Mr. Watson - English Vocabulary

Front 1

adjourned

Back 1

to stop proceedings temporarily; move to another place.

The judge adjourned the hearing until ten o'clock the following morning.

Front 2

aliens

Back 2

(noun) a citizen of another country; (adjective) foreign, strange.

Movies about aliens from outer space have been extremely popular for decades.

An alien species of plant or animal can upset the balance of an ecosystem.

Front 3

comely

Back 3

(adjective) having a pleasing appearance.

The proud parents and their comely children posed for a family portrait.

Front 4

compensate

Back 4

(verb) to make up for; to repay for services.

The manufacturer was ordered to compensate customers injured by the defective product.

Front 5

dissolute

Back 5

(adjective) loose in one's morals or behavior.

The mad Roman emperor Caligula led an extravagant and dissolute life.

Front 6

erratic

Back 6

(adjective) not regular or consistent; different from what is ordinarily expected; undependable

Students who have an erratic attendance record may find themselves disciplined by the principal.

Front 7

expulsion

Back 7

(noun) the process of driving or forcing out

The story of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden is told in Genesis.

Front 8

feint

Back 8

(noun) a deliberately deceptive movement; a pretense; (verb) to make a deceptive movement; to make a pretense of.

The chess master's opening feint gave her an immediate advantage.

His uncanny ability to feint and counterpunch made the champ unbeatable.

Front 9

fodder

Back 9

(noun) food for horses or cattle; raw material for a designated purpose

Every experience in life is fodder for a novelist's imagination.

Front 10

fortify

Back 10

(verb) to strengthn, build up

The soldiers fortified the garrison against the expected attack.

Front 11

illegible

Back 11

(adjective) difficult or impossible to read

The effects of air pollution have rendered the inscriptions on many old gravestones illegible.

Front 12

jeer

Back 12

(verb) to make fun of rudely or unkindly; (noun) a rude remark of derision.

To jeer at someone with a disability is absolutely inexcusable.

Umpires and other referees quickly become immune to the jeers of angry fans.

Front 13

lucrative

Back 13

(adjective) bringing in money; profitable.

Many people find that they can turn a favorite hobby into a highly lucrative business.

Front 14

mediocre

Back 14

(adjective) average, ordinary, undistiguished.

The team's number-one draft pick turned out to be a rather mediocre player, not a star who could lead them to the championship.

Front 15

fortify

Back 15

(verb) to strengthn, build up

The soldiers fortified the garrison against the expected attack.

Front 16

illegible

Back 16

(adjective) difficult or impossible to read

The effects of air pollution have rendered the inscriptions on many old gravestones illegible.

Front 17

jeer

Back 17

(verb) to make fun of rudely or unkindly; (noun) a rude remark of derision.

To jeer at someone with a disability is absolutely inexcusable.

Umpires and other referees quickly become immune to the jeers of angry fans.

Front 18

lucrative

Back 18

(adjective) bringing in money; profitable.

Many people find that they can turn a favorite hobby into a highly lucrative business.

Front 19

mediocre

Back 19

(adjective) average, ordinary, undistiguished.

The team's number-one draft pick turned out to be a rather mediocre player, not a star who could lead them to the championship.

Front 20

proliferate

Back 20

(verb) to reproduce, increase, or spread rapidly

Because malignant cells proliferate early detection of cancer is absolutely crucial to successful treatment.

Front 21

subjugate

Back 21

(verb) to conquer by force, bring under complete control

"We must act quickly," the general said, "in order to subjugate the rebel forces."

Front 22

sully

sullied

Back 22

(verb) to soil, stain, tarnish, defile, besmirch

The Watergate scandal sullied the image of politicians in the minds of many voters.

Front 23

tantalize

Back 23

(verb) to tease, torment by teasing

When I am on a diet, the treats in bakery windows seem to have been put there to tantalize me.

Front 24

terse

Back 24

(adjective) brief and to the point

The manuscript for my short story was returned to me with a terse letter of rejection.

Front 25

unflinching

Back 25

(adjective) firm, showing no signs of fear, not drawing back

Everyone admires the unflinching courage with which firefighters and other rescue workers carry out their dangerous jobs.