Gre-Common Words

abate:
/ə'beɪt/ v. Syn. subside; decrease; lessen
subside; decrease; become less in amount or intensity
Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.
aberrant:
/æ'bɛrənt/ n. Syn. abnormal; deviant
abnormal; markedly different from an accepted norm
Given the aberrant nature of the data, we doubted the validity of the entire experiment.
abeyance:
/ə'beɪəns/ n. Syn. suspension
suspended action; temporary cessation or suspension
The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.
abnegate:
/'æbnɪgeɪt/ v. Syn. renounce
give up or surrender; deny something to oneself
After his retirement, the former police commissioner found it difficult to abnegate authority.
abscond:
/æb'skɒnd/ v.
leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution
The teller who did abscond with the bonds went un-captured until someone recognized him from his
photograph on "America's Most Wanted.".
abstain:
/əb'steɪn/ v. Syn. refrain
refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice
After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking
while he trained for the race.
accolade:
/'ækəleɪd/ n. Syn. praise
award of merit; expression of approval; praise
In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.
accretion:
/ə'kri:ʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. growth; increase
growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion
The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.
acumen:
/'ækjʊmɛn, ə'kju:mɛn/ n. Syn. acuteness; insight
mental keenness; quickness of perception
However, her team's political acumen is clearly beyond mine, an Ivy League Medical Science Professor
and NOT a Political "Science" Professor.
admonish:
/əd'mɒnɪʃ/ v. Syn. warn; reprove
warn; counsel someone against something to be avoided
I would again admonish the reader carefully to consider the nature of our doctrine.
adroit:
/ə'drɔɪt/ a. Syn. skillful; dexterous
skillful and adept under pressing conditions
I should work in adroit references to this evening's speeches.
adulterate:
/ə'dʌltəreɪt/ v.
make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances
It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer.
adumbrate:
/'ædʌmbreɪt/ v. Syn. overshadow; shade
give hint or indication of something; disclose partially or guardedly; overshadow; shade
Her constant complaining about the job would adumbrate her intent to leave.
advocate:
/'ædvəkət/ v. Syn. urge; support
speak, plead, or argue in favour of; plead for; push for something
The some doctors advocate a smoking ban in the entire house.
aesthetic:
/i:s'θɛtɪk/ a. Syn. artistic; elegant
elegant or tasteful; of or concerning appreciation of beauty or good taste
Kenneth Cole, the American designer known for his modern, urban aesthetic, is hawking $35 T-shirts.
aggrandize:
/ə'grændaɪz/ v. Syn. increase; intensify
increase scope of; extend; intensify; make greater in power, influence, stature, or
reputation
The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act
aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.
alacrity:
/ə'lækrɪtɪ/ n.
cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness
Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into
the van with alacrity.
alloy:
/ə'lɔɪ/ v. Syn. combine; mix
combine; mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate
Our concern for Dwight Gooden, who injured his pitching arm in the game, will alloy our delight at the
Yankees' victory.
amalgamate:
/ə'mælgəmeɪt/ v. Syn. combine; mix
combine; unite in one body; mix or alloy a metal with mercury
The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.
ambiguity:
/æmbɪ'gju:ɪtɪ/ n.
state of being ambiguous; doubtfulness or uncertainty
This ambiguity is also becoming part of US policy toward Israel.
ambiguous:
/æm'bɪgjʊəs/ a.
unclear or doubtful in meaning
His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.
ambivalence:
/æm'bɪvələns/ n.
state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes, such as love and hate
Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the
ambivalence of her feelings.
ameliorate:
/ə'mi:lɪəreɪt/ v. Syn. improve
make or become better; improve; grow better
Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.
amenable:
/ə'mi:nəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. responsible; accountable
responsive to advice or suggestion; responsible to higher authority; willing to comply with;
agreeable
He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to.
anathema:
/ə'næθəmə/ n.
solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse
To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing
them in his dying words.
anodyne:
/'ænoʊdaɪn/ n.
source of relaxation or comfort; medicine that relieves pain
The sound of classical music is usually just anodyne I need after a tough day at work.
anomalous:
/ə'nɒmələs/ a. Syn. abnormal; irregular
deviating from normal or common order, form, or rule
He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures which he despised.
anomaly:
/ə'nɒməlɪ/ n. Syn. irregularity
irregularity; person or something that is unusual; departure from normal or common order
No doubt, this anomaly is the result of the uncertain international environment and high interest rates.
antagonism:
/æn'tægənɪz(ə)m/ n. Syn. hostility; enmity
active resistance; condition of being an opposing principle, force, or factor
Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking
to him.
antipathy:
/æn'tɪpəθɪ/ n. Syn. aversion; dislike
strong feeling of aversion; dislike
Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental
wife.
apathy:
/'æpəθɪ/ n. Syn. indifference
lack of caring; indifference
A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never
bothered to vote.

apocryphal:
/ə'pɒkrɪf(ə)l/ a. Syn. untrue
untrue; of questionable authorship or authenticity; erroneous; fictitious
To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.
apostate:
/ə'pɒsteɪt/ n.
one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.
apotheosis:
/əpɒθɪ'oʊsɪs/ n.
elevation to godhood; fact or action of becoming a god; an ideal example of something
The apotheosis of a Roman emperor was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would
worship at his altar forever.
appease:
/ə'pi:z/ v. Syn. relieve; pacify
bring peace, quiet, or calm to; satisfy or relieve
Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another, but he would
not calm down until they pacified his hunger by giving him a bottle.
apposite:
/'æpəzɪt/ a. Syn. appropriate; relevant
strikingly appropriate and relevant; well-suited
He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.
apprise:
/ə'praɪz/ v. Syn. inform
inform; give notice to; make aware
If you apprise him the dangerous weather conditions, he has to postpone his trip.
approbation:
/æprə'beɪʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. approval
expression of warm approval; praise
She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good grades would please
them.
appropriate:
/ə'proʊprɪət/ v. Syn. acquire; allocate
acquire; take possession of for one's own use; set apart for specific use
The ranch owners appropriate the lands that have originally been set aside for the Indians' use.
arcane:
/ɑr'keɪn/ a. Syn. secret; mysterious
secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated
Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders.
archaic:
/ɑr'keiɪk/ a. Syn. antiquated
no longer current or applicable; antiquated
"Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.
arduous:
/'ɑrdjʊəs/;/'ɑrdʒʊəs/ a. Syn. hard; strenuous
demanding great effort or labor; difficult
Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.
arrest:
/ə'rɛst/ v.
stop or slow down; catch someone's attention; take into custody
The trapeze artists plunge from the heights until a safety net luckily arrest their fall.
articulate:
/ɑr'tɪkjʊlət/ a. Syn. effective; distinct
expressing oneself easily in clear and effective language
Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.
artless:
/'ɑrtlɪs/ a. Syn. naive
free of artificiality; natural; open and honest
Sophisticated and cynical, Jack could not believe Jill was as artless and naive as she appeared to be.
ascetic:
/ə'sɛtɪk/ a. Syn. austere; severe
leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial; austere
The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of
some monastic orders.
asperity:
/æ'spɛrɪtɪ/ n.
sharpness of temper; roughness or harshness, as of surface, sound, or climate
These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.
assiduous:
/ə'sɪdjʊəs/;/ə'sɪdʒʊəs/ a. Syn. diligent; persistent
constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing or persistent
He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results.
assuage:
/ə'sweɪdʒ/ v. Syn. relieve
ease or lessen pain; satisfy or appease
Jilted by Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream.
astringent:
/ə'strɪndʒənt/ a. Syn. austere
causing contraction; having the effect of drawing tissue together; stern or austere
The juice from the last pressing being very dark and astringent, is put with the inferior wine.
attenuate:
/ə'tɛnjʊeɪt/ v. Syn. weaken
make slender, fine, or small; weaken; lessen density of
By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.
audacious:
/ɔ:'deɪʃəs/ a. Syn. brave; bold
fearlessly, often recklessly daring; bold
Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death defying leap to
freedom, escaping Darth Vader's troops.
augury:
/'ɔ:gjʊrɪ/ n. Syn. omen; prophecy
sign of something coming; art or practice of foretelling events by signs or omens
He interpreted the departure of the birds as an augury of evil.
august:
/ɔ:'gʌst/ a. Syn. impressive; majestic; grand
impressive; majestic; inspiring awe or admiration
Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found
herself.
auspicious:
/ɔ:'spɪʃəs/ a. Syn. propitious
attended by favorable circumstances; marked by success; prosperous
With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail.
austere:
/ɒ'stɪə(r)/ a.
strict or severe in discipline; severely simple and unornamented
The headmaster's austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited
his study willingly.
avarice:
/'ævərɪs/ n.
greediness for wealth; insatiable desire of gain
King Midas is a perfect example of avarice, for he was so greedy that he wished everything he touched
would turn to gold.
aver:
/ə'vɜr(r)/ v. Syn. affirm
declare to be true; affirm
The witnesses aver that he was holding a gun.
axiom:
/'æksɪəm/ n.
self-evident truth requiring no proof
Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain
principle or axiom.
baleful:
/'beɪlfʊl/ a. Syn. deadly; ominous
portending evil; harmful in intent or effect.
The fortune teller made baleful predictions of terrible things to come.
banal:
/bə'nɑrl/;/'beɪnl/ a. Syn. dull; commonplace; trite
obvious and dull; commonplace; lacking originality
The writer made his comic sketch seem banal.
bane:
/beɪn/ n. Syn. curse
something causes misery or death; curse; fatal injury or ruin
Lucy's little brother was the bane of her existence: his attempts to make her life miserable worked so
well that she could have poisoned him.
bedizen:
/bɪ'dɪz(ə)n/ v.
ornament something in showy, tasteless, or gaudy finery
We usually bedizen witch doctors in all their gaudiest costumes.
belie:
/bɪ'laɪ/ v. Syn. contradict
contradict; give a false impression
His coarse, hard-bitten exterior does belie his inner sensitivity.
benign:
/bɪ'naɪn/ a. Syn. kindly; favorable
kindly; favorable; not malignant
Though her benign smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem a sweet little old lady, in reality
she was a tough-minded lady.
bent:
/bɛnt/ a.
determined to do or have
We are bent on going to the theater no matter how heavy the snow is.
blithe:
/blaɪð/ a. Syn. gay; joyous; heedless
gay; joyous; carefree and lighthearted
Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song.
boisterous:
/'bɔɪstərəs/ a. Syn. violent; rough; noisy
rough and stormy; loud, noisy, and lacking in restraint or discipline
The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.
bolster:
/'boʊlstə(r)/ v. Syn. support; reinforce
support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow pillow or cushion
The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments.
bombastic:
/bɒm'bæstɪk/ a. Syn. pompous
pompous; using inflated language; high-sounding but with little meaning
The biggest military power on Earth was acting belligerent and its president was indulging in
bombastic nationalistic grandstanding.
burgeon:
/'bɜrdʒ(ə)n/ v. Syn. thrive; mushroom
grow forth; send out buds; grow or develop rapidly
In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty to come.
burnish:
/'bɜrnɪʃ/ v. Syn. polish
make shiny by rubbing; polish
I burnish the brass fixtures until they reflect the lamplight.
buttress:
/'bʌtrɪs/ v. Syn. support
support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence
The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case.
cacophonous:
/kə'kɒfənəs/ a. Syn. discordant; inharmonious
discordant; inharmonious; sounding harshly; ill-sounding
Do the students in the orchestra enjoy the cacophonous sounds they make when they're tuning up? I
don't know how they can stand the racket.
capricious:
/kə'prɪʃəs/ a. Syn. unpredictable; fickle; arbitrary
fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly
The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly.
castigate:
/'kæstɪgeɪt/ v. Syn. punish
criticize severely; punish; revise or make corrections to publication
When the teacher threatened that she would castigate the mischievous boys if they didn't behave,
they shaped up in a hurry.
catalyst:
/'kætəlɪst/ n. Syn. enzyme; stimulus
agent which brings about chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged
Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst.
caustic:
/'kɔ:stɪk/ a.
capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action
The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm.

chicanery:
/ʃɪ'keɪnərɪ/ n. Syn. trickery; deception
mean or unfair artifice to obscure truth; deception by trickery or sophistry
Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred, made up all sorts of implausible alternative
scenarios to confuse the jurors, and in general depended on chicanery to win the case.
churlish:
/'tʃɜrlɪʃ/ a. Syn. boorish; rude
difficult to work with; rude; unyielding; unmanageable
Dismayed by his churlish behaviors at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.
cogent:
/'koʊdʒənt/ a. Syn. convincing
reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive
It was inevitable that David chose to go to Harvard: he had several cogent reasons for doing so,
including a full-tuition scholarship.
complaisant:
/kəm'pleɪzənt/ a. Syn. obliging
trying to please; showing cheerful willingness to do favors for others
The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner.
confound:
/kən'faʊnd/ v. Syn. confuse; puzzle
cause to become confused or perplexed; fail to distinguish; mix up
I developed an elaborate color scheme to help us pluck just the right card at that special moment to
confound the opposing pair of debaters.
connoisseur:
/kɒnə'sɜr(r)/ n. Syn. specialist; expert
specialist; person with expert knowledge or training, especially in the fine arts
A literature professor by training and a self-taught art connoisseur, Charles Ryskamp served three
decades as director first of the Pierpont Morgan Library.
contentious:
/kən'tɛnʃəs/ a. Syn. quarrelsome; disagreeable
quarrelsome; disagreeable; marked by heated arguments or controversy
The contentious gentleman in the bar ridiculed anything anyone said.
convoluted:
/'kɒnvəlutɪd/ a. Syn. intricate
coiled around; highly involved; intricate
His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow it intelligently.
corroborate:
/kə'rɒbəreɪt/ v. Syn. confirm; support
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; support with evidence
Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe
either of them.
countenance:
/'kaʊntɪnəns/ v. Syn. approve; tolerate
give sanction or support to; tolerate or approve
He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.
credulous:
/'krɛdjʊləs/;/'krɛdʒələs/ a.
apt to believe on slight evidence; easily imposed upon; unsuspecting; believed too readily
They are credulous people who believe in the advertisement.
daunt:
/dɔ:nt/ v. Syn. intimidate; frighten; dismay
frighten; abate the courage of; discourage
Other northern employers were shocked that ex-slaves refused to work in conditions that would not
daunt a farmer in the North.
dearth:
/dɜrθ/ n. Syn. scarcity
scarcity; shortage of food; famine from failure or loss of crops
The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.
decorum:
/dɪ'kɔ:rəm/ n.
propriety in manners and conduct; good taste in manners; conventions or requirements of
polite behavior
Keeping public decorum is an important factor in media credibility.
deference:
/'dɛfərəns/ n. Syn. respect
willingness to carry out the wishes of others; great respect
In deference to the minister's request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.
deleterious:
/dɛlɪ'tɪərɪəs/ a. Syn. harmful
having harmful effect; injurious; having quality of destroying life; noxious; poisonous
If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health, then quit!.
demur:
/dɪ'mɜr(r)/ v. Syn. hesitate
object because of doubts; hesitate
When offered a post on the board of directors, David had to demur: he had scruples about taking on
the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.
denigrate:
/'dɛnɪgreɪt/ v. Syn. blacken; defame; belittle
blacken; defame; attack reputation of; degrade
All attempts to denigrate the character of our late president have failed; the people still love him and
cherish his memory.
deprecate:
/'dɛprɪkeɪt/ v. Syn. belittle
express disapproval of; protest against; belittle
A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post must deprecate the modern tendency to address
new acquaintances by their first names.
depredation:
/dɛprɪ'deɪʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. plundering
plundering; destructive action; predatory attack; damage or loss
After the depredation of invaders, the people were penniless.
deride:
/dɪ'raɪd/ v. Syn. ridicule
ridicule; make fun of; laugh at with contempt
The critics deride his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously.
derivative:
/dɪ'rɪvətɪv/ a. Syn. unoriginal
unoriginal; derived from another source
Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and
eventually would find her own voice.

descry:
/dɪ'skraɪ/ v. Syn. detect
catch sight of; discover by careful observation or scrutiny
In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.
desiccate:
/'dɛsɪkeɪt/ v.
dry up thoroughly; make dry, dull, or lifeless; preserve foods by removing the moisture
A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to
preserve it.
desultory:
/'dɛsəltərɪ/;/-tɔ:rɪ/ a. Syn. aimless; haphazard
aimless; haphazard; at random; not connected with subject
In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him, reading
was purposeful, not desultory.
digress:
/daɪ'grɛs/ v.
turn aside, especially from main subject in writing or speaking
The professor does not digress from the topic and never bores his students.
din:
/dɪn/ n. Syn. clamor; roar
loud, confused, harsh noise; loud, continuous, rattling or clanging sound
They were unable to sleep because of the din coming from the bar.
dirge:
/dɜrdʒ/ n.
a piece of music of a mournful character, to accompany funeral rites; funeral hymn
The stranger, after listening for a moment, joined in the mournful dirge.
discordant:
/dɪ'skɔ:d(ə)nt/ a. Syn. conflicting
not harmonious; conflicting; disagreeable in sound; harsh or dissonant
Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a junior high school orchestra tuning up.
discretion:
/dɪ'skrɛʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. prudence
knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress; trait of judging wisely and objectively
The servants showed great tact and discretion.
disingenuous:
/dɪsɪn'dʒɛnjʊəs/ a. Syn. insincere
giving a false appearance of frankness; insincere
Now that we know the mayor and his wife are engaged in a bitter divorce fight, we find their earlier
remarks regretting their lack of time together remarkably disingenuous.
disinterested:
/dɪs'ɪntrɪstɪd/ a. Syn. indifferent
not interested; indifferent; free of self-interest; impartial
Given the judge's political ambitions and the lawyers' financial interest in the case, the only
disinterested person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter.
disparage:
/dɪ'spærɪdʒ/ v. Syn. belittle
belittle; speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way; reduce in esteem or rank
A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son's crude attempts at art than to disparage
them.
disparate:
/'dɪspərət/ a. Syn. unrelated
fundamentally distinct or different in kind; entirely dissimilar
Unfortunately, Tony and Tina have disparate notions of marriage: Tony sees it as a carefree extended
love affair, while Tina sees it as a solemn commitment to build a family and a home.
dissemble:
/dɪ'sɛmb(ə)l/ v. Syn. disguise; pretend
disguise or conceal behind a false appearance; make a false show of
Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew he was there
not to dance but to meet girls.
dissolution:
/dɪsə'lu:ʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. decay; termination
breaking of union; decomposition into fragments or parts; extinction of life; decay
Which caused King Lear more suffering: the dissolution of his kingdom into warring factions, or of his
aged, failing body?.
dissonance:
/'dɪsənəns/ n. Syn. discord
discord; disagreeable sounds; harsh, disagreeable combination of sounds
Composer Charles Ives often used dissonance clashing or unresolved chords for special effects in his
musical works.
dogmatic:
/dɒg'mætɪk/;/dɔ:gmætɪk/ a. Syn. opinionated; doctrinal
stubbornly adhering to insufficiently proven beliefs; inflexible, rigid
We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions
might be wrong.
dupe:
/dju:p/;/du:p/ n.
easily deceived person; duplicate of photographic image
While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far
more difficult to fool.
eclectic:
/ɪ'klɛktɪk/ a.
composed of elements from a variety of sources
His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent
periods, strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique decor.
efficacy:
/'ɛfɪkəsɪ/ n.
power to produce desired effect
The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the dosage.
effrontery:
/ɛ'frʌntərɪ/ n.
shameless or brazen boldness; insolent and shameless audacity
She had the effrontery to insult the guest.
elegy:
/'ɛlɪdʒɪ/ n.
poem or song expressing lamentation; mournful poem
The other elegy is shorter and less striking in conception, but gives a similar impression of the
importance assigned to Louis de.
eloquent:
/'ɛləkwənt/ a. Syn. expressive; persuasive
vividly or movingly expressive; persuasive
My cousins, full of exhilaration, were so eloquent in narrative and comment, that their fluency covered
him.
emollient:
/ɪ'mɒlɪənt/ n.
having softening or soothing effect, especially to skin
The nurse applied an emollient to the inflamed area.
empirical:
/ɛm'pɪrɪk(ə)l/ a.
derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.
emulate:
/'ɛmjʊleɪt/ v. Syn. imitate; rival
be a match or counterpart for; eager to equal or excel
In a brief essay, describe a person you admire, someone whose virtues you would like to emulate.
encomium:
/ɛn'koʊmɪəm/ n. Syn. tribute
high praise; formal expression of praise; tribute
Uneasy with the encomium expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise.
endemic:
/ɛn'dɛmɪk/ a.
prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country
This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one
time or another affected by it.
enervate:
/'ɛnəveɪt/ v. Syn. weaken
weaken or destroy strength or vitality of; remove a nerve or part of a nerve
She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window would enervate her.
engender:
/ɪn'dʒɛndə(r)/ v. Syn. cause; produce
cause; bring into existence; give rise to
To receive praise for real accomplishments would engender self-confidence in a child.
enigmatic:
/ɛnɪg'mætɪk/ a. Syn. obscure; puzzling
obscure; puzzling; not easily explained or accounted for
Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa.
ephemeral:
/ɪ'fɛmərəl/ a.
short-lived; enduring a very short time
The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.
equivocate:
/ɪ'kwɪvəkeɪt/ v. Syn. lie; mislead
lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth
The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his
remarks.
erudite:
/'ɛru:daɪt/ a. Syn. learned; scholarly
learned; scholarly, with emphasis on knowledge gained from books
Though his fellow students thought him erudite, Paul knew he would have to spend many years in
serious study before he could consider himself a scholar.
esoteric:
/i:soʊ'tɛrɪk/ a. Syn. mysterious
hard to understand; known only in a particular group
The New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the
implication is, if you are in the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you
won't.
eulogy:
/'ju:lədʒɪ/ n.
expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death
Instead of delivering a spoken eulogy at Genny's memorial service, Jeff sang a song he had written in
her honor.
exacerbate:
/ɛk'sæsəbeɪt/ v. Syn. worsen; embitter
increase severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate
The latest bombing would exacerbate England's already existing bitterness against the IRA, causing
the prime minister to break off the peace talks abruptly.
excoriate:
/ɛks'kɔ:rɪeɪt/ v.
scold with biting harshness; strip skin off; abrade
Seeing the holes in Bill's new pants, his mother furiously began to excoriate him for ruining his good
clothes.
exculpate:
/'ɛkskʌlpeɪt/ v.
pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
The court will exculpate him of the crime after the real criminal confesses.

exhort:
/ɪg'zɔ:t/ v.
urge on or encourage, especially by shouts
The evangelist used to exhort all the sinners in his audience to reform.
exonerate:
/ɪg'zɒnəreɪt/ v. Syn. acquit; exculpate
acquit; free from blame; discharge from duty
The testing can also connect evidence from apparently unrelated crimes, corroborate the victim's
account, and exonerate innocent suspects.
expiate:
/'ɛkspɪeɪt/ v. Syn. atone
make amends or pay the penalty for; relieve or cleanse of guilt
He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.
extant:
/ɛk'stænt/ a.
still in existence; not destroyed, lost, or extinct
Although the book is out of print, some copies are still extant. Unfortunately, all of them are in
libraries or private collections; none are for sale.
facetious:
/fə'si:ʃəs/ a. Syn. humorous
joking ,often inappropriately; humorous
I'm serious about this project; I don't need any facetious cracks about do-gooder little rich girls.
fallacious:
/fə'leɪʃəs/ a. Syn. false; deceptive
false; tending to mislead; deceptive
Paradoxically, fallacious reasoning does not always yield erroneous results: even though your logic
may be faulty, the answer you get may nevertheless be correct.
fatuous:
/'fætjʊəs/ a. Syn. foolish
foolish or silly, especially in self-satisfied way
He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.
fawn:
/fɔ:n/ n.
young deer; buck or doe of the first year; young of an animal
A fawn behind the tree looked at us curiously.
feign:
/feɪn/ v. Syn. pretend; disguise; conceal
make false appearance of; disguise; conceal; invent or imagine
Lady Macbeth decided to feign illness although she was actually healthy.
felicitous:
/fə'lɪsɪtəs/ a. Syn. apt
apt; suitably expressed; well chosen
He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at
many a banquet.
fell:
/fɛl/ a. Syn. cruel; deadly
capable of destroying; lethal
The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease.
fervent:
/'fɜrvənt/ a.
extremely hot; sincerely or intensely felt
She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.
fervid:
/'fɜrvɪd/ a.
extremely hot; eager; impassioned; burning
Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.
fetid:
/'fɛtɪd/ a. Syn. stinking
unpleasant-smelling; having offensive smell; stinking
These dogs are housed in fetid, dark sheds and barns or left outside in cages exposed to the cold, the
heat, the rain and the snow.
fetter:
/'fɛtə(r)/ v. Syn. impede; hamper
restrain with U-shaped bar for ankles or feet; impede; hamper
They fetter the prisoner to the wall.
filial:
/'fɪlɪəl/ a.
having or assuming relationship of child or offspring to parent
Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents.
flag:
/flæg/ v. Syn. decline; weaken; fade
become less intense; sink, or settle from pressure
When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first quarter, the home
team's spirits seemed to flag.
fledgling:
/'flɛdʒlɪŋ/ a.
young and inexperienced; having just acquired its flight feathers
While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is
not essential that we admire everything they write.
flippant:
/'flɪpənt/ a. Syn. talkative
lacking proper seriousness; speaking freely; talkative; communicative
When Mark told Mona he loved her, she dismissed his earnest declaration with a flippant "Oh, you say
that to all the girls!".
florid:
/'flɒrɪd/;/'flɔ:rɪd/ a. Syn. ruddy; reddish
reddish; elaborately or excessively ornamented
If you go to beach and get a sunburn, your complexion will look florid.
flout:
/flaʊt/ v. Syn. reject; mock
reject; mock; express contempt for rules by word or action; behave with contempt
The headstrong youth used to flout all authority; he refused to be curbed.
foment:
/foʊ'mɛnt/ v.
try to stir up public opinion; promote growth of; apply warm lotion to
These examples, and there are many others, reveal how fear is being used to foment anger and
political zealotry.
forestall:
/fɔ:'stɔ:l/ v. Syn. prevent
prevent by taking action in advance
The prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event
of a divorce.
fortuitous:
/fɔ:'tju:ɪtəs/;/-'tu:-/ a. Syn. accidental; random
accidental; by chance; coming or occurring without any cause
Though he pretended their encounter was fortuitous, he'd actually been hanging around her usual
haunts for the past two weeks, hoping she'd turn up.
gainsay:
/geɪn'seɪ/ v. Syn. deny
speak against; contradict; oppose in words; deny or declare not to be true
She was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report.
garrulous:
/'gærʊləs/ a. Syn. wordy; talkative
talking much and repetition of unimportant or trivial details
My Uncle Henry can outtalk any three people I know. He is the most garrulous person in Cayuga
County.

gauche:
/goʊʃ/ a.
awkward or lacking in social graces; coarse and uncouth
Compared to the sophisticated young ladies in their elegant gowns, tomboyish Jo felt gauche and out
of place.
gossamer:
/'gɒsəmə(r)/ a.
sheer, light, delicate, or tenuous
They would laugh in gossamer tones, and then move on gracefully to someone else, sometimes
moving gracefully at speeds exceeding 40 mph.
gregarious:
/grɪ'gɛərɪəs/ a. Syn. sociable
sociable; seeking and enjoying the company of others
Natural selection in gregarious animals operates upon groups rather than upon individuals.
guile:
/gaɪl/ n. Syn. deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning
skillful deceit; disposition to deceive or cheat; disguise cunningly
lago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful.
guileless:
/'gaɪllɪs/ a.
free from deceit; sincere; honest
He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.
gullible:
/'gʌlɪb(ə)l/ a.
easily deceived or cheated; easily tricked because of being too trusting
This time, unlike gullible investors during the 1920s, the big losers would be taxpayers, who never had
the choice of not playing.
hackneyed:
/'hæknɪd/ a. Syn. commonplace
repeated too often; over familiar through overuse
When the reviewer criticized the movie for its hackneyed plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories
hundreds of times before.
halcyon:
/'hælsɪən/ a.
idyllically calm and peaceful; marked by peace and prosperity
Recalling the halcyon days of early 2008, Hedgie momentarily forgot himself.
harangue:
/hə'ræŋ/ n.
noisy speech; speech or piece of writing with strong feeling or expression
In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders.
headlong:
/'hɛdlɒŋ/ a.
uncontrollably forceful or fast; done with head leading; headfirst
The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.
hegemony:
/hɪ'gɛmənɪ/;/'hɛdʒɛmoʊnɪ/ n.
domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by political group or nation over
others
When Germany claimed hegemony over Russia, Stalin was outraged.
homogeneous:
/hɒmoʊ'dʒi:nɪəs/ a. Syn. uniform; similar
of the same or similar nature or kind
Because the student body at Elite Prep was so homogeneous, Sara decided to send daughter to
another school that offered greater cultural diversity.
hyperbole:
/haɪ'pɜrbəlɪ/ n. Syn. exaggeration; overstatement
figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis; overstatement
As far as I'm concerned, Apple's claims about the new computer are pure hyperbole: no machine is
that good!.
impassive:
/ɪm'pæsɪv/ a.
without feeling; revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
Refusing to let the enemy see how deeply shaken he was by his capture, the prisoner kept his face
impassive.
impecunious:
/ɪmpɪ'kju:nɪəs/ a. Syn. poor
without money; poor; penniless
Though Scrooge claimed he was too impecunious to give alms, he easily could have afforded to be
charitable.
impede:
/ɪm'pi:d/ v. Syn. hinder; block; delay
hinder; charge with improper conduct; challenge validity of; try to discredit
A series of accidents impede the launching of the space shuttle.
imperious:
/ɪm'pɪərɪəs/ a. Syn. dictatorial
urgent or pressing; able to deal authoritatively; dictatorial
Jane rather liked a man to be masterful, but Mr. Rochester seemed so bent on getting his own way
that he was actually imperious!.

imperturbable:
/ɪmpə'tɜrbəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. calm; placid
unshakably calm; placid; incapable of being disturbed or disconcerted
In the midst of the battle, the Duke of Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the
situation despite the hysteria and panic all around him.
impetuous:
/ɪm'pɛtjʊəs/ a. Syn. violent; hasty; rash.
marked by sudden and violent force; hasty; impulsive and passionate
"Leap before you look" was the motto suggested by one particularly impetuous young man.
implacable:
/ɪm'plækəb(ə)l/ a.
incapable of being pacified; not to be relieved;
Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family.
impugn:
/ɪm'pju:n/ v. Syn. challenge
dispute or contradict, often in insulting way; challenge
Our treasurer was furious when the finance committee's report tried to impugn the accuracy of his
financial records.
inchoate:
/'ɪnkoʊət/ a. Syn. rudimentary; elementary
recently begun; imperfectly formed or developed; elementary
Before the Creation, the world was an inchoate mass.
incipient:
/ɪn'sɪpɪənt/ a. Syn. beginning
beginning to exist or appear; in an early stage
I will go to sleep early for I want to break an incipient cold.
indolent:
/'ɪndələnt/ a. Syn. lazy; inactive
lazy; slow to heal, grow, or develop; inactive
Couch potatoes lead an indolent life lying back on their Lazyboy recliners watching Tv.
inert:
/ɪ'nɜrt/ a. Syn. inactive
inactive; lacking power to move; unable to move or act
Potential intelligence, like potential, can remain inert forever.

ingenuous:
/ɪn'dʒɛnjʊəs/ a. Syn. young; unsophisticated
naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated
The woodsman had not realized how ingenuous Little Red Riding Hood was until he heard that she had
gone off for a walk in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf.
inherent:
/ɪn'hɪərənt/ a. Syn. intrinsic; natural
firmly established by nature or habit
Each branch of the federal government has certain inherent powers.
inhibit:
/ɪn'hɪbɪt/ v. Syn. restrain; prevent
restrain; prevent or forbid; hold back
Only two things inhibit him from taking a punch at Mike Tyson: Tyson's left hook, and Tyson's right
jab.
inimical:
/ɪ'nɪmɪk(ə)l/ a. Syn. unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental
unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental
I've always been friendly to Martha. Why is she so inimical to me?.
iniquity:
/ɪ'nɪkw(ə)tɪ/ n.
absence of, or deviation from, just dealing; want of rectitude or uprightness; gross
injustice; unrighteousness; wickedness
He thought of New York as a den of iniquity.
innocuous:
/ɪ'nɒkjʊəs/ a. Syn. harmless
having no adverse effect; harmless
An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively innocuous and should have no ill effect on you.
inscrutable:
/ɪn'skru:təb(ə)l/ a. Syn. impenetrable; mysterious
impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious
Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards
behind a so-called "poker face.".
insensible:
/ɪn'sɛnsɪb(ə)l/ a. Syn. unconscious; unresponsive
unconscious; unresponsive; very small or gradual
Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems
insensible to shame.
insipid:
/ɪn'sɪpɪd/ a. Syn. dull
lacking flavor or zest; not tasty; dull
Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle.
insular:
/'ɪnsjʊlə(r)/;/'ɪnsələr/ a.
of isolated people, especially having a narrow viewpoint
It was a shock for Kendra to go from her small high school, with her insular group of friends, to a
huge college with students from all over the country.
intractable:
/ɪn'træktəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. unruly; stubborn; unyielding
difficult to manage or govern; stubborn; unyielding
Charlie Brown's friend Pigpen was intractable: he absolutely refused to take a bath.
inundate:
/'ɪnʌndeɪt/ v. Syn. overwhelm; flood; submerge
overwhelm; cover with water, especially floodwaters
Until the great dam was built, the waters of the Nile used to inundate the river valley like clockwork
every year.
invidious:
/ɪn'vɪdɪəs/ a.
designed to create ill will or envy
We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was.
irascible:
/ɪ'ræsɪb(ə)l/ a. Syn. irritable
irritable; easily angered; excited by or arising from anger
Miss Minchin's irascible temper intimidated the younger schoolgirls, who feared she'd burst into a rage
at any moment.
itinerant:
/aɪ'tɪnərənt/ a. Syn. wandering; traveling
wandering; traveling place to place, especially to perform work or duty
Since the storm, the city had also been attracting a new kind of itinerant idealist.
laconic:
/lə'kɒnɪk/ a. Syn. concise
brief; effectively cut short; marked by use of few words
Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.
lament:
/lə'mɛnt/ v. Syn. grieve
grieve; express sorrow; regret deeply
Even advocates of the war lament the loss of so many lives in combat.
lassitude:
/'læsɪtju:d/ n. Syn. languor; weariness
state or feeling of weariness, diminished energy, or listlessness
After a massage and a long soak in the hot tub, I gave in to my growing lassitude and lay down for a
nap.
latent:
/'leɪtənt/ a. Syn. dormant; hidden
present or potential but not evident or active; dormant; hidden
Existing arrangements contain latent functions that can be neither seen nor replaced by the reformer.
laud:
/lɔ:d/ v. Syn. praise
give praise to; glorify; celebrate or honor
The NFL began to laud Boomer Esiason's efforts to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis.
lethargic:
/lə'θɑrdʒɪk/ a. Syn. drowsy; dull
drowsy; dull; indifferent or apathetic
The stuffy room made her lethargic: she felt as if she was about to nod off.
levity:
/'lɛvɪtɪ/ n. Syn. lightness
lack of seriousness; lightness of manner or speech, especially when inappropriate
Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew: such levity is improper in church.
libertine:
/'lɪbəti:n/ n.
free thinker, usually used disparagingly; one without moral restraint
The libertine took pleasure in gambling away his family money.
limpid:
/'lɪmpɪd/ a. Syn. clear
clear, transparent or bright; calm, untroubled, and without worry
A limpid stream ran through his property.
loquacious:
/lɒ'kweɪʃəs/ a. Syn. talkative
talkative; given to continual talking; chattering
Though our daughter barely says a word to us these days, put a phone in her hand and see how
loquacious she can be: our phone bills are out of sight!.
lucid:
/'lu:sɪd/ a. Syn. clear; intelligible
easily understood; clear; intelligible
So in lucid moments, you structure your life to serve your own best interest.
lugubrious:
/lu:'gju:brɪəs/ a. Syn. mournful
mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to exaggerated degree
The lugubrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.
luminous:
/'lu:mɪnəs/ a. Syn. shining
shining; emitting light, especially emitting self-generated light
The sun is a luminous body.
malevolent:
/mə'lɛvələnt/ a. Syn. malicious
having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; malicious
Lago is a malevolent villain who takes pleasure in ruining Othello.
martinet:
/mɑrtɪ'nɛt/;/mɑrtn'ɛt/ n.
strict disciplinarian; one who demands absolute adherence to forms and rules
No talking at meals! No mingling with the servants! Miss Minchin was a martinet who insisted that the
schoolgirls in her charge observe each regulation to the letter.
maverick:
/'mævərɪk/ n. Syn. nonconformist
one that refuses to abide or be independent; an unbranded range animal
But, a maverick is also one who cannot be identified as belonging to any specific herd.
melancholy:
/'mɛlənkɒlɪ/ a. Syn. gloomy; sad
gloomy; feeling of thoughtful sadness; affected by depression
You are not well, you have no friend to cheer you, and this melancholy is the result.
mendacious:
/mɛn'deɪʃəs/ a. Syn. lying
lying; habitually dishonest; speaking falsely
Distrusting Huck from the start, Miss Watson assumed he was mendacious and refused to believe a
word he said.
mercurial:
/mɜrkjʊərɪəl/ a. Syn. capricious
capricious; liable to sudden unpredictable change; quick and changeable in temperament
Quick as quicksilver to change, he was mercurial in nature and therefore unreliable.
meticulous:
/mɪ'tɪkjʊləs/ a. Syn. scrupulous; cautious
excessively careful; marked by extreme care in treatment of details
One neighbor, who usually uses the truck to haul away lawn debris, always returns the truck in
meticulous condition.
misanthrope:
/'mɪsənθroʊp/ n.
one who hates or mistrusts mankind
In Gulliver's Travels, Swift portrays an image of humanity as vile, degraded beasts; for this reason,
various critics consider him a misanthrope.
mitigate:
/'mɪtɪgeɪt/ v. Syn. moderate
make less severe or harsh; moderate
Nothing Jason did could mitigate Medea's anger; she refused to forgive him for betraying her.
mollify:
/'mɒlɪfaɪ/ v.
make less rigid or softer; calm in temper or feeling
The airline customer service representative tried to mollify the angry passenger by offering her a seat
in first class.
mordant:
/'mɔ:dənt/ a.
bitingly painful; harshly ironic or sinister; serving to fix colors in dyeing
Roald Dahl's stories are mordant alternatives to blank stories intended for kids.
morose:
/mə'roʊs/ a. Syn. sullen; gloomy
ill humored; sullen; depressingly dark; gloomy; persistent
Though we feel sad at someone's pain and sorrow, feeling morose is difficult while actively wishing the
person to be happy.
multifaceted:
/mʌltɪ'fæsɪtɪd/ a.
having many facets or aspects
A multifaceted composer, Roger Davidson has recorded original pieces that range from ragtime tangos
to choral masses.
mundane:
/'mʌndeɪn/ a. Syn. worldly; earthly; secular
belonging to this earth or world; not ideal or heavenly; concerned with commonplaces;
ordinary
Unlike other players, the CEO and Secretariat are less interested in mundane benefits than in value.
munificent:
/mju:'nɪfɪs(ə)nt/ a. Syn. generous
very liberal in giving; showing great generosity
Shamelessly fawning over a particularly generous donor, the dean kept on referring to her as "our
munificent benefactor.".
nascent:
/'næsənt/ a. Syn. incipient
incipient; coming into existence; emerging
If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to
eliminate serious trouble in later years.
neophyte:
/'ni:oʊfaɪt/ n. Syn. beginner
recent convert to a belief; one newly initiated
This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge anyone, either expert or neophyte.
noisome:
/'nɔɪsəm/ a.
foul-smelling; offensive by arousing disgust; harmful or dangerous
The noisome atmosphere downwind of the oil refinery not only stank, it damaged the lungs of
everyone living in the area.
noxious:
/'nɒkʃəs/ a. Syn. harmful
harmful to living things; injurious to health
We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.
obdurate:
/'ɒbdjʊrɪt/;/'ɑbdərɪt/ a. Syn. stubborn; inflexible
hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; not giving in to persuasion
He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints.
obsequious:
/əb'si:kwɪəs/ a.
slavishly attentive; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Helen liked to be served by people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her
more than an excessively obsequious waiter or a fawning salesclerk.
obstinate:
/'ɒbstɪnət/ a. Syn. stubborn
stubbornly adhering to an attitude or opinion; hard to control or treat
We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change.
obviate:
/'ɒbvɪeɪt/ v.
bypass requirement or make it unnecessary; get rid of
I hope this contribution will obviate any need for further collections of funds.
odious:
/'oʊdɪəs/ a. Syn. hateful; vile
hateful; arousing strong dislike, aversion, or intense displeasure
Cinderella's ugly stepsisters had the odious habit of popping their zits in public.
officious:
/ə'fɪʃəs/ a.
marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others
Judy wanted to look over the new computer models on her own, but the officious salesman kept on
butting in with "helpful" advice until she was ready to walk out of the store.
onerous:
/'ɒnərəs, 'oʊnərəs/ a. Syn. burdensome; wearing
burdensome or oppressive; not easily borne; wearing
He asked for an assistant because his work load was too onerous.
opaque:
/oʊ'peɪk/ a. Syn. nontransparent; obscure
impenetrable by light; not transparent; not reflecting light; having no luster
The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room.
oscillate:
/'ɒsɪleɪt/ v. Syn. waver
swing back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm; vibrate pendulum like; waver
It is interesting to note how public opinions oscillate between the extremes of optimism and
pessimism.
ostensible:
/ɒ'stɛnsɪb(ə)l/ a. Syn. apparent
put forth or held out as real, actual, or intended; proper or intended to be shown
Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in
finding new markets for our products.
ostentatious:
/ɒstɛn'teɪʃəs/ a. Syn. showy; pretentious
showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention
Donald Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling palace in the East.
palliate:
/'pælɪeɪt/ v.
lessen violence of disease; moderate intensity; gloss over with excuses
Not content merely to palliate the patient's sores and cankers, the researcher sought a means of
wiping out the disease.
panegyric:
/pænɪ'dʒɪrɪk/ n.
formal or high praise; formal eulogistic composition intended as public compliment
Blushing at all the praise heaped upon him by the speakers, the modest hero said, "I don't deserve
any panegyric.".
paradigm:
/'pærədaɪm/ n. Syn. model; example; pattern
one that serves as a pattern or model; system of assumptions, concepts, values, and
practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality
Pavlov's experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the
conditioned-response experiment in behavioral psychology.
paradox:
/'pærədɒks/ n. Syn. contradiction
something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually
correct
Richard presents a bit of a paradox, for he is a card-carrying member of both the National Rifle
Association and the relatively pacifist American Civil Liberties Union.
paragon:
/'pærəgən/;/'pærəgɒn/ n. Syn. model
model of excellence or perfection; peerless example
Mr. Brumby's paragon is shocked at the other's inaptitude for examination.
partisan:
/pɑrtɪ'zæn/ a. Syn. prejudiced
one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party
On certain issues of principle, she refused to take a partisan stand, but let her conscience be her
guide.
paucity:
/'pɔ:sɪtɪ/ n. Syn. scarcity
scarcity; smallness of number; fewness
They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.
peccadillo:
/pɛkə'dɪloʊ/ n.
slight offense; small sin or fault
When Peter Piper picked a peck of Polly Potter's pickles, did Pete commit a major crime or just a
peccadillo?.
pedestrian:
/pɪ'dɛstrɪən/ a. Syn. dull
lacking wit or imagination; ordinary
Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose.
penchant:
/'pɒŋʃɒŋ/;/'pɛntʃənt/ n. Syn. liking
strong inclination; definite liking
There is a certain penchant in true believers to ignore input which conflicts and contradicts that belief.
penury:
/'pɛnjʊrɪ/ n. Syn. poverty; insufficiency
extreme poverty; lack of something; barrenness; insufficiency
When his pension fund failed, George feared he would end his days in penury. He became such a
penny pincher that he turned into a closefisted, penurious miser.
peremptory:
/pə'rɛmptərɪ/;/'pɛrəmptɔ:rɪ/ a. Syn. imperative
offensively self-assured; dictatorial; not allowing contradiction or refusal
From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.
perennial:
/pə'rɛnɪəl/ n.
lasting indefinitely long time; suggesting self-renewal; remaining active throughout all the
time
These plants are hardy perennial and will bloom for many years.
perfidious:
/pə'fɪdɪəs/ a. Syn. treacherous; disloyal
tending to betray; disloyal; faithless
When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend.
perfidy:
/'pɜrfɪdɪ/ n.
act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust reposed;
faithlessness; treachery
It was the strain of a forsaken lady, who, after bewailing the perfidy of her lover, calls pride to her aid.
perfunctory:
/pə'fʌŋktərɪ/ a. Syn. superficial
done routinely and with little interest or care; acting with indifference
The auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.
pernicious:
/pə'nɪʃəs/ a. Syn. deadly
very destructive; tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly
Crack cocaine has had a pernicious effect on urban society: it has destroyed families, turned children
into drug dealers, and increased the spread of violent crimes.
peruse:
/pə'ru:z/ v.
read or examine, typically with great care
After the conflagration that burned down her house, Joan closely began to peruse her home insurance
policy to discover exactly what benefits her coverage provided her.
pervade:
/pə'veɪd/ v.
pass or flow through, as an aperture; permeate; pass or spread through the whole extent of
These challenges are global in nature, and pervade all aspects of society.
petulant:
/'pɛtjʊlənt/ a. Syn. irritable
easily irritated or annoyed; unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered
Her narrow face was fixed in petulant defiance.
phlegmatic:
/flɛg'mætɪk/ a. Syn. calm
calm; not easily disturbed; not easily excited to action or passion
The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.
pique:
/pi:k/ n.
sudden outburst of anger; state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity
She showed her pique at her loss by refusing to appear with the other contestants at the end of the
competition.
pithy:
/'pɪθɪ/ a. Syn. concise
precisely meaningful; forceful and brief
While other girls might have gone on and on about how un-cool Elton was, Liz summed it up in one
pithy remark: "He's bogus!".
placate:
/plə'keɪt/;/'pleɪkeɪt/ v. Syn. pacify; conciliate
appease or pacify; bring peace to
The store manager tried to placate the angry customer, offering to replace the damaged merchandise
or to give back her money right away.
plastic:
/'plæstɪk/ a.
capable of being molded; capable of being shaped or formed; easily influenced
So, I called my plastic surgeon, Dr. Epstein, on a Sunday at 4pm.
platitude:
/'plætɪtju:d/;/-tu:d/ n.
dullness; insipidity of thought; commonplace statement; lack of originality
In giving advice to his son, old Polonius expressed himself only in same platitude; every word out of
his mouth was a commonplace.
pragmatic:
/præg'mætɪk/ a. Syn. practical
practical as opposed to idealistic; concerned with the practical worth or impact of something
AIDS advocates are now wondering whether pragmatic is just a euphemism for cheap.
precarious:
/prɪ'kɛərɪəs/ a. Syn. uncertain; risky
uncertain; risky; dangerously lacking in security or stability
But that is why NASA used test pilots, men used to handling life and death decisions in precarious
situations and instantly making the right choice.
precipitate:
/prɪ'sɪpɪteɪt/ a. Syn. rash; premature; hasty
rash; moving rapidly and heedlessly; speeding headlong; occurring suddenly
Though I was angry enough to resign on the spot, I had enough sense to keep myself from quitting a
job in such a precipitate fashion.
precursor:
/pri:'kɜrsə(r)/ n. Syn. forerunner
forerunner; one who precedes an event and indicates its approach
Though Gray shared many traits with the Romantic poets who followed them, most critics consider
him precursor of the Romantic Movement, not true Romantics.
presumptuous:
/prɪ'zʌmptjʊəs/ a. Syn. overconfident
overconfident; going beyond what is right or proper; excessively forward
It was asked everyday of his Mid East and European trip, “Is he too presumptuous, is he trying too
hard to be a rock star?"
prevaricate:
/prɪ'værɪkeɪt/ v. Syn. lie
lie; stray from or evade truth; behave in evasive way such as to delay action
Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and regard such a statement as
a "white lie.".
pristine:
/'prɪsti:n, 'prɪstaɪn/ a. Syn. primitive; primary
uncorrupted by civilization; primitive; remaining free from dirt or decay
He has opposed building dirty coal-fired power plants in pristine landscapes.
prodigal:
/'prɒdɪg(ə)l/ a. Syn. wasteful
wasteful; reckless with money
In his Christmas feasts Richard outdid his predecessors in prodigal hospitality.
propensity:
/prə'pɛnsɪtɪ/ n. Syn. tendency; predilection
natural inclination; tendency or preference; predilection
Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to belittle the talents of others.
propitiate:
/prə'pɪʃɪeɪt/ v.
make peace with; appease and render favorable
The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.
propitious:
/prə'pɪʃəs/ a. Syn. favorable; fortunate; advantageous
presenting favorable circumstances; fortunate; advantageous
Chloe consulted her horoscope to see whether Tuesday would be a propitious day to dump her
boyfriend.

propriety:
/prə'praiɪtɪ/ n. Syn. fitness; appropriateness
fitness; correct conduct; quality of being proper; appropriateness
Miss Manners counsels her readers so that they may behave with due propriety in any social situation
and not embarrass themselves.
prosaic:
/proʊ'zeiɪk/ a. Syn. factual
dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual
Though the ad writers came up with an original way to publicize the product, the head office rejected
it for a more prosaic, ordinary slogan.
proscribe:
/proʊ'skraɪb/;/proʊ-/ v. Syn. banish; outlaw
command against; banish; outlaw
Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus united to proscribe all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.
pungent:
/'pʌndʒənt/ a. Syn. stinging; caustic
stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic
I'm bracing myself to be met by heat, humidity and what Kerry describes as a pungent odor.
pusillanimous:
/pju:sɪ'lænɪməs/ a. Syn. cowardly; fainthearted
cowardly; lacking strength and firmness of mind
You should be ashamed of your pusillanimous conduct during this dispute.
qualify:
/'kwɒlɪfaɪ/ v.
make such as is required; give added or requisite qualities to; make legally capable
They note that half of pupils will fail to qualify for secondary school.
querulous:
/'kwɛrʊləs/ a. Syn. fretful; whining
habitually complaining; expressing complaint or grievance
Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if they miss their nap.
raillery:
/'reɪlərɪ/ n.
pleasantry or slight satire; banter; jesting language; satirical merriment
Excitement instantly seized the whole party: a running fire of raillery and jests was proceeding when
Sam returned.
rarefy:
/'rɛərɪfaɪ/ v.
weaken the consistency; purify or refine; lessen the density
It becomes necessary to place the terminal in a bulb and rarefy the air in the same time.
recalcitrant:
/rɪ'kælsɪtrənt/ a.
obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority
Which animal do you think is more recalcitrant, a pig or a mule?.
recant:
/rɪ'kænt/ v. Syn. renounce
retract a previous statement; sing over again; utter repeatedly in song
She'll also be badgered to recant her 12 year affiliation with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and
Education Fund.
refractory:
/rɪ'fræktərɪ/ a. Syn. stubborn; unmanageable
stubborn; unmanageable; obstinately resistant to authority or control
The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.
refute:
/rɪ'fju:t/ v. Syn. disprove
disprove; prove to be false or incorrect
The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the
prosecution's sole witness.
relegate:
/'rɛlɪgeɪt/ v. Syn. delegate; assign
assign to obscure place, position, or condition; delegate; assign
If Ralph drops his second tray of drinks this week, the manager swiftly would relegate him to a minor
post cleaning up behind the bar.
remonstrate:
/'rɛmənstreɪt/;/rɪ'mɒnstreɪt/ v.
point out; show clearly; make plain or manifest; demonstrate; present and urge reasons in
opposition to
I will remonstrate with him about his rudeness.

renege:
/rɪ'ni:g/ v. Syn. deny
deny; go back on; fail to fulfill promise or obligation
He tried to renege on paying off his debt.
rent:
/rɛnt/ n.
payment, usually of an amount fixed by contract
Oh, did I mention that the rent is the same as what I'm paying here?
reprobate:
/'rɛproʊbeɪt/ n.
person hardened in sin; person without moral scruples
I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.
reproof:
/rɪ'pru:f/ n.
expression of blame or censure; censure for a fault; reproach
The perplexity and dissatisfaction of the house expressed itself in murmurs and provoked a reproof
from the bench.
repudiate:
/rɪ'pju:dɪeɪt/ v. Syn. disown
disown; refuse to acknowledge; reject validity or authority of
On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would repudiate all debts incurred by her soon-to-
be ex-husband.
rescind:
/rɪ'sɪnd/ v. Syn. cancel; annul; repeal
cancel; make void; repeal or annul
To change or rescind is justified only when reestimate of all of the available facts.
resolute:
/'rɛzəlu:t/ a. Syn. firm; determined; decided
firm, unyielding, or determined; having decided purpose
Louise was resolute: She would get into medical school no matter what.
reticent:
/'rɛtɪsənt/ a.
inclined to keep silent; reserved; uncommunicative.
It commanded its followers to be reticent � to never degrade intimate emotions by parading them in
public.
reverent:
/'rɛvərənt/ a. Syn. respectful; worshipful
respectful; worshipful; impressed with veneration or deep respect
Though I bow my head in church and recite the prayers, sometimes I don't feel properly reverent.
rhetoric:
/'rɛtərɪk/ n.
art or study of using language effectively and persuasively; insincere language
If his rhetoric is any indication, the president appears to be headed in the right direction.
rue:
/ru:/ v. Syn. regret; lament; mourn
feel regret, remorse, or sorrow for; mourn
Tina seemed to rue the night she met Tony and wondered how she ever fell for such a jerk.
sagacious:
/sə'geɪʃəs/ a. Syn. perceptive; shrewd
perceptive; shrewd; having insight
My father was a sagacious judge of character: he could spot a phony a mile away.
salacious:
/sə'leɪʃəs/ a. Syn. lascivious; lustful
lustful; suggestive of or tending to moral looseness
Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious. a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.
salubrious:
/sə'lu:brɪəs/ a. Syn. healthful
healthful; favorable to health; promoting health; wholesome
Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of
August and September.
salutary:
/'sæljʊtərɪ/;/-tɛrɪ/ a. Syn. beneficial; wholesome
tending to improve; beneficial; favorable to health
The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.
sanction:
/'sæŋkʃ(ə)n/ v. Syn. approve; ratify
give authorization or approval to something; penalize a state, especially for violating
international law
Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.
satiate:
/'seɪʃɪeɪt/ v.
satisfy fully; overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself
Having stuffed themselves until they satiate, the guests are so full they are ready for a nap.
saturnine:
/'sætənaɪn/ a. Syn. gloomy
gloomy; marked by tendency to be bitter or sardonic
Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.
sedulous:
/'sɛdjʊləs/;/'sɛdʒʊləs/ a. Syn. diligent; hardworking
diligent; hardworking; persevering and constant in effort or application
After weeks of patient and sedulous labor, we completed our detailed analysis of every published SAT
examination.
shard:
/ʃɑrd/ n.
fragment of brittle substance, as of glass or metal; piece of broken pottery, especially one
found in archaeological dig
The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels except the
shard he had brought back from the expedition.
simper:
/'sɪmpə(r)/ v. Syn. smirk
smirk; smile in artificial way to make an impression
. Complimented on her appearance, Stella had to self-consciously simper.
sinuous:
/'sɪnjʊəs/ a. Syn. curving; twisting
winding; bending in and out; not morally honest
The snake moved in a sinuous manner.
slake:
/sleɪk/ v. Syn. moderate; slacken
make less active or intense; satisfy thirst
When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.
solicitous:
/sə'lɪsɪtəs/ a. Syn. worried; concerned
worried or concerned; full of desire; expressing care or concern
The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to
get.
soporific:
/sɒpə'rɪfɪk/ a.
sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness
Professor Pringle's lectures were so soporific that even he fell asleep in class.
sordid:
/'sɔ:dɪd/ a. Syn. filthy; vile; dirty; foul
filthy; unethical or dishonest; dirty; foul; morally degraded
Many of these files contain sordid details about the personal lives of the litigants.
specious:
/'spi:ʃəs/ a.
seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading intentionally
To claim that, because houses and birds both have wings, both can fly, is extremely specious
reasoning.
sporadic:
/spə'rædɪk/ a.
occurring at irregular intervals; having no pattern or order in time
Although you can still hear sporadic outbursts of laughter and singing outside, the big Halloween
parade has passed; the party's over till next year.
spurious:
/'spjʊərɪəs/ a. Syn. false; counterfeit; forged; illogical
false; counterfeit; forged; illogical
Natasha's claim to be the lost heir of the Romanoffs was spurious: the only thing Russian about her
was the vodka she drank!.
stint:
/stɪnt/ n. Syn. supply; limitation; restriction; task
length of time spent in particular way; allotted amount; limitation or restriction; fixed
amount of work allotted
She added that she plans to work on winning a real Grammy now that her "Dancing" stint is done.
stoic:
/'stoʊɪk/ a. Syn. impassive
one who is seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain
I wasn't particularly stoic when I had my flu shot; I squealed like a stuck pig.
stolid:
/'stɒlɪd/ a. Syn. dull; impassive
dull; impassive; having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
The earthquake shattered Stuart's usual stolid demeanor; trembling, he crouched on the no longer
stable ground.
striated:
/straɪ'eɪtɪd/;/'straɪeɪtɪd/ a. Syn. grooved
having parallel lines or grooves on surface
The glacier left many striated rocks.
strut:
/strʌt/ v. Syn. swagger
display in order to impress others; swagger; walk with a lofty proud gait
Don't strut out your resume until you have more accomplishments to list.
subpoena:
/səb'pi:nə/ n.
written order to require appearance in court to give testimony
But you know a subpoena is an order of the court to appear and if called to appear I'll appear.
succinct:
/sək'sɪŋkt/ a. Syn. brief; terse; compact
brief or compact; by clear, precise expression in few words
Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage: be succinct.
tacit:
/'tæsɪt/ a.
indicated or understood without expressed directly; not speaking; silent
We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.
taciturn:
/'tæsɪtə:n/ a. Syn. silent
silent or reserved in speech; saying little; not inclined to speak or converse
The stereotypical cowboy is a taciturn soul, answering lengthy questions with a "Yep" or "Nope.".
talisman:
/'tælɪsmɛn, 'tælɪzmən/ n. Syn. charm
charm to bring good luck and avert misfortune; something that apparently has magic power
According to the myth, the talisman is the most powerful of all the magical charms.
temperate:
/'tɛmpərət/ a. Syn. restrained
restrained; self-controlled; moderate in degree or quality
Try to be temperate in your eating this holiday season; if you control your appetite, you won't gain too
much weight.
tendentious:
/tɛn'dɛnʃəs/ a.
having or marked by a strong tendency
The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.
tenuous:
/'tɛnjʊəs/ a. Syn. thin; rare; slim
long and thin; slender; having little substance
The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties.
terse:
/tɜrs/ a. Syn. concise; brief
effectively concise; appearing as if wiped or rubbed, as smooth
There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech that is too abrupt.

timorous:
/'tɪmərəs/ a. Syn. fearful
fearful; demonstrating fear; weakly hesitant
His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment.
tirade:
/taɪ'reɪd/;/'taɪreɪd/ n.
extended scolding; long angry or violent speech
Your tirade is juvenile, hypocritical, and dare I say, unprofessional.
torpid:
/'tɔ:pɪd/ a.
having lost motion, or the power of exertion and feeling; numb; benumbed
The two ships becalmed on a torpid sea, I believed to be marine phantoms.
tortuous:
/'tɔ:tjʊəs/ a. Syn. winding; devious
marked by repeated turns or bends; winding or twisting; not straightforward; circuitous
Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.
tractable:
/'træktəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. docile
easily managed or controlled; governable; easily handled or worked; docile
Although Susan seemed a tractable young woman, she had a stubborn streak of independence.
trenchant:
/'trɛntʃənt/ a. Syn. incisive; keen
forceful, effective, and vigorous; sharp or keen
I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic.
truculent:
/'trukjələnt, 'trʌkjʊlənt/ a. Syn. belligerent
disposed to fight; belligerent; aggressively hostile
The bully was initially truculent but eventually stopped picking fights at the least provocation.
turbid:
/'tɜrbɪd/ a. Syn. muddy
muddy; having sediment disturbed; heavy, dark, or dense, as smoke or fog
The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.
turgid:
/'tɜrdʒɪd/ a. Syn. swollen; distended
swollen; distended; excessively ornate or complex in style or language
The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the countryside.
turpitude:
/'tɜrpɪtju:d/;/-tu:d/ n. Syn. depravity
depravity; corrupt, depraved, or degenerate act
A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.
tyro:
/'taɪroʊ/ n. Syn. beginner; novice
beginner in learning something; novice
For a mere tyro, you have produced some wonderfully expert results.
untoward:
/ʌntə'wɔ:d/;/ʌn'tɔ:rd/ a.
contrary to your interests or welfare; inconvenient; troublesome
You're obviously pretty confident nothing untoward is going to be happening in front of your webcam
at these intervals!
vacillate:
/'væsɪleɪt/ v. Syn. waver; fluctuate
sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate
The big boss likes his people to be decisive: when he asks you for your opinion, whatever you do,
don't vacillate.
venal:
/'vi:n(ə)l/ a.
capable of being bribed; for sale, available for a price; corrupt
The venal policeman cheerfully accepted the bribe offered him by the speeding motorist whom he had
stopped.
venerate:
/'vɛnəreɪt/ v.
treat with great respect and deference; consider hallowed or be in awe of
In Tibet today, the common people still venerate their traditional spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
verbose:
/vɜr'boʊs/ a. Syn. wordy
wordy; using or containing a great and usually an excessive number of words
Someone mute can't talk; someone verbose can hardly stop talking.
vindicate:
/'vɪndɪkeɪt/ v. Syn. exonerate
clear from blame; exonerate; maintain, uphold, or defend
The lawyer's goal was to vindicate her client and prove him innocent on all charges.
vindictive:
/vɪn'dɪktɪv/ a. Syn. revengeful
seek revenge or intended for revenge; showing malicious will
Her neck and arms were full of scars from a vindictive rage by her husband's relatives, who believed
her guilty of his death.
viscous:
/'vɪskəs/ a. Syn. sticky; gluey
sticky; gluey; having high resistance to flow
Melted tar is a viscous substance.
volatile:
/'vɒlətaɪl/;/-tl/ a. Syn. changeable; explosive; fickle
tending to vary often or widely, as in price; inconstant or fickle; tending to violence
Increases in volatile weather have alarming impact on business resources and insurance markets.
voracious:
/və'reɪʃəs/ a. Syn. ravenous
ravenous; excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities
The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.
waver:
/'weɪvə(r)/ v.
play or move to and fro; move one way and the other; swing; be unsettled in opinion
The disaster caused him to waver in his faith.
welter:
/'wɛltə(r)/ n. Syn. turmoil
turmoil; bewildering jumble; confused mass
The existing welter of overlapping federal and state programs cries out for immediate reform.
whimsical:
/'wɪmzɪk(ə)l/ a. Syn. capricious
determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; capricious
In Mrs. Doubtfire, the hero is a playful, whimsical man who takes a notion to dress up as a woman so
that he can look after his children, who are in the custody of his ex-wife.
zealot:
/'zɛlət/ n. Syn. fanatic
fanatically committed person; person who shows excessive zeal
Though Glenn was devout, he was no zealot, he never tried to force his beliefs on his friends.