Greatest Hits 2 Anees Hussain – Excellence in Education

Greatest Hits Wordlist 2 – 1000 Words

1. Filch v. steal, rob, embezzle, shoplift, 9. Redundant adj. superfluous, not needed, can
misappropriate. also be used to mean excessively wordy.
The boys filched apples from the fruit stand. Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce
its length.
2. Urbane adj. (of a person, especially a man)
courteous and refined in manner, suave, elegant, 10. Atrophy n. the wasting away, especially of a
refined, cultured, sophisticated, civilized. body tissue or organ, as a result of the degeneration
of cells, or to become functionless during evolution.
The actor was urbane and sophisticated.
Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the
3. Decant v. gradually pour a liquid from one
atrophy of affected limbs.
container into another, typically in order to separate
out sediment. Pour off gently, drain, discharge, 11. Resilient adj. elastic, having the power of
transfer. springing back.
Scientists decant the wet solution from the cylinder Steel is highly resilient and therefore is used in the
into a storage flask so that they could use it in future manufacture of springs.
experiments.
12. Analogy n. similarity, parallelism.
4. Antithesis n. a person or thing that is the direct
Your analogy is not a good one because the two
opposite of someone or something else, contrast,
situations are not similar.
direct opposite.
13. Facetious adj. humorous, jocular, witty.
Her brave behavior was the very antithesis of
cowardly. Your facetious remarks are not appropriate at this
serious moment
5. Heretical n. holding an opinion at odds with what
is generally accepted (especially religious beliefs). 14. Diatribe v. a forceful and bitter verbal attack,
Dissident, dissenting, nonconformist, unorthodox, scolding, a tirade, condemnation, criticism.
apostate, iconoclastic, renegade.
During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent
She was punished by the court because she was a he remained calm and self-controlled
heretic.
15. Malediction n. a spoken curse, anathema,
6. Coalesce v. come together to form one mass or imprecation, the opposite of a blessing.
whole, combine.
The witch uttered maledictions against her captors
The streams coalesce into one large river.
16. Aggregate noun. a whole formed by combining
7. Charlatan n. A person falsely claiming to have a several separate elements, a sum, total.
special knowledge or skill, a quack, a pretender to
The aggregate wealth of this man is extraordinary.
knowledge.
17. Aplomb n. poise, self-assurance, self-confidence.
Because he was unable to substantiate his claim that
he had found a cure, his colleagues called him a His nonchalance and aplomb in times of trouble
charlatan. always encouraged his followers.
8. Gauche adj. Unsophisticated and socially 18. Therapeutic adj. having a healing effect,
awkward, clumsy, inelegant, bumbling, inept. curative.
Such remarks are gauche and out of place; you The hot water springs in Turkey are famous for their
should apologize for making them. therapeutic and healing qualities.

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19. Transmute v. change, convert to something 32. Litigation n. lawsuit.

different.
Try to settle this amicably I do not want to start
He was unable to transmute his dreams into litigation.
actualities.
33. Fiasco n. total failure.
20. Attrition n. to reduce slowly, a gradual wearing
Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were
down, abrasion.
forced to flee
They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than
34. Vagary n. caprice, whim, an unpredictable
to rely on an all-out attack.
action.
21. Truncate v. cut the top off, cut short.
She followed every vagary of fashion.
However, the second sentence is truncated, as it has
35. Graphic adj. pertaining to the art of portraying,
been shortened.
vividly described.
22. Oscillate v. vibrate pendulum-like; waver.
I am particularly impressed by the graphic
It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates presentation of the storm
between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.
36. Connotation n. suggested or implied meaning
23. Inoculate v. vaccinate. of an expression.
The doctor inoculated the patient to protect him from Foreigners frequently are unaware of the
the virus. connotations of the words they use
24. Perusal n. reading. 37. Tortuous adj. winding, full of curves, crooked.
I am certain that you have missed certain details in Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go
your rapid perusal of this document. faster than twenty miles on it.
25. Querulous adj. fretful, whining. 38. Fulminating v. thundering, exploding.
His classmates were repelled by his querulous and The people against whom she fulminated were
complaining statements. innocent of any wrongdoing.
26. Autonomy adj. self-governing. 39. Circumvent v. outwit, baffle, avoid.
This island is a colony; however, in most matters, it In order to circumvent the enemy, we will take two
is autonomous and receives no orders from the preliminary attacks in other sections before starting
mother country. our major campaign.
27. Machinations n. schemes, plots. 40. Cartel n. industrial pool of companies trying to
control a market.
After being caught running a machination against his
political rival, the ruthless candidate lost the election. The government acted quickly in order to break the
cement cartel.
28. Schism n. Division, split.
41. Prolific adj. abundantly fruitful, productive.
Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.
She was a prolific writer and wrote as many as three
29. Pusillanimous adj. cowardly, faint hearted.
books a year.
You should be ashamed of your pusillanimous
42. Assuage v. Ease; lessen (pain).
conduct during this dispute.
Your messages of cheers should assuage her
30. Terminology n. terms used in a science or art.
suffering.
The special terminology developed by some
43. Decorum n. propriety, seemliness.
authorities in the field has done more to confuse lay
man than to enlighten them. Shocked by the unruly behavior, the teacher criticized
the class for its lack of decorum.
31. Stipend n. pay for services. There is a nominal
stipend for this position.
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44. Phlegmatic adj. calm, not easily disturbed. 55. Obsequious adj. slavishly attentive, servile,
sycophantic, fawning.
The nurse was a calm and phlegmatic person.
Nothing is more disgusting to me the then the
45. Intrepid adj. fearless.
obsequious behaviour of the people who you keep
He was promoted for his intrepid conduct in battle. around yourself.
46. Actuate v. motivate. 56. Loquacious adj. talkative, garrulous.
I failed to understand what actuated you to reply to She is very loquacious and can speak on the
this letter nastily. telephone for hours.
47. Mountebank n. charlatan, boastful pretender. 57. Pugnacious adj. combative, disposed to fight.
The new doctor who had just moved across the road As a child he was pugnacious and fought with
was a mountebank. everyone.
48. Laconic adj. brief, to the point. 58. Astringent adj. binding, causing contraction.
Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood The astringent quality of the unsweetened lemon
are laconic types: strong men of few words. juice made swallowing difficult.
49. Boorish adj. rude, clownish. 59. Escarpment n. steep slope.
Your boorish remarks to the driver of the other car Climbing up the escarpment was the most tiring part
were not warranted by the situation and served of the adventure.
merely to enrage him.
60. Amenities n. convenient features, courtesies.
50. Erudite adj. learned, scholarly.
In addition to the customary amenities for the
His erudite writing was difficult to read because of business traveler - fax machines, modems, a health
the many allusions which were unfamiliar to most club - the hotel offers the services of a butler versed
readers. in the social amenities.
51. Acrimonious adj. stinging, caustic. 61. Deplore v. regret.
His tendency to utter acrimonious remarks alienated Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I
and upset his audience. defend your right to express yourself freely.
52. Embryonic adj. undeveloped, rudimentary. 62. Banal adj. hackneyed, commonplace, trite.
The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated His frequent use of clichés made his essay seem
while it is still in an embryonic state, otherwise it may banal.
go to dangerous proportions.
63. Abacus n. old calculating device.
53. Inexorable adj. relentless, unyielding,
The Chinese used the abacus for complex
implacable.
calculations
After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge
64. Seismic adj. pertaining to earthquakes.
was inexorable and gave the convicted man the
maximum punishment allowed by law. The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic
disturbances.
54. Protracted v. prolong.
65. Ameliorate v. improve.
Do not protract this phone conversation as I expect
an important business call within the next few Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate
minutes. the conditions of the people living in the slums.
66. Chary adj. cautiously watchful.
She was chary of her favors because she had been
hurt before.

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67. Corpulent adj. very fat. 80. Scrupulous adj. conscientious, extremely
thorough.
The corpulent man resolved to reduce his weight.
I can recommend him for a position of responsibility
68. Enigma n. puzzle.
for I have found him a very scrupulous young man.
Despite all attempts to decipher the code, it
81. Invariable v. uniform, unchanging.
remained an enigma.
The batsman has been an invariable run-getter for
the team.
69. Inept adj. unsuited, absurd, incompetent.
82. Voracious adj. ravenous greedy, glutton.
The constant turmoil in the office proved that she
was an inept administrator. The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never
satisfied.
70. Inveterate adj. deep-rooted, habitual.
83. Concentrate n. consolidate .
She is an inveterate smoker and cannot stop the
habit. We need to consolidate our efforts towards finding
the solution to this major problem.
71. Obeisance n. bow.
84. Plagiarize v. steal another's ideas and pass
She made an obeisance as the king and queen
them off as one's own.
entered the room.
The editor could tell that the writer had plagiarized
72. Pedantic adj. showing off learning, bookish,
parts of the article; he could recognize whose
stiffly formal.
paragraphs from the original source.
What you say is pedantic and reveals unfamiliarity
85. Cortege n. procession, retinue.
with the realities of life
The funeral cortege proceeded slowly down the
73. Petulant adj. touchy, peevish.
avenue.
The feverish patient was petulant and restless.
86. Antipathy n. aversion, dislike.
74. Proclivity n. inclination, natural tendency.
His extreme antipathy to dispute caused him to avoid
The cross old lady had a proclivity to grumble. argumentative discussions with his friends.
75. Trenchant adj. cutting, keen. 87. Demur v. delay, object.
I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often To demur on this time will only worsen the already
sarcastic. serious situation; now is the time for action.
76. Vapid adj. insipid, inane. 88. Paragon n. Model of perfection.
She delivered an uninspired and vapid speech. The class disliked him because the teacher was
always pointing to him as a paragon of virtue.
77. Prognosticate v. predict.
89. Finite adj. limited.
I prognosticate disaster unless we change our
wasteful ways. It is difficult for humanity with its finite existence to
grab the infinite.
78. Propriety n. fitness, correct conduct.
90. Anarchy n. Absence of governing body, state of
I want you to behave at this dinner with propriety;
disorder .
don't embarrass me.
The assassination of the leaders led to a period of
79. Pulchritude n. beauty, comeliness.
anarchy.
I do not envy the judges who have to select this
91. Discrimination n. ability to see differences,
year's Miss America from this collection of female
prejudice.
pulchritude.
They feared he lacked sufficient discrimination to
judge complex works of modern art.
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92. Invective n. abuse. 105. Astute adj. wise, shrewd.

He had expected criticism but not the invective, That was a very astute observation. I shall need it.
which greeted his proposal.
106. Proviso n. stipulation, condition.
93. Adroit adj. skillful.
I am ready to accept your proposal with the proviso
His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased that you meet your obligations within the next two
his employers. weeks.
94. Distress n. suffering, anguish. 107. Macabre adj. gruesome, grisly.
The distressed parents tried frantically to find a
The city morgue is a macabre spot for the
doctor for their sick child.
uninitiated.
95. Dilettante n. aimless follower of the arts;
108. Augment v. increase.
amateur, dabbler.
How can we hope to augment our forces when our
He was not serious in his paintings; he was rather a
allies are deserting us?
dilettante.
109. Integral adj. essential, complete.
96. Provisional adj. tentative.
Physical education is an integral part of our
The appointment is provisional: only on the approval
curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are
of the board of directors will it be made permanent.
complementary.
97. Condiment n. spice, seasoning for food.
110. Impunity n. freedom from punishment.
The food company introduced new condiments.
The bully mistreated everyone in the class with
98. Recalcitrant adj. obstinately stubborn. impunity for he felt that no one would dare retaliate .
Donkeys are reputed to be the most recalcitrant of 111. Latent adj. dormant, hidden.
animals.
Her latent talent was discovered by accident.
99. Bon Mot adj. pompous, using inflated language.
112. Obdurate adj. stubborn.
The orator's bombastic manners left the audience
He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our
unimpressed.
complaints.
100. Accoutrements n. equipment.
113. Bellicose adj. war like.
The fisherman was accoutered with the best that the
His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.
sporting goods store could supply.
114. Arroyo n. gully.
101. Hypothetical adj. based on assumptions or
hypothesis. Until the heavy rains of the past springs, this arroyo
had been a dry bed.
Why do we have to consider hypothetical cases
when we have actual case histories which we may 115. Augur v. foretell, predict.
examine?
He interpreted the departure of the birds as an
102. Alacrity n. cheerful promptness. augury of evil.
He demonstrated his eagerness to serve by his 116 Contrite adj. penitent, repentant.
alacrity in executing the orders of his master.
Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when
103. Jettison v. throw overboard. he imposed sentence.
In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the 117. Conundrum n. riddle, difficult problem.
storm, the captain had to jettison much of his cargo.
During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to
104. Vacillation n. fluctuation, His
wavering. entertain the children.
vacillation when confronted with a problem annoyed
all of us who had to wait until he made his decision.
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118. Paean n. song of praise or joy. 130. Acquiesce v. assent, agree passively.
Paeans celebrating the victory filled the air. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her
employer's suggestions, I could tell she had
119. Exotic adj. not native, strange.
reservations about the changes he wanted made.
Because of his exotic headdress, he was followed in
131. Reticent adj. reserved, uncommunicative,
the streets by small children who laughed at his
inclined to silence.
appearance.
Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious
ones, noting that the formers' dislike of idle chatter
120. Archipelago n. a group of closely related
might ensure their discretion about his affairs.
islands.
132. Stipulate v. make express conditions, specify.
When he looked at the map and saw archipelagoes in
the South Seas, he longed to visit them. Before agreeing to reduce American Military forces in
Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams
121. Prevaricate v. lie.
must be allowed to inspect Soviet bases.
Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good
133. Pseudo adj. not genuine.
cause is justifiable and regard the statement as a
"white lie". John was not impressed by his friend's pseudo tears.
122. Incredulous adj. withholding belief, skeptical. 134. Flotsam n. drifting wreckage.
The incredulous judge refused to accept the Beachcombers eke out a living by salvaging the
statement of the defendant. flotsam and jetsam of the sea.
123. Placate v. pacify, conciliate. 135. Awry adv. Distorted, crooked.
The teacher tried to placate the angry mother. He held his head awry, giving the impression that he
had caught cold in his neck during the night.
124. Cognizance n. knowledge .
136. Nefarious adj. very wicked.
During the election campaign, the two candidates
were kept in full cognizance of the international He was universally feared because of his nefarious
situation. deeds.
125. Dissonance n. discord. 137. Glib adj. fluent.
Some contemporary musicians deliberately use He is a glib and articulate speaker.
dissonance to achieve certain effects.
138. Paucity n. scarcity.
126. Imminent. adj. impending, about to happen.
They closed the restaurant because the paucity of
The imminent battle will soon determine our success customers made it uneconomical to operate.
or failure in this conflict.
139. Lucrative adj. profitable.
127. Torque n. twisting force, force producing
He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.
rotation .
140. Indubitable. adj. undeniable, something that
With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the
cannot be doubted.
nut to loosen it.
The Aussies are indubitable champions of cricket.
128. Accrued v. come about by addition.
141. Connivance n. collusion, conspire.
You must pay the interest which has accrued on
your debt as well as the principal sum. With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to
embarrass the teacher.
142. Savant n. scholar, learned person, erudite.
129. Effrontery n. shameless boldness.
Our faculty includes many world famous savants
She had the effrontery to insult the guest.

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143. Incipient adj. beginning, in early stage. 155. Panoramic n. comprehensive view,
unobstructed view in all directions.
I will go to sleep early for I want to break an
incipient cold. Tourists never forget the first impact of the
panorama of the Grand Canyon.
144. Virile adj. manly.
156. Ignominy adj. disgraceful .
I do not accept the premise that a man is virile only
when he is belligerent. The country accepted the ignominious defeat and
dreamed of the day when it would be victorious.
145. Assiduous. adj. diligent.
157. Relevant adj. pertinent, reference to the case
He worked assiduously at this task for weeks before
in hand.
he felt satisfied with the results.
I was impressed by the relevance of your remarks; I
146. Cataclysm n. deluge, upheaval, disaster.
now understand the situation perfectly.
A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all
158. Gamut n. entire range.
countries.
In this performance, the leading lady was able to
147. Auspicious. adj. favoring success, favorable.
demonstrate the complete gamut of her acting
With favorable weather conditions, it was an ability.
auspicious moment to set sail.
159. Apposite adj. appropriate, fitting.
148. Satire n. form of literature in which irony,
He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the
sarcasm and ridiculed are employed to attack vice
correct expression for every occasion.
and folly.
160. Ambulatory adj. able to walk.
Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a
tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking He was described as an ambulatory patient because
man's folly. he was not confined to his bed.
149. Vernacular n. living language, natural style, 161. Disparage v. belittle.
colloquial, informal speech.
Do not disparage anyone's contribution; these little
Cut out those old-fashioned thee's and thou's and gifts add up to large sums.
write in the vernacular.
162. Limpid adj. clear.
150. Emolument adj. salary, compensation.
A limpid stream ran through his property.
In addition to the emolument this position offers, you
163. Derisive adj. expressing ridicule.
must consider the social prestige it carries with it.
They greeted his proposal with derisive remarks and
151. Turgid adj. swollen, distended.
refused to consider it seriously.
The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees
164. Debilitate v. weaken, enfeeble.
and flood the countryside.
Overindulgence debilitates character as well as
152. Expunge v. cancel, remove.
physical stamina.
If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your
165. Opulence adj. wealth. Visitors from Europe are
record.
amazed and impressed by the opulence of this
153. Ethnology n. study of man. country.
Sociology is one aspect of the science of ethnology. 166. Blandishment n. flattery.
154. Deduce v. infer. Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the
customer did not buy the outfit.
The detective deduced the murderer's identity from
the evidence. 167. Cryptic adj. mysterious, secret, hidden.
His cryptic remarks could not be interpreted.

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168. Raucous adj. harsh and shrill. 181. Sentient adj. capable of feeling.
His raucous voice irritated me and grated on my I avoid hurting plants as I think they are sentient.
ears.
182. Obviate v. make unnecessary, get rid of.
169. Avid adj. greedy, eager for.
I hope this contribution will obviate any need for
He was avid for learning and reading everything he further collections of funds.
could get.
183. Peruse v. read. I am certain that you have
170. Epitome n. summary, concise abstract. missed certain details in your rapid perusal of this
This final book is the epitome of all his previous document.
books.
184. Rancor n. bitterness, hatred.
171. Hiatus n. gap, pause.
Let us forget our rancor and cooperate in this new
Except for a brief two-year hiatus, during which she endeavor.
enrolled in the Peace Corps, Ms. Clements had
185. Truncheon n. baton, club carried by a police
devoted herself to her medical career.
officer.
172. Plenary adj. complete, full.
The protestors were charged by the policemen
The union leader was given plenary power to carrying truncheons.
negotiate a new contract with the employees.
186. Sebaceous adj. oily, fatty.
173. Capricious adj. fickle, incalculable.
The sebaceous glands secrete oil to the hair follicles.
The storm was capricious and changed course
187. Dilatory adj. delaying.
constantly.
Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the
174. Specious adj. seemingly reasonable but
contract.
incorrect, deceptive.
188. Ebullient adj. showing excitement, overflowing
Let us not be misled by such specious arguments.
with enthusiasm.
175. Extirpate v. root up, eradicate.
His ebullient nature could not be repressed; he was
The Salem witch trials were a misguided attempt to always exuberant.
extirpate the superstition and heresy.
189. Relegate v. banish, consign to inferior
176. Equivocal adj. having double or ambiguous position.
meaning.
If we relegate these experienced people to positions
The rules mentioned in this book are equivocal and of unimportance because of their political
difficult to understand. persuasions, we shall lose the service of valuably
trained personnel.
177. Recompense v. reward, make amends.
190. Recondite adj. abstruse, profound, secret.
The criminal was asked to recompense the victim's
family. He read many recondite books in order to obtain the
material for his scholarly thesis.
178. Beatific adj. giving bliss, blissful.
191. Redolent adj. fragrant, odorous, suggestive of
The beatific smile on the child's face made us very
an odor.
happy.
Even though it is February, the air is redolent of
179. Sanguine adj. cheerful, hopeful.
spring.
Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome;
192. Dissimulate v. pretend, conceal by feigning.
something could go wrong.
She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant
180. Surcease n. cessation.
attitude.
He begged the doctors to grant him surcease from
his suffering.
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193. Sublime adj. exalted, noble, uplifting. 205. Altruistic adj. unselfishly generous, concerned
for others.
Mother Teresa has been honored for her sublime
deeds. In providing tutorial assistance and college
scholarships for hundreds of economically
194. Vixen n. female fox, ill-tempered woman,
disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a
shrew.
truly altruistic deed.
Aware that she was right once again, he lost his
206. Perfidious adj. basely false.
temper and called her a shrew and a vixen.
Your perfidious gossip is malicious and dangerous.
195. Sedulous adj. diligent.
207. Consummate adj. complete.
The young woman was so sedulous that she received
a commendation for her hard work. I have never seen anyone who makes as many
stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate
196. Vitiate v. spoil the effect of, make inoperative,
idiot.
contaminate.
208. Munificent adj. very generous.
Fraud will vitiate the contract
The munificent gift was presented to the bride.
197. Curvet v. leap.
209. Lugubrious adj. mournful, doleful.
The horse performed a graceful curvet.
The lugubrious howling of the dogs added to our
198. Adventitious adj. accidental, casual.
sadness.
He found this adventitious meeting with his friend
210. Disconsolate adj. sad.
extremely fortunate.
The death of his beloved wife left him disconsolate.
199. Animus n. hostile feeling or intent.
211. Coterie n. group that meets socially, select
The animus of the speaker became obvious to all
circle, clique.
when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting
remarks. After his book had been published, he was invited to
join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the
200. Descry v. catch sight of.
hotel.
In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy
212. Conduit n. aqueduct, passageway for fluids,
vessels.
tube.
201. Adulation n. flattery, admiration.
Water was brought to the army in the desert by an
He thrived on the adulation of his henchmen. improvised conduit from the adjoining mountain.
202. Subsequently adv. later. 213. Shibboleth n. watchword, slogan.
The manager was accused of fraud and subsequently We are often misled by shibboleths spoken by
punished when found guilty. politicians.
203. Expurgate v. clean, remove offensive parts of 214. Evanescent adj. fleeting, vanishing.
a book.
For a brief moment the entire skyline was bathed in
The editors felt that certain passages in the book had an orange-red hue in the evanescent rays of sunset.
to be expurgated before it could be used in the
215. Parsimonious adj. stingy, excessively frugal.
classroom.
His parsimonious nature did not permit him to enjoy
204. Liaison n. link, officer who acts as go-between
any luxuries.
for two armies.
216. Machiavellian adj. crafty, double-dealing.
As the liaison he had to avoid offending the leaders
of the two armies. I do not think he will be a good ambassador because
he is not accustomed to the Machiavellian
maneuverings of foreign diplomats.
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217. Compendium n. brief comprehensive 229. Vertigo n. dizziness especially caused by

summary. heights.
This text can serve as a compendium of the We test potential plane pilots for susceptibility to
tremendous amount of new material being developed spells of vertigo.
in this field.
230. Debacle n. breaking up, down fall.
218. Megalomania n. mania for doing grandiose
This debacle in the government can only result in
things.
anarchy.
Developers who spend millions trying to build the
231. Condign adj. adequate, deservedly severe.
world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.
The public approved the condign punishment for the
219. Torpor n. sluggish, torpid condition.
crime.
To ward of his torpor, Jack drank three cups of
232. Ephemeral adj. short-lived, fleeting, transient.
coffee.
The May fly is an ephemeral creature.
220. Esoteric adj. known only to the chosen few.
233. Histrionic adj. theatrical.
Those students who had access to his esoteric
discussions were impressed by the breadth of his He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to
knowledge. play the role of hamlet.
221. Supercilious adj. contemptuous haughty. 234. Urbanity adj. suavity.
I resent your supercilious and arrogant attitude. His fans adore James Bond's urbanity.
222. Abstemious adj. spearing in eating and 235. Truculence n. aggressiveness, ferocity.
drinking, temperate.
The editor’s reviews were noted for their caustic
The drunkards mocked him because of his attacks and general tone of truculence.
abstemious habits.
236. Inveigh v. denounce, utter censure or
223. Ken n. range of knowledge. invective.
I cannot answer your question since this matter is He inveighed against the demagoguery of the
beyond my ken. previous speaker and urged that the audience reject
his philosophy as dangerous.
224. Germane adj. pertinent, bearing upon the case
at hand. 237. Desultory adj. aimless, jumping around.
The lawyer objected that the testimony being offered The animals' desultory behavior indicated that they
was not germane to the case at hand. had no awareness of their predicament.
225. Vituperation n. abuse, severe criticism. 238. Ingenuous adj. naïve, young, unsophisticated.
The professors vituperation was unjustified as the These remarks indicate that you are ingenuous and
student had put in his best effort. unaware of life's harsh realities.
226. Chimerical adj. fantastic, highly imaginative. 239. Cumulative adj. increasing in amount or force,
additive.
Poe's chimerical stories are sometimes to morbid for
reading in bed. The cumulative interest of all the loans is too much
for the country to bear.
227. Dulcimer n. musical instrument.
240. Epigram n. witty thought or saying, usually
The sweet sound of the dulcimer resonated through
short.
the hall.
Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin Franklin
228. Sartorial adj. pertaining to tailors.
famous.
He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his
attire as he was for his acting.
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241. Gesticulate v. use gestures. 254. Mundane adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual.
The teacher gesticulated the students to stay quiet . He was concerned with only mundane matters,
especially the daily stock market quotations.
242. Beguile v. amuse, delude, cheat.
255. Palliate v. ease pain, make less guilty or
He beguiled himself during the long hours playing
offensive.
solitaire.
Doctors must palliate that which they cannot cure.
243. Hoary adj. white with age.
256. Foment v. stir up, instigate.
The man was hoary and wrinkled when he reached
70. This report will foment dissension in the club.
244. Labyrinth n. maze. 257. Predacious adj. preying, plundering or
exploiting others.
Tom and Betty were lost in the labyrinth of secret
caves. Hitler was famous for his predacious behavior.
245. Regurgitate v. surge back, produce again. 258. Resilient adj. elastic, having the power of
springing back.
The judge ordered to police to regurgitate the
witness. Steel is highly resilient and therefore is used in the
manufacture of springs.
246. Podium n. pedestal, raised platform.
259. Blatant adj. loudly offensive, without fear of
The audience applauded as the conductor made his
punishment.
way to the podium.
I regard your remarks as blatant and ill-mannered.
247. Bereft adj. deprived of, lacking.
260. Adversity n. poverty, misfortune.
The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of
funds. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.
248. Elucidate v. explain, enlighten. 261. Cadaverous adj. like a corpse, pale.
He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points By his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the
in his article. disease had ravaged him.
249. Emollient n. soothing or softening remedy. 262. Wraith n. ghost, phantom of a living person,
apparition.
He applied an emollient to the inflamed area.
It must be a horrible experience to see a ghost; it is
250. Nostalgic n. homesickness, longing for the
even more horrible to see the wraith of a person we
past.
know to be alive.
The first settlers found so much work to do that they
263. Perspicacity n. insight, quality of being astute.
had little time for nostalgia.
The brilliant lawyer was known for his perspicacious
251. Expiate v. make amends for (a sin).
deductions.
He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to
264. Extraneous adj. not essential, external.
the authorities.
Do not pad your paper with extraneous matters;
252. Parody n. humorous imitation, travesty.
stick to essential items only.
We enjoyed the clever parodies of popular songs
265. Paroxysm n. fit or attack of pain, laughter,
which the chorus sang.
rage, sudden outburst.
253. Archetype n. prototype, primitive pattern.
When he heard of his son's misdeeds, he was seized
The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many by a paroxysm of rage.
spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island
266. Sapient adj. wise, shrewd. The students
and New Jersey.
enjoyed the professor's sapient digressions more
than his formal lectures.
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267. Flaccid adj. limp, flabby. 280. Synchronous adj. Similarly timed,
simultaneous with, synchronized.
The paralyzed patient's flaccid arm was dangling on
the side of the bed. We have many examples of scientists in different part
of the world who have made synchronous
268. Impecunious adj. without money.
discoveries.
Now that he was wealthy, he gladly contributed to
281. Semblance n. outward appearance, guise.
funds to assist the impecunious and the disabled.
Although this book has a semblance of wisdom and
269. Demerit n. fault, blemish.
scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many
Your plan has its merits and demerits. errors and omissions.
270. Meditate v. contemplate, reflect, ponder 282. Wistful adj. vaguely longing, sadly pensive.
spiritually.
With a last wistful glance at the happy couples
My vacation gave me a chance to meditate and plan dancing in the halls, Sue headed back to her room to
for the future. study for her exam.
271. Mutinous adj. unruly, rebellious. 283. Curtail v. shorten, reduce.
The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous During the coal shortage, we must curtail our use of
crew. this vital commodity.
272. Negligent adj. careless. 284. Noxious adj. harmful.
Negligence can prove costly near complicated We must trace the source of these noxious gasses
machinery. before they asphyxiate us.
273. Contest v. dispute. 285. Paucity n. scarcity.
The defeated candidate attempted to contest the They closed the restaurant because the paucity of
election results. customers made it uneconomical to operate.
274. Query v. ask. 286. Jeopardize v. endanger.
My boss has raised many queries on my proposal. Your careless actions have jeopardized our chances
of victory.
275. Insidious adj. treacherous, stealthy, sly.
287. Intrepid adj. fearless.
The fifth column is insidious because it works
secretly within our territory for our defeat. For his intrepid conduct in battle, he was promoted.
276. Palpitate v. throb, flutter. 288. Treacherous adj. disloyal .
As he became excited his heart began to palpitate The treacherous soldier was caught and executed
more and more erratically.
289. Unsavory adj. distasteful, morally offensive.
277. Animosity n. active enmity.
People with unsavory reputations should not be
He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because allowed to work with young children
he advocated limitations of their power.
290. Hearsay n. rumour, gossip.
278. Egotism n. conceit, vanity.
I prefer not to indulge in childish hearsay.
She thought so much of herself that we found her
291. Hamper v. obstruct.
egotism unwarranted and irritating.
The minority party agreed not to hamper the efforts
279. Calligraphy n. beautiful writing, excellent
of the leaders to secure a lasting peace.
penmanship.
292. Bedlam n. uproar, confusion.
As we examine ancient manuscripts, we become
impressed by the calligraphy of the scribes. The parliament's session was marred by bedlam.

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293. Infallible adj. unerring. 306. Concession n. an act of yielding.

We must remember that none of us is infallible; we Before they could reach an agreement, both sides
all make mistakes. had to make certain concessions.
294. Contend v. struggle, compete, assert 307. Insipid adj. tasteless, dull.
earnestly.
I am bored by your insipid talk.
Sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black
308. Reprisal n. retaliation.
athletes have been exploited by some college
recruiters I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the
enemy may undertake.
295. Amorous adj. moved by love, loving.
309. Dubious adj. doubtful.
Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures .
He has the dubious distinction of being the lowest
296. Alleviate v. relieve.
man in his class.
This should alleviate the pain; if this does not, we
310. Atrocious adj. brutal, wicked. I cannot
shall have to use stronger drugs.
condone such atrocious acts of wickedness.
297. Neophyte n. recent convert, beginner.
311. Prestige n. impression produced by
This mountain slope contains slides that will achievements or reputation.
challenge experts as well as neophytes.
The wealthy man sought to obtain prestige by
298. Solace n. comfort in trouble. contributing to popular charities.
I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of 312. Vindicate v. clear of charges.
us share you loss.
I hope to vindicate my client and return him to
299. Ultimatum n. last demand, warning. society as a free man.
Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only 313. Exude v. discharge, give forth.
recourse is to declare war.
The maple syrup is obtained from the sap that
300. Grid n. framework of parallel or crossed bars. exudes from the trees in early spring.
The graphs can be made easily on a grid. 314. Faction n. party, clique, dissension.
301. Wangle v. wiggle out, fake. The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions
within the club disturbed majority of the members.
She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.
315. Inclement adj. stormy, unkind.
302. Procurement n. acquisition, purchase.
I like to read a good book in inclement weather.
The procurement department of the company was
trying to find a cheap supplier. 316. Spurious adj. false, counterfeit.
303. Culmination n. attainment of the highest She tried to pay the check with a spurious ten-dollar
point, climax. bill.
His inauguration as the President of the United States 317. Subservient adj. behaving like a slave,
marked the culmination of his political career. servile, obsequious.
304. Insuperable adj. Insurmountable, invincible. He was proud and dignified; he refused to be
subservient to anyone.
In the face of insuperable difficulties they maintained
their courage and will to resist. 318. Importune v. beg earnestly.
305. Cliché n. phrase dulled in meaning by I must importune you to work for peace at this time.
repetition.
High school compositions are often marred by such
clichés as "strong as an ox".
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319. Controversial adj. causing controversy or At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an
debate. end to the enmity that prevented Egypt and Israel
from living in peace.
The rules proposed by the ICC are extremely
controversial. 333. Discriminate v. distinguish, tell difference.
320. Ghastly adj. horrible. A smart man is able to distinguish between an
original and a copy.
The murdered man’s body was a ghastly sight.
334. Derision n. ridicule.
321. Belligerent adj. quarrelsome.
They greeted his proposal with derision and refused
Whenever he had too much to drink, he became
to consider it seriously.
belligerent and began to pick fights with strangers.
335. Exultant adj. elated, extremely happy.
322. Compassion n. sympathy, pity.
We were exultant when our team won.
Everybody should contribute towards the earthquake
victims with compassion. 336. Ostensible adj. apparent, professed,
pretended.
323. Dissension n. discord, angry disagreement.
Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is
The chairman tried to remove the dissension
to discover new lands, we are really interested in
between various departments of the company.
finding new markets for our products.
324. Berate v. scold strongly.
337. Abhor v. detest, hate.
He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.
She abhorred all forms of bigotry abhorrence.
325. Dearth n. scarcity.
338. Dutiful adj. respectful, obedient.
The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers
The dutiful child grew up to be a conscientious adult,
to open trade schools.
aware of his civic obligations.
326. Defer v. postpone, delay.
339. Zealot n. fanatic, person who shows excessive
Don't try to defer to tomorrow what you can do zeal.
today.
It is good to have a few zealots in our group for their
327. Stagnant adj. motionless, stale, dull. enthusiasm is contagious.
The stagnant water was a breeding ground for 340. Magnanimous adj. generous.
disease.
The philanthropist was most magnanimous.
328. Mandatory adj. obligatory.
341. Cite v. quote.
Following these instructions is mandatory; any
She would cite passages in the Bible from memory.
violation will be severely punished.
342. Oblivion n. forgetfulness.
329. Infernal adj. pertaining to hell, devilish.
Her works had fallen into a state of oblivion; no one
They could think of no way to hinder his infernal
bothered to read them.
scheme.
343. Cardinal adj. chief.
330. Exonerate v. acquit, exculpate, vindicate.
If you want to increase your word power, the
I am sure this letter naming the actual culprit will
cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is to read.
exonerate you.
344. Deplete v. reduce, exhaust.
331. Arbiter n. person with power to decide a
dispute, judge. We must wait until we deplete our present inventory
before we order replacements.
As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the
confidence of the workers and the employers. 345. Supersede v. cause to be set aside, replace.
332. Enmity n. ill will, hatred. This regulation will supersede all previous rules.
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346. Sporadic adj. occurring irregularly. 359. Assimilate v. absorb, cause to become
homogeneous.
Although there are sporadic outbursts of shooting,
we may report that the major rebellion has been The manner in which the United States was able to
defeated. assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the
nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth
347. Neutralize v. counteract, make neutral, make
centuries will always be a source of pride.
ineffective.
360. Despondency n. dejection, feeling low.
The antidote will neutralize the effects of the poison.
The new coach was able to remove the players from
348. Insinuate v. hint, imply.
despondency and infuse a new spirit.
What are you trying to insinuate by that remark?
361. Buoyant adj. exuberant, feeling cheerful.
349. Diminutive n. lessening, reduction in size.
Drinking soda always has a buoyant effect on me.
The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as soon as
the diminution of the enemy's supplies became 362. Culinary adj. related to cooking.
serious.
Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise
350. Plight n. unfortunate condition, predicament. use of spices.
The rescuers tried to remove the victims from their 363. Caprice n. whim.
plight.
Do not act on caprice. Study your problem.
351. Illicit adj. illegal.
364. Deterrent adj. something that discourages,
The defense attorney claimed that the police had hindrance.
entrapped his client; that is, they had elicited the
Does the threat of the capital punishment serve as a
illicit action of which they now accused him.
deterrent to potential killers?
352. Benign adj. kindly, favorable, not malignant.
365. Pugnacious adj. combative, disposed to
The old man was well liked because of his benign fight.
attitude toward friend and stranger alike.
As a child he was pugnacious and fought with
353. Reverie n. daydream, musing. everyone.
He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher's 366. Abscond v. depart secretly and hide.
question.
The teller absconded with the bonds and was not
354. Apprehensive adj. fearful, discerning. found.
His apprehensive glances at the people who were 367. Bounty adj. generous, showing bounty.
walking in the street revealed his nervousness.
She distributed gifts in a bountiful and gracious
355. Recoil v. shrink. manner.
Upon seeing the gun pointed at him, the man 368. Novice n. beginner.
recoiled in fear.
Even a novice can do good work if he follows these
356. Guise n. appearance, costume. simple directions.
In the guise of the plumber, the detective 369. Bolster v. support, prop up.
investigated the murder case.
I do not intend to bolster your hopes with false
357. Acquit v. exonerate, free from blame. reports of outside assistance; the truth is that we
must face the enemy alone.
The judge found the accused not guilty and acquitted
him. 370. Mobile adj. moveable, not fixed.
358. Dexterity n. skill in using hands. The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross
visited our neighborhood today.
Magicians display extraordinary dexterity in
performing tricks.
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371. Credulity n. belief on slight evidence. 384. Ensue v. follow.

The witch doctor took advantage of the credulity of The evils that ensued were the direct result of the
the superstitious native. miscalculations of the leaders.
372. Doldrums n. blues, listlessness, slack period. 385. Zenith n. point directly overhead in the sky,
summit.
One the excitement of meeting her deadline was
over, she found herself in the doldrums. When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as
strong as at sunrise and sunset.
373. Loath adj. averse, reluctant.
386. Hypothetical adj. based on assumptions or
They were both loath for him to go.
hypothesis.
Why do we have to consider hypothetical cases when
374. Inventive adj. imaginative, creative.
we have actual case histories which we may
The young scientist was awarded for his inventive examine?
solutions.
387. Impromptu adj. without previous preparations.
375. Lithe adj. flexible, supple
Her listeners were amazed that such a thorough
Her figure was lithe and willowy. presentation could be made in an impromptu speech.
376. Vacillation n. fluctuation, wavering, indecision 388. Chivalrous adj. courteous, faithful, brave.
His vacillation when confronted with a problem Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good
annoyed all of us who had to wait until he made his deeds.
decision.
389. Havoc n. ruin, widespread destruction.
377. Obnoxious adj. offensive.
The batsman's hitting caused havoc on the opposing
I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your team.
ways.
390. Rejuvenate v. make young again.
378. Verbatim adv. Word for word.
The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate
He repeated the message verbatim. the aged and the weary.
379. Entice v. lure, attract, tempt. 391. Stilted adj. bombastic, stiffly pompous.
She always tried to entice her baby brother into His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college
mischief. audience; they were immune to bombastic
utterances.
380. Acclaim n. applaud, announce with great
approval. 392. Soliloquy n. talking to oneself.
The NBC sportscaster acclaimed every American The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to
victory in the Olympics and decried every American reveal a character's innermost thoughts and
defeat. emotions.
381. Turbulence n. state of violent agitation. 393. Affable adj. courteous.
We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean Although he held a position of responsibility, he was
during the storm. an affable individual and could be reached by anyone
with a complaint.
382. Futility n. senselessness.
394. Nebulous adj. vague, hazy, cloudy.
Why waste your time on futile pursuits?
She had only a nebulous memory of her
383. Adage n. wise saying, proverb.
grandmother's face.
There is much truth in the old adage about fools and
their money.

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395. Stereotype adj. fixed and unvarying 408. Abolition n. abolishing, destruction.
representation.
The abolition of the government by the army led to
My chief objection to the book is that the characters much trouble.
are stereotyped.
409. Tyro n. beginner, novice.
396. Stupefy v. astonish, amaze.
For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous
I was stupefied by the incredible charges made by results.
the accuser.
410. Maim v. mutilate, injure.
397. Superficial adj. trivial, shallow.
The hospital could not take care of all who had been
Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of wounded or maimed in the railroad accident.
the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing
411. Crestfallen adj. dejected, dispirited.
grade.
We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of
398. Disparage v. belittle.
this project; instead of being crestfallen he was busily
Do not disparage anyone's contribution; these little engaged in planning new activities.
gifts add up to large sums.
412. Cuisine n. style of cooking.
399. Protagonist n. main person, lead in a drama.
French cuisine is noted for its uses of sauces and
In the drama, John played the role of the protagonist wines.
400. Ludicrous adj. laughable, trifling, ridiculous. 413. Censure v. blame, criticize.
Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue. He was censured for his inappropriate behavior.
401. Turgid adj. swollen, distended. 414. Deviate v. turn away from .
The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees Do not deviate from the truth; you must face the
and flood the countryside. facts.
402. Sage n. wise man, judicious. 415. Swarthy adj. dark, dusky.
The advice given by the sage should not be ignored. Despite the stereotypes, not all Italians are swarthy;
many fair and blond.
403. Admonish v. reprove, warn.
416. Mercenary adj. interested in money or gain.
He admonishes his listeners to change their wicked
ways. I am certain that your action was prompted by
mercenary motives.
404. Beset v. harass, trouble.
417. Acute adj. quickly perceptive, keen, brief and
Many problems beset the American public school
severe.
system.
The acute young doctor realized immediately that the
405. Figment n. invention, imaginary thing.
gradual deterioration of her patients once-acute
That incident never took place; it is a figment of your hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute
imagination. one.
406. Glib adj. fluent. 418. Clientele n. body of customers.
He is a glib speaker. The rock club attracted a young stylish clientele.
407. Fortitude n. bravery; courage. 419. Succumb v. yield; give in, die.
He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way.
battle.
420. Sloth n. slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal,
lazy person.
Stop acting like a sloth and start doing some work.
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421. Infringe v. violate, encroach. 434. Omnivorous adj. eating both plant and animal
food, devouring everything.
I think your machine infringes on my patent and I
intend to sue. Some animals, including man, are omnivorous and
eat both meat and vegetables, others are either
422. Uncanny adj. weird, abnormal.
herbivorous or carnivorous.
The Pakistan cricket team has an uncanny ability to
435. Append v. attach.
bounce back from difficult situations.
I shall append this chart to my report.
423. Submissive adj. humble; obedient .
436. Stratagem n. cunning plan or trick.
It is better to be strong than to be submissive.
The general devised an intelligent stratagem.
424. Peer n. equal.
437. Collaborate v. work together.
Don't be misguided by your peers - listen to your
elders. Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.
425. Eulogistic adj. praising. 438. Precept n. practical rule of guiding conduct.
To everyone's surprise the speech was eulogistic “Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile
rather than critical in tone. precept.
426. Innovation adj. change, introduction of 439. Intact adj. uninjured.
something new
Even though the bomb destroyed almost everything,
She loved innovations just because they were new. the sports complex was intact.
427. Exhilaration n. excitement, animation. 440. Fervor n. glowing ardor, zeal, enthusiasm.
The crowd displayed much exhilaration as the Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love.
batsmen hit boundaries.
441. Unerring adj. not making an error, unfailing.
428. Rasping adj. irritating.
No human can ever claim to be unerring
I found the old man voice rasping, hurting my ears.
442. Refute v. disprove.
429. Proponent n. advocate, supporter .
The defense called several respectable witnesses
The United States claims to be a proponent of who were able to refute the false testimony of the
democracy. persecution's only witnesses.
430. Redundant adj. superfluous, excessively 443. Consensus n. general agreement.
wordy, repetitious.
The consensus indicates that we are opposed to
Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce entering into this pact.
its length.
444. Compliant adj. yielding.
431. Begrudge v. resent.
He was compliant and ready to conform to the
I begrudge every minute that I have to spend pattern set by his friends.
attending meetings.
445. Access n. way of approach, path.
432. Empathize v. express sympathy.
The access to the building was blocked by the police.
We all empathize with the earthquake victims.
446. Psyche n. soul, mind.
433. Prudent adj. cautious, careful, wise.
It is difficult to delve into the psyche of the human
A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but being.
because he is greedy.

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447. Appease v. pacify, soothe. 460. Apathy n. lack of caring, indifference.

We have discovered that when we try to appease our A firm believer in democratic government, she could
enemies, we encourage them to make additional never understand the apathy of people who never
demands. bothered to vote.
448. Ruthless. adj. pitiless. 461. Elicit v. draw out by discussion.
The escaped convict was a dangerous and ruthless The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his
murderer. loot.
449. Muster v. gather, assemble. 462. Judicious adj. sound in judgment, wise.
Washington mustered his forces at Trenton. At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious
investment that was the foundation of his later
450. Execrate v. curse, express abhorrence for.
wealth.
The world execrates the memory of Hitler and hopes
463. Unscathed. adj. unharmed.
that genocide will never ever be again the policy of
any nation. They prayed he would come back from the war
unscathed.
451. Knoll n. little round hill, mound.
464. Chide v. scold.
Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in
Samoa. Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.
452. Irate adj. angry. 465. Charlatan n. quack, pretender to knowledge.
When John's mother found out that he had Because he was unable to substantiate his claim that
overdrawn his checking account for the third month he had found a cure, his colleagues called him a
in a row, she was so irate that she could scarcely charlatan.
speak to him.
466. Disburse v. pay out.
453. Grimace n. a facial distortion to show feeling
When you disburse money on the company's behalf,
such as pain, disgust etc.
be sure to get a receipt.
Even though he remained silent, his grimace
467. Paramount adj. supreme, most important.
indicated his displeasure.
It is of paramount importance that you finish your
454. Acme n. top, pinnacle, summit.
assignments on time.
His success in this role marked his acme as an actor.
468. Brochure n. pamphlet.
455. Covenant n. agreement.
This brochure on farming was issued by the
We must comply with the terms of the covenant. Department of Agriculture.
456. Appall v. dismay, shock. 469. Fidelity n. loyalty.
We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why
city jail. that animal is a favorite household pet.
457. Incur v. bring upon oneself. 470. Diffusion n. wordiness, spreading in all
directions like a gas.
His parents refused to pay any future debts he might
incur. Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas;
try to be more compact.
458. Caustic adj. burning, sarcastically biting.
471. Aggressive adj. hostile, self assertive.
The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless
actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm. You need to be less aggressive and more accepting
of other people's beliefs.
459. Dilate v. expand.
In dark, the pupils of your eyes dilate.
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472. Amass v. collect. 486. Excruciating adj. torturing, causing mental

pain.
The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold
as possible. The pain was excruciating.
473. Diabolic adj. devilish, fiendish. 487. Homogenous adj. of the same kind.
The wicked man's diabolic attitude was hated by his Educators try to put pupils of similar abilities into
colleagues. classes because they believe that this homogeneous
grouping is advisable.
474. Forbearance n. patience.
488. Archive n. public records.
We must use forbearance in dealing with him
because he is still weak from his illness. Please search the archives for this patient's medical
records.
475. Taint v. infect, cause to be tainted.
489. Infamy n. disgrace.
The tainted coffee was disposed by the health
officials. Jesse James was an infamous outlaw.
476. Disgruntle v. make disconnected, displease. 490. Impinge v. infringe, touch, collide with.
The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous How could they be married without impinging on one
delays. another's freedom?
477. Placid adj. peaceful, calm. 491. Depose v. dethrone, remove from office.
After his vacation in this placid section, he felt
The army attempted to depose the king and setup a
soothed and rested.
military government.
478. Evasive adj. not frank, eluding.
492. Ostentatious adj. showy, pretentious.
Your evasive answers convinced the judge that you
The real hero is modest never ostentatious.
were withholding important evidence.
493. Conclave n. private meeting.
479. Chaos n. utter confusion.
He was present at all their conclaves as an unofficial
The government brought in the military to reduce the
observer.
chaos.
494. Fray n. brawl, combat.
480. Despicable adj. contemptible, degrading.
The three musketeers were in the thick of the fray.
Your despicable remarks call for no reply.
495. Obsess v. beset, preoccupy.
481. Deride v. mock, ridicule, criticize.
Jack was obsessed with video games.
The students were derided by the principal for not
paying attention to their work. 496. Chafe v. warm by rubbing, make sore by
rubbing.
482. Elude v. escape.
The collar chafed his neck.
The criminal eluded the police for ten hours before
being caught. 497. Misconstrue v. interpret incorrectly, misjudge.
483. Mutable adj. changeable in form, fickle. She took the passage seriously rather than
humorously because she misconstrued the author's
His opinions were mutable and easily influenced by
ironic tone.
anyone who had any powers of persuasion.
498. Philanthropist n. lover of mankind, doer of
484. Indicative adj. suggestive, implying.
good.
A lack of appetite may be of a major mental or
As he grew older, he became famous as a
physical disorder.
philanthropist and benefactor of the needy.
485. Levity n. lightness.
Such levity is improper on this serious occasion.
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499. Caste n. one of the hereditary classes in the 508. Malign v. speak evil of, defame.
Hindu society.
Because of her hatred of the family, she
The differences created by the caste system in India maligns all who are friendly to them.
must be wiped off if true democracy is to prevail.
509. Impotent adj. weak, ineffective.
500. Chasten v. discipline; punish in order to
Although he wished to break the nicotine habit,
correct. Whom God loves, God chastens.
he found himself impotent in resisting a craving
for a cigarette.
510. Snivel v. run at the nose, snuffle, whine.

End of Part 1 Don’t you come sniveling to me complaining

about your big brother.
511. Sojourn n. temporary stay.

Get ready for a revision test of After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long
for the colder climate of his native New
the first 500 words England home.
512. Platitude n. trite remarks, commonplace
statement.
The vast majority in his audience applauded
the platitudes in his speech; only a few people
perceived how trite his remarks were.
501. Conducive adj. helpful, contributive.
513. Concord n. harmony.
Rest and proper diet are conductive to good
health. Watching Tweedledum and Tweedledee battle,
Alice wondered why the two brothers could not
502. Subordinate n. inferior, subsidiary manage to live in concord.
The captain treated his subordinate as though 514. Abominable adj. Hateful.
they were children rather than commissioned
officers. I find the task of punishing you most
abominable.
503. Superfluous adj. excessive, overabundant,
unnecessary. 515. Qualms n. misgivings.

Please try not to include so many superfluous His qualms of conscience had become so great
details in your report; just give me the bare that he decided to abandon his plans.
facts. 516. Equitable adj. fair, impartial.
504. Wield v. handle effectively. I am seeking an equitable solution to this
The burglar wielded an axe. dispute, one which will be fair and acceptable
to both sides.
505. Garish adj. Gaudy, showy.
517. Affront n. insult.
She wore a garish rhinestone necklace.
Such behavior is an affront to society.
506. Meander v. to turn or wind in its course.
518. Epoch n. period of time.
It is difficult to sail up this stream because of
the way it meanders through the countryside. The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of
years.
507. Destitution n. Extreme want of resources or
the means of subsistence, complete poverty.
Series of failures that led to bankruptcy, led Ali
to a situation of complete destitution.
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519. Retribution n. vengeance, compensation, 531. Candid adj. Straightforward, free from
punishment for offenses. prejudice.
The evangelist maintained that an angry deity In private, I gave them my candid opinion.
would exact retribution from the sinners.
532. Eclipse v. obscure.
520. Abase v. lower, humiliate.
An outstanding performance that eclipsed the
His refusal to abase himself in the eyes of his previous record.
followers irritated the king, who wanted to
533. Correlate v. connect systematically.
humiliate him.
Drug Abuse and crime are correlated.
521. Careen v. lurch, sway from side to side.
534. Infirmity n. weakness.
The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the
corner. Her greatest infirmity was lack of will power.
522. Convivial adj. festive, gay, characterized by 535. Palpitate v. throb, flutter.
loyalty.
As he became excited his heart began to
The convivial celebrators of the victory sang palpitate more and more erratically.
their college song.
536. Debris n. rubble.
523. Rampant adj. rearing up on hind legs,
A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City,
unrestrained.
they were still carting away the debris.
The rampant weeds in the garden killed all the
537. Stamina n. strength, staying power.
flowers, which had been planted in the spring.
I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full
524. Docile adj. obedient, easily managed.
distance of the marathon race.
As docile as he seems today, that old lion was
538. Facet n. small plain surface (of a gem), a side.
once a ferocious, snarling beast.
The stonecutter decided to improve the rough
525. Vestige n. trace, remains.
diamond by providing it with several facets.
We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in
539. Inanimate adj. lifeless.
the cave.
She was asked to identify the still and
526. Impediment n. hindrance, stumbling block.
inanimate body.
She had a speech impediment that prevented
540. Callous adj. hardened, unfeeling.
her speaking clearly.
He had worked in the hospital for so many
527. Adhere v. stick fast.
years that he was callous to the sufferings in
I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I the wards.
am wrong is presented.
541. Enhance v. advance, improve.
528. Composure n. mental calmness.
Your chances for promotion in this department
Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her will be enhanced if you take some more
composure. courses in evening schools.
529. Provocation n. cause of irritation. 542. Disreputable adj. Shameful, lacking
respectability, as in character, behavior, or
The result was a provocation of a vigorous
appearance.
investigation.
Your behavior makes you the disreputable in
530. Savory adj. Appetizing to the taste or smell.
town.
A savory stew.

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543. Sedate adj. composed, grave. 556. Evict v. force.

The parents were worried because they felt The landlord wanted to evict the tenants so he
that their son was too quiet and sedate. banged on the pipes every morning at 3 a.m.
544. Lucrative adj. profitable. 557. Mischance n. ill luck.
He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession. By mischance, he lost his week’s salary.
545. Imprudent adj. lacking caution, injudicious. 558. Felon n. person convicted of a grave crime.
It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and A convicted felon looses the right to vote.
become overheated when you are unwell.
559. Censure v. blame, criticize.
546. Dissension n. difference in opinion, friction.
He was censured for his inappropriate
This report will stir up dissension in the club. behavior.
547. Disconcert v. confuse, upset, embarrass. 560. Implicit adj. understood but not stated.
The evidence produced by her adversary It is implicit that you will come to our aid if we
disconcerted the lawyer. are attacked.
548. Rudimentary adj. not developed, elementary. 561. Slovenly adj. untidy, careless in work habits.
His dancing was limited to a few rudimentary Such slovenly work habits will never produce
steps. good products.
549. Autonomous adj. self-governing. 562. Extraneous adj. not essential, external.
This island is a colony; however, in most Do not pad your paper with extraneous
matters, it is autonomous and receives no matters; stick to essential items only.
orders from the mother country.
563. Impasse n. deadlock, predicament from which
there is no escape.
550. Ascertain v. find out for certain.
In this impasse, all turned to prayer as their
Please ascertain her present address. last hope.
551. Literal adj. Matter-of-fact, word for word. 564. Absolve v. pardon (an offense).
A literal description. The father confessor absolved him of his sins.
552. Oscillate v. vibrate pendulum like, waver. 565. Cumbersome adj. heavy, hard to manage.
It is interesting to note how public opinion He was burdened down with cumbersome
oscillates between the extremes of optimism parcels.
and pessimism.
566. Captivate v. charm.
553. Concise adj. brief and compact.
She captivated all their hearts with her beauty .
The essay was concise and explicit.
567. Zealous adj. Enthusiastic.
554. Consternation n. dismay.
The younger, on the contrary, not wishing to
He then handed her in, Maria followed, and the become the wife of an old man, was equally
door was on the point of being closed, when zealous in removing every gray hair she could
he suddenly reminded them, with some find.
consternation that they had hitherto forgotten
568. Aromatic adj. fragrant.
to leave any message for the ladies at Rosings.
Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs
555. Colossal adj. huge.
from China to Europe.
Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

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569. Retrospective adj. looking back on the past. 581. Attribute n. essential quality.
It is only when we become retrospective that His outstanding attribute was his kindness.
we can appreciate the tremendous advances
582. Scrupulous adj. conscientious, extremely
made during this century.
thorough.
570. Whet v. sharpen, stimulate.
I can recommend him for a position of
The odors from the kitchen are whetting my responsibility for I have found him a very
appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the scrupulous young man.
meal is served.
583. Usurp v. seize power, supplant.
571. Contusion n. bruise.
The revolution ended when the victorious rebel
She was treated for contusions and abrasions. leader usurped the throne.
572. Compatible adj. harmonious, in harmony 584. Cessation n. stopping.
with.
The workers threatened a cessation of all
They were compatible neighbors, never activities if their demands were not met.
quarreling over unimportant matters.
585. Resolute adj. Determined.
573. Callous adj. hardened, unfeeling.
Stood resolute against the enemy.
He had worked in the hospital for so many
586. Crystallize v. give definite.
years that he was callous to the sufferings in
the wards. The scientists finally crystallized their ideas
about the role of the protein.
574. Repudiate v. disown, disavow.
587. Regime n. method or system of government.
He announced that he would repudiate all
debts incurred by his wife. When a Frenchman mentions the Old Regime,
he refers to the government existing before the
575. Proletariat n. labor class.
revolution.
Thus the proletariat is recruited from all classes
588. Lacerate v. mangle, tear.
of the population.
Her body was lacerated in the automobile
576. Requisite n. necessary requirement.
crash.
Many colleges state that a student must offer
589. Amiss adj. wrong, faulty.
three years of a language as a requisite for
admission. Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything
were amiss.
577. Tenacious adj. holding fast.
590. Proficiency n. expertness.
I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on
my arm. The artist’s proficiency was visible in his brush
strokes.
578. Scintillate v. sparkle, flash.
591. Precarious adj. uncertain, risky.
I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is
excellent and the conversation scintillates. I think this stock is a precarious investment
and advise against is purchase.
579. Propriety n. fitness, correct conduct.
592. Connoisseur n. person competent to act as a
I want you to behave at this dinner with
judge of art, a lover of an art.
propriety; don’t embarrass me.
She developed into a connoisseur of fine china.
580. Unwitting adj. unintentional, not knowing.
593. Hilarity n. boisterous mirth.
She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers.
This hilarity is improper on this solemn day of
mourning.
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594. Emit v. discharge, express. 607. Squalid adj. dirty, neglected, poor.
A stove emitting heat. It is easy to see how crime can breed in such a
squalid neighborhood.
595. Dynamic adj. active, efficient.
608. Coerce v. compel, control forcibly.
A dynamic government is necessary to meet
the demands of a changing society. He coerced the strikers into compliance.
596. Achilles Heel n. vulnerable point, crucial 609. Inter v. bury.
weakness.
They are going to inter the body at Broadlawn
This division, which is rarely profitable, is the Cemetery.
company's Achilles' heel
610. Crescendo n. increase in the volume or
597. Ad-lib adv. Freely, spontaneously. intensity, climax.
Without advance preparation, he spoke ad lib. The overture suddenly changed from a quiet
pastoral theme to a crescendo blaring trumpets
598. Decry v. disparage, belittle.
and clashing cymbals.
Do not attempt to increase your stature by
611. Indiscreet adj. Unwise.
decrying the efforts of your opponents.
Her behavior was indiscreet at the very best.
599. Ravage v. plunder, despoil.
612. Unwieldy adj. Difficult to handle because of
The marauding army ravaged the countryside.
size or shape or weight.
600. Rendezvous n. meeting place.
We set about towing the unwieldy structure
The two fleets met at the rendezvous at the into the shelter.
appointed time.
613. Envisage v. contemplate, conceive.
601. Skulk v. more furtively and secretly.
He envisages a world at peace.
He skulked through the less fashionable
614. Interim n. meantime.
sections of the city in order to avoid meeting
any of his former friends. The company will not consider our proposal
until next week; in the interim, let us proceed
as we have in the past.
602. Plethora n. excess, overabundance.
615. Disheartened adj. lacking courage and hope.
She offered a plethora of reasons for her
shortcomings. His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened
him.
603. Nuptial adj. related to marriage.
616. Component n. element, ingredient.
Their nuptial ceremony was performed in
Golden Gate Park. I wish all the components of my stereo system
were working at the same time.
604. Balk v. foil.
617. Lurk v. sneak.
When the warden learned that some inmates
were planning to escape, he took steps to balk Who is that man lurking about the department?
their attempt.
618. Grudging adj. unwilling, reluctant, stingy.
605. Ad Infinitum adv. Endlessly.
We received only grudging support from the
He talked on and on ad infinitum. mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.
606. Extricate v. free, disentangle. 619. Semblance n. outward appearance, guise.
He found that he could not extricate himself Although this book has a semblance of wisdom
from the trap. and scholarship, a careful examination will
reveal many errors and omissions.
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620. Nettle v. annoy, vex. 633. Congenital adj. existing at birth.

Do not let him nettle you with his sarcastic His congenital deformity disturbed his parents.
remarks.
634. Insurgent adj. rebellious.
621. Tremulous adj. trembling, wavering.
We will not discuss reforms until the insurgent
She was tremulous more from excitement then troops have returned to their homes.
from fear.
635. Conjecture n. surmise, guess.
622. Terse adj. concise, abrupt, pithy.
I will end all your conjectures; I admit I am
I admire his terse style of writing; he comes guilty as charged.
directly to the point.
636. Dais n. raised platform for guests of honor.
623. Affinity n. kinship.
When he approached the dais, cheers from the
She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their people who had come to honor him greeted
pains were her pains. him.
624. Volatile adj. evaporating rapidly, lighthearted, 637. Impetus n. moving force.
mercurial.
It is a miracle that there were any survivors
Ethyl chloride is a very volatile liquid. since the two automobiles that collided were
traveling with great impetus.
625. Homage n. honor, tribute.
638. Introspective adj. looking within oneself.
In her speech she tried to pay homage to a
great man. We all have our introspective moments during
which we examine ourselves.
626. Disperse v. scatter.
639. Deify v. turn into a god, idolize.
The police fired teargas into the crowd to
disperse the protesters. Admire the rock star all you want, just don’t
deify him.
627. Rationalize v. reason, justify an improper act.
640. Aggregate adj. sum, total.
Do not try to rationalize your behavior by
blaming your companions. The aggregate wealth of his country is
staggering to the imagination.
628. Recluse n. hermit. 641. Exalt v. raise in rank or dignity, praise.
The recluse lived in the hut in the forest. The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the
rank of Knighthood by the queen; he now is
629. Complacency n. self-satisfaction.
known as Sir Alec Guinness.
Edna could not control a feeling, which
642. Potentate n. monarch, sovereign.
bordered upon complacency at her friend's
praise, even realizing, as she did, its true The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo
worth. than he did at home on his throne.
630. Menace n. threatens. 643. Intimidate v. frighten, Daunt.
The menace of nuclear war. Your threats cannot intimidate me.
631. Dupe n. an easily deceived person. 644. Sardonic adj. disdainful, sarcastic, cynical.
The immigrant was duped because he trusted The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians
everyone. who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience
strikes some people as amusing and others as
632. Abate v. subside or moderate.
rude.
Rather than leaving immediately, they waited
for the storm to abate.
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645. Indolence n. laziness. 658. Diligent adj. Industrious, painstaking effort.

He outgrew his youthful indolence to become a He worked diligently at this task for weeks
model of industry and alertness on the job. before he felt satisfied with the results.
646. Electrify v. thrill. 659. Concoct v. prepare by combining, make up in
concert.
A powerful performance that electrified the
audience. How did the inventive chef ever concoct such a
strange dish?
647. Discretion n. prudence, ability to adjust
actions to circumstances. 660. Flamboyant adj. ornate.
Use your discretion in this matter and do not Modern architecture has discarded the
discuss with anyone. flamboyant trimming on buildings and
emphasizes simplicity of line.
648. Grapple v. wrestle, come to grips with.
661. Eccentricity n. oddity, idiosyncrasy.
He grappled with the burglar and overpowered
him. Some of his friends tried to account for his
rudeness to strangers as the eccentricity of
649. Laudable adj. praiseworthy, commendable.
genius.
All whom he aided will remember his laudable
662. Vindictive adj. revengeful.
deeds.
She was very vindictive and never forgave an
650. Longevity n. long life.
injury.
When he reached ninety the old man was
663. Graphic adj. pertaining to the art of
proud of his longevity.
delineating, vividly described.
651. Blanch v. bleach, whiten.
I am particularly impressed by the graphic
Although age had blanched his hair, he was presentation of the storm.
still vigorous and energetic.
664. Placard n. poster.
652. Shrew n. scolding woman.
As he was reflecting in this wise, his eyes fell
No one wanted to marry Shakespeare’s Kate upon an immense placard which a sort of
because she was a shrew. clown was carrying through the streets.
653. Stalwart adj. strong, brawny, steadfast. 665. Putrefy v. decay, rot.
His consistent support of the party has proved The body started to putrefy and needed to be
that he is a stalwart and loyal member. cremated.
654. Apogee n. highest point. 666. Grandiose adj. imposing, impressive.
When the moon in its orbit is furthest away His grandiose manners impressed those who
from the earth, it is at apogee. met him for the first time.
655. Bantering adj. good-natured ridiculing. 667. Incongruous adj. not fitting, absurd.
They resented his bantering remarks because These remarks do not have any relationship to
they thought he was being sarcastic. the problem at hand; they are incongruous and
should be stricken from the record.
656. Repress v. restrain.
668. Prone adj. inclined to, prostrate.
I repressed my anger and kept quiet.
She was prone to sudden fits of anger.
657. Breach n. breaking of contract or duty,
fissure, gap.
They found a breach in the enemy’s
fortification and penetrated their lines.
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669. Emissary n. agent, messenger. 680. Frugality n. thrift.

The Secretary of State was sent as the In these difficult days, we must live with
President’s special emissary to the conference frugality or our money will be gone.
on disarmament.
681. Iota n. very small quantity.
670. Invalidate v. weaken, destroy.
She hadn’t an iota of common sense .
The relatives who received little or nothing
682. Poach v. to trespass illegally.
sought to invalidate the will by claiming that
the deceased had not been in his right mind People poach elephants for ivory.
when he had signed the document.
683. Defection n. desertion.
671. Clemency n. disposition to be lenient,
The children, who had made him an idol, were
mildness(as of the weather).
hurt most by his defection from our cause.
The lawyer was pleased when the case was
684. Masticate v. chew.
sent to Judge Smith, as he was known for his
clemency. We must masticate our food slowly and
carefully in order to avoid stomach disorders.
672. Unscathed adj. unharmed.
685. Analogy n. similarity, parallelism.
They prayed he would come back from the war
unscathed. Your analogy is not a good one because the
two situations are not similar.
673. Relinquish v. abandon.
686. Dilemma n. problem, choice of two
I will relinquish my claims to his property if you
unsatisfactory alternatives.
promise to retain my employees.
In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he
674. Allay v. calm, pacify.
could turn for advice.
The crew tried to allay the fears of the
687. Celestial adj. heavenly.
passengers by announcing that the fire had
been controlled. She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited
virtuous souls in the hereafter.
675. Animosity n. active enmity.
688. Militant adj. Combative, bellicose.
He incurred the animosity of the ruling class
because he advocated limitations of their Although at this time he was advocating a
power. policy of neutrality, one could usually find him
adopting a more militant attitude.
676. Solicitous adj. worried, concerned.
689. Eminent adj. high, lofty.
The employer was very solicitous about the
health of her employees as replacements were After his appointment to this eminent position,
difficult to get. he seldom had time for his former friends.
677. Perturb v. disturb greatly. 690. Perceive v. to become aware of through the
sense, observe.
I am afraid this news will perturb him and
cause him grief. I could perceive the ship coming over the
horizon.
678. Jaunty adj. stylish, perky, carefree.
691. Idiosyncrasy n. peculiarity, eccentricity.
She wore her beret at a jaunty angle.
One of his personal idiosyncrasies was his habit
679. Drivel v. foolish talk, drool.
of rinsing all cutlery given him in a restaurant.
You do not make sense; you maunder and
692. Edifice n. large building.
drivel your words.
It was an imposing edifice.

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693. Seedy adj. Shabby. 705. Dissipate v. squander.

A seedy hotel in a run-down neighborhood. The young man quickly dissipated his
inheritance and was soon broke.
694. Supplant v. replace, usurp.
706. Valor n. bravery.
Corazon Aquinno as president of the Philippines
supplanted Ferdinand Marcos. He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in
the battle.
695. Desist v. stop.
707. Dissuade v. advise against.
The Grasshopper refused to desist, and chirped
louder and louder the more the Owl entreated. He could not dissuade his friends from joining
the conspirators.
696. Grid n. a framework of crisscrossed or parallel
bars. 708. Erratic adj. odd, unpredictable.
The city’s streets form a grid. Investors become anxious when the stock
market becomes erratic.
697. Bizarre adj. fantastic, violently contrasting.
709. Covetous adj. avaricious, eagerly desirous of.
The plot of the novel was too bizarre to
believe. The child was covetous by nature and wanted
to take the toys belonging to his classmates.
698. Perennial n. something long-lasting.
710. Verbose adj. wordy.
These plants are hardy perennials and will
bloom for many years. The article is too verbose; we must edit it.
699. Progenitor n. ancestor. 711. Flippant adj. Frivolous.
We must not forget the teachings of our Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks
progenitors in our desire to appear modern. annoy us.
700. Embellished v. adorn. 712. Acclamation n. enthusiastic approval.
His handwriting was embellished with A motion passed by acclamation.
flourishes.
713. Incite v. arouse to action.
701. Implement v. supply what is needed, furnish
The demagogue incited the mob to take action
with tools.
into its own hand.
I am unwilling to implement this plan until I
714. Finesse n. delicate skill.
have assurances that it has the full approval of
your officials. The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon
impressed the observers in the operating room.
702. Redolent adj. fragrant, odorous, suggestive of
an odor. 715. Tantalize v. tease, torture with
disappointment.
Even though it is February, the air is redolent
of spring. Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with
candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have
703. Itinerant adj. wandering, traveling.
it.
He was an itinerant peddler and traveled
716. Insomnia n. wakefulness, inability to sleep.
through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his
wares. He refused to join us in a midnight cup of
coffee because he claimed it gave him
704. Adversity n. poverty, misfortune.
insomnia.
We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

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717. Feasible adj. Practicable, possible. 729. Interminable adj. endless.

The board of directors decided that the plan Although his speech lasted for only twenty
was feasible and agreed to undertake the minutes, it seemed interminable to his bored
project. audience.
718. Blurt v. utter impulsively. 730. Franchise n. right granted by authority.
Before she could stop him, he blurted out the The city issued a franchise to the company to
news. operate surface transit lines in the streets for
ninety-nine years.
719. Alienate v. make hostile, separate.
731. Lineage n. descent, ancestry.
Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed
because they had complete faith in each other. He traced his lineage back to Mayflower day.
720. Stark adj. Harsh, blunt. 732. Reciprocate v. repay in kind.
They found it hard to accept such a stark If they attack us, we shall be compelled to
portrait of the future. reciprocate and bomb their territory.
721. Nonchalance n. indifference, lack of interest. 733. Rebuff v. snub, beat back.
Few people could understand how he could She rebuffed his invitation his so smoothly that
listen to the news of his tragedy with such he did not realize that he had been snubbed.
nonchalance; the majority regarded him as
734. Clandestine adj. secret.
callous and unsympathetic.
After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a
722. Grit n. fortitude and determination.
clandestine meeting.
He didn’t have the grit to try it out.
735. Lethargy n. unnatural drowsiness.
723. Mediate v. settle a dispute through the
Becky roused up from her lethargy of distress
services of an outsider.
and showed good interest in the proceedings.
Let us mediate our differences rather than
736. Accredit v. to approve.
engage in a costly strike.
Will you accredit one or more of your own
724. De facto adv. In reality.
number to go out as your representatives and
The result was, de facto, a one-party system. test my statement in your name?
725. Irrevocable adj. unalterable. 737. Wheedle v. cajole, coax, deceive by flattery.
Let us not brood over past mistakes since they She knows she can wheedle almost anything
are irrevocable. she wants from her father.
726. Abysmal adj. bottomless. 738. Circuitous adj. roundabout.
His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal Because of the traffic congestion on the main
ignorance. highway, she took a circuitous route.
739. Despotism n. tyranny.
727. Prerogative n. privilege, unquestionable right.
The peopled rebelled against the despotism of
The President cannot levy taxes; that is the the king.
prerogative of the legislative branch of the 740. Utilitarian adj. Practical.
government.
A product designer must keep an eye on
728. Illustrious adj. Famous. utilitarian considerations in industrial design.
An illustrious judge.

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741. Incredulity n. a tendency to disbelief. 754. Apropos prep. With reference to; regarding.
Your incredulity in the face of all the evidence I find your remarks apropos of the present
is hard to understand. situation timely and pertinent.
742. Interdict v. prohibit; forbid. 755. Inimical adj. unfriendly; hostile.
Civilized nations must interdict the use of She felt that they were inimical and were
nuclear weapons if we expect our society to hoping for her downfall.
live.
756. Sordid adj. filthy; base; vile.
743. Timorous adj. fearful; demonstrating fear.
The sordid housing provided for the homeless
His timorous manner betrayed the fear ha felt angered the social worker.
at the moment.
757. Cataclysm n. deluge; upheaval.
744. Brawn n. muscular strength; sturdiness.
A cataclysm such as the French Revolution
It takes brawn to become a champion weight affects all countries.
lifter.
758. Insubordinate adj. disobedient.
745. Stalemate n. deadlock.
The insubordinate private was confined to the
Negotiations between the union and the barracks.
employers had reached a stalemate; neither
759. Veracity adj. truthfulness.
side is willing to budge from previously stated
positions. I cannot recommend him for this position
because I find him doubtful in veracity.
746. Kindle v. start a fire; inspire.
760. Replete adj. filled to capacity; abundantly
Her teacher’s praise kindled a spark of hope
supplied.
inside her.
This book is replete with humorous situations.
747. Pomp n. splendor.
761. Treed adj. Cornered.
The solemn pomp of a military funeral.
She had me treed between the porch and her
748. Tinge n. a slight added element.
car.
Mary showed a tinge of regret.
762. Derisive adj. Expressing ridicule, mocking,
749. Recoil v. shrink back. scornful, contemptuous.
She recoiled when they showed the The competitor was upset at the derisive
slaughtering of the calf. laughter of the critical judge.
750. Quash v. to suppress completely. 763. Temper v. restrain; blend; toughen.
The king decided to quash the rebellion. His hard times in the army only served to
temper his strength.
751. Paltry adj. insignificant; petty.
764. Residue n. remainder; balance.
This is a paltry sum to pay for such a
masterpiece. In his will, he requested that after payment of
debts, taxes and funeral expenses, the residue
752. Impetuous adj. violent; hasty; rash.
be given to his wife.
We tried to curb his impetuous behavior
765. Bungle v. spoil by clumsy behavior.
because we felt that in his haste he might
offend some people. I was afraid you would bungle this assignment
but I had no one else to send.
753. Harangue n. noisy speech.
In her lengthy harangue the principal berated
the offenders.
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766. Advocate v. urge; plead for. 780. Credibility n. quality of being trustworthy.
The abolitionists advocated freedom for the A story that strained our credibility.
slaves.
781. Appropriate v. acquire, take possession of for
767. Calamity n. disaster; misery. one’s own use.
As news of the calamity spread; offers of relief The ranch owners appropriated the lands that
poured into the stricken country. had originally been set aside for Indians’ use.
768. Jilt v. cast aside. 782. Exonerate v. acquit; exculpate.
He is a pleasant fellow, and would jilt u I am sure this letter naming the actual culprit
creditably. will exonerate you.
769. Futile adj. ineffective; fruitless. 783. Bland adj. soothing, mild.
Why waste your time on futile pursuits? She used a bland ointment for her sunburn.
770. Incessant adj. continuous. 784. Effigy n. dummy.
The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him The mob showed its irritation by burning the
and place him in a trance. effigy of the judge.
771. Prattle v. babble. 785. Zest n. keen enjoyment.
The children prattled endlessly about their new At 53 here retains all the heady zest of
toys. adolescence.
772. Perverse adj. stubborn, intractable. 786. Astute adj. wise, shrewd.
Because of your perverse attitude, I must rate That was a very astute observation. I shall
you as deficient in cooperation. need it.
773. Quarry n. victim, object of a hunt. 787. Discrepancy n. lack of consistency,
difference.
The police closed in on their quarry.
The police noted some discrepancies in his
774. Paternal adj. Fatherly.
description of crime and did not believe him.
Paternal traits.
788. Copious adj. plentiful.
775. Caliber n. ability, capacity.
She ad copious reasons for rejecting the
A man of such caliber should not be assigned proposal.
such menial tasks.
789. Advent n. arrival.
776. Paradox n. statement that looks false but is
Most Americans were unaware of the advent of
actually correct, a contradictory statement.
the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima
Wordsworth’s “the child is father to a man” is reached them.
an example of paradox.
790. Imminent adj. impending, near at hand.
777. Dispel v. scatter, drive away, cause to vanish.
The imminent battle will soon determine our
The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the success or failure in this conflict.
morning mist.
791. Rankle v. irritate, fester.
778. Verbatim adv. Word for word.
The memory of having been jilted rankled him
He repeated the message verbatim. for years.
779. Grueling adj. exhausting.
The marathon is quite a grueling race.

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792. Injunction n. directive. 804. Haunt v. stay around.

The Just Judge at once issued an injunction, Thoughts of my old friend haunted me all
and making an order for their removal to his night.
own house, ate them himself.
805. Unmindful adj. Not attentive, unaware.
793. Deft adj. neat, skillful.
Being unmindful of his steps, he stumbled.
The deft waiter uncorked the champagne
806. Emancipate v. set free.
without spilling a drop.
The attempts to emancipate the slaves were
794. Heedless adj. disregarding, not noticing.
unpopular in New England.
He drove on, heedless of the warnings placed
807. Loll v. lounge about.
at the side of the road that it was dangerous.
They lolled around in their chairs watching
795. Impediment n. hindrance, stumbling block.
television.
She had a speech impediment that prevented
808. Subsequent adj. following, later.
her speaking clearly.
In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more
796. Quaver v. tremble.
difficult problems.
In his voice was an old quaver that was not
809. Crucial adj. Decisive.
habitual and there was agitation in every line
of his visage. This witness is crucial to the case.
797. Shackle v. chain, fetter. 810. Rebuke n. criticism.
The criminal’s ankles were shackled to prevent He had to the rebuke with a smile on his face.
his escape.
811. Cloistered adj. Confined.
798. Lowly adv. humble manner.
I have bought three copies of it during my
As he passed along, the crowd made lowly lifetime; and the publishers inform me that its
prostration before the Image. cloistered existence is still a steady and healthy
one.
799. Cubicle n. small chamber used for sleeping.
812. Drone v. talk dully, buzz or murmur like a bee.
After many hours of intensive study in the
library, he retired to his cubicle. On a gorgeous day who wants to be stuck in
the classroom listening to the teacher drone?
800. Arraign v. charge in court, indict.
813. Pedestrian adj. ordinary, unimaginative.
After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the
accused man was arraigned in the County Unintentionally boring he wrote page after
Criminal Court. page of pedestrian prose.
801. Oblivious adj. Unaware. 814. Fetter v. shackle.
Oblivious to the mounting pressures of the The prisoner was fettered to the wall.
political reform.
815. Anguish n. acute pain, extreme suffering.
802. Profound adj. deep, not superficial, complete.
Visiting the site of the explosion, Premier
Freud’s remarkable insights into human Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the
behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor victims and their families.
him as a profound thinker.
816. Impartial adj. unprejudiced, free from bias.
803. Wan adj. having a pale or sticky color, pallid.
He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete
Suckling asked, “Why so pale and wan, fond out justice.
lover?”

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817. Forestall v. prevent by taking action in grew dim, on reading the twenty words of this
advance. telegram.
By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the 829. Booty n. spoils of war.
prospective bride and groom hope to forestall
Having secured a large booty, the Lion on their
any potential arguments about money in the
return from the forest asked the Ass to allot his
event of a divorce.
due portion to each of the three partners in the
818. Effrontery n. shameless boldness. treaty.
She had the effrontery to insult the guest. 830. Demure adj. grave, serious, coy.
819. Embroil v. throw into confusion, involve in She was demure and reserved.
strife, entangle.
831. Crux n. crucial point.
He became embroiled in the in the heated
Please focus on the crux of the entire problem.
discussion when he tried to arbitrate the
dispute. 832. Aggrandize v. increase or intensify.
820. Incandescent adj. strikingly bright, shining The history of the past quarter century
with intense heat. illustrates how a President may aggrandize his
power to act aggressively in international
If you leave on an incandescent light bulb, it
affairs without considering the wishes of the
quickly grows too hot to touch.
Congress.
821. Stentorian adj. extremely loud.
833. Sumptuous adj. lavish, rich.
The town crier had a stentorian voice.
I cannot recall when I had such a sumptuous
822. Renegade n. deserter, apostate. Thanksgiving feast.
Because he refused to support his fellow 834. Versatile adj. having many talents, capable of
members in their drive, he was shunned as a working in many fields.
renegade.
He was a versatile athlete; at college he had
823. Intermittent adj. periodic, on and off. earned varsity letters in football, baseball and
track.
Intermittent rains marred our picnic.
835. Forthright adj. frank, honest.
824. Interloper n. intruder.
I gave them my forthright opinion.
The merchant thought of his competitors as
interlopers who were stealing away his trade. 836. Tussle n. struggle.
825. Scathing adj. Bitter criticism. The unhappy couple got into a terrible tussle.
The cries of the two parties were now in sound 837. Clarity n. clearness.
an interchange of scathing insults.
At times he seemed purposely to obscure his
826. Acrid adj. sharp, bitterly pungent. meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.
The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the 838. Assessment n. estimation, appraisal.
room after the pistol had been fired.
I would like to have your assessment of the
827. Talisman n. charm. situation in South Africa.
She wore the talisman to ward off evil. 839. Clique n. small exclusive group.
828. Dispatch n. an official report. She charged that a clique had assumed control
of the school affairs.
The president tore open the envelope, read the
dispatch, and, despite his remarkable powers 840. Negate v. make ineffective.
of self-control, his lips turned pale and his eyes
This action will negate the effect of my efforts.

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841. Impel v. force. 853. Affluent adj. Wealthy.

I was impelled by events to take a stand. He is an affluent banker.
842. Constraint n. compulsion, repression of 854. Velocity n. speed.
feelings.
The train went by at a constant velocity.
There was a feeling of constraint in the room
855. Envoy n. messenger, agent.
because no one dared to criticize the speaker.
The Secretary of State was sent as the
843. Orthodox adj. traditional, conservative in
President’s special envoy to the conference on
belief.
disarmament.
Faced with a problem he decided to take an
856. Auxiliary adj. helper, additional or subsidiary.
orthodox approach rather than shock anyone.
To prepare for the emergency, they built an
844. Counterpart n. a thing that completes
auxiliary power station.
another, things very much alike.
857. Pinnacle n. peak.
Night and day are counterparts.
We could see the morning sunlight illuminate
845. Low-key adj. Restrained.
the morning pinnacle while the rest of the
A little masterpiece of low-keyed eloquence. mountain lay in shadow.
846. Stipulation n. Provision, agreement. 858. Boorish adj. rude, clownish.
I am ready to accept your proposal with the Your boorish remarks to the driver of the other
stipulation that you meet your obligations car were not warranted by the situation and
within the next two weeks. served merely to enrage him.
847. Antithesis n. contrast, direct opposite to or 859. Encompass v. include.
of.
She could not reduce a principle that would
This tyranny was the antithesis of all he had encompass all the data.
hoped for and he fought it with all his strength.
860. Lurch v. stagger.
848. Transitory adj. Short-lived.
The taxicab lurched wildly as it rounded the
Yet apart from all transitory passions and the corner.
ephemeral results of mortal love, the song of
861. Efface v. rub out.
the Taoist lover soars unstained, untrammeled.
The coin had been handled so many times that
849. Entrenched v. establish firmly.
its date had been effaced.
Today managed care plans are entrenched in
862. Abound v. plentiful.
the economy, enrolling 61 percent of the
population. The room abounded with screaming children.
850. Lot n. fate. 863. Thwart v. baffle, frustrate.
He has a happy lot. He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his
plans and prevent his success.
851. Apprehension n. dread.
864. Prune v. cut away, trim.
The student looked around the examination
room in apprehension. With the help of her editor, she was able to
prune her manuscript into publishable form.
852. Amenable adj. readily managed, willing to be
led. 865. Amiable adj. agreeable, lovable.
He was amenable to any suggestions that His amiable disposition pleased all who had
came from those he looked up to; he resented dealings with him.
advice from his inferiors.
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866. Improvise v. compose on the spur of the 878. Constituent n. supporter.

moment.
The Congressman received hundreds of letters
She would sit at the piano and would improvise from angry constituents after the Equal Rights
for hours on themes from Bach and Handel. Amendment failed to pass.
867. Connive v. cooperate secretly. 879. Reprehensible adj. deserving blame.
The dealers connived with custom officials to Your vicious conduct in this situation is
bring in narcotics. reprehensible.
868. Gait n. manner of walking or running, speed. 880. Hazardous adj. dangerous.
The lame man walked with an uneven gait. Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance
company to consider your application.
869. Botch n. blunder.
881. Robust adj. vigorous, strong.
I made a miserable botch of this description.
The candidate for the football team had a
870. Dawdle v. loiter, waste time.
robust physique.
In asmuch as we must meet a deadline, do not
882. Piecemeal adv. bit by bit.
dawdle over the work.
The research structure has developed
871. Pang n. spasm of pain.
piecemeal.
And, with something of a pang, resolutely
883. Inscrutable adj. incomprehensible, not to be
stifled, I realised for a moment the true
discovered.
blessedness of the single state I was so soon
to leave behind. I fail to understand the reason for your
outlandish behavior; your motives are
872. Tedium n. boredom.
inscrutable.
You will find no tedium of repetition in all their
884. Needle v. prod, poke, stir up, urge.
poetry, no thin vein of thought beaten out over
endless pages. He needled her with his sarcastic remarks.
873. Intimate v. hint. 885. Tentative adj. provisional, experimental.
She intimated rather than stated her Your tentative plans sound plausible; let me
preferences. know when the final details are worked out.
874. Delve v. dig, investigate. 886. Humdrum adj. dull, monotonous.
Delving into old books and manuscripts is part After his years of adventure, he could not
of a researchers job. settle down to a humdrum existence.
875. Shrouded v. wrapped. 887. Ratify v. approve formally, verify.
The seventh apartment was closely shrouded Before the treaty could go into effect, it had to
in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the be ratified by the president.
ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy
888. Horde n. crowd.
folds upon a carpet of the same material and
hue. Just before Christmas the stores are filled with
hordes of shoppers.
876. Exploit v. make use of, sometimes unjustly.
889. Relentless adj. unyielding, implacable.
Cesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit
migrant farm workers in California. The relentless beat of the drums.
877. Rut n. fixed practice. 890. Muddle v. confuse, mix up.
They fell into a conversational rut. His thoughts were muddled and chaotic.

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891. Adulterate v. make impure by mixing with 905. Conventional adj. Ordinary, typical.
baser substances.
His conventional upbringing left him wholly
It is a crime to adulterate foods without unprepared for his wife’s eccentric family.
informing the buyer.
906. Indisputable adj. too certain to be disputed.
892. Concede v. admit, yield.
In the face of these indisputable statements, I
Despite all the evidence Monica had withdraw my complaint.
assembled, Mark refused to concede that she
907. Puny adj. insignificant, tiny, weak.
was right.
Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.
893. Plight n. bad situation.
908. Facilitate v. make less difficult.
He found himself in a most awkward plight.
He tried to facilitate matters at home by
894. Burly adj. husky, muscular.
getting a part time job.
The burly mover lifted the packing crate with
909. Repulse v. repel.
ease.
He rudely repulsed their overtures.
895. Debase v. reduce to lower state.
910. Charisma n. divine gift, great popular charm
Do not debase yourself by becoming maudlin.
or appeal of a leader.
896. Stance n. point of view, posture.
Political commentators have deplored the
Peru has toughened its stance towards foreign importance of a candidate’s charisma in these
investors. days of television campaigning.
897. Exacting adj. extremely demanding. 911. Rigor n. severity.
The colonies rebelled against the exacting Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the
financial claims of the mother country. New England winters.
898. Dank adj. damp. 912. Noxious adj. harmful.
The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy. We must trace the source of these noxious
gasses before they asphyxiate us.
899. Expressly adv. definitely.
913. Enlighten v. instruct.
I expressly ordered the visitor to leave.
He was called upon to enlighten the disputed
900. Discount v. disregard.
points in his article.
Be prepared to discount what he has to say
914. Intangible adj. not able to be perceived by
about his ex-wife.
touch, vague.
901. Token adj. Minimal.
Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post
A token gesture of reconciliation. were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its
intangible rewards: prestige, intellectual
902. Decadence n. decay.
freedom, the fellowship of his peers.
The moral decadence of the people was
915. Compliant adj. yielding.
reflected in the lewd literature of the period.
He was compliant and ready to conform to the
903. Alacrity n. cheerful promptness.
pattern set by his friends.
He demonstrated his eagerness to serve by his
916. Eradicate v. eliminate.
alacrity in executing the orders of his master.
Their goal was to eradicate poverty.
904. Clamor n. noise.
917. Abyss n. bottomless pit.
The clamor of the children at play outside
made it impossible for him to take a nap. They could not see the bottom of the abyss.
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918. Criterion n. standard. 929. Pigment n. dye.

What criterion can be used to measure the A painter uses a palette to mix his pigments.
character of a person?
930. Concept n. thought.
919. Irreverent adj. lacking proper worship.
Our government should be devoted to the
The worshippers resented her irreverent concept that the government should strive for
remarks about their faith. the good of the citizen.
920. Sallow adj. yellowish, sticky in color. 931. Ornate adj. excessively decorated, highly
decorated.
We were disturbed by his sallow complexion,
which was due to jaundice. Furniture of the Baroque period can be
recognized by its ornate carvings.
921. Renounce v. abandon, discontinue, disown,
repudiate. 932. Begrudge v. resent.
Joan of Arc refused to renounce her I begrudge every minute I have to spend
statements even though she knew she would attending meetings.
be burned at the stake as a witch.
933. Repose n. calmness.
922. Assimilate v. absorb, cause to become
He accepted their problems with repose.
homogeneous.
934. Bolster v. support, prop up.
The manner in which the United States was
able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants I do not intend to bolster your hopes with false
during the nineteenth and the early part of the reports of outside assistance; the truth is that
twentieth centuries will always be a source of we must face the enemy alone.
pride.
935. Infringe v. violate, encroach.
923. Exhort v. urge.
I think your machine infringes on my patent
The evangelist will exhort all sinners in his and I intend to sue.
audience to reform.
936. Agile adj. Nimble.
924. Jest n. joke.
She was eighty years old, yet still spry and
He is a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests. agile.
925. Molest v. disturb. 937. Diversity n. variety, dissimilitude.
As to your child, let no thoughts concerning it The diversity of colleges in this country indicate
molest you; I will provide for it in a better that many levels of ability are being catered to
manner than you can ever hope. for.
926. Devoid adj. lacking. 938. Rustle v. steal.
He was devoid of any personal desire for gain Someone rustled my wallet on the train.
in his endeavor to secure improvement in the
939. Hapless adj. unfortunate.
community.
This hapless creature had never known a
927. Ordinance n. decree.
moment’s pleasure.
Passing a red light is a violation of the city
940. Unpretentious adj. Modest.
ordinance.
Her quiet unpretentious demeanor.
928. Lateral adj. coming from the side.
In order to get good plant growth, the
gardener must pinch of all lateral shoots.

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941. Buoy v. sustain. 953. Wary adj. very cautious.

The coach used all the tricks at his command The spies grew wary as they approached the
to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team which sentry.
had become dispirited at the loss of the star
954. Sleek adj. Smooth.
player.
She brushed her hair till it was sleek.
942. Paragon n. model of perfection.
955. Succulent adj. juicy, full of richness.
The class disliked him because the teacher was
always pointing to him as a paragon of virtue. The citrus fruits from Florida are more
succulent to some people than those from
943. Indigenous adj. native.
California.
Tobacco is one of the indigenous plants which
956. Lacerate v. mangle, tear.
the early explorers found in this country.
Her body was lacerated in the automobile
944. Prologue n. introduction.
crash.
The prologue to the play was intriguing.
957. Subside v. settle down, descend, grow quiet.
945. Acknowledge v. recognize, admit.
The doctor assured us that the fever would
When pressed for an answer, she eventually subside.
acknowledged the existence of another motive
958. Acquittal n. deliverance from a charge.
for crime.
His acquittal by the jury surprised those who
946. Indictment n. accusation.
had thought him guilty.
The book is an indictment of modern
959. Apprehend v. arrest (a criminal); dread,
philosophy.
perceive.
947. Lackluster adj. dull.
The police will apprehend the culprit and
We were disappointed by the lackluster convict him before long.
performance.
960. Imperative n. compulsory.
948. Condominium n. individually owned.
It is imperative that we stanch the gushing
He lives in a condominium near the highway. wound before we attend to the other injuries.
949. Incumbent n. officeholder. 961. Substantiate v. verify, support.
The newly elected public official received I intend to substantiate my statement by
valuable advice from the present incumbent. producing witnesses.
950. Polarize v. split into opposite extreme or 962. Rancid adj. Rotten.
camps.
It consisted of a soup of salted water,
The abortion issue has polarized the country seasoned with pepper and rancid oil.
into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps.
963. Oust v. expel, drive out.
951. Genesis n. beginning, origin.
The world wondered if Aquino would be able to
Tracing the genesis of a family is a theme of oust Marcos from office.
“roots.”
964. Topple v. overturn.
952. Diminution n. lessening, reduction in size.
They topple over half the time and if we come
The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as up or down the stairs in the dark we fall over
soon as the diminution of the enemy’s supplies them.
became serious.

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965. Prevail v. induce, triumph over. 977. Tally v. record.

He tried to prevail on her to type his essay for We had to wait while they tallied the score.
him.
978. Devastate v. ruin.
966. Credence n. belief.
He was devastated by the rude remark.
Do not place any credence in his promises.
979. Maul v. handle roughly.
967. Divulge v. reveal.
The overexcited fans mauled the rock star.
I will not tell you this news, as I am sure you
980. Animation v. liveliness.
will divulge it prematurely.
Cried Marianne, her eyes sparkling with
968. Misgivings n. doubts.
animation, and her cheeks glowing with the
Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but delight of such imaginary happiness.
decided to fence with Laertes despite his
981. Smolder v. burn without flame, be liable to
foreboding of evil.
break out at any moment. The rags smoldered
969. Acclaim n. applaud, announce with great for hours before they burst into flames.
approval.
982. Turmoil n. confusion, strife.
The NBC sportscaster acclaimed every
Conscious he had sinned, he was in a state of
American victory in the Olympics and decried
spiritual turmoil.
every American defeat.
983. Hinterland n. wilderness.
970. Hallowed adj. blessed, consecrated.
He was not used to thinking of the world as a
She was laid to rest in hallowed ground.
whole, but as a limitless hinterland of
971. Guise n. appearance, costume. happenings beyond the range of his immediate
vision.
In the guise of the plumber, the detective
investigated the murder case. 984. Illimitable adj. infinite.
972. Tumult n. commotion, riot, noise. Man, having explored the far corners of the
earth, is now reaching out into illimitable
She could not make herself heard over the
space.
tumult of the mob.
985. Facile adj. easy, expert.
973. Reminiscent adj. Suggestive.
Because he was a facile speaker, he never
Her style is old fashioned and reminiscent of
refused a request to address an organization.
the Victorian era.
986. Exult v. rejoice.
974. Remit v. send.
We exulted when our team won.
Mordaunt, one of my secretaries, will remit this
letter of introduction to His Eminence, the 987. Nadir n. lowest point.
Cardinal Mazarin, in Paris.
Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones
975. Pandemonium n. wild tumult. averages had nadir and would soon begin an
upward search.
When the ships collided in the harbor,
pandemonium broke out among the 988. Byway n. back road.
passengers.
He took the byway thinking it would be a
976. Eject v. expel. shorter route.
The bartender ejected the person who started 989. Indigent adj. very poor.
the fight.
He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.

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990. Rectify adj. correct. 1003. Necromancy n. black magic, dealing with the
dead.
I want to rectify my error before it is too late.
Because he was able to perform feats of
991. Respire v. to breath.
necromancy, the natives thought he was in
The patient is respiring. league with the devil.
992. Acuity n. sharpness. 1004. Numismatic adj. Coin collecting.
In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him Because of his numismatic habit, he has a
and he needed glasses. large variety of coins from different periods.
993. Myopic adj. near sighted. 1005. Onerous adj. burdensome.
In thinking only of your present needs and He asked for an assistant because his workload
ignoring the future, you are being rather was too onerous.
myopic.
1006. Protrude v. stick out.
994. Obdurate adj. stubborn.
His fingers protrude from the holes of his
He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our gloves.
complaints.
1007. Benevolent adj. Generous, charitable.
995. Sagacious adj. keen, shrewd, having insight.
His benevolent nature prevented him from
He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a refusing any beggar who accosted him.
trick like that.
1008. Unobtrusive adj. inconspicuous, not blatant.
996. Utopia n. imaginary land with a perfect social
The secret service agents in charge of
and political system.
protecting the President tried to be as
Shangri-la was the name of James Hilton’s unobtrusive as possible.
Tibetan utopia.
1009. Scrutiny n. investigation.
997. Satiate v. surfeit, satisfy fully.
Every gaze was fixed upon her in silent
The guests, having eaten until they were scrutiny, until the American flag was
satiated, now listen inattentively to the recognized.
speakers.
1010. Heinous adj. atrocious, hatefully bad.
998. Adjacent adj. next to.
Hitler’s heinous crimes will never be forgotten.
The two countries are adjacent for a few miles,
1011. Garrulous adj. loquacious, wordy.
then they are separated by the Gulf.
Many members avoided the company of the
999. Flagrant adj. conspicuously wicked.
garrulous old gentleman because his constant
We cannot condone such flagrant violations of chatter on trivial matters bored them.
the rules.
1012. Converse n. opposite.
1000. Entreat v. plead, ask earnestly.
The inevitable converse of peace is not war but
She entreated her father to let her stay out till annihilation.
midnight.
1013. Malefactor n. criminal.
1001. Facilitate v. make less difficult.
We must try to bring these malefactors to
He tried to facilitate matters at home by justice.
getting a part time job.
1014. Martial adj. warlike.
1002. Pare v. trim.
The sound of martial music is always inspiring.
The baker pared off the excess dough.

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1015. Retort n. quick sharp reply.

Even when it was advisable for her to keep her
mouth shut, she was always ready with a quick
retort.
1016. Vigilance n. watchfulness.
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
1017. Lesion n. unhealthy change in structure,
injury.
Many lesions are result of disease.
1018. Sedentary adj. requiring sitting.
Because he had a sedentary occupation, he
decided to visit a gymnasium weekly.
1019. Lassitude n. languor, weariness.
The hot, tropical weather created a feeling of
lassitude and encouraged drowsiness.
1020. Indolence n. laziness.
He outgrew his youthful indolence to become a
model of industry and alertness on the job.
1021. Adherent n. supporter, follower.
In the wake of the scandal, the senator’s one-
time adherents quietly deserted him.
1022. Deter v. hinder.
Fear that we will retaliate immediately deters
our foe from attacking us.
1023. Abduct v. kidnap.
The industrialist’s son was abducted.
1024. Futility n. uselessness.
He well knew the futility of trying to contend
against witches, so he gave up discouraged.
1025. Precept n. practical rule of guiding conduct.
“Love thy neighbor as thyself” is a worthwhile
precept.
1026. Consolidate v. strengthen.
She consolidated her power during her first
year in office.
1027. Collateral n. security given for loan. The sum
you wish to borrow is so large that it must be
secured by collateral.

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