Critical Vocabulary

abase

(v.) to humiliate, degrade (After being thrown and abased, the deposed leader offered to bow
down to his conqueror.)

abate
abdicate

(v.) to reduce, lessen (The rain poured down for a while, then abated.)
(v.) to give up a position, usually one of leadership (When he realized that the revolutionaries
would surely win, the king abdicated his throne.)

abduct

(v.) to kidnap, take by force (The evil-doers abducted the fairy princess from her happy
home.)

aberration

(n.) something that differs from the norm (The 1918 World Series win by Boston Red Sox was
an aberration, as they have not won a World Series since.)

abet

(v.) to aid, help, encourage (The spy succeeded only because he had a friend on the inside to
abet him.)

abhor

(v.) to hate, detest (Because he always wound up kicking himself in the head when he tried to
play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport.)

abide

1. (v.) to put up with (Though he did not agree with the decision, Chuck decided to abide by
it.) 2. (v.) to remain (Despite the beating they've taken from the weather throughout the
millennia, the mountains abide.)

abject

(adj.) wretched, pitiful (After losing all her memory, falling into a puddle, and breaking her
ankle, Emma was abject.)

abjure

(v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policies of his
wicked predecessor.)

abnegation

(n.) denial of comfort to oneself (The holy man slept on the floor, took only cold showers, and
generally followed other practices of abnegation.)

abort

(v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort (After they ran out of food, the hikers had to
abort and go home.)

abridge

(v.) to cut down, shorten (The publisher thought the dictionary was too long and abridged it.)

abrogate

(v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the governement cannot
abrogate our right to a free press.)

abscond

(v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the night with the
secret plans.)

absolution

(n.) freedom from blame, guilt, sin (Once all the facts were known, the jury gave Angela
absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty.)

abstain

(v.) to freely choose not to commit an action (Everyone demanded that Angus put on the kilt,
but he did not want to do it and abstained.)

abstruse

(adj.) hard to comprehend (Everyone else in the class understood geometry easily, but John
found the subject abstruse.)
(v.) to agree (When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball they
expected him to refuse, but intead he acceded to their request.)
(v.) to stress, highlight (Psychologists agree that those people who are happiest accentuate
the positive in life.)

accede
accentuate
accessible

(adj.) obtainable, reachable (After scoring well on the SAT, Marlena happily realised that her
goal of getting into an Ivy-League college was accessible.)

acclaim
accolade

(n.) high praise (Greg's excellent poem won the acclaim of his friends.)
(n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered accolades to Sam after he won the
Noble Prize.)

accomodating

(adj.) helpful, obliging, polite (Though the apartment was not big enough for three people,
Arnold, Mark and Zebulon were accomodating to each other.)

accord

(n.) an agreement (After much negotiating Engand and Iceland finally came to a mutually
beneficial accord about fishing rights off the coast of Greenland.)

accost

(v.) to confront verbally (Though Antoinette was normally quite calm , when the waiter spilled
soup on her twice she stood up and accosted the man.)

accretion

(n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed by the accretion of minerals from
the roofs of caves.)

acerbic

(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make
fun of all her friends.)

acquiesce

(v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Correlli wanted to stay outside, when his wife told
him to come in, he acquiesced to her demands.)

acrimony

(n.) bitterness, discord (Biff and Trevor had their friendship marred with acrimony after they
both fell in love with Teresa.)

acumen

(n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in
minutes, problems that took other students hours.)

acute

1. (adj.) sharp, severe (Arnold could not walk because the pain in his foot was so acute.) 2.
(adj.) having keen insight (Because she was so acute, Libby instantaly figured out how the
magician pulled off his magic.)

adamant

(adj.) impervious, immovable, unyielding (Though public pressure was intense, the President
remained adamant about his proposal.)

adept
adhere

(adj.) extremely skilled (Tarzan was adept at jumping from tree to tree.)
1. (n.) to stick to something (We adhered the poster to the wall with a tape.) 2. (n.) to follow
devoutly (He adhered to the techings of his religion.)

admonish

(v.) to caution, criticize, reprove (Joe's mother admonished him not to ruin his appetite by
eating cookies before dinner.)

adorn
adroit
adulation

(v.) to decorate (We adorned the tree with ornaments.)

(adj.) skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick anyone's pocket.)
(n.) extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe it deserved the
adulation it received.)

adumbrate

(v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the
players knew precisely what to do.)

adverse

(adj.) antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous (Because of adverse conditions, the hikers

decided to give up trying to climb the mountain.)

advocate
aerial
aesthetic

(v.) to argue in favor of something (Arnold advocated turning left at the stop sign.)
(adj.) related to air (We watched as the fighter planes conducted aerial maneuvers.)
(adj.) artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty (We hired Susan as our interior decorator
because she has such a fine aesthetic sense.)

affable

(adj.) friendly, amiable (People like to be around George because he is so affable and goodnatured.)

affinity

(n.) a spontaneous feeling of closeness (Jerry didn't know why, but he felt an incredile affinity
for Kramer the first time they met.)

affluent

(adj.) rich, wealthy (Mrs. Grebelski was affluent, owning a huge house, three cars, and an
island near Maine.)

affront
aggrandize

(n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront.)
(v.) to increase or make greater (Joseph always dropped the names of the famous people his
father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal stature.)

aggregate

1. (n.) a whole or total (The three branches of the U.S. Government form an aggregate much
more powerful than its individual parts.)

aggrieved

(adj.) distressed, wronged, injured (The foreman mercilessly overworked his aggrieved
employees.)

agile

(adj.) quick, nimble (The dogs were too slow to catch the agile rabbit.)

agnostic

(adj.) believing that that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven (Joey's parents
are very religious, but he is agnostic.)

agriculture

(n.) farming (It was a huge step in the progress of civilization when tribes began to develop
sustainable methods of obtaining food, such as agriculture.)

aisle

(n.) a passageway between rows of seats (Once we got inside the stadium we walked down
the aisle to our seats.)

alacrity

(n.) eagerness, speed (Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his
mother asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)

alias
allay

(n.) a false name or identity (He snuck past the guards by using an alias.)
(v.) to soothe, ease (The chairman of the Federal Reserve gave a speech to try to allay
investors' fears about an economic downturn.)

allege

(v.) to assert, usually without proof (The policeman had alleged that Marshall committed the
crime, but the investigation turned up no evidence.)

alleviate

(v.) to relieve, make more bearable (This drug will alleviate the symptoms of the terrible
disease, but only for a while.)

allocate

(v.) to distribute, set aside (The Mayor alloctaed 30 percent of the funds for improving the
town's schools.)

aloof

(adj.) reserved, distant (The scientist could sometimes seem aloof, as if he didn't care about
his friends or family.)

altercation

(n.) a dispute, fight (Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car accident, leading to an
altercation.)

amalgamate

(v.) to bring together, unite (Because of his great charisma, the presidential candidate was
able to amalgamate everyone under his banner.)

ambiguous

(adj.) uncertain, variably interpretable (Some people think Caesar married Cleopatra for her
power, others believe he was charmed by her beauty. His actual reasons are ambiguous.)

ambivalent

(adj.) having opposing feelings (My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent; he is a loyal friend,
but he is also a cruel and vicious thief.)

ameliorate

(v.) to improve (The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed a solution everyone
could agree upon.)

amenable

(adj.) willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us to the farm
so we could go apple picking.)

amenity

(n.) an item that increases comfort (Bill Gates's house is stocked with so many amenities, he
never has to do anything for himself.)

amiable
amicable
amorous

(adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone.)
(adj.) friendly (Sara and Jim got divorced amicably, totally without fighting.)
(adj.) showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her red dress, he
began to feel quite amorous.)

amorphous

(adj.) without definite shape or type (The effort doomed from the start, because the reasons
behind it were so amorphous and hard to pin down.)

anachronistic

(adj.) being out of correct chronological order (In this book you're writing, you say that the
Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is anachronistic.)

analgesic

(n.) something that reduces pain (Put this analgesic on the wound so that the poor man at
least feels a little better.)

analogous

(adj.) similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn (Though they are unrelated genetically, the
bone structure of whales and fish is quite analogous.)

anarchist

(n.) one who wants to eliminate all government (An anarchist, Carmine wanted to dissolve
every government everywhere.)

anathema
anecdote

(n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murder. He is an anathema to me.)
(n.) a short, humurous account (After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the time he got
his nose stuck in a toaster.)

(n.) a short, humurous account (After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the time he got
his nose stuck in a toaster.)
anesthesia
anguish

(n.) loss of sensation (When the nerves in his spine were damaged, Mr. Hollins suffered
anesthesia
his legs.)torment (Angelos suffered terrible anguish when he learned that Buffy
(n.) extremeinsadness,
had died in a car accident.)

animated

(adj.) lively (When he begins to talk about drama, which is his true passion, he becomes very
animated.)

annex

1. (v.) to incorporate territory or space (After defeating them in battle, the Russians annexed
Poland.) 2. (n.) a room attached to a larger room or space (He likes to do his studying in a
little annex attached to the main reading room.)

annul

(v.) to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, Congress
sought to annul the law.)

anomaly

(n.) deviating from the norm ("That rip in the spacetime continuum is certainly a spatial
anomaly", said Spock to Captain Kirk.)

anonymous

(adj.) being unknown, unrecognized (Mary received a love poem from an anonymous
admirer.)

antagonism
antecedent

(n.) hostility (Superman and Lex Luther shared a mutual antagonism, and often fought.)
(n.) something that came before (The great tradition of Western culture had its antecedent in
the culture of Ancient Greece.)

antediluvian

(adj.) ancient (The antediluvian man still believed that Eisenhower was president of the
United States and that hot dogs cost a nickel.)

anthology

(n.) a published selection of writings, songs etc. (The new anthology of Bob Dylan songs
contains all his greatest hits.)

antipathy

(n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I
feel nothing but antipathy for you.)

antiquated

(adj.) old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like power windows and
steering, that make modern cars so great.)

antiseptic

(adj.) clean, sterile (The antiseptic hospital was very bare, but it's cleanliness helped to keep
patients healthy.)

antithesis

(n.) the absolute opposite (Your values, which hold war and violence in the highest esteem,
are the antithesis of my pacifist beliefs.)

anxiety

(n.) intense uneasiness (When he heard about the car crash, he felt anxiety because he knew
that his girlfriend had been driving on that road.)

apathetic

(adj.) lacking concern, emotion (Uninterested in politics, Bruno was apathetic about whether
he lived under a capitalist or communist regime.)

apocryphal

(adj.) fictitious, false, wrong (Because I am standing before you, it seems obvious that the
stories circulating about my demise were apocryphal.)

appalling

(adj.) inspiring shock, horror, disgust (The judge found the muderer's crimes and lack of
remorse appalling.)

appease
appraise
apprehend

(v.) to calm, satisfy (When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to appease him.)
(v.) to assess the value of (A realtor will come over tonight to appraise our house.)
1. (v.) to seize, arrest (The criminal was apprehended at the scene.) 2. (v.) to perceive,
understand (The student has trouble apprehending concepts in maths and science.)

approbation
appropriate

(n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.)

(v.) to take, make use of (The government appropriated the farmer's land without
justification.)

aquatic

(adj.) realting to water (The marine biologist studies starfish and other aquatic creatures.)

arable

(adj.) suitable for growing crops (The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on which he will
grow corn.)

arbiter

(n.) one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision (The divorce court judge will serve as the
arbiter between the estranged husband and wife.)

(n.) one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision (The divorce court judge will serve as the
arbiter between the estranged husband and wife.)
arbitrary

(adj.) based on factors that appear random (The boy's decision to choose one college over
another seems arbitrary.)

arbitration

(n.) the process or act of resolving a dispute (The employee sought official arbitration when
he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor.)

arboreal
arcane

(adj.) of or relating to trees (Leaves, roots and bark are a few arboreal traits.)
(adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane Lithuanian
literature.)

archaic

(adj.) of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated (In a few selected regions of Western
Mongolia, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken.)

archetypal

(adj.) the most representative or typical example of something (Some believe George
Washington, with his flowing white hair and commanding stature, was the archetypal
politician.)

ardor

(n.) extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm (The soldiers conveyed their ardor with impassioned
battle cries.)

arid
arrogate

(adj.) excessively dry (Very few trees grow succesfully in arid environments.)
(v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself
exclusively.)

artifact

(n.) a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place (The scientists spent all day searching
the cave for artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization.)

artisan
ascertain

(n.) a craftsman (The aritsan uses wood to make walking sticks.)

(v.) to perceive, learn (With a bit of research, the student ascertained that some plants can
live for weeks without water.)

ascetic

(adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The priest lives an
ascetic life deviod of all luxuries of life.)

ascribe

(v.) to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and dynamite to
the Chinese.)

aspersion

(n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each
others' integrity.)

aspire
assail
assess
assiduous

(v.) to long for, aim toward (Dave aspires to publish a book someday.)
(v.) to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbour.)
(v.) to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash.)
(adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two
years of assiduous labor.)

assuage
astute

(v.) to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears.)
(adj.) very clever, crafty (Much of Roger's success in politics results from his ability to provide
astute answers to reporter's questions.)

asylum

1. (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary (The forest served as an asylum from the
pressures of urban life.) 2. (n.) an institution for the insane (Once diagnosed by a certified
psychiatrist, the man was put in an asylum.)

atone

(v.) to repent, make amends (The man atoned for forgetting his wife's birthday by buying her
five dozen roses.)

atrophy

(v.) to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will soon atrophy and
die.)

attain
attribute

(v.) to achieve, arrive at (The athletes strived to attain their best times.)
1. (v.) to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother's undying
encouragement.) 2. (n.) a facet or trait (Among the beetle's most peculiar attributes is its
thorny protruding eyes.)

atypical
audacious

(adj.) not typical, unusual (Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior.)
(adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan's audacious attempt to
offer him a bribe.)

(adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan's audacious attempt to
offer him a bribe.)
audible
augment

(adj.) able to be heard (The missing person's shouts were barely audible.)
(v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of French
vocabulary by reading French literature.)

auspicious

(adj.) favorable, indicative of good things (The tennis player considered the sunny forecast an
auspicious sign that she would win her match.)

austere
avarice
avenge

(adj.) very bare, bleak (The austere furniture in the house made the place feel haunted.)
(n.) excessive greed (The banker's avarice led him to amass a huge personal future.)
(v.) to seek revenge (The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive to avenge
themselves against the men who robbed them.)

aversion

(n.) a particular dislike for something (Because he's from Hawaii, Ben has an aversion to
autumn, winter, and cold climates in general.)

balk
ballad
banal

(v.) to stop, block abruptly (Edna's boss balked at her request for another raise.)
(n.) a love song (Greta's boyfriend played her a ballad on the guitar.)
(adj.) dull, commonplace (The client rejected our proposal because they found our
presentation banal and unimpressive.)

bane

(n.) a burden (Advanced physics is the bane of my students' academic lives.)

bard

(n.) a poet, often a singer as well (Shakespeare is often considered the greatest bard in the
history of the English language.)

bashful

(adj.) shy, excessively timid (Frankie's mother told him not to be bashful when he refused to
attend the birthday party.)

battery

(n.) assault, beating (Her husband was accused of assault and battery after he attacked a
man on the sidewalk.)

beguile
behemoth

(v.) to trick, deceive (The thief beguiled us into surrending all of our money.)
(n.) something of tremendous power or size (The new aircraft career is among several
behemoths that the Air Force has added to its fleet.)

benevolent

(adj.) marked by goodness or doing good (Police officers should be commended for their
benevolent service to the community.)

benign

(adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild (We were all relieved to hear that the medical tests
determined her tumor to be benign.)

bequeath
berate
bereft
beseech
bias

(v.) to pass on, give (Jon's father bequeathed his entire estate to his mother.)
(v.) to scold vehemently (The angry boss berated his employees every day.)
(adj.) devoid of, without (The poor family was bereft of food and shelter.)
(v.) to beg, plead, implore (The prisoner beseeched the king for mercy.)
(n.) a tendency, inclination, prejudice (The judge's hidden bias against smokers led him to
make an unfair decision.)

bilk

(v.) cheat, defraud (The lawyer discovered that this film had bilked several clients out of
thousands of dollars.)

blandish

(v.) to coax by using flattery (Rachel's assistant tried to blandish her into accepting the deal.)

blemish

(n.) an imperfection, flaw (The dealer agreed to lower the price because of the many
blemishes on the surface of the wooden furniture.)

blight

1. (n.) a plague, disease (The potato blight destroyed the harvest and bankrupted many
families.

boisterous

(adj.) loud and full of energy (The candidate won the vote after giving several boisterous
speeches on television.)

bombastic

(adj.) overly confident, pompous (The singer's bombastic performance disgusted the crowd.)

boon

(n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near
the beach.)

bourgeois

(n.) a middle-class person, capitalist (Many businessmen receive criticism for their bourgeois
approach to life.)

brazen

(adj.) excessively bold, brash (Critics condemned the novelist's brazen attempt to plagiarize
Hemingway's story.)

brusque
buffet

(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (The captain's brusque manner was offensive.)
1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them.)

burnish
buttress

(v.) to polish, shine (His mother asked him to burnish the silverware.)
1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof.) 2. (n.) something that offers
support (The buttress supports the roof.)

cacophony

(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra created a
cacophony at the recital.)

cadence

(n.) a rhythm, progression of sound (The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize the
cadence of the sonata.)

cajole
calamity

(v.) to urge, coax (Fred's buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party.)
(n.) an event with disastrous consequences (The earthquake in San Francisco was a calamity
worse than any other natural disaster in history.)

calibrate

(v.) to set, standardize (The mechanic calibrated the car's transmission to make the motor run
most efficiently.)

callous
calumny

(adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer showed a callous lack of remorse.)
(n.) an attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies (The local official's
calumny ended up ruining his opponent's prospect of winning.)

camaraderie

(n.) brotherhood, jovial unity (Camaraderie among employees usually leads to success in
business.)

candor

(n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the mayor's speech because he
is usually rather evasive.)

canny

(adj.) shrewd, careful (The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through much of the
race and sprinted past everyone at the end.)

canvas

1. (n.) a piece of cloth on which an artist paints (Picasso liked to work on canvas rather than
on bare cement.) 2. (v.) to cover, inspect (We canvassed the neighborhood looking for clues.)

capacious
capitulate
capricious

(adj.) very spacious (The workers delighted in their new capacious office space.)
(v.) to surrender (The army finally capitulated after fighting a long costly battle.)
(adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl's capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to
focus on achieving her goals.)

captivate

(v.) to get the attention of, hold (The fireworks captivated the young boy, who had never seen
such things before.)

carouse
carp

(v.) to party, celebrate (We caroused all night after getting married.)
(v.) to annoy, pester (The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping voice for
decades.)

catalog

1. (v.) to list, enter into a list (The judge cataloged the victim's injuries before calculating how
much money he would award.) 2. (n.) a list or collection (We received a catalog from J. Crew
that displayed all of their new items.)

catalyze
caucus

(v.) to charge, inspire (The president's speech catalyzed the nation.)

(n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (The ironworkers held a
caucus to finalize their demands.)

caustic

(adj.) bitter, biting, acidic (The politicians exchanged caustic insults for over an hour during
the debate.)

cavort

(v.) to leap about, behave boisterously (The adults are their dinners on the patio, while the
children cavorted around the pool.)

censure

1. (n.) harsh criticism (The teenager could not bear her critical mother's censure anymore.) 2.
(v.) to rebuke formally (The principal censured the head of the English Department for forcing
students to learn esoteric vocabulary.)

cerebral

(adj.) related to the intellect (The books we read in this class are too cerebral --- they don't
engage my emotions at all.)

chaos

(n.) absolute disorder (Mr. Thornton's sudden departure for the lavatory plunged his class into
chaos.)

chastise

(v.) to criticize severely (After being chastised by her peers for mimicking Britney Spears,
Miranda dyed her hair black and affected a Gothic style.)

cherish

(v.) to feel or show affection toward something (She continued to cherish her red plaid
trousers, even though they had gone out of style.)

chide
choreography

(v.) to voice disapproval (Lucy chided Russell for his vulgar habits.)
(n.) the arrangement of dances (The plot of the musical was banal, but the choreography was
stunning.)

chronicle
chronological

1. (n.) a written history (The library featured the updated chronicle of World War II.)
(adj.) arranged in order of time (Lionel carefully arranged the snapshots of his pets in
chronological order.)

circuitous
circumlocution

(adj.) roundabout (The bus's circuitous route covered the whole city.)
(n.) indirect and wordy language (The professor's habit of speaking in circumlocutions made it
difficult to follow his lectures.)

circumscribed

(adj.) marked off, bounded (The children were permitted to play tag only within a carefully
circumscribed area of the lawn.)

circumspect

(adj.) cautious (Though I promised Rachel I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it
would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.)

circumvent

(v.) to get around (The school's dress code was circumvented by the students, who covered
up with long coats when administrators were nearby.)

clairvoyant

(adj.) able to perceive things that normal people cannot (Zelda's uncanny ability to detect my
lies was nothing short of clairvoyant.)

clamor
clandestine

(n.) loud noise (The birds outside my window make such a clamor that they wake me up.
(adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the gym, Sophie actually
went to meet Joseph for a clandestine liaison.)

cleave

1. (v.) to divide into parts (Due to political turmoil, the ruling party cleaved into warring
factions.) 2. (v.) to stick together firmly (After resolving their marital problems, Junior and
Rosa cleaved to one another all the more tightly.)

clemency
clergy

(n.) mercy (After he forgot their anniversary, Tim begged Maria for clemency.)
(n.) members of Christian holy orders (Though the villagers viewed the church as charming,
the clergy who lived there regarded it as a dusty place.)

cloying

(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Though Ronald was physically attractive, Maud found his constant
compliments and solicitous remarks cloying.)

coagulate
coalesce

(v.) to thicken, clot (The top layer of the pudding had coagulated quickly.)
(v.) to fuse into a whole (Gordon's ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced into a
surprisingly handsome outfit.)

cobbler

(n.) a person who makes or repairs shoes (I had my neighborhood cobbler replace my wornout leather soles with new ones.)

coerce

(v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that Vince was
innocent as he had been coerced into fighting.)

cogent

(adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene's arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I
could not resist them.)

cognizant

(adj.) aware, mindful (Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was cognizant of
the fact that drinking impairs his judgement.)

coherent

(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what Monroe had seen
because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)

collateral

1. (adj.) secondary (Divorcing my wife had the collateral effect of making me poor.) 2. (n.)
security for a debt (Jacob left his watch as collateral for the loan.)

colloquial

(adj.) characteristic of informal conversation (Adam's essay was marked down because it
contained too many colloquial expressions.)

collusion

(n.) secret agreement, conspiracy (The three law students worked in collusion to steal the
final exam.)

colossus

(n.) a gigantic thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus standing
astride its harbor.)

combustion

(n.) the act or process of burning (The unexpected combustion of the prosecution's evidence
forced the judge to dismiss the case against Ramirez.)

commendation

(n.) a notice of approval or recognition (Jared received a commendation from Linda, his
supervisor, for his stellar performance.)

commensurate

(adj.) corresponding in size or amount (Ahab selected a very long roll and proceeded to
prepare a sandwich commensurate with his enormous appetite.)

commodious

(adj.) roomy (Holden invited his friends to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring
them that the car was quite commodious.)

compelling

(adj.) forceful, demanding attention (Eliot's speech was so compelling that his boss gave him
a raise on the spot.)

compensate

(v.) to make an appropriate payment for somehting (Reginald bought Sharona a new dress to
compensate her for the one he'd spilled his ice cream on.)

complacency

(n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Colin shocked his friends out of their complacency by
painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.)

complement
compliant

(v.) to complete, make perfect (Ann's scarf complements her blouse.)

(adj.) ready to adapt oneself to another's wishes (Sue had very strong opinions about what to
do on a first date, and Ted was absolutely compliant.)

complicit

(adj.) being an accomplice in a wrongful act (By keeping her daughter's fraud a secret,
Maddie became complicit in it.)

compliment

(n.) an expression of esteem or approval (I blushed crimson when Emma gave me a

compliment on my new haircut.)

compound

1. (n.) a combination of different parts (Donna's good grades are a compound of her
intelligence and hard work.) 2. (n.) a walled area containing a group of buildings (When the
fighting started, Joseph ran into the family compound.)

comprehensive
compress
compunction

(adj.) including everything (She sent me a comprehensive list of guests.)

(v.) to apply pressure, squeeze together (Lynn compressed her lips tightly.)
(n.) distress caused by feeling guilty (He felt compunction for the shabby way he'd treated
her.)

concede

(v.) to accept as valid (Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made
sense.)

conciliatory

(adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda's invitation to dinner as a very conciliatory gesture.)

concise

(adj.) brief and direct in expression (Gordon did not like to waste time, and his instructions to
Brenda were nothing if not concise.)

concoct
concomitant

(v.) to fabricate, make up (She concocted the most ridiculous story.)

(adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work carried with it a
concomitant lack of funds.)

concord

(n.) harmonious agreement (Julie and Harold began the evening with a disagreement, but
ended in a state of perfect concord.)

condolence

(n.) an expression of sympathy in sorrow (Brian lamely offered his condolences on the loss of
his sister's roommate's cat.)

(n.) an expression of sympathy in sorrow (Brian lamely offered his condolences on the loss of
his sister's roommate's cat.)
condone
conduit

(v.) to pardon, deliberately overlook (He refused to condone Rick's crime.)

(n.) a pipe or channel through which something passes (The water flowed through the conduit
into the container.)

confection

(n.) a sweet, fancy food (We went to the mall food court and purchased a delicious
confection.)

confidant

(n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, she became my chief confidant.)

conflagration
confluence
conformist

(n.) great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building.)

(n.) a gathering together (A confluence of different factors made tonight the perfect night.)
(n.) one who behaves the same as others (Julian was such a conformist that he waited for his
friends to do something before he would commit.)

confound

(v.) to frustrate, confuse (Mark confounded the policemen pursuing him by covering his
tracks.)

congeal
congenial
congregation

(v.) to thicken into a solid (The sauce had congealed into a thick paste.)
(adj.) pleasantly agreeable (His congenial manner made him popular at school.)
(n.) a gathering of people, especially for religious services (The priest told the congregation
that he would be retiring.)

congruity

(n.) the quality of being in agreement (Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect congruity of
opinion.)

connive
consecrate

(v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my vacation plans.)

(v.) to dedicate something to a holy purpose (Arvin consecrated his spare bedroom as a
shrine to Christina.)

consensus

(n.) an agreement of opinion (The jury was able to reach a consensus only after days of
deliberation.)

consign

(v.) to give something over to another's care (Unwillingly, he consigned his mother to a
nursing home.)

consolation

(n.) an act of comforting (Darren found Alexandra's presence to be a consolation for his
suffering.)

consonant
constituent

(adj.) in harmony (The singers' consonant voices were beautiful.)

(n.) an essential part (The most important constituent of her perfume is something called
ambergris.)

constrain

(v.) to forcibly restrict (His belief in nonviolence constrained him from taking revenge on his
attackers.)

construe

(v.) to interpret (He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal that she
wanted him to leave.)

consummate

(v.) to complete a deal (Eric and Donald consummated their agreement in the executive
boardroom.)

consumption

(n.) the act of consuming (Consumption of intoxicating beverages is not permitted on these
premises.)

contemporary

(n.) existing during the same time (Jane Austen was a contemporary of Wordsworth and
Byron.)

contentious

(adj.) having a tendency to quarrel or dispute (George's contentious personality made him
unpopular with his classmates.)

contravene

(v.) to contradict, oppose, violate (Edwidge contravened his landlady's rule against overnight
guests.)

contrite

(adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven (Blake's contrite behavior made it impossible to stay
angry at him.)

contusion
conundrum

(n.) bruise, injury (The contusions on his face suggested he'd been in a fight.)
(n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane's behavior was a constant conundrum.)

convene
convention

(v.) to call together (Jason convened his entire family for a discussion.)
1. (n.) an assembly of people (The hotel was full because of the cattle-ranchers' convention.)
2. (n.) a rule, custom (The cattle-ranchers have a convention that you take off your boots
before entering their houses.)

convivial

(adj.) characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment (The restaurant's convivial atmosphere

put me immediately at ease.)

convoluted
copious

(adj.) intricate, complicated (Grace's story was so convoluted that I couldn't follow it.)
(adj.) profuse, abundant (Copious amounts of water bottles were stacked in the warehouse.)

cordial
coronation

(adj.) warm, affectionate (His cordial greeting melted my anger at once.)

(n.) the act of crowning (The new king's coronation occurred the day after his father's death.)

corpulence

(adj.) extreme fatness (Henry's corpulence did not make him any less attractive to his
charming wife.)

corroborate

(v.) to support with evidence (Luke's seemingly outrageous claim was corroborated by
witnesses.)

corrosive

(adj.) having the tendency to erode or eat away (The effect of the chemical was highly
corrosive.)

cosmopolitan

(adj.) sophisticated, wolrdly (Lloyd's education and upbringing were cosmopolitan, so he felt
right at home among the powerful and learned.)

counteract
coup

(v.) to neutralize, make ineffective (The antidote counteracted the effect of the poison.)
1. (n.) the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority (In their coup attempt, the
army officers stormed the Parliament and took all the legislators hostage.)

covet
covert

(v.) to desire enviously (I coveted Moses's house, wife, and car.)

(adj.) secretly engaged in (Nerwin waged a covert campaign against his enemies, while
outwardly appearing to remain friendly.)

credulity
crescendo

(n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy target for con men.)
(n.) a steady increase in intensity or volume (The crescendo of the brass instruments gave
the piece a patriotic feel.)

criteria

(n.) standards by which something is judged (Among Mrs. Fields's criteria for good cookies are
that they be moist and chewy.)

culmination

(n.) the climax toward which something progresses (The culmination of the couple's argument
was the decision to divorce.)

culpable

(adj.) deserving blame (He was culpable of the crime, and was sentenced to perform
community service for 75 years.)

cultivate
cumulative

(v.) to nurture, improve, refine (At the library, she cultivated her interest in spy novels.)
(adj.) increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent in the sun was a
deep tan.)

cunning
cupidity

(adj.) sly, clever (The general devised a cunning plan to surprise the enemy.)
(n.) greed, strong desire (His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the
obvious dangers.)

cursory

(adj.) brief to the point of being superfacial (Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at
the agenda.)

curt

(adj.) abruptly and rudely short (Her curt reply to my question made me realize that she was
upset at me.)

curtail
daunting

(v.) to lessen, reduce (Since losing his job, he had to curtail his spending.)
(adj.) intimidating, causing one to lose courage (He kept delaying the daunting act of asking
for a promotion.)

dearth

(n.) a lack, scarcity (An eager reader, she was dismayed by the dearth of classic books at the
library.)

debacle

(n.) a disastrous failure, disruption (The elaborately designed fireworks show turned into a
debacle when the fireworks started firing in random directions.)

debase

(v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave himself
debased his motives for running the charity.)

debauch

(v.) to corrupt by means of sensual pleasures (An endless amount of good wine and cheese
debauched the traveler.)

debunk

(v.) to expose the falseness of something (He debunked her claim to be the world's greatest
chess player by defeating her in 18 consecutive matches.)

decorous

(adj.) socially proper, appropriate (The appreciative guest displayed decorous behavior
toward his host.)

decry

(v.) to criticize openly (The kind video rental clerk decried the policy of charging customers
late fees.)

deface

(v.) to ruin or injure something's appearance (The brothers used eggs and shaving cream to
deface their neighbor's mailbox.)

defamatory

(adj.) harmful toward another's reputation (The defamatory gossip spreading about the actor
made the public less willing to see the actor's new movie.)

defer

(v.) to postpone something; to yield to another's wisdom (Ron deferred to Diane, the expert in
musical instruments, when he was asked about pianos.)

deferential

(adj.) showing respect for another's authority (His deferential attitude toward her made her
more confident in her ability to run the company.)

defile

(v.) to make unclean, impure (She defiled the calm of the religious building by playing her
banjo.)

deft

(adj.) skillful, capable (Having worked in a bakery for many years, Marcus was a deft bread
maker.)

defunct

(adj.) no longer used or existing (They planned to turn the defunct schoolhouse into a
community center.)

delegate

(v.) to hand over responsibility for something (The dean delegated the task of finding a new
professor to a special hiring committee.)

deleterious

(adj.) harmful (She experienced the deleterious effects of running a marathon without
stretching her muscles enough beforehand.)

deliberate

(adj.) intentional, reflecting careful consideration (Though Mary was quite upset, her actions
to resolve the dispute were deliberate.)

delineate

(v.) to describe, outline, shed light on (She neatly delineated her reasons for canceling the
project's funding.)

demagogue

(n.) a leader who appeals to a people's prejudices (The demagogue blamed immigrants for
the lack of jobs.)

demarcation

(n.) the marking of boundaries or categories (Different cultures have different demarcations
of good and evil.)

demean

(v.) to lower the status or stature of something (She refused to demean her secretary by
making him order her lunch.)

demure

(adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going
crazy, she remained demure.)

denigrate

(v.) to belittle, diminish the opinion of (The company decided that its advertisements would
no longer denigrate the company's competitors.)

denounce
deplore

(v.) to criticize publicly (Rob denounced his opponent for being greedy.)
(v.) to feel or express sorrow, disapproval (We all deplored the miserable working conditions
in the factory.)

depravity
deprecate

(n.) wickedness (Rumors of the ogre's depravity made the children afraid of it.)
(v.) to belittle, depreciate (Always over-modest, he deprecated his contribution to the local
charity.)

derelict

(adj.) abandoned, run-down, (Even though it was dangerous, the children enjoyed going to
the deserted lot and playing in the derelict house.)

deride
derivative

(v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The bullies derided the foreign student.)
(adj.) taken directly from a source, unoriginal (She was bored by his music because she felt
that it was derivative and that she had heard it before.)

desecrate

(v.) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place (They feared that the construction of a golf
course would desecrate the preserved wilderness.)

desiccated
desolate

(adj.) dried up, dehydrated (The desiccated mummy looked hideous.)

(adj.) deserted, dreary lifeless (She found the desolate landscape quite a contrast to the
hustle and bustle of the overcrowded city.)

despondent

(adj.) feeling depressed, discouraged, hopeless (The despondent child saw no use in studying
for the Math test and failed understandably.)

despot

(n.) one who has total power and rules brutally (The despot issued a death sentence for
anyone who disobeyed his laws.)

destitute

(adj.) impoverished, utterly lacking (The hurricane destroyed many homes and left many
families destitute.)

deter

(v.) to discourage, prevent from doing (Bob's description of scary snakes couldn't deter Marcia
from traveling in the rainforests.)

devious

(adj.) not straightforward, deceitful (Not wanting to be punished, the devious girl blamed the
broken vase on the cat.)

dialect

(n.) a variation of language (In the country's mountainous regions, the inhabitants spoke a
dialect that outsiders had difficulty understanding.)

diaphanous

(adj.) light, airy, transparent (Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains, brightening
the room.)

didactic

1. (adj.) intended to instruct (She wrote up a didactic document showing new employees how
to handle the company's customers.) 2. (adj.) overly moralistic (His didactic style of teaching
made it seem like he wanted to persuade his students to understand history from only one
point of view.)

diffident

(adj.) shy, quiet, modest (While eating dinner with the adults, the diffident youth did not
speak for fear of seeming presumptous.)

diffuse

1. (v.) to scatter, thin out, break up (He diffused the tension in the room by making in a joke.)
2. (adj.) not concentrated, scattered, disorganized (She tried unsuccessfully to make others
understand her diffuse thoughts.)

dilatory

(adj.) tending to delay, causing delay (The general's dilatory strategy enabled the enemy to
regroup.)

diligent

(adj.) showing care in doing one's work (The diligent researcher made sure to check her
measurements multiple times.)

diminutive
dirge

(adj.) small or miniature (The bullies picked on the diminutive child.)

(n.) a mournful song, specially for a funeral (The bagpipers played a dirge as the casket was
carried to the cemetry.)

disaffected

(adj.) rebellious, resentful of authority (Dismayed by Bobby's poor behavior, the parents sent
their disaffected son to a military academy to be disciplined.)

disavow

(v.) to deny knowledge of or responsibility for (Not wanting others to criticize her, she
disavowed any involvement in the company's hiring scandal.)

discern

(v.) to perceive, detect (Though he hid his emotions, she discerned from his body language
that he was angry.)

disclose

(v.) to reveal, make public (The CEO disclosed to the press that the company would have to
fire several employees.)

discomfit

(v.) to thwart, baffle (The normally cheery and playful children's sudden misery discomfited
the teacher.)

discordant

(adj.) not agreeing, not in harmony with (The girls' sobs were a discordant sound amid the
general laughter that filled the restaurant.)

discrepancy

(n.) difference, failure of things to correspond (He was troubled by the discrepancy between
what he remembered paying for the appliance and what his receipt showed he paid for it.)

discretion

(n.) the quality of being reserved in speech or action; good judgement (The doctor used
discretion in deciding how much to tell the patient.)

discursive

(adj.) rambling, lacking order (The professor's discursive lectures seemed to be about every
subject except the one initially described.)

disdain

1. (v.) to scorn, hold in low esteem (Insecure about their jobs, the older employees disdained
the recently hired ones, who were young and capable.) 2. (n.) scorn, low esteem (After
learning of his immoral actions, Justine held Lawrence in disdain.)

disgruntled

(adj.) upset, not content (The child believed that his parents had unjustly grounded him, and
remained disgruntled for a week.)

disheartened

(adj.) feeling a loss of spirit or morale (The team was disheartened after losing in the finals of
the tournament.)

disparage

(v.) to criticize or speak ill of (The saleswoman disparaged the competitor's products to
persuade her customers to buy what she was selling.)

disparate

(adj.) sharply differing, containing sharply contrasting elements (Having widely varying
interests, the students had disparate responses toward the novel.)

dispatch

(v.) to send off to accomplish a duty (The carpenter dispatched his assitant to fetch wood.)

dispel

(v.) to drive away, scatter (She entered the office as usual on Monday, dispelling the rumor
that she had been fired.)

disperse

(v.) to scatter, cause to scatter (When the rain began to pour, the crowd at the baseball game
quickly dispersed.)

disrepute

(n.) a state of being held in low regard (The officer fell into disrepute after it was learned that
he had disobeyed orders from his superiors.)

dissemble

(v.) to conceal, fake (Not wanting to appear heartlessly greedy, she dissembled and hid her
intention to sell her ailing father's stamp collection.)

disseminate

(v.) to spread widely (The politician disseminated his idea across the town before the
election.)

dissent

1. (v.) to disagree (The principal argued that the child should repeat the fourth grade, but the
unhappy parents dissented.) 2. (n.) the act of disagreeing (Unconvinced that the defendant
was guilty, the last juror voiced his dissent with the rest of the jury.)

dissipate

1. (v.) to disappear, cause to disappear (The sun finally came out dissipated the haze.) 2. (v.)
to waste (She dissipated her fortune on a series of bad investments.)

dissonance

(n.) lack of harmony or consistency (The newly formed musical band sang with clear
dissonance due to lack of practice.)

dissuade

(v.) to persuade someone not to do something (Worried that he would catch a cold, she tried
to dissuade him from going out on winter nights.)

distend
dither

(v.) to swell out (Years of drinking beer caused his stomach to distend.)
(v.) to be indecisive (Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which of the two
birthday parties he should attend.)

divine

(adj.) godly, exceedingly wonderful (Terribly fond of desserts, she found the rich chocolate
cake to be divine.)

divisive

(adj.) causing dissent, discord (Her divisive tactics turned her two friends against each other.)

divulge

(v.) to reveal something secret (Pressured by the press, the government finally divulged the
previously unknown information.)

docile
dogmatic

(adj.) easily taught or trained (She easily taught tricks to the docile puppy.)
(adj.) aggressively and arrogantly certain about unproved principles (His dogmatic claim that
men were better than women angered everyone.)

dormant

(adj.) sleeping, temporarily inactive (Her anger lay dormant throughout the dinner party and
exploded in screams of rage after everyone had left.)

dour

(adj.) stern, joyless (The children feared their dour neighbor because the old man would take
their toys if he believed they were being too loud.)

dubious

(adj.) doubtful, of uncertain quality (Suspicious that he was only trying to get a raise, she
found his praise dubious.)

duplicity

(n.) crafty dishonesty (His duplicity involved stealing from his employees and then running
the company into the ground.)

duress

(n.) hardship, threat (It was only under intense duress that he, who was normally against
killing, fired his gun.)

dynamic

(adj.) actively changing (The parents found it hard to keep up with the dynamic music scene
with which their children had become very familiar.)

ebullient

(adj.) extremely lively, enthusiastic (She became ebullient upon receiving an acceptance
letter from her first-choice college.)

eclectic

(adj.) consisting of a diverse variety of elements (That bar attracts eclectic crowd: lawyers,
artists, circus clowns, and investment bankers.)

ecstatic

(adj.) intensely and overpoweringly happy (The couple was ecstatic when they learned that
they had won the lottery.)

edict

(n.) an order, decree (The ruler issued an edict requiring all of his subjects to bow down
before him.)

efface

(v.) to wipe out, obliterate, rub away (The husband was so angry at his wife for leaving him
that he effaced all evidence of her presence.)

effervescent
efficacious

(adj.) bubbly, lively (Tara is so effervescent that she makes everyone smile.)
(adj.) effective (My doctor promised me that the cold medicine was efficacious, but I'm still
sniffling.)

effrontery

(n.) impudence, nerve, insolence (When I told my aunt that she was boring, my mother
scolded me for my effrontery.)

effulgent
egregious

(adj.) radiant, splendorous (The golden palace was effulgent.)

(adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished
for his egregious behavior.)

elaborate

(adj.) complex, detailed, intricate (Dan always beats me at chess because he develops such
an elaborate game plan that I can never predict his next move.)

elated

(adj.) overjoyed, thrilled (When she found out she has won the lottery, the writer was elated.)

elegy

(n.) a speech given in honor of a dead person (At the funeral, the widow gave a moving elegy
describing her love for her husband.)

elicit

(v.) to bring forth, draw out, evoke (Although I asked several times where the exit was, I
elicited no response from the stone-faced policeman.)

eloquent

(adj.) expressive, articulate, moving (The priest gave such an eloquent sermon that most
churchgoers were crying.)

elucidate

(v.) to clarify, explain (I didn't understand why my friend was so angry with me, so I asked
Janine to elucidate her feelings.)

elude
emaciated

(v.) to evade, escape (The robber still continues to elude the police.)
(adj.) very thin, enfeebled looking (My sister eats a lot of pastries and chocolate but still looks
emaciated.)

embellish

1. (v.) to decorate, adorn (My mom embellished the living room by adding lace curtains.) 2.
(v.) to add details to, enhance (When Harry told me that he had "done-stuff" on his vacation, I
asked him to embellish upon his account.)

1. (v.) to decorate, adorn (My mom embellished the living room by adding lace curtains.) 2.
(v.) to add details to, enhance (When Harry told me that he had "done-stuff" on his vacation, I
asked him to embellish upon his account.)
embezzle

(v.) to steal money by falsifying records (The accountant was fired for embezzling $10,000 of
the company's fund.)

emend

(v.) to correct or revise a written text (If my sentence is incorrect, the editor will emend what I
have written.)

eminent

1. (adj.) distinguished, prominent, famous (Mr. Phillips is such an eminent scholar that every
professor on campus has come to hear him lecture.) 2. (adj.) conspicuous (There is an
eminent stain on that shirt.)

emollient
emote

(adj.) soothing (This emollient cream makes my skin very smooth.)

(v.) to express emotion (The director told the actor he had to emote, or else the audience
would have no idea what his character was going through.)

empathy

(n.) sensitivity to another's feelings as if they were one's own (I feel such empathy for my
sister when she's in pain that I cry too.)

empirical

1. (adj.) based on observation or experience (The scientist gathered empirical data on the
growth rate of dandelions by studying the dandelions behind his house.) 2. (adj.) capable of
being proved or disproved by experiment (That all cats hate getting wet is an empirical
statement: I can test it by bathing my cat.)

emulate

(v.) to imitate (I idolize Britney Spears so much that I emulate everything she does: I wear her
outfits, sing along to her songs, and date a boy named Justin.)

enamor

(v.) to fill with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by "of" or "with" (I grew
enamored of that boy when he quoted my favorite love poem.)

encore

(n.) the audience's demand for a repeat performance (At the end of the concert, all the fans
yelled, "Encore! Encore!" but the band did not come out to play again.)

encumber

(v.) to weigh down, burden (At the airport, my friend was encumbered by her luggage, so I
offered to carry two of her bags.)

enervate

(v.) to weaken, exhaust (Writing these sentences enervates me so much that I will have to
take a nap after I finish.)

enfranchise
engender

(v.) to grant the vote to (The Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised women.)

(v.) to bring about, create, generate (During the Olympics, the victories of U.S. athletes
engender a patriotic spirit among Americans.)

enigmatic

(adj.) mystifying, cryptic (That man wearing the dark suit and dark glasses is so enigmatic
that no one even knows his name.)

enmity

(n.) ill will, hatred, hostility (Mark and Andy have clearly not forgiven each other, because the
enmity between them is obvious to everyone.)

ennui

(n.) boredom, weariness (I feel such ennui that I don't look forward to anything, not even my
birthday party.)

entail

(v.) to include as a necessary step (Building a new fence entails tearing down the old one.)

enthrall

(v.) to charm, hold spellbound (The sailor's stories of fighting off sharks and finding ancient
treasures enthralled his young son.)

ephemeral

(adj.) short-lived, fleeting (She promise she'd love me forever, but her "forever" was only
ephemeral: she left me after one week.)

epistolatory

(adj.) relating to or contained in letters (My aunt and I have such a close epistolatory
relationship that we write to each other every day.)

epitome

(n.) a perfect example, embodiment (My mother, the epitome of good taste, always dresses
more elegantly than I do.)

equanimity

(n.) composure (Even though he had just been fired, Mr. Simms showed great equanimity by
wishing everyone in the office well.)

equivocal

(adj.) ambiguous, uncertain, undecided (His intentions were so equivocal that I didn't know
whether he was being chivalrous or sleazy.)

erudite

(adj.) learned (My Latin teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the
most difficult and abstruse ancient poetry.)

eschew
esoteric

(v.) to shun, avoid (George hates the color green so much that he eschews all green food.)
(adj.) understood by only a select few (Even the most advanced students cannot understand
the physicist's esoteric theories.)

espouse
ethereal

(v.) to take up as a cause, support (I love animals so much that I espouse animal rights.)
(adj.) heavenly, exceptionally delicate or refined (In her flowing silk gown and lace veil, the
bride looked etheral.)

etymology

(n.) the history of words, their origin and development (From the study of etymology, I know
that the word "quixotic" derives from Don Quixote and the word "gaudy" refers to the Spanish
architect Gaudi.)

euphoric

(adj.) elated, uplifted (I was euphoric when I found out that my sister had given birth to
twins.)

evanescent

(adj.) fleeting, momentary (My joy at getting promoted was evanescent because I discovered
that I would have to work much longer hours in a less friendly office.)

evince

(v.) to show, reveal (Christopher's hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is
about the upcoming English test.)

exacerbate

(v.) to make more violent, intense (The gruesome and scary movie I saw last night
exacerbated my fears of the dark.)

exalt
exasperate
excavate

(v.) to glorify, praise (Michael Jordan is the figure in basketball we exalt the most.)
(v.) to irritate, irk (George's endless complaints exasperate his roomate.)
(v.) to dig out of the ground and remove (The pharaoh's treasures were excavated by
archeologists in Egypt.)

exculpate

(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate (My discovery of the ring behind the dresser
exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it.)

excursion

(n.) a trip or outing (After taking an excursion to the Bronx Zoo, I dreamed about pandas and
monkeys.)

execrable
exhort

(adj.) loathsome, detestable (Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me sick.)

(v.) to urge, prod, spur (Henry exhorted his colleagues to join him in protesting against the
university's hiring policies.)

exigent

(adj.) urgent, critical (The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his
sight.)

exonerate

(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exculpate (The true thief's confession exonerated the man
who had been held in custody for the crime.)

exorbitant
expedient

(adj.) excessive (Her exorbitant praise made me blush and squirm in my seat.)
(adj.) advisable, advantageous, serving one's self-interest (In this bid for reelection, the
governeor made an expedient move by tabling all controversial legislation.)

expiate
expunge

(v.) to make amends for, atone (To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to charity.)
(v.) to obliterate, eradicate (Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all
incriminating evidence from his tax files.)

expurgate

(v.) to remove offensive or incorrect parts, usually of a book (The history editors expurgated
from the text all disparging and inflammatory comments.)

extant

(adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost (My mother's extant love letters to my father are in the
attic trunk.)

extol

(v.) to praise, revere (Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving
brother.)

extraneous

(adj.) irrelevant, extra, not necessary (Personal political ambitions should always remain
extraneous to legislative policy.)

extricate

(v.) to disentangle (Instead of trying to meditate between my brother and sister, I extricated
myself from the family tension entirely and left the house for the day.)

exult

(v.) to rejoice (When she found out she won the literature prize, Mary exulted by dancing and
singing through the school's hall.)

fabricate

(v.) to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to the class, I fabricated some excuse
about my car breaking down on the way to school.)

faade

1. (n.) the wall of a building (Meet me in front of the museum's main faade.) 2. (n.) a
deceptive appearance or attitude (Despite my smiling faade, I am feeling melancholy.)

facile

1. (adj.) easy, requiring little effort (This game is so facile that even a four-year-old can
master it.) 2. (adj.) superficial, achieved with minimal thought or care, insincere (The
business was in such shambles that any solution seemed facile at best; nothing could really
helpit in the long-run.)

fallacious

(adj.) incorrect, misleading (Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I
smoked.)

fastidious

(adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards (Mark is so
fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him.)

fathom

(v.) to understand, comprehend (I cannot fathom why you like that crabby and mean-spirited

fatuous

neighbour of ours.)
(adj.) silly, foolish (He considers himself a true poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous
limericks.)

fecund

(adj.) fruitful, fertile (The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us through the entire
season.)

felicitous

1. (adj.) well suited, apt (While his comments were idiotic and rambling, mine were felicitous
and helpful.) 2. (adj.) delightful, pleasing (I spent a felicitous afternoon visiting old friends.)

feral
fervent

(adj.) wild, savage (The beast looks so feral that I fear being alone with it.)
(adj.) ardent, passionate (The fervent protestors chained themselves to the building and
shouted all night long.)

fetid

(adj.) having a foul odor (I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that your milk has
spoiled.)

fetter
fickle

(v.) to chain, restrain (The dog was fettered to the parking meter.)
(adj.) shifting in character, inconstant (In Greek dramas, the fickle gods help Achilles one day,
and then harm him the next.)

fidelity

(n.) loyalty, devotion (Guard dogs are known for the great fidelity they show toward their
masters.)

figurative
flabbergasted

(adj.) symbolic (Using figurative language, Jane likened the storm to a bull.)
(adj.) astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always
flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)

flaccid

(adj.) limp, not firm or strong (If a plant is not watered enough, its leaves become droopy and
flaccid.)

flagrant

(adj.) offensive, egregious (The judge's decision to set the man free simply because that man
was his brother was a flagrant abuse of power.)

florid
flout

(adj.) flowery, ornate (The writer's florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card.)
(v.) to disregard or disobey openly (I flouted the school's dress code by wearing a tie-dyed
tank top and a pair of cut-off jeans.)

foil

(v.) to thwart, frustrate, defeat (Inspector Wilkens foiled the thieves by locking them in the
bank along with their stolen money.)

forage

(v.) to graze, rummage for food (When we got lost on our hiking trip, we foraged for berries
and nuts in order to survive.)

forbearance

(n.) patience, restraint, toleration (The doctor showed great forbearance in calming down the
angry patient who shouted insults at him.)

forestall

(v.) to prevent, thwart, delay (I forestalled the cold I was getting by taking plenty of vitamin C
pills and wearing a scarf.)

forlorn

(adj.) lonely, abandoned, hopeless (Even though I had the flu, my family decided to go skiing
for the weekend and leave me home alone, feeling feverish and forlorn.)

forsake
fortitude
fortuitous

(v.) to give up, renounce (My New Year's resolution is to forsake smoking and drinking.)
(n.) strength, guts (Achilles' fortitude in battle is legendary.)
(adj.) happening by chance, often lucky or fortunate (After looking for Manuel and not finding
him at home, Harriet had a fortuitous encoutner with him at the post office.)

forum

(n.) a medium for lecture or discussion (Some radio talk-shows provide a good forum for
political debate.)

foster

(v.) to stimulate, promote, encourage (To foster good health in the city, the mayor stated a
"Get out and exercise!" campaign.)

fractious

(adj.) troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasn't tired, his fractious
behavior convinced everyone that it was time to put him to bed.)

fraught

(adj.) (usually used with "with") filled or accompanied with (The journey through the stormy
sea was fraught with peril.)

frenetic

(adj.) frenzied, hectic, frantic (In the hours between night and morning , the frenetic pace of
city slows to a lull.)

frivolous

(adj.) of little importance, trifling (Someday, all that anxiety about whether your zit will
disappear before the prom will seem totally frivolous.)

frugal

(adj.) thrifty, economical (Richard is so frugal that his diet consists of the most inexpensive
foods in the store.)

furtive

(adj.) secretive, sly (Jane's placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not as furtive as
she thought.)

garish

(adj.) gaudy, in bad taste (Mrs. Watson has poor taste and covers every object in her house
with a garish gold lame'.)

garrulous

(adj.) talkative, wordy (Some talk show hosts are so garrulous that their guests can't get a
word in edgewise.)

genial

(adj.) friendly, affable (Although he's been known to behave like a real jerk, I would say that
my brother is an overall genial guy.)

gluttony

(n.) overindulgence in food or drink (Ada's fried chicken tastes so divine, I don't know how
anyone can call gluttony a sin.)

goad

(v.) to urge, spur, incite to action (Jim may think he's not going to fight Billy, but Billy will
goad Jim on with insults until he throws a punch.)

gourmand

(n.) someone fond of eating and drinking (My parents, who used to eat little more than
crackers and salad, have become real gourmands in their old age.)

grandiloquence

(n.) lofty, pompous language (The student thought her grandiloquence would make her sound
smart, but neither the class nor the teacher bought it.)

grandiose

(adj.) on a magnificent or exaggerated scale (Margaret planned a grandiose party, replete

with elephants, trapeze artists, and clowns.)

gratuitous

(adj.) uncalled for, unwarranted (Every morning the guy at the donut shop gives me a
gratuitous helping of ketchup packets.)

gregarious

(adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable (Well, if you're not gregarious, I don't know
why you would want to go to a singles party.)

grievous

(adj.) injurious, hurtful; serious or grave in nature (Electrocuting the inmate without being
sure of his guilt would be a truly grievous mistake.)

guile

(n.) deceitful, cunning, sly behavior (Because of his great guile, the politician was able to
survive scandal after scandal.)

hackneyed

(adj.) unoriginal, trite (A girl can only hear "I love you" so many times before it begins to
sound hackneyed and meaningless.)

hallowed

(adj.) revered, consecrated (In the hallowed corridors of the cathedra, the disturbed professor
felt himself to be at peace.)

hapless

(adj.) unlucky (My poor, hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on vacation.)

harangue

1. (n.) a ranting speech (Everyone had heard the teacher's harangue about gum chewing in
class before.) 2. (v.) to give such a speech (But this time the teacher harangued the class
about the importance of brushing the teeth.)

hardy

(adj.) robust, capable of surviving through adverse conditions (I had expected the plants to be
dead by mid-November, but apparently they're very hardy.)

harrowing
haughty

(adj.) greatly distressing, vexing (The car crash was a harrowing experience.)
(adj.) disdainfully proud (The superstar's haughty dismissal of her costars will backfire on her
someday.)

hedonist

(n.) one who believes pleasure should be the primary pursuit of humans (Murray, being a
hedonist, appreciated the 11 cases of wine I bought him.)

hegemony

(n.) domination over others (Britain's hegemony over its colonies was threatened once
nationalists sentiment began to spread around the world.)

heinous

(adj.) shockingly wicked, repugnant (The killings were made all the more heinous by the fact
that the murderer first tortured his victims for three days.)

heterogeneous

(adj.) varied, diverse in character (I hate having only one flavor so I always biy the swirled, or
should I say heterogeneous, type of ice cream.)

hiatus

(n.) a break or gap in duration or continuity (The hiatus in service should last two or three
months---until the cable lines are repaired.)

hierarchy

(n.) ranked groups, usually according to social, economic, or professional class (Women found
it very difficult to break into the upper ranks of the department's hierarchy.)

hypocrisy

(n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician passed legislation that
contradicted his policy, his hypocrisy became apparent.)

hypothetical

(adj.) supposed or assumed true, but unproven (The success of the drug when tested on
humans is still hypothetical.)

iconoclast

(n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions (Jane goes to one protest after another,
but she seems to be an iconoclast rather than an activist.)

idiosyncratic

(adj.) peculiar to one person; highly individualized (Your mistakes were highly idiosyncratic, so
I'm going to deny your request for a retest.)

idolatrous

(adj.) excessively worshipping one object or person (Xena's idolatrous fawning over the band
is really beginning to get on my nerves.)

ignominious

(adj.) humiliating, disgracing (It was really igniminious to be kicked out of the dorm for having
an illegal gas stove in my room.)

illicit

(adj.) forbidden, not permitted (The fourth-grader learned many illicit words from a pamphlet
that was being passed around school.)

immerse

(v.) to absorb, deeply involve, engross (After breaking up with her boyfriend, Nancy decided
to immerse herself in her work in order to avoid crying.)

immutable
impassive

(adj.) not changeable (The laws of physics are immutable and constant.)
(adj.) stoic, not susceptible to suffering (Stop being so impassive; it's healthy to cry every
now and then.)

impeccable

(adj.) exemplary, flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your sister's, then you too
would receive a car for a graduation present.)

impecunious
imperative

(adj.) poor ("I feel he's too impecunious to take me out tonight", the girl whined.)
1. (adj.) necessary, pressing (It is imperative that you have these folders organized by
midday.) 2. (n.) a rule, command, or order (Her imperative to have the folders organized by
midday was perceived as ridiculous by the others.)

imperious

(adj.) commanding, domineering (The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you
at once.)

(adj.) commanding, domineering (The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you
at once.)
impertinent

(adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I dont wish to dignify
them with an answer.)

impervious

(adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur, many
seals are almost impervious to the cold.)

impetuous

(adj.) rash; hastily done (Hilda's hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous, thoughtless
action.)

impinge

1. (v.) to impact, affect, make an impression (The hail impinged the roof, leaving large dents.)
2. (v.) to encroach, infringe (I apologize for impinging upon you like this, but I really need to
use your bathroom. Now.)

implacable

(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun Grandma's
cooking, she is totally implacable.)

implement

1. (v.) to put into effect, to institute (The mayor recently implemented a new policy to use
security cameras to catch perpetrators in the act.)

implicate

(v.) to involve in an incriminating way, incriminate (Even though Tom wasn't present at the
time of the shooting, he was implicated by the evidence.)

implicit

(adj.) understood but not outwardly obvious, implied (I know Professor Smith didn't actually
say not to write from personal experience, but I think such a message was implicit in her
instruction to use scholarly sources.)

impregnable

(adj.) resistant to capture or penetration (Though the invaders used battering rams, catapults,
and rain dances, the fortress proved impregnable and resisted all attacks.)

impudent

(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young man looked at the princess
and told her she was pretty, though she hadn't asked him.)

impute
insane

(v.) to ascribe, blame (The CEO imputed the many typos in the letter to his lazy secretary.)
(adj.) silly and meaningless (Some films are so insane that the psychology of the characters
makes absolutely no sense.)

inarticulate

(adj.) incapable of expressing oneself clearly through speech (The lecturer was so inarticulate
and the students had no idea what he was talking about.)

incarnate

1. (adj.) existing in the flesh, embodied (In the church pageant, I play the role of greed
incarnate.)

incendiary

1. (adj.) inflammatory, causing combustion (Gas and lighter fluid are incendiary materials that
should be kept out of hot storage areas.)

incessant

(adj.) unending (We wanted to go outside and play, but the incessant rain kept us indoors for
two days.)

inchoate

(adj.) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage (The coutnry's government is still inchoate
and, because it has no great tradition, quite unstable.)

incisive

(adj.) clear, sharp, direct (The discussion wasn't going anywhere until her incisive comment
allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)

inclination

(n.) a tendency, propensity (Sarah has an inclination to see every foreign film she hears
about, even when she's sure that she won't like it.)

incontrovertible

(adj.) indisputable (Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of
physics.)

incorrigible

(adj.) incapable of correction, delinquent (You can buy Grandma nicotine gum all you want,
but I think that after sixty-five years of smoking she's incorrigible.)

increment

(n.) an enlargement; the process of increasing (The workmen made the wall longer;
increment by increment.)

incumbent

1. (n.) one who holds an office (The incumbent senator is already serving his fifth term.) 2.
(adj.) obligatory (It is incumbent upon this organization to offer aid to all who seek it.)

indefatigable

(adj.) incapable of defeat, failure, decay (Even after traveling 62 miles, the indefatigable
runner kept on moving.)

indigenous

(adj.) originating in a region (Some fear that these plants may choke out the vegetation that
is native to the area.)

indigent

(adj.) very poor, impoverished (I would rather donate money to help the indigent population
than to the park sculpture fund.)

indignation

(n.) anger sparked by soemthing unjust or unfair (I resigned from the sorority because of my
indignation at its hazing of new members.)

indolent

(adj.) lazy (Why should my indolent children, who can't even pick themselves up off the couch
to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to the mall?)

indomitable

(adj.) not capable of being conquered (Jim's indomitable nature meant he could never take
orders from anyone.)

induce

(v.) to bring about, stimulate (Who knew that our decision to boycott school lunch would
induce a huge riot.)

ineffable

(adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words (It is said that the experience
of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.)

inept

(adj.) not suitable or capable, unqualified (She proved how inept she was when she forgot
three orders and spilled a beer in a cutomer's lap.)

inexorable

(adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated (Although I begged for hours, Mom was
inexorable and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom.)

inextricable

(adj.) hopelessly tangled or entangled (Unless I look at the solution manual, I have no way of
solving this inextricable problem.)

infamy

(n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the decades pass.)

infusion

(n.) an injection of one substance into another; the permeation of one substance by another
(The infusion of Eastern religion into Western philosophy created interesting new schools of
thought.)

ingenious

(adj.) clever, resourceful (Her ingenious use of walnuts instead of the peanuts made her cake
delicious.)

ingenuous

(adj.) not devious; innocent and candid (He must have writers, but his speeches seem so
ingenuous it's hard to believe he's not speaking from his own heart.)

inhibit

(v.) to prevent, restrain, stop (When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never
meant to inhibit you from going outside.)

inimical

(adj.) hostile, enemylike (I don't see how I could ever work for a company that was so cold
and inimical to me during my interviews.)

iniquity

(n.) wickedness or sin ("Your iniquity", said the priest to the practical jokester, "will be
forgiven.")

injunction

(n.) an order of official warning (The mayor issued an injunctioned against anyone younger
than 21 buying alcohol.)

innate

(adj.) inborn, native, inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts
weights, or practices.)

innocuous

(adj.) harmless, inoffensive (In spite of their innocuous appearance, these mushrooms are
actually quite poisonous.)

innovate

(adj.) to do something in an unprecedented way (Because of the stiff competition, the

company knew it needed to pour a lot of energy into innovating new and better products.)

innuendo

(n.) an insinuation (During the debate, the politician made several innuendos about the
sexual activities of his opponent.)

inoculate

(v.) to introduce a microorganism, serum, or vaccine into an organism in order to increase

immunity to illness; to vaccinate (I've feared needles ever since I was inoculated against 37
diseases at age one; but I have also never been sick.)

inquisitor

(n.) one who inquires, especially in a hostile manner (The inquisitor was instructed to knock
on every door in town in order to find the fugitive.)

(n.) one who inquires, especially in a hostile manner (The inquisitor was instructed to knock
on every door in town in order to find the fugitive.)
insatiable

(adj.) incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for melons can be a real problem in
the winter.)

insidious

(adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive (Lisa's insidious chocolate cake tastes
so good but makes you feel so sick later on!)

insinuate

(v.) to suggest indirectly or subtly (I wish Luke and Spencer would stop insinuating that my
perfect report card is the result of anything other than my superior intelligence and good
work habits.)

insipid
insolent

(adj.) dull, boring (The play was so insipid, I fell asleep halfway through.)
(adj.) rude, arrogant, overbearing (That celebrity is so insolent, making fun of his fans right to
their faces.)

instigate

(v.) to urge, goad (The demagogue instigated the crowd into a fury by telling them that they
had been cheated by the federal government.)

insular

(adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off (Because of the sensitive nature of
their jobs, those who work for the CIA must remain insular.)

insurgent

(n.) one who rebels (The insurgent snuck into and defaced a different classroom each night
until the administration agreed to meet his demands.)

integral

(adj.) necessary for completeness (Without the integral ingredient of flour, you wouldn't be
able to make bread.)

interject

(v.) to insert between other things (During our conversation, the cab driver occasionally
interjected his opinion.)

interlocutor

(n.) someone who participates in a dialogue or conversation (When the union negotiations
failed, the governor decided to act as an interlocutor.)

interminable

(adj.) without possibility of end (The fact that biology lectures came just before lunch made
them seem interminable.)

intimation

(n.) an indirect suggestion (Mr. Brinford's intimation that he would soon pass away occurred
when he began to discuss how to distribute his belongings.)

intractable

(adj.) difficult to manipulate, unmanageable (There was no end in sight to the intractable
conflict between the warring countries.)

intransigent

(adj.) refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion (The intransigent child said he
wanted ice cream, or he would bang his head against the wall.)

intrepid

(adj.) brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the
explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)

inundate

(v.) to flood with abundance (Because I am the star of a new sitcom, my fans are sure to
inundate me with fan mail and praise.)

inure

(v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation (Twenty years in

the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt.)

invective

(n.) an angry verbal attack (My mother's irrational invective against the way I dress only
made me decide to dye my hair green.)

inveterate

(adj.) stubbornly established by habit (I'm the first to admit that I'm an inveterate coffee
drinker---I drink four cups a day.)

inviolable

(adj.) secure from assault (Nobody was ever able to break into Batman's inviolable Batcave.)

irascible

(adj.) easily angered (At the smallest provocation, my irascible cat will begin scratching and
clawing.)

iridescent

(adj.) showing rainbow colors (The bride's large diamond ring was iridescent in the afternoon
sun.)

irreverence

(n.) disrespect (The irreverence displayed by the band that marched through the chapel
disturbed many churchgoers.)

irrevocable

(adj.) incapable of being taken back (The Bill of Rights is an irrevocable part of American law.)

(adj.) incapable of being taken back (The Bill of Rights is an irrevocable part of American law.)
jubilant

(adj.) extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman
from the flaming building.)

judicious

(adj.) having or exercising sound judgement (When the judicious king decided to compromise
rather fight, he was applauded.)

juxtaposition

(n.) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison (The designer
admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table.)

knell

(n.) the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death (Echoing throughout our village, the
funeral knell made the stormy day even more grim.)

kudos

(n.) praise for an achievement (After the performance, the reviewers gave the opera singer
kudos for a job well done.)

laceration

(n.) a cut, tear (Because he fell off his bike into a rosebush, the paperboy's skin was covered
with lacerations.)

laconic

(adj.) terse in speech or writing (The author's laconic style has won him many followers who
dislike wordiness.)

languid

(adj.) sluggish from fatigue or weakness (In the summer months, the great heat makes
people languid and lazy.)

larceny

(n.) obtaining another's property by theft or trickery (When my car was not where I had left it,
I realized that I was a victim of larceny.)

largess
latent

(n.) giving of lavish gifts (My boss demonstrated great largess by giving me a new car.)
(adj.) hidden, but capable of being exposed (Sigmund's dream represented his latent
paranoid obsession with other people's shoes.)

laudatory

(adj.) expressing admiration or praise (Such laudatory comments are unusual from someone
who is usually so reserved in his opinions.)

lavish

1. (adj.) given without limits (Because they had worked very hard, the performers appreciated
the critic's lavish praise.)

legerdemain

(n.) deception, slight-of-hand (Smuggling the French plants through the customs by claiming
that they were fake was a remarkable bit of legerdemain.)

lenient

(adj.) demonstrating tolerance or gentleness (Because Professor Oglethorpe allowed his

students to choose their final grades, the other teachers believed that he was excessively
lenient.)

lethargic

(adj.) in a state of sluggishness or apathy (When Jean Claude explained to his boss that he
was lethargic and didnt feel like working, the boss fired him.)

liability

1. (n.) a handicap, burden (Because she often lost her concentration and didn't play defense,
Marcy was a liability to the team.)

libertarian

(adj.) advocating principles of liberty and free will (The dissatisfied subjects overthrew the
monarch and replaced him with a libertarian ruler who respected their democratic principles.)

licentious

(adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints (Marilee has always been fascinated by the
licentious private lives of politicians.)

limpid

(adj.) clear, transparent (Mr. Johnson's limpid writing style greatly pleased readers who
disliked complicated novels.)

linchpin

(n.) soemthing that holds separate parts together (The linchpin in the prosecution's case was
the hair from the defendant's head, which was found at the scene of the crime.)

lithe

(adj.) graceful, flexible, supple (Although the dancers were all outstanding, Jae Sun's control
of her lithe body was particularly impressive.)

litigant

(n.) someone engaged in a lawsuit (When the litigants began screaming at each other, Judge
Koch ordered them to be silent.)

lucid

(adj.) clear, easily understandable (Because Guenevere's essay was so lucid, I only had to
read it once to understand her reasoning.)

luminous

(adj.) brightly shining (The light of the luminous moon graced the shoulders of the beautiful
maiden.)

lurid

(adj.) ghastly, sensational (Gideon's story in which he described a character torturing his
sister's dolls, was judged too lurid to be printed in the school's literary magazine.)

maelstrom

(n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects (Little did the explorers know that
as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.)

magnanimous

(adj.) noble, generous (Although I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacqueline was
magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them.)

malediction

(n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the
policeman and the entire police department.)

malevolent

(adj.) wanting harm to befall others (The malevolent old man sat in the park all day, tripping
unsuspecting passersby with his cane.)

malleable

(adj.) capable of being shaped or transformed (Maximillian's political opinions were so

malleable that anyone he talked to was able to change his mind.)

mandate

(n.) an authoritative command (In the Old Testament, God mandates that no one should
steal.)

manifest
manifold

1. (v.) to show plainly (His illness manifested itself with particularly violent hiccups.)
(adj.) diverse, varied (The popularity of Dante's Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work
allowsfor manifold interpretations.)

maudlin

(adj.) weakly sentimental (Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usually find
them maudlin and shallow.)

maverick

(n.) an independent, nonconformist person (Andreas is a real maverick and always does
things his own way.)

mawkish

(adj.) characterized by sick sentimentally (Although some nineteenth-century critics viewed

Dickens' writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have found great emotional depth on his
works.)

maxim

(n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Miss Manners's etiquette maxims are
both entertaining and instructional.)

meager

(adj.) deficient in size or quality (My meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy my
appetite.)

medley

(n.) a mixture of differing things (Susannah's wardrobe contained an astonishing medley of

colors, from olive green to fluorescent pink.)

mendacious

(adj.) having a lying, false character (the mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at
least entertaining.)

mercurial

(adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was widely respected

for his mathematical proofs, the mercurial genius was impossible to live with.)

meritorious

(adj.) worthy of esteem or reward (Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for
his meritorious actions.)

metamorphosis

(n.) the change of form, shape, substance (Winnifred went to the gym every day for a year
and underwent a metamorphosis from a waiflike girl to an athletic woman.)

meticulous

(adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the bride's gown was a product
of meticulous handiwork.)

mitigate

(v.) to make less violent, alleviate (When I had an awful sore throat, only warm tea would
mitigate the pain.)

moderate

1. (adj.) not extreme (Luckily, the restaurant we chose had moderate prices; none of us have
any money.) 2. (n.) one who expresses moderate opinions (Because he found both the liberal
and conservative proposals too excessive, Mr. Park sided with the moderates.)

modicum

(n.) a small amount of soemthing (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity,

Henrietta announced her boss's affair in front of the entore office.)

modulate

(v.) to pass from one state to another, especially in music (The composer wrote a piece that
modualted between minor and major keys.)

mollify

(v.) to soften in temper (The police officer mollified the angry woman by giving her a warning
instead of a ticket.)

morass

(n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses (When Theresa lost
her job, she could not get out of her financial morass.)

mores

(n.) the moral attitudes and fixed customs of a group of people (Mores change over time;
many things that were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as being socially acceptable.)

morose
multifarious

(adj.) gloomy or sullen (Jason's morose nature made him very unpleasant.)
(adj.) having great diversity or variety (This Swiss Army knife has multifarious functions and
capabilities. Among other things, it can act as a knife, a saw, a toothpick, and a slingshot.)

mundane

(adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace (He is more
concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.)

miunificence

(n.) generosity in giving (The royal family's munificence made everyone else in their country
rich.)

mutable

(adj.) able to change (Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated
in five years.)

myriad

(adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night
because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)

nadir

(n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadir came when I accidently
spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head.)

nascent

(adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence (Unfortunately, my brilliant paper
was only in its nascent form on the morning that it was due.)

nebulous

(adj.) vaguely defined, cloudy (The transition between governments meant that who was
actually in charge was a nebulous matter.)

nefarious

(adj.) heinously villainous (Although Dr. Meanman's nefarious plot to melt the polar icecaps
was terrifying, it was so impractical that nobody really worried about it.)

negligent

(adj.) habitually careless, neglectful (Jessie's grandfather called me a negligent fool after I left
the door to his apartment unlocked even though there had been a recent string of robberies.)

neophyte

(n.) someone who is young or inexperienced (As a neophyte in the literary world, Malik had
trouble finding a publisher for his first novel.)

nocturnal

(adj.) relating to or occuring during the night (Jackie was a nocturnal person; she would study
until dawn and sleep until the evening.)

noisome

(adj.) unpleasant, offensive especially to the sense of smell (Nobody would enter the stalls
until the horse's noisome leavings were taken away.)

nomadic

(adj.) wandering from place to place (In the irst six months after college, Jose led a nomadic
life, living in New York, California, and Idaho.)

nominal

(adj.) trifling, insignificant (Because he needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed
money, Jordan sold everything for a nominal amount.)

nonchalant

(adj.) having a lack of concern, indifference (Although deep down she was very angry, Marsha
acted in a nonchalant manner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing
without asking.)

nondescript

(adj.) lacking a distinctive character (I was surprised when I saw the movie star in person
because she looked nondescript.)

notorious

(adj.) widely, and unfavorably known (Jacob was notorious for always arriving late at parties.)

novice

(n.) a beginner, someone without training or experience (Because we were all novices at
yoga, our instructor decided to begin with the basics.)

noxious

(adj.) harmful, unwholesome (Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds were
destroying the insects' natural habitats.)

nuance

(n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression (The nuances of the poem were not
obvious to the casual reader, but the professor was able to point them out.)

nurture

(v.) to assist the development of (Although Serena had never watered the plant, which was
about to die, Javier was able to nurture it back to life.)

obdurate

(adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences (The obdurate old man refused to take pity
on the kittens.)

obfuscated

(v.) to render incomprehensible (The detective did want to answer the newspaperman's
questions, so he obfuscated the truth.)

oblique

(adj.) diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward (Martin's oblique language
confused those who listened to him.)

oblivious

(adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something (Oblivious to the burning smell

emanating from the kitchen, my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven were burned
until much too late.)

obscure

(adj.) unclear, partially hidden (Because he was standing in the shadows, his features were
obscure.)

obsequious

(adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Mark acted like Janet's servant, obeying her every
request in an obsequious manner.)

obsolete

(adj.) no longer used, out of date (With the inventions of tape decks and CDs, which both
have better sound and are easier to use, eight-track players are now entirely obsolete.)

obstinate

(adj.) not yielding easily, stubborn (The obstinate child refused to leave the store until his
mother bought him a candy bar.)

obstreperous

(adj.) noisy, unruly (Billy's obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian to ask him to leave
the reading room.)

obtuse

(adj.) lacking quickness of intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime minister's
obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)

odious

(adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure (Mark was assigned the odious task of cleaning
the cat's litter box.)

officious

(adj.) offering one's services when they are neither wanted nor needed (Brenda resented
Allan's officious behavior when he selected colors that might best improve her artwork.)

ominous

(adj.) forboding or foreshadowing evil (The fortuneteller's ominous words flashed thorugh my
mind as the hooded figure approached me in the alley.)

onerous

(adj.) burdensome (My parents lamented that the pleasures of living in a beautiful country
estate no longer outweighed the onerous mortgage payments.)

opulent

(adj.) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation (The opulent furnishings of the
dictator's private coumpound contrasted harshly with the meager accomodations of her
subjects.)

oration

(n.) a speech delivered in a formal or ceremonious manner (The prime minister was visibly
shaken when the unruly parliament interrupted his oration about failed domestic policies.)

ornate

(adj.) highly elaborate, excessively decorated (The ornate styling of the new model of luxury
car could not compensate for the poor quality of its motor.)

orthodox

(adj.) conventional, conforming to establshed protocol (The company's profits dwindled

because the management pursued orthodox business policies that were incompatible with
new industrial trends.)

oscillate

(v.) to sway from one side to the other (My uncle oscillated between buying a station wagon
to transport his family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood fantasies.)

ostensible

(adj.) appearing as such, seemingly (Jack's ostensible reason for driving was that airfare was
too expensive, but in reality, he was afraid of flying.)

ostentatious

(adj.) excessively showy, glitzy (On the palace tour, the guide focused on the ostentatious
decorations and spoke little of the royal family's history.)

ostracism

(n.) exclusion from a group (Beth risked ostracism if her roommates discovered her
flatulence.)

pacific

(adj.) soothing (The chemistry professor's pacific demeanor helped the class remain calm
after the experiment exploded.)

palatable

(adj.) agreeable to the taste or sensibilities (Despite the unpleasant smell, the exotic cheese
was quite palatable.)

palette

(adj.) a range of colors or qualities (The palette of colors utilized in the painting was equaled
only by the range of intense emotions the piece evoked.)

palliate

(v.) to reduce the severity of (The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her
patient's discomfort.)

pallid

(adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy's pallid complexion was due to an
unexplained loss of blood.)

panacea

(n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every
disease, but sadly there is not.)

paradigm

(n.) an example that is a perfect pattern or model (Because the new SUV was so popular, it
became the paradigm upon which all others were modeled.)

paradox

(n.) an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true (The diplomat refused to
acknowledge the paradox that negotiating a peace treaty would demand more resources than
waging war.)

paragon

(n.) a model of excellence or perfection (The mythical Helen of Troy was considered a paragon
of female beauty.)

paramount

(adj.) greatest in importance, rank, character (It was paramount that the bomb squad
disconnect the blue wire before removing the fuse.)

pariah

(n.) an outcast (Following the discovery of his plagiarism, Professor Hurley was made a pariah
in all academic circles.)

parody

(n.) a satirical imitation (A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to find
Deborah acting out a parody of his teaching style.)

parsimony

(n.) frugality, stinginess (Many relatives beleieved that my aunt's wealth resulted from her
parsimony.)

partisan

(n.) a follower, adherent (The king did not believe that his rival could round up enough
partisans to overthrow the monarchy.)

patent

(adj.) readily seen or understood, clear (The reasonfor jim's abdominal pain was made patent
after the doctor performed a sonogram.)

pathology

(n.) a deviation from the normal (Dr. Hastings had difficulty identifying the precise nature of
Brian's pathology.)

pathos

(n.) an emotion of sympathy (Martha filled with pathos upon discovering the scrawny,
shivering kitten at her door.)

paucity

(adj.) small in quantity (Gilbert lamented the paucity of twentieth century literature courses
available at the college.)

pejorative

(adj.) derogatory, uncomplimentary (The evening's headline news covered an international

scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had made in reference to a
foreign leader.)

pellucid

(adj.) easily intelligible, clear (Wishing his book to be pellucid to the common man, Albert
Camus avoided using complicated grammar when composing The Stranger.)

penchant

(n.) a tendency, partiality, preference (Jill's dinner parties quickly became monotonous on
account of her penchant for mexican dishes.)

penitent

(adj.) remorseful, regretful (The jury's verdict may have been more lenient if the criminal had
appeared penitent for his gruesome crimes.)

penultimate

(adj.) next to last (Having smoked the penultimate cigarette remaining in the pack, Cybil
discarded the last cigarette and resolved to quit smoking.)

penurious

(adj.) miserly, stingy (Stella complained that her husband's penurious ways made it
impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved.)

perfidious

(adj.) disloyal, unfaithful (After the official was caught selling government secrets to enemy
agents, he was executed for his perfidious ways.)

perfunctory

(adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm (The radio broadcaster announced announced the
news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner.)

permeate

(v.) to spread throughout, saturate (Mrs. Huxtable was annoyed that the wet dog's odor had
permeated the furniture's upholstery.)

pernicious

(adj.) extremely destructive or harmful (The new government feared that the Communist
sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation.)

perplex
perspicacity

(v.) to confuse (Brad was perplexed by his girlfriend's suddenly distant manner.)
(adj.) shrewdness, perceptive (The detective was too humble to acknowledge that his
perspicacity was the reason for his professional success.)

pert

(adj.) flippant, bold (My parents forgave Sandra's pert humor at the dinner table because it
had been so long since they had last seen her.)

perusal

(n.) a careful examination, review (The actor agreed to accept the role after a two-month
perusal of the movie-script.)

pervasive

(adj.) having the tendency to spread throughout (Stepping off the plane in Havana, I
recognized the pervasive odor of sugar cane fields on fire.)

petulance

(n.) rudeness, irritability (The Nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child's
petulance.)

philanthropic

(adj.) charitable, giving (Many people felt that the billionaire's decision to donate her fortune
to house the homeless was the ultimate philanthropic act.)

phlegmatic

(adj.) uninterested, unresponsive (Monique feared her dog was ill after the animal's
phlegmatic response to his favorite chew toy.)

pillage

(v.) to seize or plunder, especially in war (Invading enemy soldiers pillaged the homes
scattered along the country's border.)

pinnacle

(n.) the highest point (Book reviewers declared that the author's new novel was extraordinary
and probably the pinnacle of Western literature.)

pithy

(adj.) concisely meaningful (My father's long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his
usually pithy statements.)

pittance

(n.) a very small amount, especially relating to money (Josh complained that he was paid a
pittance for the great amount of work he did at the firm.)

placate

(v.) to ease the anger of, soothe (The man purchased a lollipop to placate his irritable son.)

placid
platitude

(adj.) calm, peaceful (The placid lake surface was as smooth as glass.)
(n.) an uninspired remark, clich (After reading over her paper, Helene concluded that what
she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.)

plaudits

(n.) enthusiastic approval, applause (The controversial new film received plaudits from even
the harshest critics.)

plausible

(adj.) believable, reaosnable (He studied all the data and then came up with a plausible
theory that took all factors into account.)

plenitude

(n.) an abundance (My grandmother was overwhelmed by the plenitude of tomatoes her
garden yielded this season.)

plethora

(n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost
three feet high.)

pliable

(adj.) flexible (Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not break in
heavy turbulence.)

poignant

(adj.) deeply affecting, moving (My teacher actually cried after reading to us the poignant
final chapter of the novel.)

polemic

(n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion (My brother launched into a polemic
against my arguments in support of Capitalism.)

portent

(n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister's path while she was walking to school, she
took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test.)

potable

(adj.) suitable for drinking (During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a supply of
potale water because salty ocean water is not safe for drinking.)

potentate

(n.) one who has great power, a ruler (All the villagers stood along the town's main road to
observe as the potentate's procession passed.)

pragmatic

(adj.) practical (The politicain argued that while increased security measures might not fit
with the lofty ideals of the nation, they were a pragmatic necessity to ensure everyone's
safety.)

precipice

(n.) the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung from a
precipice before finding a handhold and pulling himself up.)

preclude

(v.) to prevent (My grandfather's large and vicious guard dog precluded anyone from entering
the yard.)

precocious

(adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically precocious that by the
age of 10, he was already in the ninth grade.)

predilection

(n.) a preference or inclination for something (Francois has a predilection for eating scrambled
eggs with ketchup, though I prefer to eat half-fried eggs.)

preponderance

(adj.) supriority in importance or quantity (Britain's preponderance of naval might secured the
nation's role as a military power.)

prepossessing

(adj.) occupying the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts or feelings (His prepossessing
appearance made it impossible for me to think of anything else.)

presage

(n.) an omen (When my uncle's old war injury ached, he interpreted it as a presage of bad
weather approaching.)

prescient

(adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (After the fortune cookie's prediction, Ray went in
search of the old hermit who was rumored to be prescient.)

prescribe

(v.) to lay down a rule (The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the peasants
living on his land's would have to pay higher taxes.)

presumptuous

(adj.) disrespectfully bold (The princess grew angry after the presumtuous noble tried to kiss
her, even though he was far below her in social status.)

pretense

(n.) an appearance or action intended to deceive (Though he actually wanted to use the car
to go on a date, Nick borrowed it under the pretense of attending a study session.)

primeval

(adj.) original, ancient (The first primates to walk on two legs, called Australopithecus, were
the primeval descendants of modern man.)

probity

(n.) virtue, integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity, no one was
surprised by Mr. Samson's immoral behavior.)

proclivity

(n.) a strong inclination toward something (Ironically, Harold's childhood proclivity for
torturing animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon.)

procure

(v.) to obtain, acquire (The FBI was unable to procure sufficient evidence to charge the
ganster with racketeering.)

profane

(adj.) lewd, indecent (Jacob's profane act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the chapel at
his boarding school resulted in his dismissal.)

profligate

(adj.) dissolute, extravagant (The profligate gambler loved to drink, spend money, steal,
cheat, and hang out with prostitutes.)

profuse
promulgate

(adj.) plentiful, abundant (The fans were profuse in their cheers for the baseball player.)
(v.) to proclaim, make known (The film professor promulgated that in terms of political
intrigue, Sean Connery's James Bond was surprised to Roger Moore's.)

propagate

(v.) to multiply, spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney 's demise propagated like wildfire
throughout the world.)

propensity

(n.) an inclination, preference (Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities such as
bungee jumping.)

propitious

(adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather
would not be propitious for sailing.)

propriety

(n.) the quality or state of being proper, decent (Erma's old-fashioned parents believed that
her clothes lacked the propriety expected of a "nice" girl.)

prosaic
proscribe

(adj.) plain, lacking liveliness (Heather's prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience.)
(v.) to condemn, outlaw (The town council voted to proscribe the sale of alcohol on
weekends.)

prowess

(n.) extraordinary ability (The musician had never taken a guitar lesson in his life, making his
prowess with the instrument even more incredible.)

prudence

(n.) cautious, circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my father vowed to
practice greater prudence in future investments.)

puerile

(adj.) juvenile, immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer's puerile attempt to
object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.)

pugnacious

(adj.) quarrelsome, combative (Aaron's pugnacious nature led him to start several barroom
brawls each month.)

punctilious

(adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (Punctilious Bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire,
insisted that his peers follow the rules.)

pungent

(adj.) having a pointed, sharp quality---often used to describe smells (The pungent odors in
the classroom made Joseph loose his concentration.)

punitive

(adj.) involving punishment (If caught smoking in the boys' room, the punitive result is
immediate expulsion from school.)

putrid
quagmire

(adj.) rotten, foul (Those rotten eggs smell putrid.)

(n.) a difficult situation (We'd all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by
the Vietnam War.)

quaint

(adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Hilda was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw in Amish
coutnry.)

quandary

(n.) a perplexed, unresolvable state (Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he choose
mint chocolate chip or cookie dough?

quell

(v.) to control or diffuse a potentially explosive situation (The skilled leader deftly quelled the
rebellion.)

querulous

(adj.) whiny, complaining (If deprived of his pacifier, young Brendan becomes querulous.)

quixotic

(adj.) idealistic, impractical (Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in
a laundromat.)

quotidian

(adj.) daily (Ambika's quotidian routines include drinking two cups of coffee in the morning.)

rail

(v.) to scold, protest (The professor railed against the injustice of the college's tenure policy.)

rancid

(adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad
sandwich.)

rancor

(n.) deep, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the rancor in
her eyes.)

rapport

(n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour, they felt an
instant rapport.)

rash

(adj.) hasty, incautious (It's best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make
rash decisions.)

raucous

(adj.) loud, boisterous (Sarah's neighbors called the cops when her house party got too
raucous.)

raze

(v.) to demolish, level (The old tenement house was razed to make room for the large chain
store.)

rebuke

(v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up the Sarah's party, they rebuked her for
disturbing the peace.)

recalcitrant

(adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped
her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)

recapitulate

(v.) to sum up, repeat (Before the final exam, the teacher recapitulated the semester's
material.)

reciprocate

(v.) to give in return (When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas, she reciprocated
by giving him a kiss.)

reclusive

(adj.) solitary, shunning society (Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media
attention and sometimes even enjoy holding up in remote cabins in the woods.)

reconcile

1. (v.) to return to harmony (The feuding neighbors finally reconciled when one brought the
other a delicious tuna noodle casserole.)

rectitude

(n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest's rectitude gave him the moral authority to
counsel his parishioners.)

redoubtable

1. (adj.) formidable (The fortress looked redoubtable set against a stormy sky.) 2. (adj.)
commanding respect (The audience greeted the redoubtable speaker with gusto.)

refract
refurbish

(v.) to distort, change (The light was refracted as it passed through the prism.)
(v.) to restore, clean up (The dingy old chair, after being refurbished, commanded the
handsome price of $200.)

refute

(v.) to prove wrong (Maria refuted the president's argument as she yelled and gesticulated at
the TV.)

regurgitate
relegate

1. (v.) to vomit (Feeling sick, Chuck regurgated his dinner.)

1. (v.) to assign to the proper place (At the new job, Simon was relegated to the store room.)
2. (v.) to assign to an inferior place (After spilling coffee on a customer, the waiter found
himself relegated to the least lucrative shift.)

relish
remedial

(v.) to enjoy (Pete always relished his bedtime snack.)

(adj.) intended to repair gaps in students' basic knowledge (After his teacher discovered he
couldn't read, Alex was forced to enroll in remedial English.)

remiss

(adj.) negligent, failing to take care (Thr burglar gained entrance because the security guard,
remiss in his duties, forgot to lock the door.)

renovate

1. (v.) restore, return to original state (The renovated antique candelabra looked as good as
new.) 2. (v.) to enlarge and make prettier, especially a house (After getting renovated, the
house was twice as big.)

renown
renunciation

(n.) honor, accalim (The young actor earned international renown by winning the Oscar.)
(n.) to reject (Fiona's renunciation of red meat resulted in weight loss, but confused those
people who thought she'd been a vegetarian for years.)

repentant

(adj.) penitent, sorry (The repentant, sorry (The repentant Dennis apologized profusely for
breaking his mother's vase.)

replete
reprehensible

(adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words.)
(adj.) deserving rebuke (Jean's cruel and reprehensible attempt to dump her boyfriend on his
birthday led to tears and recriminations.)

reprieve

(n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particularly good
mood, he granted hundreds of reprives to prisoners.)

reproach

(v.) to scold, disapprove (Brian reapproached the cutomer for failing to rewind the video he
had rented.)

reprobate

(adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.)

reprove

(v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into
the strawberry pie.)

repudiate

(v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but
his mother repudiated with a few biting words.)

repulse

1. (v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush her teeth.) 2.
(v.) to push back (With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to stomach, Lacy repulsed
Jack's attempt to kiss her.)

reputable

(adj.) of good reputation (After the most reputable critic in the industry gave the novel a
glowing review, sales took off.)

requisition

(n.) a demand for goods, usually made by an authority (During the war, the government
made a requisition of supplies.)

rescind

(v.) to take back, repeal (The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering
that Jane's resume was full of lies.)

reservoir

1. (n.) reserves, large supply (Igor the Indomitable had quite a reservoir of strength and could
lift ten tons, even after running 700 miles, and jumping over three mountains.)

resilient

(adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The resilient ballplayer
quickly recovered from his wrist injury.)

resolute

(adj.) firm, determined (With a resolute glint in her eye, Catherine announced that she was
set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall
buildings.)

resolve

1. (v.) to find a solution (Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook hands.) 2. (v.)
to firmly decide (Lady Macbeth resolved to whip her husband into shape.)

respite
resplendent
restitution

(n.) a break, rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the noise.)
(adj.) shiny, glowing (The partygoers were resplendent in fancy dresses.)
(n.) restoration to the rightful owner (Many people feel that descendants of slaves should
receive restitution for the sufferings of their ancestors.)

restive

(adj.) resistant, stubborn, impatient (The restive audience pelted the band with mud and
yelled nasty comments.)

retract

(v.) withdraw (As the media worked itself into a frenzy , the publicist hurriedly retracted his
client's sexist statement.)

revel
revere

(v.) to enjoy intensely (Theodore reveled in his new status as the boss.)
(v.) to esteem, show deference, venerate (The doctor saved countless lives and became
universally revered.)

revoke

(v.) to take back (After missing the curfew set by the court for eight nights in a row, Marcel's
freedom of movement was revoked.)

rhapsodize

(v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic rhapsodized about the movie, calling it an
instant classic.)

ribald

(adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson's
daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.)

rife
ruminate

(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist's writing was rife with spelling errors.)
(v.) to contemplate, reflect (Terry liked to ruminate while sitting on the banks of the river,
staring pensively into the water.)

ruse

(n.) a trick (Oliver concoted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his
girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.)

saccharine

(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Tom's saccharine manner, although intended to make him popular,
actually repelled his classmates.)

sacrosanct

(adj.) holy, something that should not be criticized (In the United States, the Constitution is
often thought of as a sacrosanct document.)

sagacity

(n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective (With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man
predicted his children's plan to ship him off to a nursing home.)

(n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective (With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man
predicted his children's plan to ship him off to a nursing home.)
salient

(adj.) significant, conspicuous (One of the salient differences between Alison and Nancy is
that Alison is a foot taller.)

salutation
salve

(n.) a greeting (Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation "Ahoy ahoy".)
(n.) a soothing balm (After Tony applied a salve to his brilliant red sunburn, he soon felt a little
better.)

sanctimoniuos

(adj.) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety (The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered stern
lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen, but thought nothing of
stealing cars to make some cash on the side.)

sanguine

(adj.) optimistic, cheery (Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the crippy
cry, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!")

satiate

(v.) to satisfy excessively (Satiated after eating far too much turkey, Liza lay on the couch
watching football and suffering from stomach pains.)

scathing

(adj.) sharp, critical, hurtful (Two hours after breaking up with Russell, Suzanne thought of the
perfect scathing retort to his accusations.)

scintillating

(adj.) sparkling (The ice skater's scintillating rhinestone costume nearly blinded the judges.)

scrupulous

(adj.) painstaking, careful (With scrupulous care, Sam cut a snowflake out of white paper.)

sedentary
seminal

(adj.) sitting, settled (The sedentary cat did little but loll in the sun.)
(adj.) original, important, creating a field (Stephen Greenblatt's essays on Shakespeare
proved to be seminal, because they initiated the critical school of New Historicism.)

serendipity

(n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit of serendipity,
penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.)

serene

(adj.) calm, untroubled (Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa, puzzling over the famous
woman's serene smile.)

servile

(adj.) subservient (The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing and quaking before
the guests.)

sinuous

(adj.) lithe, serpentine (With the sinuous movements of her arms, the dancer mimicked the
motion of a snake.)

sobriety

(n.) sedate, calm (Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis was the key to
success in life.)

solicitous

(adj.) concerned, attentive (Jim, laid up in bed with a nasty virus, enjoyed the solicitous
attentions of his mother, who brought him soup and extra blankets.)

soluble

(adj.) able to dissolve (The plot of the spy film revolved around an untraceable and watersoluble poison.)

solvent

1. (adj.) able to pay debts (Upon receiving an unexpected check from her aunt, Annabelle
found herself suddenly solvent.)

sophomoric

(adj.) immature, uninformed (The mature senior rolled her eyes at the sophomoric gross-out
humor of the underclassman.)

sovereign

(adj.) having absolute authority in a certain realm (The sovereign queen, with steely resolve,
ordered that the traitorous nobleman be killed.)

speculative
spurious

(adj.) not based in fact (Sadly, Tessa was convicted on merely speculative evidence.)
(adj.) false but designed to seem plausible (Using a spurious argument, John convinced the
others that he had won the board game on a technicality.)

stagnate

(v.) to become or remain inactive, not develop, not flow (With no room for advancement, the
waiter's career stagnated.)

stingy

(adj.) not generous, not inclined to spend or give (Scrooge's stingy habits did not fit with the
generous, giving spirit o Christmas.)

stoic

(adj.) unaffected by passion or feeling (Penelope's faithfulness to Odysseus required that she
be stoic and put off her many suitors.)

(adj.) unaffected by passion or feeling (Penelope's faithfulness to Odysseus required that she
be stoic and put off her many suitors.)
stolid

(adj.) expressing little sensibility, unemotional (Charles's stolid reaction to his wife's funeral
differed from the passion he showed at the time of her death.)

strenuous

(adj.) requiring tremendous energy or stamina (Running a marathon is quite a strenuous task.
So is watching an entire Star Trek marathon.)

strident
stupefy

(adj.) harsh, loud (A strident man, Tony yelled at his son and made him cry.)
(v.) to astonish, make insensible (Veronica's audacity and ungratefulness stupefied her best
friend, Heather.)

subjugate
sublime

(v.) bring under control (The invading force captured and subjugated the natives.)
(adj.) lofty, grand, exalted (The homeless man sadly pondered his former wealth and once
sublime existence.)

submissive

(adj.) easily yielding to authority (In some cultures, wives are supposed to be submissive and
support their husbands in all matters.)

succinct

(adj.) marked by compact precision (The governor's succinct speech energized the crowd
while the mayor's rambled on and on.)

superfluous

(adj.) exceeding what is necessary (Tracy had already won the campaign so her constant
flattery of others was superfluous.)

surfeit

(n.) an overabundant supply or indulgence (After partaking of the surfeit of tacos at the AllYou-Can-Eat Taco Lunch Special, Beth felt rather sick.)

surmise

(v.) to infer with little evidence (After speaking to only one of the students, the teacher was
able to surmise what had caused the fight.)

surreptitious

(adj.) stealthy (The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the house without
anyone noticing.)

surrogate

(n.) one acting in place of another (The surrogate carried the child to term for its biological
parents.)

swarthy

(adj.) of dark color or complexion (When he got drunk, Robinson's white skin became rahter
swarthy.)

sycophant

(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the president's
closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.)

tacit

(adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents' refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance
of my request.)

taciturn

(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite
taciturn.)

tangential

(adj.) incidental, peripheral, divergent (I tried to discuss my salary, but the boss kept veering
off into tangential topics.)

tantamount

(adj.) equivalent in value or significance (When it comes to sports, fearing your opponent is
tantamount to losing.)

tedious

(adj.) dull, boring (As time passed and the history professor continued to drone on and on, the
lecture became increasingly tedious.)

temerity

(n.) audacity, recklessness (Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but
their own temerity.)

temperance

(n.) moderation in action or thought (Maintaining temperance will ensure that you are able to
think rationally and objectively.)

tenable

(adj.) able to be defended or maintained (The department heads decimated other people's
theses, but Johari's work proved to be quite tenable.)

tenuous

(adj.) having little substance or strength (Your argument is very tenuous, since it relies so
much on speculation and hearsay.)

terrestrial
timorous

(adj.) relating to the land (Elephants are terretrial animals.)

(adj.) timid, fearful (When dealing with the unknown, timorous Tallulah almost always broke
into tears.)

tirade

(n.) a long speech marked by harsh or biting language (Every time Jessica was late, her
boyfriend went into a long tirade about punctuality.)

toady

(n.) one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors (The other kids referred to the teacher's pet
as the Tenth Grade Toady.)

tome

(n.) a large book (In college, I used to carry around an anatomy book that was the heaviest
tome in my bag.)

torpid

(adj.) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion (The torpid whale floated, wallowing in the water for
hours.)

torrid

(adj.) giving off intense heat, passionate (I didn't want to witness the neighbor's torrid affair
through the window.)

tortuous

(adj.) winding (The scary thing about driving in mountains are the narrow, tortuous roads.)

tractable
tranquil
transgress

(adj.) easily controlled (The horse was so tractable, Myra didn't even need a bridle.)
(adj.) calm (There is a time of night when nothing moves and everything is tranquil.)
(v.) to violate, go over a limit (The criminal's actions transgressed morality and human
decency.)

transient

(adj.) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence (Because virtually everyone in
Palm Beach is a tourist, the population of the town is quite transient.)

transmute

(v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed htat it was possible to transmute
lead into gold.)

travesty

(n.) a grossly inferior imitation (Accordingly to the school newspaper's merciless theater critic,
Pacific Coast High's rendition of the musical Oklahoma was a travesty of the original.)

tremulous
trenchant

(adj.) fearful (I always feel tremulous when walking through a graveyard.)

(adj.) effective, articulate, clear-cut (The directions that accompanied my new cell phone were
trenchant and easy to follow.)

trepidation

(n.) fear, apprehension (Feeling great trepidation, Anya refused to jump into the pool because
she thought she saw a shark in it.)

trite

(adj.) not original, overused (Keith thought of himself as being very learned, but everyone
else thought he was trite because his observations about the world were always the same as
David Letterman's.)

truculent

(adj.) ready to fight, cruel (This club doesn't really attract the dangerous types, so why was
that bouncer being so truculent.)

truncate

(v.) to shorten by cutting off (After winning the derby, the jockey truncated the long speech
he had planned and thanked only his mom and his horse.)

turgid

(adj.) swollen, excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer did not
realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose.)

turpitude

(n.) depravity, moral corruption (Sir Marcus's chivalry often contrasted with the turpitude he
exhibited with the ladies at the tavern.)

ubiquitous

(adj.) existing everywhere, widespread (It seems that everyone in the United States has a
television. The technology is ubiquitous here.)

umbrage

(n.) resentment, offense (He called me a lily-livered coward, and I took umbrage at the insult.)

uncanny

(adj.) of supernatural character or origin (Luka had an uncanny ability to know exactly what
other people were thinking. She also had an uncanny ability to shoot fireballs from her
hands.)

unctuous

(adj.) smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner (The unctuous receptionist seemed
untrustworthy, as if she was only being helpful because she thought we might give her a big
tip.)

undulate

(v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew, the placid ocean began to undulate to an
increasing degree.)

(v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew, the placid ocean began to undulate to an
increasing degree.)
upbraid

(v.) to criticize or scold severely (The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her
again about missing the rent payment.)

usurp

(v.) to seize by force (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government, but
he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president.)

utilitarian

(adj.) relating to or aiming at usefulness (The beautiful, fragile vase couldn't hold flowers or
serve any other utilitarian purpose.)

utopia

(n.) an imaginary and remote place of perfection (Everyone in the world wants to live in a
utopia, but no one can agree how to go about building one.)

vacillate

(v.) to fluctuate, hesitate (I prefer a definite answer, but my boss kept vacillating between the
distinct options available to us.)

vacuous

(adj.) lack of contents or ideas, stupid (Beyonce realized that the lyrics she had just penned
were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance.)

validate

(v.) to confirm, support, corroborate (Yoko's chemistry lab partner was asleep during the
experiment and could not validate the accuracy of her methods.)

vapid

(adj.) lacking liveliness, dull (The professor's comments about the poem were surprisingly
vapid and dull.)

variegated

(adj.) diversified, distinctly marked (Each wire in the engineering exam was variegated by
color so that the students could figure out which one was which.)

vehemently

(adv.) marked by intense force or emotion (The candidate vehemently opposed cutting back
on Social Security funding.)

veneer

(n.) a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, faade (Thanks to her Chanel makeup,
Shannen was able to maintain a veneer of perfection that hid the flaws underneath.)

venerable

(adj.) deserving of respect because of age or achievment (The venerable Supreme Court
justice had made several key rulings in landmark cases throughout the years.)

venerate

(v.) to regard with respect or to honor (The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his
music, his words, and his legend.)

veracity

(n.) truthfulness, accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports, it was difficult for
Latifah to argue against its veracity.)

verbose

(adj.) wordy, impaired by wordiness (It took the verbose teacher two hours to explain the
topic, while it should have taken only fifteen minutes.)

verdant

(adj.) green in tint or color (The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look emerald.)

vestige

(n.) a mark or trace of something lost or vanished (Do you know if the Mexican tortilla is a
vestige of some form of Aztec corn-based flat bread?)

vex

(v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on
end.)

vicarious

(adj.) experiencing through another (All of my lame friends learned to be social through
vicarious involvement in my amazing experiences.)

vicissitude

(n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitude of daily life prevent me from predicting what
might happen from one day to the next.)

vigilant

(adj.) watchful, alert (The guards remained vigilant throughout the night, but the enemy
never launched the expected attack.)

vilify

(v.) to lower in importance, defame (After the Watergate scandal, almost any story written
about President Nixon sought to vilify him.)

vindicate

(v.) to avenge; to free from allegation; to set free (The attorney had no chance of vindicating
the defendant with all the evidence against him.)

vindictive

(adj.) vengeful (The vindictive madman seeks to exact vengeance for any insult that he
perceives is directed at him, no matter how small.)

virtuoso

(n.) one who excels in an art; a highly skilled musical performer (Even though Lydia has
studied piano for many years, she's only average at it. She's no virtuoso, that's for sure.)

viscous
vitriolic
vituperate

(adj.) not free flowing, syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.)
(adj.) having a caustic quality (When angry, the woman would spew vitriolic insults.)
(v.) to berate (Jack ran away as soon as his father found out, knowing he would be
vituperated for his unseemly behavior.)

vivacious

(adj.) lively, sprightly (The vivacious clown makes all of the children laugh and giggle with his
friendly antics.)

vocation

(n.) profession (After growing tired of the superficial world of high-fashion, Edwina decided to
devote herself to a new vocation: social work.)

vociferous
wallow

(adj.) loud, boisterous (I'm tired of his vociferous whining so I'm breaking up with him.)
(v.) to roll oneself indolently; to become or remain helpless (My roommate can't get over her
failed exam and now just wallows in self-pity.)

wane

(v.) to decrease in size, dwindle (Don't be so afraid of his wrath because his influence with the
president is already beginning to wane.)

wanton

(adj.) undisciplined, lewd, lustful (Vicky's wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next
door very excited.)

whimsical

(adj.) fanciful, full of whims (The whimsical little girl liked to pretend that she was an elvin
princess.)

wily

(adj.) crafty, sly (Though they were not the strongest of the Thundercats, wily Kit and Kat
were definitely the most clever and full of tricks.)

winsome

(adj.) charming, pleasing (After such a long, frustrating day, I was grateful for Chris's winsome
attitude and childish naivete.)

wistful

(adj.) full of yearning; musingly sad (Since her pet rabbit died, Edda missed it terribly and sat
around wistful all day long.)

wrath

(n.) vengeful anger, punishment (Did you really want to incur her wrath when she is known
for inflicting the worst punishments legally possible?)

yoke
zealous

(v.) to join, link (We yoked together the logs by tying a string around them.)
(adj.) fervent, filled with eagerness in pursuit of something (If he were any more zealous
about getting his promotion, he'd practically live at the office.)

zenith

(n.) the highest point, culminating point (I was too nice to tell Nelly that she had reached the
absolute zenith of her career with that one hit of hers.)

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ity, the mayor stated a

tired, his fractious

ney through the stormy

ng , the frenetic pace of

hether your zit will

f the most inexpensive

er was not as furtive as

very object in her house

heir guests can't get a

eal jerk, I would say that

vine, I don't know how

ght Billy, but Billy will

eat little more than

ce would make her sound

andiose party, replete

t shop gives me a

regarious, I don't know

inmate without being

politician was able to

es before it begins to

a, the disturbed professor

week to go on vacation.)

e about gum chewing in

r harangued the class
expected the plants to be

erience.)
ostars will backfire on her

mans (Murray, being a

as threatened once

more heinous by the fact

always biy the swirled, or

ould last two or three

ional class (Women found

rarchy.)

ssed legislation that

drug when tested on

e protest after another,

ere highly idiosyncratic, so

us fawning over the band

out of the dorm for having

t words from a pamphlet

oyfriend, Nancy decided

ant.)
s healthy to cry every

ur sister's, then you too

girl whined.)
ders organized by
he folders organized by

ner led me to dislike you

I dont wish to dignify

ick layer of fur, many

petuous, thoughtless

roof, leaving large dents.)

this, but I really need to

u shun Grandma's

ed a new policy to use

m wasn't present at the

sor Smith didn't actually

ge was implicit in her

battering rams, catapults,

tacks.)

n looked at the princess

r to his lazy secretary.)

hology of the characters

cturer was so inarticulate

y the role of greed

e incendiary materials that

nt rain kept us indoors for

ernment is still inchoate

il her incisive comment

reign film she hears

e incontrovertible laws of

otine gum all you want,

the wall longer;

rving his fifth term.) 2.

o all who seek it.)

es, the indefatigable

e out the vegetation that

the indigent population

e sorority because of my

emselves up off the couch

nt he could never take

t school lunch would

s said that the experience

ough direct encounter.)

e was when she forgot

for hours, Mom was

manual, I have no way of

sen as the decades pass.)

ne substance by another
eresting new schools of

e peanuts made her cake

is speeches seem so
)

night, I certainly never

mpany that was so cold

l jokester, "will be

gainst anyone younger

, he never trains, lifts

these mushrooms are

ff competition, the
w and better products.)

nnuendos about the

m in order to increase
as inoculated against 37

was instructed to knock

can be a real problem in

s chocolate cake tastes

op insinuating that my
ntelligence and good

ugh.)
ing fun of his fans right to

by telling them that they

of the sensitive nature of

nt classroom each night

f flour, you wouldn't be

driver occasionally

the union negotiations

just before lunch made

oon pass away occurred

ght to the intractable

ansigent child said he

o its eruption, the

my fans are sure to

uation (Twenty years in

the way I dress only

an inveterate coffee

an's inviolable Batcave.)

will begin scratching and

descent in the afternoon

through the chapel

ble part of American law.)

ble part of American law.)

fighter carried the woman

g decided to compromise

parison (The designer

roughout our village, the

s gave the opera singer

erboy's skin was covered

him many followers who

e great heat makes

was not where I had left it,

ving me a new car.)

sented his latent

e unusual from someone

he performers appreciated

the customs by claiming

ethorpe allowed his

at he was excessively

ned to his boss that he

and didn't play defense,

ubjects overthrew the

eir democratic principles.)

ys been fascinated by the

eased readers who

e prosecution's case was

f the crime.)

anding, Jae Sun's control

ming at each other, Judge

so lucid, I only had to

oulders of the beautiful

haracter torturing his

ry magazine.)

the explorers know that

would catch their boat.)

shes, Jacqueline was

ons against the

the park all day, tripping

l opinions were so

s that no one should

violent hiccups.)
to the fact that the work

medies, I usually find

ick and always does

h-century critics viewed

at emotional depth on his

ers's etiquette maxims are

hing to satisfy my
astonishing medley of
tabloid magazines is at

e was widely respected

live with.)

onal medal of honor for

m every day for a year

oman.)

ride's gown was a product

only warm tea would

e prices; none of us have

he found both the liberal
oderates.)

um of sensitivity,

poser wrote a piece that

n by giving her a warning

ses (When Theresa lost

es change over time;

g socially acceptable.)

asant.)
ultifarious functions and
hpick, and a slingshot.)

ace (He is more

itual topics.)

one else in their country

today will look outdated

hat to do Friday night

came when I accidently

nately, my brilliant paper

meant that who was

melt the polar icecaps

t it.)

a negligent fool after I left

ecent string of robberies.)

terary world, Malik had

person; she would study
would enter the stalls

ege, Jose led a nomadic

ture more than he needed

e was very angry, Marsha

nd had used her clothing
movie star in person

s arriving late at parties.)

e were all novices at

xious weeds were

the poem were not

em out.)

ed the plant, which was

d man refused to take pity

he newspaperman's

Martin's oblique language

o the burning smell

n the oven were burned

dows, his features were

ervant, obeying her every

and CDs, which both

w entirely obsolete.)

ave the store until his

rian to ask him to leave

the prime minister's

ess war.)
odious task of cleaning

ded (Brenda resented

mprove her artwork.)

words flashed thorugh my

in a beautiful country

opulent furnishings of the

ccomodations of her

me minister was visibly

led domestic policies.)

the new model of luxury

y's profits dwindled

were incompatible with

buying a station wagon

d fantasies.)

ving was that airfare was

ed on the ostentatious

discovered her

he class remain calm

smell, the exotic cheese

he painting was equaled

ation would palliate her

xion was due to an

le panacea for every

SUV was so popular, it

diplomat refused to
mand more resources than

was considered a paragon

t the bomb squad

Hurley was made a pariah

acher returned to find

ealth resulted from her

d round up enough

nal pain was made patent

ng the precise nature of

ering the scrawny,

ntury literature courses

overed an international
made in reference to a

common man, Albert

tranger.)

came monotonous on

enient if the criminal had

ng in the pack, Cybil

us ways made it

ment secrets to enemy

nnounced announced the

the wet dog's odor had
that the Communist

nt manner.)
nowledge that his

dinner table because it

ole after a two-month

ane in Havana, I

ger tolerate the child's

on to donate her fortune

ter the animal's

illaged the homes

w novel was extraordinary

s a stark contrast to his

ned that he was paid a

acate his irritable son.)

s.)
ne concluded that what

eived plaudits from even

up with a plausible

ude of tomatoes her

a of oysters piled almost

o they do not break in

ng to us the poignant

aunched into a polemic

was walking to school, she

ips carry a supply of

he town's main road to

measures might not fit

o ensure everyone's

limber hung from a

ded anyone from entering

ally precocious that by the

ction for eating scrambled

of naval might secured the

ngs (His prepossessing

it as a presage of bad

ediction, Ray went in

her all of the peasants

mtuous noble tried to kiss

y wanted to use the car

study session.)
Australopithecus, were

at probity, no one was

ood proclivity for

ence to charge the

ly water in the chapel at

spend money, steal,

he baseball player.)
n terms of political
s.)

pagated like wildfire

us activities such as

sted that the weather

d parents believed that

bored the audience.)

e of alcohol on

son in his life, making his

rash, my father vowed to

er's puerile attempt to

o start several barroom

onitor extraordinaire,
(The pungent odors in

e punitive result is

agmire characterized by

onnets she saw in Amish

dary: should he choose

leader deftly quelled the
becomes querulous.)

fall in love at first sight in

f coffee in the morning.)

e college's tenure policy.)

eat the rancid egg salad

I could see the rancor in

aramour, they felt an

roughly, rather than make

house party got too

oom for the large chain

hey rebuked her for

ung girl simply stomped

ated the semester's

stmas, she reciprocated

ger do not relish media

the woods.)

d when one brought the

he moral authority to

ormy sky.) 2. (adj.)

er with gusto.)

he prism.)
, commanded the

yelled and gesticulated at

gated to the store room.)

mer, the waiter found

teacher discovered he

cause the security guard,

labra looked as good as

getting renovated, the

y winning the Oscar.)

s, but confused those

pologized profusely for

words.)
ump her boyfriend on his

up in a particularly good
to rewind the video he

ell.)

ery one of his fingers into

tension of his curfew, but

ing to brush her teeth.) 2.

stomach, Lacy repulsed

try gave the novel a

war, the government

ment after discovering

voir of strength and could

mountains.)

The resilient ballplayer

nnounced that she was

frightened of tall

and shook hands.) 2. (v.)

hape.)

noise.)
ses.)
ants of slaves should

e band with mud and

hurriedly retracted his

ss.)
ss lives and became

nights in a row, Marcel's

t the movie, calling it an

joke involving a parson's

with spelling errors.)

he banks of the river,

e house to meet his

t he was asleep in bed.)

ed to make him popular,

ates, the Constitution is

y, the wise old man

en Alison and Nancy is

ation "Ahoy ahoy".)

nburn, he soon felt a little

Bertrand delivered stern

ut thought nothing of

ine smile and the crippy

Liza lay on the couch

ll, Suzanne thought of the

arly blinded the judges.)

ke out of white paper.)

ys on Shakespeare
ew Historicism.)

g bit of serendipity,

ing over the famous

owing and quaking before

e dancer mimicked the

mes of crisis was the key to

joyed the solicitous

ntraceable and water-

m her aunt, Annabelle

he sophomoric gross-out

een, with steely resolve,

lative evidence.)
ent, John convinced the

om for advancement, the

habits did not fit with the

ysseus required that she

ion to his wife's funeral

is quite a strenuous task.

him cry.)
ness stupefied her best

d the natives.)
rmer wealth and once

sed to be submissive and

energized the crowd

aign so her constant

rfeit of tacos at the All-

dents, the teacher was

out of the house without

o term for its biological

hite skin became rahter

et as the president's

talk as a tacit acceptance

her brother is quite

but the boss kept veering

earing your opponent is

ed to drone on and on, the

med with nothing but

nsure that you are able to

cimated other people's

uous, since it relies so

ah almost always broke

essica was late, her

ferred to the teacher's pet

k that was the heaviest

wallowing in the water for

e neighbor's torrid affair

arrow, tortuous roads.)

n need a bridle.)
hing is tranquil.)
orality and human

ause virtually everyone in

.)

as possible to transmute

's merciless theater critic,

ty of the original.)

yard.)
d my new cell phone were

mp into the pool because

earned, but everyone

were always the same as

rous types, so why was

ncated the long speech

ughty writer did not

ed with the turpitude he

e United States has a

ok umbrage at the insult.)

ty to know exactly what

t fireballs from her

us receptionist seemed
we might give her a big
began to undulate to an

for Lisa to upbraid her

of the government, but

dent.)

couldn't hold flowers or

orld wants to live in a

pt vacillating between the

ics she had just penned

as asleep during the

oem were surprisingly

am was variegated by

ly opposed cutting back

ks to her Chanel makeup,

ws underneath.)

rable Supreme Court

the years.)

ought to venerate his

orts, it was difficult for

o hours to explain the

he world look emerald.)

he Mexican tortilla is a
the ribs for hours on

to be social through

t me from predicting what

ight, but the enemy

most any story written

no chance of vindicating

or any insult that he

en though Lydia has

uoso, that's for sure.)

ottle.)
vitriolic insults.)
g he would be

laugh and giggle with his

shion, Edwina decided to

aking up with him.)

mmate can't get over her

ause his influence with the

ade the frat guys next

that she was an elvin

cats, wily Kit and Kat

ateful for Chris's winsome

missed it terribly and sat

ath when she is known

them.)
re any more zealous

hat she had reached the

Word List 1
abase

(v.) to humiliate, degrade (After being thrown and abased, the deposed leader offe
conqueror.)

apprehend

1. (v.) to seize, arrest (The criminal was apprehended at the scene.) 2. (v.) to perc
student has trouble apprehending concepts in maths and science.)

chronological

(adj.) arranged in order of time (Lionel carefully arranged the snapshots of his pet

curt

(adj.) abruptly in manner and rudely short in speech (Her curt reply to my questio
was upset at me.)

elicit

(v.) to bring forth, draw out, evoke (Although I asked several times where the exit
from the stone-faced policeman.)

goad

(v.) to urge, spur,stimuate, incite to action (Jim may think he's not going to fight B
with insults until he throws a punch.)

inure

(v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation (Twenty

inured the man to the discomforts of dirt.)

orthodox

(adj.) conventional, conforming to establshed protocol (The company's profits dwin

management pursued orthodox business policies that were incompatible with new

rancid

(adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid

tangential

(adj.) incidental, peripheral, divergent , slightly touching (I tried to discuss my sala

off into tangential topics.)

Word List 2
abate

(v.) to reduce, lessen (The rain poured down for a while, then abated.)

approbation

(n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.)

circuitous

(adj.) roundabout (The bus's circuitous route covered the whole city.)

curtail

(v.) to lessen, reduce (Since losing his job, he had to curtail his spending.)

eloquent

(adj.) expressive, articulate, moving (The priest gave such an eloquent sermon tha
crying.)

gourmand

(n.) someone fond of eating and drinking (My parents, who used to eat little more
have become real gourmands in their old age.)

invective

(n.) an angry verbal attack (My mother's irrational invective against the way I dres
dye my hair green.)

oscillate

(v.) to sway from one side to the other (My uncle oscillated between buying a stat
family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood fantasies.)

rancor (rangker)

(n.) deep,hatred, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could

tantamount

(adj.) equivalent in value or significance (When it comes to sports, fearing your op

losing.)

Word List 3
abdicate

(v.) to give up a position, usually one of leadership (When he realized that the revo
the king abdicated his throne.)

appropriate

(v.) to take, make use of (The government appropriated the farmer's land without

circumlocution

(n.) indirect and wordy language (The professor's habit of speaking in circumlocut
his lectures.)

daunting

(adj.) intimidating, overcome with fear, causing one to lose courage (He kept dela
asking for a promotion.)

elucidate

(v.) to clarify, explain (I didn't understand why my friend was so angry with me, so
her feelings.)

grandiloquence

(n.) lofty, pompous language (The student thought her grandiloquence would mak
neither the class nor the teacher bought it.)

inveterate

(adj.) stubbornly established by habit (I'm the first to admit that I'm an inveterate
cups a day.)

ostensible

(adj.) outwardly appearing as such, seemingly, pretended (Jack's ostensible reaso

was too expensive, but in reality, he was afraid of flying.)

rapport

(n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour, they

tedious

(adj.) dull, boring (As time passed and the history professor continued to drone on
increasingly tedious.)

Word List 4
abduct

(v.) to kidnap, take by force (The evil-doers abducted the fairy princess from her h

aquatic

(adj.) realting to water (The marine biologist studies starfish and other aquatic cre

circumscribed

(adj.) marked off, bounded (The children were permitted to play tag only within a
of the lawn.)

dearth

(n.) a lack, scarcity (An eager reader, she was dismayed by the dearth of classic b

elude

(v.) to evade, escape (The robber still continues to elude the police.)

grandiose

(adj.) on a magnificent or exaggerated scale (Margaret planned a grandiose party

trapeze artists, and clowns.)

inviolable
ostentatious

(adj.) secure from assault, incapable of being violated (Nobody was ever able to b
Batcave.)
(adj.) excessively showy, glitzy (On the palace tour, the guide focused on the oste
spoke little of the royal family's history.)

rash

(adj.) hasty, incautious (It's best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rathe

temerity

(n.) audacity, boldness, recklessness (Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed
temerity.)

Word List 5
aberration

(n.) something that differs from the norm (The 1918 World Series win by Boston R
they have not won a World Series since.)

arable

(adj.) suitable for growing crops (The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on wh

circumspect

(adj.) cautious, well considered (Though I promised Rachel I would bring her home
would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.)

debacle

(n.) a disastrous failure, disruption (The elaborately designed fireworks show turne
fireworks started firing in random directions.)

(adj.) very thin, enfeebled looking (My sister eats a lot of pastries and chocolate b
emaciated[ih-mey-shee-ey
gratuitous

[gruh-too-i-tuh s...(adj.) uncalled for,without reason, unwarranted (Every morning

gives me a gratuitous helping of ketchup packets.)

irascible

(adj.) easily angered (At the smallest provocation, my irascible cat will begin scrat

ostracism

(n.) exclusion from a group, from society on general consent (Beth risked
discovered
her flatulence.)
(adj.) loud, boisterous
, harsh (Sarah's neighbors called the cops when her house p

raucous..[raw-kuh s]
temperance

(n.) moderation in action or thought (Maintaining temperance will ensure that you
and objectively.)

abet

(v.) to aid, help, encourage (The spy succeeded only because he had a friend on th

arbiter

(n.) one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision (The divorce court judge will s
the estranged husband and wife.)

circumvent

(v.) to get around , surround, (The school's dress code was circumvented by the st
long coats when administrators were nearby.)

debase

(v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave him
running the charity.)

embellish

1. (v.) to decorate, adorn (My mom embellished the living room by adding lace cur
to, enhance (When Harry told me that he had "done-stuff" on his vacation, I asked
account.)

gregarious

(adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable (Well, if you're not gregarious, I do
want to go to a singles party.)

iridescent

(adj.) showing rainbow colors (The bride's diamond ring was iridescent in the after

pacific

(adj.) soothing (The chemistry professor's pacific demeanor helped the class rema
exploded.)

raze

(v.) to demolish, level (The old house was razed to make room for the large chain

Word List 6

tenable

(adj.) able to be defended or maintained against attack (The department heads de

theses, but Johari's work proved to be quite tenable.)

Word List 7
abhor

(v.) to hate, detest (Because he always wound up kicking himself in the head whe
Oswald began to abhor the sport.)

arbitrary

(adj.) based on factors that appear random (The boy's decision to choose one coll
arbitrary.)

clairvoyant

(adj.) able to perceive things that normal people cannot (Zelda's uncanny ability t
short of clairvoyant.)

debauch

(v.) to corrupt by means of sensual pleasures (An endless amount of good wine an
traveler.)

embezzle

(v.) to steal money by falsifying records (The accountant was fired for embezzling
fund.)

grievous

(adj.) injurious, hurtful; serious or grave in nature (Electrocuting the inmate withou
would be a truly grievous mistake.)

irreverence

(n.) disrespect (The irreverence displayed by the band that marched through the c
churchgoers.)

palatable

(adj.) agreeable to the taste or sensibilities (Despite the unpleasant smell, the exo
palatable.)

rebuke

(v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up the Sarah's party, they rebuked h

tenuous

(adj.) having little substance or strength, weak, lacking sound reasoning, vague (Y
tenuous, since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.)

Word List 8
abide

1. (v.) to put up with (Though he did not agree with the decision, Chuck decided to
remain (Despite the beating they've taken from the weather throughout the millen

arbitration

(n.) the process or act of resolving a dispute (The employee sought official arbitra
resolve a disagreement with his supervisor.)

clamor

(n.) loud noise (The birds outside my window make such a clamor that they wake

debunk

(v.) to expose the falseness of something (He debunked her claim to be the world'
defeating her in 18 consecutive matches.)

emend

(v.) to correct or revise a written text (If my sentence is incorrect, the editor will em

guile ...[gahyl]

(n.) deceitful, cunning, sly behavior (Because of his great guile, the politician was
scandal.)

irrevocable

(adj.) incapable of being taken back (The Bill of Rights is an irrevocable part of Am

palette

(adj.) a range of colors or qualities (The palette of colors utilized in the painting wa
of intense emotions the piece evoked.)

(adj.) a range of colors or qualities (The palette of colors utilized in the painting wa
of intense emotions the piece evoked.)

(adj.) defiant, unapologetic,not obedient (Even when scolded, the recalcitrant you
recalcitrant [ri-kal-si-truh nt]
foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)
terrestrial

[tuh-res-tree-uh l]

(adj.) relating to the land (Elephants are terretrial anim

Word List 9
abject

(adj.) wretched, pitiful, miserable (After losing all her memory, falling into a puddle
Emma was abject.)

arboreal

(adj.) of or relating to trees (Leaves, roots and bark are a few arboreal traits.)

clandestine

(adj.) secret, hidden, illicit (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the
to meet Joseph for a clandestine liaison.)

decorous

(adj.) socially proper, appropriate (The appreciative guest displayed decorous beh

eminent

1. (adj.) distinguished, prominent, famous (Mr. Phillips is such an eminent scholar

campus has come to hear him lecture.) 2. (adj.) conspicuous (There is an eminent

hackneyed

(adj.) unoriginal, trite, overused, excessive repetition (A girl can only hear "I love y
begins to sound hackneyed and meaningless.)

jubilant

(adj.) extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried
building.)

palliate

(v.) to reduce the severity of, mitigate (The doctor trusted that the new medicatio
discomfort.)

recapitulate

(v.) to sum up, summarize, repeat (Before the exam, the teacher recapitulated th

timorous

(adj.) timid (lacking in courage), fearful (When dealing with the unknown, timorou
broke into tears.)

abjure

(v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policie

arcane

(adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few , mysterious(The professor is an exper

literature.)

cleave

1. (v.) to divide into parts (Due to political turmoil, the ruling party cleaved into wa
stick together firmly (After resolving their marital problems, Junior and Rosa cleave
more tightly.)

decry

(v.) to criticize openly (The kind video rental clerk decried the policy of charging cu

emollient

(adj.) soothing (This emollient cream makes my skin very smooth.)

hallowed

(adj.) revered, consecrated, sacred, regarded as holy (In the hallowed corridors of
professor felt himself to be at peace.)

judicious

(adj.) having or exercising sound judgement (When the judicious king decided to c
was applauded.)

Word List 10

(adj.) having or exercising sound judgement (When the judicious king decided to c
was applauded.)
pallid

(adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy's pallid complexion was due t
blood.)

reciprocate

(v.) to give in return (When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas, she rec
kiss.)

tirade

(n.) a long speech marked by harsh or biting language (Every time Jessica was late
long tirade about punctuality.)

Word List 11
abnegation

(n.) denial of comfort to oneself (The holy man slept on the floor, took only cold sh
followed other practices of abnegation.)

archaic

(adj.) of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated (In a few selected regions
archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken.)

clemency

(n.) mercy, leniency (After he forgot their anniversary, Tim begged Maria for clem

deface

(v.) to ruin or injure something's appearance (The brothers used eggs and shaving
neighbor's mailbox.)

emote

(v.) to express emotion (The director told the actor he had to emote, or else the a
what his character was going through.)

hapless

(adj.) unlucky (My poor, hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on

juxtaposition

(n.) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison (The d
juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table.)

panacea

(n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea for
there is not.)

reclusive

(adj.) solitary, shunning society (Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not reli
sometimes even enjoy holding up in remote cabins in the woods.)

toady

(n.) one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors (The other kids referred to the t
Grade Toady.)

abort

(v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort (After they ran out of food, the h
home.)

archetypal

(adj.) the most representative or typical example of something, original thing from
copied (Some believe George Washington, with his flowing white hair and comman
archetypal politician.)

clergy

(n.) members of Christian holy orders (Though the villagers viewed the church as
lived there regarded it as a dusty place.)

defamatory

(adj.) harmful toward another's reputation (The defamatory gossip spreading abou
less willing to see the actor's new movie.)

empathy

(n.) sensitivity to another's feelings as if they were one's own (I feel such empathy
pain that I cry too.)

Word List 12

harangue

1. (n.) a ranting speech (Everyone had heard the teacher's harangue about gum c
(v.) to give such a speech (But this time the teacher harangued the class about th
teeth.)

knell

(n.) the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death (Echoing throughout our v
made the stormy day even more grim.)

paradigm

(n.) an example that is a perfect pattern or model (Because the new SUV was so p
paradigm upon which all others were modeled.)

reconcile

1. (v.) to return to harmony (The feuding neighbors finally reconciled when one bro
tuna noodle casserole.)

tome

(n.) a large book (In college, I used to carry around an anatomy book that was the

abridge

(v.) to cut down, shorten (The publisher thought the dictionary was too long and a

ardor

(n.) extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm (The soldiers conveyed their ardor with im

cloying

(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Though Ronald was physically attractive, Maud found his
solicitous remarks cloying.)

defer

(v.) to postpone something; to yield to another's wisdom (Ron deferred to Diane, t

instruments, when he was asked about pianos.)

empirical

1. (adj.) based on observation or experience (The scientist gathered empirical data

dandelions by studying the dandelions behind his house.) 2. (adj.) capable of bein
experiment (That all cats hate getting wet is an empirical statement: I can test it b

hardy

(adj.) robust, capable of surviving through adverse conditions (I had expected the
November, but apparently they're very hardy.)

kudos

(n.) praise for an achievement,honor (After the performance, the reviewers gave t
job well done.)

paradox

(n.) an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true (The diplomat refu
paradox that negotiating a peace treaty would demand more resources than wagi

rectitude

(n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest's rectitude gave him the moral auth
parishioners.)

torpid

(adj.) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion (The torpid whale floated, wallowing in th

abrogate

(v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the governeme
to a free press.)

arid

(adj.) excessively dry (Very few trees grow succesfully in arid environments.)

coagulate

(v.) to thicken, clot (The top layer of the pudding had coagulated quickly.)

deferential

(adj.) showing respect for another's authority (His deferential attitude toward her
her ability to run the company.)

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Word List 14

(adj.) showing respect for another's authority (His deferential attitude toward her
her ability to run the company.)
emulate

(v.) to imitate (I idolize Britney Spears so much that I emulate everything she does
along to her songs, and date a boy named Justin.)

harrowing

(adj.) greatly distressing, vexing (The car crash was a harrowing experience.)

laceration

(n.) a cut, tear, to distress or torture mentally or emotionally (Because he fell off h
paperboy's skin was covered with lacerations.)

paragon

(n.) a model of excellence or perfection (The mythical Helen of Troy was considere
beauty.)

redoubtable

1. (adj.) formidable, that is to be feared (causing fear) (The fortress looked redoub
sky.) 2. (adj.) commanding respect (The audience greeted the redoubtable speake

torrid

(adj.) giving off intense heat, passionate (I didn't want to witness the neighbor's to
window.)

abscond

(v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the ni

arrogate

(v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order executions t

coalesce

(v.) to fuse into a whole (Gordon's ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced into
outfit.)

defile

(v.) to make unclean, impure, pillute (She defiled the calm of the religious building

enamor

(v.) to fill with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by "of" or "wit
boy when he quoted my favorite love poem.)

haughty

(adj.) disdainfully(disdain=to consider unworthy of notice) proud (The superstar's

costars will backfire on her someday.)

laconic

(adj.) terse in speech or writing, concise (The author's laconic style has won him m
wordiness.)

paramount

(adj.) greatest in importance, rank, character, above others (It was paramount tha
disconnect the blue wire before removing the fuse.)

refract

(v.) to distort, change (The light was refracted as it passed through the prism.)

tortuous

(adj.) winding, full of twists (The scary thing about driving in mountains are the na

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Word List 16
absolution

(n.) freedom from blame, guilt, sin (Once all the facts were known, the jury gave A
verdict of not guilty.)

artifact

(n.) a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place (The scientists spent all day
artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization.)

cobbler

(n.) a person who makes or repairs shoes (I had my neighborhood cobbler replace
with new ones.)

deft

(adj.) dexterous, skillful, capable.nimble, clever (Having worked in a bakery for ma

bread maker.)

encore

(n.) the audience's demand for a repeat performance (At the end of the concert, a
Encore!" but the band did not come out to play again.)

hedonist

(n.) one who believes pleasure should be the primary pursuit of humans (Murray,
appreciated the 11 cases of wine I bought him.)

languid

(adj.) sluggish from fatigue or weakness (In the summer months, the great heat m
lazy.)

pariah

(n.) an outcast, avoided (Following the discovery of his plagiarism, Professor Hurle
academic circles.)

refurbish

(v.) to restore, clean up , renovate (The dingy old chair, after being refurbished, co
price of $200.)

tractable

(adj.) easily controlled (The horse was so tractable, Myra didn't even need a bridle

abstain

(v.) to freely choose not to commit an action (Everyone demanded that Angus put
want to do it and abstained.)

artisan

(n.) a craftsman (The aritsan uses wood to make walking sticks.)

coerce

(v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that Vi
been coerced into fighting.)

defunct

(adj.) no longer used or existing (They planned to turn the defunct schoolhouse in

encumber

(v.) to weigh down, burden (At the airport, my friend was encumbered by her lugg
of her bags.)

hegemony

(n.) domination over others (Britain's hegemony over its colonies was threatened
began to spread around the world.)

larceny

(n.) obtaining another's property by theft or trickery (When my car was not where
was a victim of larceny.)

parody

(n.) a satirical imitation (A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned
parody of his teaching style.)

refute

(v.) to prove wrong (Maria refuted the president's argument as she yelled and ges

tranquil

(adj.) calm, peaceful (There is a time of night when nothing moves and everything

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Word List 18
abstruse

(adj.) hard to comprehend (Everyone else in the class understood geometry easily
abstruse.)

ascertain

(v.) to perceive, learn (With a bit of research, the student ascertained that some p
without water.)

cogent

(adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene's arguments in favor of abstinence were so c

them.)

delegate

(v.) to hand over responsibility for something (The dean delegated the task of find
special hiring committee.)

enervate

(v.) to weaken, exhaust (Writing these sentences enervates me so much that I wil
finish.)

heinous

(adj.) shockingly wicked, hateful, repugnant (The killings were made all the more h
murderer first tortured his victims for three days.)

parsimony

(n.) frugality, stinginess (Many relatives beleieved that my aunt's wealth resulted

regurgitate

1. (v.) to vomit (Feeling sick, Chuck regurgated his dinner.)

transgress

(v.) to violate, go over a limit (The criminal's actions transgressed morality and hu

accede

(v.) to agree (When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball
but intead he acceded to their request.)

ascetic

(adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The priest

of all luxuries of life.)

cognizant

(adj.) aware, mindful (Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was co
drinking impairs his judgement.)

deleterious

(adj.) harmful (She experienced the deleterious effects of running a marathon with
enough beforehand.)

enfranchise

(v.) to grant the vote to , admit to citizenship, especially to the right of voting.(Th

heterogeneous

(adj.) varied, diverse in character (I hate having only one flavor so I always biy the
heterogeneous, type of ice cream.)

largess

(n.) generous, giving of lavish gifts (My boss demonstrated great largess by giving

partisan

(n.) a follower,supporter, adherent (The king did not believe that his rival could rou
overthrow the monarchy.)

relegate

1. (v.) to assign to the proper place (At the new job, Simon was relegated to the st
an inferior place (After spilling coffee on a customer, the waiter found himself rele
shift.)

transient

(adj.)tran-shuh nt, passing through briefly; lasting only short time, passing into an
virtually everyone in Palm Beach is a tourist, the population of the town is quite tr

accentuate

(v.) to stress,to give emphasis, highlight (Psychologists agree that those people wh
the positive in life.)

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Word List 20

(v.) to stress,to give emphasis, highlight (Psychologists agree that those people wh
the positive in life.)
ascribe

(v.) to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and dyn

coherent

(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what Monroe had
distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)

deliberate

(adj.) intentional, reflecting careful consideration (Though Mary was quite upset, h
dispute were deliberate.)

engender

(v.) to bring about, create, generate (During the Olympics, the victories of U.S. ath
spirit among Americans.)

hiatus

(n.) a break or gap in duration or continuity (The hiatus in service should last two
cable lines are repaired.)

latent

(adj.) hidden, but capable of being exposed, present but concealed. (Sigmund's dr
paranoid obsession with other people's shoes.)

patent

(adj.) readily seen or understood,explicit, clear (The reasonfor jim's abdominal pai
doctor performed a sonogram.)

relish

(v.) to enjoy (Pete always relished his bedtime snack.)

transmute

(v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed htat it was possible to

accessible

(adj.) obtainable, reachable (After scoring well on the SAT, Marlena happily realise
into an Ivy-League college was accessible.)

aspersion

(n.) a curse, expression of ill-will, attack on one's statement(The rival politicians re

each others' integrity.)

collateral

1. (adj.) secondary, parallel (Divorcing my wife had the collateral effect of making
a debt (Jacob left his watch as collateral for the loan.)

delineate

(v.) to describe, outline, shed light on (She neatly delineated her reasons for cance

enigmatic

(adj.) mystifying, cryptic (That man wearing the dark suit and dark glasses is so en
knows his name.)

hierarchy

(n.) ranked groups, usually according to social, economic, or professional class (W

to break into the upper ranks of the department's hierarchy.)

laudatory

(adj.) expressing admiration or praise (Such laudatory comments are unusual from
reserved in his opinions.)

pathology

(n.) a deviation from the normal (Dr. Hastings had difficulty identifying the precise

remedial

(adj.) intended to repair gaps in students' basic knowledge (After his teacher disco
was forced to enroll in remedial English.)

travesty

(n.) a grossly inferior imitation (Accordingly to the school newspaper's merciless th

High's rendition of the musical Oklahoma was a travesty of the original.)

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Word List 22
acclaim

(n.) high praise (Greg's excellent poem won the acclaim of his friends.)

aspire

(v.) to long for, aim toward (Dave aspires to publish a book someday.)

colloquial

(adj.) characteristic of informal conversation (Adam's essay was marked down bec
colloquial expressions.)

demagogue

(n.) a leader who appeals to a people's prejudices (The demagogue blamed immig

enmity

(n.) ill will, hatred, hostility (Mark and Andy have clearly not forgiven each other, b
them is obvious to everyone.)

hypocrisy

(n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician passed legislatio
policy, his hypocrisy became apparent.)

lavish

(adj.) given without limits (Because they had worked very hard, the performers ap
praise.)

pathos

(n.) an emotion of sympathy (Martha filled with pathos upon discovering the scraw
door.)

remiss

(adj.) negligent, failing to take care (Thr burglar gained entrance because the secu
duties, forgot to lock the door.)

0 tremulous

(adj.) fearful (I always feel tremulous when walking through a graveyard.)

Word List 23
accolade

(n.) high praise, special distinction (We offered accolades to Sam for winning the N

collusion

(n.) secret agreement, conspiracy (The three law students worked in collusion to s

demarcation

(n.) the marking of boundaries or categories (Different cultures have different dem

ennui

(n.) boredom caused by depression, weariness (I feel such ennui that I don't look f
my birthday party.)

hypothetical

(adj.) supposed or assumed true, but unproven (The success of the drug when tes
hypothetical.)

legerdemain

(n.) deception, slight-of-hand, magical trick. (Smuggling the French plants through
that they were fake was a remarkable bit of legerdemain.)

paucity

(adj.) small in quantity (Gilbert lamented the paucity of twentieth century literatur
college.)

renovate

(v.) to enlarge and make prettier, especially a house (After getting renovated, the

trenchant

(adj.) effective, articulate, clear-cut (The directions that accompanied my new cell
easy to follow.)

Word List 24
accomodating

(adj.) helpful, obliging, polite (Though the apartment was not big enough for three
Zebulon were accomodating to each other.)

assail

(v.) to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbour.)

colossus

(n.) a gigantic thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus s

demean

(v.) to lower the status or stature of something (She refused to demean her secret
lunch.)

entail

(v.) to include as a necessary step (Building a new fence entails tearing down the

iconoclast

(n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions (Jane goes to one protest after
be an iconoclast rather than an activist.)

lenient

(adj.) demonstrating tolerance or gentleness (Because Professor Oglethorpe allow

their final grades, the other teachers thought he was excessively lenient.)

pejorative

(adj.) derogatory,belittling, disparaging, uncomplimentary (The evening's headline

international scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had m
leader.)

renown

(n.) honor, accalim (The young actor earned international renown by winning the O

trepidation

(n.) fear, apprehension (Feeling great trepidation, Anya refused to jump into the p
saw a shark in it.)

accord

(n.) an agreement (After much negotiating Engand and Iceland finally came to a m
about fishing rights off the coast of Greenland.)

assess

(v.) to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash.)

combustion

(n.) the act or process of burning (The unexpected combustion of the prosecution'
to dismiss the case against Ramirez.)

demure

(adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing an
demure.)

enthrall

(v.) to charm, hold spellbound (The sailor's stories of fighting off sharks and findin
enthralled his young son.)

idiosyncratic

(adj.) peculiar to one person; highly individualized (Your mistakes were highly idios
deny your request for a retest.)

lethargic

(adj.) in a state of sluggishness or apathy (When Jean Claude explained to his boss
didnt feel like working, the boss fired him.)

pellucid

(adj.) easily intelligible, clear in meaning,allowing the maximum passage of light (

pellucid to the common man, Albert Camus avoided using complicated grammar w
Stranger.)
(n.) to reject (Fiona's renunciation of red meat resulted in weight loss, but confuse
she'd been a vegetarian for years.)

Word List 25

renunciation
trite

(adj.) not original, overused (Keith thought of himself as being very learned, but e
trite because his observations were always the same as David Letterman's.)

Word List 26
accost

(v.) to confront verbally (Though Antoinette was normally quite calm , when the w
twice she stood up and accosted the man.)

assiduous

(adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the skyscraper dur
labor.)

commendation

(n.) a notice of approval or recognition (Jared received a commendation from Lind

stellar performance.)

denigrate

(v.) to belittle, diminish the opinion of (The company decided that its advertiseme
denigrate the company's competitors.)

ephemeral

(adj.) short-lived, fleeting (She promise she'd love me forever, but her "forever" w
me after one week.)

idolatrous

(adj.) excessively worshipping one object or person (Xena's idolatrous fawning ove
beginning to get on my nerves.)

liability

1. (n.) a handicap, burden (Because she often lost her concentration and didn't pla
liability to the team.)

penchant

(n.) a tendency, partiality, preference (Jill's dinner parties quickly became monoto
penchant for mexican dishes.)

repentant

(adj.) penitent, sorry (The repentant, sorry (The repentant Dennis apologized profu
mother's vase.)

truculent

(adj.) ready to fight, cruel (This club doesn't really attract the dangerous types, so
so truculent.)

Word List 27
accretion

(n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed by the accretion of mine

assuage

(v.) to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears.)

commensurate

(adj.) corresponding in size or amount, having a common measure (Ahab selected

proceeded to prepare a sandwich commensurate with his enormous appetite.)

denounce

(v.) to criticize publicly (Rob denounced his opponent for being greedy.)

epistolatory

(adj.) relating to or contained in letters, constructed in the form of a series of lette

a close epistolatory relationship that we write to each other every day.)

ignominious

(adj.) humiliating, disgracing (It was really igniminious to be kicked out of the dorm
stove in my room.)

libertarian

(adj.) advocating principles of liberty and free will (The dissatisfied subjects overth
replaced him with a libertarian ruler who respected their democratic principles.)

penitent

(adj.) remorseful, regretful (The jury's verdict may have been more lenient if the c
penitent for his gruesome crimes.)

replete

(adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words.)

truncate

(v.) to shorten by cutting off (After winning the derby, the jockey truncated the lon
and thanked only his mom and his horse.)

Word List 28
acerbic

(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cru
friends.)

astute

(adj.) very clever, crafty (Much of Roger's success in politics results from his ability
to reporter's questions.)

commodious

(adj.) roomy (Holden invited his friends to join him in the back seat of the taxicab,
was quite commodious.)

deplore

(v.) to feel or express sorrow, disapproval (We all deplored the miserable working

epitome

(n.) a perfect example, embodiment (My mother, the epitome of good taste, alway
than I do.)

illicit

(adj.) forbidden, not permitted (The fourth-grader learned many illicit words from a
passed around school.)

licentious

(adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints (Marilee has always been fascin
private lives of politicians.)

penultimate

(adj.) next to last (Having smoked the penultimate cigarette remaining in the pack
cigarette and resolved to quit smoking.)

reprehensible

(adj.) deserving rebuke .blameworthy. (Jean's cruel and reprehensible attempt to d

birthday led to tears and recriminations.)

turgid

(adj.) swollen, excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer di

really felt about his turgid prose.)

acquiesce

(v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Correlli wanted to stay outside, when
he acquiesced to her demands.)

asylum

1. (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary (The forest served as an asylum f

life.) 2. (n.) an institution for the insane (Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatris
asylum.)

compelling

(adj.) forceful, demanding attention (Eliot's speech was so compelling that his bos
spot.)

depravity

(n.) wickedness (Rumors of the ogre's depravity made the children afraid of it.)

equanimity

(n.) composure, mental calmness (Even though he had just been fired, Mr. Simms
wishing everyone in the office well.)

immerse

(v.) to absorb, deeply involve, engross (After breaking up with her boyfriend, Nanc
in her work in order to avoid crying.)

limpid

(adj.) clear, transparent (Mr. Johnson's limpid writing style greatly pleased readers
novels.)

penurious

(adj.) miserly, stingy (Stella complained that her husband's penurious ways made
lifestyle she felt she deserved.)

Word List 29

reprieve

(n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particu

hundreds of reprives to prisoners.)

turpitude

(n.) depravity, moral corruption (Sir Marcus's chivalry often contrasted with the tu
ladies at the tavern.)

acrimony

(n.) bitterness, discord (Biff and Trevor had their friendship marred with acrimony
with Teresa.)

atone

(v.) to repent, make amends (The man atoned for forgetting his wife's birthday by
roses.)

compensate

(v.) to make an appropriate payment for somehting (Reginald bought Sharona a n

for the one he'd spilled his ice cream on.)

deprecate

(v.) to belittle, depreciate (Always over-modest, he deprecated his contribution to

equivocal

(adj.) ambiguous, uncertain, undecided (His intentions were so equivocal that I did
being chivalrous or sleazy.)

immutable

(adj.) not changeable (The laws of physics are immutable and constant.)

linchpin

(n.) something that holds separate parts together (The linchpin in the prosecution
defendant's head, which was found at the scene of the crime.)

perfidious

(adj.) disloyal, unfaithful (After the official was caught selling government secrets
executed for his perfidious ways.)

reproach

(v.) to scold, disapprove (Brian reapproached the cutomer for failing to rewind the

ubiquitous

(adj.) existing everywhere, widespread (It seems that everyone in the United State
technology is ubiquitous here.)

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Word List 31
acumen

(n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure o
took other students hours.)

atrophy

(v.) to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will soon

complacency

(n.) self-satisfied, self regard, ignorance of danger (Colin shocked his friends out o
painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.)

derelict

(adj.) abandoned, person without home, in poor condition due to neglect, (Even th
children enjoyed going to the deserted lot and playing in the derelict house.)

erudite

(adj.) learned, knowledgeable (My Latin teacher is such an erudite scholar that he
most difficult and abstruse ancient poetry.)

impassive

(adj.) stoic, not susceptible to suffering (Stop being so impassive; it's healthy to cr

lithe

(adj.) thin and graceful, flexible, supple (Although the dancers were all outstandin
lithe body was particularly impressive.)

reprobate

(adj.) (of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection., s
enthusiasm (The radio broadcaster announced announced the news of the massac
perfunctory manner.)
(adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.)

umbrage

(n.) resentment, offense (He called me a lily-livered coward, and I took umbrage a

acute

1. (adj.) sharp, severe (Arnold could not walk because the pain in his foot was so a
insight (Because she was so acute, Libby instantaly figured out how the magician

attain

(v.) to achieve, arrive at (The athletes strived to attain their best times.)

complement

(v.) to complete, make perfect (Ann's scarf complements her blouse.)

deride

(v.) to laugh at mockingly,express contempt for; ridicule., a scorn (The bullies deri

eschew

(v.) to shun, avoid (George hates the color green so much that he eschews all gree

impeccable

(adj.) exemplary, flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your sister's, then
for a graduation present.)

litigant

(n.) someone engaged in a lawsuit (When the litigants began screaming at each o
them to be silent.)

permeate

(v.) to spread throughout, saturate (Mrs. Huxtable was annoyed that the wet dog's
furniture's upholstery.)

reprove

(v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his
pie.)

uncanny

(adj.) of supernatural character or origin, extraordinary: (Luka had an uncanny abi

other people were thinking.)

adamant

(adj.) impervious, immovable, unyielding (Though public pressure was intense, the
adamant about his proposal.)

attribute

1. (v.) to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother's undying enc
or trait (Among the beetle's most peculiar attributes is its thorny protruding eyes.)

compliant

(adj.) ready to adapt oneself to another's wishes, obeying, submissive (Sue had ve
what to do on a first date, and Ted was absolutely compliant.)

derivative

(adj.) taken directly from a source, unoriginal (She was bored by his music becaus
derivative and that she had heard it before.)

esoteric

(adj.) understood by only a select few (Even the most advanced students cannot u
esoteric theories.)

impecunious

(adj.) poor ("I feel he's too impecunious to take me out tonight", the girl whined.)

lucid

(adj.) clear, easily understandable (Because Guenevere's essay was so lucid, I onl
understand her reasoning.)

perfunctory

Word List 32

Word List 33

(adj.) clear, easily understandable (Because Guenevere's essay was so lucid, I onl
understand her reasoning.)
pernicious

(adj.) extremely destructive or harmful (The new government feared that the Com
have a pernicious influence on the nation.)

repudiate

(v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his
repudiated with a few biting words.)

unctuous

(adj.) smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner, characterized by excessiv

fervor (The unctuous receptionist seemed untrustworthy, as if she was only being
we might give her a tip.)

Word List 34
adept

(adj.) extremely skilled (Tarzan was adept at jumping from tree to tree.)

atypical

(adj.) not typical, unusual (Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior.)

complicit

(adj.) being an accomplice in a wrongful act, involved in an illegal act (By keeping
secret, Maddie became complicit in it.)

desecrate

(v.) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place (They feared that the construction
desecrate the preserved wilderness.)

espouse

(v.) to take up as a cause, adopt, embrace, support (I love animals so much that I

imperative

1. (adj.) necessary,unavoidable:, pressing (It is imperative that you have these fo

2. (n.) a rule, command, or order (Her imperative to have the folders organized by
ridiculous by the others.)

luminous

(adj.) brightly shining (The light of the luminous moon graced the shoulders of the

perplex

(v.) to confuse (Brad was perplexed by his girlfriend's suddenly distant manner.)

repulse

1. (v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush h

(With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to stomach, Lacy repulsed Jack's

undulate

(v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew, the placid ocean began to und
degree.)

adhere

1. (n.) to stick to something (We adhered the poster to the wall with a tape.) 2. (n.
adhered to the techings of his religion.)

audacious

(adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan's audacious att

compliment

(n.) an expression of esteem or approval (I blushed crimson when Emma gave me

haircut.)

desiccated

(adj.) dried up, dehydrated (The desiccated mummy looked hideous.)

ethereal

(adj.) heavenly, exceptionally delicate or refined (In her flowing silk gown and lace
etheral.)

imperious

(adj.) commanding, domineering (The imperious nature of your manner led me to

Word List 35

lurid

(adj.) ghastly, terrible in intensity, sensational (Gideon's story in which he describe

sister's dolls, was judged too lurid to be printed in the school's literary magazine.)

perspicacity

(adj.) shrewdness, perceptive (The detective was too humble to acknowledge that
reason for his professional success.)

reputable

(adj.) of good reputation (After the most reputable critic in the industry gave the n
took off.)

upbraid

(v.) to criticize or scold severely (The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upb
the rent payment.)

admonish

(v.) to caution, criticize, reprove (Joe's mother admonished him not to ruin his app
before dinner.)

audible

(adj.) able to be heard (The missing person's shouts were barely audible.)

compound

1. (n.) a combination of different parts (Donna's good grades are a compound of h

work.) 2. (n.) a walled area containing a group of buildings (When the fighting star
family compound.)

desolate

(adj.) deserted, dreary lifeless (She found the desolate landscape quite a contrast
the overcrowded city.)

etymology

(n.) the history of words, their origin and development (From the study of etymolo
"quixotic" derives from Don Quixote and the word "gaudy" refers to the Spanish ar

impertinent

(adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I dont wish t
answer.)

maelstrom

(n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects (Little did the explorers
next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.)

pert

(adj.) flippant, bold (My parents forgave Sandra's pert humor at the dinner table b
since they had last seen her.)

requisition

(n.) a demand for goods, usually made by an authority (During the war, the gover
supplies.)

usurp

(v.) to seize by force (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the governm
most of the army backed the legally elected president.)

adorn

(v.) to decorate (We adorned the tree with ornaments.)

augment

(v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of Fren
French literature.)

comprehensive

(adj.) including everything (She sent me a comprehensive list of guests.)

despondent

(adj.) feeling depressed, discouraged, hopeless (The despondent child saw no use
and failed understandably.)

euphoric

(adj.) elated, intensely happy, uplifted (I was euphoric when I found out that my si
twins.)

impervious

(adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur
impervious to the cold.)

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Word List 37

(adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur
impervious to the cold.)
magnanimous

(adj.) noble, generous (Although I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacquelin
enough to continue letting me use them.)

perusal

(n.) a careful examination, review (The actor agreed to accept the role after a two
script.)

rescind

(v.) to take back, repeal (The company rescinded its offer of employment after dis
was full of lies.)

utilitarian

(adj.) relating to or aiming at usefulness (The beautiful, fragile vase couldn't hold
utilitarian purpose.)

adroit

(adj.) skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick anyone's pocket.)

auspicious

(adj.) favorable, indicative of good things (The tennis player considered the sunny
that she would win her match.)

compress

(v.) to apply pressure, squeeze together (Lynn compressed her lips tightly.)

despot

(n.) one who has total power and rules brutally.oppressor. (The despot issued a de
disobeyed his laws.)

evanescent

(adj.) fleeting, momentary (My joy at getting promoted was evanescent because I
to work much longer hours in a less friendly office.)

impetuous

(adj.) rash; hastily done (Hilda's hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous, thoug

malediction

(n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against th
police department.)

pervasive

(adj.) having the tendency to spread throughout (Stepping off the plane in Havana
odor of sugar cane fields on fire.)

reservoir

1. (n.) reserves, large supply (Igor the Indomitable had quite a reservoir of strengt
even after running 700 miles, and jumping over three mountains.)

utopia

(n.) an imaginary and remote place of perfection (Everyone in the world wants to
can agree how to go about building one.)

adulation

(n.) extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe it de
received.)

austere

(adj.) very bare, bleak (The austere furniture in the house made the place feel hau

compunction

(n.) distress caused by feeling guilty (He felt compunction for the shabby way he'

destitute

(adj.) impoverished, utterly lacking (The hurricane destroyed many homes and lef

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Word List 39

evince

(v.) to show, reveal (Christopher's hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervo
English test.)

impinge

1. (v.) to impact, affect, make an impression (The hail impinged the roof, leaving la
encroach, infringe (I apologize for impinging upon you like this, but I really need to

malevolent

(adj.) wanting harm to befall others (The malevolent old man sat in the park all da
passersby with his cane.)

petulance

(n.) rudeness, irritability (The Nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate th

resilient

(adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The resilient b
from his wrist injury.)

vacillate

(v.) to fluctuate, hesitate (I prefer a definite answer, but my boss kept vacillating b
available to us.)

adumbrate

(v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none o
what to do.)

avarice

(n.) excessive greed (The banker's avarice led him to amass a huge personal futur

concede

(v.) to accept as valid (Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Di

deter

(v.) to discourage, prevent from doing (Bob's description of scary snakes couldn't
in the rainforests.)

exacerbate

(v.) to make more violent, intense (The gruesome and scary movie I saw last night
dark.)

implacable

(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun Grandm
implacable.)

malleable

(adj.) capable of being shaped or transformed (Maximillian's political opinions wer

he talked to was able to change his mind.)

philanthropic

(adj.) charitable, giving (Many people felt that the billionaire's decision to donate h
homeless was the ultimate philanthropic act.)

resolute

(adj.) firm, determined (With a resolute glint in her eye, Catherine announced that
college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings.)

vacuous

(adj.) lack of contents or ideas, stupid (Beyonce realized that the lyrics she had jus
vacuous and tried to add more substance.)

adverse

(adj.) antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous (Because of adverse conditions, the hi

trying to climb the mountain.)

avenge

(v.) to seek revenge (The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive t
the men who robbed them.)

conciliatory

(adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda's invitation to dinner as a very conciliato

Word List 40
32
....

Word List 41

(adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda's invitation to dinner as a very conciliato

devious

(adj.) not straightforward, deceitful (Not wanting to be punished, the devious girl b
the cat.)

exalt

(v.) to glorify, praise (Michael Jordan is the figure in basketball we exalt the most.)

implement

1. (v.) to put into effect, to institute (The mayor recently implemented a new polic
catch perpetrators in the act.)

mandate

(n.) an authoritative command (In the Old Testament, God mandates that no one s

phlegmatic

(adj.) uninterested, unresponsive (Monique feared her dog was ill after the animal
favorite chew toy.)

resolve

1. (v.) to find a solution (Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook ha
(Lady Macbeth resolved to whip her husband into shape.)

validate

(v.) to confirm, support, corroborate (Yoko's chemistry lab partner was asleep duri
not validate the accuracy of her methods.)

advocate

(v.) to argue in favor of something (Arnold advocated turning left at the stop sign.)

aversion

(n.) a particular dislike for something (Because he's from Hawaii, Ben has an avers
cold climates in general.)

concise

(adj.) brief and direct in expression (Gordon did not like to waste time, and his inst
nothing if not concise.)

dialect

(n.) a variation of language (In the country's mountainous regions, the inhabitants
outsiders had difficulty understanding.)

exasperate

(v.) to irritate, irk (George's endless complaints exasperate his roomate.)

implicate

(v.) to involve in an incriminating way, incriminate, to connect or involve in crimin

though Tom wasn't present at the time of the shooting, he was implicated by the e

manifest

1. (v.) to show plainly (His illness manifested itself with particularly violent hiccups

pillage

(v.) to seize or plunder, especially in war (Invading enemy soldiers pillaged the ho
country's border.)

respite

(n.) a break, rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the noise.)

vapid

(adj.) lacking liveliness, dull (The professor's comments about the poem were surp

aerial

(adj.) related to air (We watched as the fighter planes conducted aerial maneuvers

balk

(v.) to stop, block abruptly (Edna's boss balked at her request for another raise.)

concoct

(v.) to fabricate, make up (She concocted the most ridiculous story.)

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Word List 43

diaphanous

(adj.) light, airy, transparent (Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains,

excavate

(v.) to dig out of the ground and remove (The pharaoh's treasures were excavated

implicit

(adj.) understood but not outwardly obvious, implied (I know Professor Smith didn
from personal experience, but I think such a message was implicit in her instructio

manifold

(adj.) diverse, varied (The popularity of Dante's Inferno is partly due to the fact th
manifold interpretations.)

pinnacle

(n.) the highest point (Book reviewers declared that the author's new novel was ex
the pinnacle of Western literature.)

resplendent

(adj.) shiny, glowing (The partygoers were resplendent in fancy dresses.)

variegated

(adj.) diversified, distinctly marked (Each wire in the engineering exam was varieg
students could figure out which one was which.)

Word List 44
aesthetic

(adj.) artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty (We hired Susan as our interior
such a fine aesthetic sense.)

ballad

(n.) a love song (Greta's boyfriend played her a ballad on the guitar.)

concomitant

(adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion, existing or occurring with something

work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.)

didactic

1. (adj.) intended to instruct (She wrote up a didactic document showing new emp
company's customers.) 2. (adj.) overly moralistic (His didactic style of teaching ma
persuade his students to understand history from only one point of view.)

exculpate

(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate (My discovery of the ring behind the dre
charge of having stolen it.)

impregnable

(adj.) resistant to capture or penetration (Though the invaders used battering ram
dances, the fortress proved impregnable and resisted all attacks.)

maudlin

(adj.) weakly sentimental (Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usua
shallow.)

pithy

(adj.) concisely meaningful (My father's long-winded explanation was a stark contr
statements.)

restitution

(n.) restoration to the rightful owner, compensation for loss (Many people feel tha
should receive restitution for the sufferings of their ancestors.)

vehemently

(adv.) marked by intense force or emotion (The candidate vehemently opposed cu

funding.)

affable

(adj.) friendly, amiable (People like to be around George because he is so affable a

Word List 45

(adj.) friendly, amiable (People like to be around George because he is so affable a

banal

(adj.) dull, commonplace (The client rejected our proposal because they found our
unimpressive.)

concord

(n.) harmonious agreement (Julie and Harold began the evening with a disagreem
perfect concord.)

diffident

(adj.) shy, quiet, modest (While eating dinner with the adults, the diffident youth d
seeming presumptous.)

excursion

(n.) a trip or outing (After taking an excursion to the Zoo, I dreamed about pandas

impudent

(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young man looked at the
was pretty, though she hadn't asked him.)

maverick

(n.) an independent, nonconformist person (Andreas is a real maverick and always

pittance

(n.) a very small amount, especially relating to money (Josh complained that he w
great amount of work he did at the firm.)

restive

(adj.) resistant, stubborn, impatient (The restive audience pelted the band with mu
comments.)

veneer

(n.) a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, faade (Thanks to her Chan

able to maintain a veneer of perfection that hid the flaws underneath.)

Word List 46
affinity

(n.) a spontaneous feeling of closeness (Jerry didn't know why, but he felt an incre
first time they met.)

bane

(n.) a burden (Advanced physics is the bane of my students' academic lives.)

condolence

(n.) an expression of sympathy in sorrow (Brian lamely offered his condolences on

roommate's cat.)

diffuse

1. (v.) to scatter, thin out, break up (He diffused the tension in the room by makin
concentrated, scattered, disorganized (She tried unsuccessfully to make others un
thoughts.)

execrable

(adj.) loathsome, detestable (Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me sick.)

impute

(v.) to ascribe, blame (The CEO imputed the many typos in the letter to his lazy se

mawkish

(adj.) maudlin, characterized by sick sentimentally, weakly emotional,slightly naus

nineteenth-century critics viewed Dickens' writing as mawkish, contemporary read
emotional depth on his works.)

placate

(v.) to ease the anger of, soothe (The man purchased a lollipop to placate his irrita

retract

(v.) withdraw (As the media worked itself into a frenzy , the publicist hurriedly retr
statement.)

venerable

(adj.) deserving of respect because of age or achievment (The venerable Supreme

several key rulings in landmark cases throughout the years.)

Word List 47
affluent

(adj.) rich, wealthy (Mrs. Grebelski was affluent, owning a huge house, three cars,

bard

(n.) a poet, often a singer as well (Shakespeare is often considered the greatest ba
English language.)

condone

(v.) to pardon, deliberately overlook (He refused to condone Rick's crime.)

dilatory

(adj.) tending to delay, causing delay (The general's dilatory strategy enabled the

exhort

(v.) to urge, prod, spur (Henry exhorted his colleagues to join him in protesting ag
policies.)

insane

(adj.) silly and meaningless (Some films are so insane that the psychology of the c
no sense.)

maxim

(n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Miss Manners's etiquette

entertaining and instructional.)

placid

(adj.) calm, peaceful (The placid lake surface was as smooth as glass.)

revel

(v.) to enjoy intensely (Theodore reveled in his new status as the boss.)

venerate

(v.) to regard with respect or to honor (The tribute to John Lennon sought to vener
his legend.)

Word List 48
affront

(n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront.)

bashful

(adj.) shy, excessively timid (Frankie's mother told him not to be bashful when he
birthday party.)

conduit

(n.) a pipe or channel through which something passes (The water flowed through
container.)

diligent

(adj.) showing care in doing one's work, attentive and persistent (The diligent res
her measurements multiple times.)

exigent

(adj.) urgent, critical (The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he w

inarticulate

(adj.) incapable of expressing oneself clearly through speech (The lecturer was so
had no idea what he was talking about.)

meager

(adj.) deficient in size or quality (My meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy

platitude

(n.) an uninspired remark, clich, a flat, dull, or trite remark (After reading over he
that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.)

revere

(v.) to esteem, show deference, venerate (The doctor saved countless lives and be

veracity

(n.) truthfulness, accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports, it was diffi
against its veracity.)

Word List 49
aggrandize

(v.) to increase or make greater (Joseph always dropped the names of the famous
way to aggrandize his personal stature.)

battery

(n.) assault, beating (Her husband was accused of assault and battery after he att
sidewalk.)

confection

(n.) a sweet, fancy food (We went to the mall food court and purchased a delicious

diminutive

(adj.) small or miniature (The bullies picked on the diminutive child.)

exonerate

(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exculpate (The true thief's confession exonerated
in custody for the crime.)

incarnate

1. (adj.) existing in the flesh, embodied (In the church pageant, I play the role of g

medley

(n.) a mixture of differing things (Susannah's wardrobe contained an astonishing m

green to fluorescent pink.)

plaudits

(n.) enthusiastic approval, applause (The controversial new film received plaudits
critics.)

revoke

(v.) to take back, withdraw; cancel (After missing the curfew set by the court for e
freedom of movement was revoked.)

verbose

(adj.) wordy, impaired by wordiness (It took the verbose teacher two hours to expl
have taken only fifteen minutes.)

Word List 50
aggregate

1. (n.) a whole or total (The three branches of the U.S. Government form an aggre
than its individual parts.)

beguile

(v.) to trick, deceive (The thief beguiled us into surrending all of our money.)

confidant

(n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, she became my chief c

dirge

(n.) a mournful song, specially for a funeral (The bagpipers played a dirge as the c
cemetry.)

exorbitant

(adj.) excessive (Her exorbitant praise made me blush and squirm in my seat.)

incendiary

1. (adj.) inflammatory, causing combustion (Gas and lighter fluid are incendiary m
out of hot storage areas.)

mendacious

(adj.) having a lying, false character ,untruthful (the mendacious content of the ta
entertaining.)

plausible

(adj.) believable, reaosnable (He studied all the data and then came up with a pla
factors into account.)

rhapsodize

(v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic rhapsodized about the movie, ca

verdant

(adj.) green in tint or color (The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look e

Word List 51
aggrieved

(adj.) distressed, wronged, injured (The foreman mercilessly overworked his aggrie

behemoth

(n.) something of tremendous power or size (The new aircraft career is among sev
Force has added to its fleet.)

conflagration

(n.) great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building.)

disaffected

(adj.) rebellious, resentful of authority (Dismayed by Bobby's poor behavior, the p

son to a military academy to be disciplined.)

expedient

(adj.) advisable, advantageous, serving one's self-interest (In this bid for reelection
expedient move by tabling all controversial legislation.)

incessant

(adj.) unending (We wanted to go outside and play, but the incessant rain kept us

mercurial

(adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was widely

mathematical proofs, the mercurial genius was impossible to live with.)

plenitude

(n.) an abundance (My grandmother was overwhelmed by the plenitude of tomato

season.)

ribald

(adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous, vulgar or indecent in speech, language (While s

joke involving a parson's daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.)

vestige

(n.) a mark or trace of something lost or vanished (Do you know if the Mexican tor
form of Aztec corn-based flat bread?)

agile

(adj.) quick, nimble (The dogs were too slow to catch the agile rabbit.)

benevolent

(adj.) marked by goodness or doing good (Police officers should be commended fo

the community.)

confluence

(n.) a gathering together (A confluence of different factors made tonight the perfe

disavow

(v.) to deny knowledge of or responsibility for (Not wanting others to criticize her,
involvement in the company's hiring scandal.)

expiate

(v.) to make amends for, atone (To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to

inchoate

(adj.) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage (The coutnry's government is sti

has no great tradition, quite unstable.)

meritorious

(adj.) worthy of esteem or reward (Manfred was given the congressional medal of
actions.)

plethora

(n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters pi

rife

(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist's writing was rife with spelling e

vex

(v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for h

Word List 52

Word List 53
agnostic

(adj.) believing that that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven (Joe
religious, but he is agnostic.)

benign

(adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild, healthful (We were all relieved to hear that
determined her tumor to be benign.)

conformist

(n.) one who behaves the same as others (Julian was such a conformist that he wa
something before he would commit.)

discern

(v.) to perceive, detect (Though he hid his emotions, she discerned from his body

expunge

(v.) to obliterate, eradicate, erase (Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to exp
evidence from his tax files.)

incisive

(adj.) clear, sharp, direct (The discussion wasn't going anywhere until her incisive
to see what the true issues were.)

metamorphosis

(n.) the change of form, shape, substance (Winnifred went to the gym every day f
metamorphosis from a waiflike girl to an athletic woman.)

pliable

(adj.) flexible (Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not b

ruminate

(v.) to contemplate, reflect (Terry liked to ruminate while sitting on the banks of th
the water.)

vicarious

(adj.) experiencing through another (All of my lame friends learned to be social th

in my amazing experiences.)

Word List 54
agriculture

(n.) farming (It was a huge step in the progress of civilization when tribes began to
methods of obtaining food, such as agriculture.)

bequeath

(v.) to pass on, give, entrust (Jon's father bequeathed his entire estate to his moth

confound
disclose

(v.) to frustrate, confuse, to throw into increased confusion (Mark confounded the
covering
his tracks.)
(v.) to reveal,
make public (The CEO disclosed to the press that the company woul
employees.)

expurgate

(v.) to remove offensive or incorrect parts, usually of a book (The history editors e
disparging and inflammatory comments.)

inclination

(n.) a tendency, propensity (Sarah has an inclination to see every foreign film she
she's sure that she won't like it.)

meticulous

(adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the bride's gown w
handiwork.)

poignant

(adj.) deeply affecting, moving (My teacher actually cried after reading to us the p
novel.)

ruse

(n.) a trick (Oliver concoted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to me
simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.)

vicissitude

(n.) mutability., a change or variation occurring in the course of something., event

vicissitude of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one d

aisle

(n.) a passageway between rows of seats (Once we got inside the stadium we wal
seats.)

berate

(v.) to scold vehemently (The angry boss berated his employees every day.)

congeal

(v.) to thicken into a solid (The sauce had congealed into a thick paste.)

discomfit

(v.) to thwart (to oppose successfully) to confuse, baffle (The normally cheery and
misery discomfited the teacher.)

extant

(adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost (My mother's extant love letters to my father

incontrovertible

(adj.) indisputable (Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovert

mitigate

(v.) to make less violent, alleviate (When I had an awful sore throat, only warm tea

polemic

(n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion (My brother launched into a
arguments in support of Capitalism.)

saccharine

(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Tom's saccharine manner, although intended to make him
his classmates.)

vigilant

(adj.) watchful, alert (The guards remained vigilant throughout the night, but the e
expected attack.)

alacrity

(n.) eagerness, speed, cheerful readiness (Chuck loved to help his mother whenev
mother asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)

bereft

(adj.) devoid of, without (The poor family was bereft of food and shelter.)

congenial

(adj.) pleasantly agreeable, pleasing in nature (His congenial manner made him p

discordant

(adj.) not agreeing, not in harmony with (The girls' sobs were a discordant sound a
that filled the restaurant.)

extol

(v.) to praise, revere (Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-lo

incorrigible

(adj.) incapable of correction, delinquent (You can buy Grandma nicotine gum all y
after sixty-five years of smoking she's incorrigible.)

moderate

1. (adj.) not extreme (Luckily, the restaurant we chose had moderate prices; none
(n.) one who expresses moderate opinions (Because he found both the liberal and
excessive, Mr. Park sided with the moderates.)

Word List 55

Word List 56

portent

(n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister's path while she was walking to
portent that she would do badly on her spelling test.)

sacrosanct

(adj.) holy, something that should not be criticized (In the United States, the Cons
a sacrosanct document.)

vilify

(v.) to lower in importance, defame (After the Watergate scandal, almost any story
Nixon sought to vilify him.)

Word List 57
alias

(n.) a false name or identity (He snuck past the guards by using an alias.)

beseech

(v.) to beg, plead, implore (The prisoner beseeched the king for mercy.)

congregation

(n.) a gathering of people, especially for religious services (The priest told the con
retiring.)

discrepancy

(n.) difference, failure of things to correspond (He was troubled by the discrepancy
remembered paying for the appliance and what his receipt showed he paid for it.)

extraneous

(adj.) irrelevant, extra, not necessary (Personal political ambitions should always r
legislative policy.)

increment

(n.) an enlargement; the process of increasing (The workmen made the wall longe

modicum

(n.) a small amount of soemthing (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitiv

boss's affair in front of the entore office.)

potable

(adj.) suitable for drinking (During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a su
salty ocean water is not safe for drinking.)

sagacity

(n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective (With remarkable sagacity, the wise old
children's plan to ship him off to a nursing home.)

vindicate

(v.) to avenge; to free from allegation; to set free (The attorney had no chance of v
with all the evidence against him.)

allay

(v.) to soothe, ease (The chairman of the Federal Reserve gave a speech to try to
an economic downturn.)

bias

(n.) a tendency, inclination, prejudice (The judge's hidden bias against smokers le
decision.)

congruity

(n.) the quality of being in agreement (Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect congru

discretion

(n.) the quality of being reserved in speech or action; good judgement (The doctor
how much to tell the patient.)

extricate

(v.) to disentangle , disengage. (Instead of trying to meditate between my brother

myself from the family tension entirely and left the house for the day.)

incumbent

1. (n.) one who holds an office (The incumbent senator is already serving his fifth
is incumbent upon this organization to offer aid to all who seek it.)

Word List 58

modulate

(v.) to pass from one state to another, especially in music (The composer wrote a
between minor and major keys.)

potentate

(n.) one who has great power, a ruler (All the villagers stood along the town's mai
potentate's procession passed.)

salient

(adj.) significant, conspicuous (One of the salient differences between Alison and N
taller.)

vindictive

(adj.) vengeful, disposed or inclined to revenge (The vindictive madman seeks to e

insult that he perceives is directed at him, no matter how small.)

allege

(v.) to assert, usually without proof (The policeman had alleged that Marshall com
investigation turned up no evidence.)

bilk

(v.) cheat, defraud (The lawyer discovered that this film had bilked several clients

connive

(v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my vacation plans.)

discursive

(adj.) rambling, lacking order (The professor's discursive lectures seemed to be ab

one initially described.)

exult

(v.) to rejoice (When she found out she won the literature prize, Mary exulted by d
the school's hall.)

indefatigable

(adj.) incapable of defeat, failure, decay, untiring (Even after traveling 62 miles, t
on moving.)

mollify

(v.) to soften in temper (The police officer mollified the angry woman by giving he
ticket.)

pragmatic

(adj.) practical (The politicain argued that while increased security measures migh
of the nation, they were a pragmatic necessity to ensure everyone's safety.)

salutation

(n.) a greeting (Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation "Ahoy a

virtuoso

(n.) one who excels in an art; a highly skilled musical performer (Even though Lydi
years, she's only average at it. She's no virtuoso, that's for sure.)

alleviate

(v.) to relieve, make more bearable (This drug will alleviate the symptoms of the t
while.)

blandish

(v.) to coax by using flattery (Rachel's assistant tried to blandish her into acceptin

consecrate

(v.) to dedicate something to a holy purpose (Arvin consecrated his spare bedroom

disdain

1. (v.) to scorn, hold in low esteem, to think unworthy of notice, response (Insecur
employees disdained the recently hired ones, who were young and capable.) 2. (n
learning of his immoral actions, Justine held Lawrence in disdain.)

Word List 59

virtuoso

Word List 60

fabricate

(v.) to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to the class, I fabricated some
breaking down on the way to school.)

indigenous

(adj.) originating in a region (Some fear that these plants may choke out the vege
area.)

morass

(n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses, troubleso
lost her job, she could not get out of her financial morass.)

precipice

(n.) the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung fr
finding a handhold and pulling himself up.)

salve

(n.) a soothing balm (After Tony applied a salve to his sunburn, he soon felt a little

viscous

(adj.) not free flowing, syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.)

Word List 61
allocate

(v.) to distribute, set aside (The Mayor alloctaed 30 percent of the funds for impro

blemish

(n.) an imperfection, flaw (The dealer agreed to lower the price because of the ma
of the wooden furniture.)

consensus

(n.) an agreement of opinion (The jury was able to reach a consensus only after da

disgruntled

(adj.) upset, not content (The child believed that his parents had unjustly grounde
disgruntled for a week.)

faade

1. (n.) the wall of a building (Meet me in front of the museum's main faade.) 2. (n
attitude (Despite my smiling faade, I am feeling melancholy.)

indigent

(adj.) very poor, impoverished (I would rather donate money to help the indigent p
sculpture fund.)

mores

(n.) the moral attitudes and fixed customs of a group of people (Mores change ove
were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as being socially acceptable.)

preclude

(v.) to prevent (My grandfather's large and vicious guard dog precluded anyone fro

sanctimoniuos

(adj.) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety (The sanctimonious Bertrand gave

everyone, but thought nothing of stealing cars to make a living.)

vitriolic

(adj.) having a caustic quality (When angry, the woman would spew vitriolic insult

aloof

(adj.) reserved, distant (The scientist could sometimes seem aloof, as if he didn't c
family.)

blight

1. (n.) a plague, disease (The potato blight destroyed the harvest and bankrupted

consign

(v.) to give something over to another's care (Unwillingly, he consigned his mothe

disheartened

(adj.) feeling a loss of spirit or morale (The team was disheartened after losing in t

Word List 62

(adj.) feeling a loss of spirit or morale (The team was disheartened after losing in t
facile

1. (adj.) easy, requiring little effort (This game is so facile that even a four-year-old
superficial, insincere (The business was in such shambles that any solution seeme
could really help it in the long-run.)

indignation

(n.) anger sparked by soemthing unjust or unfair (I resigned from the sorority beca
hazing of new members.)

morose

(adj.) gloomy or sullen (Jason's morose nature made him very unpleasant.)

precocious

(adj.)prematurely developed, advanced, developing ahead of time (Derek was so

by the age of 10, he was already in the ninth grade.)

sanguine

(adj.) optimistic, cheery (Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and
hands you lemons, make lemonade!")

vituperate

(v.) to berate (Jack ran away as soon as his father found out, knowing he would be
unseemly behavior.)

altercation

(n.) a dispute, fight (Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car accident, lea

boisterous

(adj.) loud and full of energy (The candidate won the vote after giving several bois
television.)

consolation

(n.) an act of comforting (Darren found Alexandra's presence to be a consolation f

disparage

(v.) to criticize or speak ill of (The saleswoman disparaged the competitor's produc
customers to buy what she was selling.)

fallacious

(adj.) incorrect, misleading (Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumpt

indolent

(adj.) lazy (Why should my indolent children, who can't even pick themselves up o
own juice, be rewarded with a trip to the mall?)

multifarious

(adj.) having great diversity or variety (This Swiss Army knife has multifarious func
Among other things, it can act as a knife, a saw, a toothpick, and a slingshot.)

predilection

(n.) a preference or inclination for something (Francois has a predilection for eatin
ketchup, though I prefer to eat half-fried eggs.)

satiate

(v.) to satisfy excessively (Satiated after eating far too much turkey, Liza lay on th
and suffering from stomach pains.)

vivacious

(adj.) lively, sprightly (The vivacious clown makes all of the children laugh and gig

amalgamate

(v.) to bring together, unite (Because of his great charisma, the presidential candid
amalgamate everyone under his banner.)

bombastic

(adj.) overly confident, pompous (The singer's bombastic performance disgusted t

consonant

(adj.) in harmony (The singers' consonant voices were beautiful.)

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Word List 64

disparate

(adj.) sharply differing, containing sharply contrasting elements (Having widely va

had disparate responses toward the novel.)

fastidious

(adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards (Mark
never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him.)

indomitable

(adj.) not capable of being conquered (Jim's indomitable nature meant he could ne
anyone.)

mundane

(adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace (He is mor
mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.)

preponderance

(adj.) supriority in importance or quantity, superiority in weight, power, numbers,

of naval might secured the nation's role as a military power.)

scathing

(adj.) sharp, critical, hurtful, bitterly severe, as a remark (Two hours after breaking
thought of the perfect scathing retort to his accusations.)

vocation

(n.) profession (After growing tired of the superficial world of high-fashion, Edwina
a new vocation: social work.)

Word List 65
ambiguous

(adj.) uncertain, variably interpretable (Some people think Caesar married Cleopa
believe he was charmed by her beauty. His actual reasons are ambiguous.)

boon

(n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been a boon for many businesses loc

constituent

(n.) an essential part (The most important constituent of her perfume is something

dispatch

(v.) to send off to accomplish a duty (The carpenter dispatched his assitant to fetc

fathom

(v.) to understand, comprehend (I cannot fathom why you like that crabby and me

induce

ours.)
(v.) to bring about, stimulate (Who knew that our decision to boycott school lunch

ineffable

(adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words (It is said that the
dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.)

prepossessing

(adj.) occupying the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts or feelings (His prepo
impossible for me to think of anything else.)

scintillating

(adj.) sparkling, lively (The ice skater's scintillating rhinestone costume nearly blin

vociferous

(adj.) loud, boisterous, vigorous in demands or complaints. (I'm tired of his vocifer
up with him.)

Word List 66
ambivalent

(adj.) having opposing feelings (My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent; he is a lo
cruel and vicious thief.)

bourgeois

(n.) a middle-class person, capitalist (Many businessmen receive criticism for their

constrain

(v.) to forcibly restrict (His belief in nonviolence constrained him from taking reven

dispel

(v.) to drive away, scatter (She entered the office as usual on Monday, dispelling t
fired.)

fatuous

(adj.) silly, foolish (He considers himself a true poet, but in truth, he only writes fa

inept

(adj.) not suitable or capable, unqualified (She proved how inept she was when sh
spilled a beer in a cutomer's lap.)

munificence

(n.) generosity in giving (The royal family's munificence made everyone in their co

presage

(n.) an omen (When my uncle's old war injury ached, he interpreted it as a presag
approaching.)

scrupulous

(adj.) painstaking, careful (With scrupulous care, Sam cut a snowflake out of white

wallow

(v.) to roll oneself indolently; to become or remain helpless (My roommate can't ge
now just wallows in self-pity.)

ameliorate

(v.) to improve (The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed a solutio
upon.)

brazen

(adj.) excessively bold, brash (Critics condemned the novelist's brazen attempt to
story.)

construe

(v.) to interpret (He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal
leave.)

disperse

(v.) to scatter, cause to scatter (When the rain began to pour, the crowd at the ba
dispersed.)

fecund

(adj.) fruitful, fertile, very productive or creative intellectually: (The fecund tree bo
through the entire season.)

inexorable

(adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated or affected (Although I begged for

and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom.)

mutable

(adj.) able to change (Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will loo

prescient

(adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (After the fortune cookie's prediction, Ray w
hermit who was rumored to be prescient.)

sedentary

(adj.) sitting, settled,characterized by or requiring a sitting posture: (a sedentary o

wane

(v.) to decrease in size, dwindle (Don't be so afraid of his wrath because his influe
already beginning to wane.)

amenable

(adj.) willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us
apple picking.)

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Word List 68

(adj.) willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us
apple picking.)
brusque

(adj.) short, abrupt,abrupt in manner; blunt; rough: dismissive (The captain's brus

consummate

(v.) to complete a deal (Eric and Donald consummated their agreement in the exe

disrepute

(n.) a state of being held in low regard (The officer fell into disrepute after it was le
disobeyed orders from his superiors.)

felicitous

1. (adj.) well suited, apt (While his comments were idiotic and rambling, mine wer
(adj.) delightful, pleasing (I spent a felicitous afternoon visiting old friends.)

inextricable

(adj.) hopelessly tangled or entangled, unsolvable (Unless I look at the solution ma

solving this inextricable problem.)

myriad

(adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do Frida
presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)

prescribe

(v.) to lay down a rule (The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the p
would have to pay higher taxes.)

seminal

(adj.) original, important, creating a field, highly original and influencing the devel
(Stephen Greenblatt's essays on Shakespeare proved to be seminal, because they
of New Historicism.)
(adj.) undisciplined, careless, lewd, lustful (Vicky's wanton demeanor often made t
excited.)

wanton

Word List 69
amenity

(n.) an item that increases comfort (Bill Gates's house is stocked with so many am
anything for himself.)

buffet

1. (v.) to strike with force, to strike, as with the hand or fist. (The strong winds buff
to
(n.)capsize
the actthem.)
of consuming (Consumption of intoxicating beverages is not permitted

consumption
dissemble

(v.) to conceal, fake (Not wanting to appear heartlessly greedy, she dissembled an
her ailing father's stamp collection.)

feral

(adj.) wild, savage (The beast looks so feral that I fear being alone with it.)

infamy

(n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the de

nadir

(n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadir came when I
spaghetti on my head.)

presumptuous

(adj.) disrespectfully bold (The princess grew angry after the presumtuous noble t
he was far below her in social status.)

serendipity

(n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit of serend
a $20 bill in the subway station.)

whimsical

(adj.) fanciful, full of whims (The whimsical little girl liked to pretend that she was

Word List 70
amiable

(adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone.)

burnish

(v.) to polish, shine (His mother asked him to burnish the silverware.)

contemporary

(n.) existing during the same time (Jane Austen was a contemporary of Wordswort

disseminate

(v.) to spread widely (The politician disseminated his idea across the town before t

fervent

(adj.) ardent, passionate (The fervent protestors chained themselves to the buildin
long.)

infusion

(n.) an injection of one substance into another; the permeation of one substance b
Eastern religion into Western philosophy created new schools of thought.)

nascent

(adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence (Unfortunately, my bri
nascent form on the morning that it was due.)

pretense

(n.) an appearance or action intended to deceive (Though he actually wanted to u

Nick borrowed it under the pretense of attending a study session.)

serene

(adj.) calm, peaceful, untroubled (Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa, puzzling o
serene smile.)

wily

(adj.) crafty, sly, cunning (Though they were not the strongest of the Thundercats,
definitely the most clever and full of tricks.)

amicable

(adj.) friendly (Sara and Jim got divorced amicably, totally without fighting.)

buttress

1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof.) 2. (n.) something that
supports the roof.)

contentious

(adj.) having a tendency to quarrel or dispute (George's contentious personality m

classmates.)

dissent

1. (v.) to disagree (The principal argued that the child should repeat the fourth gra
dissented.) 2. (n.) the act of disagreeing (Unconvinced that the defendant was gui
dissent with the rest of the jury.)

fetid

(adj.) having a foul odor (I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that you

ingenious

(adj.) clever, resourceful (Her ingenious use of walnuts instead of the peanuts mad

nebulous

(adj.) vaguely defined, cloudy (The transition between governments meant that w
was a nebulous matter.)

primeval

(adj.) original, ancient (The first primates to walk on two legs, called Australopithe
descendants of modern man.)

servile

(adj.) subservient,submissive, obedient( obsequious) (The servile porter crept aro

and quaking before the guests.)

winsome

(adj.) charming, pleasing (After such a long, frustrating day, I was grateful for Chri
childish naivete.)

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Word List 72
amorous

(adj.) showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her red
amorous.)

cacophony

(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra cre
recital.)

contravene

(v.) to contradict, oppose, violate (Edwidge contravened his landlady's rule agains

dissipate

1. (v.) to disappear, cause to disappear, disperse, dispel(The sun finally came out
to waste (She dissipated her fortune on a series of bad investments.)

fetter

(v.) to chain, restrain (The dog was fettered to the parking meter.)

ingenuous

(adj.) not devious; innocent and candid (He must have writers, but his speeches s
to believe he's not speaking from his own heart.)

nefarious

(adj.) heinously (hatefuvillainous(having a cruel) , extremely wicked(Although Dr. M

melt the polar icecaps was terrifying, it was so impractical that nobody really worr

probity

(n.) virtue, integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity, no o
Samson's immoral behavior.)

sinuous

(adj.) lithe, serpentine (cunning), having many curves, indirect (With the sinuous m
dancer mimicked the motion of a snake.)

wistful

(adj.) longing, full of yearning; musingly sad (Since her pet rabbit died, Edda miss
wistful all day long.)

Word List 73
amorphous

(adj.) without definite shape or type (The effort doomed from the start, because th
amorphous and hard to pin down.)

cadence

(n.) a rhythm, progression of sound (The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize

contrite

(adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven (Blake's contrite behavior made it impossible

dissonance

(n.) lack of harmony or consistency (The newly formed musical band sang with cle
practice.)

fickle

(adj.) shifting in character, inconstant (In Greek dramas, the fickle gods help Achil
him the next.)

inhibit

(v.) to prevent, restrain, stop (When I told you I needed the car last night, I certain
from going outside.)

negligent

(adj.) habitually careless, neglectful (Jessie's grandfather called me a negligent foo

apartment unlocked even though there had been a recent string of robberies.)

proclivity

(n.) a strong inclination toward something (Ironically, Harold's childhood proclivity

into a desire to become a surgeon.)

sobriety

(n.) sedate, calm (Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis wa

(n.) sedate, calm (Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis wa
wrath

(n.) vengeful anger, punishment (Did you really want to incur her wrath when she
worst punishments legally possible?)

Word List 74
anachronistic

(adj.) being out of correct chronological order (In this book you're writing, you say
after the Titanic sank, which is anachronistic.)

cajole

(v.) to urge, persuade, coax (Fred's buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelo

contusion

(n.) bruise, injury (The contusions on his face suggested he'd been in a fight.)

dissuade

(v.) to persuade someone not to do something (Worried that he would catch a cold
from going out on winter nights.)

fidelity

(n.) loyalty, devotion (Guard dogs are known for the great fidelity they show towar

inimical

(adj.) hostile, enemylike (I don't see how I could ever work for a company that wa
during my interviews.)

neophyte

(n.) someone who is young or inexperienced (As a neophyte in the literary world, M
publisher for his first novel.)

procure

(v.) to obtain, acquire (The FBI was unable to procure sufficient evidence to charge
racketeering.)

solicitous

(adj.) concerned,careful, attentive (Jim, laid up in bed with a nasty virus, enjoyed
his mother, who brought him soup and extra blankets.)

yoke

(v.) to join, link (We yoked together the logs by tying a string around them.)

analgesic

(n.) something that reduces pain (Put this analgesic on the wound so that the poo
better.)

calamity

(n.) an event with disastrous consequences (The earthquake in San Francisco was
other natural disaster in history.)

conundrum

(n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane's behavior was a constant conundrum.)

distend

(v.) to swell out (Years of drinking beer caused his stomach to distend.)

figurative

(adj.) symbolic (Using figurative language, Jane likened the storm to a bull.)

iniquity

(n.) wickedness or sin ("Your iniquity", said the priest to the practical jokester, "wil

nocturnal

(adj.) relating to or occuring during the night (Jackie was a nocturnal person; she w
sleep until the evening.)

profane

(adj.) lewd, indecent (Jacob's profane act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the
school resulted in his dismissal.)

soluble

(adj.) able to dissolve (The plot of the spy film revolved around an untraceable and

zealous

(adj.) fervent, filled with eagerness in pursuit of something (If he were any more z
promotion, he'd practically live at the office.)

Word List 75

(adj.) fervent, filled with eagerness in pursuit of something (If he were any more z
promotion, he'd practically live at the office.)

Word List 76
analogous

(adj.) similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn (Though they are unrelated gene
whales and fish is quite analogous.)

calibrate

(v.) to set, standardize (The mechanic calibrated the car's transmission to make th

convene

(v.) to call together (Jason convened his entire family for a discussion.)

dither

(v.) to be indecisive (Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which
he should attend.)

flabbergasted

(adj.) astounded, to overcome with surprise (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie

flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)

injunction

(n.) an order of official warning (The mayor issued an injunctioned against anyone
alcohol.)

noisome

(adj.) unpleasant, offensive especially to the sense of smell (Nobody would enter t
noisome leavings were taken away.)

profligate

(adj.) dissolute (indifferent to moral restraints), extravagant (The profligate gambl

money, steal, cheat, and hang out with prostitutes.)

solvent

1. (adj.) able to pay debts (Upon receiving an unexpected check from her aunt, An
suddenly solvent.)

zenith

(n.) the highest point, culminating point (I was too nice to tell Nelly that she had re
her career with that one hit of hers.)

Word List 77
anarchist

(n.) one who wants to eliminate all government (An anarchist, Carmine wanted to
everywhere.)

callous

(adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer showed a callous lack of remorse.)

convention

1. (n.) an assembly of people (The hotel was full because of the cattle-ranchers' co
custom (The cattle-ranchers have a convention that you take off your boots before

divine

(adj.) godly, exceedingly wonderful (Terribly fond of desserts, she found the rich ch

flaccid

(adj.) limp, not firm or strong (If a plant is not watered enough, its leaves become

innate

(adj.) inborn, native, inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trai
practices.)

nomadic

(adj.) wandering from place to place (In the irst six months after college, Jose led a
York, California, and Idaho.)

profuse

(adj.) plentiful, abundant (The fans were profuse in their cheers for the baseball pl

sophomoric

(adj.) immature, uninformed (The mature senior rolled her eyes at the sophomoric
underclassman.)

anathema

(n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murder. He is an anathem

calumny

(n.) an attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies (The local offi
ruining his opponent's prospect of winning.)

convivial

(adj.) characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment (The restaurant's convivial at

immediately at ease.)

divisive

(adj.) causing dissent, discord (disagreement) (Her divisive tactics turned her two

flagrant

(adj.) offensive, egregious (The judge's decision to set the man free simply becaus
was a flagrant abuse of power.)

innocuous

(adj.) harmless, inoffensive (In spite of their innocuous appearance, these mushro
poisonous.)

nominal

(adj.) trifling, insignificant (Because he needed to get rid of his furniture more than
sold everything for a nominal amount.)

promulgate

(v.) to proclaim, make known, to make known by open declaration (The film profes
terms of political intrigue, Sean Connery's James Bond was surprised to Roger Moo

sovereign

(adj.) having absolute authority in a certain realm (The sovereign queen, with stee
traitorous nobleman be killed.)

anecdote

(n.) a short, humurous account (After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the ti
toaster.)

camaraderie

(n.) brotherhood, jovial unity (Camaraderie among employees usually leads to suc

convoluted

(adj.) intricate, complicated (Grace's story was so convoluted that I couldn't follow

divulge

(v.) to reveal something secret (Pressured by the press, the government finally div
unknown information.)

florid

(adj.) flowery, ornate (The writer's florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark

innovate

(adj.) to do something in an unprecedented way (Because of the stiff competition,

needed to pour a lot of energy into innovating new and better products.)

nonchalant

(adj.) having a lack of concern, indifference (Although deep down she was very an
nonchalant manner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing

Word List 78

Word List 79

(adj.) having a lack of concern, indifference (Although deep down she was very an
nonchalant manner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing

propagate

(v.) to multiply, spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney 's demise propagated like w
world.)

speculative

(adj.) not based in fact, based on guess work (Sadly, Tessa was convicted on mere

Word List 80
anesthesia

(n.) loss of sensation (When the nerves in his spine were damaged, Mr. Hollins suff

candor

(n.) honesty, open, sincere, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the ma
usually rather evasive.)

copious

(adj.) profuse, abundant (Copious amounts of water bottles were stacked in the wa

docile

(adj.) easily taught or trained (She easily taught tricks to the docile puppy.)

flout

(v.) to disregard or disobey openly (I flouted the school's dress code by wearing a
of cut-off jeans.)

innuendo

(n.) an insinuation (an indirect or covert suggestion or hint) (During the debate, th
innuendos about the sexual activities of his opponent.)

nondescript

(adj.) lacking a distinctive character, undistinguished or uninteresting (I was surpr

star in person because she looked nondescript.)

propensity

(n.) an inclination, preference (Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities su

spurious

(adj.) false but designed to seem plausible, not genuine, authentic, or true (Using
convinced the others that he had won the board game on a technicality.)

Word List 81
anguish

(n.) extreme sadness, torment (Angelos suffered terrible anguish when he learned
accident.)

canny

(adj.) shrewd, careful (The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through mu
past everyone at the end.)

cordial

(adj.) warm, affectionate (His cordial greeting melted my anger at once.)

dogmatic

(adj.) aggressively and arrogantly certain about unproved principles (His dogmatic
than women angered everyone.)

foil

(v.) to thwart, frustrate, defeat (Inspector Wilkens foiled the thieves by locking the
their stolen money.)

inoculate

(v.) to introduce a microorganism, serum, or vaccine into an organism in order to i

to vaccinate (I've feared needles ever since I was inoculated against 37 diseases a
never been sick.)

(v.) to introduce a microorganism, serum, or vaccine into an organism in order to i

to vaccinate (I've feared needles ever since I was inoculated against 37 diseases a
never been sick.)
notorious

(adj.) widely, and unfavorably known (Jacob was notorious for always arriving late

propitious

(adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the w
propitious for sailing.)

stagnate

(v.) to become or remain inactive, not develop, not flow (With no room for advanc
stagnated.)

animated

(adj.) lively (When he begins to talk about drama, which is his true passion, he bec

canvas

1. (n.) a piece of cloth on which an artist paints (Picasso liked to work on canvas ra
2. (v.) to cover, inspect (We canvassed the neighborhood looking for clues.)

coronation

(n.) the act of crowning (The new king's coronation occurred the day after his fath

dormant

(adj.) sleeping, temporarily inactive (Her anger lay dormant throughout the dinner
screams of rage after everyone had left.)

forage

(v.) to graze, rummage for food,the act of searching for provisions of any kind (Wh
trip, we foraged for berries and nuts in order to survive.)

inquisitor

(n.) one who inquires, especially in a hostile manner (The inquisitor was instructed
town in order to find the fugitive.)

novice

(n.) a beginner, someone without training or experience (Because we were all nov
decided to begin with the basics.)

propriety

(n.) the quality or state of being proper, decent (Erma's old-fashioned parents beli
the propriety expected of a "nice" girl.)

stingy

(adj.) not generous, not inclined to spend or give (Scrooge's stingy habits did not fi
spirit o Christmas.)

annex

1. (v.) to incorporate territory or space (After defeating them in battle, the Russian
room attached to a larger room or space (He likes to do his studying in a little ann
reading room.)

capacious

(adj.) very spacious (The workers delighted in their new capacious office space.)

corpulence

(adj.) extreme fatness (Henry's corpulence did not make him any less attractive to

dour

(adj.) stern, joyless, gloomy, sullen (The children feared their dour neighbor becau
their toys if he believed they were being too loud.)

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Word List 83

forbearance

(n.) patience, restraint, toleration (The doctor showed great forbearance in calmin
who shouted insults at him.)

insatiable

(adj.) incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for melons can be a real

noxious

(adj.) harmful, unwholesome (Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds w

natural habitats.)

prosaic

(adj.) plain, commonplace, dull,lacking liveliness (Heather's prosaic recital of the p

stoic

(adj.) unaffected by passion or feeling (Penelope's faithfulness to Odysseus require

off her many suitors.)

Word List 84
annul

(v.) to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, C
law.)

capitulate

(v.) to surrender (The army finally capitulated after fighting a long costly battle.)

corroborate

(v.) to support with evidence (Luke's seemingly outrageous claim was corroborate

dubious

(adj.) doubtful, of uncertain quality (Suspicious that he was only trying to get a rai
dubious.)

forestall

(v.) to prevent, thwart, delay (I forestalled the cold I was getting by taking plenty o
a scarf.)

insidious

(adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful,stealthily treacherous or deceitful, sedu

chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on!)

nuance

(n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression (The nuances of the poem were
reader, but the professor was able to point them out.)

proscribe

(v.) to condemn, outlaw, prohibit. (The town council voted to proscribe the sale of

stolid

(adj.) expressing little sensibility, unemotional (Charles's stolid reaction to his wife
passion he showed at the time of her death.)

Word List 85
anomaly

(n.) deviating from the norm ("That rip in the spacetime continuum is certainly a s
to Captain Kirk.)

capricious

(adj.) subject to whim, fickle, unpredictable change (The young girl's capricious te
her to focus on achieving her goals.)

corrosive

(adj.) having the tendency to erode or eat away (The effect of the chemical was hi

duplicity

(n.) crafty dishonesty (His duplicity involved stealing from his employees and then
the ground.)

forlorn

(adj.) lonely, abandoned, hopeless (Even though I had the flu, my family decided t
and leave me home alone, feeling feverish and forlorn.)

insinuate

(v.) to suggest indirectly or subtly (I wish Luke and Spencer would stop insinuating
is the result of anything other than my superior intelligence and good work habits

nurture

(v.) to assist the development of (Although Serena had never watered the plant, w
was able to nurture it back to life.)

prowess

(n.) extraordinary ability (The musician had never taken a guitar lesson in his life,
instrument even more incredible.)

strenuous

(adj.) requiring tremendous energy or stamina (Running a marathon is quite a stre

an entire Star Trek marathon.)

Word List 86
anonymous

(adj.) being unknown, unrecognized (Mary received a love poem from an anonymo

captivate

(v.) to get the attention of, hold (The fireworks captivated the young boy, who had
before.)

cosmopolitan

(adj.) not limited to just one part of the world, sophisticated, wolrdly (Lloyd's educ
cosmopolitan, so he felt right at home among the powerful and learned.)

duress

(n.) hardship, threat (It was only under intense duress that he, who was normally a

forsake

(v.) to give up, renounce (My New Year's resolution is to forsake smoking and drink

insipid

(adj.) dull, boring, without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities (The pla

obdurate

(adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences, stubborn (The obdurate old ma

kittens.)

prudence

(n.) cautious, circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my fathe
prudence in future investments.)

strident

(adj.) harsh, loud (A strident man, Tony yelled at his son and made him cry.)

antagonism

(n.) hostility (Superman and Lex Luther shared a mutual antagonism, and often fo

carouse

(v.) to party, celebrate (We caroused all night after getting married.)

counteract

(v.) to neutralize, make ineffective (The antidote counteracted the effect of the po

dynamic

(adj.) actively changing (The parents found it hard to keep up with the dynamic m
children had become very familiar.)

Word List 87

(adj.) actively changing (The parents found it hard to keep up with the dynamic m
children had become very familiar.)
fortitude

(n.) strength, guts (Achilles' fortitude in battle is legendary.)

insolent

(adj.) rude, arrogant, overbearing (That celebrity is so insolent, making fun of his f

obfuscated

(v.) to make obscure or unclear, to confuse, to render incomprehensible (The dete

newspaperman's questions, so he obfuscated the truth.)

puerile

(adj.) juvenile, immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer's puerile att
his feet on the courtroom floor.)

stupefy

(v.) to astonish, make insensible (Veronica's audacity and ungratefulness stupefied

antecedent

(n.) something that came before (The great tradition of Western culture had its an
Ancient Greece.)

carp

(v.) to annoy, pester (The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping

coup

1. (n.) the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority (In their coup a
stormed the Parliament and took all the legislators hostage.)

ebullient

(adj.) extremely lively, enthusiastic (She became ebullient upon receiving an acce
choice college.)

fortuitous

(adj.) happening by chance, often lucky or fortunate (After looking for Manuel and
Harriet had a fortuitous encoutner with him at the post office.)

instigate

(v.) to urge, goad (The demagogue instigated the crowd into a fury by telling them
by the federal government.)

oblique

(adj.) diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward (Martin's oblique
who listened to him.)

pugnacious

(adj.) quarrelsome, combative (Aaron's pugnacious nature led him to start several
month.)

subjugate

(v.) bring under control (The invading force captured and subjugated the natives.)

Word List 88

Word List 89
antediluvian

(adj.) ancient (The antediluvian man still believed that Eisenhower was president o
hot dogs cost a nickel.)

catalog

1. (v.) to list, enter into a list (The judge cataloged the victim's injuries before calc
would award.) 2. (n.) a list or collection (We received a catalog from J. Crew that d
items.)

covet

(v.) to desire enviously (I coveted Moses's house, wife, and car.)

eclectic

(adj.) consisting of a diverse variety of elements (That bar attracts eclectic crowd:
clowns, and investment bankers.)

forum

(n.) a medium for lecture or discussion (Some radio talk-shows provide a good foru

insular

(adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off (Because of the sensitiv
who work for the CIA must remain insular.)

oblivious

(adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something (Oblivious to the burning s

kitchen, my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven were burned until much

punctilious

(adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (Punctilious Bobby, hall monitor extraor
peers follow the rules.)

sublime

(adj.) lofty, grand, exalted (The homeless man sadly pondered his former wealth a

anthology

(n.) a published selection of writings, songs etc. (The new anthology of Bob Dylan
greatest hits.)

catalyze

(v.) to charge, inspire (The president's speech catalyzed the nation.)

covert

(adj.) secretly engaged in (Nerwin waged a covert campaign against his enemies,
remain friendly.)

ecstatic

(adj.) intensely and overpoweringly happy (The couple was ecstatic when they lea
lottery.)

foster

(v.) to stimulate, promote, encourage (To foster good health in the city, the mayor
exercise!" campaign.)

insurgent

(n.) one who rebels (The insurgent snuck into and defaced a different classroom e
administration agreed to meet his demands.)

obscure

(adj.) unclear, partially hidden (Because he was standing in the shadows, his featu

pungent

(adj.) having a pointed, sharp quality---often used to describe smells (The pungent
made Joseph loose his concentration.)

submissive

(adj.) easily yielding to authority (In some cultures, wives are supposed to be subm
husbands in all matters.)

Word List 90

Word List 91

antipathy

(n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a liar a
antipathy for you.)

caucus

(n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (The ironwor
their demands.)

credulity

(n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy target for con men.)

edict

(n.) an order, decree (The ruler issued an edict requiring all of his subjects to bow

fractious

(adj.) troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasn't tired, his fract
everyone that it was time to put him to bed.)

integral

(adj.) necessary for completeness (Without the integral ingredient of flour, you wo
bread.)

obsequious

(adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Mark acted like Janet's servant, obeyin
obsequious manner.)

punitive

(adj.) involving punishment (If caught smoking in the boys' room, the punitive resu
from school.)

succinct

(adj.) marked by compact precision (The governor's succinct speech energized the
rambled on and on.)

antiquated

(adj.) old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like power win
make modern cars so great.)

caustic

(adj.) bitter, biting, acidic (The politicians exchanged caustic insults for over an ho

crescendo

(n.) a steady increase in intensity or volume (The crescendo of the brass instrume
feel.)

efface

(v.) to wipe out, obliterate, rub away (The husband was so angry at his wife for lea
evidence of her presence.)

fraught

(adj.) (usually used with "with") filled or accompanied with (The journey through th
with peril.)

interject

(v.) to insert between other things (During our conversation, the cab driver occasi
opinion.)

obsolete

(adj.) no longer used, out of date (With the inventions of tape decks and CDs, whic
and are easier to use, eight-track players are now entirely obsolete.)

putrid

(adj.) rotten, foul (Those rotten eggs smell putrid.)

superfluous

(adj.) exceeding what is necessary (Tracy had already won the campaign so her co
superfluous.)

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Word List 93
antiseptic

(adj.) clean, sterile (The antiseptic hospital was very bare, but it's cleanliness help

cavort

(v.) to leap about, behave boisterously (The adults are their dinners on the patio, w
around the pool.)

criteria

(n.) standards by which something is judged (Among Mrs. Fields's criteria for good
moist and chewy.)

effervescent

(adj.) bubbly, lively (Tara is so effervescent that she makes everyone smile.)

frenetic

(adj.) frenzied, hectic, frantic (In the hours between night and morning , the frenet
lull.)

interlocutor

(n.) someone who participates in a dialogue or conversation (When the union nego
decided to act as an interlocutor.)

obstinate

(adj.) not yielding easily, stubborn (The obstinate child refused to leave the store u
candy bar.)

quagmire

(n.) a difficult situation (We'd all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire charact

surfeit

(n.) an overabundant supply or indulgence (After partaking of the surfeit of tacos a

Lunch Special, Beth felt rather sick.)

antithesis

(n.) the absolute opposite (Your values, which hold war and violence in the highes
of my pacifist beliefs.)

censure

1. (n.) harsh criticism (The teenager could not bear her critical mother's censure a
formally (The principal censured the head of the English Department for forcing st
vocabulary.)

culmination

(n.) the climax toward which something progresses (The culmination of the couple
decision to divorce.)

efficacious

(adj.) effective (My doctor promised me that the cold medicine was efficacious, bu

frivolous

(adj.) of little importance, trifling (Someday, all that anxiety about whether your zi
prom will seem totally frivolous.)

interminable

(adj.) without possibility of end (The fact that biology lectures came just before lun
interminable.)

obstreperous

(adj.) noisy, unruly (Billy's obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian to ask him

quaint

(adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Hilda was delighted by the quaint bonnets she sa

surmise

(v.) to infer with little evidence (After speaking to only one of the students, the tea
what had caused the fight.)

Word List 94

Word List 95
anxiety

(n.) intense uneasiness (When he heard about the car crash, he felt anxiety becau
had been driving on that road.)

cerebral

(adj.) related to the intellect (The books we read in this class are too cerebral --- th
emotions at all.)

culpable

(adj.) deserving blame (He was culpable of the crime, and was sentenced to perfo
years.)

effrontery

(n.) impudence, nerve, insolence (When I told my aunt that she was boring, my m
effrontery.)

frugal

(adj.) thrifty, economical (Richard is so frugal that his diet consists of the most ine

intimation

(n.) an indirect suggestion (Mr. Brinford's intimation that he would soon pass away
discuss how to distribute his belongings.)

obtuse

(adj.) lacking quickness of intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime min
foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)

quandary

(n.) a perplexed, unresolvable state (Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he

or cookie dough?

surreptitious

(adj.) stealthy (The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the hou

apathetic

(adj.) lacking concern, emotion (Uninterested in politics, Bruno was apathetic abou
capitalist or communist regime.)

chaos

(n.) absolute disorder (Mr. Thornton's sudden departure for the lavatory plunged h

cultivate

(v.) to nurture, improve, refine (At the library, she cultivated her interest in spy no

effulgent

(adj.) radiant, splendorous (The golden palace was effulgent.)

furtive

(adj.) secretive, sly (Jane's placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not as f

intractable

(adj.) difficult to manipulate, unmanageable (There was no end in sight to the intr
warring countries.)

odious

(adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure (Mark was assigned the odious task o
box.)

quell

(v.) to control or diffuse a potentially explosive situation (The skilled leader deftly

surrogate

(n.) one acting in place of another (The surrogate carried the child to term for its b

Word List 96

Word List 97
apocryphal

(adj.) fictitious, false, wrong (Because I am standing before you, it seems obvious
about my demise were apocryphal.)

chastise

(v.) to criticize severely (After being chastised by her peers for mimicking Britney S
hair black and affected a Gothic style.)

cumulative

(adj.) increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent in the s

egregious

(adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was
behavior.)

garish

(adj.) gaudy, in bad taste (Mrs. Watson has poor taste and covers every object in
lame'.)

intransigent

(adj.) refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion (The intransigent child

or he would bang his head against the wall.)

officious

(adj.) offering one's services when they are neither wanted nor needed (Brenda re
behavior when he selected colors that might best improve her artwork.)

querulous

(adj.) whiny, complaining (If deprived of his pacifier, young Brendan becomes que

swarthy

(adj.) of dark color or complexion (When he got drunk, Robinson's white skin beca

appalling

(adj.) inspiring shock, horror, disgust (The judge found the muderer's crimes and l

cherish

(v.) to feel or show affection toward something (She continued to cherish her red p
they had gone out of style.)

cunning

(adj.) sly, clever (The general devised a cunning plan to surprise the enemy.)

elaborate

(adj.) complex, detailed, intricate (Dan always beats me at chess because he deve
game plan that I can never predict his next move.)

garrulous

(adj.) talkative, wordy (Some talk show hosts are so garrulous that their guests ca

intrepid

(adj.) brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption,
his intrepid attitude.)

ominous

(adj.) forboding or foreshadowing evil (The fortuneteller's ominous words flashed t

hooded figure approached me in the alley.)

quixotic

(adj.) idealistic, impractical (Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at

sycophant

(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the presi
others see them as sycophants.)

Word List 98

(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the presi
others see them as sycophants.)

Word List 99
appease

(v.) to calm, satisfy (When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to appease

appraise

(v.) to assess the value of (A realtor will come over tonight to appraise our house.)

chide

(v.) to voice disapproval (Lucy chided Russell for his vulgar habits.)

choreography

(n.) the arrangement of dances (The plot of the musical was banal, but the choreo

cupidity

(n.) greed, strong desire (His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine d

cursory

(adj.) brief to the point of being superfacial (Late for the meeting, she cast a curso

elated

(adj.) overjoyed, thrilled (When she found out she has won the lottery, the writer w

elegy

(n.) a speech given in honor of a dead person (At the funeral, the widow gave a m
love for her husband.)

genial

(adj.) friendly, affable (Although he's been known to behave like a real jerk, I woul
overall genial guy.)

gluttony

(n.) overindulgence in food or drink (Ada's fried chicken tastes so divine, I don't kn
gluttony a sin.)

chronicle

1. (n.) a written history (The library featured the updated chronicle of World War II

inundate

(v.) to flood with abundance (Because I am the star of a new sitcom, my fans are s
mail and praise.)

onerous

(adj.) burdensome (My parents lamented that the pleasures of living in a beautiful
outweighed the onerous mortgage payments.)

opulent

(adj.) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation (The opulent furnish

coumpound contrasted harshly with the meager accomodations of her subjects.)

oration

(n.) a speech delivered in a formal or ceremonious manner (The prime minister wa

unruly parliament interrupted his oration about failed domestic policies.)

ornate

(adj.) highly elaborate, excessively decorated (The ornate styling of the new mode
compensate for the poor quality of its motor.)

quotidian

(adj.) daily (Ambika's quotidian routines include drinking two cups of coffee in the

rail

(v.) to scold, protest (The professor railed against the injustice of the college's ten

tacit

(adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents' refusal to talk as a tacit

Word List 100

(adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents' refusal to talk as a tacit

taciturn

(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is

ed, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his

at the scene.) 2. (v.) to perceive, understand (The

nd science.)

ed the snapshots of his pets in chronological order.)

Her curt reply to my question made me realize that she

everal times where the exit was, I elicited no response

nk he's not going to fight Billy, but Billy will goad Jim on

omed to a situation (Twenty years in the salt mines

(The company's profits dwindled because the

were incompatible with new industrial trends.)

dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad sandwich.)

g (I tried to discuss my salary, but the boss kept veering

e, then abated.)

obation.)

he whole city.)

urtail his spending.)

uch an eloquent sermon that most churchgoers were

who used to eat little more than crackers and salad,

ctive against the way I dress only made me decide to

ated between buying a station wagon to transport his

antasies.)

enged me to a fight, I could see the rancor in her eyes.)

es to sports, fearing your opponent is tantamount to

hen he realized that the revolutionaries would surely win,

d the farmer's land without justification.)

of speaking in circumlocutions made it difficult to follow
lose courage (He kept delaying the daunting act of

d was so angry with me, so I asked Janine to elucidate

grandiloquence would make her sound smart, but

dmit that I'm an inveterate coffee drinker---I drink four

ded (Jack's ostensible reason for driving was that airfare

g.)

et met her paramour, they felt an instant rapport.)

essor continued to drone on and on, the lecture became

he fairy princess from her happy home.)

arfish and other aquatic creatures.)

d to play tag only within a carefully circumscribed area

d by the dearth of classic books at the library.)

de the police.)
planned a grandiose party, replete with elephants,

(Nobody was ever able to break into Batman's inviolable (adj.) secure from assault, incapable of being violated (Nobody was ever able to
Batman's inviolable Batcave.)
e guide focused on the ostentatious decorations and

almly and thoroughly, rather than make rash decisions.)

ntered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own

orld Series win by Boston Red Sox was an aberration, as

d a plot of arable land on which he will grow corn.)

chel I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it

ed a time.)

signed fireworks show turned into a debacle when the

of pastries and chocolate but still looks emaciated.)

nwarranted (Every morning the guy at the donut shop

rascible cat will begin scratching and clawing.)

nsent (Beth risked ostracism if her roommates

d the cops when her house party got too raucous.)

erance will ensure that you are able to think rationally

ecause he had a friend on the inside to abet him.)

he divorce court judge will serve as the arbiter between

was circumvented by the students, who covered up with

arge raise that he gave himself debased his motives for

ng room by adding lace curtains.) 2. (v.) to add details

uff" on his vacation, I asked him to embellish upon his

f you're not gregarious, I don't know why you would

g was iridescent in the afternoon sun.)

anor helped the class remain calm after the experiment

ke room for the large chain store.)

k (The department heads decimated other people's

ng himself in the head when he tried to play soccer,

decision to choose one college over another seems

t (Zelda's uncanny ability to detect my lies was nothing

ess amount of good wine and cheese debauched the

nt was fired for embezzling $10,000 of the company's

trocuting the inmate without being sure of his guilt

that marched through the chapel disturbed many

e unpleasant smell, the exotic cheese was quite

arah's party, they rebuked her for disturbing the peace.)

sound reasoning, vague (Your argument is very

arsay.)

decision, Chuck decided to abide by it.) 2. (v.) to

ather throughout the millennia, the mountains abide.)

oyee sought official arbitration when he could not

h a clamor that they wake me up.

d her claim to be the world's greatest chess player by

s incorrect, the editor will emend what I have written.)

eat guile, the politician was able to survive scandal after

is an irrevocable part of American law.)

rs utilized in the painting was equaled only by the range

colded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her

Elephants are terretrial animals.)

memory, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle,

a few arboreal traits.)

nd that she was going to the gym, Sophie actually went

est displayed decorous behavior toward his host.)

is such an eminent scholar that every professor on

cuous (There is an eminent stain on that shirt.)

A girl can only hear "I love you" so many times before it

when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming

ted that the new medication would palliate her patient's

he teacher recapitulated the semester's material.)

with the unknown, timorous Tammy almost always

dent abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.)

s(The professor is an expert in arcane Lithuanian

ruling party cleaved into warring factions.) 2. (v.) to

ems, Junior and Rosa cleaved to one another all the

ed the policy of charging customers late fees.)

ery smooth.)

n the hallowed corridors of the cathedra, the disturbed

judicious king decided to compromise rather fight, he

pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of

eater for Christmas, she reciprocated by giving him a

(Every time Jessica was late, her boyfriend went into a

n the floor, took only cold showers, and generally

d (In a few selected regions of Western Mongolia, an

Tim begged Maria for clemency.)

hers used eggs and shaving cream to deface their

had to emote, or else the audience would have no idea

pick a sunny week to go on vacation.)
implicit comparison (The designer admired my

re was a single panacea for every disease, but sadly

h as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and

he woods.)
other kids referred to the teacher's pet as the Tenth

they ran out of food, the hikers had to abort and go

mething, original thing from which other things are

wing white hair and commanding stature, was the

gers viewed the church as charming, the clergy who

atory gossip spreading about the actor made the public

's own (I feel such empathy for my sister when she's in

er's harangue about gum chewing in class before.) 2.

rangued the class about the importance of brushing the

h (Echoing throughout our village, the funeral knell

ause the new SUV was so popular, it became the

ally reconciled when one brought the other a delicious

anatomy book that was the heaviest tome in my bag.)

ctionary was too long and abridged it.)

onveyed their ardor with impassioned battle cries.)

attractive, Maud found his constant compliments and

m (Ron deferred to Diane, the expert in musical

ntist gathered empirical data on the growth rate of

e.) 2. (adj.) capable of being proved or disproved by
cal statement: I can test it by bathing my cat.)

ditions (I had expected the plants to be dead by mid-

mance, the reviewers gave the opera singer kudos for a

aps true (The diplomat refused to acknowledge the

d more resources than waging war.)

de gave him the moral authority to counsel his

hale floated, wallowing in the water for hours.)

assures that the governement cannot abrogate our right

in arid environments.)

oagulated quickly.)

rential attitude toward her made her more confident in

mulate everything she does: I wear her outfits, sing

harrowing experience.)

onally (Because he fell off his bike into a rosebush, the

Helen of Troy was considered a paragon of female

(The fortress looked redoubtable set against a stormy

ted the redoubtable speaker with gusto.)

to witness the neighbor's torrid affair through the

r-spy absconded into the night with the secret plans.)

e right to order executions to himself exclusively.)

hop garments coalesced into a surprisingly handsome

alm of the religious building by playing her banjo.)

orm followed by "of" or "with" (I grew enamored of that

ce) proud (The superstar's haughty dismissal of her

laconic style has won him many followers who dislike

thers (It was paramount that the bomb squad

sed through the prism.)

ing in mountains are the narrow, tortuous roads.)

were known, the jury gave Angela absolution by giving a

(The scientists spent all day searching the cave for

ghborhood cobbler replace my worn-out leather soles

g worked in a bakery for many years, Marcus was a deft

At the end of the concert, all the fans yelled, "Encore!

pursuit of humans (Murray, being a hedonist,

er months, the great heat makes people languid and

plagiarism, Professor Hurley was made a pariah in all

, after being refurbished, commanded the handsome

ra didn't even need a bridle.)

e demanded that Angus put on the kilt, but he did not

ng sticks.)

t (The court decided that Vince was innocent as he had

the defunct schoolhouse into a community center.)

as encumbered by her luggage, so I offered to carry two

ts colonies was threatened once nationalists sentiment

When my car was not where I had left it, I realized that I
when the teacher returned to find Deborah acting out a

ment as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV.)

hing moves and everything is tranquil.)

understood geometry easily, but John found the subject

nt ascertained that some plants can live for weeks

vor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist

n delegated the task of finding a new professor to a

ates me so much that I will have to take a nap after I

gs were made all the more heinous by the fact that the
my aunt's wealth resulted from her parsimony.)

ner.)

ansgressed morality and human decency.)

er they could play baseball they expected him to refuse,

usually religious (The priest lives an ascetic life deviod

in bars because he was cognizant of the fact that
of running a marathon without stretching her muscles

ly to the right of voting.(The Nineteenth Amendment e

ne flavor so I always biy the swirled, or should I say

ated great largess by giving me a new car.)

elieve that his rival could round up enough partisans to

mon was relegated to the store room.) 2. (v.) to assign to

he waiter found himself relegated to the least lucrative

y short time, passing into and out of existence (Because

ation of the town is quite transient.)

agree that those people who are happiest accentuate

ention of fireworks and dynamite to the Chinese.)

figure out what Monroe had seen because he was too

ugh Mary was quite upset, her actions to resolve the

ics, the victories of U.S. athletes engender a patriotic

s in service should last two or three months---until the

ut concealed. (Sigmund's dream represented his latent

asonfor jim's abdominal pain was made patent after the

eved htat it was possible to transmute lead into gold.)

AT, Marlena happily realised that her goal of getting

ment(The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on

collateral effect of making me poor.) 2. (n.) security for

eated her reasons for canceling the project's funding.)

uit and dark glasses is so enigmatic that no one even

mic, or professional class (Women found it very difficult

archy.)

comments are unusual from someone who is usually so

culty identifying the precise nature of Brian's pathology.)

dge (After his teacher discovered he couldn't read, Alex

ol newspaper's merciless theater critic, Pacific Coast

ty of the original.)

m of his friends.)

book someday.)

ssay was marked down because it contained too many

demagogue blamed immigrants for the lack of jobs.)

y not forgiven each other, because the enmity between

politician passed legislation that contradicted his

ery hard, the performers appreciated the critic's lavish

upon discovering the scrawny, shivering kitten at her
entrance because the security guard, remiss in his

ough a graveyard.)

es to Sam for winning the Noble Prize.)

nts worked in collusion to steal the final exam.)

cultures have different demarcations of good and evil.)

uch ennui that I don't look forward to anything, not even

uccess of the drug when tested on humans is still

g the French plants through the customs by claiming

in.)

f twentieth century literature courses available at the

fter getting renovated, the house was twice as big.)

t accompanied my new cell phone were trenchant and

as not big enough for three people, Arnold, Mark and

ats in the harbour.)

hodes featured a colossus standing astride its harbor.)

fused to demean her secretary by making him order her

e entails tearing down the old one.)

ne goes to one protest after another, but she seems to

Professor Oglethorpe allowed his students to choose

xcessively lenient.)

ary (The evening's headline news covered an

the famous senator had made in reference to a foreign

nal renown by winning the Oscar.)

a refused to jump into the pool because she thought she

Iceland finally came to a mutually beneficial accord

after the crash.)

mbustion of the prosecution's evidence forced the judge

t the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained

ghting off sharks and finding ancient treasures

r mistakes were highly idiosyncratic, so I'm going to

Claude explained to his boss that he was lethargic and

maximum passage of light (Wishing his book to be

ing complicated grammar when composing The
in weight loss, but confused those people who thought

s being very learned, but everyone else thought he was

s David Letterman's.)

lly quite calm , when the waiter spilled soup on her

erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous

a commendation from Linda, his supervisor, for his

ecided that its advertisements would no longer

orever, but her "forever" was only ephemeral: she left

ena's idolatrous fawning over the band is really

concentration and didn't play defense, Marcy was a

es quickly became monotonous on account of her

ant Dennis apologized profusely for breaking his

act the dangerous types, so why was that bouncer being

ed by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves.)

ge its fears.)

on measure (Ahab selected a very long roll and

his enormous appetite.)

or being greedy.)

the form of a series of letters (My aunt and I have such

other every day.)

to be kicked out of the dorm for having an illegal gas

dissatisfied subjects overthrew the monarch and

ir democratic principles.)

e been more lenient if the criminal had appeared

with naughty words.)

he jockey truncated the long speech he had planned

ely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her

olitics results from his ability to provide astute answers

he back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car

red the miserable working conditions in the factory.)

pitome of good taste, always dresses more elegantly

ned many illicit words from a pamphlet that was being

ilee has always been fascinated by the licentious

arette remaining in the pack, Cybil discarded the last

reprehensible attempt to dump her boyfriend on his

uage (The haughty writer did not realize how we all

nted to stay outside, when his wife told him to come in,

orest served as an asylum from the pressures of urban

ed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an

s so compelling that his boss gave him a raise on the

the children afraid of it.)

just been fired, Mr. Simms showed great equanimity by

up with her boyfriend, Nancy decided to immerse herself

yle greatly pleased readers who disliked complicated

nd's penurious ways made it impossible to live the

vernor woke up in a particularly good mood, he granted

often contrasted with the turpitude he exhibited with the

ship marred with acrimony after they both fell in love

etting his wife's birthday by buying her five dozen

eginald bought Sharona a new dress to compensate her

recated his contribution to the local charity.)

were so equivocal that I didn't know whether he was

ble and constant.)

linchpin in the prosecution's case was the hair from the
crime.)

selling government secrets to enemy agents, he was

mer for failing to rewind the video he had rented.)

everyone in the United States has a television. The

n, Larry was able to figure out in minutes, problems that

nough blood, they will soon atrophy and die.)

n shocked his friends out of their complacency by

them.)

ion due to neglect, (Even though it was dangerous, the

in the derelict house.)

h an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the

impassive; it's healthy to cry every now and then.)

dancers were all outstanding, Jae Sun's control of her

mum of effort or reflection., showing little interest or

ced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly

ering in the cell.)

ward, and I took umbrage at the insult.)

the pain in his foot was so acute.) 2. (adj.) having keen

ured out how the magician pulled off his magic.)

their best times.)

ts her blouse.)

e., a scorn (The bullies derided the foreign student.)

uch that he eschews all green food.)

ccable as your sister's, then you too would receive a car

began screaming at each other, Judge Koch ordered

annoyed that the wet dog's odor had permeated the

each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry

: (Luka had an uncanny ability to know exactly what

ic pressure was intense, the President remained

to his mother's undying encouragement.) 2. (n.) a facet

its thorny protruding eyes.)

ng, submissive (Sue had very strong opinions about

pliant.)
bored by his music because she felt that it was

advanced students cannot understand the physicist's

tonight", the girl whined.)

e's essay was so lucid, I only had to read it once to

nment feared that the Communist sympathizers would

case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother

r, characterized by excessive piousness or moralistic

hy, as if she was only being helpful because she thought

rom tree to tree.)

pical adult behavior.)

in an illegal act (By keeping her daughter's fraud a

feared that the construction of a golf course would

ove animals so much that I espouse animal rights.)

tive that you have these folders organized by midday.)

ve the folders organized by midday was perceived as

graced the shoulders of the beautiful maiden.)

uddenly distant manner.)

le by neglecting to brush her teeth.) 2. (v.) to push back

mach, Lacy repulsed Jack's attempt to kiss her.)

placid ocean began to undulate to an increasing

the wall with a tape.) 2. (n.) to follow devoutly (He

d by the fan's audacious attempt to offer him a bribe.)

mson when Emma gave me a compliment on my new

oked hideous.)

r flowing silk gown and lace veil, the bride looked

e of your manner led me to dislike you at once.)

s story in which he described a character torturing his

school's literary magazine.)

umble to acknowledge that his perspicacity was the

c in the industry gave the novel a glowing review, sales

wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her again about missing

hed him not to ruin his appetite by eating cookies

ere barely audible.)

grades are a compound of her intelligence and hard

ngs (When the fighting started, Joseph ran into the

landscape quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of

(From the study of etymology, I know that the word

dy" refers to the Spanish architect Gaudi.)

pertinent that I dont wish to dignify them with an

cts (Little did the explorers know that as they turned the
catch their boat.)

humor at the dinner table because it had been so long

(During the war, the government made a requisition of

usurp control of the government, but he failed because

)

ment his knowledge of French vocabulary by reading

sive list of guests.)

espondent child saw no use in studying for the Math test

when I found out that my sister had given birth to

use of their thick layer of fur, many seals are almost

most of her dishes, Jacqueline was magnanimous

accept the role after a two-month perusal of the movie-

er of employment after discovering that Jane's resume

, fragile vase couldn't hold flowers or serve any other

yone's pocket.)

layer considered the sunny forecast an auspicious sign

sed her lips tightly.)

or. (The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who

was evanescent because I discovered that I would have

ng was an impetuous, thoughtless action.)

med maledictions against the policeman and the entire

ping off the plane in Havana, I recognized the pervasive

quite a reservoir of strength and could lift ten tons,

mountains.)

yone in the world wants to live in a utopia, but no one

Marcy did not believe it deserved the adulation it

use made the place feel haunted.)

tion for the shabby way he'd treated her.)

troyed many homes and left many families destitute.)

ail-biting evince how nervous he is about the upcoming

mpinged the roof, leaving large dents.) 2. (v.) to

like this, but I really need to use your bathroom. Now.)

d man sat in the park all day, tripping unsuspecting

could no longer tolerate the child's petulance.)

d adversity (The resilient ballplayer quickly recovered

t my boss kept vacillating between the distinct options

ed a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely

mass a huge personal future.)

at his mother said about Diana made sense.)

on of scary snakes couldn't deter Marcia from traveling

scary movie I saw last night exacerbated my fears of the

out: once you shun Grandma's cooking, she is totally

lian's political opinions were so malleable that anyone

onaire's decision to donate her fortune to house the

, Catherine announced that she was set on going to

ightened of tall buildings.)

d that the lyrics she had just penned were completely

f adverse conditions, the hikers decided to give up

heir own hands and strive to avenge themselves against

dinner as a very conciliatory gesture.)

dinner as a very conciliatory gesture.)

punished, the devious girl blamed the broken vase on

sketball we exalt the most.)

y implemented a new policy to use security cameras to

God mandates that no one should steal.)

dog was ill after the animal's phlegmatic response to his

ir differences and shook hands.) 2. (v.) to firmly decide

e.)

ab partner was asleep during the experiment and could

urning left at the stop sign.)

m Hawaii, Ben has an aversion to autumn, winter, and

e to waste time, and his instructions to Brenda were

ous regions, the inhabitants spoke a dialect that

rate his roomate.)

connect or involve in criminal way in something (Even

he was implicated by the evidence.)
particularly violent hiccups.)

my soldiers pillaged the homes scattered along the

pite from the noise.)

s about the poem were surprisingly vapid and dull.)

conducted aerial maneuvers.)

equest for another raise.)

culous story.)

h the diaphanous curtains, brightening the room.)

s treasures were excavated by archeologists in Egypt.)

I know Professor Smith didn't actually say not to write

was implicit in her instruction to use scholarly sources.)

is partly due to the fact that the work allowsfor

e author's new novel was extraordinary and probably

in fancy dresses.)

ngineering exam was variegated by color so that the

e hired Susan as our interior decorator because she has

on the guitar.)

or occurring with something else (His dislike of hard

ocument showing new employees how to handle the

didactic style of teaching made it seem like he wanted to
one point of view.)

y of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the

nvaders used battering rams, catapults, and rain

all attacks.)

y romantic comedies, I usually find them maudlin and

xplanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy

loss (Many people feel that descendants of slaves

cestors.)

ate vehemently opposed cutting back on Social Security

e because he is so affable and good-natured.)

e because he is so affable and good-natured.)

sal because they found our presentation banal and

e evening with a disagreement, but ended in a state of

adults, the diffident youth did not speak for fear of

o, I dreamed about pandas and foxes.)

nt young man looked at the princess and told her she

a real maverick and always does things his own way.)

(Josh complained that he was paid a pittance for the

nce pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty

faade (Thanks to her Chanel makeup, Shannen was

ws underneath.)

ow why, but he felt an incredile affinity for Kramer the

dents' academic lives.)

offered his condolences on the loss of his sister's

nsion in the room by making in a joke.) 2. (adj.) not

cessfully to make others understand her diffuse

ble that it makes me sick.)

os in the letter to his lazy secretary.)

akly emotional,slightly nauseating. (Although some

mawkish, contemporary readers have found great

a lollipop to placate his irritable son.)

, the publicist hurriedly retracted his client's sexist

nt (The venerable Supreme Court justice had made

ears.)

g a huge house, three cars, and an island near Maine.)

n considered the greatest bard in the history of the

done Rick's crime.)

atory strategy enabled the enemy to regroup.)

to join him in protesting against the university's hiring

that the psychology of the characters makes absolutely

t (Miss Manners's etiquette maxims are both

mooth as glass.)

tus as the boss.)

hn Lennon sought to venerate his music, his words, and

slight as an affront.)
not to be bashful when he refused to attend the
(The water flowed through the conduit into the

persistent (The diligent researcher made sure to check

for medication, or else he will lose his sight.)

peech (The lecturer was so inarticulate and the students

food did nothing to satisfy my appetite.)

mark (After reading over her paper, Helene concluded

ually just platitudes.)

aved countless lives and became universally revered.)

lating the reports, it was difficult for Latifah to argue

d the names of the famous people his father knew as a

ault and battery after he attacked a man on the

rt and purchased a delicious confection.)

inutive child.)

ef's confession exonerated the man who had been held

pageant, I play the role of greed incarnate.)

contained an astonishing medley of colors, from olive

new film received plaudits from even the harshest

urfew set by the court for eight nights in a row, Marcel's

e teacher two hours to explain the topic, while it should

Government form an aggregate much more powerful

ing all of our money.)

met, she became my chief confidant.)

pers played a dirge as the casket was carried to the

and squirm in my seat.)

ghter fluid are incendiary materials that should be kept

endacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least

nd then came up with a plausible theory that took all

sodized about the movie, calling it an instant classic.)

trees made the world look emerald.)

essly overworked his aggrieved employees.)

aircraft career is among several behemoths that the Air

building.)

obby's poor behavior, the parents sent their disaffected

est (In this bid for reelection, the governeor made an

)

t the incessant rain kept us indoors for two days.)

ity (Though he was widely respected for his

ible to live with.)
by the plenitude of tomatoes her garden yielded this

n speech, language (While some giggled at the ribald

lled their eyes.)

you know if the Mexican tortilla is a vestige of some

he agile rabbit.)

rs should be commended for their benevolent service to

tors made tonight the perfect night.)

ting others to criticize her, she disavowed any

ess, I gave all my profits to charity.)

coutnry's government is still inchoate and, because it

the congressional medal of honor for his meritorious

ded a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.)

ting was rife with spelling errors.)

poking me in the ribs for hours on end.)

e proven or disproven (Joey's parents are very

ere all relieved to hear that the medical tests

uch a conformist that he waited for his friends to do

he discerned from his body language that he was angry.)

estigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating

anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone

ent to the gym every day for a year and underwent a

n.)

what pliable so they do not break in heavy turbulence.)

le sitting on the banks of the river, staring pensively into

ends learned to be social through vicarious involvement

zation when tribes began to develop sustainable

his entire estate to his mother.)

sion (Mark confounded the men pursuing him by

ess that the company would have to fire several

book (The history editors expurgated from the text all

see every foreign film she hears about, even when

work in the bride's gown was a product of meticulous

ed after reading to us the poignant final chapter of the

king out of the house to meet his girlfriend while

he was asleep in bed.)

ourse of something., event that occurs by chance (The

t might happen from one day to the next.)

t inside the stadium we walked down the aisle to our

mployees every day.)

to a thick paste.)

e (The normally cheery and playful children's sudden

nt love letters to my father are in the attic trunk.)

o disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics.)

l sore throat, only warm tea would mitigate the pain.)

(My brother launched into a polemic against my

hough intended to make him popular, actually repelled

oughout the night, but the enemy never launched the

to help his mother whenever he could, so when his

ty.)
food and shelter.)

ngenial manner made him popular at school.)

s were a discordant sound amid the general laughter

getarian diet to her meat-loving brother.)

Grandma nicotine gum all you want, but I think that

had moderate prices; none of us have any money.) 2.

e found both the liberal and conservative proposals too

h while she was walking to school, she took it as a

he United States, the Constitution is often thought of as

e scandal, almost any story written about President

by using an alias.)
king for mercy.)

ces (The priest told the congregation that he would be

troubled by the discrepancy between what he

eipt showed he paid for it.)

l ambitions should always remain extraneous to

rkmen made the wall longer; increment by increment.)

even a modicum of sensitivity, Henrietta announced her

sential that ships carry a supply of potale water because

kable sagacity, the wise old man predicted his

attorney had no chance of vindicating the defendant

ve gave a speech to try to allay investors' fears about

den bias against smokers led him to make an unfair

a achieved a perfect congruity of opinion.)

ood judgement (The doctor used discretion in deciding

editate between my brother and sister, I extricated

use for the day.)

is already serving his fifth term.) 2. (adj.) obligatory (It

who seek it.)

sic (The composer wrote a piece that modualted

stood along the town's main road to observe as the

ences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot

ndictive madman seeks to exact vengeance for any

ow small.)

d alleged that Marshall committed the crime, but the

m had bilked several clients out of thousands of dollars.)

p my vacation plans.)

e lectures seemed to be about every subject except the

ure prize, Mary exulted by dancing and singing through

n after traveling 62 miles, the indefatigable runner kept

angry woman by giving her a warning instead of a

sed security measures might not fit with the lofty ideals
re everyone's safety.)

e bizarre salutation "Ahoy ahoy".)

erformer (Even though Lydia has studied piano for many

s for sure.)

viate the symptoms of the terrible disease, but only for a

o blandish her into accepting the deal.)

secrated his spare bedroom as a shrine to Christina.)

of notice, response (Insecure about their jobs, the older

e young and capable.) 2. (n.) scorn, low esteem (After
in disdain.)

the class, I fabricated some excuse about my car

nts may choke out the vegetation that is native to the

aps and confuses, troublesome situation (When Theresa

ss.)

he mountain climber hung from a precipice before

unburn, he soon felt a little better.)

r out of the bottle.)

cent of the funds for improving the town's schools.)

he price because of the many blemishes on the surface

ch a consensus only after days of deliberation.)

rents had unjustly grounded him, and remained

useum's main faade.) 2. (n.) a deceptive appearance or

ncholy.)

money to help the indigent population than to the park

f people (Mores change over time; many things that

ially acceptable.)

rd dog precluded anyone from entering the yard.)

nctimonious Bertrand gave stern lectures on morality to

e a living.)

n would spew vitriolic insults.)

seem aloof, as if he didn't care about his friends or

he harvest and bankrupted many families.

ly, he consigned his mother to a nursing home.)

isheartened after losing in the finals of the tournament.)

isheartened after losing in the finals of the tournament.)

ile that even a four-year-old can master it.) 2. (adj.)

bles that any solution seemed facile at best; nothing

gned from the sorority because of my indignation at its

m very unpleasant.)

head of time (Derek was so academically precocious that

with a sanguine smile and the crippy cry, "When life

d out, knowing he would be vituperated for his

her for the car accident, leading to an altercation.)

ote after giving several boisterous speeches on

sence to be a consolation for his suffering.)

ged the competitor's products to persuade her

s on the fallacious assumption that I smoked.)

even pick themselves up off the couch to pour their

y knife has multifarious functions and capabilities.

hpick, and a slingshot.)

has a predilection for eating scrambled eggs with

much turkey, Liza lay on the couch watching football

f the children laugh and giggle with his friendly antics.)

sma, the presidential candidate was able to

tic performance disgusted the crowd.)

beautiful.)

elements (Having widely varying interests, the students

nattainable standards (Mark is so fastidious that he is

imperfect to him.)

e nature meant he could never take orders from

n, commonplace (He is more concerned with the

opics.)

n weight, power, numbers, etc (Britain's preponderance

ower.)

k (Two hours after breaking up with Russell, Suzanne

s.)

orld of high-fashion, Edwina decided to devote herself to

hink Caesar married Cleopatra for her power, others

ons are ambiguous.)

on for many businesses located near the beach.)

of her perfume is something called ambergris.)

patched his assitant to fetch wood.)

you like that crabby and mean-spirited neighbour of

ion to boycott school lunch would induce a huge riot.)

gh words (It is said that the experience of playing with a

h direct encounter.)

ughts or feelings (His prepossessing appearance made it

estone costume nearly blinded the judges.)

nts. (I'm tired of his vociferous whining so I'm breaking

in are ambivalent; he is a loyal friend, but he is also a

en receive criticism for their bourgeois approach to life.)

ained him from taking revenge on his attackers.)

ual on Monday, dispelling the rumor that she had been

ut in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks.)

how inept she was when she forgot three orders and

e made everyone in their country rich.)

e interpreted it as a presage of bad weather

cut a snowflake out of white paper.)

less (My roommate can't get over her failed exam and

hen Sam proposed a solution everyone could agree

ovelist's brazen attempt to plagiarize Hemingway's

out the window as a signal that she wanted him to

o pour, the crowd at the baseball game quickly

ctually: (The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us

cted (Although I begged for hours, Mom was inexorable

)

what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.)

ne cookie's prediction, Ray went in search of the old

ting posture: (a sedentary occupation., The sedentary cat di

his wrath because his influence with the president is

n we asked him to drive us to the farm so we could go

missive (The captain's brusque manner was offensive.)

their agreement in the executive boardroom.)

into disrepute after it was learned that he had

tic and rambling, mine were felicitous and helpful.) 2.

visiting old friends.)

ess I look at the solution manual, I have no way of

to decide what to do Friday night because the city

his point further all of the peasants living on his land's

al and influencing the development of future events

o be seminal, because they initiated the critical school

ton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very

is stocked with so many amenities, he never has to do

fist. (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening

g beverages is not permitted on these premises.)

greedy, she dissembled and hid her intention to sell

being alone with it.)

me will not lessen as the decades pass.)

but the nadir came when I accidently spilled a bowl of

er the presumtuous noble tried to kiss her, even though

(In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Paula found

ed to pretend that she was an elvin princess.)

just about everyone.)

he silverware.)

contemporary of Wordsworth and Byron.)

ea across the town before the election.)

ed themselves to the building and shouted all night

meation of one substance by another (The infusion of

chools of thought.)

ence (Unfortunately, my brilliant paper was only in its

ugh he actually wanted to use the car to go on a date,

dy session.)

of the Mona Lisa, puzzling over the famous woman's

rongest of the Thundercats, wily Kit and Kat were

ally without fighting.)

oof.) 2. (n.) something that offers support (The buttress

s contentious personality made him unpopular with his

should repeat the fourth grade, but the unhappy parents

that the defendant was guilty, the last juror voiced his

in your refrigerator that your milk has spoiled.)

instead of the peanuts made her cake delicious.)

governments meant that who was actually in charge

o legs, called Australopithecus, were the primeval

The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing

day, I was grateful for Chris's winsome attitude and

ert saw Mariah wear her red dress, he began to feel quite

mentary school orchestra created a cacophony at the

d his landlady's rule against overnight guests.)

el(The sun finally came out dissipated the haze.) 2. (v.)

investments.)

ing meter.)
writers, but his speeches seem so ingenuous it's hard

emely wicked(Although Dr. Meanman's nefarious plot to

ical that nobody really worried about it.)

a man of great probity, no one was surprised by Mr.

indirect (With the sinuous movements of her arms, the

r pet rabbit died, Edda missed it terribly and sat around

d from the start, because the reasons behind it were so

he foot pedal to emphasize the cadence of the sonata.)

ehavior made it impossible to stay angry at him.)

musical band sang with clear dissonance due to lack of

s, the fickle gods help Achilles one day, and then harm
the car last night, I certainly never meant to inhibit you

er called me a negligent fool after I left the door to his

ent string of robberies.)

arold's childhood proclivity for torturing animals grew

obriety in times of crisis was the key to success in life.)

obriety in times of crisis was the key to success in life.)

o incur her wrath when she is known for inflicting the

ook you're writing, you say that the Pyramids were built

m into attending the bachelor party.)

d he'd been in a fight.)

d that he would catch a cold, she tried to dissuade him

eat fidelity they show toward their masters.)

work for a company that was so cold and inimical to me

phyte in the literary world, Malik had trouble finding a

ufficient evidence to charge the ganster with

with a nasty virus, enjoyed the solicitous attentions of

string around them.)

the wound so that the poor man at least feels a little

quake in San Francisco was a calamity worse than any

a constant conundrum.)

mach to distend.)
the storm to a bull.)

o the practical jokester, "will be forgiven.")

as a nocturnal person; she would study until dawn and

ogs in the holy water in the chapel at his boarding

d around an untraceable and water-soluble poison.)

hing (If he were any more zealous about getting his

ugh they are unrelated genetically, the bone structure of

ar's transmission to make the motor run most efficiently.)

or a discussion.)

d, he dithered about which of the two birthday parties

r I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always

r.)

njunctioned against anyone younger than 21 buying

mell (Nobody would enter the stalls until the horse's

agant (The profligate gambler loved to drink, spend

ted check from her aunt, Annabelle found herself

to tell Nelly that she had reached the absolute zenith of

archist, Carmine wanted to dissolve every government

allous lack of remorse.)

se of the cattle-ranchers' convention.) 2. (n.) a rule,

u take off your boots before entering their houses.)

sserts, she found the rich chocolate cake to be divine.)

enough, its leaves become droopy and flaccid.)

lent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or

nths after college, Jose led a nomadic life, living in New

ir cheers for the baseball player.)

her eyes at the sophomoric gross-out humor of the

t murder. He is an anathema to me.)

preading lies (The local official's calumny ended up

he restaurant's convivial atmosphere put me

sive tactics turned her two friends against each other.)

the man free simply because that man was his brother

appearance, these mushrooms are actually quite

id of his furniture more than he needed money, Jordan

declaration (The film professor promulgated that in

was surprised to Roger Moore's.)
sovereign queen, with steely resolve, ordered that the

ld an anecdote about the time he got his nose stuck in a

ployees usually leads to success in business.)

oluted that I couldn't follow it.)

, the government finally divulged the previously

on a sentimental Hallmark card.)

use of the stiff competition, the company knew it

d better products.)

deep down she was very angry, Marsha acted in a

riend had used her clothing without asking.)

's demise propagated like wildfire throughout the

essa was convicted on merely speculative evidence.)

re damaged, Mr. Hollins suffered anesthesia in his legs.)

ed by the candor of the mayor's speech because he is

ttles were stacked in the warehouse.)

to the docile puppy.)

's dress code by wearing a tie-dyed tank top and a pair

hint) (During the debate, the politician made several

r uninteresting (I was surprised when I saw the movie

for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping.)

e, authentic, or true (Using a spurious argument, John

on a technicality.)

e anguish when he learned that Buffy had died in a car

ack of the pack through much of the race and sprinted

my anger at once.)

ved principles (His dogmatic claim that men were better

d the thieves by locking them in the bank along with

to an organism in order to increase immunity to illness;

ulated against 37 diseases at age one; but I have also

ous for always arriving late at parties.)

orizon suggested that the weather would not be

w (With no room for advancement, the waiter's career

h is his true passion, he becomes very animated.)

o liked to work on canvas rather than on bare cement.)

od looking for clues.)

urred the day after his father's death.)

mant throughout the dinner party and exploded in

r provisions of any kind (When we got lost on our hiking

.)

he inquisitor was instructed to knock on every door in

e (Because we were all novices at yoga, our instructor

s old-fashioned parents believed that her clothes lacked

oge's stingy habits did not fit with the generous, giving

them in battle, the Russians annexed Poland.) 2. (n.) a

o his studying in a little annex attached to the main

w capacious office space.)

ke him any less attractive to his charming wife.)

d their dour neighbor because the old man would take

great forbearance in calming down the angry patient

te for melons can be a real problem in the winter.)

d that the noxious weeds were destroying the insects'

her's prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience.)

hfulness to Odysseus required that she be stoic and put

and catastrophic effects, Congress sought to annul the

hting a long costly battle.)

eous claim was corroborated by witnesses.)

was only trying to get a raise, she found his praise

as getting by taking plenty of vitamin C pills and wearing

eacherous or deceitful, seductive (Lisa's insidious

ck later on!)

e nuances of the poem were not obvious to the casual

oted to proscribe the sale of alcohol on weekends.)

's stolid reaction to his wife's funeral differed from the

e continuum is certainly a spatial anomaly", said Spock

e young girl's capricious tendencies made it difficult for

ffect of the chemical was highly corrosive.)

om his employees and then running the company into

the flu, my family decided to go skiing for the weekend

)

ncer would stop insinuating that my perfect report card

ence and good work habits.)

d never watered the plant, which was about to die, Javier

n a guitar lesson in his life, making his prowess with the

g a marathon is quite a strenuous task. So is watching

ove poem from an anonymous admirer.)

ed the young boy, who had never seen such things

cated, wolrdly (Lloyd's education and upbringing were

erful and learned.)

that he, who was normally against killing, fired his gun.)

o forsake smoking and drinking.)

mulating qualities (The play was so insipid, I fell asleep

bborn (The obdurate old man refused to take pity on the

ock market crash, my father vowed to practice greater

n and made him cry.)

al antagonism, and often fought.)

ting married.)

eracted the effect of the poison.)

eep up with the dynamic music scene with which their

dary.)

nsolent, making fun of his fans right to their faces.)

ncomprehensible (The detective did want to answer the

.)

fter the lawyer's puerile attempt to object by stomping

nd ungratefulness stupefied her best friend, Heather.)

Western culture had its antecedent in the culture of

ter listening to her carping voice for decades.)

of authority (In their coup attempt, the army officers

tage.)

ent upon receiving an acceptance letter from her first-

fter looking for Manuel and not finding him at home,

office.)

d into a fury by telling them that they had been cheated

ghtforward (Martin's oblique language confused those

ure led him to start several barroom brawls each

nd subjugated the natives.)

Eisenhower was president of the United States and that

victim's injuries before calculating how much money he

catalog from J. Crew that displayed all of their new

and car.)

bar attracts eclectic crowd: lawyers, artists, circus

k-shows provide a good forum for political debate.)

off (Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs, those

g (Oblivious to the burning smell emanating from the

ven were burned until much too late.)

Bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire, insisted that his

ondered his former wealth and once sublime existence.)

ew anthology of Bob Dylan songs contains all his

d the nation.)

paign against his enemies, while outwardly appearing to

was ecstatic when they learned that they had won the

ealth in the city, the mayor stated a "Get out and

ced a different classroom each night until the

ng in the shadows, his features were obscure.)

escribe smells (The pungent odors in the classroom

es are supposed to be submissive and support their

but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but

the same goal (The ironworkers held a caucus to finalize

sy target for con men.)

g all of his subjects to bow down before him.)

ed he wasn't tired, his fractious behavior convinced

l ingredient of flour, you wouldn't be able to make

like Janet's servant, obeying her every request in an

oys' room, the punitive result is immediate expulsion

ccinct speech energized the crowd while the mayor's

the features, like power windows and steering, that

austic insults for over an hour during the debate.)

endo of the brass instruments gave the piece a patriotic

s so angry at his wife for leaving him that he effaced all

with (The journey through the stormy sea was fraught

ation, the cab driver occasionally interjected his

of tape decks and CDs, which both have better sound

ely obsolete.)

won the campaign so her constant flattery of others was

are, but it's cleanliness helped to keep patients healthy.)

their dinners on the patio, while the children cavorted

Mrs. Fields's criteria for good cookies are that they be

akes everyone smile.)

ght and morning , the frenetic pace of city slows to a

ation (When the union negotiations failed, the governor

refused to leave the store until his mother bought him a

of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War.)

king of the surfeit of tacos at the All-You-Can-Eat Taco

and violence in the highest esteem, are the antithesis

critical mother's censure anymore.) 2. (v.) to rebuke

h Department for forcing students to learn esoteric

e culmination of the couple's argument was the

medicine was efficacious, but I'm still sniffling.)

xiety about whether your zit will disappear before the

ectures came just before lunch made them seem

pted the librarian to ask him to leave the reading room.)

y the quaint bonnets she saw in Amish coutnry.)

one of the students, the teacher was able to surmise

crash, he felt anxiety because he knew that his girlfriend

class are too cerebral --- they don't engage my

and was sentenced to perform community service for 75

that she was boring, my mother scolded me for my

diet consists of the most inexpensive foods in the store.)

at he would soon pass away occurred when he began to

warned that the prime minister's obtuse approach to

r.)

elf in a quandary: should he choose mint chocolate chip

to get in and out of the house without anyone noticing.)

s, Bruno was apathetic about whether he lived under a

e for the lavatory plunged his class into chaos.)

vated her interest in spy novels.)

lgent.)

er sock drawer was not as furtive as she thought.)

s no end in sight to the intractable conflict between the

assigned the odious task of cleaning the cat's litter

n (The skilled leader deftly quelled the rebellion.)

ed the child to term for its biological parents.)

fore you, it seems obvious that the stories circulating

eers for mimicking Britney Spears, Miranda dyed her

effect of hours spent in the sun was a deep tan.)

es across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious

and covers every object in her house with a garish gold

nion (The intransigent child said he wanted ice cream,

nted nor needed (Brenda resented Allan's officious

ove her artwork.)

ung Brendan becomes querulous.)

Robinson's white skin became rahter swarthy.)

the muderer's crimes and lack of remorse appalling.)

ntinued to cherish her red plaid trousers, even though

o surprise the enemy.)

e at chess because he develops such an elaborate

rrulous that their guests can't get a word in edgewise.)

olcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for

r's ominous words flashed thorugh my mind as the

otic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.)

e in the cabinet as the president's closest advisors, but

ives him candy to appease him.)

ight to appraise our house.)

lgar habits.)

l was banal, but the choreography was stunning.)

the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers.)

e meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.)

won the lottery, the writer was elated.)

uneral, the widow gave a moving elegy describing her

ehave like a real jerk, I would say that my brother is an

n tastes so divine, I don't know how anyone can call

ed chronicle of World War II.)

a new sitcom, my fans are sure to inundate me with fan

sures of living in a beautiful country estate no longer

ntation (The opulent furnishings of the dictator's private

modations of her subjects.)

nner (The prime minister was visibly shaken when the

domestic policies.)

ate styling of the new model of luxury car could not

ng two cups of coffee in the morning.)

njustice of the college's tenure policy.)

ts' refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.)

ts' refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.)

stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn.)

(Nobody was ever able to break into