Gre B Part 2

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bemused

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adj. confused; lost in thought; preoccupied. Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.

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benediction

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n. blessing. The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

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benefactor

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n. gift giver; patron. Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him gifts.

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beneficent

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adj. kindly; doing good. The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money and left himself with nothing.

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beneficial

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adj. helpful; useful. Tiny Tim's cheerful good nature had a beneficial influence on Scrooge's once-uncharitable disposition.

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beneficiary

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n. person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will. In Scrooge's will, he made Tiny Tim his beneficiary: everything he left would go to young Tim.

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benevolent

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adj. generous; charitable. Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees. benevolence, N.

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benign

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adj. 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. shrewd observer of human nature. benignity, N.

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benison

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n. blessing. Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world.

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bent ADJ.;

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n. determined; natural talent or inclination. Bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary-heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high finance.

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bequeath

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v. leave to someone by means of a will; hand down. In his will, Father bequeathed his watch to Philip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy. bequest, N.

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berate

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v. scold strongly. He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.

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bereavement

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n. state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved. His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.

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bereft

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adj. deprived of; lacking. The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.

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berserk

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adv. frenzied. Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.

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beseech

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v. beg; plead with. The workaholic executive's wife beseeched him to spend more time with their son.

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beset

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v. harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems beset the American public school system. Sleeping Beauty's castle was beset on all sides by dense thickets that hid it from view.

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besiege

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v. surround with armed forces; harass (with requests). When the bandits besieged the village, the villagers holed up in the town hall and prepared to withstand a long siege. Members of the new administration were besieged with job applications from people who had worked on the campaign.

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besmirch

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v. soil, defile. The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.

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bestial

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adj. beast-like; brutal; inhuman. According to legend, the werewolf was able to abandon its human shape and assume a bestial form. The Red Cross sought to put an end to the bestial treatment of prisoners of jar.

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bestow

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v. confer. He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

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betoken

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v. signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, all piles of cargo containers, and numerous vessels ieing loaded all betoken Oakland's importance as a port.

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betray

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v. be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly). The spy betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy. When he was taken in for questioning, the tightness of his lips betrayed his fear of incriminating himself. betrayal, N.

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betroth

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v. become engaged to marry. The announcement -iat they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any romance. betrothal, N.

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bevy

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n. large group. The movie actor was surrounded )y a bevy of starlets.

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bicameral

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adj. two-chambered, as a legislative body. the United States Congress is a bicameral body.

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bicker

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v. quarrel. The children bickered morning, noon and night, exasperating their parents.

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biennial

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adj. every two years. Seeing no need to meet more frequently, the group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones. Plants that bear flowers biennially ire known as biennials.

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bifurcated

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adj. divided into two branches; forked. With a )ifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber, he made a crude but effective slingshot.

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bigotry

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n. stubborn intolerance. Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, the student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

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billious

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adj. suffering from a liver complaint; peevishly ill humored.

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bilk

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v. swindle; cheat. The con man specialized in bilk-rig insurance companies.

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billowing

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adj. swelling out in waves; surging. Standing over the air vent, Marilyn Monroe tried vainly to control her billowing skirts.

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bivouac

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n. temporary encampment. While in bivouac, ye spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars. also v.

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bizarre

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adj. fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of he novel was too bizarre to be believed.

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blanch

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v. bleach; whiten. Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

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bland

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adj. soothing or mild; agreeable. Jill tried a bland ointment for her sunburn. However, when Jack absentmindedly patted her on the sunburned shoulder, she couldn't maintain her bland persona. blandness, N.

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blandish

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v. cajole; coax with flattery. Despite all their tweet-talking, Suzi and Cher were unable to blandish the doorman into letting them into the hot new club.

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blandishment

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n. flattery. Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

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blare

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n. loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light. I don't know which is worse: the steady blare of a boom box deafening your ears or a sudden blare of flashbulbs dazzling your eyes. also v.

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blas\u00e9

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adj. bored with pleasure or dissipation. Although Beth was as thrilled with the idea of a trip to Paris as her classmates were, she tried to act supercool and blas\u00e9, as if she'd been abroad hundreds of times.

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blasphemy

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n. irreverence; sacrilege; cursing. In my father's house, the Dodgers were the holiest of holies; to cheer for another team was to utter words of blasphemy. blasphemous, ADJ.

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blatant

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adj. extremely obvious; loudly offensive. Caught in a blatant lie, the scoundrel had only one regret: he wished that he had lied more subtly. blatancy, N.

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bleak

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adj. cold or cheerless; unlikely to be favorable. The frigid, inhospitable Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts. It's no wonder that soldiers assigned there have a bleak attitude toward their posting

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blighted

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adj. suffering from a disease; destroyed. The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

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blithe

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adj. carefree and unconcerned (perhaps foolishly so); cheerful and gay. Micawber's blithe optimism that something would turn up proved unfounded, and he wound up in debtors' prison. Marie Antoinette's famous remark, "Let them eat cake!" epitomizes her blithe ignorance of the harsh realities endured by the common people.

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bloated

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adj. swollen or puffed as with water or air. Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water.

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blowhard

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n. talkative boaster. After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere, Sally decided he was just another blowhard.

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bludgeon

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n. club; heavy-headed weapon. Attacked by Dr. Moriarty, Holmes used his walking stick as a bludgeon to defend himself. "Watson," he said. "I fear I may have bludgeoned Moriarty to death."

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bluff

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adj. rough but good-natured. Jack had a bluff and hearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity; he never let people know how thin-skinned he really was

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bluff

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n. pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff; she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff into the waters below.

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blunder

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n. error. The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture. also v.

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blurt

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v. utter impulsively. Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

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bluster

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v. blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully. "Let the stormy winds bluster," cried Jack, "we'll set sail tonight." Jill let Jack bluster she wasn't going anywhere, no matter what he said. also N.

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bode

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v. foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies and the sulfurous odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.