Digital SAT R&W Easy Vocabulary Flashcards

[qdeck ” bold_text=”false” style=”border-color: #6666cc !important;”]

[h] Digital SAT R&W Easy Vocabulary Flashcards 

[q] abase [a] abase V. lower; humiliate.

Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the conquering Romans, who forced her to march before the emperor Aurelian in the procession celebrating his triumph.
[q] abate [a] abate V. subside; decrease; lessen.

Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate. abatement, N.
[q] abdicate [a] abdicate V. renounce; give up.

When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world. When the painter Gauguin abdicated his family responsibilities to run off to Samoa, he surprised no one at all.
[q] aberration [a] aberration N.

deviation from the expected or normal; mental irregularity or disorder. Survivors of a major catastrophe are likely to exhibit aberrations of behavior because of the trauma they have experienced. abberant, ADJ. and N.
[q] abet [a] abet V. encourage; aid. 

She was accused of aiding and abetting the drug dealer by engaging in a money-laundering scheme to help him disguise his illegal income. abettor, N.
[q] abeyance [a] abeyance N. suspended action.

The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.
[q] abject [a] abject ADJ. hopeless and crushed; servile and spiritless; wretched.

On the streets of New York, the homeless live in abject poverty, lying huddled in doorways to find shelter from the wind.
[q] abrade [a] abrade V. wear away by friction; scrape; erode.

The sharp rocks abraded the skin on her legs, so she put iodine on her abrasions.
[q] abscond [a] abscond V. depart secretly to avoid capture.

The teller who absconded with the bonds was not captured until someone recognized him from his photograph on America’s Most Wanted.

[q] absolute [a] absolute ADJ. complete; totally unlimited; certain.

Although the king of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.
[q] absolve [a] absolve V. pardon (an offense); free from blame.

The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution, N.
[q] abstain [a] abstain V. refrain;

hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice (especially one regarded as improper or unhealthy). After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race. abstinence, N.; abstinent or abstemious, ADJ.
[q] abstract [a] abstract ADJ. theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational.

To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.
[q] abstruse [a] abstruse ADJ. obscure; profound; difficult to understand.

She carries around abstruse works of philosophy, not because she understands them but because she wants her friends to think she does.
[q] accelerate [a] accelerate V. move faster.

In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.
[q] accessible [a] accessible ADJ. easy to approach; obtainable.

We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.
[q] accessory [a] accessory N. additional object; useful but not essential thing. The accessories she bought cost more than the dress. also, ADJ.
[q] acclaim [a] acclaim V. applaud; announce with great approval. The NBC sportscaster acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and lamented every American defeat. acclamation, acclaim, N.
[q] accolade [a] accolade N. award of merit. In the world of public relations, a Clio is the highest accolade an advertising campaign can receive.
[q] accomodate (1) [a] accomodate (1) V. provide lodgings. Mary asked the room clerk whether the hotel would be able to accomodate the tour group on such short notice. accomodations, N.
[q] accomodate (2) [a] accomodate (2) V. oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt. Mitch always did everything possible to accomodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork. accomodating, ADJ.
[q] accomplice [a] accomplice N. partner in crime. Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder.
[q] acknowledge [a] acknowledge V. recognize; admit. Although Ira acknowledged that the Beatles’ tunes sounded pretty dated nowadays, he still preferred them to the punk rock songs his nephews played.
[q] acquittal [a] acquittal N. declaration of innocence; delivrance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit, V.
[q] acrimony [a] acrimony N. bitterness of words or manner. The candidate attacked his opponent with great acrimony. acrimonious, ADJ.
[q] acumen [a] acumen N. mental keenness. His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.
[q] adamant [a] adamant ADJ. hard; inflexible. Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals who had destroyed his family. adamancy, N.
[q] adapt [a] adapt V. alter; modify. Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment.
[q] addiction [a] addiction N. compulsive, habitual need. His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief.
[q] adhere [a] adhere V. stick fast to. I will adhere to this opinion until someone comes up with solid proof that I am wrong. adhesive, ADJ.
[q] adjacent [a] adjacent ADJ. adjoining; neighboring; close by. Philip’s best friend Jason lived only four houses away, close but not immediately adjacent.
[q] adjudicate [a] adjudicate V. pass legal judgment on; sit in judgment. Do you trust Judge Judy to adjudicate disputes impartially?
[q] admonish [a] admonish V. warn; scold. The preacher admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways. admonition, N.
[q] adroit [a] adroit ADJ. skillful; nimble. The juggler’s admirers particularly enjoyed his adroit handling of difficult balancing tricks.
[q] adulation [a] adulation N. flattery; admiration. The rock star relished the adulation she received from her groupies and yes-men.
[q] adulterate [a] adulterate V. Make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances. It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer. When consumers learned that the manufacturer had adulterated its apple juice by mixing it with water, they protested vigorously.
[q] adversary [a] adversary N. opponent. “Aha!” cried Holmes. “Watson, I suspect this delay is the work of my old adversary Professor Moriarty.” adversarial, ADJ.
[q] adverse [a] adverse ADJ. unfavorable; hostile. The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father’s investment portfolio: he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the butler and the upstairs maid. adversity, N.
[q] adversity [a] adversity N. poverty; misfortune. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.
[q] advocate [a] advocate V. urge; plead for. Noted abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth advocated the eradication of the Southern institution of slavery. also N.
[q] aesthetic [a] aesthetic ADJ. artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful. The beauty of Tiffany’s stained glass appealed to Alice’s aesthetic sense. aesthete, N.
[q] affable [a] affable ADJ. easily approachable; warmly friendly. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed by how affable his new employer was.
[q] affected [a] affected ADJ. artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress. His affected mannerisms – his “Harvard” accent, his air of boredom, his flaunting of obscure foreign words – irritated many of us who had known him before he had gone away to school. affectation, N.
[q] affinity [a] affinity N. kinship; attraction to. She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains. Her brother, in contrast, had an affinity for political wheeling and dealing; he manipulated people shamelessly, not caring who got hurt.
[q] affirmation [a] affirmation N. positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath. Despite Tom’s affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie. affirm, V.
[q] affix [a] affix V. add on; fasten; attach. First the registrar had to affix her signature to the license; the she had to affix her official seal.
[q] affluence [a] affluence N. wealth; prosperity; abundance. Galvanized by his sudden, unexpected affluence, the lottery winner dashed out to buy himself a brand new Ferrari. affluent, ADJ.
[q] affront [a] affront V. insult; offend. Accustomed to being treated with respect, Miss Challoner was affronted by Vidal’s offensive behavior.
[q] aggregate [a] aggregate V. gather; accumulate. Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time. aggregation, N.
[q] agility [a] agility N. nimbleness. The acrobat’s agility amazed and thrilled the audience. agile, ADJ.
[q] agitate [a] agitate V. stir up; disturb. Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.
[q] alacrity [a] alacrity N. cheerful promptness. Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountians; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.
[q] alias [a] alias N. an assumed name. John Smith’s alias was Bob Jones. also ADV.
[q] alienate [a] alienate V. make hostile; separate. Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.
[q] alleviate [a] alleviate V. relieve; lessen. This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we will use stronger drugs.
[q] alloy [a] alloy V. mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate. Our delight at the victory was alloyed by our concern for the pitcher, who injured his pitching arm in the game.
[q] allude [a] allude V. refer indirectly. Try not to mention divorce in John’s presence because he will think you are alluding to his marital problems with Jill.
[q] allure [a] allure V. entice; attract. Allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef. also N.
[q] allusion [a] allusion N. indirect reference. When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, “One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of flesh?,” she was making an allusion to Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.
[q] aloft [a] aloft ADV. upward. The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. To get into a loft bed, you have to climb aloft.
[q] aloof [a] aloof ADJ. apart; reserved; standoffish. People thought James was a snob because he remained aloof while all the rest of the group conversed.
[q] altercation [a] altercation N. noisy quarrel; heated dispute. In that hot-tempered household, no meal ever came to a peaceful conclusion; the inevitable altercation occasionally even ended in blows.
[q] altruistic [a] altruistic ADJ. unselfishly generous; concerned for others. The star received no fee for appearing at the benefit; it was a purely altruistic act. altruism, N.
[q] amalgam [a] amalgam N. mixture of different elements; alloy. In character, King Gustav was a strange amalgam of hard-headed practicality and religious zeal. amalgate, V.
[q] ambiguous [a] ambiguous ADJ. unclear or doubtful in meaning. The proctor’s ambiguous instructions thoroughly confused us; we didn’t know which columns we should mark and which we should leave blank. ambiguity, N.
[q] ambivalence [a] ambivalence N. having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes. Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings. ambivalent, ADJ.
[q] ambulatory [a] ambulatory ADJ. able to walk; not bedridden. Jonathan was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did he refuse to be confined to bed, but also he insisted on riding his skateboard up and down the halls.
[q] ameliorate [a] ameliorate V. to improve; make more satisfactory. Carl became a union organizer because he wanted to join the fight to ameliorate working conditions in the factory.
[q] amenable [a] amenable ADJ. readily managed; willing to give in; agreeable; submissive. A born snob, Wilbur was amenable to any suggestions from those he looked up to, but he resented advice from his supposed inferiors. Unfortunately, his incorrigible snobbery was not amenable to improvement.
[q] amiable [a] amiable ADJ. agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly. In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who have dealings with her.
[q] amorous [a] amorous ADJ. moved by sexual love; loving. “Love them and leave them” was the motto of the amourous Don Juan.
[q] amorphous [a] amorphous ADJ. formless; lacking shape or definition. As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous.
[q] ample [a] ample ADJ. abundant. Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why did he let us catch him?
[q] amplify [a] amplify V. broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger. Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks, but he was drowned out be jeers from the audience. Lucy, however, used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice and drowned out all the hecklers.
[q] anachronism [a] anachronism N. something regarded as outmoded; something or someone misplaced in time. In today’s world of personal copiers and fax machines, the old-fashioned mimeography machine is clearly an anachronism; even the electric typewriter seems anachronistic next to a laptop PC.
[q] analogy [a] analogy N. similarity; parallelism. A well-known analogy compares the body’s immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells. Analogies are useful, but you can’t take them too far: cells, after all, are not soldiers; there is no boot camp for lymphocytes.
[q] anarchist [a] anarchist N. a person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority. Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely.
[q] anarchy [a] anarchy N. absence of governing body; state of disorder. For weeks China was in a state of anarchy, with soldiers shooting down civilians in the streets and rumors claiming that Premier Deng was dead. Foreigners fleeing the country reported conditions were so anarchic that it was a miracle they escaped.
[q] ancillary [a] ancillary ADJ. serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own. also N.
[q] animated [a] animated ADJ. lively; spirited. Jim Carrey’s facial expressions are highly animated: when he played Ace Ventura, he looked practically rubber-faced.
[q] animosity [a] animosity N. active enmity. Mr. Fang incurred the animosity of the party’s rulers because he advocated limitations of their power.
[q] anomaly [a] anomaly N. irregularity; something out of place or abnormal. A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly. A classical harpist in the middle of a heavy metal band is anomalous; she is also inaudible.
[q] antagonism [a] antagonism N. hostility; active resistance. Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him. antagonistic, ADJ.
[q] antecedents [a] antecedents N. preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background. Susi Bechhofer’s ignorance of her Jewish background had its antecedents in the chaos of World War II. Smuggled out of Germany and adopted by a Christian family, she knew nothing of her birth and antecedents until she was reunited with her family in 1989.
[q] anticlimax [a] anticlimax N. letdown in thought or emotion. After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax. anticlimactic, ADJ.
[q] antipathy [a] antipathy N. aversion; dislike. Tom’s extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife. Noise in any form is antipathetic to him. Among his particular antipathies are honking cars, boom boxes, and heavy metal rock.
[q] antiquated [a] antiquated ADJ. obsolete; outdated. Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought the typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.
[q] antiseptic [a] antiseptic N. substance that prevents infection. It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant. also ADJ.
[q] antithesis [a] antithesis N. contrast; direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.
[q] apathy [a] apathy N. lack of caring; indifference. A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. She wondered whether they had ever cared or whether they had always been apathetic.
[q] aplomb [a] aplomb N. poise; assurance. Gwen’s aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.
[q] apocryphal [a] apocryphal ADJ. untrue; made up. To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.
[q] apostate [a] apostate N. one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs. Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.
[q] append [a] append V. attach. I shall append this chart to my report. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix.
[q] apprehension [a] apprehension N. fear; discernment; capture. The tourist refused to drive his rental car through downtown Miami because he felt some apprehension that he might be carjacked.
[q] apprenticeship [a] apprenticeship N. time spent as a novice learning a trade from a skilled worker. As a child, Pip had thought it would be wonderful to work as Joe’s apprentice; now he hated his apprenticeship and scorned the blacksmith’s trade.
[q] appropriate (ADJ.) [a] appropriate (ADJ.) ADJ. fitting or suitable; pertinent. Madonna spent hours looking for a suit that would be appropriate to wear at a summer wedding.
[q] appropriate (V.) [a] appropriate (V.) V. acquire; take possession of for one’s own use; set aside for a special purpose. The ranchers appropriated lands that had originally been intended for Indian use. In response, Congress appropriated additional funds for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
[q] arable [a] arable ADJ. fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.
[q] arbiter [a] arbiter N. a person with power to decide a dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she is skillful: she balances the demands of both sides and hands down rulings with which everyone agrees. As an arbiter of style, however, she is worthless: she wears such unflattering outfits that no woman in her right mind would imitate her.
[q] arbitrary [a] arbitrary ADJ. unreasonable or capricious; randomly selected without any reason; based solely on one’s unrestricted will or judgment. The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls.
[q] archipelago [a] archipelago N. group of closely located islands. When Gauguin looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.
[q] arduous [a] arduous ADJ. hard; strenuous. Bob’s arduous efforts had sapped his energy. Even using a chain saw, he found chopping down trees and arduous, time-consuming task.
[q] aria [a] aria N. operatic solo. At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from the opera Norma.
[q] arid [a] arid ADJ. dry; barren. The cactus has adapted to survive in an arid environment.
[q] aristocracy [a] aristocracy N. hereditary nobility; privileged class. Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy: we say all men are created equal, but we describe people who bear themselves with grace and graciousness as natural aristocrats.
[q] arrogance [a] arrogance N. pride; haughtiness. Convinced that Emma thought she was better than anyone else in the class, Ed rebuked her for her arrogance.
[q] articulate [a] articulate ADJ. effective, distinct. Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers. also V.
[q] ascendancy [a] ascendancy N. controlling influence. President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendancy over the Philippines. He was overthrown by the forces of Corazon Aquino when she ascended to power.
[q] ascetic [a] ascetic ADJ. practicing self-denial; austere. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders. also N.
[q] aspire [a] aspire V. seek to attain; long for. Because he aspired to a career in professional sports, Philip enrolled in a graduate program in sports management. aspiration, N.
[q] assail [a] assail V. assault. He was assailed with questions after his lecture.
[q] assert [a] assert V. state strongly or positively; insist on or demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc). When Jill asserted that nobody else in the junior class had such an early curfew, her parents asserted themselves, telling her that if she didn’t get home by nine o’clock, she would be grounded for the week. assertion, N.
[q] assiduous [a] assiduous ADJ. diligent. It took Rembrandt weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with his self-portrait. assiduity, N.
[q] assuage [a] assuage V. ease or lessen (pain). Jilted by Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream.
[q] assumption [a] assumption N. something taken for granted; taking over or taking possession of. The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her assumption of power. assume, V.
[q] assurance [a] assurance N. promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence. When Guthrie gave Guinness his assurance rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guinness felt relieved. assure, V.; assured, ADJ.
[q] astute [a] astute ADJ. wise; shrewd; keen. As a tutor, she made astute observations about how to take multiple-choice tests. She was an astute observer: she noticed every tiny detail and knew exactly how important each one was.
[q] asylum [a] asylum N. place of refuge; safety. Fleeing persecution, the political refugee sought asylum in the United States.
[q] atrophy [a] atrophy V. waste away. After three months in a cast, Stan’s biceps had atrophied somewhat; however, he was sure that if he pumped iron for a while he would soon build it up.
[q] attain [a] attain V. reach or accomplish; gain. It took Bolingbroke years to attain his goal of gaining the throne.
[q] attentive [a] attentive ADJ. watching carefully; considerate; thoughtful. Spellbound, the attentive audience watched the final game of the match, never taking their eyes from the ball. Stan’s attentive daughter slipped a sweater over his shoulders without destracting his attention from the game.
[q] attire [a] attire N. clothing (especially, splendid clothes). At the Academy Awards ceremony, the television host commented on the highly fashionable attire worn by the nominees. also V.
[q] attribute (N.) [a] attribute (N.) N. essential quality. His outstanding attribute was his kindness.
[q] attribute (V.) [a] attribute (V.) V. acribe or credit (to a cause); regard as characteristic of a person or thing. I attribute Andrea’s success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents.
[q] attrition [a] attrition N. gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment. In the 1960s, urban churches suffered from attrition as members moved from the cities to the suburbs. Rather than fire staff members, church leaders followed a policy of attrition, allowing elderly workers to retire without replacing them.
[q] audacity [a] audacity N. boldness. Luke could not believe his own audacity in addressing the princess. Where did he get the nerve?
[q] augment [a] augment V. increase. Armies augment their forces by calling up reinforcements; teachers augment their salaries by taking odd jobs. Lexy augments her salary by working in a record store. Her augmentation of wealth has not been great; however, she has augmented her record collection considerably.
[q] aura [a] aura N. distinctive atmosphere; luminous glow. Radiant with happiness, the bride seemed surrounded by an aura of brightness.
[q] auspicious [a] auspicious ADJ. favoring success; fortunate. With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail. Prospects for trade were good; under such promising auspices we were bound to thrive. Thomas, however, had doubts: a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever conditions seemed auspicious.
[q] austere [a] austere ADJ. forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented. The headmaster’s austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly. The room reflected the man, for it was austere and bare, like a monk’s cell, with no touches of luxury to moderate its austerity.
[q] authentic [a] authentic ADJ. genuine. The art expert was able to distinguish the authentic van Gogh painting from the forged copy. authenticate, V.
[q] authoritative [a] authoritative ADJ. having the weight of authority; overbearing and dictatorial. Impressed by the young researcher’s well-documented presentation, we accepted her analysis of the experiment as authoritative.
[q] autonomous [a] autonomous ADJ. self-governing. This island is a colony; however, in most matters, it is autonomous and receives no orders from the mother country. The islanders are an independent lot and would fight to preserve their autonomy.
[q] autopsy [a] autopsy N. examination of a dead body; postmortem. The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death. also V.
[q] avarice [a] avarice N. greediness for wealth. King Midas is a perfect example of avarice, for he was so greedy that he wished everything he touched would turn to gold.
[q] averse [a] averse ADJ. reluctant. The reporter was averse to revealing the sources of his information.
[q] aversion [a] aversion N. firm dislike. Bert had an aversion to yuppies; Alex had an aversion to punks. Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.
[q] avert [a] avert V. prevent; turn aside. “Watch out!” she cried, hoping to avert an accident. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.
[q] avid [a] avid ADJ. greedy; eager for. Abner was avid for pleasure and partied with great avidity.
[q] awe [a] awe N. solemn wonder. The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.
[q] babble [a] babble V. chatter idly. The little girl babbled about her dolls and pets.
[q] badger [a] badger V. pester; annoy; harass. She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.
[q] baffle [a] baffle V. frustrate; perplex. The new code baffled the enemy agents.
[q] balk [a] balk V. foil or thwart; stop short; refuse to go on. When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt. However, he balked at punishing them by shackling them to the walls of their cells.
[q] banal [a] banal ADJ. hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality. The hack writer’s worn-out clichés made his comic sketch seem banal. He even resorted to the banality of having someone slip on a banana peel!
[q] bane [a] bane N. cause of ruin; curse. Lucy’s little brother was the bane of her existence: his attempts to make her life miserable worked so well that she could have fed him some ratsbane for having such a baneful effect.
[q] bastion [a] bastion N. stronghold; something seen as a source of protection. The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrilla raids.
[q] begrudge [a] begrudge V. resent. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings; they’re a complete waste of time.
[q] beguile [a] beguile V. mislead or delude; cheat; pass time. With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men beguiled Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, Kyle beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.
[q] belie [a] belie V. contradict; give a false impression of. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his underlying sensitivity.
[q] benefactor [a] benefactor N. gift giver; patron. In later years, Scrooge became Tiny Tim’s benefactor and gave him many gifts.
[q] beneficial [a] beneficial ADJ. helpful; advantageous; useful. Tiny Tim’s cheerful good nature had a beneficial influence on Scrooge’s disposition.
[q] beneficiary [a] beneficiary N. person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will. In Scrooge’s will, he made Tiny Tim his beneficiary. Everything he left would go to the benefit of young Tim.
[q] benevolent [a] benevolent ADJ. generous; charitable. Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees.
[q] benign [a] benign ADJ. kindly; favorable; not malignant. Though her benign smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem a sweet old lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd observer of human nature. benignity, N.
[q] bestial [a] bestial ADJ. beastlike; brutal. According to legend, the werewolf was able to abandon its human shape to take on a bestial form.
[q] bestow [a] bestow V. confer. The president wished to bestow honors upon the hero.
[q] betray [a] betray V. be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly). The spy betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy. When he was taken in for questioning, the tightness of his lips betrayed his fear of being caught.
[q] biased [a] biased ADJ. slanted; prejudiced. Because the judge played golf regularly with the district attorney’s father, we feared he might be biased in the prosecution’s favor. bias, N.
[q] bizarre [a] bizarre ADJ. fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.
[q] bland [a] bland ADJ. soothing; mild; dull. Unless you want your stomach lining to be eaten away, stick to a bland diet. blandness, N.
[q] blandishment [a] blandishment N. flattery. Despite the salesperson’s blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.
[q] blare [a] blare N. loud, harsh roar; screech. I don’t know which is worse: the steady blare of a teenager’s boom box deafening you ears or a sudden blaze of flashbulbs dazzling your eyes.
[q] blasphemy [a] blasphemy N. irreverence; sacrilege; cursing. In my father’s house, the Dodgers were the holiest of holies; to cheer for another team was to utter words of blasphemy. blasphemous, ADJ.
[q] blatant [a] blatant ADJ. flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offensive. To the unemployed youth from Dublin, the “No Irish Need Apply” placard in the shop window was a blatant mark of prejudice.
[q] blithe [a] blithe ADJ. gay; joyous; carefree. Without a care in the world, Beth went her blithe, light-hearted way.
[q] bloat [a] bloat V. expand or swell (with water or air); puff up with conceit. Constant flattery from his hangers-on bloated the heavyweight champion’s already sizable ego.
[q] boisterous [a] boisterous ADJ. rough and noisy; rowdy; stormy. The unruly crowd of demonstrators became even more boisterous when the mayor tried to quiet them.
[q] bolster [a] bolster V. support; reinforce. The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments.
[q] boon [a] boon N. blesssing; benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.
[q] boundless [a] boundless ADJ. unlimited; vast. Mike’s energy was boundless: the greater the challenge, the more vigorously he tackled the job.
[q] bountiful [a] bountiful ADJ. abundant; graciously generous. Thanks to the good harvest, we had a bountiful supply of food, and we could be as bountiful as we liked in distributing food to the needy.
[q] bourgeois [a] bourgeois ADJ. middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional. Technically, anyone who belongs to the middle class is bourgeois, but, given the word’s connotations, most people resent it if you call them that.
[q] boycott [a] boycott V. refrain from buying or using. In an effort to stop grape growers from using pesticides that harmed the farm workers’ health, Cesar Chavez called for consumers to boycott grapes.
[q] brackish [a] brackish ADJ. somewhat salty. Following the stream, we noticed its fresh, springlike water grew increasingly brackish as we drew nearer to the bay.
[q] brandish [a] brandish V. wave around; flourish. Alarmed, Doctor Watson wildly brandished his gun until Holmes told him to put the thing away before he shot himself.
[q] breach [a] breach N. breaking of contract or duty; fissure; gap. Jill sued Jack for breach of promise, claiming he had broken his promise to marry her. They found a breach in the enemy’s fortifications and penetrated their lines. also V.
[q] brevity [a] brevity N. conciseness. Since you are charged for every transmitted word, brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram.
[q] brine [a] brine N. salt water; seawater (as opposed to fresh). If you pack a peck of peppers in brine, what do you get? A peck of pickled peppers! briny, ADJ.
[q] brittle [a] brittle ADJ. easily broken; difficult. My employer’s self-control was as brittle as an eggshell. Her brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.
[q] brochure [a] brochure N. pamphlet. This free brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.
[q] brusque [a] brusque ADJ. blunt; abrupt. Jill was offended by Jack’s brusque reply; he had no right to be so impatient with her.
[q] bungle [a] bungle V. mismanage; blunder. Don’t botch this assignment, Bumstead; if you bungle the job, you’re fired!
[q] buoyant [a] buoyant ADJ. able to float; cheerful and optimistic. When the boat capsized, her buoyant life jacket kept Jody afloat. Scrambling back on board, she was still in a buoyant mood, certain that despite the delay, she’d win the race. buoyancy, N.
[q] burgeon [a] burgeon V. bloom; develop rapidly; flourish. From its start as a small Seattle coffeehouse, Starbucks seemed to burgeon almost overnight into a major national chain.
[q] bustle [a] bustle V. move about energetically; teem. David and the children bustled about the house getting in each other’s way as they tried to pack for the camping trip.
[q] buttress [a] buttress V. support or prop up. The goverment is considering price supports to buttress the declining economy. The huge cathedral walls were supported by flying butresses. also N.
[q] cajole [a] cajole V. coax; wheedle. Jill tried to cajole Jack into buying her a fur coat, but no matter how much she coaxed him, he wouldn’t give in to her cajolery.
[q] calamity [a] calamity N. disaster; misery. As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community. calamitous, ADJ.
[q] calligraphy [a] calligraphy N. beautiful writing; excellent penmanship. In the Middle Ages, before a novice scribe was allowed to copy an important document, he had to spend years practicing calligraphy.
[q] callous [a] callous ADJ. hardened; unfeeling. Carl had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffering in the wards. It was as if he had a callus on his soul.
[q] camaraderie [a] camaraderie N. good-fellowship. What Ginger loved best about her job was the sense of camaraderie she and her coworkers shared.
[q] candor [a] candor N. frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry candor to far: when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face. Instead of being so candid, try keeping your opinions to yourself.
[q] canine [a] canine ADJ. related to dogs; doglike. Some days the canine population of Berkely seems almost to outnumber the human population.
[q] cant [a] cant N. insincere, hypocritical speech; “pious” talk; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of the minister’s extramarital love affairs, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who can’t, pretend.
[q] capricious [a] capricious ADJ. unpredictable; fickle. The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly. Jill was capricious, too: she changed boyfriends almost as often as she changed clothes.
[q] caption [a] caption N. title; chapter heading; text under illustration. The capricious captions that accompany “The Far Side” cartoons are almost as funny as the pictures. also V.
[q] captivate [a] captivate V. charm; fascinate. Although he was predisposed to dislike Elizabeth, Darcy found himself captivated by her charm and wit.
[q] cardiac [a] cardiac ADJ. pertaining to the heart. Since no one in his family had ever had cardiac problems, Bill was unconcerned about the possibility of a heart attack.
[q] caricature [a] caricature N. exaggerated picture or description; distortion. The cartoonist’s caricature of Senator Foghorn grossly exaggerated the size of the senator’s nose and ears. also V.
[q] carping [a] carping ADJ. finding fault. A carping critic is a nit-picker, someone who loves to point out flaws. carp, V.
[q] caste [a] caste N. one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society; social stratification; prestige. She bore a mark on her forehead signifying she was a Brahmin, a member of the highest caste.
[q] castigation [a] castigation N. punishment; severe criticism. Sensitive to even mild criticism, Virginia Woolf could not bear the castigation that she met in certain reviews. castigate, V.
[q] casualty [a] casualty N. serious or fatal accident. The number of casualties on this holiday weekend was high.
[q] catacomb [a] catacomb N. subterranean cemetery; underground passageway. Londoners refer to their catacomb-like subway system as the Underground.
[q] catastrophe [a] catastrophe N. calamity; disaster. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a catastrophe that destroyed most of the city.
[q] caustic [a] caustic ADJ. burning; sarcastically biting. The critic’s caustic review humiliated the actors, who resented his cutting remarks.
[q] cede [a] cede V. yield (title, territory) to; surrender formally. Eventually the descendants of England’s Henry II were forced to cede their French territories to the King of France.
[q] censor [a] censor N. inspector overseeing public morals; official who prevents publication of offensive material. Because certain passages in his novel Ulysses had been condemned by the censor, James Joyce was unable to publish the novel in England for many years.
[q] censure [a] censure V. blame; criticize. Though I don’t blame Tony for leaving Tina, I do censure him for failing to pay child support.
[q] cerebral [a] cerebral ADJ. pertaining to the brain or intellect. The content of philisophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought.
[q] cessation [a] cessation N. stopping. The airline workers threatened a cessation of all work if management failed to meet their demands. cease, V.
[q] chafe [a] chafe V. warm by rubbing; make sore (by rubbing). Chilled, he chafed his hands before the fire. The collar of his school uniform chafed Tom’s neck, but not as much as the school’s strict rules chafed his spirit. also N.
[q] chaff [a] chaff N. husks and stems left over when grain has been threshed; worthless, leftover by-products. When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.
[q] chagrin [a] chagrin N. vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride); disappointment. Embarrassed by his parents’ shabby, working-class appearance, Doug felt their visit to his school would bring him nothing but chagrin. Someone filled with chagrin doesn’t grin: he’s too mortified.
[q] chameleon [a] chameleon N. lizard that changes color in different situations. Like the chameleon, the candidate assumed the political thinking of every group he met.
[q] chaotic [a] chaotic ADJ. in utter disorder. He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs. chaos, N.
[q] charlatan [a] charlatan N. quack; pretender to knowledge. When they realized that the Wizard didn’t know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends were sure they’d been duped by a charlatan.
[q] chary [a] chary ADJ. cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty, New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary compliments.
[q] chasm [a] chasm N. abyss. They could not see the bottom of the chasm.
[q] chastise [a] chastise V. punish physically; scold verbally. “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” Miss Watson said, grabbing her birch wand and proceeding to chastise poor Huck thoroughly.
[q] chauvinist [a] chauvinist N. blindly devoted patriot. Chauvinists cannot recognize any faults in their country, no matter how flagrant they may be. Likewise, a male chauvinist cannot recognize how biased he is in favor of his own sex, no matter how flagrant that may be.
[q] chicanery [a] chicanery N. trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred, made up all sorts of implausible alternative scenarios to confuse the jurors, and in general depended on chicanery to win the case.
[q] choreography [a] choreography N. art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances. Merce Cunningham has begun to use a computer in designing choreography: a software program allows him to compose arrangements of possible moves and to view them immediately onscreen.
[q] chronic [a] chronic ADJ. long established (as a disease). The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas in his apartment.
[q] chronicle [a] chronicle V. report; record (in chronological order). The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities. also N.
[q] circumscribe [a] circumscribe V. limit; confine. Although I do not wish to circumscribe your activities, I must insist that you complete this assignment before you start anything else.
[q] circumspect [a] circumspect ADJ. prudent; cautious. Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.
[q] cite [a] cite V. quote; refer to; commend. Because Virginial could cite hundreds of biblical passages from memory, her pastor cited her for her studiousness. citation, N.
[q] clairvoyant [a] clairvoyant ADJ., N. having foresight; fortune-teller. Cassandra’s clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans. clairvoyance, N.
[q] clandestine [a] clandestine ADJ. secret. After avoiding their chaperone, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.
[q] claustrophobia [a] claustrophobia N. fear of being shut in. If Santa Claus got stuck in a chimney and couldn’t get out, would he wind up suffering from claustrophobia?
[q] clemency [a] clemency N. disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather. The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith’s chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders. We decided to eat dinner in the garden to enjoy the unexpected clemency of the weather.
[q] cliché [a] cliché N. phrase dulled in meaning by repetition. High school compositions are often marred by such clichés as “strong as an ox.”
[q] climactic [a] climactic ADJ. relating to the highest point. When Jack reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading. climax, N.
[q] clique [a] clique N. small exclusive group. Fitzgerald wished that he belonged to the clique of popular athletes and big men on campus who seemed to run Princeton’s social life.
[q] coalesce [a] coalesce V. combine; fuse. The brooks coalesced into one large river. When minor political parties coalesce, their coalescence may create a major coalition.
[q] coalition [a] coalition N. association; union. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition brought together people of many different races and creeds.
[q] cogitate [a] cogitate V. think over. Cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.
[q] coincidence [a] coincidence N. two or more things occurring at the same time by chance. Was it just coincidence that John and she had chanced to meet at the market for three days running, or was he deliberately trying to seek her out? coincident, ADJ.
[q] collaborate [a] collaborate V. work together. Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.
[q] colossal [a] colossal ADJ. huge. Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.
[q] collusion [a] collusion N. conspiring in a fraudulent scheme. The swindlers were found guilty of collusion. collude, V.
[q] comely [a] comely ADJ. attractive; agreeable. I would rather have a poor but comely wife than a rich and homely one.
[q] commiserate [a] commiserate V. feel or express pity or sympathy for. Her friends commiserated the widow.
[q] compact (ADJ.) [a] compact (ADJ.) ADJ. tightly packed; firm; brief. His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball.
[q] compact (N.) [a] compact (N.) N. agreement; contract. The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government.
[q] comparable [a] comparable ADJ. similar. People whose jobs are combarable in difficulty should receive comparable pay.
[q] compatible [a] compatible ADJ. harmonious; in harmony with. They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters. compatibility, N.
[q] compile [a] compile V. assemble; gather; accumulate. We planned to compile a list of words most frequently used on SAT examinations. compilation, N.
[q] complacent [a] complacent ADJ. self-satisfied; smug. Feeling complacent about his latest victories, he looked smugly at the row of trophies on his mantelpiece. complacency, N.
[q] complement [a] complement V. complete; make perfect. The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. also, N.
[q] compliance [a] compliance N. readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements. Bill was so bullheaded that we never expected his easy compliance to our requests. As an architect, however, Bill recognized that his design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.
[q] component [a] component N. element; ingredient. I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same time.
[q] composure [a] composure N. mental calmness. Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.
[q] compress [a] compress V. close; squeeze; contract. She compressed the package under her arm.
[q] compromise [a] compromise V. adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of. Sometimes the presence of a neutral third party can help adversaries compromise their differences. Unfortunately, your presence at the scene of the dispute compromises our claim to neutrality in this matter. also, N.
[q] compute [a] compute V. reckon; calculate. He failed to compute the interest; so his bank balance was not accurate.
[q] concerted [a] concerted ADJ. mutually agreed on; done together. All the Girl Scouts made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing. When the movie star arrived, his fans let out a concerted sigh.
[q] concise [a] concise ADJ. brief but comprehensive. The instructions were concise and to the point: they included every necessary detail and not one word more. Precision indicates exactness; concision indicates compactness. To achieve conciseness, cut out unnecessary words.
[q] concoct [a] concoct V. prepare by combining; make up in concert. How did the inventive chef ever concoct such a strange dish? concoction, N.
[q] concurrent [a] concurrent ADJ. happening at the same time. In America, the colonists were resisting the demands of the mother country; at the concurrent moment in France, the middle class was sowing the seeds of rebellion. The two revolutionary movements took place concurrently.
[q] condescend [a] condescend V. act conscious of descending to a lower level; patronize. Though Jill was a star softball player in college, when she played a pickup game at the local park she never condescended to her teammates or acted as if she thought herself superior to them. condescension, N.
[q] condole [a] condole V. express sympathetic sorrow. Bill’s friends gathered to condole him over his loss. Those unable to attend the funeral sent letters of condolence.
[q] condone [a] condone V. overlook voluntarily; forgive. Although she had excused Huck for his earlier escapades, Widow Douglas refused to condone his latest prank.
[q] confine [a] confine V. shut in; restrict. The terrorists had confined their prisoner in a small room. However, they had not chained him to the wall or done anything else to confine his movements further. confinement, N.
[q] confirm [a] confirm V. corroborate; verify; support. I have several witnesses who will confirm my account of what happened.
[q] conflagration [a] conflagration N. great fire. In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco burned to the ground.
[q] conformity [a] conformity N. agreement or compliance; actions in agreement with prevailing social customs. In conformity with the bylaws of the Country Dance and Song Society, I am submitting a petition nominating Susan Murrow as president of the society. Because Kate had always been a rebellious child, we were surprised by her conformity to the standards of behavior prevalent at her new school.
[q] confront [a] confront V. face someone or something; encounter, often in a hostile way. Fearing his wife’s hot temper, Stanley was reluctant to confront her about her skyrocketing credit card bills.
[q] congeal [a] congeal V. freeze; coagulate. His blood congealed in his veins as he saw the dreaded monster rush toward him.
[q] congenial [a] congenial ADJ. pleasant; friendly. My father loved to go out for a meal with congenial companions.
[q] connotation [a] connotation N. suggested or implied meaning of an expression. Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.
[q] consensus [a] consensus N. general agreement. Every time the garden club members had nearly reached a consensus about what to plant, Mistress Mary, quite contrary, disagreed.
[q] consequence [a] consequence N. self-importance; pomposity. Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with such an air of consequence that it was hard for his valet to keep a straight face. consequential, ADJ.
[q] consistency [a] consistency N. harmony of parts; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness. Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency: he liked his puddings without lumps and his explanations without contradictions or improbabilities. consistent, ADJ.
[q] console [a] console V. lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort. When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette.
[q] consolidation [a] consolidation N. unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger. The recent consolidation of several small airlines into one major company has left observers of the industry wondering whether room still exists for the “little guys” in aviation. consolidate, V.
[q] conspicuous [a] conspicuous ADJ. easily seen; noticeable; striking. Janet was conspicuous both for her red hair and for her height.
[q] constituent [a] constituent N. resident of a district represented by an elected official. The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass.
[q] constraint [a] constraint N. compulsion; repression of feelings. There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker. constrain, V.
[q] contagion [a] contagion N. infection. Fearing contagion, the health authorities took great steps to prevent the spread of the disease.
[q] contempt [a] contempt N. scorn; disdain. The heavyweight boxer looked on ordinary people with contempt, scorning them as weaklings who couldn’t hurt a fly. We thought it was contemptible of him to be contemptuous of people for being weak.
[q] contention [a] contention N. claim; thesis. It is our contention that, if you follow our tactics, you will boost your score on the PSAT. contend, V.
[q] contentious [a] contentious ADJ. quarrelsome. Disagreeing violently with the referees’ ruling, the coach became so contentious that they threw him out of the game.
[q] context [a] context N. writings preceding and following the passage quoted. Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the message the author intended.
[q] contingent (ADJ.) [a] contingent (ADJ.) ADJ. dependent on; conditional. Cher’s father informed her that any increase in her allowance was contingent on the quality of her final grades. contingency, N.
[q] contingent (N.) [a] contingent (N.) N. group that makes up part of a gathering. The New York contingent of delegates at the Democratic National Convention was a boisterous, sometimes rowdy lot.
[q] contortion [a] contortion N. twisting; distortion. Watching the contortions of the gymnast as he twisted and heaved his body from one side to the other of the pommel horse, we were awed by his strength and flexibility.
[q] contrite [a] contrite ADJ. penitent. Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed the sentence.
[q] convention [a] convention N. social or moral custom; established practice. Flying in the face of convention, George Sand shocked society by taking lovers and wearing men’s clothes.
[q] converge [a] converge V. approach; tend to meet; come together. African-American men from all over the United States converged on Washington to take part in the historic Million Man march.
[q] convert [a] convert N. one who has adopted a different religion or opinion. On his trip to Japan, though the president spoke at length about the merits of American automobiles, he made few converts to his beliefs. also V.
[q] conviction [a] conviction N. judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter’s conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.
[q] convoluted [a] convoluted ADJ. complex and involved; intricate; winding; coiled. Talk about twisted! The new tax regulations are so convoluted that even my accountant can’t unravel their mysteries.
[q] cordial [a] cordial ADJ. gracious; heartfelt. Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug.
[q] corroborate [a] corroborate V. confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom’s story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.
[q] corrosion [a] corrosion N. destruction by chemical action. The corrosion of the girders supporting the bridge took place so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly collapsed. corrode, V.
[q] cosmic [a] cosmic ADJ. pertaining to the universe; vast. Cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth’s atmosphere from outer space. cosmos, N.
[q] cosmopolitan [a] cosmopolitan ADJ. sophisticated. Her years in the capital had transformed her into a cosmopolitan young woman highly aware of international affairs.
[q] countenance [a] countenance V. approve; tolerate. He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.
[q] covert [a] covert ADJ. secret; hidden; implied. Investigations of the Central Intelligence Agency and other secret service networks reveal that such covert operations can get out of control.
[q] covetous [a] covetous ADJ. avaricious; eagerly desirous of. The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates. covet, V.
[q] cower [a] cower V. shrink quivering, as from fear. The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.
[q] crass [a] crass ADJ. very unrefined; grossly insensible. The film critic deplored the crass commercialism of moviemakers who abandon artistic standard in order to make a quick buck.
[q] credibility [a] credibility N. believability. Because the candidate had made some pretty unbelievable promises, we began to question the credibility of everything she said.
[q] credulity [a] credulity N. belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naïveté. Con artists take advantage of the credulity of inexperienced investors to swindle them out of their savings. credulous, ADJ.
[q] criterion [a] criterion N. standard used in judging. What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner? criteria, Pl.
[q] cryptic [a] cryptic ADJ. mysterious; hidden; secret. Thoroughly baffled by Holmes’s cryptic remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.
[q] culinary [a] culinary ADJ. relating to cooking. Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices.
[q] cull [a] cull V. pick out; reject. Every month the farmer culls the nonlaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher. also N.
[q] culmination [a] culmination N. attainment of highest point. Her inauguration as president of the United States marked the culmination of her political career. culminate, V.
[q] culpable [a] culpable ADJ. deserving blame. Corrupt politicians who condone the illegal activities of gamblers are equally culpable.
[q] cumbersome [a] cumbersome ADJ. heavy; hard to manage. He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.
[q] curb [a] curb V. restrain. The overly generous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money and left himself with nothing.
[q] cursory [a] cursory ADJ. casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire’s cause.
[q] curtail [a] curtail V. shorten; reduce. When Elton asked Cher for a date, she said she was really sorry she couldn’t go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.
[q] cynical [a] cynical ADJ. skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift “with no strings attached.” cynic, N.
[q] dabble [a] dabble V. work at in a nonserious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finished piece. The children dabbled their hands in the bird bath, splashing one another gleefully.
[q] daunt [a] daunt V. intimidate; frighten. “Boast all you like of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt me,” the dauntless hero answered the villain.
[q] dawdle [a] dawdle V. loiter; waste time. At the mall, Mother grew impatient with Jo and Amy because they tended to dawdle as they went from store to store.
[q] dearth [a] dearth N. scarcity. The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.
[q] debase [a] debase V. reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. In The King and I, Anna refuses to kneel down and prostrate herself before the king, for she feels that to do so would debase her position, and she will not submit to such debasement.
[q] debilitate [a] debilitate V. weaken; enfeeble. Michael’s severe bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.
[q] decadence [a] decadence N. decay or decline, especially moral; self-indulgence. We named our best-selling ice cream flavor “chocolate decadence” because only truly self-indulgent people would treat themselves to something so calorific and cholesterol laden.
[q] decipher [a] decipher V. decode. I could not decipher the doctor’s handwriting.
[q] decorous [a] decorous ADJ. proper. Prudence’s decorous behavior was praised by her teachers, who wished they had a classroom full of such polite and proper little girls. decorum, N.
[q] decoy [a] decoy N. lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. also V.
[q] decry [a] decry V. express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.
[q] deducible [a] deducible ADJ. derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.
[q] deface [a] deface V. mar; disfigure. If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.
[q] defamation [a] defamation N. harming a person’s reputation. Defamation of character may result in a slander suit. If rival candidates persist in defaming one another, the voters may conclude that all politicians are crooks.
[q] defeatist [a] defeatist ADJ. attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed. also N.
[q] deference [a] deference N. courteous regard for another’s wish. In deference to the minister’s request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.
[q] defiance [a] defiance N. opposition; willingness to resist. In learning to read and write in defiance of his master’s orders, Frederick Douglass showed exceptional courage. defy, V.
[q] definitive [a] definitive ADJ. final; complete. Carl Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.
[q] defrock [a] defrock V. strip a priest or minister of church authority. We knew the minister had violated church regulations, but we had not realized his offense was serious enough for people to seek to defrock him.
[q] defunct [a] defunct ADJ. dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation.
[q] degenerate [a] degenerate V. become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on, the champion’s style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.
[q] deign [a] deign V. condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere seamstress; his overburdened assistant had to convey the master’s wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs.
[q] delete [a] delete V. erase; strike out. Less is more: if you delete this paragraph, the composition will have more appeal.
[q] deleterious [a] deleterious ADJ. harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the surgeon general certainly does), then quit!
[q] delineate [a] delineate V. portray; depict; sketch. Using only a few descriptive phrases, Jane Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move. delineation, N.
[q] delirium [a] delirium N. mental disorder marked by confusion. In his delirium, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs. Perhaps he wasn’t delirious; he might just have wandered into a movie.
[q] delusion [a] delusion N. false belief; hallucination. Don suffers from delusions of grandeur: he thinks he’s a world-famous author when he’s published just one paperback book.
[q] demean [a] demean V. degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demean himself by replying to the offensive letter. If you truly believed in the dignity of labor, you would not think it would demean you to work as a janitor.
[q] demeanor [a] demeanor N. behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.
[q] demolish [a] demolish V. destroy; tear down. Before building a new hotel along the waterfront, the construction company had to demolish several rundown warehouses on that site. demolition, N.
[q] demur [a] demur V. object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the board of directors, David demurred: he had doubts about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.
[q] demure [a] demure ADJ. grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.
[q] denounce [a] denounce V. condemn; criticize. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officials for having betrayed the public’s trust. denunciation, N.
[q] deny [a] deny V. contradict; refuse. Do you deny his story, or do you support what he says? How could Pat deny the truth of the accusation that he’d been swiping the Oreos when he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar? denial, N.
[q] depict [a] depict V. portray. In this sensational exposé, the author depicts John Lennon as a drug-crazed neurotic. Do you question the accuracy of this depiction of Lennon?
[q] deplete [a] deplete V. reduce; exhaust. We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.
[q] deplore [a] deplore V. regret strongly; express grief over. Although Ann Landers deplored the disintegration of the modern family, she recognized that not every marriage could be saved.
[q] deprecate [a] deprecate V. express disappoval of; protest against. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the unfortunate modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names. deprecatory, ADJ.
[q] depreciate [a] depreciate V. lessen in value. If you neglect this property, it will depreciate.
[q] deprivation [a] deprivation N. loss. In prison she faced the sudden deprivation of rights she had taken for granted: the right to stay up late reading a book, the right to privacy, the right to make a phone call to a friend.
[q] derelict [a] derelict ADJ. abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever abandoned it in mid harbor was derelict in living up to his or her responsibilities as a boat owner. dereliction, N.
[q] derision [a] derision N. ridicule; mockery. Greeting his pretentious dialogue with derision, the critics refused to consider his play seriously. deride, V.
[q] derivative [a] derivative ADJ. unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics felt she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.
[q] desecrate [a] desecrate V. profane; violate the sanctity of. The soldiers desecrated the temple, shattering the altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot.
[q] designation [a] designation N. identifying name; appointment to a position or office. For years the president’s home had no proper designation; eventually it was called the White House. Given Gary’s background in accounting, his designation as treasurer came as no surprise to his fellow board members.
[q] despise [a] despise V. look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful. Mr. Bond, I despise spies; I look down on them as mean, despicable, honorless men, whom I would cheerfully wipe from the face of the earth.
[q] despondent [a] despondent ADJ. depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents, William became so seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan that they despaired of finding a cure for his gloom. despondency, N.
[q] desultory [a] desultory ADJ. aimless; haphazard; digressing at random. In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him, reading was purposeful, not desultory.
[q] detached [a] detached ADJ. emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent. A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with her patients’ personal lives. detachment, N. (secondary meaning)
[q] determination [a] determination N. resolve; measurement or calculation; decision. Nothing could shake his determination that his children would get the best education that money could buy. Thanks to my pocket calculator, my determination of the answer to the problem took only seconds of my time.
[q] deterrent [a] deterrent N. something that discourages; hindrance. Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers? deter, V.
[q] detrimental [a] detrimental ADJ. harmful; damaging. The candidate’s acceptance of major fincancial contributions from a well-known racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign, for he lost the backing of many of his early grassroots supporters. detriment, N.
[q] deviate [a] deviate V. turn away form (a principle, norm); depart; diverge. Richard never deviated from his daily routine: every day he set off for work at eight o’clock, had his sack lunch (peanut butter on whole wheat) at 12:15, and headed home at the stroke of five.
[q] devious [a] devious ADJ. roundabout; erratic; not straighforward. The Joker’s plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges.
[q] dexterous [a] dexterous ADJ. skillful. The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow him as he performed his tricks.
[q] diagnosis [a] diagnosis N. art of identifying a disease; analysis of a condition. In medical school Margaret developed her skill at diagnosis, learning how to read volumes from a rapid pulse or a hacking cough. diagnose, V.; diagnostic, ADJ.
[q] dichotomy [a] dichotomy N. split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones). Willie didn’t know how to resolve the dichotomy between his ambition to go to college and his childhood longing to run away to join the circus. Then he heard about Ringling Brothers Circus College, and he knew he’d found the perfect school.
[q] didactic [a] didactic ADJ. teaching; instructional. Pope’s lengthy poem An Essay on Man is too didactic for my taste: I dislike it when poets turn preachy and moralize.
[q] diehard [a] diehard N. unyielding opponent (to a measure, position, etc.). Even the popular new president could not win support for his universal health care plan from the diehards in his party.
[q] diffident [a] diffident ADJ. shy; lacking confidence; reserved. Can a naturally diffident person become a fast-talking, successful used car salesman?
[q] diffuse [a] diffuse ADJ. wordy; rambling; spread out (like a gas). If you pay authors by the word, you tempt them to produce diffuse manuscripts rather than brief ones. diffusion, N.
[q] digression [a] digression N. wandering away from the subject. Nobody minded when Professor Renoir’s lectures wandered away from their official theme; his digressions were always more fascinating than the topic of the day. digress, V.
[q] dilemma [a] dilemma N. problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives. In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice.
[q] dilettante [a] dilettante N. aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler. He was not serious in his painting; he was rather a dilettante.
[q] diligence [a] diligence N. steadiness of effort; persistent hard work. Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm. diligent, ADJ.
[q] dilute [a] dilute V. make less concentrated; reduce in strength. She preferred her coffee diluted with milk.
[q] diminutive [a] diminutive ADJ. small in size. Looking at the tiny gymnast, we were amazed that anyone so diminutive could perform with such power.
[q] din [a] din N. continued loud noise. The din of the jack-hammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer’s voice. also V.
[q] dirge [a] dirge N. lament with music. The funeral dirge stirred us to tears.
[q] disavowal [a] disavowal N. denial; disclaiming. His disavowal of his part in the conspiracy was not believed by the jury. disavow, V.
[q] discernible [a] discernible ADJ. distinguishable; perceivable. The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog.
[q] discerning [a] discerning ADJ. mentally quick and observant; having insight. Though no genius, the star was sufficiently discerning to tell her true friends from the countless phonies who flattered her.
[q] disclaimer [a] disclaimer N. denial of a legal claim or right; disavowal. Though reporter Joe Klein issued a disclaimer stating that he was not Anonymous, the author of Primary Colors, eventually he admitted that he had written the controversial novel. disclaim, V.
[q] disclose [a] disclose V. reveal. Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company’s forthcoming product. disclosure, N.
[q] disconcert [a] disconcert V. confuse; upset; embarrass. The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.
[q] discord [a] discord N. lack of harmony; conflict. Watching Tweedledum battle Tweedledee, Alice wondered what had caused this pointless discord.
[q] discount [a] discount V. discredit; reduce in price. Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.
[q] discrepancy [a] discrepancy N. lack of consistency; contradiction; difference. “Observe, Watson, the significant discrepancies between Sir Percy’s original description of the crime and his most recent testimony. What do these contradictions suggest?”
[q] discriminating [a] discriminating ADJ. able to see differences; prejudiced. A superb interpreter of Picasso, she was sufficiently discriminating to judge the most complex works of modern art. [secondary meaning] discrimination, N.
[q] discursive [a] discursive ADJ. digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we wondered what if any point there was to his discursive remarks.
[q] disdain [a] disdain V. view with scorn or contempt. In the film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdained fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests. also, N.
[q] disembark [a] disembark V. go ashore; unload cargo from a ship. Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship’s purser.
[q] disgruntled [a] disgruntled ADJ. discontented; sulky and dissatisfied. The numerous delays left the passengers feeling disgruntled. disgruntle, V.
[q] disheveled [a] disheveled ADJ. untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.
[q] disinterested [a] disinterested ADJ. unprejudiced. Given the judge’s political ambitions and the lawyer’s financial interest in the case, the only disinterested person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter.
[q] dismay [a] dismay V. discourage; frighten. The huge amount of work she had left to do dismayed her. also N.
[q] dismiss [a] dismiss V. put away from consideration; reject. Believing in John’s love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful.
[q] disparage [a] disparage V. belittle. A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son’s crude attempts at art than to disparage them.
[q] disparate [a] disparate ADJ. basically different; unrelated. Unfortunately, Tony and Tina have disparate notions of marriage: Tony sees it as a carefree extended love affair, while Tina sees it as a solemn commitment to build a family and a home.
[q] disparity [a] disparity N. difference; condition of inequality. Their disparity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.
[q] dispassionate [a] dispassionate ADJ. calm; impartial. Known in the company for his cool judgment, Bill could impartially examine the causes of a problem, giving a dispassionate analysis of what had gone wrong, and go on to suggest how to correct the mess.
[q] dispatch [a] dispatch N. speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed. Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters, informing his commander of the great victory. also V.
[q] dispel [a] dispel V. scatter; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.
[q] disperse [a] disperse V. scatter. The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protestors.
[q] disputatious [a] disputatious ADJ. argumentative; fond of arguing. Convinced he knew more than his lawyers, Tom was a disputatious client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case.
[q] dissemble [a] dissemble V. disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew he was there not to dance but to meet girls.
[q] disseminate [a] disseminate V. distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.
[q] dissent [a] dissent V. disagree. In the recent Supreme Court decision, Justice Kennedy dissented from the majority opinion. also N.
[q] dissertation [a] dissertation N. formal essay. In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to prepare a dissertation on some scholarly subject.
[q] dissident [a] dissident ADJ. dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, the government hunted down the dissident students and their supporters. also N.
[q] dissipate [a] dissipate V. squander; waste; scatter. He is a fine artist, but we fear he may dissipate his gifts if he keeps wasting his time doodling on napkins.
[q] dissuade [a] dissuade V. persuade not to do; discourage. Since Tom could not dissuade Huck from running away from home, he decided to run away with him. dissuasion, N.
[q] distinction [a] distinction N. honor; contrast; discrimination. A holder of the Medal of Honor, George served with great distinction in World War II. He made a distinction, however, between World War II and Vietnam, which he considered an immoral conflict.
[q] distort [a] distort V. twist out of shape. It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of the riots because of the way some reports distort and exaggerate the actual events. distortion, N.
[q] divergent [a] divergent ADJ. differing, deviating. Since graduating from medical school, the two doctors have taken divergent paths, the one going on to become a nationally prominent surgeon, the other dedicating himself to a small family practice in his hometown. divergence, N.
[q] diverse [a] diverse ADJ. differing in some characteristics; various. The professor suggested diverse ways of approaching the assignment and recommended that we choose one of them. diversity, N.
[q] diversion [a] diversion N. act of turning aside; pastime. After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion from work. divert, V.
[q] divulge [a] divulge V. reveal. No lover of gossip, Charlotte would never divulge anything that a friend told her in confidence.
[q] docile [a] docile ADJ. obedient; easily managed. As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast.
[q] doctrine [a] doctrine N. teachings, in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught. He was so committed to the doctrines of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially.
[q] document [a] document V. provide written evidence. She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm. also N.
[q] dogmatic [a] dogmatic ADJ. opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.
[q] dormant [a] dormant ADJ. sleeping; lethargic; latent. At fifty her long-dormant ambition to write flared up once more; within a year she had completed the first of her great historical novels.
[q] doubtful [a] doubtful ADJ. uncertain; undecided. From the outset, the outcome of the battle was doubtful: we had no certainty that we were going to win.
[q] downcast [a] downcast ADJ. disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.
[q] draconian [a] draconian ADJ. extremely severe. When the principal canceled the senior prom because some seniors had been late to school that week, we thought the draconian punishment was far too harsh for such a minor violation of the rules.
[q] dregs [a] dregs N. sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs.
[q] dross [a] dross N. waste matter; worthless impurities. Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross.
[q] ductile [a] ductile ADJ. malleable; flexible; pliable. Copper is an extremely ductile material: you can stretch it into the thinnest of wires, bend it, even wind it into loops.
[q] duplicity [a] duplicity N. double-dealing; hypocrisy. When Tanya learned that Mark had been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.
[q] duty [a] duty N. tax on imported or exported goods. Becaus he was too stingy to pay the duty on the watch he’d bought in Switzerland, Rex foolishly tried to smuggle it through Customs.
[q] dwindle [a] dwindle V. shrink; reduce. The food in the lifeboat gradually dwindled away to nothing.
[q] ebb [a] ebb V. recede; lessen. Mrs. Dalloway sat on the beach and watched the tide ebb. also N.
[q] ebullient [a] ebullient ADJ. showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm. Her ebullient nature could not be repressed; she was always bubbling over with exuberance. ebullience, N.
[q] eccentric [a] eccentric ADJ. irregular; odd; whimsical; bizarre. The comet veered dangerously close to the earth in its eccentric orbit. eccentricity, N.
[q] eclectic [a] eclectic ADJ. composed of elements drawn from disparate sources. His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique decor. eclecticism, N.
[q] eclipse [a] eclipse V. darken; extinguish; surpass. The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1995.
[q] ecstacy [a] ecstacy N. rapture; joy; any overpowering emotion. When Allison received her long-hoped-for letter of acceptance from Harvard, she was in ecstasy. ecstatic, ADJ.
[q] effervescence [a] effervescence N. inner excitement or exuberance; bubbling from fermentation or carbonation. Nothing depressed Sue for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself. Soda that loses its effervescence goes flat. effervescent, ADJ.; effervesce, V.
[q] effrontery [a] effrontery N. insolent boldness. Lady Bracknell was shocked that Jack, a man of no rank or breeding, had possessed the effrontery to court the daughter of a noble family.
[q] egotistical [a] egotistical ADJ. excessively self-centered; self-important; conceited. Typical egotistical remark: “But enough of this chit-chat about you and your little problems. Let’s talk about what’s really important: Me!”
[q] egregious [a] egregious ADJ. notorious; gross; shocking. She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.
[q] elated [a] elated ADJ. overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning from ear to ear, Carl Lewis was clearly elated by his ninth Olympic gold medal. elation, N.
[q] elicit [a] elicit V. draw out (by discussion); call forth. The camp counselor’s humorous remarks finally elicited a smile from the shy new camper.
[q] eloquence [a] eloquence N. expressiveness; persuasive speech. The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King’s eloquence. eloquent, ADJ.
[q] elucidate [a] elucidate V. explain; enlighten. He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article.
[q] elusive [a] elusive ADJ. evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. Trying to pin down exactly when the contractors would be done remodeling the house, Nancy was frustrated by their elusive replies. elude, V.
[q] emanate [a] emanate V. issue forth. A strong odor of sulphur emanated from the spring.
[q] emancipate [a] emancipate V. set free. At first, the attempts of the abolitionists to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well as in the South.
[q] embellish [a] embellish V. adorn. We enjoyed my mother-in-law’s stories about how she came here from Russia, in part because she embellished the bare facts of the journey with humorous anecdotes and vivid descriptive details.
[q] embrace [a] embrace V. hug; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encircle; include. Clasping Maid Marian in his arms, Robin Hood embraced her lovingly. In joining the outlaws in Sherwood Forest, she had openly embraced their cause.
[q] empathy [a] empathy N. ability to identify with another’s feelings, ideas, etc. What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client’s place and feel his emotions as if they were her own. empathize, V.
[q] empirical [a] empirical ADJ. based on experience. He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.
[q] emulate [a] emulate V. imitate; rival. In a brief essay, describe a person you admire, someone whose virtues you would like to emulate.
[q] encumber [a] encumber V. burden. Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage when they go for short trips.
[q] endorse [a] endorse V. approve; support. Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse. endorsement, N. (secondary meaning).
[q] enduring [a] enduring ADJ. lasting; surviving. Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which would outlast its creators’ brief lives. endure, V.
[q] energize [a] energize V. invigorate; make forceful and active. Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing energized her.
[q] engage [a] engage V. attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront. “Your case has engaged my interest, my lord,” said Holmes. “You may engage my services.”
[q] engaging [a] engaging ADJ. charming; attractive. Everyone liked Nancy’s pleasant manners and engaging personality.
[q] engender [a] engender V. cause; produce. To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child.
[q] engross [a] engross V. occupy fully. Joh was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.
[q] enhance [a] enhance V. increase; improve. You can enhance your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well; an excellent essay can enhance any application.
[q] enigma [a] enigma N. puzzle; mystery. “What do women want?” asked Dr. Sigmund Freud. Their behavior was an enigma to him.
[q] enterprising [a] enterprising ADJ. ready to undertake ambitious projects. An enterprising young man, Matt saw business opportunities on every side and was always eager to capitalize on them.
[q] entice [a] entice V. lure; attract; tempt. She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief.
[q] enumerate [a] enumerate V. list; mention one by one. Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws.
[q] enunciate [a] enunciate V. speak distinctly. Stop mumbling! How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?
[q] ephemeral [a] ephemeral ADJ. short-lived; fleeting. The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.
[q] epic [a] epic N. long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art. Kurosawa’s film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of robbers. also ADJ.
[q] epilogue [a] epilogue N. short speech at conclusion of dramatic work. The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.
[q] equivocal [a] equivocal ADJ. ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate’s equivocal comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue. equivocate, V.
[q] erode [a] erode V. eat away. The limestone was eroded by the dripping water until only a thin shell remained. erosion, N.
[q] erratic [a] erratic ADJ. odd; unpredictable. Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic.
[q] erronious [a] erronious ADJ. mistaken; wrong. I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.
[q] eschew [a] eschew V. avoid. Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he tried to eschew all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub gin.
[q] esoteric [a] esoteric ADJ. hard to understand; known only to the chosen few. New Yorker short stories often included esoteric allusions to obscure people and events; the implication was, if you were in the in-crowd, you’d get the reference; if you came from Cleveland, you would not.
[q] espouse [a] espouse V. adopt; support. She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.
[q] esteem [a] esteem V. respect; value. Jill esteemed Jack’s taste in music, but she deplored his taste in clothes.
[q] estranged [a] estranged ADJ. separated; alienated. The estranged wife sought a divorce. estrangement, N.
[q] ethereal [a] ethereal ADJ. light; heavenly; unusually refined. In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the spirit Ariel is an ethereal creature, too airy and unearthly for our mortal world.
[q] euphemism [a] euphemism N. mild expression used in place of an unpleasant one. Until recently, many American southerners avoided the word bull in polite speech, replacing it by a euphemism, such as he-cow or male beast.
[q] euphonious [a] euphonious ADJ. pleasing in sound. Euphonious even when spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung. euphony, N.
[q] evenhanded [a] evenhanded ADJ. impartial; fair. Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females?
[q] eventuality [a] eventuality N. possible occurrence. The government instituted new security procedures to prepare for the eventuality of a terrorist attack.
[q] evocative [a] evocative ADJ. tending to call up (emotions, memories). Scent can be remarkably evocative: the aroma of pipe tobacco evokes the memory of my father; a whiff of talcum powder calls up images of my daughter as a child.
[q] exacting [a] exacting ADJ. extremely demanding. Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an exacting task, one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers. exaction, N.
[q] excerpt [a] excerpt N. selected passage (written or musical). The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a clip from a film.
[q] exculpate [a] exculpate V. clear from blame. Though Sid came up with excuse after excuse to exculpate himself, Samantha still blamed him for his conduct.
[q] execute [a] execute V. put into effect; carry out; put to death. The prima ballerina executed the pirouette so badly that the infuriated choreographer was ready to tear out his hair. execution, N.
[q] exemplary [a] exemplary ADJ. serving as a model; outstanding. At commencement the dean praised Ellen for her exemplary behavior as class president.
[q] exonerate [a] exonerate V. acquit; exculpate. The defense team feverishly sought fresh evidence that might exonerate its client.
[q] expansive [a] expansive ADJ. outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size. Mr. Fezziweg was in an expansive humor, cheerfully urging his guests to join in the Christmas feast. Looking down on his expansive paunch, he sighed: if his belly expanded any further, his pants would need an expansive waistline.
[q] expedient [a] expedient ADJ. suitable to achieve a particular end; practical; politic. A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical. expediency, N.
[q] expedite [a] expedite V. hasten. Because we are on a tight schedule, we hope you will be able to expedite the delivery of our order. expeditious, ADJ.
[q] explicate [a] explicate V. explain; interpret; clarify. Harry Levin explicated James Joyce’s often bewildering novels with such clarity that even Finnegan’s Wake seemed comprehensible to his students.
[q] explicit [a] explicit ADJ. totally clear; definite; outspoken. Don’t just hint around that you’re dissatisfied: be explicit about what’s bugging you.
[q] exploit (N.) [a] exploit (N.) N. deed or action, particularly a brave deed. Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his exploits in rescuing Jews from Hitler’s forces.
[q] exploit (V.) [a] exploit (V.) V. make use of, sometimes unjustly. Cesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farm-workers in California. exploitation
[q] expunge [a] expunge V. wipe out; remove; destroy. If you hit the “Delete” key by mistake, you can accidentally expunge an entire block of text.
[q] expurgate [a] expurgate V. clean; remove offensive parts of a book. The editors felt that certain passages in the book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the classroom.
[q] extraneous [a] extraneous ADJ. not essential; superfluous. No wonder Ted can’t think straight! His mind is so cluttered up with extraneous trivia, he can’t concentrate on the essentials.
[q] extrapolate [a] extrapolate V. infer; project from known data into the unknown; make a conjecture. On the basis of what they could extrapolate from the results of the primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted that John McCain would be the Republican candidate for the presidency.
[q] extricate [a] extricate V. free; disentangle. The fox could not extricate itself from the trap.
[q] exuberant [a] exuberant ADJ. joyfully enthusiastic; flamboyant; lavish; abundant. I was bowled over by Amy’s exuberant welcome. What an enthusiastic greeting!
[q] fabricate [a] fabricate V. build; lie. If we fabricate the buildings in this project out of standardized sections, we can reduce construction cost considerably. Because of Jack’s tendency to fabricate, Jill had trouble believing a word he said.
[q] facile [a] facile ADJ. easily accomplished; ready or fluent; superficial. Words came easily to Jonathan: he was a facile speaker and prided himself on being ready to make a speech at a moment’s notice.
[q] facilitate [a] facilitate V. help bring about; make less difficult. Rest and proper nourishment should facilitate the patient’s recovery.
[q] fallacious [a] fallacious ADJ. false; misleading. Paradoxically, fallacious reasoning does not always yield erroneous results: even though your logic may be faulty, the answer you get may nevertheless be correct. fallacy, N.
[q] fallible [a] fallible ADJ. liable to err. I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.
[q] farce [a] farce N. broad comedy; mockery. Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce. farcial, ADJ.
[q] fastidious [a] fastidious ADJ. difficult to please; squeamish. Bobby was such a fastidious eater that he would eat a sandwich only if his mother first cut off every scrap of crust.
[q] fawning [a] fawning ADJ. seeking favor by cringing and flattering; obsequious. Stop crawling around like a boot-licker, Uriah! I can’t stand your flattery and fawning ways. fawn, V.
[q] feasible [a] feasible ADJ. practical. Was it feasible to build a new stadium for the Yankees on New York’s West Side? Without additional funding, the project was clearly unrealistic.
[q] feint [a] feint N. trick; shift; sham blow. Fooled by his opponent’s feint, the boxer unwisely dropped his guard. also V.
[q] ferment [a] ferment N. agitation; commotion. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment.
[q] fervor [a] fervor N. glowing ardor; intensity of feeling. At the protest rally, the students cheered the strikers and booed the dean with equal fervor. fervent, fervid, ADJ.
[q] fester [a] fester V. provoke keen irritation or resentment. Joe’s insult festered in Anne’s mind for days and made her too angry to speak to him.
[q] fetid [a] fetid ADJ. having a foul, disgusting odor. Change the kitty litter in the cat box right now! No self-respecting cat would use a litter box with such a fetid smell.
[q] fetter [a] fetter V. shackle. The prisoner was fettered to the wall.
[q] fiasco [a] fiasco N. total failure. Tanya’s attempt to look sophisticated by smoking was a fiasco: she lit the wrong end of the cigarette, choked when she tried to inhale, and burned a hole in her boyfriend’s couch.
[q] fiery [a] fiery ADJ. easily provoked; passionate; burning. By reputation, redheads have fiery tempers; the least little thing can cause them to explode.
[q] finesse [a] finesse N. delicate skill. The finesse and adroitness with which the surgeon wielded her scalpel impressed the observers in the operating theater.
[q] finite [a] finite ADJ. having an end; limited. Though Bill really wanted to win the pie-eating contest, the capacity of his stomach was finite, and he had to call it quits after eating only seven cherry pies.
[q] firebrand [a] firebrand N. hothead; troublemaker. The police tried to keep track of all the local firebrands when the president came to town.
[q] fissure [a] fissure N. crevice. The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.
[q] fitful [a] fitful ADJ. spasmodic; intermittent. After several fitful attmepts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.
[q] fleeting [a] fleeting ADJ. transitory; vanishing quickly. The glory of a New England autumn is fleeting: the first gust of wind strips the trees of their colorful leaves.
[q] flippant [a] flippant ADJ. lacking proper seriousness. When Mark told Mona he loved her, she dismissed his earnest declaration with a flippant “Oh, you say that to all the girls!” flippancy, N.
[q] flout [a] flout V. reject; mock. The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.
[q] fluctuate [a] fluctuate V. waver; shift. The water pressure in our shower fluctuates wildly; you start rinsing yourself off with a trickle, and, two minutes later, a blast of water nearly knocks you down.
[q] fluency [a] fluency N. smoothness of speech. He spoke French with fluency and ease.
[q] foible [a] foible N. weakness; slight fault. We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.
[q] foliage [a] foliage N. masses of leaves. Every autumn before the leaves fell, he promised himself he would drive through New England to admire the colorful fall foliage.
[q] forbearance [a] forbearance N. patience. We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.
[q] foreboding [a] foreboding N. premonition of evil. Suspecting no conspiracies against him, Caesar gently ridiculed his wife’s forebodings about the ides of March.
[q] foreshadow [a] foreshadow V. give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure. In retrospect, political analysts realized that Yeltsin’s defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his emergence as the dominant figure of the new Russian republic.
[q] foresight [a] foresight N. ability to foresee future happenings; careful provision for the future. A shrewd investor, she had the foresight to buy land just before the current real estate boom.
[q] forestall [a] forestall V. prevent by taking action in advance. By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce.
[q] forfeit [a] forfeit V. lose; surrender. Convicted murderers forfeit the right to inherit anything from their victims; the law does not allow them to benefit financially from their crimes.
[q] forgo [a] forgo V. give up; do without. Determined to lose weight over the summer, Michelle decided to forgo dessert until she could fit into a size eight again.
[q] formidable [a] formidable ADJ. inspiring fear or apprehension; difficult; awe inspiring. In the film Meet the Parents, the hero is understandably nervous about meeting his fiancée’s father, a formidable CIA agent.
[q] forthright [a] forthright ADJ. outspoken; frank. Never afraid to call a spade a spade, she was perhaps too forthright to be a successful party politician.
[q] fortuitous [a] fortuitous ADJ. accidental; by chance. Though he pretended their encounter was fortuitous, he’d actually been hanging around her ususal haunts for the past two weeks, hoping she’d turn up.
[q] foster [a] foster V. rear; encourage. According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf who raised the abandoned infants as her own. also ADJ.
[q] frail [a] frail ADJ. weak. The delicate child seemed too frail to lift the heavy carton
[q] franchise [a] franchise N. right granted by authority; right to vote; business licensed to sell a product in a particular territory. The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for 99 years. For most of American history, women lacked the right to vote: not until the early twentieth century was the franchise granted to women. Stan owns a Carvel’s ice cream franchise in Chinatown.
[q] frantic [a] frantic ADJ. wild. At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.
[q] fraudulent [a] fraudulent ADJ. cheating; deceitful. The government seeks to prevent fraudulent and misleading advertising.
[q] frivolous [a] frivolous ADJ. lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant. Though Nancy enjoyed Bill’s frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he could ever be serious. frivolity, N.
[q] fugitive [a] fugitive ADJ. fleeting or transient; elusive; fleeing. How can a painter capture on canvas the fugitive beauty of clouds moving across the sky? also N.
[q] fundamental [a] fundamental ADJ. basic; primary; essential. The committee discussed all sorts of side issues without ever getting down to addressing the fundamental problem.
[q] furtive [a] furtive ADJ. stealthy; sneaky. Noticing the furtive glance the customer gave the diamond bracelet on the counter, the jeweler wondered whether he had a potential shoplifter on his hands.
[q] fusion [a] fusion N. union; coalition. The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of disgruntled groups and became an important element in the election.
[q] futile [a] futile ADJ. useless; hopeless; ineffectual. It is futile for me to try to get any work done around here while the telephone is ringing every thirty seconds. futility, N.
[q] gainful [a] gainful ADJ. profitable. After having been out of work for six months, Brenda was excited by the prospect of gainful employment.
[q] gale [a] gale N. windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughter, tears). The Weather Channel warned viewers about a rising gale, with winds of up to 60 miles per hour.
[q] galvanize [a] galvanize V. stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize. News that the prince was almost at their door galvanized the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy of combing and primping.
[q] garble [a] garble V. mix up; jumble; distort. A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another, till, by the time it reaches the last player, everyone has totally garbled the message.
[q] garish [a] garish ADJ. overbright in color; gaudy. She wore a gaudy rhinestone necklace with an excessively garish gold lamé dress.
[q] garrulous [a] garrulous ADJ. loquacious; wordy; talkative. My Uncle Henry can outtalk any three people I know. He is the most garrulous person in Cayuga County. garrulity, N.
[q] gastric [a] gastric ADJ. pertaining to the stomach. Clutching his stomach and grimacing broadly, the acting student feigned gastric distress.
[q] gavel [a] gavel N. hammerlike tool; mallet. “Sold!” cried the auctioneer, banging her gavel on the table to indicate she’d accepted the final bid.
[q] genealogy [a] genealogy N. record of descent; lineage. He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievments of his ancestors.
[q] generate [a] generate V. cause; produce; create. In his first days in office, President Obama managed to generate a new mood of optimism; we hoped he could generate a few new jobs.
[q] generic [a] generic ADJ. characteristic of an entire class or species. Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she began to think that playing Dungeons & Dragons was a generic trait.
[q] genre [a] genre N. particular variety of art or literature. Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre.
[q] genteel [a] genteel ADJ. well-bred; elegant. We are looking for a man with a genteel appearance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner.
[q] germane [a] germane ADJ. pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand. The lawyer objected that the witness’s testimony was not germane to the case and should be ignored by the jury.
[q] gibberish [a] gibberish N. nonsense; babbling. Did you hear that fool boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space? I never heard anything so nonsensical in all my . . .
[q] giddy [a] giddy ADJ. lighthearted; dizzy. The silly, giddy young girls rode ride after ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl until they were giddy and sick.
[q] gingerly [a] gingerly ADV. very carefully. To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly, avoiding breaking the yolk.
[q] glimmer [a] glimmer V. shine erratically; twinkle. In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars.
[q] gloss over [a] gloss over V. explain away. No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, the president could not gloss over the fact that he had raised taxes after all.
[q] glower [a] glower V. scowl. The angry boy glowered at his father.
[q] gluttonous [a] gluttonous ADJ. greedy for food. The gluttonous boy ate all the cookies.
[q] gorge (N.) [a] gorge (N.) N. small, steep-walled canyon. The white-water rafting guide warned us about the rapids farther downstream, where the river cut through a narrow gorge.
[q] gorge (V.) [a] gorge (V.) V. stuff oneself. The gluttonous guest gorged himself, cramming food into his mouth as fast as he could.
[q] grandeur [a] grandeur N. impressiveness; stateliness; majesty. No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada range.
[q] grandiose [a] grandiose ADJ. pretentious; high-flown; ridiculously exaggerated; impressive. The aged matinee idol still had grandiose notions of his supposed importance in the theatrical world.
[q] graphic [a] graphic ADJ. pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described. I was particularly impressed by the graphic presentation of the storm.
[q] gratify [a] gratify V. please. Amy’s success in her new job gratified her parents.
[q] gratuitous [a] gratuitous ADJ. given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for. Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked for your opinion.
[q] gregarious [a] gregarious ADJ. sociable. Typically, party-throwers are gregarious; hermits are not.
[q] guile [a] guile N. deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. Iago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful.
[q] gullible [a] gullible ADJ. easily deceived. Overly gullible people have only themselves to blame if they fall for scams repeatedly. As the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
[q] hackneyed [a] hackneyed ADJ. commonplace; trite. When the reviewer criticized the movie for its hackneyed plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories hundreds of times before.
[q] halting [a] halting ADJ. hesitant; faltering. Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words.
[q] hamper [a] hamper V. obstruct. The new mother didn’t realize how much the effort of caring for an infant would hamper her ability to keep an immaculate house.
[q] harangue [a] harangue N. noisy speech. In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders. also V.
[q] harass [a] harass V. to annoy by repeated attacks. When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised, he was harassed by his creditors.
[q] harbor [a] harbor V. provide refuge for; hide. The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees.
[q] haughtiness [a] haughtiness N. pride; arrogance. When she realized that Darcy believed himself too good to dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great offense at his haughtiness.
[q] hazardous [a] hazardous ADJ. dangerous. Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your application.
[q] headstrong [a] headstrong ADJ. stubborn; willful; unyielding. Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called her a foolish headstrong girl.
[q] heckle [a] heckle V. harass; taunt; jeer at. The home team’s fans mercilessly heckled the visiting pitcher, taunting him whenever he let anyone get on base.
[q] heed [a] heed V. pay attention to; consider. We hope you heed our advice and get a good night’s sleep before the test. also N.
[q] herculean [a] herculean ADJ. very strong; extremely difficult to perform; like the mythological hero Hercules. Muscles rippling, the action hero was a herculean figure, lifting enormous weights with ease.
[q] heresy [a] heresy N. opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion. Galileo’s assertion that the earth moved around the sun directly contradicted the religious teachings of his day; as a result, he was tried for heresy. heretic, N.
[q] hermetic [a] hermetic ADJ. sealed by fusion so as to be airtight. After you sterilize the bandages, place them in a container and seal it with a hermetic seal to protect them from contamination by airborne bacteria.
[q] hermit [a] hermit N. someone who chooses to live in solitude; recluse. Abandoning society, Thoreau chose to go off and live in the woods like a hermit.
[q] hiatus [a] hiatus N. gap; pause. Except for a brief two-year hiatus, during which she enrolled in the Peace Corps, Ms. Clements has devoted herself to her medical career.
[q] hibernate [a] hibernate V. sleep throughout the winter. Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate. hibernation, N.
[q] hierarchy [a] hierarchy N. arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body divided into ranks. To be low man on the totem pole is to have an inferior place in the hierarchy.
[q] hindrance [a] hindrance N. block; obstacle. Stalled cars along the highway are a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks should remove without delay. hinder, V.
[q] homespun [a] homespun ADJ. domestic; made at home. Homespun wit like homespun cloth was often coarse and plain.
[q] hostility [a] hostility N. unfriendliness; hatred. Children who have been the sole objects of their parents’ attention often feel hostility toward a new baby in the family, resenting the newcomer who has taken their place.
[q] humane [a] humane ADJ. marked by kindness or consideration. It is ironic that the Humane Society sometimes must show its compassion toward mistreated animals by killing them to put them out of their misery.
[q] humble [a] humble ADJ. modest; not proud. He spoke with great feeling of how much he loved his humble home, which he would not trade for a palace. humility, N.
[q] husband [a] husband V. use sparingly; conserve; save. Marathon runners must husband their energy so that they can keep going for the entire distance.
[q] hyperbole [a] hyperbole N. exaggeration; overstatement. As far as I’m concerned, Apple’s claims about the new computer are pure hyperbole: no machine is that good!
[q] hypocritical [a] hypocritical ADJ. pretending to be virtuous; deceiving. It was hypocritical of Martha to say such nice things about my poetry to me and then make fun of my verses behind my back. hypocrisy, N.
[q] hypothetical [a] hypothetical ADJ. based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed. Suppose you are accepted by Harvard, Stanford, and Brown. Which one would you choose to attend? Remember, this is only a hypothetical situation. hypothesis, N.
[q] iconoclastic [a] iconoclastic ADJ. attacking cherished traditions. Deeply iconoclastic, Jean Genet deliberately set out to shock conventional theatergoers with his radical plays.
[q] ideology [a] ideology N. system of ideas of a group. For people who had grown up believing in the communist ideology, it was hard to adjust to capitalism.
[q] idiom [a] idiom N. expression whose meaning as a whole differs from the meanings of its individual words; distinctive style. The phrase “to lose one’s marbles” is an idiom: if I say that Joe’s lost his marbles, I’m not asking you to find some for him. I’m telling you idiomatically that he’s crazy.
[q] idiosyncrasy [a] idiosyncrasy N. individual trait, usually odd in nature; eccentricity. One of Richard Nixon’s little idiosyncrasies was his liking for ketchup on cottage cheese. One of Hannibal Lecter’s little idiosyncrasies was his liking for human flesh.
[q] ignite [a] ignite V. kindle; light. When Desi crooned “Baby, light my fire,” literal-minded Lucy looked around for some paper to ignite.
[q] ignoble [a] ignoble ADJ. unworthy; base in nature; not noble. Sir Galahad was so pure in heart that he could never stoop to perform an ignoble deed.
[q] illuminate [a] illuminate V. brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten. Just as a lamp can illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem.
[q] illusory [a] illusory ADJ. deceptive; not real. Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom’s profits proved illusory.
[q] imbalance [a] imbalance N. lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion. To correct racial imbalance in the schools, school boards have bussed black children into white neighborhoods and white children into black ones.
[q] imbibe [a] imbibe V. drink in. The dry soil imbibed the rain quickly.
[q] imbue [a] imbue V. permeate completely; dye thoroughly; fill. The sight of her grandparents’ names inscribed on the wall of Ellis Island imbued Sarah with a sense of her special heritage as the descendant of immigrants.
[q] immaterial [a] immaterial ADJ. unimportant; irrelevant; intangible. Though Kit said it was wholly immaterial whether she had a birthday party or not, we wanted to throw her a party.
[q] imminent [a] imminent ADJ. near at hand; impending. Rosa was such a last-minute worker that she could never start writing a paper till the deadline was imminent.
[q] immobilize [a] immobilize V. make unable to move. For a moment, Peter’s fear of snakes immobilized him; then the use of his limbs returned to him and he bolted from the room.
[q] immune [a] immune ADJ. resistant to; free or exempt from. Fortunately, Florence had contracted chicken pox as a child and was immune to it when her baby broke out in spots.
[q] immutable [a] immutable ADJ. unchangeable. All things change over time; nothing is immutable.
[q] impair [a] impair V. injure; hurt. Drinking alcohol can impair your ability to drive safely; if you’re going to drink, don’t drive.
[q] impart [a] impart V. give or convey; communicate. A born dancer, she imparted her love of movement to her audience with every step she took.
[q] impartial [a] impartial ADJ. not biased; fair. Knowing she could not be impartial about her own child, Jo refused to judge any match in which Billy was competing.
[q] impassable [a] impassable ADJ. not able to be traveled or crossed. A giant redwood had fallen across the highway, blocking all four lanes: the road was impassable.
[q] impasse [a] impasse N. predicament offering no escape; deadlock; dead end. The negotiators reported they had reached an impasse in their talks and had little hope of resolving the deadlock swiftly.
[q] impecunious [a] impecunious ADJ. without money. Though Scrooge claimed he was too impecunious to give alms, he easily could have afforded to be charitable.
[q] impede [a] impede V. hinder; block; delay. A series of accidents impeded the launching of the space shuttle.
[q] impel [a] impel V. drive or force onward. A strong feeling of urgency impelled her; if she failed to finish the project right then, she knew that she would never get it done.
[q] imperceptible [a] imperceptible ADJ. unnoticeable; undetectable. Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was imperceptible after the blouse had gone through the wash.
[q] impermeable [a] impermeable ADJ. impervious; not permitting passage through its substance. Sue chose a raincoat made of Gore-Tex because the material was impermeable to liquids.
[q] impertinent [a] impertinent ADJ. insolent; rude. His neighbors’ impertinent curiosity about his lack of dates angered Ted. It was downright rude of them to ask him such personal questions.
[q] imperturbable [a] imperturbable ADJ. calm; placid; composed. In the midst of battle, the Duke of Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation despite the hysteria and panic all around him. imperturbability, N.
[q] impetuous [a] impetuous ADJ. violent; hasty; rash. “Leap before you look” was the motto suggested by one particularly impetuous young man.
[q] impiety [a] impiety N. irreverence; lack of respect for God. When members of the youth group draped the church in toilet paper one Halloween, the minister reprimanded them for their impiety. impious, ADJ.
[q] implacable [a] implacable ADJ. incapable of being pacified. Relentlessly seeking revenge, Madam Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family.
[q] implement [a] implement V. put into effect; supply with tools. The mayor was unwilling to implement the plan until she was sure it had the governor’s backing. also N.
[q] implicate [a] implicate V. incriminate; show to be involved. Here’s the deal: if you agree to take the witness stand and implicate your partners in crime, the prosecution will recommend that the judge go easy in sentencing you.
[q] implication [a] implication N. something hinted at or suggested. When Miss Watson said she hadn’t seen her purse since the last time Jim was in the house, the implication was that she suspected Jim had taken it. imply, V.
[q] implicit [a] implicit ADJ. understood but not stated. Jack never told Jill he adored her; he believed his love was implicit in his deeds.
[q] importune [a] importune V. beg persistently. Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for contributions so frequently that she decided to give nothing to either party.
[q] impotent [a] impotent ADJ. weak; ineffective. Although he wished to break the nicotine habit, he found himself impotent to resist the craving for a cigarette.
[q] impromptu [a] impromptu ADJ. without previous preparation; off the cuff; on the spur of the moment. The judges were amazed that she could make such a thorough, well-supported presentation in an impromptu speech.
[q] inadvertently [a] inadvertently ADV. unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly. Judy’s great fear was that she might inadvertently omit a question on the exam and mismark her whole answer sheet.
[q] inane [a] inane ADJ. silly; senseless. There’s no point in what you’re saying. Why are you bothering to make such inane remarks? inanity, N.
[q] inanimate [a] inanimate ADJ. lifeless. She was asked to identify the still and inanimate body.
[q] inarticulate [a] inarticulate ADJ. speechless; producing indistinct speech. He became inarticulate with rage and uttered sounds without meaning.
[q] incapacitate [a] incapacitate V. disable. During the winter, many people were incapacitated by respiratory ailments.
[q] incarcerate [a] incarcerate V. imprison. The civil rights workers were willing to be arrested and even incarcerated if by their imprisonment they could serve the cause.
[q] incentive [a] incentive N. spur; motive. Mike’s strong desire to outshine his big sister was all the incentive he needed to do well in school.
[q] incessant [a] incessant ADJ. uninterrupted; unceasing. In a famous TV commercial, the frogs’ incessant croaking goes on and on until eventually it turns into a single word: “Bud-weis-er.”
[q] incipient [a] incipient ADJ. beginning; in an early stage. I will go to sleep early for I want to break an incipient cold.
[q] incite [a] incite V. arouse to action; goad; motivate; induce to exist. In a fiery speech, Mario incited his fellow students to go out on strike to protest the univerity’s anti-affirmative-action stand.
[q] inclusive [a] inclusive ADJ. tending to include all. The comedian turned down the invitation to join the Players’ Club, saying any club that would let him in was too inclusive.
[q] incongruity [a] incongruity N. lack of harmony; absurdity. The incongruity of his wearing sneakers with formal attire amused the observers. incongruous, ADJ.
[q] incoherent [a] incoherent ADJ. unintelligible; muddled; illogical. The excited fan blushed and stammered, her words becoming almost incoherent in the thrill of meeting her favorite rock star face to face. incoherence, N.
[q] inconsequential [a] inconsequential ADJ. insignificant; unimportant. Brushing off Ali’s apologies for having broken the wine glass, Tamara said, “Don’t worry about it; it’s inconsequential.”
[q] inconsistency [a] inconsistency N. state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness. How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? While lawyers check inconsistencies in witnesses’ statements, agricultural inspectors check inconsistencies in Grade A eggs. inconsistent, ADJ.
[q] incorporate [a] incorporate V. introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite. Breaking with precedent, President Truman ordered the military to incorporate blacks into every branch of the armed services. also ADJ.
[q] incorporeal [a] incorporeal ADJ. lacking a material body; insubstantial. Although Casper the friendly ghost is an incorporeal being, he and his fellow ghosts make a decided impact on the physical world.
[q] incorrigible [a] incorrigible ADJ. uncorrectable. Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible and said he would come to no good end.
[q] incredulous [a] incredulous ADJ. unwilling or unable to believe; skeptical. When Marco claimed he hadn’t eaten the jelly doughnut, Joyce took one incredulous look at his smeared face and laughed.
[q] incrustation [a] incrustation N. hard coating or crust. In dry dock, we scraped off the incrustation of dirt and barnacles that covered the hull of the ship.
[q] incumbent [a] incumbent N. officeholder. The newly elected public official received valuable advice from the previous incumbent. also ADJ.
[q] indefatigable [a] indefatigable ADJ. tireless. Although the effort of taking out the garbage tired Wayne out for the entire morning, when it came to partying, he was indefatigable.
[q] indelible [a] indelible ADJ. not able to be erased. The indelible ink left a permanent mark on my shirt. Young Bill Clinton’s meeting with President Kennedy made an indelible impression on the youth.
[q] indict [a] indict V. charge. The district attorney didn’t want to indict the suspect until she was sure she had a strong enough case to convince a jury. indictment, N.
[q] indifferent [a] indifferent ADJ. unmoved or unconcerned by; mediocre. Because Consuela felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to Edward’s constant proposals. Not only was she indifferent to him personally, but she felt that, given his general silliness, he would make an indifferent husband.
[q] indigenous [a] indigenous ADJ. native. Cigarettes are made of tobacco, a plant indigenous to the New World.
[q] indisputable [a] indisputable ADJ. too certain to be disputed. In the face of these indisputable statements, I withdraw my complaint.
[q] indomitable [a] indomitable ADJ. unconquerable; unyielding. Focusing on her final vault despite her twisted ankle, gymnastics star Kerri Strug proved she had an indomitable will to win.
[q] indubitable [a] indubitable ADJ. unable to be doubted; unquestionable. Auditioning for the chorus line, Molly was an indubitable hit: the director fired the leading lady and hired Molly in her place!
[q] induce [a] induce V. persuade; bring about. After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again. inducement, N.
[q] indulgent [a] indulgent ADJ. humoring; yielding; lenient. Jay’s mom was excessively indulgent: she bought him every Nintendo cartridge and video game on the market. She indulged Jay so much, she spoiled him rotten.
[q] industrious [a] industrious ADJ. diligent; hard-working. Look busy when the boss walks past your desk; it never hurts to appear industrious. industry, N.
[q] ineffable [a] ineffable ADJ. unutterable; unable to be expressed in speech. Looking down at her newborn daugher, Ruth felt such ineffable joy that, for the first time in her adult life, she had no words to convey what was in her heart.
[q] inept [a] inept ADJ. lacking skill; unsuited; incompetent. The inept glove maker was all thumbs. ineptitude, ineptness, N.
[q] inevitable [a] inevitable ADJ. unavoidable. Though death and taxes are both supposedly inevitable, some people avoid paying taxes for years.
[q] infallible [a] infallible ADJ. unerring; faultless. Jane refused to believe the pope was infallible, reasoning: “All human beings are capable of error. The pope is a human being. Therefore, the pope is capable of error.”
[q] infamous [a] infamous ADJ. notoriously bad. Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer are both infamous killers.
[q] infer [a] infer V. deduce; conclude. From the students’ glazed looks, it was easy for me to infer that they were bored out of their minds. inference, N.
[q] infernal [a] infernal ADJ. pertaining to hell; devilish. Batman was baffled: he could think of no way to hinder the Joker’s infernal scheme to destroy the city.
[q] infinitesimal [a] infinitesimal ADJ. exceedingly small; so small as to be almost nonexistant. Making sure everyone was aware she was on an extremely strict diet, Melanie said she would have only an infinitesimal sliver of pie.
[q] infraction [a] infraction N. violation (of a rule or regulation); breach. When Dennis Rodman butted heas with the referee, he committed a clear infraction of NBA rules.
[q] ingenious [a] ingenious ADJ. clever; resourceful. Kit admired the ingenious way that her computer keyboard opened up to reveal the built-in CD-ROM below. ingenuity, N.
[q] ingenuous [a] ingenuous ADJ. naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated. The woodsman had not realized how ingenuous Little Red Riding Hood was until he heard that she had gone off for a walk in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf.
[q] ingrate [a] ingrate N. ungrateful person. That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him.
[q] ingratiate [a] ingratiate V. make an effort to become popular with others. In All About Eve, the heroine, an aspiring actress, wages a clever campaign to ingratiate herself with Margo Channing, an established star.
[q] inherent [a] inherent ADJ. firmly established by nature or habit. Katya’s inherent love of justice caused her to champion anyone she considered treated unfairly by society.
[q] inhibit [a] inhibit V. restrain; retard or prevent. Only two things inhibited him from taking a punch at Mike Tyson: Tyson’s left hook and Tyson’s right jab. The protective undercoating on my car inhibits the formation of rust.
[q] initiate [a] initiate V. begin; originate; receive into a group. The college is about to initiate a program for reducing math anxiety among students.
[q] inkling [a] inkling N. hint. This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans.
[q] inlet [a] inlet N. small bay; narrow passage between islands; entrance. Seeking shelter from the gale, Drake sailed the Golden Hind into a protected inlet, where he hoped to wait out the storm.
[q] innate [a] innate ADJ. inborn. Mozart’s parents soon recognized young Wolfgang’s innate talent for music.
[q] innocuous [a] innocuous ADJ. harmless. An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively innocuous and should have no ill effect on you.
[q] innovation [a] innovation N. change; introduction of something new. Although Richard liked to keep up with all the latest technological innovations, he didn’t always abandon tried-and-true techniques in favor of something new. innovate, V.
[q] inopportune [a] inopportune ADJ. untimely; poorly chosen. A punk rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation.
[q] inordinate [a] inordinate ADJ. unrestrained; excessive. She had an inordinate fondness for candy, eating two or three boxes in a single day.
[q] inquisitor [a] inquisitor N. questioner (especially harsh); investigator. Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Masha faced her inquisitors with trepidation.
[q] insatiable [a] insatiable ADJ. not easily satisfied; greedy. Welty’s thirst for knowledge was insatiable; she was in the library day and night.
[q] inscrutable [a] inscrutable ADJ. impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious. Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards behind a so-called poker face.
[q] insidious [a] insidious ADJ. treacherous; stealthy; sly. The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.
[q] insightful [a] insightful ADJ. discerning; perceptive. Sol thought he was very insightful about human behavior, but he was actually clueless as to why people acted the way they did.
[q] insinuate [a] insinuate V. hint; imply; creep in. When you say I look robust, do you mean to insinuate that I’m getting fat?
[q] insipid [a] insipid ADJ. lacking in flavor; dull. Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle.
[q] insolence [a] insolence N. impudent disrespect; haughtiness. How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of your insolence. insolent, ADJ.
[q] insolvent [a] insolvent ADJ. bankrupt; lacking money to pay. When rumors that he was insolvent reached his creditors, they began to press him to pay the money he owed them. insolvency, N.
[q] insomnia [a] insomnia N. wakefulness; inability to sleep. He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he claimed it gave him insomnia.
[q] instigate [a] instigate V. urge; start; provoke. Rumors of police corruption led the mayor to instigate an investigation into the department’s activities.
[q] insubordination [a] insubordination N. disobedience; rebelliousness. At the slightest hint of insubordination from the sailors of the Bounty, Captain Bligh had them flogged; finally, they mutinied.
[q] insubstantial [a] insubstantial ADJ. lacking substance; insignificant; frail. His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role.
[q] insurgent [a] insurgent ADJ. rebellious. Because the insurgent forces had occupied the capital and had gained control of the railway lines, several of the war correspondents covering the uprising predicted a rebel victory.
[q] insurrection [a] insurrection N. rebellion; uprising. In retrospect, given how badly the British treated the American colonists, the eventual insurrection seems inevitable.
[q] intangible [a] intangible ADJ. not able to be perceived by touch; vague. Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible rewards: prestige, intellectual freedom, the fellowship of his peers.
[q] integrity [a] integrity N. uprightness; wholeness. Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the Republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time.
[q] interminable [a] interminable ADJ. endless. Although his speech lasted for only twenty minutes, it seemed interminable to his bored audience.
[q] intermittent [a] intermittent ADJ. periodic; on and off. The outdoor wedding reception had to be moved indoors to avoid the intermittent showers that fell all afternoon.
[q] interrogate [a] interrogate V. question closely; cross-examine. Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover story that would help him meet their questions.
[q] intimidate [a] intimidate V. frighten. I’ll learn karate and then those big bullies won’t be able to intimidate me any more.
[q] intransigence [a] intransigence N. refusal of any compromise; stubbornness. When I predicted that the strike would be over in a week, I didn’t expect to encounter such intransigence from both sides. intransigent, ADJ.
[q] intricacy [a] intricacy N. complexity; knottiness. Philip spent many hours designing mazes of such great intricacy that none of his classmates could solve them. intricate, ADJ.
[q] intrigue [a] intrigue V. fascinate; interest. Holmes’s air of reserve intrigued Irene Adler; she wanted to know just what made the great detective tick.
[q] intrinsic [a] intrinsic ADJ. essential; inherent; built-in. Although my grandmother’s china has little intrinsic value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it evokes.
[q] introspective [a] introspective ADJ. looking within oneself. Though young Francis of Assisi led a wild and worldly life, even he had introspective moments during which he examined his soul.
[q] intrude [a] intrude V. trespass; enter as an uninvited person. She hesitated to intrude on their conversation.
[q] intuition [a] intuition N. immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning. Even though Tony denied that anything was wrong, Tina trusted her intuition that something was bothering him. intuitive, ADJ.
[q] inundate [a] inundate V. overwhelm; flood; submerge. This semester I am inundated with work: you should see the piles of paperwork flooding my desk. Until the great dam was built, the waters of the Nile used to inundate the river valley every year.
[q] invalidate [a] invalidate V. discredit; nullify. The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had not been in his right mind when he signed the document.
[q] invective [a] invective N. abuse. He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal.
[q] inviolable [a] inviolable ADJ. secure from corruption, attack, or violation; unassailable. Batman considered his oath to keep the people of Gotham City safe inviolable: nothing on earth could make him break this promise.
[q] irascible [a] irascible ADJ. irritable; easily angered. Pop had what people call a hair-trigger temper; he was a hot-tempered, irascible guy.
[q] irksome [a] irksome ADJ. annoying; tedious. The petty rules and regulations Bill had to follow at work irritated him: he found them uniformly irksome.
[q] irony [a] irony N. hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that seem to mean the opposite of what they actually mean. Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing on his opponent was actually irony; he was in fact ridiculing the poor fool.
[q] irrational [a] irrational ADJ. illogical; lacking reason; insane. Many people have such an irrational fear of snakes that they panic at the sight of a harmless garter snake.
[q] irrelevant [a] irrelevant ADJ. not applicable; unrelated. No matter how irrelevant the patient’s mumblings may seem, they give us some indications of what he has on his mind.
[q] isolate [a] isolate V. keep apart; pinpoint; quarantine. The medical researchers isolated themselves in a remote village. Until they could isolate the cause of the plague and develop an effective vaccine, they had to avoid potential carriers of the disease. Anyone infected they isolated immediately.
[q] itinerant [a] itinerant ADJ. wandering; traveling. He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his wares. also N.
[q] jabber [a] jabber V. chatter rapidly or unintelligibly. Why does the fellow insist on jabbering away in French when I can’t understand a word he says?
[q] jargon [a] jargon N. language used by a special group; technical terminology; gibberish. The computer salesmen at the store used a jargon of their own that we simply couldn’t follow; we had no idea what they were jabbering about.
[q] jaunty [a] jaunty ADJ. lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree. In Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way through the lighthearted title number in a properly jaunty style.
[q] jeopardize [a] jeopardize V. endanger; imperil; put at risk. You can’t give me a D in chemistry; you’ll jeopardize my chances of getting into M.I.T. jeopardy, N.
[q] jocose [a] jocose ADJ. given to joking. The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that he become a stand-up comic.
[q] jocular [a] jocular ADJ. said or done in jest. Although Bill knew the boss hated jokes, he couldn’t resist making one jocular remark. jocularity, N.
[q] judicious [a] judicious ADJ. sound in judgment; wise. At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.
[q] justification [a] justification N. good or just reason; defense; excuse. The jury found him guilty of the more serious charge because they could see no possible justification for his actions.
[q] juxtapose [a] juxtapose V. place side by side. You’ll find it easier to compare the two paintings if you juxtapose them.
[q] kindle [a] kindle V. start a fire; inspire. One of the first things Ben learned in the Boy Scouts was how to kindle a fire by rubbing two dry sticks together. Her teacher’s praise for her poetry kindled a spark of hope inside Maya.
[q] knit [a] knit V. contract into wrinkles; grow together. Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown. When he broke his leg, he sat around the house all day waiting for the bones to knit.
[q] laborious [a] laborious ADJ. demanding much work or care; tedious. In putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.
[q] laconic [a] laconic ADJ. brief and to the point. Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types, rugged men of few words.
[q] laggard [a] laggard ADJ. slow; sluggish. The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders. lag, N., V.
[q] lair [a] lair N. wild animal’s living place; den; hideaway. Jack London called his remote dwelling place the Lair of the Wolf.
[q] lament [a] lament V. grieve; express sorrow. Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in combat. lamentation, N.
[q] lampoon [a] lampoon V. ridicule. This hilarious article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls. also N.
[q] languid [a] languid ADJ. weary; feeble; listless; apathetic. The chronic invalid’s most recent siege of illness left her languid and drooping. languor, N.; languish, V.
[q] larceny [a] larceny N. theft. Because of the prisoner’s long record of thefts, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand larceny to petty larceny.
[q] latent [a] latent ADJ. potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden. Polaroid pictures are popular at parties, because you can see the latent photographic image gradually appear before your eyes.
[q] laud [a] laud V. praise. The NFL lauded Boomer Esiason’s efforts to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis. laudable or laudatory, ADJ.
[q] leaven [a] leaven V. cause to rise or grow lighter; mix in something that transforms, alleviates, or enlivens. As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in volume. also N.
[q] lenience [a] lenience N. mildness; permissiveness. Considering the gravity of the offense, we were surprised by the lenience of the sentence. also leniency; lenient, ADJ.
[q] lethal [a] lethal ADJ. deadly. It is unwise to leave lethal weapons where children may find them.
[q] lethargic [a] lethargic ADJ. drowsy; dull. The stuffy room made her lethargic: she felt as if she was about to nod off.
[q] levity [a] levity N. lack of seriousness; lightness. Stop giggling and wiggling around in your seats: such levity is improper in church.
[q] libel [a] libel N. defamatory statement; act of writing something that smears a person’s character. If Batman wrote that the Joker was a dirty, rotten, mass-murdering criminal, could the Joker sue Batman for libel?
[q] lilliputian [a] lilliputian ADJ. extremely small. Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale. also N.
[q] linger [a] linger V. loiter or dawdle; continue or persist. Hoping to see Juliet pass by, Romeo lingered outside the Capulet house for hours. Though Mother made stuffed cabbage on Monday, the smell lingered around the house for days.
[q] loath [a] loath ADJ. reluctant; disinclined. Fearing for her son’s safety, the overprotective mother was loath to let him go on the class trip.
[q] loathe [a] loathe V. detest. Booing and hissing, the audience showed how much they loathed the wicked villain.
[q] lofty [a] lofty ADJ. very high. Though Barbara Jordan’s fellow students used to tease her about her lofty ambitions, she rose to hold one of the highest positions in the land.
[q] longevity [a] longevity N. long life. When he reached 90, the old man was proud of his longevity.
[q] loquacious [a] loquacious ADJ. talkative. She is very loquacious and can speak on the telephone for hours.
[q] lucid [a] lucid ADJ. easily understood; clear; intelligible. Her explanation was lucid enough for a child to grasp.
[q] lucrative [a] lucrative ADJ. profitable. He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.
[q] lugubrious [a] lugubrious ADJ. mournful; funereal. Gloomy Gus walked around town with a lugubrious expression on his face.
[q] luminous [a] luminous ADJ. shining; issuing light. The sun is a luminous body.
[q] lure [a] lure V. entice; attract. Baiting his hook with the latest fly he had put together, Grandpa Joe swore that this new fly was so attractive that it could lure the wariest trout out of hiding.
[q] lurk [a] lurk V. stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived. Who knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!
[q] luxuriant [a] luxuriant ADJ. abundant; rich and splendid; fertile. Lady Godiva was completely covered by her luxuriant hair.
[q] maelstrom [a] maelstrom N. whirlpool. The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.
[q] magnanimous [a] magnanimous ADJ. generous. Philanthropists by definition are magnanimous; misers, by definition, are not. magnanimity, N.
[q] malice [a] malice N. hatred; spite. Jealous of Cinderella’s beauty, her wicked stepsisters expressed their malice by forcing her to do menial tasks.
[q] malign [a] malign V. speak evil of; bad-mouth; defame. Her hatred of her ex-husband ran so deep that she maligned anyone who even casually dated him.
[q] malignant [a] malignant ADJ. having an evil influence; virulent. This is a malignant disease; we may have to use drastic measures to stop its spread.
[q] malleable [a] malleable ADJ. capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable. Gold is a malleable metal, easily shaped into bracelets and rings. Fagin hoped Oliver was a malleable lad, easily shaped into a thief.
[q] manifest [a] manifest ADJ. evident; visible; obvious. Digby’s embarrassment when he met Madonna was manifest: his ears turned bright pink, he kept scuffing one shoe in the dirt, and he couldn’t look her in the eye.
[q] marked [a] marked ADJ. noticeable; targeted for vengeance. He walked with a marked limp, a souvenir of an old I.R.A. attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a marked man.
[q] marshal [a] marshal V. put in order. At a debate tournament, extemporanious speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts before they address their audience.
[q] martinet [a] martinet N. strict disciplinarian. Captain Bligh was a martinet who observed each regulation to the letter.
[q] massive [a] massive ADJ. solid or heavy; large in scope; severe. The bust of Beethoven emphasizes his high forehead and massive brow. The composer suffered a massive hearing loss that left him unable to hear the music the orchestra played.
[q] materialism [a] materialism N. preoccupation with physical comforts and things. By its nature, materialism is opposed to idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the body, the idealist emphasizes the needs of the soul. materialistic, ADJ.
[q] maverick [a] maverick N. rebel; nonconformist. To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand, with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking cigars, was clearly a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.
[q] mawkish [a] mawkish ADJ. mushy and gushy; sentimental; maudlin. Whenever Gigi and her boyfriend would sigh and get all lovey-dovey, her little brother would shout, “Yuck!,” protesting their mawkish behavior.
[q] maxim [a] maxim N. proverb; a truth pithily stated. Aesop’s fables illustrate moral maxims.
[q] meager [a] meager ADJ. scanty; inadequate. Still hungry after his meager serving of porridge, Oliver Twist asked for a second helping.
[q] mealymouthed [a] mealymouthed ADJ. indirect in speech; hypocritical; evasive. Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change the subject.
[q] meander [a] meander V. wind or turn in its course. Needing to stay close to a source of water, he followed every twist and turn of the stream as it meandered through the countryside.
[q] mediate [a] mediate V. settle a dispute through the services of an outsider. King Solomon was asked to mediate a dispute between two women, each of whom claimed to be the mother of the same child.
[q] mediocre [a] mediocre ADJ. ordinary; commonplace. We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.
[q] meditation [a] meditation N. reflection; thought. She reached her decision only after much meditation.
[q] meek [a] meek ADJ. quiet and obedient; spiritless. Can Lois Lane see through Superman’s disguise and spot the superhero masquerading as the meek, timorous Clark Kent?
[q] melancholy [a] melancholy ADJ. gloomy; morose; blue. To Eugene, stuck in his small town, a train whistle was a melancholy sound, for it made him think of all the places he would never get to see.
[q] mellifluous [a] mellifluous ADJ. sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious. What a mellifluous language Italian is! Even the street vendors’ cries sound like little songs.
[q] mentor [a] mentor N. counselor; teacher. During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for her adviser was sympathetic and understanding.
[q] mercantile [a] mercantile ADJ. concerning trade. Selling candy bars to his classmates whose parents had packed their lunch boxes with apples and carrot sticks, George clearly was destined to be a mercantile success.
[q] mercenary [a] mercenary ADJ. interested in money or gain. Andy’s every act was prompted by mercenary motives: his first question was always, “What’s in it for me?”
[q] mercurial [a] mercurial ADJ. capricious; changing; fickle. Quick as quicksilver to change, he was mercurial in nature and therefore unreliable.
[q] mesmerize [a] mesmerize V. hypnotize; fascinate. On a long stretch of road between Fresno and Los Angeles, the open highway began to mesmerize Richard; he pulled over to the side of the road and rested to free himself from highway hypnosis.
[q] meticulous [a] meticulous ADJ. excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous. Martha Stewart, a meticulous housekeeper, fusses about each and every detail that goes into making up her perfect home.
[q] migratory [a] migratory ADJ. wandering. The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring.
[q] ministration [a] ministration N. act of giving care; attending to someone’s needs. Red Cross founder Florence Nightingale was honored for her ministrations to wounded soldiers during the Crimean War.
[q] minute [a] minute ADJ. extremely small. The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart.
[q] misanthrope [a] misanthrope N. one who hates mankind. In Gulliver’s Travels, Swift portrays human beings as vile, degraded beasts; for this reason, some critics consider him a misanthrope.
[q] misconception [a] misconception N. misunderstanding; misinterpretation. I’m afraid you are suffering from a misconception, Mr. Collins: I do not want to marry you at all.
[q] misconstrue [a] misconstrue V. interpret incorrectly; misjudge. She took the passage seriously rather than humorously because she misconstrued the author’s ironic tone.
[q] miserly [a] miserly ADJ. stingy; mean. The miserly old man greedily counted the gold coins he had hoarded over the years.
[q] misnomer [a] misnomer N. wrong name; incorrect designation. His tyrannical conduct proved to us all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.
[q] misrepresent [a] misrepresent V. give a false or incorrect impression, usually unintentionally. The ad “Lovely Florida building site with water view” misrepresented the property, which was actually ten acres of bottomless swamp.
[q] mitigate [a] mitigate V. appease; moderate. Nothing Jason did could mitigate Medea’s anger; she refused to forgive him for betraying her.
[q] mobile [a] mobile ADJ. movable; not fixed. The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today. mobility, N.
[q] mock [a] mock V. ridicule; imitate, often in derision. It is unkind to mock anyone; it is stupid to mock anyone significantly bigger than you. mockery, N.
[q] mode [a] mode N. prevailing style; manner; way of doing something. The rock star had to have her hair done in the latest mode: frizzed, with occasional moussed spikes for variety. Henry plans to adopt a simpler mode of life: he is going to become a mushroom hunter and live off the land.
[q] mollify [a] mollify V. soothe. The airline customer service representative tried to mollify the angry passenger by offering her a seat in first class.
[q] momentous [a] momentous ADJ. very important. When Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium, they had no idea of the momentous impact their discovery would have upon society.
[q] monarchy [a] monarchy N. government under a single ruler. Though England today is a monarchy, there is some question whether it will be one in 20 years, given the present discontent at the prospect of Prince Charles as king.
[q] monochromatic [a] monochromatic ADJ. having only one color. Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish several colors; some, however, have a truly monochromatic view of a world all in shades of gray.
[q] monotony [a] monotony N. sameness leading to boredom. What could be more deadly dull than the monotony of punching numbers into a computer hour after hour?
[q] monumental [a] monumental ADJ. massive; immense. Writing a dictionary is a monumental task; so is reading one.
[q] moratorium [a] moratorium N. suspension of activity; authorized period of delay (of a payment, etc.). If we declare a moratorium and delay collecting all debts for six months, I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills.
[q] morose [a] morose ADJ. ill-humored; sullen; melancholy. Forced to take early retirement, Bill acted morose for months; then, all of a sudden, he shook of his sullen mood and was his usual cheerful self.
[q] morsel [a] morsel N. small bit of food. “No, thank you, Aunt Polly,” he said. “I’m so stuffed I can’t eat another morsel.”
[q] mortify [a] mortify V. humiliate; punish the flesh. She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.
[q] muddle [a] muddle V. confuse; mix up. His thoughts were muddled and chaotic. also N.
[q] mural [a] mural N. wall painting. The walls of the Chicano Community Center are covered with murals painted in the style of Diego Rivera, the great Mexican artist.
[q] murky [a] murky ADJ. dark and gloomy; thick with fog; vague. The murky depths of the swamp were so dark that you couldn’t tell the vines and branches from the snakes.
[q] muse [a] muse V. ponder. For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thoughts soon changed as he recalled his own personal problems. also N.
[q] mutability [a] mutability N. ability to change in form; fickleness. Going from rags to riches and then back to rags again, the bankrupt fincancier was a victim of the mutability of fortune.
[q] muted [a] muted ADJ. silent; muffled; toned down. Thanks to the thick, sound-absorbing walls of the cathedral, only muted traffic noise reached the worshippers within.
[q] mutinous [a] mutinous ADJ. unruly; rebellious. The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew.
[q] myriad [a] myriad N. very large number. Myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every evening at twilight. also ADJ.
[q] nadir [a] nadir N. lowest point. Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.
[q] naïveté [a] naïveté N. quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; artlessness; gullibility. Touched by the naïveté of sweet, convent-trained Cosette, Marius pledges himself to protect her innocence. naive, ADJ.
[q] narrative [a] narrative ADJ. related to telling a story. A born teller of tales, Olsen used her impressive narrative skills to advantage in her story, “I Stand Here Ironing.”
[q] navigable [a] navigable ADJ. wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; able to be steered. So much sand had built up at the bottom of the canal that the waterway was barely navigable.
[q] nebulous [a] nebulous ADJ. vague; hazy; cloudy. After 20 years, she hand only a nebulous memory of her grandmother’s face.
[q] negligence [a] negligence N. neglect; failure to take reasonable care. Tommy failed to put back the cover on the well after he fetched a pail of water; because of his negligence, Kitty fell in.
[q] negligible [a] negligible ADJ. so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may be easily disregarded. Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn’t bother to report the matter to his insurance company.
[q] neologism [a] neologism N. new or newly coined word or phrase. As we invent new devices and professions, we must also invent neologisms such as “microcomputer” and “astronaut” to describe them.
[q] neophyte [a] neophyte N. recent convert; beginner. This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge experts as well as neophytes.
[q] nocturnal [a] nocturnal ADJ. relating to, occurring, or active in the night. Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken coops.
[q] nonchalance [a] nonchalance N. indifference; lack of concern; composure. Cool, calm, and collected under fire, James Bond shows remarkable nonchalance in the face of danger.
[q] nondescript [a] nondescript ADJ. undistinctive; ordinary. The private detective was a nondescript fellow with no outstanding features, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.
[q] nonentity [a] nonentity N. person or thing of no importance; nonexistence. Don’t dismiss John as a nonentity; in his quiet way, he’s very important to the firm.
[q] nostalgia [a] nostalgia N. homesickness; longing for the past. My grandfather seldom spoke of life in the old country; he had little patience with nostalgia. nostalgic, ADJ.
[q] notable [a] notable ADJ. conspicuous; important; distinguished. Normally notable for his calm in the kitchen, today the head cook was shaking, for the notable chef Julia Child was coming to dinner.
[q] notorious [a] notorious ADJ. disreputable; widely known; scandalous. To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn’t have a good reputation, she’d settle for being notorious. notoriety, N.
[q] novelty [a] novelty N. something new; newness. The computer is no longer a novelty around the office; every office has one. novel, ADJ.
[q] novice [a] novice N. beginner. Even a novice at working with computers can install Barron’s Computer Study Program for the SAT by following the easy steps outlined in the user’s manual.
[q] nozzle [a] nozzle N. projecting spout; tapering tube. Did you leave the garden hose on? I see a trail of water leaking from its nozzle.
[q] nucleus [a] nucleus N. central point or core; component of protoplasm; central part of atom. Kathryn, Lexy, and Steven formed the nucleus of the debate team, which eventually grew to include most of the senior class.
[q] nullify [a] nullify V. to make invalid; make null or void. Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.
[q] nurture [a] nurture V. nourish; educate; foster. The Head Start program attempts to nurture pre-kindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter public school. also N.
[q] nutrient [a] nutrient N. nourishing substance. As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic nutrients.
[q] obdurate [a] obdurate ADJ. stubborn. The manager was obdurate in refusing to discuss the workers’ grievances.
[q] obfuscate [a] obfuscate V. confuse; muddle; make unclear. Occasionally in talking with patients, doctors seem to use medical terms to obfuscate rather than to inform them about the state of their health.
[q] objective (ADJ.) [a] objective (ADJ.) ADJ. not influenced by emotions; fair. Even though he was her son, she tried to be objective about his behavior.
[q] objective (N.) [a] objective (N.) N. goal; aim. A degree in medicine was her ultimate objective.
[q] obligatory [a] obligatory ADJ. required; legally or morally binding. It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within two weeks.
[q] oblique [a] oblique ADJ. indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line). Casting a quick, oblique glance at the reviewing stand, the sergeant ordered the company to march “Oblique Right.”
[q] obliterate [a] obliterate V. destroy completely. In the film Independence Day the explosion obliterated the White House, vaporizing it completely.
[q] oblivion [a] oblivion N. obscurity; forgetfulness. After a brief period of popularity, Hurston’s works fell into oblivion; no one bothered to reprint them or even to read them any more.
[q] oblivious [a] oblivious ADJ. inattentive or unmindful; wholly absorbed. Deep in her book, Nancy was oblivious of the noisy squabbles of her brother and his friends.
[q] obnoxious [a] obnoxious ADJ. offensive; objectionable. A sneak and a tattletale, Sid was an obnoxious little brat.
[q] obscure (ADJ.) [a] obscure (ADJ.) ADJ. dark; vague; unclear. Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure. obscurity, N.
[q] obscure (V.) [a] obscure (V.) V. darken; make unclear. At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.
[q] obsequious [a] obsequious ADJ. slavishly attentive; servile; fawning; sycophantic. Why are some waiters in fancy restaurants so obsequious? What makes them think diners want to have people fawning all over them?
[q] obsessive [a] obsessive ADJ. related to thinking about something constantly; preoccupying. Ballet, which had been a hobby, began to dominate her life; her love of dancing became obsessive.
[q] obsolescent [a] obsolescent ADJ. going out of use. Given how quickly computer technology changes, I’ve had to reconcile myself to the fact that, no matter how up-to-date a system I buy, it’s practically obsolescent as soon as I’ve gotten it out of its box.
[q] obsolete [a] obsolete ADJ. outmoded. “Hip” is an obsolete expression; it went out with love beads and tie-dye shirts.
[q] obtrude [a] obtrude V. push (oneself or one’s ideas) forward or intrude; butt in; stick out or extrude. Because Fanny was reluctant to obtrude her opinions about child raising upon her daughter-in-law, she kept a close watch on her tongue. obtrusive, ADJ.
[q] offensive [a] offensive ADJ. attacking; insulting; distasteful. Getting into street brawls is no minor matter for professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict their offensive impulses to the ring.
[q] officious [a] officious ADJ. meddlesome; excessively pushing in offering one’s services. After her long flight, Jill just wanted to nap, but the officious bellboy was intent on showing her all the special features of the deluxe suite.
[q] olfactory [a] olfactory ADJ. concerning the sense of smell. A wine taster must have a discriminating palate and a keen olfactory sense, for a good wine appeals both to the taste buds and to the nose.
[q] ominous [a] ominous ADJ. threatening. Those clouds are ominous; they suggest a severe storm is on the way.
[q] omnivorous [a] omnivorous ADJ. eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything. Some animals, including man, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either carnivorous or herbivorous.
[q] opaque [a] opaque ADJ. not transparent; impenetrable to light. The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room. opacity, N.
[q] opportunist [a] opportunist N. individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances. Forget ethics! He’s such an opportunist that he’ll vote in favor of any deal that will give him a break.
[q] opprobrium [a] opprobrium N. public digrace or reproach; vilification. How did the Republicans manage to turn the once-honored name of “liberal” into a term of opprobrium?
[q] opt [a] opt V. decide in favor of; choose. Given the choice between the movie and the folk dance, Sharon opted to go to the dance.
[q] optimist [a] optimist N. person who looks on the good side. The pessimist says the glass is half empty; the optimist says it is half full.
[q] opulence [a] opulence N. extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance. The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella’s breath away. opulent, ADJ.
[q] orator [a] orator N. public speaker. The abolitionist Frederick Douglass was a brilliant orator whose speeches brought home to his audience the evils of slavery.
[q] ordeal [a] ordeal N. severe trial or affliction. June was so painfully shy that it was an ordeal for her to speak up when the teacher called on her in class.
[q] ornate [a] ornate ADJ. excessively or elaborately decorated. The furnishings of homes that were shown on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous tended to be highly ornate.
[q] ostentatious [a] ostentatious ADJ. showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention. Trump’s latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling palace in the East: it easily outglitters its competitors. ostentation, N.
[q] outlandish [a] outlandish ADJ. bizarre; peculiar; unconventional. The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an academic setting.
[q] outmoded [a] outmoded ADJ. no longer stylish; old-fashioned. Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.
[q] outwit [a] outwit V. outsmart; trick. By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his pursuers and escape capture.
[q] overbearing [a] overbearing ADJ. bossy; arrogant; decisively important. Certain of her own importance and of the unimportance of everyone else, Lady Brocknell was intolerably overbearing in her manner. “In choosing a good husband,” she said, “good birth is of overbearing importance; compared to that, neither wealth nor talent signifies.”
[q] overt [a] overt ADJ. open to view. According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he or she may be tried for treason.
[q] pacifist [a] pacifist N. one opposed to force; antimilitarist. Shooting his way through the jungle, Rambo was clearly not a pacifist.
[q] pacify [a] pacify V. soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue. Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.
[q] painstaking [a] painstaking ADJ. expending or showing diligent care and great effort. The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.
[q] palatable [a] palatable ADJ. agreeable; pleasing to the taste. Neither Jack’s underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to me.
[q] pallid [a] pallid ADJ. pale; wan. Because his occupation required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally pallid complexion.
[q] panacea [a] panacea N. cure-all; remedy for all diseases. Some people claim that vitamin C is a panacea that can cure everything from cancer to the common cold.
[q] pandemonium [a] pandemonium N. wild tumult. When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out among the passengers.
[q] parable [a] parable N. short tale illustrating a moral principle. In the parable of the good shepherd, Jesus encourages his followers to seek those who have strayed from the flock.
[q] paradox [a] paradox N. something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct. Richard presents a bit of a paradox, for he is a card-carrying member of both the National Rifle Association and the relatively pacifist American Civil Liberties Union.
[q] paragon [a] paragon N. model of perfection. The class disliked him because the teacher was always pointing him out as a paragon of virtue.
[q] paramount [a] paramount ADJ. foremost in importance; supreme. Proper nutrition and hygiene are of paramount importance in adolescent development and growth.
[q] parched [a] parched ADJ. extremely dry; very thirsty. The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.
[q] parody [a] parody N. humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty. The show Forbidden Broadway presents parodies spoofing the year’s new productions playing on Broadway.
[q] partial [a] partial ADJ. incomplete; having a liking for something. In this issue we have published only a partial list of contributors because we lack space to acknowledge everyone. I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs.
[q] partisan [a] partisan ADJ. one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party. On certain issues of principle, she refused to take a partisan stand but let her conscience be her guide. also N.
[q] partition [a] partition V. divide into parts. Before their second daughter was born, Jason and Lizzie decided each child needed a room of her own, and so they partitioned a large bedroom into two small but separate rooms. also N.
[q] passive [a] passive ADJ. not active; acted upon. Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance rather than resort to violence and acts of terrorism.
[q] passport [a] passport N. legal document identifying the bearer as a citizen of a country and allowing him or her to travel abroad. In arranging your first trip abroad, be sure to allow yourself enough time to apply for and receive your passport: you won’t be allowed to travel without one.
[q] pastoral [a] pastoral ADJ. rural; simple and peaceful; idyllic; relating to shepherds. Tired of city living, David dreamed of moving to the ocuntry and enjoying the tranquility of pastoral life.
[q] patronize [a] patronize V. support; act superior toward; be a customer of. Penniless artists hope to find some wealthy art lover who will patronize them. If a wine steward patronized me because he saw I knew nothing about fine wine, I’d refuse to patronize his restaurant.
[q] paucity [a] paucity N. scarcity; lack. They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it a losing proposition to operate.
[q] pedantic [a] pedantic ADJ. showing off learning; bookish. Leavening his decisions with humorous, down-to-earth anecdotes, Judge Walker was not at all the pedantic legal scholar. pedant, N.
[q] pedestrian [a] pedestrian ADJ. ordinary; unimaginative. Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose.
[q] peerless [a] peerless ADJ. having no equal; incomparable. To his admirers, the reigning operatic tenor of his generation, Luciano Pavarotti, was peerless; no one could compare with him.
[q] pendulum [a] pendulum N. suspended body that swings freely. Watching the swinging pendulum of the grandfather clock, Johnny swayed from side to side, echoing its movement.
[q] penitent [a] penitent ADJ. feeling regret or sorrow for one’s offenses; repentant. When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and penitent. also N.
[q] perceptive [a] perceptive ADJ. insightful; aware; wise. Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic, she had her blind spots: she could never see flaws in the work of her friends.
[q] perdition [a] perdition N. damnation; complete ruin. Praying for salvation, young Steven feared he was damned to eternal perdition.
[q] peremptory [a] peremptory ADJ. demanding and leaving no choice. From Jack’s peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.
[q] perfidious [a] perfidious ADJ. treacherous; disloyal. When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend. perfidy, N.
[q] perfunctory [a] perfunctory ADJ. superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm. Giving the tabletop only a perfunctory swipe with her dust cloth, Betty promised herself she’d clean it more thoroughly tomorrow.
[q] perjury [a] perjury N. false testimony while under oath. Rather than lie under oath and perhaps be indicted for perjury, the witness chose to take the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer any questions on the grounds that he might incriminate himself.
[q] permutation [a] permutation N. transformation; rearrangement of elements. I’m pretty sure Ted’s phone number ends in 5236 or some permutation of those digits.
[q] pernicious [a] pernicious ADJ. very destructive. Crack cocaine has had a pernicious effect on urban society: it has destroyed families, turned children into drug dealers, and increased the spread of violent crimes.
[q] perpetrate [a] perpetrate V. commit an offense. Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.
[q] perpetual [a] perpetual ADJ. everlasting. Ponce de León hoped to find the legendary fountain of perpetual youth. perpetuity, N.
[q] perpetuate [a] perpetuate V. make something last; preserve from extinction. Some critics attack The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because they believe Twain’s book perpetuates a false image of blacks in this country.
[q] peruse [a] peruse V. read with care. After the conflagration that burned down her house, Joan closely perused her home insurance policy to discover exactly what benefits her coverage provided her. perusal, N.
[q] pervasive [a] pervasive ADJ. pervading; spread throughout every part. Despite airing them for several hours, she could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothballs that clung to them.
[q] perverse [a] perverse ADJ. stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and perverted. When Jack was in a perverse mood, he would do the opposite of whatever Jill asked him. When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims.
[q] pessimism [a] pessimism N. belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess. Considering how well you have done in the course so far, you have no real reason for such pessimism about your final grade.
[q] petulant [a] petulant ADJ. touchy; peevish. If you’d had hardly any sleep for three nights and people kept on phoning and waking you up, you’d sound pretty petulant, too.
[q] phenomena [a] phenomena N. Pl. observable facts or events. We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.
[q] philanthropist [a] philanthropist N. lover of mankind; doer of good. In his role as philanthropist and public benefactor, John D. Rockefeller, Sr. donated millions to charity; as an individual, however, he was a tight-fisted old man.
[q] phlegmatic [a] phlegmatic ADJ. not easily excited to action or emotional displays; calm; sluggish. The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, untroubled by sudden emergencies.
[q] pious [a] pious ADJ. devout; religious. The challenge for church members today is how to be pious in the best sense, that is, to be devout without becoming hypocritical or sanctimonious. piety, N.
[q] pique (V.) [a] pique (V.) V. provoke or arouse; annoy. “I know something you don’t know,” said lucy, trying to pique Ethel’s interest.
[q] pique (N.) [a] pique (N.) N. irritation; resentment. She showed her pique at her loss by refusing to appear with the other contestants at the end of the competition.
[q] pivotal [a] pivotal ADJ. crucial; key; vital. The new “smart weapons” technology played a pivotal role in the quick resolution of the war with Iraq.
[q] placate [a] placate V. pacify; conciliate. The store manager, trying to placate the angry customer, offered to replace the damaged merchandise or to give back her money right away.
[q] placid [a] placid ADJ. calm; peaceful. Looking at the storm-tossed waters of the lake, Bob wondered why they ever called it Lake Placid.
[q] plagiarize [a] plagiarize V. steal another’s ideas and pass them off as one’s own. The teacher could tell that the student had plagiarized parts of his essay; she could recognize whole paragraphs straight from Barron’s Book Notes.
[q] platitude [a] platitude N. trite remark; commonplace statement. In giving advice to his son, old Polonius expressed himself only in platitudes; every word out of his mouth was commonplace.
[q] plausible [a] plausible ADJ. having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious. Your mother made you stay home from school because she needed you to program the VCR? I’m sorry, you’ll have to come up with a more plausible excuse than that.
[q] plethora [a] plethora N. excess; overabundance. She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.
[q] pliable [a] pliable ADJ. flexible; yielding; adaptable. In remodeling the bathroom, we have replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing.
[q] plight [a] plight N. condition, state (especially a bad state or condition); predicament. Loggers, unmoved by the plight of the spotted owl, plan to keep on logging whether or not they ruin the owl’s habitat.
[q] pluck [a] pluck N. courage. Even the enemies of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy’s pluck in trying to rescue the archaeological treasure they had stolen. plucky, ADJ.
[q] plunder [a] plunder N. loot; takings from a raid. Rubbing his hands with glee, the robber gloated over his ill-gotten plunder. also V.
[q] podium [a] podium N. pedestal; raised platform. The audience applauded as the conductor made his way to the podium.
[q] polemical [a] polemical ADJ. aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious. Lexy was a master of polemical rhetoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan “Born to Debate.”
[q] ponderous [a] ponderous ADJ. weighty; unwieldy. His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.
[q] pore [a] pore V. study deeply; stare. In doing research on the SAT, we pored over back issues of Scientific American to locate articles from which reading passages had been excerpted.
[q] porous [a] porous ADJ. full of pores; like a sieve. Dancers like to wear porous clothing because it allows the ready passage of air.
[q] portend [a] portend V. foretell; presage. The king did not know what these omens might portend and asked his soothsayers to interpret them.
[q] portly [a] portly ADJ. stout; corpulent. The salesclerk diplomatically referred to the overweight customer as not fat but portly.
[q] posterity [a] posterity N. descendants; future generations. We hope to leave a better world to posterity.
[q] potency [a] potency N. power; effectiveness; influence. Looking at the expiration date on the cough syrup bottle, we wondered whether the medication still retained its potency. potent, ADJ.
[q] potentate [a] potentate N. monarch; sovereign. The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.
[q] practical [a] practical ADJ. based on experience; useful. Sharon gained practical experience in hospital work by acting as an emergency room volunteer.
[q] pragmatic [a] pragmatic ADJ. practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something. This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French classes.
[q] prairie [a] prairie N. vast, level, or slightly rolling tract of grassland. The prairie is “big sky” country; your views are unobstructed by buildings or trees.
[q] prate [a] prate V. speak foolishly; boast idly. Despite Elizabeth’s obvious disinclination for the topic, Mr. Collins prated on and on about his wonderful prospects as a husband, thanks to his noble patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
[q] prattle [a] prattle V. babble. Baby John prattled on and on about the cats and his ball and the Cookie Monster.
[q] preamble [a] preamble N. introductory statement. In the preamble to the Constitution, the purpose of the document is set forth.
[q] precarious [a] precarious ADJ. uncertain; risky. Saying the stock would be a precarious investment, the broker advised her client against purchasing it.
[q] precedent [a] precedent N. something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action. If I buy you a car for your sixteenth birthday, your brothers will want me to buy them cars when they turn sixteen, too; I can’t afford to set such and expensive precedent.
[q] precipitate [a] precipitate ADJ. rash; premature; abrupt; hasty; sudden. Though I was angry enough to resign on the spot, I had enough sense to keep myself from quitting a job in such a precipitate fashion.
[q] precipitous [a] precipitous ADJ. steep; overhasty. This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as well.
[q] preclude [a] preclude V. make impossible; eliminate. Because the band was already booked to play in Hollywood on New Year’s Eve, that booking precluded their accepting the New Year’s Eve gig in London they were offered.
[q] precursor [a] precursor N. forerunner. Though Gray and Burns share many traits with the Romantic poets who followed them, most critics consider them precursors of the Romantic movement, not true Romantics.
[q] predator [a] predator N. creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others. Not just cats, but a wide variety of predators – owls, hawks, weasels, foxes – catch mice for dinner. A carnivore is by definition predatory, for it preys on weaker creatures.
[q] predetermine [a] predetermine V. predestine; settle or decide beforehand; influence markedly. Romeo and Juliet believed that Fate had predetermined their meeting. Bea gathered estimates from caterers, florists, and stationers so that she could predetermine the costs of holding a catered buffet. Philip’s love of athletics predetermined his choice of a career in sports marketing.
[q] predilection [a] predilection N. partiality; preference. Although my mother wrote all sorts of poetry over the years, she had a definite predilection for occasional verse.
[q] preeminent [a] preeminent ADJ. outstanding; superior. The king traveled to Boston because he wanted the preeminent surgeon in the field to perform the operation.
[q] preempt [a] preempt V. head off; forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself; supplant. Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue, the candidate set out her own plan to revitalize the public schools. preemptive, ADJ.
[q] prelate [a] prelate N. church dignitary. The archbishop of Moscow and other high-ranking prelates visited the Russian Orthodox seminary.
[q] premise [a] premise N. assumption; postulate. Acting on the premise that there’s no fool like an old fool, P. T. Barnum hired a 90-year-old clown for his circus.
[q] premonition [a] premonition N. forewarning. In horror movies, the hero often has a premonition of danger, yet he foolishly ignores it.
[q] preposterous [a] preposterous ADJ. absurd; ridiculous. When he tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn’t inhaled, we all though, “What a preposterous excuse!”
[q] prescience [a] prescience N. ability to foretell the future. Given the current wave of Japan bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan.
[q] preside [a] preside V. act as president or chairman; exercise control. When the club president cannot attend a meeting, the vice president will preside over that session.
[q] prestige [a] prestige N. impression produced by achievements or reputation. Many students want to go to Harvard College not for the education offered but for the prestige of Harvard’s name.
[q] presumptuous [a] presumptuous ADJ. taking liberties; overstepping bounds; nervy. I thought it was presumptuous of Mort to butt into Bishop Tutu’s talk with Mrs. Clinton and ask them for their autographs; I wouldn’t have had the nerve.
[q] pretentious [a] pretentious ADJ. ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly ambitious. None of the other prizewinners are wearing their medals; isn’t it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours?
[q] prevail [a] prevail V. triumph; predominate; prove superior in strength, power, or influence; be current. A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views that prevailed in the America of his day. prevalent, ADJ.; prevailing, ADJ.
[q] prevaricate [a] prevaricate V. lie. Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and regard their false statement as a “white lie.”
[q] prey [a] prey N. target of a hunt; victim. In Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons has as his prey not wild beasts but wild plants. also V.
[q] privation [a] privation N. hardship; want. In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.
[q] procrastinate [a] procrastinate V. postpone; delay or put off. Looking at four years of receipts and checks he still had to sort through, Bob was truly sorry he had procrastinated for so long and not finished filing his taxes long ago.
[q] prodigal [a] prodigal ADJ. wasteful; reckless with money. Don’t be so prodigal spending my money; when you’ve earned some money, you can waste it as much as you want! also N.
[q] prodigious [a] prodigious ADJ. marvelous; enormous. Watching the champion weight lifter heave the weighty barbell to shoulder height and then boost it overhead, we marveled at his prodigious strength.
[q] prodigy [a] prodigy N. highly gifted child; extraordinary accomplishment or event. Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.
[q] profane [a] profane V. violate; desecrate; treat unworthily. The members of the mysterious Far Eastern cult sought to kill the British explorer because he had profaned the sanctity of their holy goblet by using it as an ashtray. also ADJ.
[q] profligate [a] profligate ADJ. dissipated; wasteful; wildly immoral. Although surrounded by wild and profligate companions, she nevertheless managed to retain some sense of decency.
[q] profound [a] profound ADJ. deep; not superficial; complete. Freud’s remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound thinker. profundity, N.
[q] profusion [a] profusion N. overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess. Freddy was so overwhelmed by the profusion of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked the host. He made profuse apologies to his host, the waiter, the busboy, the people at the next table, and the man in the men’s room giving out paper towels.
[q] progenitor [a] progenitor N. ancestor. The Roth family, whose progenitors emigrated from Germany early in the nineteenth century, settled in Peru, Illinois.
[q] proliferation [a] proliferation N. rapid growth; spread; multiplication. Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the proliferation of countless get-rich-quick schemes. proliferate, V.
[q] prolific [a] prolific ADJ. abundantly fruitful. My editors must assume I’m a prolific writer: they expect me to revise six books this year!
[q] prologue [a] prologue N. introduction (to a poem or play). In the prologue to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare introduces the audience to the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.
[q] prolong [a] prolong V. make longer; draw out; lengthen. In their determination to discover ways to prolong human life, doctors fail to take into account that longer lives are not always happier ones.
[q] prominent [a] prominent ADJ. conspicuous; notable; sticking out. Have you ever noticed that Prince Charles’s prominent ears make him resemble the big-eared character in Mad comics?
[q] promontory [a] promontory N. high point of land jutting out into a body of water; headland. They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their nearness to the shore.
[q] promote [a] promote V. help to flourish; advance in rank; publicize. Founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman ceaselessly promotes the welfare of young people everywhere.
[q] promulgate [a] promulgate V. proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication. When Moses came down from the mountaintop all set to promulgate God’s commandments, he was shocked to discover his followers worshipping a golden calf.
[q] prone [a] prone ADJ. inclined to; prostrate. She was prone to sudden fits of anger during which she would lie prone on the floor, screaming and kicking her heels.
[q] propagate [a] propagate V. multiply; spread. Since bacteria propagate more quickly in unsanitary environments, it is important to keep hospital rooms clean.
[q] propensity [a] propensity N. natural inclination. Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to belittle the talents of others.
[q] property [a] property N. quality or aspect; belongings; land. In science class we learned that each element has certain physical and chemical properties.
[q] prophetic [a] prophetic ADJ. foretelling the future. I have no magical prophetic powers; when I predict what will happen, I base my predictions on common sense. prophesy, V.
[q] proponent [a] proponent N. supporter; backer. In the Senate, proponents of the universal health care measure lobbied to gain additional support for the controversial legislation.
[q] propriety [a] propriety N. fitness; correct conduct. Miss Manners counsels her readers so that they may behave with due propriety in any social situation and not embarrass themselves.
[q] prosaic [a] prosaic ADJ. dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual. Though the ad writers had come up with a wildly imaginative campaign to publicize the company’s newest product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic, down-to-earth approach.
[q] prosperity [a] prosperity N. good fortune; financial success; physical well-being. Promising to stay together “for richer, for poorer,” the newlyweds vowed to be true to one another in prosperity and hardship alike.
[q] protagonist [a] protagonist N. principal character; leading actor. Emma, the protagonist of Jane Austen’s novel, is an overindulged young woman convinced of her ability as a matchmaker.
[q] prototype [a] prototype N. original work used as a model by others. The National Air and Space Museum displays the Wright brothers’ first plane, the prototype of all the American aircraft that came after.
[q] protract [a] protract V. prolong. Seeking to delay the union members’ vote, the management team tried to protract the negotiations endlessly, but the union representatives saw through their strategy.
[q] protrude [a] protrude V. stick out. His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves. protrusion, N.
[q] protuberance [a] protuberance N. protrusion; bulge. A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor that develops near a joint membrane or tendon sheath and that bulges beneath the skin, forming a protuberance.
[q] provident [a] provident ADJ. displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies. In his usual provident manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.
[q] provincial [a] provincial ADJ. pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated. As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the queen’s law in his remote corner of Canada. Caught up in local problems, out of touch with London news, he became sadly provincial.
[q] provisional [a] provisional ADJ. tentative. Kim’s acceptance as an American Express cardholder was provisional: before issuing her a card, American Express wanted to check her employment record and credit history.
[q] provocative [a] provocative ADJ. arousing anger or interest; annoying. In a typically provocative act, the bully kicked sand into the weaker man’s face.
[q] proximity [a] proximity N. nearness. Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.
[q] prudent [a] prudent ADJ. cautious; careful. A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy. prudence, N.
[q] prune [a] prune V. cut away; trim. With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her manuscript into publishable form.
[q] pseudonym [a] pseudonym N. pen name. Samuel Clemens’s pseudonym was Mark Twain.
[q] puerile [a] puerile ADJ. childish; immature. Throwing tantrums? You should have outgrown such puerile behavior years ago.
[q] pugnacious [a] pugnacious ADJ. combative; disposed to fight. “Put up your dukes!” he cried, making a fist to show how pugnacious he was.
[q] pulverize [a] pulverize V. crush or grind into dust. Before sprinkling the dried herbs into the stew, Michael first pulverized them into a fine powder.
[q] pummel [a] pummel V. beat or pound with fists. Swinging wildly, Pammy pummeled her brother around the head and shoulders.
[q] punctilious [a] punctilious ADJ. laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; minutely attentive to fine points (perhaps too much so). Percy is punctilious about observing the rules of etiquette whenever Miss Manners invites him to stay. punctiliousness, N.
[q] pungent [a] pungent ADJ. stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic. The pungent odor of ripe Limburger cheese appealed to Simone but made Stanley gag.
[q] puny [a] puny ADJ. insignificant; tiny; weak. Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.
[q] purge [a] purge V. remove or get rid of something unwanted; free from blame or guilt; cleanse or purify. The Communist government purged the party to get rid of members suspected of capitalist sympathies. also N.
[q] purveyor [a] purveyor N. furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer. As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell.
[q] quack [a] quack N. charlatan; imposter. Don’t let that quack fool you with his wild claims; he can’t cure what ails you. quackery, N.
[q] quagmire [a] quagmire N. soft wet boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself. Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.
[q] qualified [a] qualified ADJ. limited; restricted. Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement.
[q] quandary [a] quandary N. dilemma. When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Lori, she was in a quandary as to which school she should attend.
[q] quarry (N.) [a] quarry (N.) N. victim; object of a hunt. The police closed in on their quarry.
[q] quarry (V.) [a] quarry (V.) V. dig into. They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside. also N.
[q] quell [a] quell V. extinguish; put down; quiet. Miss Minchin’s demeanor was so stern and forbidding that she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.
[q] quench [a] quench V. douse or extinguish; assuage or satisfy. What’s the favorite song of the fire department? “Baby, Quench My Fire!”
[q] querulous [a] querulous ADJ. fretful; whining. Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if they miss their nap.
[q] quibble [a] quibble N. minor objection or complaint. Aside from a few hundred teensy-weensy quibbles about the set, the script, the actors, the director, the costumes, the lighting, and the props, the hypercritical critic loved the play. also V.
[q] quip [a] quip N. witty jest; wisecrack; taunt. Whenever the reporters asked him a tough question, he never gave them a straight answer but joked around, tossing off one-liners and humorous quips. also V.
[q] quiver (V.) [a] quiver (V.) V. tremble; shake. The bird dog’s nose twitched and his whiskers quivered as he strained eagerly against the leash. also N.
[q] quiver (N.) [a] quiver (N.) N. case for arrows. Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver.
[q] quixotic [a] quixotic ADJ. idealistic but impractical. Simon’s head is in the clouds; he constantly comes up with quixotic, unworkable schemes.
[q] rabid [a] rabid ADJ. like a fanatic; furious. He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ball park.
[q] raconteur [a] raconteur N. storyteller. My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of anecdotes.
[q] rally [a] rally V. call up or summon (forces, vital powers, etc.); revive or recuperate. Washington quickly rallied his troops to fight off the British attack. The patient had been sinking throughout the night, but at dawn she rallied and made a complete recovery.
[q] ramble [a] ramble V. wander aimlessly (physically or mentally). Listening to the teacher ramble, Shelby wondered whether he’d ever get to the point. also N.
[q] rampant [a] rampant ADJ. growing in profusion; unrestrained. In the garden, the weeds were rampant: they killed all the flowers that had been planted in the spring. In the city, crime was rampant: the burglars and muggers were out of control.
[q] ramshackle [a] ramshackle ADJ. rickety; falling apart. The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.
[q] rancid [a] rancid ADJ. having the odor of stale fat. The rancid odor that filled the ship’s galley nauseated the crew.
[q] rancor [a] rancor N. bitterness; deep-seated hatred. Thirty years after the war, she could not let go of the past but still felt an implacable rancor against the foe.
[q] random [a] random ADJ. without definite purpose, plan, or aim; haphazard. Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions when the grand prize went to the sponsor’s brother-in-law.
[q] rant [a] rant V. rave; talk excitedly; scold; make a grandiloquent speech. When he heard that I’d totaled the family car, Dad began to rant at me like a complete madman.
[q] rarefied [a] rarefied ADJ. made less dense (of a gas). The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere. rarefy, V.
[q] raucous [a] raucous ADJ. harsh and shrill; disorderly and boisterous. The raucous crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers got progressively noisier as midnight drew near.
[q] raze [a] raze V. destroy completely. Spelling is important: to raise a building is to put it up; to raze a building is to tear it down.
[q] reactionary [a] reactionary ADJ. recoiling from progress; politically ultraconservative. Opposing the use of English in worship services, reactionary forces in the church fought to reinstate the mass in Latin.
[q] rebuff [a] rebuff V. snub; beat back. She rebuffed his invitaiton so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed.
[q] recalcitrant [a] recalcitrant ADJ. obstinately stubborn. Which animal do you think is more recalcitrant, a pig-headed pig or a stubborn mule?
[q] recant [a] recant V. disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error. Those who can, keep true to their faith; those who can’t, recant.
[q] recapitulate [a] recapitulate V. summarize. Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.
[q] recession [a] recession N. withdrawal; time of low economic activity. The slow recession of the floodwaters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the area.
[q] reciprocate [a] reciprocate V. repay in kind. It was kind of Donna to have us over to dinner; I’d like us to reciprocate in some way, if we can.
[q] recluse [a] recluse N. hermit; loner. Disappointed in love, Miss Emily became a recluse; she shut herself away in her empty mansion and refused to see another living soul. reclusive, ADJ.
[q] reconcile [a] reconcile V. correct inconsistencies; become friendly after a quarrel. Every time we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite these monthly lovers’ quarrels, we always manage to reconcile.
[q] recount [a] recount V. narrate or tell; count over again. About to recount the latest adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Watson lost track of exactly how many cases Holmes had solved and refused to begin his tale until he’d recounted them one by one.
[q] rectify [a] rectify V. set right; correct. You had better send a check to rectify your account before American Express cancels your credit card.
[q] rectitude [a] rectitude N. uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment. The Eagle Scout was a model of rectitude.
[q] recumbent [a] recumbent ADJ. reclining; lying down completely or in part. The command “at ease” does not permit you to take a recumbent position.
[q] recuperate [a] recuperate V. recover. The doctors were worried because the patient did not recuperate as rapidly as they had expected.
[q] recurrent [a] recurrent ADJ. occurring again and again. Because Phil suffered from recurrent ear infections, the doctors were concerned that these periodic attacks might eventually affect his hearing.
[q] redundant [a] redundant ADJ. superfluous; repetitious; excessively wordy. The bottle of wine I brought to Bob’s was certainly redundant: how was I to know Bob owned a winery? In your essay, you repeat several points unnecessarily; try to be less redundant in the future. redundancy, N.
[q] refine [a] refine V. free from impurities; perfect. Just as you can refine sugar by removing bits of cane and other unwanted material, you can refine verse by removing awkward metaphors and polishing rough rhymes. refinement, N.
[q] reflect [a] reflect N. consider or deliberate; show; mirror. Mr. Collins reflected on Elizabeth’s rejection of his proposal. Did it reflect her true feelings, he wondered. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he refused to believe that she could reject such a fine figure of a man.
[q] refraction [a] refraction N. bending of a ray of light. Insert a stick in a glass of water and look at it carefully. It looks bent because of the refraction of the light by the water.
[q] refrain (V.) [a] refrain (V.) V. abstain from; resist. Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could not refrain from joining in on the refrain.
[q] refrain (N.) [a] refrain (N.) N. chorus. Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could not refrain from joining in on the refrain.
[q] refute [a] refute V. disprove. At his trial, Socrates attempted to refute the claims of those who accused him of corrupting the youth of Athens through his teachings.
[q] regress [a] regress V. move backward to an earlier, generally more primitive state. Although Timmy outgrew his need for a pacifier well over a year ago, occasionally when he’s tired or nervous, he regresses and starts sucking his thumb.
[q] reiterate [a] reiterate V. repeat. He reiterated the warning to make sure that everyone understood it.
[q] rejoinder [a] rejoinder N. retort; comeback; reply. When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.
[q] rejuvenate [a] rejuvenate V. make young again. The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.
[q] relegate [a] relegate V. banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign. After Ralph dropped his second tray of drinks that week, the manager swiftly relegated him to a minor post cleaning up behind the bar.
[q] relevant [a] relevant AJD. pertinent; referring to the case in hand. How relevant Virginia Woolf’s essays are to women writers today; it’s as if Woolf in the 1930s foresaw our current literary struggles. relevancy, N.
[q] relic [a] relic N. surviving remnant; memento. Egypt’s Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of the country. Mike keeps his photos of his trip to Egypt in a box with other relics of his travels.
[q] relinquish [a] relinquish V. give up something with reluctance; yield. Once you get used to fringe benefits like expense account meals and a company car; it’s very hard to relinquish them.
[q] relish [a] relish V. savor; enjoy. Watching Peter enthusiastically chow down, I thought, “Now there’s a man who relishes a good dinner!” also N.
[q] reminiscence [a] reminiscence N. recollection. Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she ought to write a book.
[q] remiss [a] remiss ADJ. negligent. The prison guard was accused of being remiss in his duty when the prisoner escaped.
[q] remnant [a] remnant N. remainder. I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on sale.
[q] remonstrance [a] remonstrance N. protest; objection. The authorities were deaf to the pastor’s remonstrances about the lack of police protection in the area. remonstrate, V.
[q] remorse [a] remorse N. guilt; self-reproach. The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.
[q] remunerative [a] remunerative ADJ. lucrative; rewarding. Because work as an insurance agent was far more remunerative than work as a church organist, Ives eventually resigned from his church job. remuneration, N.
[q] renegade [a] renegade N. deserter; traitor. Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade. also ADJ.
[q] renounce [a] renounce V. abandon; disown; repudiate. Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her belief that her voices came from God. renunciation, N.
[q] renovate [a] renovate V. restore to good condition; renew. We renovated our kitchen, replacing the old cabinets and countertop and installing new appliances.
[q] renown [a] renown N. fame. For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine.
[q] rent [a] rent N. rip; split. Kit did an excellent job of mending the rent in the lining in her coat. rend, V.
[q] repatriate [a] repatriate V. return to one’s own country. Although the Western powers hoped to repatriate the refugees swiftly, they were unable to do so because of the still dangerous conditions in the refugees’ homeland.
[q] repeal [a] repeal V. revoke; annul. What would the effect on our society be if we decriminalized drug use by repealing the laws against the possession and sale of narcotics?
[q] repel [a] repel V. drive away; disgust. At first, the Beast’s ferocious appearance repelled Beauty, but she came to love the tender heart hidden behind that beastly exterior.
[q] repertoire [a] repertoire N. list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present. The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.
[q] replenish [a] replenish V. fill up again. Before she could take another backpacking trip, Carla had to replenish her stock of freeze-dried foods.
[q] reprehensible [a] reprehensible ADJ. deserving blame. Shocked by the viciousness of the bombing, politicians of every party uniformly condemned the terrorists’ reprehensible deed.
[q] repress [a] repress V. restrain; hold back; crush; suppress. Anne’s parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.
[q] reprieve [a] reprieve N. temporary stay. Druing the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent. also V.
[q] reprimand [a] reprimand V. reprove severely; rebuke. Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class, she was afraid that Miss Minchin would reprimand her and tell her father how badly she was doing in school. also N.
[q] reproachful [a] reproachful ADJ. expressing disapproval. He never could do anything wrong without imagining the reproachful look in his mother’s eye.
[q] reprove [a] reprove V. censure; rebuke. Though Aunt Bea at times would reprove Opie for inattention in church, she believed he was at heart a God-fearing lad.
[q] repudiate [a] repudiate V. disown; disavow. On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would repudiate all debts incurred by her soon-to-be ex-husband.
[q] repulsion [a] repulsion N. distaste; act of driving back. Hating bloodshed, she viewed war with repulsion. Even defensive battles distressed her, for the repulsion of enemy forces is never accomplished bloodlessly.
[q] reputable [a] reputable ADJ. respectable. If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too many dealers today pass off fakes as genuine antiques.
[q] rescind [a] rescind V. cancel. Because of the public outcry against the new taxes, the senator proposed a bill to rescind the unpopular financial measure.
[q] reserved [a] reserved ADJ. self-controlled; careful in expressing oneself. They made an odd couple: she was outspoken and uninhibited; he was cautious and reserved.
[q] resignation [a] resignation N. patient submissiveness; statement that one is quitting a job. If Bob Cratchit had not accepted Scrooge’s bullying with such resignation, he might have gotten up the nerve to hand in his resignation. resigned, ADJ.
[q] resilient [a] resilient ADJ. elastic; having the power of springing back. Highly resilient, steel makes excellent bedsprings. resilience, N.
[q] resolution [a] resolution N. determination. Nothing could shake his resolution that his children would get the best education that money could buy. resolute, ADJ.
[q] resolve [a] resolve V. decide; settle; solve. I have resolved, Watson, to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between Irene Adler and the King. In my absence, do your best to resolve any mysteries that arise.
[q] resonant [a] resonant ADJ. echoing; resounding; deep and full in sound. The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particularly effective when he appears on stage.
[q] respiration [a] respiration N. breathing. The doctor found that the patient’s years of smoking had adversely affected both his lung capacity and his rate of respiration. respire, V.
[q] restive [a] restive ADJ. restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control. Waiting impatiently in line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to fidget.
[q] restraint [a] restraint N. moderation or self-control; controlling force; restriction. Control yourself, young lady! Show some restraint!
[q] resumption [a] resumption N. taking up again; recommencement. During summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life; at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure. resume, V.
[q] resurge [a] resurge V. rise again; flow to and fro. It was startling to see the spirit of nationalism resurge as the Soviet Union disintegrated into a loose federation of ethnic and national groups. resurgence, N.
[q] retain [a] retain V. keep; employ. Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection campaign.
[q] retaliation [a] retaliation N. repayment in kind (usually for bad treatment). Because everyone knew the Princeton Band had stolen Brown’s mascot, the whole Princeton student body expected some sort of retaliation from Brown. retaliate, V.
[q] reticent [a] reticent ADJ. reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to be silent. Fearing his competitors might get advance word about his plans from talkative staff members, Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones.
[q] retract [a] retract V. withdraw; take back. When I saw how Fred and his fraternity brothers had trashed the frat house, I decided to retract my offer to let them use our summer cottage for the weekend. retraction, N.
[q] retrieve [a] retrieve V. recover; find and bring in. The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter.
[q] retroactive [a] retroactive ADJ. taking effect prior to its enactment (as a law) or imposition (as a tax). Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in February, she was eligible for the pension.
[q] revelry [a] revelry N. boisterous merrymaking. New Year’s Eve is a night of revelry.
[q] reverent [a] reverent ADJ. respectful; worshipful. Though I bow my head in church and recite the prayers, sometimes I don’t feel properly reverent. revere, V.
[q] revoke [a] revoke V. cancel; retract. Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver’s license permanently revoked.
[q] revulsion [a] revulsion N. sudden, violent change of feeling; distaste; repugnance. Normally Cecil had a good appetite, but when he felt seasick he viewed his shipboard supper with revulsion.
[q] rift [a] rift N. opening made by splitting; open space; break in friendly relations. After the recent earthquake, geologists observed several fresh rifts in the Hayward hills. Through a rift in the dense clouds the pilot glimpsed a beacon of light far below. Unsure how he had offended Jo, Laurie tried to think of some way to mend the rift in their friendship.
[q] rigid [a] rigid ADJ. stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending. By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society’s most rigid rule of respectable behavior.
[q] rigor [a] rigor N. severity. Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.
[q] rile [a] rile V. vex; irritate. Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.
[q] rivulet [a] rivulet N. small stream. As the rains continued, the small trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to wash away a portion of the slope.
[q] rousing [a] rousing ADJ. lively; stirring. And now, let’s have a rousing welcome for TV’s own Roseanne Barr, who’ll lead us in a rousing rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
[q] ruddy [a] ruddy ADJ. reddish; healthy looking. Santa Claus’s ruddy cheeks nicely complement Rudolph the Reindeer’s bright red nose.
[q] rue [a] rue V. regret; lament; mourn. Tina rued the night she met Tony and wondered how she’d ever fallen for such a jerk. rueful, ADJ.
[q] rummage [a] rummage V. ransack; thoroughly search. When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days. also N.
[q] rupture [a] rupture N. act of breaking; fracture; break in harmony or peaceful relations. The rupture of gas lines caused by the earthquake contributed greatly to the fire that ensued.
[q] ruse [a] ruse N. trick; stratagem. Because they wanted to decorate the living room for their mother’s surprise birthday party, the girls tried to think of some good ruse to lure her out of the house for a couple of hours.
[q] ruthless [a] ruthless ADJ. pitiless; cruel. Captain Hook was a dangerous, ruthless villain who would stop at nothing to destroy Peter Pan.
[q] saboteur [a] saboteur N. one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property. Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.
[q] saccharine [a] saccharine ADJ. cloyingly sweet. She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.
[q] sagacious [a] sagacious ADJ. keen; shrewd; having insight. Holmes is far to sagacious to be fooled by a simple trick like that. sagacity, N.
[q] salutary [a] salutary ADJ. tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome. The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, for he became a model student.
[q] sanction [a] sanction V. approve; ratify. Nothing will convinc me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.
[q] sap [a] sap V. diminish; undermine. The element kryptonite has an unhealthy effect on Superman: it saps his strength.
[q] sarcasm [a] sarcasm N. scornful remarks; stinging rebuke. Though Ralph tried to ignore the mocking comments of his supposed friends, their sarcasm wounded him deeply.
[q] sate [a] sate V. satisfy to the full; cloy. Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.
[q] satiate [a] satiate V. satisfy fully. Having stuffed themselves until they were satiated, the guests were so full they were ready for a nap.
[q] satirize [a] satirize V. mock. Cartoonist Gary Trudeau often satirizes contemporary politicians; through the comments of the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly. satirical, ADJ.
[q] saturate [a] saturate V. soak thoroughly. Thorough watering is the key to lawn care: you must saturate your new lawn well to encourage its growth.
[q] saunter [a] saunter V. stroll slowly. Too tired for his usual brisk walk, Stan sauntered through the park, taking time to enjoy the spring flowers.
[q] savant [a] savant N. learned scholar. Despite all her academic honors, Dr. Diamond refused to be classed as a savant: considering herself a simple researcher, she refused to describe herself in such grandiose terms.
[q] savory [a] savory ADJ. tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable. Julia Child’s recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.
[q] scamper [a] scamper V. run about playfully. Looking forward to the game of hide-and-seek, the children scampered off to find good spots in which to hide.
[q] scanty [a] scanty ADJ. meager; insufficient. Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.
[q] scapegoat [a] scapegoat N. someone who bears the blame for others. After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.
[q] scavenge [a] scavenge V. hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food. If you need parts for an old car that the dealers no longer have in stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers’ yards. scavenger, N.
[q] schism [a] schism N. division; split. Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.
[q] scintillate [a] scintillate V. sparkle; flash. I enjoy her dinner because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates.
[q] scrupulous [a] scrupulous ADJ. conscientious; extremely thorough. Though Alfred is scrupulous in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less conscientious about his obligations to his family and friends.
[q] scrutinize [a] scrutinize V. examine closely and critically. Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private’s uniform.
[q] scuffle [a] scuffle V. struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry. The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, “Let go of my Gameboy!” they scuffled off down the hall.
[q] seasoned [a] seasoned ADJ. experienced. Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned players on the team.
[q] seclusion [a] seclusion N. isolation; solitude. One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion.
[q] sect [a] sect N. separate religious body; faction. As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to concerns of any one sect.
[q] secular [a] secular ADJ. worldly; not pertaining to church matters. The church leaders decided not to interfere in secular matters.
[q] sedate [a] sedate ADJ. calm and composed; grave. To calm the agitated pony, we teamed him with a sedate mare that easily accepted the harness.
[q] sedition [a] sedition N. resistance to authority; insubordination; rebellion. Her words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition. seditious, ADJ.
[q] seep [a] seep V. leak through; trickle. After all the times we’d tried to repair the leaky roof, we were discouraged to see the water seep through the ceiling once again.
[q] sensory [a] sensory ADJ. pertaining to the physical senses. Blasted by sound waves, dazzled by flashing lights, jostled by crowds, a newcomer to rock concerts can suffer from sensory overload.
[q] sequester [a] sequester V. isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude. Banished from his kingdom, the wizard Prospero sequestered himself on a desert island.
[q] serendipity [a] serendipity N. gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck. Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity when the apple dropped on his head.
[q] serenity [a] serenity N. calmness; placidity. The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion.
[q] servile [a] servile ADJ. slavishly submissive; fawning; cringing. Constantly fawning over his employer, Uriah Heep was a servile creature.
[q] servitude [a] servitude N. slavery; compulsory labor. Born a slave, Douglass resented his life of servitude and plotted to escape to the North.
[q] sever [a] sever V. cut; separate. Dr. Guillotin invented a machine that could neatly sever an aristocratic head from its equally aristocratic body.
[q] severity [a] severity N. harshness; intensity; austerity; rigidity. The severity of Jane’s migraine attack was so great that she took to her bed for a week.
[q] shackle [a] shackle V. chain; fetter. In a chain gang, convicts are shackled together to prevent their escape. also N.
[q] shambles [a] shambles N. wreck; mess; slaughterhouse. After the hurricane, the Carolina coast was a shambles. After the New Year’s Eve party, the apartment was a shambles.
[q] shimmer [a] shimmer V. glimmer intermittently. The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment. also N.
[q] shortcomings [a] shortcomings N. failures; deficiencies. Aware of his own shortcomings as a public speaker, the candidate worked closely with debate coaches to prepare for the coming campaign.
[q] shrewd [a] shrewd ADJ. clever; astute. A shrewd investor, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market.
[q] shun [a] shun V. keep away from. Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human beings.
[q] shyster [a] shyster N. lawyer using questionable methods. The respectable attorney was horrifed to learn that his newly discovered half brother was nothing but a cheap shyster.
[q] simile [a] simile N. comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as. “My love is like a red, red rose” is a simile.
[q] simplistic [a] simplistic ADJ. oversimplified. Though Jack’s solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to consider various complications that might arise.
[q] simulate [a] simulate V. feign; pretend. The judge ruled that the accused racketeer had simulated insanity and was in fact sane enough to stand trial.
[q] singular [a] singular ADJ. unique; extraordinary; odd. Though the young man tried to understand Father William’s singular behavior, he found it odd that the old man incessantly stood on his head. singularity, N.
[q] sinister [a] sinister ADJ. evil; conveying a sense of ill omen. Aware of the Penguin’s sinister purpose, Batman wondered how he could save Gotham City from the ravages of his evil enemy.
[q] sinuous [a] sinuous ADJ. winding; bending in and out; not morally honest. The snake moved in a sinuous manner.
[q] skeptical [a] skeptical ADJ. doubting; supending judgment until having examined the evidence supporting a point of view. I am skeptical about this project; I want some proof that it can work. skepticism, N.
[q] skulk [a] skulk V. move furtively and secretly. He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former friends.
[q] slacken [a] slacken V. slow up; loosen. As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.
[q] slag [a] slag N. residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter. The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.
[q] slapdash [a] slapdash ADJ. haphazard; careless; sloppy. From the number of typos and misspellings I found in it, it’s clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably slapdash fashion.
[q] slather [a] slather V. spread abundantly. Johnny slathered jelly on his toast so generously that it oozed over the edge and dripped on the clean tablecloth below.
[q] slothful [a] slothful ADJ. lazy. Lying idly on the sofa while others worked, Reggie denied he was slothful: “I just supervise better lying down.”
[q] sluggish [a] sluggish ADJ. slow; lazy; lethargic. After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion.
[q] smelt [a] smelt V. melt or blend ores, changing their chemical composition. The furnaceman smelts tin with copper to create a special alloy used in making bells.
[q] smolder [a] smolder V. burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment. The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.
[q] smuggler [a] smuggler N. one who illegally moves goods across national borders. Suspecting Randy might be a smuggler, the customs inspector made a thorough search of his luggage but found nothing illicit.
[q] sneer [a] sneer V. smile or laugh contemptuously; make an insulting comment or face. “I could paint better than that with both my hands tied behind my back,” sneered Marvin.
[q] sobriety [a] sobriety N. moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness. Neither falling-down drunks nor stand-up comics are noted for sobriety. sober, ADJ.
[q] sodden [a] sodden ADJ. soaked; dull, as if from drink. He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.
[q] solemnity [a] solemnity N. seriousness; gravity. The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service.
[q] soliloquy [a] soliloquy N. talking to oneself. Dramatists use the soliloquy as a device to reveal a character’s innermost thoughts and emotions.
[q] somber [a] somber ADJ. gloomy; depressing; dark; drab. Dull brown and charcoal gray are pretty somber colors; can’t you wear something bright?
[q] somnolent [a] somnolent ADJ. half asleep. The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker.
[q] soporific [a] soporific ADJ. sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness. Professor Pringle’s lectures were so soporific that even he fell asleep in class. also N.
[q] sordid [a] sordid ADJ. vile; filthy; wretched; mean. Talk show hosts seem willing to discuss any topic, no matter how sordid and disgusting it may be.
[q] spartan [a] spartan ADJ. avoiding luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined. Looking over the bare, unheated room with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan quarters. Only his spartan sense of duty kept him at his post.
[q] spat [a] spat N. squabble; minor dispute. What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.
[q] specious [a] specious ADJ. seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally). To claim that, because houses and birds both have wings, both can fly, is extremely specious reasoning.
[q] speculate [a] speculate V. theorize or ponder; assume a financial risk; gamble. Students of the stock market speculate that the seeds of the fincancier’s downfall were planted when he speculated heavily in junk bonds.
[q] spendthrift [a] spendthrift N. someone who wastes money. Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop.
[q] splendor [a] splendor N. magnificence; grandeur; brilliance. Awed by the glittering chandeliers and finely costumed courtiers, Cinderella was overwhelmed by the splendor of the ball.
[q] spoke [a] spoke N. radiating bar supporting the rim of a wheel. The repair man at the bicycle shop took less than half an hour to fix the bent spokes on Bob’s rear wheel.
[q] spontaneity [a] spontaneity N. lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint. When Betty and Jennifer met, Jen impulsively hugged her roommate-to-be, but Betty drew back, unprepared for such spontaneity. spontaneous, ADJ.
[q] sporadic [a] sporadic ADJ. occurring irregularly. Although you can still hear sporadic outbursts of laughter and singing outside, the big Halloween parade has passed; the party’s over till next year.
[q] spurious [a] spurious ADJ. false; counterfeit; forged; illogical. The hero of Jonathan Gash’s mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell spurious antiques from the real thing.
[q] spurt [a] spurt V. gush forth; squirt. Water suddenly spurted from the fountain and splashed Bert right in the face.
[q] squabble [a] squabble N. minor quarrel; bickering. Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let the children work things out on their own.
[q] squalor [a] squalor N. filth; degradation; dirty, neglected state. With rusted, broken-down cars in its yard, trash piled up on the porch, and tar paper peeling from the roof, the shack was the picture of squalor.
[q] squander [a] squander V. waste. If you squander your allowance on candy and comic books, you won’t have any money left to buy the new box of crayons you want.
[q] stagnant [a] stagnant ADJ. motionless; stale; dull. Mosquitoes commonly breed in ponds of stagnant water. Mike’s career was stagnant; it wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was he! stagnate, V.
[q] staid [a] staid ADJ. sober; sedate. The wild parties at the fraternity house appealed to the jocks and slackers, but appalled the more staid and serious students on campus.
[q] stalemate [a] stalemate N. deadlock. Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate: neither side is willing to budge from its previously stated position.
[q] stalwart [a] stalwart ADJ. strong and vigorous; unwaveringly dependable. We thought the congressman was a stalwart Democrat until he voted against the president’s health care plan.
[q] stamina [a] stamina N. strength; staying power. I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.
[q] stanza [a] stanza N. division of a poem. We all know the first stanza of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Does anyone know the last?
[q] static [a] static ADJ. unchanging; lacking development. Why watch chess on TV? I like watching a game with action, not something static where nothing seems to be going on. stasis, N.
[q] statute [a] statute N. law enacted by the legislature. The statute of limitations sets the limits on how long you have to take legal action in specific cases.
[q] steadfast [a] steadfast ADJ. loyal; unswerving. Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.
[q] stem [a] stem V. check the flow. The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery.
[q] stem from [a] stem from V. arise from. Morton’s problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.
[q] stereotyped [a] stereotyped ADJ. oversimplified; lacking individuality; seen as a type. My chief objection to the book is that the characters are stereotyped; they don’t come across as real people with individual quirks, fears, and dreams. stereotype, N., V.
[q] stifle [a] stifle V. suppress; extinguish; inhibit. Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.
[q] stodgy [a] stodgy ADJ. stuffy; boringly conservative. For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you’d expect someone his age to show a little more life.
[q] stoic [a] stoic ADJ. impassive; unmoved by joy or grief. I wasn’t particularly stoic when I had my flu shot; I squealed like a stuck pig. also N.
[q] stolid [a] stolid ADJ. unruffled; impassive; dull. Marianne wanted a romantic, passionate suitor like Willoughby, not a stolid, unimaginative one like Colonel Brandon.
[q] stratagem [a] stratagem N. deceptive scheme. Though Wellington’s forces seemed to be in full retreat, in reality their withdrawal was a stratagem intended to lure the enemy away from its sheltered position.
[q] strident [a] strident ADJ. loud and harsh; insistent. Whenever Sue became angry, she tried not to raise her voice; she had no desire to appear strident.
[q] stringent [a] stringent ADJ. binding; rigid; strict. Protesting that the school dress code was too stringent, Katya campaigned to have the rules relaxed.
[q] stupefy [a] stupefy V. make numb; stun; amaze. Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might stupefy her. stupefaction, N.
[q] stupor [a] stupor N. state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness. The paramedics shook the unconscious man but could not rouse him from his drunken stupor.
[q] subdued [a] subdued ADJ. less intense; quieter. Bob liked the subdued lighting at the restaurant because he thought it was romantic. I just thought it was dimly lit.
[q] subjective [a] subjective ADJ. existing in the mind, rather than in the object itself; opposite of objective; personal. Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your thinking.
[q] sublime [a] sublime ADJ. exalted; noble and uplifting; utter. Lucy was in awe of Desi’s sublime musicianship, while he was in awe of her sublime naïveté.
[q] subordinate [a] subordinate ADJ. occupying a lower rank; inferior; submissive. Bishop Proudie’s wife expected all the subordinate clergy to behave with great deference to the wife of their superior.
[q] subsequent [a] subsequent ADJ. following; later. In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems.
[q] subside [a] subside V. sink to a low(er) level; grow quiet, less active, or less violent. The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.
[q] subsidiary [a] subsidiary N. something secondary in importance or subordinate; auxiliary. The Turner Broadcasting System is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner. First deal with the critical issues, then with the subsidiary ones. also ADJ.
[q] substantial [a] substantial ADJ. ample; solid; in essentials. The scholarship represented a substantial sum of money.
[q] substantiate [a] substantiate V. establish by evidence; verify; support. These endorsements from satisfied customers substantiate our claim that Barron’s PSAT/NMSQT is the best PSAT-prep book on the market.
[q] subtlety [a] subtlety N. perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy. Never obvious, she expressed herself with such subtlety that her remarks went right over the heads of most of her audience. subtle, ADJ.
[q] subversive [a] subversive ADJ. tending to overthrow or destroy. At first glance, the notion that styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound that paper cups strikes most environmentalists as subversive.
[q] succinct [a] succinct ADJ. brief; terse; compact. Don’t bore your audience with excess verbiage: be succinct.
[q] succulent [a] succulent ADJ. juicy; full of richness. To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California. also N.
[q] suffragist [a] suffragist N. advocate of voting rights (for women). In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar honoring the suffragist Susan B. Anthony.
[q] superficial [a] superficial ADJ. trivial; shallow. Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing grade.
[q] superfluous [a] superfluous ADJ. excessive; unnecessary. Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the bare facts. superfluity, N.
[q] supplant [a] supplant V. replace; usurp. Did the other woman actually supplant Princess Diana in Prince Charles’s affections, or did Charles never love Diana at all?
[q] supple [a] supple ADJ. flexible; pliant. Years of yoga exercises made Grace’s body supple.
[q] suppress [a] suppress V. crush; subdue; inhibit. Too polite to laugh in anyone’s face, Roy did his best to suppress his amusement at Ed’s inane remark.
[q] surfeit [a] surfeit V. satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything. Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats. also N.
[q] surpass [a] surpass V. exceed. Her PSAT scores surpassed our expectations.
[q] surreptitious [a] surreptitious ADJ. secret; furtive; sneaky. Hoping to discover where Mom had hidden the Christmas presents, Tommy took a surreptitious peek into the master bedroom closet.
[q] susceptible [a] susceptible ADJ. impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease; receptive to. Said the patent medicine man to the extremely susceptbible customer, “Buy this new miracle drug, and you will no longer be susceptible to the common cold.”
[q] suspend [a] suspend V. defer or postpone; expel or eject; halt or discontinue; hang from above. When the judge suspended his sentence, Bill breathed a sigh of relief. When the principal suspended her from school, Wanda tried to look as if she didn’t care. When the trapeze artist broke her arm, she had to suspend her activities: she no longer could be suspended from her trapeze.
[q] sustain [a] sustain V. experience; support; nourish. Stuart sustained such a sever injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his growing family.
[q] swill [a] swill V. drink greedily. Singing “Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum,” Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog.
[q] swindler [a] swindler N. cheat. She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.
[q] sycophant [a] sycophant N. servile flatterer; bootlicker. Fed up with the toadies and flatterers who made up his entourage, the star cried, “Get out, all of you! I’m sick to death of sycophants!”
[q] symmetry [a] symmetry N. arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity. Something lopsided by definition lacks symmetry.
[q] synthesis [a] synthesis N. combining parts into a whole. Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next problem is to plan its synthesis in the laboratory. synthesize, V.
[q] taciturn [a] taciturn ADJ. habitually silent; talking little. The stereotypical cowboy is a taciturn soul, answering lengthy questions with “Yep” or “Nope.”
[q] tactile [a] tactile ADJ. pertaining to the organs or sense of touch. His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.
[q] taint [a] taint V. contaminate; cause to lose purity; modify with a trace of something bad. One speck of dirt on our utensils may contain enough germs to taint an entire batch of preserves.
[q] tangential [a] tangential AJD. peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing. Despite Clark’s attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: why couldn’t he come out to dinner with superman and her?
[q] tantalize [a] tantalize V. tease; torture with disappointment. Tom tantalized his younger brother, holding the ball just too high for Jimmy to reach.
[q] tarry [a] tarry V. delay; dawdle. We can’t tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.
[q] tedious [a] tedious ADJ. boring; tiring. The repetitious nature of work on the assembly line made Martin’s job very tedious. tedium, N.
[q] temper [a] temper V. moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel). Not even her supervisor’s grumpiness could temper Nancy’s enthusiasm for her new job.
[q] temperament [a] temperament N. characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess. Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Todd is calm, but Rod is excitable. Racket-throwing tennis star John McEnroe was famed for his displays of temperament.
[q] temperate [a] temperate ADJ. restrained; self-controlled; moderate in respect to temperature. Try to be temperate in your eating this holiday season; if you control your appetite, you won’t gain too much weight.
[q] tempestuous [a] tempestuous ADJ. stormy; impassioned; violent. Racket-throwing tennis star John McEnroe was famed for his displays of tempestuous temperament.
[q] tenet [a] tenet N. doctrine; dogma. The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.
[q] tentative [a] tentative ADJ. hesitant; not fully worked out or developed; experimental; not definite or positive. Unsure of his welcome at the Christmas party, Scrooge took a tentative step into his nephew’s drawing room.
[q] tenuous [a] tenuous ADJ. thin; weak; unsubstantial. Napoleon’s alliance with Russia quickly proved tenuous: it disintegrated altogether in 1812.
[q] termination [a] termination N. end. Though the time for termination of the project was near, we still had a lot of work to finish before we shut up shop.
[q] terrestrial [a] terrestrial ADJ. earthly (as opposed to celestial); pertaining to the land. In many science fiction films, alien invaders from outer space plan to destroy all terrestrial life.
[q] terse [a] terse ADJ. concise; abrupt; pithy. There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech that is too abrupt.
[q] theocracy [a] theocracy N. government run by religious leaders. Though some Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England, many of their fellow voyagers preferred a nonreligious form of government.
[q] theoretical [a] theoretical ADJ. not practical or applied; hypothetical. Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical objections to your plan, you’ve convinced me of its basic soundness.
[q] therapeutic [a] therapeutic ADJ. curative. Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of its famous “healing waters.”
[q] thrifty [a] thrifty ADJ. careful about money; economical. A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.
[q] thrive [a] thrive V. prosper; flourish. Despite the impact of the recession on the restaurant trade, Philip’s cafe thrived.
[q] thwart [a] thwart V. prevent (someone) from accomplishing something. Batman searched for a way to thwart the Joker’s evil plan to destroy Gotham City.
[q] tiff [a] tiff N. minor quarrel; fit of annoyance. Whenever the Kramdens had a tiff, Ralph would bluster, “That’s it, Alice!” and storm out of the apartment.
[q] tiller [a] tiller N. handle used to move a boat’s rudder (to steer). Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tiller at all times.
[q] timidity [a] timidity N. lack of self-confidence or courage. If you are to succeed as a salesman, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.
[q] tirade [a] tirade N. extended scolding; denunciation; harangue. Every time the boss holds a meeting, he goes into a lengthy tirade, scolding us for everything from tardiness to padding our expenses.
[q] titanic [a] titanic ADJ. gigantic. Titanic waves beat against the majestic S.S. Titanic, driving it against the concealed iceberg.
[q] title [a] title N. right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.). Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer had title to the family estate, he still retained his title as head of one of England’s oldest families. The title of his autobiography was From Riches to Rags.
[q] toady [a] toady N. servile flatterer; yes man. Never tell the boss anything he doesn’t wish to hear: he doesn’t want an independent adviser, he just wants a toady. also V.
[q] torpor [a] torpor N. lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy. Throughout the winter, nothing aroused the bear from his torpor: he would not emerge from hibernation until spring. torpid, ADJ.
[q] torrent [a] torrent N. rushing stream; flood. Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water rand downhill in torrents. torrential, ADJ.
[q] totter [a] totter V. move unsteadily; sway, as if about to fall. On unsteady feet, the drunk tottered down the hill to the nearest bar.
[q] toxic [a] toxic ADJ. poisonous. Caution: poison! Manufacturers put the skull and crossbones on bottles of iodine to warn purchasers that iodine is toxic if taken internally. toxicity, N.
[q] tractable [a] tractable ADJ. docile; easily managed. Although Susan seemed a tractable young woman, she had a stubborn streak of independence that occasionally led her to defy the powers-that-be when she felt they were in the wrong.
[q] traduce [a] traduce V. slander; malign. His opponents tried to traduce the candidate’s reputation by spreading rumors about his past.
[q] transcendent [a] transcendent ADJ. surpassing; exceeding ordinary limits; superior. Standing on the hillside watching the sunset through the Golden Gate was a transcendent experience for Lise: it was so beautiful it surpassed her wildest dreams.
[q] transcribe [a] transcribe V. copy. It took hours for the secretary to transcribe his shorthand notes of the conference into a form others could read.
[q] transgression [a] transgression N. violation of a law; sin. Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do. transgress, V.
[q] transition [a] transition N. going from one state of action to another. During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.
[q] transitory [a] transitory ADJ. impermanent; fleeting. Fame is transitory: today’s rising star is all to soon tomorrow’s washed-up has-been. transitoriness, N.
[q] translucent [a] translucent ADJ. partly transparent. We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.
[q] transparent [a] transparent ADJ. easily detected; permitting light to pass through freely. Bobby managed to put an innocent look on his face; to his mother, however, his guilt was transparent.
[q] travail [a] travail N. painful physical or mental labor; drudgery; torment. Like every other high school student she knew, Sherry detested the yearlong travail of cramming for the SAT.
[q] trek [a] trek N. travel; journey. The tribe made their trek farther north that summer in search of game. also V.
[q] trenchant [a] trenchant ADJ. cutting; keen. With trenchant wit, Frank Rich made some highly cutting remarks as he panned another dreadful play.
[q] trepidation [a] trepidation N. fear; nervous apprehension. As she entered the office of the dean of admissions, Sharon felt some trepidation about how she would do in her interview.
[q] trifling [a] trifling ADJ. trivial; unimportant. Why bother going to see a doctor for such a trifling, everyday cold?
[q] trigger [a] trigger V. set off. John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you’ll trigger an explosion.
[q] trite [a] trite ADJ. hackneyed; commonplace. The trite and predictable situations on many television programs turn off viewers, who respond by turning off their sets.
[q] trivial [a] trivial ADJ. trifling; unimportant. Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivial gossip about celebrities.
[q] trough [a] trough N. container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.). The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along in the trough between two waves.
[q] troupe [a] troupe N. group of stage performers; touring company. Was Will Kemp a member of Shakespeare’s troupe of players when they performed at the Globe?
[q] truism [a] truism N. self-evident truth. Many a truism is summed up in a proverb; for example, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.”
[q] turbid [a] turbid ADJ. muddy; having the sediment disturbed. The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.
[q] turbulence [a] turbulence N. state of violent agitation. Warned of approaching turbulence in the atmosphere, the pilot told the passengers to fasten their seat belts.
[q] turgid [a] turgid ADJ. swollen; distended. The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the countryside.
[q] turmoil [a] turmoil N. great commotion and confusion. Lydia running off with a soldier! Mother fainting at the news! The Bennet household was in turmoil.
[q] typhoon [a] typhoon N. tropical hurricane or cyclone. If you liked Twister, you’ll love Typhoon!
[q] tyranny [a] tyranny N. oppression; cruel government. Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life. tyrant, N.
[q] ubiquitous [a] ubiquitous ADJ. being everywhere; omnipresent. That Christmas “The Little Drummer Boy” seemed ubiquitous: Justin heard the tune everywhere he went.
[q] ultimate [a] ultimate ADJ. final; not susceptible to further analysis. Scientists are searching for the ultimate truths.
[q] unanimity [a] unanimity N. complete agreement. We were surprised by the unanimity with which members of both parties accepted our proposals. unanimous, ADJ.
[q] unassuming [a] unassuming ADJ. modest. He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is.
[q] unbecoming [a] unbecoming ADJ. unattractive; improper. What an unbecoming dress Mona is wearing! That girl has no color sense. At the court martial the captain was charged with conduct unbecoming an officer.
[q] undermine [a] undermine V. weaken; sap. The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people’s faith in the city government.
[q] underscore [a] underscore V. emphasize. Addressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.
[q] undulating [a] undulating ADJ. moving with a wavelike motion. The Hilo Hula Festival was an undulating sea of grass skirts.
[q] unearth [a] unearth V. dig up. When they unearthed the city, the archaeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.
[q] unequivocal [a] unequivocal ADJ. plain; obvious. My answer to you proposal is an unequivocal and absolute “No.”
[q] unfazed [a] unfazed ADJ. not bothered; unworried. Surrounded by armed opponents, Bond nevertheless appeared completely unfazed by his danger.
[q] unfeasible [a] unfeasible ADJ. not practical or workable. Roy’s plan to enlarge the living room by knocking down a couple of internal walls proved unfeasible when he discovered that those walls were holding up the roof.
[q] unfounded [a] unfounded ADJ. baseless; not based on fact. Cher feared that her boyfriend was unfaithful; fortunately, her suspicions proved to be unfounded.
[q] ungainly [a] ungainly ADJ. awkward; clumsy; unwieldy. “If you want to know whether Nick’s an ungainly dancer, check out my bruised feet,” said Nora. Anyone who has ever tried to carry a bass fiddle knows it’s an ungainly instrument.
[q] uniformity [a] uniformity N. sameness; monotony. At Persons Magazine, we strive for uniformity of style; as a result, all of our writers wind up sounding exactly alike.
[q] unintimidating [a] unintimidating ADJ. unfrightening. Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Joe Montana, he found the world-famous quarterback friendly and unintimidating.
[q] unique [a] unique ADJ. without an equal; single in kind. You have the unique distinction of being the only student whom I have had to fail in this course.
[q] universal [a] universal ADJ. characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere. At first, no one shared Christopher’s opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal disbelief.
[q] unnerve [a] unnerve V. upset; weaken. His wartime experiences left Tom badly shaken; any sudden noise could unnerve him, reducing him to a quivering wreck.
[q] unprecedented [a] unprecedented ADJ. novel; unparalleled. Margaret Mitchell’s book Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success.
[q] unravel [a] unravel V. disentangle; solve. With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.
[q] unrequited [a] unrequited ADJ. not reciprocated. Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hard-heartedness.
[q] unscathed [a] unscathed ADJ. unharmed. Juan’s parents prayed that he would come home from the war unscathed.
[q] unseemly [a] unseemly ADJ. unbecoming; indecent; in poor taste. When he put whoopie cushions on all the seats in the funeral parlor, Seymour’s conduct was most unseemly.
[q] unsightly [a] unsightly ADJ. unpleasant to look at; ugly. Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced with a particularly unsightly injury.
[q] unsullied [a] unsullied ADJ. spotlessly clean; unstained. The reputation of our school is unsullied, young ladies; you must conduct yourself modestly and discreetly so that you never disgrace our good name.
[q] unwarranted [a] unwarranted ADJ. unjustified; groundless; undeserved. We could not understand Martin’s unwarranted rudeness to his mother’s guests.
[q] upbraid [a] upbraid V. severely scold; reprimand. Not only did Miss Minchin upbraid Ermengarde for her disobedience, but she hung her up by her braids from a coat rack in the classroom.
[q] uphold [a] uphold V. give support; keep from sinking; lift up. Bold Sir Robin was ready to fight to the death to uphold the honor of his lady.
[q] upright [a] upright ADJ. honest; ethical; erect; perpendicular. An upright person acts straight; he does not cheat. An upright post stands straight; it does not lean.
[q] uproarious [a] uproarious ADJ. marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy. The uproarious comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starred Jim Carrey, whose comic mugging provoked gales of uproarious laughter from audiences coast to coast.
[q] urbane [a] urbane ADJ. suave; refined; elegant. Country-bred and naïve, Anna felt out of place among her urbane and sophisticated new classmates. urbanity, N.
[q] usurp [a] usurp V. seize another’s power or rank. The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general succeeded in usurping the throne.
[q] utopia [a] utopia N. ideal place, state, or society. Fed up with this imperfect universe, Don would have liked to run off to Shangri-la or some other fictitious utopia. utopian, ADJ.
[q] vacillate [a] vacillate V. waver; fluctuate. Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other. vacillation, N.
[q] vacuous [a] vacuous ADJ. empty; lacking in ideas; stupid. The politician’s vacuous remarks annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes.
[q] vagabond [a] vagabond N. wanderer; tramp. In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds. also ADJ.
[q] validate [a] validate V. confirm; ratify. I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.
[q] vanguard [a] vanguard N. advance guard of a military force; forefront of a movement. When no enemy was in sight, the duke of Plaza Toro marched in the vanguard of his troops, but once the bullets flew above, he headed for the rear.
[q] vantage [a] vantage N. position giving an advantage. They fired upon the enemy from behind the trees, walls, and any other point of vantage they could find.
[q] vapid [a] vapid ADJ. dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless. “Bor-ing!” said Cheryl, as she suffered through yet another vapid lecture about Dead White Male Poets.
[q] vehement [a] vehement ADJ. forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor. Alfred became so vehement in describing what was wrong with the Internal Revenue Service that he began jumping up and down and frothing at the mouth. vehemence, N.
[q] veneer [a] veneer N. thin layer; cover. Deceived by Victor’s veneer of sophistication, casual acquaintances failed to perceive his fundamental shallowness.
[q] venerate [a] venerate V. revere. In Tibet today, the common people still venerate their traditional spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
[q] venturesome [a] venturesome ADJ. bold. A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt. Annapurna.
[q] veracity [a] veracity N. truthfulness. Asserting his veracity, young George Washington proclaimed, “Father, I cannot tell a lie!”
[q] verbose [a] verbose ADJ. wordy. Someone mute can’t talk; someone verbose can hardly stop talking.
[q] verdant [a] verdant ADJ. green; lush in vegetation. Monet’s paintings of the verdant fields were symphonies in green.
[q] verisimilitude [a] verisimilitude N. appearance of truth; likelihood. Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.
[q] versatile [a] versatile ADJ. having many talents; capable of working in many fields. She was a versatile athlete, earning varsity letters in basketball, hockey, and track.
[q] vertigo [a] vertigo N. severe dizziness. When you test potential airplane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo, be sure to hand out airsick bags.
[q] vicarious [a] vicarious ADJ. acting as a substitute; done by a deputy. Though Maud was too meek to talk back to anyone, she got a vicarious kick out of Rita’s sharp retorts.
[q] vicissitude [a] vicissitude N. change of fortune. Humbled by life’s vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled.
[q] vie [a] vie V. contend; compete. Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.
[q] vigor [a] vigor N. active strength. Although he was over 70 years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime. vigorous, ADJ.
[q] vindicate [a] vindicate V. clear from blame; exonerate; justify or support. The lawyer’s goal was to vindicate her client and prove him innocent on all charges. The critics’ extremely favorable reviews vindicate my opinion that The Madness of King George is a brillian movie.
[q] vindictive [a] vindictive ADJ. out for revenge; malicious. Divorce sometimes brings out a vindictive streak in people; when Tony told Tina he wanted a divorce, she poured green Jello into the aquarium and turned his tropical fish into dessert.
[q] virtuoso [a] virtuoso N. highly skilled artist. The promising young cellist Yo-Yo Ma grew into a virtuoso whose virtuosit on the violin thrilled millions.
[q] virulent [a] virulent ADJ. extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter. Laid up with a virulent case of measles, Vera blamed her doctors because her recovery took so long. In fact, she became quite virulent on the subject of the quality of modern medical care.
[q] vise [a] vise N. tool for holding work in place. Before filing its edges, the keysmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.
[q] vivacious [a] vivacious ADJ. animated; lively. The hostess on The Morning News was a bit too bubbly and vivacious for me to take before I’d had my first cup of coffee.
[q] volatile [a] volatile ADJ. changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly. The political climate today is extremely volatile: no one can predict what the electorate will do next. Maria Callas’s temper was extremely volatile: the only thing you could predict was that she was sure to blow up. Ethyl chloride is an extremely volatile liquid: it evaporates instantly.
[q] voluble [a] voluble ADJ. fluent; glib; talkative. Excessively voluble speakers suffer from logorrhea: they run off at the mouth a lot!
[q] voluminous [a] voluminous ADJ. extensive; bulky; large. Despite her family burdens, she kept up a voluminous correspondence with her friends. A caftan is a voluminous garment; most people wearing one look as if they’re draped in a small tent.
[q] voracious [a] voracious ADJ. ravenous. The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.
[q] vulnerable [a] vulnerable ADJ. susceptible to wounds. His opponents could not harm Achiles, who was vulnerable only in his heel.
[q] waive [a] waive V. give up a claim or right voluntarily; refrain from enforcing; postpone considering. Although technically prospective students had to live in Piedmont to attend high school there, occasionally the school waived the residence requirement in order to enroll promising athletes.
[q] wallow [a] wallow V. roll in; indulge in; become helpless. The hippopotamus loves to wallow in pools of mud. The horror film addict loves to wallow in tales of blood.
[q] wanderlust [a] wanderlust N. strong longing to go off traveling. The cowboy had a bad case of wanderlust; he could never settle down.
[q] wane [a] wane V. decrease in size or strength; draw gradually to an end. When lit, does a wax candle wane?
[q] wanton [a] wanton ADJ. unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste. Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticicized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sarah accused Sheldon of making an unfounded, wanton attack.
[q] warble [a] warble V. sing; babble. Every morning the birds warbled outside her window. also N.
[q] wary [a] wary ADJ. very cautious The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.
[q] wayward [a] wayward ADJ. ungovernable; unpredictable; contrary. Miss Watson warned Huck that if he didn’t mend his ways she would ship him off to a school for wayward youths.
[q] wheedle [a] wheedle V. cajole; coax; deceive by flattery. She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.
[q] whet [a] whet V. sharpen; stimulate. The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served.
[q] whiff [a] whiff N. puff or gust (of air, scent, etc,); hint. The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.
[q] whimsical [a] whimsical N. capricious; fanciful. In Mrs. Doubtfire, the hero is a playful, whimsical man who takes a notion to dress up as a woman so that he can look after his children, who are in the custody of his ex-wife. whimsy, N.
[q] whittle [a] whittle V. pare; cut off bits. As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.
[q] willful [a] willful ADJ. intentional; headstrong. Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder, not a crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful youth unable to foresee the consequences of his deeds.
[q] wile [a] wile N. trick intended to deceive; stratagem. At the end of the movie, the hero sees through the temptress’s wiles and returns to his sweetheart back home.
[q] wily [a] wily ADJ. cunning; artful. If coyotes are supposed to be such sneaky, wily creatures, how does Road Runner always manage to outwit Wile E. Coyote?
[q] winnow [a] winnow V. sift; separate good parts from bad. This test will winnow out the students who study from those who never open a book.
[q] withdrawn [a] withdrawn ADJ. introverted; remote. Rebuffed by his colleagues, the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn.
[q] wither [a] wither V. shrivel; decay. Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither.
[q] withhold [a] withhold V. hold back; desist from giving; keep possession of. The tenants decided to withhold a portion of the rent until the landlord kept his promise to renovate the building.
[q] wretch [a] wretch N. miserable person; vile, despicable person. Tina felt sorry for the poor wretches who stood shivering in the rain. However, she was furious with that wretch Tony, who stood her up.
[q] wry [a] wry ADJ. twisted; with a humorous twist. We enjoy Dorothy Parker’s verse for its wry wit.
[q] zeal [a] zeal N. eager enthusiasm. Wang’s zeal was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent enthusiasm for the cause. zealous, ADJ.
[q] zenith [a] zenith N. highest point; culmination. When the film star’s career was at its zenith, she was in such great demand that producers told her to name her own price.
[q] zephyr [a] zephyr N. gentle breeze; wind. When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail.

[x] Exit text
(enter text or “Add Media”; select text to format)

[/qdeck]