, s ince he r as s is tant is
s o ine pt.
ine r t
(adj.) not r e acting che mically; inactive
Ine r t gas e s like kr ypton and ar gon can e nhance window ins ulation.
ine vitable
(adj.) s ur e to happe n; unavoidable
A confr ontation be twe e n the dis agr e e ing ne ighbor s s e e me d ine vitable .
infamous
(adj.) having a bad r e putation; notor ious
Afte r pr oducing machine s that de ve lope d many pr oble ms , the pr oduction
company be came infamous for poor manufactur ing.
T he infamous gang was known for r obbe r y.
infamy
(n.) a bad r e putation
T he town had only 98 r e s ide nts , s o all it took was one bad apple to br ing
infamy on the whole place .
infe r
(v.) for m an opinion; conclude
Fr om the br oad outline he s upplie d it was e as y to infe r that the applicant
kne w a gr e at de al about tr ains .
inge nious
(adj.) cle ve r , r e s our ce ful
His inge nious ide a made it pos s ible to double pr oduction at no e x tr a cos t.
inge nue
(n.) an unwor ldly young woman
As an inge nue , Cor ky had no e x pe r ie nce outs ide of he r s mall town.
inge nuous
(adj.) noble ; honor able ; candid; als o naive , s imple , ar tle s s , without guile
T he inge nuous doctor had a gr e at be ds ide manne r , e s pe cially whe n it
came to laying out the full implications of an illne s s .
ingr atiate
(v.) to br ing into one 's good gr ace s
T he man was hoping to ingr atiate hims e lf with his wife by buying a
bouque t of flowe r s and candy.
ingr atitude
(n.) ungr ate fulne s s
Whe n s he faile d to s e nd a thank- you car d, he r fr ie nd took it as a s ign of
ingr atitude .
inhe r e nt
(adj.) par t of the e s s e ntial char acte r ; intr ins ic
A cons tant s mile is inhe r e nt in page ant compe titor s .
T he inhe r e nt de s ir e to do we ll is pr e s e nt thr oughout the family.
inimical
(adj.) hos tile , unfr ie ndly
T he che s s playe r dir e cte d an inimical s tar e at his oppone nt to knock him
off his game .
iniquitous
(adj.) wicke d; unjus t
T he ve r bal abus e towar ds the man was tr uly iniquitous .
initiate
(v.; n.) be gin; admit into a gr oup; a pe r s on who is in the pr oce s s of be ing
admitte d into a gr oup
He initiate d the dinne r dis cus s ion by as king his fathe r to bor r ow the car .
As an initiate to the Ex plor e r s , Ge or ge was e x pe cte d to have a tas te for
the outdoor life .
innate
(adj.) natur al; inbor n
He r tale nt is wondr ous : it har dly matte r s whe the r it's innate or acquir e d.
A lion's hunting s kills ar e innate .
innocuous
(adj.) har mle s s ; dull; innoce nt
T he r e mar k was r ude but innocuous .
He couldn't be ar to s it thr ough anothe r innocuous le ctur e .
T he te e ns e ngage d in an innocuous game of touch football.
innovate
(v.) intr oduce a change ; de par t fr om the old
She innovate d a ne w pr oduct for the home cons tr uction mar ke t.
innue ndo
(n.) an indir e ct r e mar k; ins inuation
T he s tude nt made an innue ndo r e fe r r ing to the pr ofe s s or .
T he office was r ife with innue ndo that a take ove r was in the wor ks .
inquis itive
(adj.) e age r to as k que s tions in or de r to le ar n
An inquis itive youngs te r is like ly to be come a wis e adult.
ins inuate
(v.) to wor k into gr adually and indir e ctly
He will ins inuate his ne e d for a vacation by s aying how tir e d he has be e n
late ly.
ins ipid
(adj.) uninte r e s ting, bor ing flat, dull
Many pe ople le ft the ins ipid movie be for e it was finis he d.
De clar ing the offe r ings ins ipid, the cr itic gr udgingly awar de d the
r e s taur a nt one s tar .
ins olve nt
(adj.) unable to pay de bts
T he ins olve nt s tate of his bank account ke pt him fr om wr iting any
che cks .
ins tigate
(v.) s tar t; pr ovoke
It was unce r tain to the police as to which par ty ins tigate d the r iot.
ins ubor dinate
(adj.) dis obe die nt to author ity
T he boy's ins ubor dinate be havior was a cons tant s our ce of te ns ion
be twe e n the s chool and his par e nts .
ins ular
(adj.) having the char acte r is tics of an is land; nar r ow- minde d, pr ovincial
Afte r walking along the e ntir e pe r ime te r and s e e ing that the s pit of land
was actually ins ular , we r e alize d it was time to build a boat.
His ins ular appr oach to e ducation make s him a par iah among libe r als .
ins ular ity
(n.) having the char acte r is tics of an is land
T he ins ular ity of the countr y made it a gr e at place to build a r e s or t.
intangible
(adj.) incapable of be ing touche d; immate r ial
Intangible though it may be , s ome time s jus t knowing that the wor k you
do he lps othe r s is r e war d e nough.
inte r ce de
(v.) to ple ad on be half of anothe r ; me diate
T he s upe r powe r s we r e calle d on to inte r ce de in the talks be twe e n the
two war r ing nations .
inte r mitte nt
(adj.) pe r iodic; occas ional
Luckily, the s now was only inte r mitte nt, s o the accumulation was s light.
T he inte r mitte nt blinking light was dis tr acting.
intr actable
(adj.) s tubbor n, obs tinate ; not e as ily taught or dis cipline d
Eve r y te ache r in the s chool be came fr us tr ate d with the intr actable
s tude nt and s e nt him to the pr incipal's office .
An intr actable pe t can be ve r y fr us tr ating..
intr ans ige nt
(adj.) uncompr omis ing
With intr ans ige nt value s , no amount of ar guing could change he r mind.
T he bas e ball owne r s and playe r s r e maine d intr ans ige nt, s o a de al was
ne ve r s tr uck.
intr e pid
(adj.) fe ar le s s , bold
T he intr e pid photogr aphe r fle w on s ome of the fie r ce s t bombing r aids of
the war .
He r intr e pid actions de s e r ve d a me dal.
inundate
(v.) to flood; to ove r whe lm with a lar ge amount of
T he br oke n wate r main inundate d the bus ine s s dis tr ict with wate r .
Sur fing the Inte r ne t can inundate you with infor mation: T hat's why a we b
br ows e r come s in handy.
inur e d
(adj.) accus tome d to pain
Be e ke e pe r s e ve ntually be come inur e d to be e s tings .
inve te r ate
(adj.) a pr actice s e ttle d on ove r a long pe r iod of time
T he inve te r ate induction ce r e mony be s poke one of the s chool's gr e at
tr aditions .
invoke
(v.) as k for ; call upon
T he par is hione r s invoke d divine he lp for the ir tr ouble s .
iota
(n.) a ve r y s mall pie ce
T he r e was n't one iota of e vide nce to s ugge s t a cons pir acy.
ir as cible
(adj.) pr one to ange r
T he ir as cible te e nage r was known to caus e fights whe n ups e t.
Knowing that the king was ir as cible , the s e r vants de cide d not to te ll him
about the br oke n cr ys tal.
ir onic
(adj.) contr adictor y, incons is te nt; s ar cas tic
Is it not ir onic that Ame r icans will tos s out le ftove r Fr e nch fr ie s while
pe ople ar ound the globe continue to s tar ve ?
ir r ational
(adj.) not logical
It would be ir r ational to climb Mt. Eve r e s t without s ome ve r y war m
clothing.
ir r e par able
(adj.) that which cannot be r e pair e d or r e gaine d
T he damage to the hous e afte r the flood was ir r e par able .
T he he ad- on collis ion le ft the car ir r e par able .
ir r e pr oachable
(adj.) without blame or faults
T he hone s ty of the pr ie s t made him ir r e pr oachable .
itine r ar y
(n.) tr ave l plan; s che dule ; cour s e
T he ir tr ip's itine r ar y was dis r upte d by an une x pe cte d s now s tor m.
jade d
(adj.) wor n- out
A pe r s on may be come jade d if for ce d to wor k too many hour s .
jar gon
(n.) incohe r e nt s pe e ch; s pe cialize d vocabular y in ce r tain fie lds
T he conve r s ation was nothing but jar gon, but the n the s pe ake r s we r e
nothing but car toon char acte r s who s pe cialize in an oddly br acing for m of
gibbe r is h.
T he e ngine e r s ' jar gon is inde ciphe r able to a laype r s on.
je opar dy
(n.) dange r ; pe r il
T he campe r s r e alize d the y we r e in pote ntial je opar dy whe n the be ar s
s ur r ounde d the ir camp.
je s te r
(n.) a pe r s on e mploye d to amus e
T he je s te r tr ie d all of his tr icks to ge t the gir l to laugh.
je ttis on
(v.) to thr ow ove r boar d goods to lighte n a ve hicle ; to dis car d
T o r ais e the balloon above the s tor m clouds , the y had to je ttis on the
ballas t.
jocund
(adj.) happy, che e r ful, ge nial, gay
T he puppy ke pt a s mile on the jocund boy's face .
T he jocund atmos phe r e was due to the te am's victor y in the playoffs .
jollity
(n.) be ing fun or jolly
T he jollity of the cr owd was s e e n in the che e r ing and laughing.
jovial
(adj.) che e r y; jolly; playful
She was a jovial pe r s on, always ple as ant and fun to be with.
judicious
(adj.) to have or s how s ound judgme nt
Be caus e the e lde r was judicious , the tough de cis ions we r e le ft to him.
Putting mone y away for a r ainy day is a judicious de cis ion.
junctur e
(n.) cr itical point; me e ting
Whe n the gas change d into a liquid, the y s e ns e d that the y'd come to a
cr itical junctur e in the ir e x pe r ime ntation.
jux tapos e
(v.) place s ide - by- s ide
T he author de cide d to jux tapos e the two s e nte nce s s ince the y e ach
s tr e ngthe ne d the me aning of the othe r .
ke n
(v.; n.) to r e cognize ; one 's unde r s tanding
It was difficult to ke n e x actly what s he had in mind.
My ke n of the s ituation pr ove d to be incor r e ct.
kindle
(v.) ignite ; ar ous e
Be ing ar ound childr e n kindle d he r inte r e s t in e ducational ps ychology.
kins hip
(n.) family r e lations hip; affinity
Living in clos e pr ox imity incr e as e d the kins hip of the family.
kith
(n.) r e lative s and acquaintance s
Our kith will me e t at the family r e union.
knave r y
(n.) a dis hone s t act
An act of knave r y is caus e for los s of tr us t.
T he te ache r r e fus e d to have knave r y in his clas s r oom.
kne ad
(v.) mix ; mas s age
Afte r mix ing the ingr e die nts , the y kne ade d the dough and s e t it as ide to
r is e .
knotty
(adj.) to be puzzling or har d to e x plain
T he mys te r y was knotty.
labyr inth
(n.) maze
Be car e ful not to ge t los t in the labyr inth of ve ge tation.
lace r ate
(v.) to te ar or mangle ; to wound or hur t
Shar p knive s may lace r ate the s kin of an uns us pe cting us e r .
He r r e je ction will lace r ate my s e lf- e s te e m.
laconic
(adj.) s par ing of wor ds ; te r s e , pithy
Afte r a laconic intr oduction the pr ogr am be gan.
T he pe ople e njoye d the public addr e s s e s of the laconic que e n.
laggar d
(n.; adj.) a pe r s on who has falle n be hind; moving s lowly
T he laggar d child was los t in the cr owd.
T he tr ain was laggar d.
Anything can happe n in a s wim me e t: Las t ye ar 's le ade r can be come this
ye ar 's laggar d.
lambas te
(v.) to s cold or be at har s hly
If the boy br oke the lamp his fathe r will s ur e ly lambas te him.
lambe nt
(adj.) tr ave ling ge ntly ove r s ur face ; flicke r ing
T he lambe nt flame lit the dar k r oom as the br e e ze wafte d in.
lame nt
(v.; n.) to mour n or gr ie ve ; e x pr e s s ion of gr ie f or s or r ow
T he boy is lame nting the los s of his pe t.
Pe dr o's only lame nt was that his wife didn't outlive him.
languid
(adj.) lacking vitality; indiffe r e nt
T he languid s tude nt was always late to clas s .
I have s tudie d s o much that I have gr own languid to the s ubje ct.
Dur ing he r illne s s s he was s o languid s he could not le ave he r be d.
lar ce ny
(n.) the ft; s te aling
Afte r r obbing the liquor s tor e , s he was found guilty of lar ce ny.
las civious
(adj.) inde ce nt; immor al; involve s lus t
He s aid it was a har mle s s pin- up pos te r , but his mothe r calle d it
las civious .
Known as a s kir t- chas e r , his las civious ways s e e me d to all but pr e clude
a s table mar r iage .
las s itude
(n.) a s tate of be ing tir e d or lis tle s s
Las s itude was e vide nt in the nur s e s who had be e n wor king for 24 hour s
s tr aight.
T e n days of continual wor k caus e d a fe e ling of las s itude for the wor ke r .
late ncy
(n.) a pe r iod of inactivity
Its late ncy was s mall s olace for the gir l who fe ar e d that the cance r would
r e - e me r ge fie r ce r than e ve r .
laud
(v.) pr ais e
He laude d his daughte r for winning the tr ophy.
lax
(adj.) car e le s s ; ir r e s pons ible
She was lax in e ve r ything s he did and the r e for e could not be tr us te d with
impor tant tas ks .
le che r ous
(adj.) impur e in thought and act
T he le che r ous Humbe r t Humbe r t is Nabokov's pr otagonis t in Lolita, a
nove l that s par ke d gr e at contr ove r s y be caus e of Humbe r t's r omantic
attachme nt to a young gir l.
T he le che r ous man lur ke d on the cor ne r .
le thar gic
(adj.) lazy; pas s ive
Fe e ling ve r y le thar gic, he watche d te le vis ion or s le pt the whole day.
le ve e
(n.) a landing on the e dge of a r ive r or fie ld
T he s wimme r came as hor e on the le ve e .
le vity
(n.) lack of s e r ious ne s s ; ins tability
T he le vity with which he face d the de s tr uction hampe r e d the r e s cue
e ffor t.
Le vity char acte r ize d the fir s t months of his adminis tr ation.
Le vity is a ne ce s s ar y tr ait for a come dian.
le wd
(adj.) lus tful; wicke d
T he comme nt was s o le wd it could not be r e pe ate d in fr ont of childr e n.
liais on
(n.) conne ction; link
T he s tude nt council s e r ve d as a liais on be twe e n the faculty and the
s tude nt body.
libe r alis m
(n.) be lie ving in pe r s onal fr e e dom (favor ing r e for m or pr ogr e s s )
If you be lie ve in libe r alis m, the Fir s t Ame ndme nt is s acr os anct.
libe r tine
(n.) one who indulge s his de s ir e s without r e s tr aint
For the libe r tine , mis s ing his child's bir thday was not as s ignificant as
mis s ing a football game .
lice ntious
(adj.) mor ally lacking in r e s tr aint
T he pe ople of Sodom and Gomor r a we r e known for the ir lice ntious
life s tyle .
ligne ous
(adj.) having the compos ition of wood
T he ligne ous mate r ial appe ar e d to be pur e maple .
limbe r
(adj.) fle x ible ; pliant
T he dance r s mus t be limbe r to do the ir balle t s te ps .
lithe
(adj.) e as ily be nt; pliable ; s upple
It is be s t to us e a lithe mate r ial whe n cons tr ucting a cur ve d obje ct.
A gymnas t ne e ds to be lithe in or de r to do a s plit.
litigate
(v.) to involve a laws uit
A numbe r of the s tate attor ne ys - ge ne r al ar e litigating agains t the
tobacc o companie s .
livid
(adj.) dis color e d, as if br uis e d; e x tr e me ly angr y; fur ious
Afte r the fall, he r ar m was livid.
She be came livid whe n s he he ar d the ne ws .
Whe n s he found out s he had be e n r obbe d, the woman was livid.
loite r
(v.) to s pe nd time aimle s s ly
Many te e nage r s loite r ar ound the mall whe n the r e is nothing e ls e to do.
loquacious
(adj.) ve r y talkative ; gar r ulous
She was having difficulty e nding the conve r s ation with he r loquacious
ne ighbor .
T he s taff kne w the me e ting would be long be caus e the adminis tr ator was
in a loquacious mood.
luce nt
(adj.) s hining; tr ans luce nt
T he flowing gar me nt gave the woman a luce nt quality whe n s tanding in
the s potlight.
lucid
(adj.) s hiny; cle ar minde d
He chos e a s himme r ing, lucid fabr ic for his cur tains .
Whe n lucid, the man s poke of vivid me mor ie s .
lucr ative
(adj.) pr ofitable ; gainful
She e nte r e d the phar mace utical indus tr y in the be lie f that it would be
lucr ative .
br >
(adj.)
full
of
s or r ow;
T he man's lugubr ious he ar t ke pt him fr om e njoying the s pe cial occas ion.
mour nful
luminous
(adj.) e mitting light; s hining; als o e nlighte ne d or inte llige nt
T he luminous quality of the pr e cious s tone made it look like a falle n s tar .
T he y found the ir way thr ough the dar kne s s by he ading towar d the
luminous obje ct in the dis tance .
lunge
(v.) to move s udde nly
T he owl will lunge at its pr e y in or de r to take it off guar d.
lur id
(adj.) glowing thr ough haze ; s hocking, s e ns ational
A lur id s un s hone upon the m as the y watche d the s un s e t on the be ach.
T he tabloid s pe cialize d in lur id s tor ie s about ce le br itie s ' indis cr e tions .
lus tr ous
(adj.) br ight; r adiant; s hining
Sur r ounde d by r ubie s , the lus tr ous diamond looke d magnifice nt.
lux ur iant
(adj.) to gr ow with e ne r gy and in gr e at abundance
T he lux ur iant flowe r s gr e w in e ve r y available s pace .
mace r ate
(v.) to s ofte n by s te e ping in liquid
It was ne ce s s ar y to mace r ate the food be for e the e lde r ly man could e at
it.
T he y place d he r foot in the s olve nt to mace r ate the ce me nt s he had
s te ppe d in.
maculate
(adj.; v.) s potte d, blotche d; he nce de file d, impur e (oppos ite : immaculate );
to s tain, s pot, de file
T he maculate r ug could not be cle ane d.
Gr ape juice maculate d the car pe t.
magnanimity
(n.; adj.) a quality of noble ne s s of mind, dis dain of me anne s s or r e ve nge ;
for giving; uns e lfis h
Be ing full of magnanimity he as ke d the thie f only for an apology and s e t
him fr e e .
T he magnanimous s tor e owne r did not pr e s s char ge s once an apology
was give n.
T he magnanimity of the pr ofe s s or ove r came the r age of the s tude nt.
male diction
(n.) putting a cur s e on s ome one ; talking ne gative ly about anothe r
With the thr e at of a male diction, the man le ft the for tune te lle r 's hous e .
Ne ve r having a nice wor d to s ay about anyone , he r conve r s ations ar e full
of male diction.
male factor
(n.) an e vil pe r s on
T he male factor or de r e d e ve r yone to wor k ove r the holidays .
T he pr is on contains male factor s of all age s .
male vole nt
(adj.) wis hing e vil (oppos ite : be ne vole nt)
T he man thr e ate ne d his oppone nt with thr e ats and male vole nt wor ds .
She had male vole nt fe e lings towar d he r s is te r .
malicious
(adj.) s pite ful; vindictive
T he malicious e mploye e s las he d he r tir e s for r e ve nge .
malign
(v.; adj.) to s pe ak e vil of; having an e vil dis pos ition towar d othe r s
(oppos ite : be nign)
In he r s tate me nt to the judge s he maligne d he r s oon- to- be e x - hus band.
She had s uch a malign pe r s onality that no one e ve n tr ie d to appr oach
he r , mos tly out of fe ar .
malinge r
(v.) to pr e te nd to be ill in or de r to e s cape wor k
He will malinge r on Fr iday s o he can go to the movie s .
T he s oldie r will malinge r to avoid fighting.
malle able
(adj.) e as y to s hape or be nd; pliable
T he malle able mate r ial was for me d into a U s hape .
T he s culptor us e s malle able s ubs tance s to cr e ate comple x mas te r pie ce s .
mandate
(n.) or de r ; char ge
T he ne w manage r wr ote a mandate de clar ing that s moking was now
pr ohibite d in the office .
manife s t
(v.; adj.) to s how cle ar ly; to appe ar ; obvious , cle ar
T he image s hould manife s t its e lf as the building whe n the fog lifts .
Whe n the mis s ing docume nt s udde nly manife s te d, the s e ar ch for the
pe r s on that bur ie d it be gan.
Ame r ica's manife s t de s tiny was to acquir e all of the land be twe e n the
Pacific and Atlantic Oce ans .
mar
(v.) damage
T he s tatue was mar r e d by the r avage s of time .
mar aude r
(n.) plunde r e r or r aide r
T he mar aude r had be e n tr ave ling for two months s e ar ching for the lar ge
s tas h.
mate r ialis m
(n.) the be lie f that e ve r ything in the unive r s e is e x plaine d in te r ms of
matte r ; the be lie f that wor ldly pos s e s s ions ar e the be - all and e nd- all in
life
Spir itualis ts will te ll you that mate r ialis m is only half the s tor y.
Some s aid that the pr ince 's pr ofligacy gave mate r ialis m a bad name .
maudlin
(adj.) foolis hly and te ar fully s e ntime ntal
T he maudlin affair cons is te d of thr e e s pe e che s in honor of the
be ne factor .
mave r ick
(n.) a pe r s on who doe s not confor m to the nor m
T he mave r ick dr ove a lar ge tr uck as othe r s we r e pur chas ing compact
car s .
me ande r
(v.; adj.) wind, wande r ; winding, wande r ing aimle s s ly
T he s tr e am me ande r s thr ough the valle y.
Be caus e we took a long, me ande r ing walk, we ar r ive d home we ll afte r
dar k.
T he y me ande r e d thr ough the woods for the afte r noon.
me lancholy
(n.) de pr e s s ion; gloom
T he fune r al par lor was fille d with the me lancholy of mour ning.
me llifluous
(adj.) having a s we e t s ound
T he flute had a be autifully me llifluous s ound.
me lodious
(adj.) ple as ing to he ar
T he me lodious s ounds of the band attr acte d many onlooke r s .
me nage r ie
(n.) a place to ke e p or a colle ction of wild or s tr ange animals
Little Ryan couldn't wait to vis it the zoo to s e e the me nage r ie of wild
boar s .
me ndacious
(adj.) not tr uthful; lying
T he couple was s windle d out of the ir life 's s avings by the me ndacious
con me n.
me ntor
(n.) te ache r ; wis e and faithful advis or
Alan cons ulte d his me ntor whe n he ne e de d cr itical advice .
me r ce nar y
(adj.; n.) wor king or done for payme nt only; hir e d (s oldie r )
Lila was s us picious that Joe had jumpe d at the chance only for
me r ce nar y r e as ons .
A me r ce nar y was hir e d for a hundr e d dollar s a month, good mone y in
thos e days e ve n if you had to fight a war to ge t it.
me r cur ial
(adj.) quick, change able , fickle
T he me r cur ial youth change d outfits s ix time s be for e de ciding what to
we ar .
me r e tr icious
(adj.) de ce ptive be auty - allur ing by attr active appe ar ance
A cubic zir conia is a me r e tr icious way of impr e s s ing othe r s .
me s me r ize
(v.) hypnotize
T he s waying motion of the s wing me s me r ize d the baby into a de e p s le e p.
me tamor phos is
(n.) change of for m
A me tamor phos is caus e d the cate r pillar to be come a be autiful butte r fly.
me ticulous
(adj.) e x acting; pr e cis e
T he lab te chnicians mus t be me ticulous in the ir me as ur e me nts to obtain
e x act r e s ults .
me ttle
(n.) s pir it, cour age , ar dor
He pr ove d he had the me ttle to make it thr ough bas ic tr aining.
mie n
(n.) appe ar ance , be ing or manne r
He r mie n was typically one of dis tr e s s , e s pe cially afte r the mis hap.
mimicr y
(n.) imitation
T he come dian's mimicr y of the pr e s ide nt's ge s tur e s had the audie nce
r olling in the ais le s .
minator y
(adj.) thr e ate ning
T he minator y s tance of the dog war ne d the thie f of an attack.
minute
(adj.) e x tr e me ly s mall, tiny
Be ing on a s odium- r e s tr icte d die t, he us e s only a minute amount of s alt
in his dis he s .
mir e
(v.) to caus e to ge t s tuck in we t, s oggy gr ound
T he car be came mir e d in the mud.
mis anthr ope
(n.) a pe r s on who dis tr us ts e ve r ything; a hate r of mankind
Afte r the man s windle d all of the woman's s avings , s he be came a
mis anthr ope .
T he mis anthr ope live d alone in the for e s t.
mis cr e ant
(adj.; n.) e vil; an e vil pe r s on; villain
He r mis cr e ant actions s hocke d and s ur pr is e d he r family.
T he mis cr e ant thought nothing of taking othe r s ' mone y and be longings .
mis e r
(n.) pe nny pinche r , s tingy pe r s on
T he mis e r made no donations and love d counting his mone y e ve r y night.
mite
(n.) a ve r y s mall s um of mone y; ve r y s mall cr e atur e
T he mite the y pay me is har dly wor th the aggr avation.
T he bas e ball te am was made up of s uch s mall childr e n the y we r e
nickname d the "Mite s ".
mitigate
(v.) alle viate ; le s s e n; s oothe
She tr ie d to mitigate the los s of his pe t by buying him a kitte n.
T he lawye r will atte mpt to mitigate the s e nte nce pr obation.
modulate
(v.) to r e gulate or adjus t; to var y the pitch
He modulate d the color knob on the te le vis ion s e t until the pictur e was
pe r fe ct.
A tr aine d s inge r knows how to modulate he r voice to the de s ir e d pitche s .
mollify
(v.) to s ofte n; to make le s s inte ns e
We us e d our hands to mollify the s ound of our giggling.
molte n
(adj.) me lte d
Ste e l be come s molte n afte r he ating it to thous ands of de gr e e s .
moot
(adj.) s ubje ct to or ope n for dis cus s ion or de bate
T he dis cus s ion of e x te nding the gir l's cur fe w was a moot point.
mor dant
(adj.) cutting; s ar cas tic
He r mor dant r e mar k made me fe e l unqualifie d and us e le s s .
mor os e
(adj.) moody, de s ponde nt
He was ve r y mor os e ove r the de ath of his pe t.
Afte r the te am los t the fans we r e mor os e .
motif
(n.) the me
Although the colle ge s tude nts live d in Alas ka, the y de cide d on a tr opical
motif for the ir dor m r oom.
T he de cor ations include a r os e motif.
motility
(n.) s pontane ous motion
T he motility of the car caus e d the dr ive r to lunge for the br ake .
mundane
(adj.) or dinar y; commonplace
T he s mall town was ve r y mundane .
Going food s hopping s oon be came mundane , los ing all of its e x cite me nt.
munifice nt
(adj.) giving ge ne r ous ly
T he civic gr oup made a munifice nt donation to the home le s s s he lte r .
mus e
(v.) to think or s pe ak me ditative ly
I e x pe ct I'll have to mus e on that que s tion for a while .
myr iad
(n.) a lar ge numbe r
Buying an old hous e ofte n ne ce s s itate s fix ing a myr iad of pr oble ms .
Gazing up on the cle ar , dar k midnight s ky, the as tr onome r s aw a myr iad
of s tar s .
nar cis s is tic
(adj.) e gotis tical; s e lf- ce nte r e d; s e lf- love , e x ce s s ive inte r e s t in one s
appe ar ance , comfor t, abilitie s , e tc.
T he nar cis s is tic actor was difficult to ge t along with.
nas ce nt
(adj.) s tar ting to gr ow or de ve lop
T he nas ce nt r age of in- line s kating be gan on the We s t Coas t.
nautical
(adj.) of the s e a; having to do with s ailor s , s hips , or navigation
T he coas tal Ne w England town had a char ming nautical influe nce .
ne bulous
(adj.) uncle ar or vague
T he te n page dir e ctions we r e a colle ction of ne bulous wor ds and figur e s .
ne far ious
(adj.) mor ally bad; wicke d
T he ne far ious cr iminal was the s cour ge of the local police for ce .
ne far ious ne s s
(adj.) be ing villainous or wicke d
T he ne far ious ne s s of the r ule r was appar e nt whe n he hoar de d all of the
food.
ne glige nce
(n.) car e le s s ne s s
Ne glige nce contr ibute d to the accide nt: She was tr ave ling too fas t for the
icy conditions .
ne me s is
(n.) a pe r s on who inflicts jus t punis hme nt; r e tr ibution; a r ival
T he cr iminal was kille d by his ne me s is , the br othe r of the man he
mur de r e d.
T he football te am plays its ne me s is on Satur day.
ne ologis m
(n.) giving a ne w me aning to an old wor d
Bad is a ne ologis m for good.
ne ophyte
(n.) be ginne r ; ne wcome r
Cr itics applaude d the ne ophyte 's s ucce s s and s pe culate d how much
be tte r he would ge t with age and e x pe r ie nce .
T he ne ophyte dance r was ove r come by the fas t te mpo and e x otic
r hythms .
ne ttle
(v.) annoy; ir r itate
T he younge r br othe r ne ttle d his olde r s is te r until s he s lappe d him.
T he boy will ne ttle the fathe r into agr e e ing.
ne utr al
(adj.) impar tial; unbias e d
T he mothe r r e maine d ne utr al r e gar ding the ar gume nt be twe e n he r two
childr e n.
ne x us
(n.) a conne ction
T he ne x us be twe e n the s huttle and the s pace s tation was s ucce s s ful.
nois ome
(adj.) har mful to he alth; having a foul odor
T he nois ome food was the caus e of the ir illne s s .
T he family was for ce d fr om the home by a nois ome odor .
nos talgic
(adj.) longing for the pas t; fille d with bitte r s we e t me mor ie s
She love d he r ne w life , but be came nos talgic whe n s he me t with he r old
fr ie nds .
nos tr um
(n.) a que s tionable r e me dy for difficultie s
T he doctor 's pr e s cr iption was s o unus ual that it could be s e e n as a
nos tr um.
T he nos tr um of pine le ave s and wate r did not s e e m to cur e the illne s s .
notor ious
(adj.) infamous ; r e nowne d; having an unfavor able connotation
Dis cove r ing that he r ne w ne ighbor was notor ious for thie ve r y, s he
de cide d to pur chas e an alar m s ys te m for he r home .
T he cr iminal had a notor ious r e putation.
nove l
(adj.) ne w
It was a nove l ide a for the r ock gr oup to play clas s ical mus ic.
nox ious
(adj.) har mful to one 's he alth
T he nox ious fume s caus e d the pe r s on to be come ill.
nugator y
(adj.) tr ifling; futile ; ins ignificant
Be caus e the pr oble m was nugator y it was not addr e s s e d imme diate ly.
nullify
(v.) cance l; invalidate
Dr inking alcohol e x ce s s ive ly will nullify the pos itive be ne fits of e ating
we ll and e x e r cis ing daily.
oaf
(n.) a clums y, dumb pe r s on
T he waite r has be e n calle d an oaf e ve r s ince he dr oppe d the tr ay.
obdur ate
(adj.) s tubbor n
T he obdur ate child r e fus e d to go to s chool.
T he obdur ate youngs te r r e fus e d to e at the Br us s e ls s pr outs .
obe is ance
(n.) a ge s tur e of r e s pe ct or r e ve r e nce
As an obe is ance , the man took off his hat as the fune r al pr oce s s ion dr ove
pas t him.
obfus cate
(v.) to dar ke n, confus e , be wilde r
T he lunar e clips e will obfus cate the light of the s un.
obje ctive
(adj.; n.) ope n- minde d; impar tial; goal
It's har d to s e t as ide your bias e s and be obje ctive .
T he law s tude nt de cide d that he r pr imar y obje ctive afte r gr aduation was
to pas s the Bar e x amination.
objur gate
(v.) to chide ve he me ntly
T he gir ls dis like d thos e boys who objur gate d the gr oup.
obligator y
(adj.) mandator y; ne ce s s ar y; le gally or mor ally binding
In or de r to pr ovide a r e liable s our ce of r e ve nue for the gove r nme nt, it is
obligator y for e ach citize n to pay tax e s .
oblite r ate
(v.) de s tr oy comple te ly
Poaching ne ar ly oblite r ate d the wor ld's whale population.
obloquy
(n.) wide s pr e ad conde mnation or abus e ; dis gr ace or infamy r e s ulting
fr om this .
T he child s uffe r e d quite an obloquy at the hands of his clas s mate s .
Lawye r s mus t face fr e que nt obloquy with the ir r e putation as "ambulance
chas e r s ."
obs cur e
(adj.) not e as ily unde r s tood; dar k
T he or che s tr a e njoys pe r for ming obs cur e Ame r ican wor ks , hoping to
br ing the m to a wide r audie nce .
obs e quious
(adj.) s e r vile ly atte ntive ; fawning
T he man's attr action to the woman would be obvious if his obs e quious
be havior could be note d.
T he pr ince s s only s e e me d to e ncour age the obs e quious be havior of he r
cour t to e nhance he r own fe e ling of s upe r ior ity.
obs ole te
(adj.) out of date ; pas s '
Compute r s have made many for me r ly manual tas ks obs ole te .
obs tinate
(adj.) s tubbor n
He r fathe r would not allow he r to s tay out pas t midnight; s he thought he
was obs tinate be caus e he would not change his mind.
obtr ude
(v.) to for ce one s e lf or one 's ide as upon anothe r ; to thr us t for war d; to
e je ct
T he inquis itive cowor ke r obtr ude s into the conve r s ation ofte n.
obtuse
(adj.) dull; greater than 90± but less than 180±; slow to understand or perceive
The man was so obtuse, he even made the dog yawn.
The textbook pr oble m as ks the r e ade r to s olve for the obtus e angle .
He 's obtus e whe n it come s to abs tr act ar t.
obviate
(v.) to make unne ce s s ar y
T he inve ntion of car s has obviate d the us e of hor s e and car r iage .
A cur e for the common cold would obviate the ne e d for s he lf afte r s he lf
of cold r e me die s .
occult
(adj.) hidde n; be yond human unde r s tanding; mys tical; mys te r ious
T he occult me aning of the me s s age was one of dis like for the author itie s .
Some s pe nd ye ar s pur s uing the occult, only to find the ms e lve s no clos e r
to the ans we r .
Re lating to the occult wor ld me ans e nte r ing a ne w r e alm.
odious
(adj.) hate ful; dis gus ting
Having to chape r one he r br othe r was an odious chor e for the gir l.
odium
(n.) a hate ; the dis gr ace fr om a hate ful action
Odium could be fe lt for the man who de s tr oye d the s chool.
oligar chy
(n.) for m of gove r nme nt in which the s upr e me powe r is place d in the
hands of a s mall, e x clus ive gr oup.
T he oligar chy took contr ol afte r the king was ove r thr own.
ominous
(adj.) thr e ate ning
Se e ing ominous clouds on the hor izon, the s tr e e t fair or ganize r s de cide d
to fold up the ir te nt and go home .
omnis cie nt
(adj.) having knowle dge of all things
T he futur e can be told by the omnis cie nt woman.
opale s ce nt
(adj.) ir ide s ce nt
He r ne w nail polis h was opale s ce nt making he r finge r tips look like
pe ar ls .
opaque
(adj.) dull; cloudy; non- tr ans par e nt
Not having be e n was he d for ye ar s , the once be autiful windows of the
Victor ian home be came opaque .
T he y chos e an opaque s hade of gr e e n for the ir bathr oom walls .
oppr obr ious
(adj.) abus ive
Nobody like d wor king for him be caus e he was s o oppr obr ious .
optimis t
(n.) pe r s on who hope s for the be s t; s e e s the good s ide
He 's e ve r the optimis t, always s e e ing the glas s as half full.
opule nce
(n.) we alth; for tune
A 40- r oom mans ion on 65 woode d acr e s is only the mos t vis ible s ign of
he r opule nce .
or nate
(adj.) e labor ate ; lavis h; de cor ate d
T he cour thous e was fr ame d by or nate fr ie ze s .
or thodox
(adj.) tr aditional; acce pte d
T he gifte d child's par e nts conclude d that or thodox me thods of e ducation
would not do the ir s on any good, s o the y de cide d to te ach him at home .
os cillate
(v.) to move back and for th; to have a wave r ing opinion
T he os cillating s pr inkle r s ys te m cove r e d the e ntir e lawn.
T he couple ofte n os cillate s be twe e n going out and s taying home .
os s ify
(v.) to tur n to bone ; to har de n
Ove r time , the plant matte r has os s ifie d.
T he table t will os s ify whe n le ft in the s un.
os te ns ible
(adj.) appar e nt
T he os te ns ible r e as on for choos ing the gir l was for he r be auty.
os te ntatious
(adj.) be ing s howy
Sur e he 'd won the lotte r y, but coming to wor k in a s tr e tch limo s e e me d a
bit os te ntatious .
os tr acize
(v.) to e x clude
T he s tude nts te nd to os tr acize the childr e n the y dis like fr om the ir game s .
ous t
(v.) dr ive out; e je ct
T he dictator was ous te d in a coup de tat.
p
(adj.) mocking; cynical
He has a wr y s e ns e of humor which s ome time s hur ts pe ople 's fe e lings .
pae an
(n.) a s ong of pr ais e or tr iumph
A pae an was wr itte n in honor of the victor ious war r ior .
pagan
(adj.) polythe is tic
Mos e s , dis tr aught ove r s ome of his pe ople 's continuing pagan ways ,
s mas he d the s tone table ts be ar ing the T e n Commandme nts .
pains taking
(adj.) thor ough, car e ful, pr e cis e
He lga's pains taking r e s e ar ch paid off with a top gr ade on he r e s s ay.
palatial
(adj.) lar ge and or nate , like a palace
T he ne w palatial home containe d two pools and an indoor tr ack for
jogging.
palindr ome
(n.) a wor d or phr as e which r e ads the s ame backwar ds and for war ds
Bob, "Dad," and "Madam" ar e e x ample s of palindr ome s .
palliate
(v.) to alle viate or e as e pain but not cur e ; to make appe ar le s s s e r ious
T he me dication will he lp palliate the pain.
T he lawye r atte mpte d to palliate the offe ns e to the jur y.
pallid
(adj.) pale in color
T he vis itor le ft the hos pital r oom with a pallid face .
pallor
(n.) lack of facial color
T he mor e vivid the te s timony gr e w, the mor e the witne s s s e e me d to take
on a ghos tly pallor .
palpable
(adj.) touchable ; cle ar , obvious
T he palpable de cis ion was to dis continue the us e of dr ugs .
On a flight that had include d a s udde n 5,000- foot dr op, the pas s e nge r s '
r e lie f upon landing was palpable .
pane gyr ic
(n.) high pr ais e
Upon his r e tir e me nt, he r e ce ive d a gr e at pane gyr ic fr om many of his
as s ociate s .
His pane gyr ic to his oppone nt s tood in s har p contr as t to the har s h te nor
of the campaign.
par adigm
(n.) mode l, pr ototype ; patte r n
T he machine could no longe r be pr oduce d afte r the par adigm was
de s tr oye d.
T he Mas s achus e tts gube r nator ial r ace was cons ide r e d a par adigm of
campaign civility.
par adox
(n.) a te ne t s e e mingly contr adictor y or fals e , but actually tr ue
T he par adox s e e me d s o unlike ly though it was tr ue .
At fir s t blus h, the company's r e s ults we r e a par adox : Sale s we r e down,
ye t pr ofits we r e up.
par ape t
(n.) a wall for pr ote ction; a low wall or r ailing
T he par ape t pr ote cte d the kingdom fr om the r aging ar my.
T he par ape t ke pt the child fr om falling into the r ive r .
par aphe r nalia
(n.) e quipme nt; acce s s or ie s
She looke d guilty s ince the dr ug par aphe r nalia was found in he r
apar tme nt.
par iah
(n.) an outcas t
T he par iah of the gr oup s at by hims e lf unde r the tr e e .
par ity
(n.) s tate of be ing the s ame in powe r , value , or r ank
Whe n the younge r br othe r was pr omote d to co- pr e s ide nt with the e lde r
s on, it e s tablis he d par ity be twe e n the two.
par le y
(v.) to s pe ak with anothe r ; to dis cour s e
I will par le y the infor mation to the appr opr iate pe r s on.
par ochial
(adj.) r e ligious ; nar r ow- minde d
De vout Chr is tians , the Che s te r fie lds e nr olle d the ir childr e n in a par ochial
s chool.
Gove r nor Ke an ur ge d Re publicans to r is e above par ochial inte r e s ts and
be the par ty of inclus ion.
par ody
(n.) a pie ce of wor k imitating anothe r in a s atir ical manne r ; a poor
imitation
T he play was a par ody of the Pr ince and Pr ince s s 's mar ital difficultie s .
Ugh! T his is a par ody of a fas hionable dr e s s !
par r y
(v.) to avoid; to war d off
I dis like talking to the woman s o I will atte mpt to par r y he r by ducking
ar ound the cor ne r .
par s e
(v.) to s e par ate (a s e nte nce ) into par ts and de s cr ibe the function of e ach
An Englis h te ache r may as k a s tude nt to par s e a s e nte nce .
par s imonious
(adj.) ve r y fr ugal; unwilling to s pe nd
T he owne r was s o par s imonious he r e fus e d to pur chas e ne w cur tains
whe n the old one s fe ll off the window.
T he par s imonious individual ar gue d that twe nty- five ce nts was much too
e x pe ns ive for a pack of gum.
par s imony
(n.) to be unr e as onably car e ful whe n s pe nding
T he par s imony of the we althy woman was uncalle d for .
par tis an
(n.; adj.) s uppor te r ; followe r ; bias e d; one - s ide d
T he union pr e s ide nt is a par tis an of minimum- wage le gis lation.
A par tis an for the incumbe nt mayor will not s uppor t the challe nge r .
pas s ive
(adj.) s ubmis s ive ; unas s e r tive
He is s o pas s ive that othe r s walk all ove r him.
paucity
(n.) s car city
T he de s cr ibe d fe as t was actually a buffe t with a paucity of food.
pavilion
(n.) a lar ge te nt or cove r e d ar e a, us ually us e d for e nte r tainme nt
T he we dding pavilion was not only be autifully de cor ate d, but als o s e r ve d
as we lcome pr ote ction fr om a s udde n downpour .
pe ccadillo
(n.) a s light fault or offe ns e
T he child was e mbar r as s e d whe n he was caught committing the
pe ccadillo of e ating chocolate be for e dinne r .
pe cuniar y
(adj.) pe r taining to mone y
T he r e tir ing e mploye e was de lighte d whe n he r e ce ive d a pe cuniar y gift.
pe dagogue
(n.) a te ache r
Se e ing the way s he wor ke d with childr e n the r e was no doubt s he was a
tr ue pe dagogue .
pe dantic
(adj.) e mphas izing minutiae or for m in s cholar s hip or te aching
Pr ofe s s or Jone s 's le ctur e s we r e s o pe dantic that his s tude nts s ome time s
had a tough time unde r s tanding the big pictur e .
It is impor tant to unde r s tand pe dantic te r minology be for e be ginning a
le ctur e .
pe de s tr ian
(adj.) me diocr e ; or dinar y
We e x pe cte d the me al to be e x ce ptional, but it was jus t pe de s tr ian.
pe jor ative
(adj.) making things wor s e
T he pe jor ative comme nt de e pe ne d the dis like be twe e n the two familie s .
pe llucid
(adj.) tr ans par e nt
T he pe llucid mate r ial was not an ade quate s hie ld fr om the s un.
pe nchant
(n.) a liking for
I have a pe nchant for all flavor s of ice cr e am.
pe nite nt
(adj.) fe e ling s or r y for what one has done
T he bur glar e x pr e s s e d his pe nite nt fe e lings dur ing his confe s s ion.
pe ns ive
(adj.) r e fle ctive ; conte mplative
She was in a pe ns ive mood, jus t wanting to be alone to think.
My hour s alone ar e ofte n mor e pe ns ive than the time I s pe nd with
fr ie nds .
T he pe ns ive mood was br oke n by a witty joke .
pe nur ious
(adj.) s tingy, mis e r ly
T he pe nur ious man had millions of dollar s , but live d in a cottage to s ave
mone y.
Char le s Dicke ns ' Scr ooge is the mos t pe nur ious char acte r in any of his
tale s .
pe r ce ptive
(adj.) full of ins ight; awar e
T he pe r ce ptive de te ctive dis cove r e d that the mur de r we apon was hidde n
in a s afe unde r the floor .
pe r cus s ion
(n.) s tr iking one obje ct agains t anothe r
T he loud pe r cus s ion of the hunte r 's guns hot s tar tle d the bir ds .
pe r dition
(n.) r uination
T he pe r dition of the building was caus e d by the s tr ong quake .
pe r e mptor y
(adj.) bar r ing futur e action; that cannot be de nie d, change d, e tc.
T he pe r e mptor y me ans of de fe ns e was s atis factor y to ke e p out the
intr ude r s .
T he wildcat s tr ike was a pe r e mptor y move on the par t of the wor ke r s .
pe r fidious
(adj.) faithle s s ; tr e ache r ous
T he tr us t be twe e n the bus ine s s as s ociate s was br oke n afte r the
pe r fidious actions by one of the par tne r s .
pe r functor y
(adj.) done in a r outine , me chanical way, without inte r e s t
Change in car e e r is a good cur e for s ome one who has be come bor e d with
the ir occupation and is cur r e ntly pe r for ming the ir dutie s in a pe r functor y
fas hion.
T he gir l will not impr ove unle s s s he change s he r pe r functor y attitude .
pe r iphe r al
(adj.) mar ginal; oute r
T hos e ar e pe r iphe r al pr oble ms ; le t's look at the ce ntr al challe nge .
T he pe r iphe r al s hr ubs we r e us e d to cr e ate a fe nce - like blockade .
He thought he was my be s t fr ie nd, whe n in fact, he was a pe r iphe r al
acquaintance .
pe r jur y
(n.) the pr actice of lying
T he alr e ady s e ns ational tr ial of a s tar athle te tur ne d all the mor e s o
whe n it tur ne d out that a police de te ctive had committe d pe r jur y.
Lying while on the witne s s s tand is pe r jur y.
pe r me able
(adj.) por ous ; allowing to pas s thr ough
Be caus e the mate r ial was pe r me able , the wate r was able to dr ain.
pe r nicious
(adj.) dange r ous ; har mful
Standing oil combine d with a fr e s h r ain on the as phalt can have a
pe r nicious impact on a dr ive r 's contr ol of the r oad.
T he pe r nicious fir e e ngulfe d four blocks of home s .
pe r pe tual
(adj.) ne ve r ce as ing; continuous
Pe r pe tual pain ke e ps the woman fr om walking.
pe r quis ite
(n.) e x tr a payme nt; a tip
Afte r wor king ove r time , I had e nough mone y to make a pe r quis ite on my
loan.
pe r tine nt
(adj.) r e late d to the matte r at hand
Dur ing a tr ial e ve r yone s hould conce ntr ate on the s ame s ubje ct, s tating
only pe r tine nt infor mation.
pe r us e
(v.) to r e ad car e fully; to s tudy
A vas t major ity of time was s pe nt pe r us ing the pos s ible s olution to the
dile mma.
pe r vade
(v.) to occupy the whole of
He r pe r fume was s o s tr ong that it pe r vade d the whole r oom.
pe r vas ive
(adj.) s pr e ading thr oughout
T he home was fille d with the pe r vas ive ar oma of baking br e ad.
pe s s imis m
(n.) s e e ing only the gloomy s ide ; hope le s s ne s s
Afte r e ndle s s ye ar s of dr ought, pe s s imis m gr e w in the he ar ts of e ve n the
mos t de dicate d far me r .
pe tty
(adj.) unimpor tant; of s ubor dinate s tanding
With all of the cr ime in the wor ld, s te aling bubble gum is cons ide r e d
pe tty the ft.
pe tulant
(adj.) pe e vis h; cr anky; r ude
T he long illne s s put the boy in a pe tulant mood.
T he tone of his voice and the things that he s ays be come quite pe tulant
whe n he has not gotte n e nough s le e p.
phe nome non
(n.) e x ce ptional pe r s on; unus ual occur r e nce
Not for nothing do the y call Yanke e Stadium "T he Hous e that Ruth
Built"- the Babe was a phe nome non.
T he nor the r n lights ar e a r ar e phe nome non for thos e not living ne ar the
Ar ctic Cir cle .
philanthr opy
(n.) char ity; uns e lfis hne s s
Afte r ye ar s of donating time and mone y to the childr e n's hos pital, Mr s .
Elde r wood was comme nde d for he r philanthr opy.
phle gmatic
(adj.) without e motion or inte r e s t; s luggis h and dull
T he playwr ight had hope d his s tor y would take the ate r goe r s on an
e motional r olle r coas te r , but on ope ning night the y jus t s at the r e ,
s tone fa ce d and phle gmatic.
T he phle gmatic child r ar e ly we nt outs ide to play.
phobia
(n.) mor bid fe ar
Fe ar of he ights is a not uncommon phobia.
pie d
(adj.) color e d, blotche d toge the r
T he e x tr e me he at caus e d the color s to be come pie d.
pinione d
(adj.) bound fas t
T he two r afts we r e pinione d by s te e l wir e .
pious
(adj.) r e ligious ; de vout; de dicate d
T he r e ligious couple be lie ve d that the ir pious me thod of wor s hip would
br ing the m e te r nal life .
T he s tatue s of the s aints have pious s ymbolis m.
Many pe ople think of this land as pious te r r itor y.
pique
(n.; v.) r e s e ntme nt at be ing s lighte d; to pr ovoke
Be ing pas s e d ove r for the pr omotion ar ous e d his pique .
T he mor e he pique d he r , the r e dde r s he gr e w.
pithy
(adj.) te r s e and full of me aning
Columnis t William Safir e , a for me r pr e s ide ntial s pe e ch wr ite r , has a way
with wor ds that ofte n yie lds pithy comme nts .
pittance
(n.) a s mall amount
T he r e war d mone y was only a pittance compar e d to the mone y los t.
T he little gir l r e ce ive d a pittance e ve r y we e k for ke e ping he r r oom
cle an.
placate
(v.) to appe as e or pacify
T he e ntir e family atte mpte d to placate the s tubbor n child.
With a s oothing voice and the pr omis e of a juicy s te ak, the tr aine r
placate d the e s cape d lion s o that he wouldn't hur t anyone .
placid
(adj.) undis tur be d and calm
T he placid lake 's wate r was comple te ly motionle s s .
plaintive
(adj.) be ing mour nful or s ad
His wife 's de ath made Sam plaintive .
platonic
(adj.) ide alis tic or impr actical; not amor ous or s e ns ual
T he platonic advice of the doctor was to s tay away fr om all odor s .
Our r e lations hip is platonic now, but I hope it will s ome day be othe r wis e .
plaus ible
(adj.) pr obable ; fe as ible
Afte r we e ks of tr ying to de te r mine what or who was r aiding the chicke n
coop, the far me r came up with a plaus ible e x planation.
Afte r s cr imping and s aving for a de cade , it was now plaus ible to s e nd his
daughte r to colle ge .
ple nar y
(adj.) full; e ntir e ; comple te
A ple nar y clas s of s tude nts s tage d the pr ote s t.
ple thor a
(n.) a s upe r abundance
T he r e was a ple thor a of food at the r oyal fe as t.
plumb
(adj.; v.) pe r fe ctly s tr aight down; to s olve
T he two walls me t plumb at the cor ne r .
I was able to plumb the r iddle in a fe w s e conds .
pole mic
(adj.) contr ove r s ial
T he pole mic de cis ion caus e d a s tir in the community.
pole micis t
(n.) a pe r s on s kille d in ar gume nt
T he pole micis t could de bate any cas e s killfully.
pomme l
(n.) the r ounde d, upwar d- pr oje cting fr ont of a s addle
T he woman was s o ne r vous about be ing on the hor s e s he would not le t
go of the pomme l.
ponde r ous
(adj.) unwie ldy fr om we ight; dull or labor e d
T he ponde r ous piano pos e d a s e r ious challe nge to having it pulle d up to
the 16th floor .
As if be ing gr ainy was n't bad e nough, the film's ponde r ous s tor y made it
tough to ge t thr ough.
por te nd
(v.) to be an ome n of; s ignify
T he dis tant r oll of thunde r por te nds of an oncoming s tor m.
potable
(adj.; n.) dr inkable ; a be ve r age that is dr inkable
T he liquid was not potable , but r athe r pois onous .
Se a wate r is n't potable .
pote nt
(adj.) having gr e at powe r or phys ical s tr e ngth
He took ve r y pote nt me dication and fe lt be tte r imme diate ly.
pr agmatic
(adj.) matte r - of- fact; pr actical
Since the y we r e s aving mone y to buy a ne w home , the pr agmatic mar r ie d
couple de cide d not to go on an e x pe ns ive vacation.
A pr agmatic s olution to the car 's continual r e pair s would be to pur chas e
a ne w car .
pr ate
(v.) talking foolis hly; chatte r
It is not uncommon for pe ople to pr ate whe n the y be come ne r vous about
s pe aking to a s upe r ior .
pr attle
(n.; v.) childis h babble ; to babble while s pe aking
I've lis te ne d to his pr attle for far too long.
T he toddle r doe s mor e pr attling than talking.
pr e car ious
(adj.) de pe nding upon anothe r ; r is ky, unce r tain
T he pr e car ious plans fe ll thr ough whe n the s e cond couple change d the ir
plans .
My pos ition in the ne gotiations was pr e car ious at be s t.
pr e ce pt
(n.) a r ule or dir e ction of mor al conduct
T he or ganization be lie ve d the ir me mbe r s s hould abide by ce r tain
pr e ce pts .
pr e cipitate
(v.; adj.) to caus e to happe n; happe ning quickly
A r ude comme nt may pr e cipitate an ar gume nt.
T he pr e cipitating flood caught the village off- guar d.
pr e clude
(v.) inhibit; make impos s ible
A he althy die t and life s tyle will not pr e clude you fr om ge tting ill,
although it impr ove s your immune s ys te m.
Ex e r cis e may he lp to pr e clude he ar t dis e as e .
pr e cocious
(adj.) de ve lope d or matur e d e ar lie r than us ual
T he pr e cocious e ight ye ar - old wante d to r e ad the r omance nove l.
pr e de ce s s or
(n.) one who has occupie d an office be for e anothe r
Although he r pr e de ce s s or did not accomplis h any goals that would he lp
the poor , the ne w mayor was confide nt that s he could finally he lp thos e
in ne e d.
pr e fator y
(adj.) coming be for e
T he pr e fator y comme nts infor me d the audie nce of what was to come .
pr e mis e
(n.) the bas is for an ar gume nt
T he pr os e cutor claime d that the de fe ns e lawye r 's pr e mis e was s haky,
and thus his whole ar gume nt was s us pe ct.
pr e ponde r ate
(adj.) to outwe igh; to be s upe r ior in amount, we ight, e tc.
His pos itive qualitie s ar e the pr e ponde r ate one s ove r his occas ional
r ude ne s s .
pr e s age
(n.) an ome n; a for e s hadowing char acte r is tic
T he y cons ide r e d the r ainbow at the ir we dding a pr e s age for a happy life .
Br ight s un in the mor ning was a good pr e s age that it was going to be a
good day.
pr e s cie nce
(n.) knowing about s ome thing be for e it happe ns
T he mor ning of the big game I had a pr e s cie nce that we would win.
pr e s cr iptive
(adj.) done by cus tom; unbe nding
At the he ar t of the Aus tr alian abor igine s ' pr e s cr iptive coming- of- age r ite
for me n is a walkabout.
pr e vale nt
(adj.) ge ne r ally occur r ing
Rain is us ually mor e pr e vale nt than s now dur ing Apr il.
pr e var icate
(v.) to s pe ak e quivocally or e vas ive ly, i.e ., to lie
T he mayor 's de s pe r ate atte mpt to pr e var icate about the s candal was
tr ans par e nt to the vote r s .
His mothe r kne w no one e ls e could have done it, but the child foolis hly
pr e var icate d about the s tain on the r ug.
pr is tine
(adj.) pr imitive , pur e , uncor r upte d
T he pr is tine lake had not be e n mar r e d by pollution.
She had s uch a pr is tine look about he r , you would have thought s he was
an ange l.
pr ivy
(adj.) pr ivate ; confide ntial
He was one of a handful of pe ople pr ivy to the ne ws of the pe nding
me r ge r .
Only the woman's be s t fr ie nd was pr ivy to he r s e cr e t.
pr obity
(n.) hone s ty
T he young man's pr obity was r e as s ur ing to the fe ar ful par e nt.
pr oble matic
(adj.) be ing har d to de al with; uns olve d s ituation
T he cons tant s que ak of the door was pr oble matic.
T he te ns e political s tr uggle r e mains pr oble matic.
pr odigal
(adj.) was te ful; lavis h
T he actor 's pr odigal life s tyle ultimate ly le d to his undoing.
Spe nding his r e nt mone y on your bir thday pr e s e nt was mor e than
ge ne r ous , it was pr odigal.
T he pr odigal gift by the poor woman was tr uly a thoughtful ge s tur e .
pr odigious
(adj.) wonde r ful; e nor mous
T he pr odigious fe s tivitie s las te d until the we e hour s of the mor ning.
T he Empir e State Building r e quir e d a pr odigious amount of s te e l to e r e ct.
pr ofound
(adj.) de e p; knowle dge able ; thor ough
It was with pr ofound r e gr e t and s or r ow that the family had to le ave the ir
home land for a mor e pr os pe r ous countr y.
pr ofus ion
(n.) gr e at was te fulne s s ; a lar ge abundance of
T he pr ofus ion of the food- fight was unfor givable cons ide r ing the
wor ldwide hunge r pr oble m.
T he pr ofus ion of une ate n food was s e nt to the s he lte r .
T he we t winte r br ought about a pr ofus ion of mos quitoe s .
pr oge ny
(n.) childr e n; offs pr ing
It is thr ough his pr oge ny that his name s hall live on.
T he pr ince s we r e the pr oge ny of r oyalty.
pr ogr am
(n.) the par ts of e nte r tainme nt; a plan for de aling with a matte r ; code d
ins tr uctions
T he fr e e - for m mus ic pr ogr am on Sunday nights is vir tually unique in
comme r cial r adio.
T he pr ogr am for be tte r he alth is to e at mor e ve ge table s and fr uits .
T he s tor e 's compute r pr ogr am allows s ale infor mation to pr ompt at the
r e gis te r for ce r tain ite ms at ce r tain hour s .
pr olife r ate
(v.) to r e pr oduce quickly
Ge r bils ar e known to pr olife r ate quickly.
pr olific
(adj.) fr uitful
T he me r ge r r e s ulte d in a pr olific bus ine s s which be came an as s e t to the
community.
pr omontor y
(n.) a pie ce of land jutting into a body of wate r
T he boat hit the r ocky pr omontor y, s plitting the bow.
pr opagate
(v.) to r e pr oduce or multiply
Rabbits and ge r bils ar e s aid to pr opagate quickly.
pr ope ns ity
(n.) a natur al te nde ncy towar ds ; bias
I have a pr ope ns ity to talk too fas t.
She has a pr ope ns ity to hir e me n ove r wome n.
pr opinquity
(n.) clos e ne s s in time or place ; clos e ne s s of r e lations hip
T he pr opinquity of the dis as te r s put the community in chaos .
T he pr opinquity of the two s tor ie s was the bas is of the te ache r 's le s s on.
pr opitiate
(v.) to win the goodwill of
If I tr y my be s t I will hope fully pr opitiate my ne w s upe r vis or .
pr os aic
(adj.) tir e s ome ; or dinar y
He wante d to do s ome thing ne w; he was tir e d of the pr os aic activitie s his
par e nts s ugge s te d e ach day.
T he only e nte r tainme nt would be a pr os aic game of car ds .
pr os e lytize
(v.) to conve r t fr om one be lie f or r e ligion to anothe r
T he pr e ache r ofte n atte mpts to pr os e lytize waywar d tr ave le r s .
pr otocol
(n.) an or iginal dr aft or r e cor d of a docume nt
T he pr otocol was give n to the pr e s ide nt once it was comple te d.
pr ove r bial
(adj.) we ll- known be caus e it is commonly r e fe r r e d to
King Solomon's pr ove r bial wis dom has be e n admir e d thr ough the age s .
pr ovide nt
(adj.) pr ude nt; e conomical
It was pr ovide nt, in his opinion, to wait and buy the ne w car whe n he was
financially s e cur e .
pr ovincial
(adj.) r e gional; uns ophis ticate d
Afte r living in the city for five ye ar s , he found that his family back home
on the far m was too pr ovincial for his cultur e d ways .
pr ovis o
(n.) A claus e s tating a condition or s tipulation
T he gove r nor be gan the confe r e nce with a pr ovis o s tating the dis as tr ous
r e s ults of the flood.
pr ovocative
(adj.) te mpting; ir r itating
In the movie Roge r Rabbit, the animate d Je s s ica Rabbit de mur s whe n
s he 's told s he 's pr ovocative , s aying that s he 's only dr awn that way.
T he U.S. cons ide r e d the invas ion of Kuwait a pr ovocative action.
pr ovoke
(v.) to s tir action or fe e ling; ar ous e
By calling him name s , he was pr ovoking a fight.
quaff
(v.) dr inking de e ply
A dog will quaff if he be come s ove r he ate d.
quagmir e
(n.) mar s hy land
T he ve hicle be came s tuck in the quagmir e .
quaint
(adj.) old- fas hione d; unus ual; odd
One of the be s t qualitie s of the be d- and- br e akfas t was its quaint s e tting
in the char ming Englis h village .
qualifie d
(adj.) e x pe r ie nce d, inde finite
She was we ll qualifie d for the job afte r wor king the fie ld for te n ye ar s .
qualm
(n.) s udde n fe e ling of une as ine s s or doubt
His qualms about flying dis appe ar e d once the plane lande d s oftly.
quandar y
(n.) dile mma
Joe and Elizabe th we r e caught in a quandar y: Should the y s pe nd
T hanks giving with his par e nts or he r s ?
Unable to make a fir m de cis ion, I've be e n in this quandar y for we e ks .
Whe n the car br oke down the commute r was le ft in a quandar y.
quar antine
(n.) is olation of a pe r s on or pe r s ons to pr e ve nt the s pr e ad of dis e as e
T o be s ur e the y didn't br ing any contagions back to Ear th, the as tr onauts
we r e put unde r quar antine whe n the y r e tur ne d.
quie s ce nce
(n.) s tate of be ing at r e s t or without motion
Afte r a tough day on the s hipping dock, one ne e ds quie s ce nce .
A pe r iod of quie s ce nce is us e ful to calm the ne r ve s .
quie s ce nt
(adj.) inactive , at r e s t
Eve r yone de s e r ve s a day off and s hould r e main quie s ce nt on Sundays .
T he Bible s ays that the Lor d cr e ate d the Ear th in s ix days and on the
s e ve nth He was quie s ce nt.
quinte s s e nce
(n.) the pur e e s s e nce of anything
T his s tor y is the quinte s s e nce of Ame r ican fiction.
quir k
(n.) pe culiar be havior ; s tar tling twis t
Nobody's pe r fe ct- we all have our quir ks .
Our vacation we nt s moothly s ave for one quir k- a hur r icane that came
bar r e ling into the coas tline as we we r e pr e par ing to he ad home .
T he plot of that movie had s o many quir ks that it be came ve r y har d to
follow.
Always ne e ding to put the le ft s hoe on fir s t is a pe culiar quir k.
quix otic
(adj.) foolis hly ide alis tic; r omantically ide alis tic; e x tr avagantly chivalr ous
He was popular with the ladie s due to his quix otic char m.
She had a quix otic vie w of the wor ld, be lie ving that humans ne e d ne ve r
s uffe r .
r abid
(adj.; n.) fur ious ; with e x tr e me ange r ; a dis e as e affe cting animals
T he ins ult made him r abid.
Dis cove r ing that the dog was r abid, the mail car r ie r kne w he 'd have to
ge t a s hot.
He 's be e n a r abid s por ts fan for as long as I have known him.
r aconte ur
(n.) a pe r s on s kille d at te lling s tor ie s
Our e nte r tainme nt was a r aconte ur who told a s tor y of talking animals .
r amification
(n.) the ar r ange me nt of br anche s ; cons e que nce
One of the r amifications of dr iving fas t is ge tting a s pe e ding ticke t.
r ampant
(adj.) gr owing unche cke d; wide s pr e ad
Social unr e s t was r ampant be caus e of the lack of food available to the
pe ople .
r ampar t
(n.; v.) a de fe ns e ; to de fe nd
T he r ampar ts whe r e be ginning to cr umble .
r ancid
(adj.) having a bad odor
Le ft out too long, the me at tur ne d r ancid.
r ancor
(n.) s tr ong ill will; e nmity
He r r ancor for the man was e vide nt in he r hate ful e x pr e s s ion.
Sur e the y had the ir dis agr e e me nts , but the r e was no r ancor be twe e n
the m.
r ant
(v.) to s pe ak in a loud, pompous manne r ; r ave
He dis pute d the bill with the s hippe r , r anting that he was de aling with
thie ve s .
r apacious
(adj.) us ing for ce to take
Rapacious actions we r e ne e de d to take the gun fr om the intr ude r .
r atify
(v.) to make valid; confir m
T he Se nate r atifie d the ne w law that would pr ohibit companie s fr om
dis cr iminating accor ding to r ace in the ir hir ing pr actice s .
Hunte r s we r e calle d in to r ar e fy the de e r population.
r ationalize
(v.) to offe r r e as ons for ; account for on r ational gr ounds
His daughte r atte mpte d to r ationalize why s he had dr oppe d out of
colle ge , but s he could not give any good r e as ons .
r aucous
(adj.) dis agr e e able to the s e ns e of he ar ing; har s h; hoar s e
T he r aucous pr ote s te r s s taye d on the s tr e e t cor ne r all night, s houting
the ir dis dain for the whale kille r s .
r aze
(v.) to s cr ape or s have off; to oblite r ate or te ar down comple te ly
T he plow will r aze the ice fr om the r oad s ur face .
It mus t be time to give the cat a manicur e ; s he r aze d my s kin las t night.
T he y will r aze the old Las Ve gas hote l to make r oom for a $2.5 billion
gambling palace .
r e alm
(n.) an ar e a; s phe r e of activity
In the r e alm of he alth car e , the is s ue of who pays and how is ne ve r far
fr om the s ur face .
T he bounding is lands we r e adde d to the r e alm of the kingdom.
r e buff
(n.) a blunt r e fus al to offe r e d he lp
T he r e buff of he r aid plan came as a s hock.
r e buttal
(n.) r e futation
T he lawye r 's r e buttal to the judge 's s e nte ncing was to pr e s e nt mor e
e vide nce to the cas e .
r e calcitr ant
(adj.) s tubbor nly r e be llious
T he boy be came r e calcitr ant whe n the cur fe w was e nfor ce d.
T he r e calcitr ant youth dye d he r hair pur ple , dr oppe d out of s chool, and
ge ne r ally wor ke d har d at doing whate ve r othe r s did not want he r to do.
r e ce s s ion
(n.) withdr awal; e conomic downtur n
Os car 's gum r e ce s s ion le ft him with s e ns itive te e th.
Soar ing une mployme nt in the nation's indus tr ial be lt tr igge r e d r e ce s s ion.
r e cidivis m
(n.) habitual or chr onic r e laps e of cr iminal or antis ocial offe ns e s
Eve n afte r inte ns e the r apy the par ole e e x pe r ie nce d s e ve r al e pis ode s of
r e cidivis m, and was e ve ntually s e nt back to pr is on.
r e cipr ocal
(adj.) mutual; having the s ame r e lations hip to e ach othe r
He r nando's me mbe r s hip in the Pictur e of He alth Fitne s s Ce nte r give s him
r e cipr ocal pr ivile ge s at 245 he alth clubs ar ound the U.S.
Although his fir s t child was adopte d, s he had a r e cipr ocal r e lations hip
with he r fathe r .
r e clus e
(adj.; n.) s olitar y; a pe r s on who live s s e clude d
His r e clus e life s e e ms to make him happy.
Howar d Hughe s , among the mos t famous and e nigmatic figur e s of the
20th ce ntur y, ultimate ly r e tr e ate d to a life as a r e clus e .
r e condite
(adj.) har d to unde r s tand; conce ale d
T he s tude nts we r e dumbfounde d by the r e condite topic.
Many s cie ntific the or ie s ar e r e condite , and the r e for e not known at all by
the ge ne r al public.
r e ctify
(v.) cor r e ct
T he s e r vice manage r r e ctifie d the s hipping mis take by r e funding the
cus tome r 's mone y.
r e cumbe nt
(adj.) r e s ting
T he r e cumbe nt puppy s tir r e d.
r e cus ant
(adj.) dis obe die nt of author ity
Re cus ant inmate s may be de nie d pr ivile ge s .
r e dole nt
(adj.) s we e t- s me lling; having the odor of a par ticular thing
T he r e dole nt ar oma of the pie te mpte d e ve r yone .
T he r e s taur ant was r e dole nt with the s me ll of s pice s .
r e dundant
(adj.) wor dy; r e pe titive ; unne ce s s ar y to the me aning
T he r e dundant le ctur e of the pr ofe s s or r e pe ate d the le s s on in the te x t.
He r comme nts we r e both r e dundant and s ar cas tic.
With millions of tr ans actions at s take , the bank built a r e dundant
pr oce s s ing ce nte r on a s e par ate powe r gr id.
r e fur bis h
(v.) to make ne w; r e novate
T he Ne ws ome s ar e r e fur bis hing the ir old colonial home with the he lp of
an inte r ior de s igne r .
r e fute
(v.) challe nge ; dis pr ove
He r e fute d the pr opos al, de e ming it unfair
r e gal
(adj.) r oyal; gr and
T he r e gal home was lavis hly de cor ate d and fur nis he d with Eur ope an
antique s .
T he we ll- br e d woman be have s in a r e gal manne r .
r e ite r ate
(v.) to r e pe at again
Ros e found that s he had to r e ite r ate almos t e ve r ything, le ading he r to
fe ar he r hus band was going de af.
If you did not he ar me the fir s t time , I will r e ite r ate the dir e ctions for
you.
r e le gate
(v.) banis h; put to a lowe r pos ition
With Inte r nal Affair s launching an inve s tigation into char ge s that Office r
Wicke r had har as s e d a s us pe ct, he was r e le gate d to de s k duty.
r e le vant
(adj.) of conce r n; s ignificant
As king applicants about the ir ge ne r al he alth is r e le vant s ince much of the
job r e quir e s phys ical s tr e ngth.
r e linquis h
(v.) to le t go; abandon
Hous e Spe ake r Jim Wr ight had to r e linquis h his pos ition afte r an e thics
inve s tigation unde r mine d his author ity.
r e mons tr ate
(v.) to pr ote s t or obje ct to
T he population will r e mons tr ate agains t the ne w tax e s .
r e mor s e
(n.) guilt; s or r ow
T he pr os e cutor ar gue d that the de fe ndant had s hown no r e mor s e for his
actions .
r e nas ce nce
(n.) a ne w life ; r e bir th
T he r e nas ce nce of the band r e s ulte d in a ne w r e cor ding contr act.
r e nd
(v.) to r ip or pull fr om; to s plit with viole nce ; to dis tur b with a s har p
nois e
T he kidnappe r r e nt the ne wbor n baby fr om the ar ms of its mothe r as s he
was le aving the hos pital.
A fr e akis h wate r s pout r e nt the fis hing boat in half.
Eve r y mor ning, the 5:47 local out of Ne w Br uns wick r e nds the dawn's
s ile nce with its air hor n.
r e nde r
(v.) de live r ; pr ovide
T he Yor kville Fir s t Aid Squad was fir s t on the s ce ne to r e nde r
as s is tance .
r e ne gade
(n.) a pe r s on who abandons s ome thing, as a r e ligion, caus e or move me nt;
a tr aitor
Be ne dict Ar nold r e mains one of the mos t notor ious r e ne gade s in
Ame r ican his tor y.
r e pas t
(n.) food that is e ate n
T he r e pas t cons is te d of che e s e , wine , and br e ad
r e ple te
(adj.) we ll s upplie d
T he kitche n came r e ple te with food and ute ns ils .
r e plica
(n.) copy; r e pr e s e ntation; r e pr oduction
T he e quine s culptur e was a r e plica of a Re mington.
r e pr e he nd
(v.) to r e pr imand; to find fault with
Finding the ne e d to r e pr e he nd the s tude nt's actions , s he gave he r
de te ntion.
r e pr oach
(v.) to blame and thus make fe e l as hame d; to r e buke
T he major r e pr oache d his tr oops for not following or de r s .
r e pr obate
(v.) to conde mn; to r e je ct
T he te ache r will r e pr obate the actions of the de linque nt s tude nt.
His as s e r tions we r e r e pr obate d as inappr opr iate .
r e pr oof
(n.) a r e buke
For all his har d wor k, all he got was a r e pr oof of his e ffor ts .
r e pudiate
(v.) to dis own; to de ny s uppor t for ; r e je ct; cance l
T he man will r e pudiate all claims that he was involve d in the de al.
Although his par ty s uppor te d the bill, this s e nator r e pudiate d it.
T he offe r was r e pudiate d be caus e of its cos t.
r e pugnant
(adj.) incons is te nt; r e s is tance
T he r e pugnant actions of the man made othe r s los e tr us t in him.
De s pite the ir e ffor ts to convince he r , s he r e maine d r e pugnant.
r e s ignation
(n.) quitting; s ubmis s ion
He s ubmitte d his r e s ignation be caus e he found a ne w job.
You could s e e the r e s ignation on his face : T hings jus t we r e n't wor king
out as he 'd e x pe cte d.
r e s ilie nt
(adj.) fle x ible ; capable of withs tanding s tr e s s
T he e lde r ly man attr ibute d his r e s ilie nt he alth to a good die t and fr e que nt
e x e r cis e .
r e s olution
(n.) pr opos al; pr omis e ; de te r mination
For me r U.S. Se nator Ge or ge Mitche ll jour ne ye d to Ir e land to he lp br ing
about a pe ace ful r e s olution to ye ar s of s tr ife .
r e s onant
(adj.) r e s ounding; r e - e choing
Be autiful r e s onant mus ic e s cape d fr om the cathe dr al's windows .
r e s pite
(n.) r e ce s s ; r e s t pe r iod
T he wor ke r s talke d and dr ank coffe e dur ing the r e s pite .
T he te am was give n a r e s pite fr om the long pr actice s che dule .
r e s ple nde nt
(adj.) dazzling and s hining
He r ne w diamond was r e s ple nde nt in the s uns hine .
r e s ur ge nt
(adj.) r is ing or te nding to r is e again
A r e s ur ge nt wave of e nthus ias m e r upte d fr om the once quie t cr owd.
r e tice nt
(adj.) s ile nt; r e s e r ve d; s hy
T he r e tice nt gir l playe d with he r building blocks while the othe r childr e n
playe d tag.
It was difficult to ge t the r e tice nt boy to join the conve r s ation.
r e tr act
(v.) to dr aw or take back
Once you s ay s ome thing, it's har d to r e tr act.
r e tr oaction
(n.) a r e ve r s e action
T he r e tr oaction of the car s e nt thos e s tanding be hind it fle e ing.
T he bill's r e tr oaction s tood to s ave tax paye r s an ave r age of $500 a he ad.
r e ve r e nt
(adj.) r e s pe ctful; fe e ling or s howing de e p love , r e s pe ct, or awe
T he congr e gation was ve r y r e ve r e nt of its s pir itual le ade r .
r e ve r ie
(n.) the condition of be ing unawar e of one 's s ur r oundings , tr ance ; dr e amy
thinking or imagining, e s pe cially of agr e e able things
As the ir annive r s ar y ne ar e d, Lis a fe ll into a r e ve r ie as s he r e calle d all
the good time s s he and Ros coe had had.
Afte r s pe nding the mor ning in r e ve r ie , I de cide d to wor k in the afte r noon.
r e vile
(v.) to be abus ive in s pe e ch
It is not appr opr iate for a te ache r to r e vile a s tude nt.
r haps odize
(v.) to s pe ak or wr ite in a ve r y e nthus ias tic manne r
He ar ing the ge ne r al r haps odize about his time as a ple be s e nt a wave of
r e cognition thr ough the acade my gr ads .
r he tor ical
(adj.) having to do with ve r bal communication; ar tificial e loque nce
In pos ing a r he tor ical que s tion, he hope d to ge t pe ople thinking.
T he pe r ce ption that Gar y Har t was s pouting r he tor ical flour is he s e nable d
fe llow De mocr at Walte r Mondale to s cor e de bate points by as king,
"Whe r e 's the be e f?"
r ibald
(adj.) vulgar joking or mocking
Some pe ople find the come dian's r ibald act offe ns ive .
T he r ibald s tor y pr ove d an e mbar r as s me nt to its audie nce .
r igor
(n.) s e ve r ity
She cr iticize d the planning boar d's vote with r igor .
r ive t
(v.) to s e cur e ; to hold fir mly, as in e ye s
We can r ive t the boat to the dock.
She could not look away fr om the mor bid s ce ne ; s he was r ive te d to it.
r os e ate
(adj.) r os e - color e d
T he r os e ate s uns e t fade d into the s ky.
r out
(n.; v.) a nois y or dis or de r ly cr owd; a r e tr e at or te r r ible de fe at; to dig up
T he r out ke pt the police bus y all mor ning with cr owd contr ol.
T he Scar le t Knights be at the Fighting Ir is h in a r out, 56- 14.
I ne e d to r out the backyar d in or de r to put in the pipe s .
r udime ntar y
(adj.) e le me ntar y
Adding two plus two is a r udime ntar y activity.
r uffian
(n.) tough pe r s on or a hoodlum
Contr ar y to popular opinion, r uffians ar e nothing ne w in the city.
r uminate
(v.) to cons ide r car e fully
T he doctor will r uminate on his diagnos is .
Facing a tough de cis ion, he de cide d to r uminate be for e making his
thoughts known.
r ummage
(v.) s e ar ch thor oughly
De te r mine d to find his colle ge ye ar book, he r ummage d thr ough e ve r y
box in the gar age .
r us tic
(adj.) plain and uns ophis ticate d; home ly; of or living in the countr y
T he pr e s ide nt e njoye d s pe nding we e ke nds at Camp David, a r us tic
r e tr e a t in the Catoctin Mountains of Mar yland.
s aga
(n.) a le ge nd; any long s tor y of adve ntur e or he r oic de e d
T he s aga of King Ar thur and his cour t has be e n told for ge ne r ations .
s agacious
(adj.) wis e
Many of he r fr ie nds came to he r with the ir pr oble ms be caus e s he gave
s agacious advice .
T he old man gave s agacious advice .
s alie nt
(adj.) notice able ; pr omine nt
What's s alie nt about the r e por t is its docume ntation of utte r de s pair in
the he ar tland of the r iche s t nation on Ear th.
His mos t s alie nt fe atur e is his nos e .
His s alie nt br uis e will ale r t his mothe r to the alte r cation.
s alubr ious
(adj.) pr omoting good he alth
Salubr ious food he lps maintain an ide al we ight.
Ex e r cis ing fr e que ntly and e ating he althy foods ar e s alubr ious habits .
s alutator y
(adj.) of or containing gr e e tings
T wo me s s e nge r s we r e s e nt to the ne w ne ighbor s with a s alutator y le tte r .
s alvage
(v.) r e s cue fr om los s
T he family tr ie d to s alvage the ir be longings afte r the ir home was
de s tr oye d by a tor nado.
s anction
(v.; n.) an act of giving author itative pe r mis s ion; to give e ncour age me nt;
a blockade
T he gove r nme nt has s anctione d the me e tings as a wor thy caus e .
He did mor e than tole r ate he r actions , he s anctione d the m.
Be for e committing tr oops to war , the pr e s ide nt wante d to give the
s anctions a chance to wor k.
s anguine
(adj.) optimis tic; che e r ful; r e d
Eve n whe n victor y s e e me d impos s ible , the ge ne r al r e maine d s anguine .
T he dr e s s was s anguine with a br ight gr e e n bor de r s tr ipe .
With a s anguine nod the inte r vie we e e nte r e d the office .
s apid
(adj.) having a ple as ant tas te
Ye llow and blue icing cove r e d the s apid pas tr y.
s ar cas m
(n.) ir onic; bitte r humor de s igne d to wound
T he te ache r did not appr e ciate the s tude nt's s ar cas m and gave him
de te ntion.
s ar donic
(adj.) having a s ar cas tic quality
H.L. Me ncke n was known for his s ar donic wr itings on political figur e s .
s atir e
(n.) a nove l or play that us e s humor or ir ony to e x pos e folly
T he ne w play was a s atir e that e x pos e d the Pr e s ide nt's inability to le ad
the countr y.
s atur ate
(v.) s oak thor oughly; dr e nch
She s atur ate d the s ponge with s oapy wate r be for e s he be gan was hing the
car .
s atur nine
(adj.) gloomy, s luggis h
T he ne ve r - e nding r ain put e ve r yone in a s atur nine mood.
s aunte r
(v.) to walk at a le is ur e ly pace ; s tr oll
T he loving couple s aunte r e d down the woode d path.
s avant
(n.) one who is inte llige nt
T he s avant acce pte d his awar d of e x ce lle nce .
s avor
(v.) to r e ce ive ple as ur e fr om; to e njoy with appr e ciation; dwe ll on with
de light
Afte r s e ve r al months without a day off, s he s avor e d e ve r y minute of he r
we e k- long vacation.
s canty
(adj.) inade quate ; s par s e
T he malnutr ition was caus e d by the s canty amount of he althy food e ate n
e ach day.
s chis m
(n.) a divis ion in an or ganize d gr oup
Whe n the gr oup could not de cide on a plan of action, a s chis m occur r e d.
s cour ge
(v.) to whip s e ve r e ly
T he tr aine r will s cour ge the animal if it attacks s ome one .
s cr upulous
(adj.) honor able ; e x act
Afte r finding a pur s e with valuable ite ms ins ide , the s cr upulous Mr .
Pr e nde r gas t r e tur ne d e ve r ything to its owne r .
A s cr upulous cle aning was conducte d be for e the family move d.
s cr utinize
(v.) e x amine clos e ly; s tudy
Afte r allowing his s on to bor r ow the family car , the fathe r s cr utinize d
e ve r y s e ction for de nts .
s cur r ilous
(adj.) vulgar ity
T he s cur r ilous language made the mothe r twinge .
s e ctar ian
(adj.) to be nar r ow minde d or limite d
A s e ctar ian pr e clude d him fr om lis te ning to the othe r s ide .
s e de ntar y
(adj.) char acte r ize d by s itting; r e maining in one locality
T he s e de ntar y child had not move d afte r two hour s .
T he old woman who ne ve r le ft he r home town has le d a s e de ntar y life .
s e dition
(n.) a r e volt
T he s e dition by the guar ds e nde d with the ir be ing e x e cute d for tr e as on.
s e dulous
(adj.) wor king dilige ntly; pe r s is te nt
T he s e dulous habits of the te am will s ur e ly conclude in victor y.
Only the mos t s e dulous s ale s pe ople will s ucce e d.
s e e the
(v.) to be viole ntly dis tur be d
By the time I ar r ive d, s he was s e e thing with ange r .
He s e e the d at the pr os pe ct of los ing the bus ine s s to his conniving uncle .
s e que s te r
(v.) to s e par ate or s e gr e gate
T he jur y was s e que s te r e d at the local inn.
s e r e ndipity
(n.) an appar e nt aptitude for making for tunate dis cove r ie s accide ntally
Se r e ndipity s e e me d to follow the lucky winne r whe r e e ve r he we nt.
s e r r ate d
(adj.) having a s aw- toothe d e dge
While camping, the family us e d a s e r r ate d band s aw to cut fir e wood.
s e r vile
(adj.) s lavis h; gr ove ling
He kne w the y both pos s e s s e d e qual abilitie s , and ye t he was always
tr e ate d as a s e r vile unde r ling.
His s e r vile le ade r s hip for ce d he r to take ove r .
T he s e r vile nur s e did e ve r ything the doctor told he r to do.
s hady
(adj.) a char acte r of que s tionable hone s ty
A s hady pe r s on would not be tr us te d with a s e ns itive s e cr e t.
s hoal
(n.) a lar ge gr oup or cr owd
Shoals of gr ain we r e s tor e d in the bar n.
s hoddy
(adj.) of infe r ior quality; che ap
T he s tate 's attor ne y s aid many home s , as the y we r e built with s hoddy
mate r ials , we r e bound to jus t blow apar t e ve n in winds of 60 or 70 mile s
pe r hour .
T he s hoddy home s we r e blown ove r in the s tor m.
s inuous
(adj.) full of cur ve s ; twis ting and tur ning
Sinuous mountain r oads at night pr e s e nt e x tr a dange r at night whe n it's
har de r to s e e the r oad's e dge .
s ke ptic
(n.) doubte r
Eve n afte r s e e ing e vide nce that his compe titor 's ne w e ngine wor ke d, the
e ngine e r r e maine d a s ke ptic that it was mar ke table .
s kulk
(v.) to move s e cr e tly, implie s s inis te r
T he thie f s kulke d ar ound the ne ighbor hood hoping to find his ne x t tar ge t.
T he y found the boy s kulking in the bus he s .
T he woman atte mpte d to s kulk away fr om cle aning the hous e by hir ing a
cle aning s e r vice .
s lande r
(v.) de fame ; malicious ly mis r e pr e s e nt
Or ville s aid he 'd be e n s lande r e d, and he as ke d the cour t who would- or
could- give him his name back.
s loth
(n.) dis inclination to action or labor
Employe r s want to guar d agains t hir ing s loths as ne w e mploye e s .
s lothful
(adj.) lazy
T he s lothful actions of the playe r le d to his be nching.
s love nly
(adv.) s loppy
His mothe r - in- law did not appr ove of his s love nly manne r .
s odde n
(adj.) s oggy; dull in action as if fr om alcohol
T he flowe r s we r e s odde n afte r the r ain.
T he s odde n r e action of the man caus e d the accide nt.
s ojour n
(v.) to s tay te mpor ar ily
T he family will s ojour n at the ir s umme r home .
T he gue s t r e maine d only for a s ojour n; s he was going to le ave in the
afte r noon.
s olace
(n.) hope ; comfor t dur ing a time of gr ie f
Whe n he r fathe r pas s e d away, s he found s olace amongs t he r fr ie nds and
family.
s ole mnity
(n.) a de e p, r e ve r e nt fe e ling ofte n as s ociate d with r e ligious occas ions
T he chur ch s e r vice was full of s ole mnity.
T he s ole mnity of the fune r al pr oce s s ion s tood in s tar k contr as t to the
young childr e n s plas hing with de light in a ne ar by pool.
s olicit
(v.) as k; s e e k
T he joble s s man s olicite d e mployme nt fr om many factor ie s be for e he
was able to find wor k.
s oliloquy
(n.) a talk one has with one s e lf (e s p. on s tage )
Imagine T .S. Eliot's poe m T he Was te Land pe r for me d on s tage as a kind
of s oliloquy!
T he s oliloquy by the man s tanding alone on the cliff s e nt a me s s age of
r e gr e t.
s olubility
(n.) that can be s olve d; that can be dis s olve d
T he s olubility of s ugar caus e s it to dis appe ar whe n put in wate r .
s ombe r
(adj.) dar k and de pr e s s ing; gloomy
T he s ad s tor y had put e ve r yone in a s ombe r mood.
s opor ific
(adj.) caus ing s le e p
T he s opor ific me dication s hould not be take n whe n you ne e d to dr ive .
s or did
(adj.) filthy; bas e ; vile
T he s or did gutte r s ne e de d to be cle ane d afte r the long, r ainy autumn.
T he cr iminals thought patte r ns we r e s o s or did that he was not gr ante d
par ole .
s ove r e ign
(adj.) s upe r ior
T he powe r was give n to the s ove r e ign war r ior .
s pe cious
(adj.) plaus ible , but de ce ptive ; appar e ntly, but not actually, tr ue
T he jur y for e woman s aid the jur y s aw thr ough the de fe ns e lawye r 's
s pe cious ar gume nt and convicte d his clie nt on the we ight of the
e vide nce .
I was uns ur e of the me aning of the s pe cious s tate me nt.
s pe lunke r
(n.) one who s tudie s cave s
T he s pe lunke r made a s tar tling dis cove r y in the old mine .
s pe ndthr ift
(n.) a pe r s on who s pe nds mone y e x tr avagantly
T he s pe ndthr ift bought two ne w ne cklace s and thr e e pair s of s hoe s .
s ple ne tic
(adj.) mar ke d by hos tility
T he s ple ne tic war r ior s advance d with no thought of what the y we r e
de s tr oying.
s por adic
(adj.) r ar e ly occur r ing or appe ar ing; inte r mitte nt
In the de s e r t the r e is us ually only s por adic r ainfall.
s pur ious
(adj.) not ge nuine , fals e ; bogus
Spur ious claims by the impor te r hid the fact that pr is on labor had be e n
us e d in the gar me nts ' fabr ication.
T he ne ws pape r was notor ious for s pur ious infor mation.
s pur n
(v.; n.) to pus h away; a s tr ong r e je ction
T he woman s pur ne d the advance s of he r s uitor , s aying s he was n't r e ady
for a commitme nt.
Unlucky e nough to be the ninth te le mar ke te r to call Jane that e ve ning, he
caught he r s pur n.
s qualid
(adj.) filthy; wr e tche d (fr om s qualor )
T he lack of s anitation piping caus e d s qualid conditions .
He make s good mone y, but I would ne ve r want to wor k in thos e s qualid
cr awl s pace s .
s tagnant
(adj.) motionle s s , uncir culating
T he s tagnant wate r in the puddle be came infe s te d with mos quitoe s .
s taid
(adj.) mar ke d by s e lf- contr ol
T he hor s e was s taid as it e nte r e d the s table .
s tamina
(n.) e ndur ance
Anybody who can finis h the Ne w Yor k Mar athon has lots of s tamina.
s tanch
(v.) to s top or che ck the flow of; s taunch
It is ne ce s s ar y to s tanch the ble e ding fr om the wound as s oon as
pos s ible .
s tanza
(n.) gr oup of line s in a poe m having a de finite patte r n
T he poe t us e s an odd s imile in the s e cond s tanza of the poe m.
s tatic
(adj.) inactive ; change le s s
T he vie w while r iding in the tr ain acr os s the e ndle s s , flat lands cape
r e maine d s tatic for days .
T he s tatic wate r of the lake r e fle cte d the image of the tr e e s .
s te adfas t
(adj.) loyal
T he s e cr e t s e r vice age nts ar e s te adfas t to the ir oath to pr ote ct the
pr e s ide nt.
s tigma
(n.) a mar k of dis gr ace
T he "F" on his tr ans cr ipt is a s tigma on his r e cor d.
s tigmatize
(v.) to char acte r ize or make as dis gr ace ful
T he gr os s e r r or will s tigmatize the wor ke r as car e le s s .
s tipe nd
(n.) payme nt for wor k done
She r e ce ive s a monthly s tipe nd for he r he lp with the pr oje ct.
T he bank will pay the woman a s tipe nd of a hundr e d dollar s a we e k.
s toic
(adj.) de tache d; unr uffle d; calm; aus te r e indiffe r e nce to joy, gr ie f,
ple as ur e , or pain
T he s oldie r had be e n in we e k afte r we e k of fie r ce battle ; none the le s s , he
r e maine d s toic.
With s toic obe die nce the child s at quie tly on the chair .
s toke
(v.) to fe e d fue l to; e s pe cially a fir e
With the las t e mbe r s dying, he s toke d the fir e one mor e time .
s tolid
(adj.) s howing little e motion
With a s tolid e x pr e s s ion, the man walke d away fr om the confr ontation.
s tr iate d
(adj.) having line s or gr oove s
T he s tr iate d r oad was r e ady for tr affic.
s tr ide ncy
(n.) har s hne s s or s hr illne s s s ound
T he s tr ide ncy of the whis tle hur t the dog's e ar s .
s tr ide nt
(adj.) cr e aking; har s h, gr ating
He r s tr ide nt voice hampe r e d he r chance s of ge tting the announce r
pos ition.
s tupor
(n.) a s tunne d or be wilde r e d condition
He was in a s tupor afte r be ing hit on the he ad.
s tymie
(v.) to hinde r or obs tr uct
Lar ge amounts of s nowfall will s tymie the r e s cue e ffor t.
s uave
(adj.) e ffor tle s s ly gr acious
She was a s uave ne gotiator , always ge tting what s he wante d without
anyone fe e ling the y'd los t anything.
T he e le gant woman e nte r e d the r oom with a s uave walk.
s ubjugate
(v.) to dominate or e ns lave
T he bully will atte mpt to s ubjugate the r e mainde r of the clas s .
T he r oyal family s ubjugate d the pe as ants , making the m pe r for m har d
labor .
s ubliminal
(adj.) be low the le ve l of cons cious ne s s
Cr itics of adve r tis ing s ay that it's loade d with s ubliminal me s s age s .
s ubs idiar y
(adj.) giving a s e r vice ; be ing in a s ubor dinate pos ition
T he function of the s ubs idiar y was to ove r s e e the bank's comme r cial
loans .
He acknowle dge d the impor tance of the is s ue , but calle d it s ubs idiar y to
a hos t of othe r conce r ns .
s ubs tantive
(adj.) e x is ting inde pe nde ntly of othe r s ; a lar ge quantity
T he only company not acquir e d in the me r ge r r e taine d its s ubs tantive
e x is te nce .
A s ubs tantive amount of mone y will be ne e de d to fund the pr oje ct.
s ubs ume
(v.) to include within a lar ge r gr oup
T he AFL was s ubs ume d by the NFL in the 1960s .
s ubtle ty
(n.) pr ope ns ity of unde r s tate me nt; s o s light as to be bar e ly notice able
T he r e was no s ubtle ty in the pr ote s t; e ach pe r s on car r ie d a s ign and
ye lle d for civil r ights .
With gr e at s ubtle ty we s lippe d away fr om the bor ing par ty.
s uccinct
(adj.) cle ar ly s tate d; char acte r ize d by concis e ne s s
T he s pe e ch was s uccinct ye t e motional.
Us ually, the mos t s uccinct de finition is the r ight one .
Ar ticle s in USA T oday ar e s o s uccinct that s ome obs e r ve r s nickname d
the ne ws pape r "McPape r ."
s uccor
(n.) aid; as s is tance
Succor was give n to the fir e victim in the for m of clothe s and te mpor ar y
s he lte r .
s uccumb
(v.) give in; yie ld; collaps e
Whe n die ting, it is difficult not to s uccumb to te mptation.
s uffus e
(v.) to ove r s pr e ad
T he r ain will s uffus e the s pille d s and ar ound the patio.
s umptuous
(adj.) involving gr e at e x pe ns e
A s umptuous s pr e ad of me ats , ve ge table s , s oups and br e ads was
pr e par e d for the gue s ts .
s unde r
(v.) br e ak; s plit in two
T he Civil War thr e ate ne d to s unde r the Unite d State s .
Manage me nt s e e ks to s unde r the wor ke r s ' conne ctions to the union.
s undr y
(adj.) var ious ; mis ce llane ous ; s e par ate ; dis tinct
T his s tor e s e lls many s undr y nove lty ite ms .
Sundr y ite ms may be pur chas e d as a s ingle ite m.
s upe r ficial
(adj.) on the s ur face , nar r ow minde d; lacking de pth
T he victim had two s tab wounds , but luckily we r e only s upe r ficial.
s upe r fluous
(adj.) unne ce s s ar y; e x tr a
Although the de s igne r cons ide r e d the pie ce s upe r fluous , the woman
wante d the e x tr a chair in he r be dr oom.
Only the fir s t s e nte nce is ne ce s s ar y; all of the s e de tails ar e s upe r fluous .
Afte r the y finis he d the ir s e ve n- cour s e me al, a lar ge de s s e r t s e e me d
s upe r fluous .
s upe r lative
(adj.) of the highe s t kind or de gr e e
T he Golde n Gate Br idge is a s upe r lative e x ample of civil e ngine e r ing.
s upplant
(v.) to take the place of
Can you s upplant my pos ition if I cannot play?
s uppliant
(adj.) as king e ar ne s tly and s ubmis s ive ly
He r s uppliant r e que s t of wanting to know the name of the man was me t
with a laugh.
s uppr e s s
(v.) to br ing to an e nd; hold back
T he ille gal alie ns we r e s uppr e s s e d by the bor de r patr ol.
s ur fe it
(v.; n.) e x ce s s ive ly indulging; ove r indulge nce
T he te e nage r s we r e war ne d not to s ur fe it at the par ty.
T he r e s ult of he r s ur fe it was a we e k of r e gr e t.
s ur mis e
(n; v) a gue s s ; to gue s s
Was my s ur mis e cor r e ct?
I s ur mis e that we will not
He s ur mis e d how the play would e nd be for e the s e cond act be gan.
s ur pas s
(v.) go be yond; out do
Afte r r e cove r ing fr om a s e r ious illne s s , the boy s ur pas s e d the doctor 's
e x pe ctations by le aving the hos pital two days e ar ly.
s ur r e ptitious
(adj.) done s e cr e tly
T he s ur r e ptitious mane uve r s gave the advancing ar my an advantage .
s us ce ptible
(adj.) e as ily impos e d; incline d
She ge ts an annual flu s hot s ince s he is s us ce ptible to be coming ill.
s wathe
(v.) to wr ap ar ound s ome thing; e nve lop
Soft blanke ts s wathe the ne w bor n baby.
s ycophant
(n.) flatte r e r
Rodolfo hone d his s kills as a s ycophant, hoping it would ge t him into
Sylvia's good gr ace s .
T he s ycophant is known for atte nding many par tie s .
s yllogis m
(n.) r e as oning in or de r fr om ge ne r al to par ticular
T he s yllogis m we nt fr om fis h to guppie s .
s ymme tr y
(n.) cor r e s ponde nce of par ts ; har mony
T he r oman columns give the building a s ymme tr y.
s ynthe tic
(adj.) not r e al, r athe r ar tificial
T he s ynthe tic s kin was made of a thin r ubbe r .
table
(n.) a s ys te matic lis t of de tails
T he tr ain s che dule was s e t up as a table .
tacit
(adj.) not voice d or e x pr e s s e d
T he National Se cur ity Age ncy aide ar gue d, in e ffe ct, that he had r e ce ive d
the pr e s ide nt's tacit appr oval for the ar ms - for - hos tage s de al.
tacitur n
(adj.) incline d to s ile nce ; s pe aking little ; dour , s te r n
T he man was s o tacitur n it was for gotte n that he was the r e .
tantalize
(v.) to te mpt; to tor me nt
T he de s s e r ts we r e tantalizing, but he was on a die t.
tar r y
(v.) to go or move s lowly; de lay
She tar r ie d too long, and the r e for e mis s e d he r tr ain.
taut
(adj.) s tr e tche d tightly
T he y kne w a fis h was biting, be caus e the line s udde nly be came taut.
tawdr y
(adj.) tas te le s s ly or name nte d
T he s hop was full of tawdr y je we lr y.
te dious
(adj.) we ar is ome , tir e s ome
Cle aning the hous e is a te dious chor e for s ome pe ople .
With s o many ne w s afe ty pr e cautions ins titute d, flying has be come a
te dious affair .
te e m
(v.) to be s tocke d to ove r flowing; to pour out; to e mpty
T he ne w plant s e e me d to be te e ming with ins e cts .
It is he althie r to te e m the gr e as e fr om the br oth be for e s e r ving it.
te me r ity
(n.) foolhar dine s s
T e me r ity can r e s ult in tr age dy if the activity is dange r ous .
te mpe r
(v.) to mode r ate , as by mingling with s ome thing e ls e ; to br ing to the
pr ope r condition by tr e atme nt
She dr e w a hot bath, but the n r e alize d s he 'd have to te mpe r it with a little
cool wate r or e nd up s calde d.
T he cr afts man te mpe r e d the s te e l be for e be ing able to twis t it to for m a
table le g.
te mpe r ame nt
(n.) one 's cus tomar y fr ame of mind
T he gir l's te mpe r ame nt is us ually ve r y calm.
te nacious
(adj.) holding; pe r s is te nt
With a te nacious gr ip, the man was finally able to pull the nail fr om the
wall.
Afte r his te nacious ple as , s he finally conce de d.
His hold on his dr e ams is as te nacious as anyone I know.
te ne t
(n.) a pr inciple acce pte d as author itative
T he te ne ts of s ocialis m we r e e x plaine d in the book.
te ns ile
(adj.) unde r going or e x e r ting te ns ion
T he pipe line was capable of fle x ing to withs tand the tr e me ndous te ns ile
s tr ain that might accompany an s e is mic move me nt.
te ntative
(adj.) not confir me d; inde finite
Not knowing if he 'd be able to ge t the days off, Al we nt ahe ad anyway
and made te ntative vacation plans with his pal.
te nuous
(adj.) thin, s lim, de licate ; we ak
T he hur r icane for ce winds r ippe d the te nuous br anche s fr om the tr e e .
T he s pe ctator s panicke d as the y watche d the ce me nt block dangle fr om
one te nuous pie ce of twine .
te pid
(adj.) lacking war mth, inte r e s t, e nthus ias m; luke war m
T he te pid bath wate r was pe r fe ct for r e lax ing afte r a long day.
te r magant
(n.) a cons tantly quar r e ls ome woman
Agr e e me nt with the te r magant was an impos s ibility.
te r r e s tr ial
(adj.) pe r taining to the e ar th
De e r ar e te r r e s tr ial animals ; fis h ar e aquatic.
te r s e
(adj.) concis e ; abr upt
She be lie ve d in ge tting to the point, s o s he always gave te r s e ans we r s .
T he te r s e s pe e ch containe d only the e s s e ntial comme nts .
te the r
(n.) the r ange or limit of one 's abilitie s ; r ope or chain us e d to ke e p a boat
fr om dr ifting or an animal fr om wande r ing
My te the r of playing bas ke tball is s hooting air balls .
T he bulldog was te the r e d to his doghous e .
thr all
(n.) a s lave
T he wor ke r was tr e ate d like a thr all, having to wor k many hour s of
ove r time .
thr ifty
(adj.) fr ugal, car e ful with mone y
Be ing thr ifty, the woman would not pur chas e the ite m without a coupon.
T he thr ifty couple s ave d mone y by taking the bus to wor k.
thr oe
(n.) s pas m or pang; agony
A par ticular ly viole nt thr oe knocke d he r off he r fe e t.
T he wounde d s oldie r s quir me d in thr oe s of agony.
thwar t
(v.) pr e ve nt fr om accomplis hing a pur pos e ; fr us tr ate
T he ir atte mpt to take ove r the countr y was thwar te d by the palace guar d.
timbr e
(n.) the quality of s ound which dis tinguis he s one fr om anothe r
T he timbr e of guitar mus ic is diffe r e nt fr om that of piano mus ic.
timor ous
(adj.) lacking cour age ; timid
T he timor ous child hid be hind his par e nts .
Hillar y came to acce pt him as a timor ous s oul who ne e de d s uccor .
tor pid
(adj.) be ing dor mant; s low, s luggis h
Whe n we came upon the hibe r nating be ar , it was in a tor pid s tate .
A tor pid animal doe s not act with e ne r gy.
T he old, tor pid dog s pe nt mos t of his time s le e ping.
tor tuous
(adj.) full of twis ts and tur ns ; not s tr aight for war d; pos s ibly de ce itful
T he s us pe ct confe s s e d afte r be coming confus e d by the tor tuous
que s tioning of the captain.
tox ic
(adj.) pois onous
It's be s t to s tor e cle ans ing s olutions out of childr e n's r e ach be caus e of
the ir tox ic conte nts .
tr actable
(adj.) e as ily manage d (oppos ite : intr actable )
T he boat was s o lightwe ight it was tr actable by one pe r s on.
Having a tr actable s taff made he r job a lot e as ie r .
tr aduce
(v.) to de fame or s lande r
His actions tr aduce d his r e putation.
tr anquillity
(n.) pe ace ; s tillne s s ; har mony
T he tr anquillity of the tr opical is land was r e fle cte d in its calm blue
wate r s and war m s unny climate .
tr ans mutation
(n.) a change d for m
Some whe r e in the ne twor k's e nte r tainme nt divis ion, the s how unde r we nt
a tr ans mutation fr om a half- hour s itcom into an hour - long dr ama.
tr ans mute
(v.) to tr ans for m
De cor ator s tr ans mute or dinar y home s into inte r e s ting s howcas e s .
tr ans pir e
(v.) to take place ; come about
With all that's tr ans pir e d today, I'm e x haus te d.
tr aumatic
(adj.) caus ing a viole nt injur y
It was a tr aumatic accide nt, le aving the dr ive r with a br oke n ve r te br a, a
s mas he d wr is t, and a concus s ion.
tr avail
(n.) ve r y har d wor k; inte ns e pain or agony
T he far me r was tir e d afte r the tr avail of plowing the fie lds .
T he analge s ic finally e nde d he r tr avail.
tr e k
(v.) to make a jour ne y
T he y had to tr e k thr ough the de ns e for e s t to r e ach the ne ar e s t village .
tr e nchant
(adj.) cutting; ke e n or incis ive wor ds
Without a tr e nchant tool, the y would have to br e ak the br anche s r athe r
than cut the m.
T he tr e nchant wor ds hur t the man de e ply.
tr e pidation
(n.) appr e he ns ion; une as ine s s
He r long abs e nce caus e d mor e than a little tr e pidation.
With gr e at tr e pidation, the boy e nte r e d the wate r for the fir s t time .
tr ibunal
(n.) the s e at of judge
T he tr ibunal he ar d the cas e of the bur glar y.
tr ibute
(n.) e x pr e s s ion of admir ation
He r pe r for mance was a tr ibute to he r r e tir ing te ache r .
tr ite
(adj.) commonplace ; ove r us e d
T he committe e was looking for s ome thing ne w, not the s ame tr ite ide as .
Eating tomato s alads be came tr ite afte r the ir e x ce s s ive popular ity.
tr ivial
(adj.) unimpor tant; s mall; wor thle s s
Although he r mothe r fe lt othe r wis e , s he cons ide r e d he r dis h was hing
chor e tr ivial.
tr oth
(n.) be lie f; faith; fide lity
T he couple ple dge d tr oth to e ach othe r thr ough the ir vows .
tr ucule nt
(adj.) fie r ce , s avage , cr ue l
T r ucule nt fighting br oke out in the war - tor n countr y.
T he tr ucule nt be as t appr oache d the cr owd with wild e ye s and s har pe ne d
claws .
tr uncate
(v.) to s hor te n by cutting
With the football game r unning ove r , the s how s che dule d to follow it had
to be tr uncate d.
tumid
(adj.) s wolle n; pompous
T he tumid r ive r was he d away the home s built on the s hor e .
Afte r he e ar ne d his high- s chool diploma, he be came ins uffe r ably tumid.
T he tumid balloon floate d, but the e mpty one did not.
tumult
(n.) a nois y commotion; dis tur bance
T he tumult was caus e d by two boys wanting the s ame toy.
Afte r the tumult, I found it difficult to r e s ume my s tudie s .
tur bid
(adj.) thick and de ns e ; cloudy
T he tur bid gr e e n wate r s of the lake pr e ve nte d the m fr om s e e ing the
bottom.
tur bule nce
(n.) condition of be ing phys ically agitate d; dis tur bance
Eve r yone on the plane had to fas te n the ir s e at be lts as the plane e nte r e d
an ar e a of tur bule nce .
tur moil
(n.) unr e s t; agitation
Be for e the countr y r e cove r e d afte r the war , the y e x pe r ie nce d a time of
gr e at tur moil.
tur pitude
(n.) vile ne s s
T he tur pitude of the action caus e d a r age among the pe ople .
tute lage
(n.) the condition of be ing unde r a guar dian or a tutor
Be ing unde r the tute lage of a mas te r mus ician is a gr e at honor .
tycoon
(n.) we althy le ade r
T he bus ine s s tycoon pr e par e d to buy his fifte e nth company.
tyr anny
(n.) abs olute powe r ; autocr acy
T he pe ople we r e ups e t be caus e the y had no voice in the gove r nme nt that
the king r an as a tyr anny.
ubiquitous
(adj.) omnipr e s e nt; pr e s e nt e ve r ywhe r e
A ubiquitous s pir it followe d the man whe r e ve r he we nt.
Wate r may s e e m ubiquitous , until a dr ought come s along.
ulte r ior
(adj.) bur ie d; conce ale d; undis clos e d
She was us ually ve r y s e lfis h, s o whe n s he came be ar ing gifts he
s us pe cte d that s he had ulte r ior motive s .
My ulte r ior conce r ns ar e mor e impor tant than my imme diate one s .
T he man's ulte r ior motive was to s py on the lab, though he s aid he
wante d a job.
umbr age
(n.) offe ns e or r e s e ntme nt
T he candidate took umbr age at the r e mar k of his oppone nt.
unalloye d
(adj.) pur e , of high quality
An unalloye d chain is of gr e ate r value than a pie ce of cos tume je we lr y.
uncanny
(adj.) of a s tr ange natur e ; we ir d
T hat two pe ople could be s o alike was uncanny.
uncouth
(adj.) uncultur e d; cr ude
T he s ocial club would not acce pt an uncouth individual.
unde r mine
(v.) to we ake n; ofte n thr ough s ubtle me ans
T he atte mpts to unde r mine the me r ge r we r e uns ucce s s ful.
T he s upe r vis or unde r mine d the dir e ctor 's powe r and be gan contr olling
the s taff.
une quivocal
(adj.) cle ar and unambiguous
T he 50- 0 vote agains t the bill was an une quivocal s tate me nt agains t the
me as ur e .
His r e s pons e was une quivocal, which s e e me d unus ual for a politician.
unfe igne d
(adj.) ge nuine ; r e al; s ince r e
He r unfe igne d r e action of s ur pr is e me ant s he had not e x pe cte d the par ty.
ungainly
(adj.) clums y and unattr active
T he ungainly man knocke d ove r the plant s tand.
unifor m
(adj.) ne ve r changing, always with the s ame s tandar d
T he mar ching band move d in unifor m acr os s the fie ld.
Patr ons of fas t- food chains s ay the y like the ide a of a unifor m me nu
whe r e ve r the y go.
unique
(adj.) without e qual; incompar able
T he je we le r as s ur e d him that the dubloon was unique , as it was par t of
the long los t tr e as ur e of the Atocha.
unive r s al
(adj.) conce r ning e ve r yone ; e x is ting e ve r ywhe r e
Pollution doe s not affe ct jus t one countr y or s tate - it's a unive r s al
pr oble m.
unobtr us ive
(adj.) out of the way; r e maining quie tly in the backgr ound
T he s hy man found an unobtr us ive s e at in the far cor ne r of the r oom.
It was e as y to mis s the unobtr us ive plaque above the fir e place .
unpr e ce de nte d
(adj.) unhe ar d of; e x ce ptional
We e ks of inte ns e he at cr e ate d unpr e ce de nte d powe r de mands , which the
utilitie s we r e har d pr e s s e d to me e t.
unpr e te ntious
(adj.) s imple ; plain; mode s t
He was an unpr e te ntious far me r : An old John De e r e and a be at- up For d
pick- up we r e all he ne e de d to ge t the job done .
unr uly
(adj.) not s ubmitting to dis cipline ; dis obe die nt
T he unr uly boys had to be r e move d fr om the conce r t hall.
untowar d
(adj.) impr ope r ; unfor tunate
As king gue s ts to br ing the ir own food would be an untowar d r e que s t.
All of the ir fr ie nds e x pr e s s e d s ympathy about the ir untowar d s e par ation.
unwonte d
(adj.) r ar e
T he unwonte d r ais e would be the only one r e ce ive d for a fe w ye ar s .
T he change d migr ator y habits of the Canada ge e s e , though unwonte d, is
unwante d be caus e of the me s s the y make .
ups hot
(n.) the final act or r e s ult
T he ups hot of the de bate was that the bill would be r e le as e d to the floor .
ur bane
(adj.) cultur e d; s uave
T he gala conce r t and dinne r dance was atte nde d by the mos t ur bane
individuals .
T he Englis h bus ine s s man was de s cr ibe d by his pe e r s as witty and
ur bane .
us ur pation
(n.) ar t of taking s ome thing for one s e lf; s e izur e
Dur ing the war , the us ur pation of the countr y for ce d an e ntir e ly ne w
cultur e on the native s .
us ur y
(n.) the le nding of mone y with an e x ce s s ive ly high inte r e s t r ate
An inte r e s t r ate 30 points above the pr ime r ate would be cons ide r e d
us ur y in the Unite d State s .
Loan s har ks fr e que ntly pr actice us ur y, but the ir de btor s us ually have
little choice but to ke e p quie t and pay up.
utopia
(n.) imaginar y land with pe r fe ct s ocial and political s ys te ms
Voltair e wr ote of a utopia whe r e the s tr e e ts we r e pave d with gold.
waft
(v.) move ge ntly by wind or br e e ze
T he s moke wafte d out of the chimne y.
waive
(v.) to give up; to put off until late r
I will waive my r ights to have a lawye r pr e s e nt be caus e I don't think I
ne e d one .
As har d as he tr ie d, he could only waive his r e s pons ibility for s o long.
wan
(adj.) lacking color ; s ickly pale
He r face be came wan at the s ight of blood.
wane
(v.) to gr adually be come le s s ; to gr ow dim
Afte r time , inte r e s t in the s how will wane and it will no longe r be as
popular .
T he full moon wane d until it was nothing but a s live r in the s ky.
wanton
(adj.) unmanage able ; unjus tifiably malicious
My wanton hunge r mus t be s atiate d.
With wanton aggr e s s ion, the ar my attacke d the de fe ns e le s s village .
It is har d to los e we ight whe n one has a wanton de s ir e for s we e ts .
war r ant
(v.) jus tify; author ize
T he police official war r ante d the ar r e s t of the s us pe ct once e nough pr oof
had be e n found.
we lte r
(n.) a confus e d mas s ; tur moil
Whe n the e me r ge ncy alar m s ounde d, a we lte r of s hive r ing office wor ke r s
for me d in the s tr e e t as pe ople e vacuate d the s ite .
T he we lte r move d fr om s tr e e t to s tr e e t to e s cape the fir e .
whe e dle
(v.) to influe nce or pe r s uade
T he cr ook may atte mpt to whe e dle the mone y fr om the bank.
He tr ie d har d to whe e dle his fathe r into buying him a car .
whe t
(v.) to s har pe n by r ubbing; to s timulate
Be for e car ving the tur ke y, you mus t whe t the blade .
T he s me ll of cooking food has whe t my appe tite .
T he s me ll of dinne r cooking whe tte d he r appe tite .
whims ical
(adj.) fanciful; amus ing
Str olling down Dis ne y Wor ld's Main Str e e t is bound to put child and
gr own- up alike in a whims ical mood.
wily
(adj.) conce aling; s ly
T he wily e x planation was me ant to confus e the inve s tigator .
wins ome
(adj.) char ming; s we e tly attr active
His wins ome wor ds move d the cr owd to love him e ve n mor e .
withe r
(v.) wilt; s hr ive l; humiliate ; cut down
T he plant withe r e d s lowly s ince it r e ce ive d little light and little wate r .
wize ne d
(adj.) s hr ive le d; withe r e d
T he wize ne d face of the old man was cove r e d by his hat.
woode n
(adj.) to be e x pr e s s ionle s s or dull
T he woode n e x pr e s s ion of the man made him look like a s tatue .
wor kaday
(adj.) commonplace
T he wor kaday me al was not e x citing to the wor ld clas s che f.
wr ath
(n.) viole nt or unr e s tr aine d ange r ; fur y
Do not tr e s pas s on his pr ope r ty or you will have to de al with his wr ath.
wr e ak
(v.) to give ve nt; to inflict
T he dr agon will wr e ak havoc upon the countr ys ide .
wr e s t
(v.) to pull or for ce away by a viole nt twis ting
T he war r ior s wr e s t the powe r fr om the king.
wr e tche d
(adj.) mis e r able or unhappy; caus ing dis tr e s s
Br ought up in an or phanage , Annie le d a wr e tche d e x is te nce .
T he continual r ain made for a wr e tche d vacation.
wr y
(adj.) mocking; cynical
He has a wr y s e ns e of humor which s ome time s hur ts pe ople 's fe e lings .
x e nophobia
(n.) fe ar of for e igne r s
Xe nophobia ke pt the towns pe ople fr om e ncour aging any immigr ants to
move into the ne ighbor hood.
yoke
(n.) har ne s s ; collar ; bond
T he jocke y le d he r hor s e by the yoke ar ound its ne ck and face .
yor e
(n.) for me r pe r iod of time
Whe n he s e e s his childhood fr ie nds , the y s pe ak about the days of yor e .
ze alot
(n.) be lie ve r ; e nthus ias t; fan
T he ze alot followe d whate ve r r ule s the cult le ade r s e t.
ze nith
(n.) point dir e ctly ove r he ad in the s ky; highe s t point
T he as tr onome r pointe d he r te le s cope s tr aight up towar d the ze nith.
T he Br oncos s e e me d to be at the ze nith of the ir powe r jus t as the ir r ivals
on the tur f we r e flagging.
T he s un will r e ach its ze nith at noon.
T he ze nith of he r car e e r occur r e d dur ing he r time as chair pe r s on.
ze phyr
(n.) a ge ntle wind; br e e ze
It was a be autiful day, with a ze phyr blowing in fr om the s e a.
T he ze phyr ble w the boat s lowly acr os s the lake .