My Random Words 1

Front 1

timorous

Back 1

adjective LITERARY
nervous and lacking confidence; timid

Front 2

serene

Back 2

adjective
peaceful and calm; troubled by nothing:
- She has a lovely serene face.
- I admired her serenity in the midst of so much chaos.

Front 3

incite

Back 3

verb [T]
to encourage someone to do or feel something unpleasant or violent:
- She incited racial hatred by distributing anti-Semitic leaflets.
- [+ to infinitive] She was expelled for inciting her classmates to rebel against their teachers.
- They denied inciting the crowd to violence.

Front 4

contemplate

Back 4

verb [I or T]
to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in a serious and quiet way:
- [+ ing form of verb] I'm contemplating going abroad for a year.
- You're not contemplating a change of job, are you?
- It's too awful/horrific/dangerous to contemplate.

Front 5

dirge

Back 5

noun [C]
- a slow sad song or piece of music, sometimes played because someone has died

Front 6

solemn

Back 6

adjective
1 serious and without any amusement:
- a solemn face/voice
- solemn music
- Everyone looked very solemn.

2 solemn promise/commitment/undertaking, etc. an agreement which you make in a serious way and expect to fulfill

Front 7

disaffected

Back 7

adjective
1 no longer supporting or being satisfied with an organization or idea:
- The party needs to take steps to attract disaffected voters.

2 describes young people who are no longer satisfied with society's values:
- The teacher said that he found it difficult to cope with a class of disaffected teenagers.
- disaffected youth

Front 8

frenetic

Back 8

adjective
involving a lot of movement or activity; extremely active, excited or uncontrolled:
- After weeks of frenetic activity, the job was finally finished.
- There was frenetic trading on the Stock Exchange yesterday.

Front 9

germane

Back 9

adjective FORMAL
describes ideas or information connected with and important to a particular subject or situation:
- Her remarks could not have been more germane to the discussion.

Front 10

grandeur

Back 10

the quality of being very large and special or beautiful:
- We were struck by the silent grandeur of the desert.
the grandeur of Wagner's music

Front 11

hitch

Back 11

noun [C]
a temporary difficulty which causes a short delay:
- Due to a slight technical hitch the concert will be starting approximately half an hour late.

Front 12

imperious

Back 12

adjective
unpleasantly proud and expecting obedience:
- an imperious manner/voice
- She sent them away with an imperious wave of the hand.

Front 13

servile

Back 13

adjective DISAPPROVING
too eager to serve and please someone else in a way that shows a lack of respect for yourself:
- As a waiter you want to be pleasant to people without appearing totally servile.

Front 14

inadequately

Back 14

adjective
1 not good enough or too low in quality:
This work is woefully (= extremely) inadequate - you'll have to do it again.
Maddie's a real expert on art, so I feel completely inadequate whenever I talk to her about it.

2 too small in amount:
She rejected the $2 million offer as totally inadequate.

Front 15

incorrigible

Back 15

adjective MAINLY HUMOROUS
An incorrigible person or behaviour is bad and impossible to change or improve:
an incorrigible liar/rogue

Front 16

tractable

Back 16

1 : capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled : DOCILE <a tractable horse>
2 : easily handled, managed, or wrought : MALLEABLE
synonym see OBEDIENT

Front 17

incredulous

Back 17

adjective
not wanting or not able to believe something, and usually showing this:
A few incredulous spectators watched as Paterson, ranked 23rd in the world, beat the champion.

Front 18

install

Back 18

verb [T]
1 to place someone in an official position:
She has installed a couple of young academics as her advisers.

2 UK install sb/yourself in/at somewhere to put someone/yourself in a comfortable position where you want to stay:
He seems to have installed himself in your spare room for good!

Front 19

inaugurate

Back 19

verb [T]
1 to put someone into an official position with a ceremony:
American presidents are always inaugurated on January 20th.

2 to put something into use or action officially:
The European Community inaugurated the Single European Market in 1993.

3 to mark the beginning of a new period, style or activity:
The change of government inaugurated a new era of economic prosperity.

Front 20

legible

Back 20

adjective
describes writing or print that can be read easily:
Her handwriting is barely legible.
NOTE: The opposite is illegible.

Front 21

mar

Back 21

verb [T] -rr- SLIGHTLY FORMAL
to spoil something, making it less perfect or less enjoyable:
Sadly, the text is marred by careless errors.
It was a really nice day, marred only by a little argument in the car on the way home.
I hope the fact that Louise isn't coming won't mar your enjoyment of the evening.

Front 22

partisan

Back 22

adjective
strongly supporting a person, principle or political party, often without considering or judging the matter very carefully:
The audience was very partisan, and refused to listen to the her speech.
partisan politics

noun [C]
1 (in a country which has been defeated) a member of a secret armed force whose aim is to fight against the enemy which is controlling the country

2 someone who supports a person, principle or political party

Front 23

perspicacious

Back 23

of acute mental vision or discernment : KEEN

Front 24

plain

Back 24

adjective
obvious and clear to understand:
It's quite plain that they don't want to speak to us.
The reason is perfectly plain.
I made it quite plain (that) (= explained clearly that) I wasn't interested.

Front 25

quandary

Back 25

noun [C usually singular]
a state of not being able to decide what to do about a situation in which you are involved:
I've had two job offers, and I'm in a real quandary about/over which one to accept.

Front 26

adventurous

Back 26

adjective
willing to try new or difficult things, or exciting and often dangerous:
I'm trying to be more adventurous with my cooking.
She led an adventurous life.
He's not very adventurous sexually.

Front 27

restive

Back 27

adjective
unwilling to be controlled or be patient:
The audience was becoming restive as they waited for the performance to begin.

Front 28

toady

Back 28

noun [C] DISAPPROVING
a person who praises and is artificially pleasant to people in authority, usually in order to get some advantage from them

Front 29

voluble

Back 29

1 : easily rolling or turning : ROTATING
2 : characterized by ready or rapid speech : GLIB, FLUENT
synonym see TALKATIVE

Front 30

terse

Back 30

adjective
using few words, sometimes in a way that seems rude or unfriendly:
"Are you feeling any better?" "No, " was the terse reply.

Front 31

proffer

Back 31

verb [T] FORMAL
to offer something by holding it out, or to offer advice or an opinion:
He shook the warmly proffered hand.
I didn't think it wise to proffer an opinion.

Front 32

tirade

Back 32

noun [C]
a long angry speech expressing strong disapproval:
She launched into an angry/furious tirade about how she had been unfairly treated.
In a furious tirade of abuse, the opposition spokesperson demanded the minister's resignation.

Front 33

dupe

Back 33

verb [T]
to deceive someone, usually making them do something they did not intend to do:
The girls were duped by drug smugglers into carrying heroin for them.

Front 34

finesse

Back 34

noun [U]
great skill or style:
It was a disappointing performance which lacked finesse.

verb [T]
to deal with a situation or a person in a skilful and often slightly dishonest way:
She finessed the interview by playing down her lack of experience and talking about her long-standing interest in the field.

Front 35

insipid

Back 35

1 : lacking taste or savor : TASTELESS <insipid food>

2 : lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge : DULL, FLAT <insipid prose>

Front 36

tinge

Back 36

noun [C]
a very slight amount of a colour or of a feeling:
His hair is starting to show tinges of grey.
I have a tinge of regret that I didn't accept her offer.

verb [T usually passive]
to contain a slight amount of:
Her joy at the birth of her son was tinged with sadness that her father had not lived to see him.

Front 37

lull

Back 37

verb [T]
to cause someone to feel calm or to feel as if they want to sleep:
The motion of the car almost lulled her to sleep.

noun [C]
a short period of calm in which little happens:
There has been a lull in the fighting.
a lull in the conversation/traffic

Front 38

probity

Back 38

noun [U] FORMAL
complete honesty:
Her probity and integrity are beyond question.

Front 39

punctilious

Back 39

marked by or concerned about precise accordance with the details of codes or conventions
synonym see CAREFUL

Front 40

grotesque

Back 40

adjective
strange and unpleasant, especially in a ridiculous or slightly frightening way:
By now she'd had so much cosmetic surgery that she looked quite grotesque.
Gothic churches are full of devils and grotesque figures.

Front 41

abacus

Back 41

noun [C]
a square or rectangular frame holding an arrangement of small balls on metal rods or wires, which is used for counting, adding and subtracting

Front 42

inhibit

Back 42

verb [T]
to prevent someone from doing something, or to slow down a process or the growth of something:
Some workers were inhibited (from speaking) by the presence of their managers.
This drug inhibits the growth of tumours.

Front 43

abase

Back 43

2 : to lower in rank, office, prestige, or esteem

Front 44

abate

Back 44

verb [I] FORMAL
to become less strong:
The storm/wind/rain has started to abate.
The fighting in the area shows no sign of abating.

Front 45

dampen

Back 45

verb [T]
1 (ALSO damp) to make something slightly wet:
Rain had dampened the tent so we left it to dry in the afternoon sun.

2 to make feelings, especially of excitement or enjoyment, less strong:
Nothing you can say will dampen her enthusiasm.
I didn't want to dampen his spirits.

Front 46

fervent

Back 46

1 : very hot : GLOWING
2 : exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling : ZEALOUS <fervent prayers>
synonym see IMPASSIONED

Front 47

attenuate

Back 47

verb [T] FORMAL
to make something smaller, thinner or weaker:
Radiation from the sun is attenuated by the Earth's atmosphere.

Front 48

taper

Back 48

verb [I or T]
to become gradually narrower at one end, or to make something do this:
Turn left where the road tapers (off) into a track.

Front 49

abridge

Back 49

verb [T]
to make a book, play or piece of writing shorter by removing details and unimportant information:
The book was abridged for children.

Front 50

abdicate

Back 50

1 : to cast off : DISCARD
2 : to relinquish (as sovereign power) formally

Front 51

aberrant

Back 51

adjective FORMAL
different from what is typical or usual, especially in an unacceptable way:
aberrant behaviour/sexuality

Front 52

digress

Back 52

verb [I]
to move away from the main subject you are writing or talking about and to write or talk about something else:
But I digress. To get back to what I was saying, this poem reflects the poet's love of nature and his religious beliefs.
The lecturer temporarily digressed from her subject to deal with a related theory.

Front 53

abet

Back 53

1 : to actively second and encourage (as an activity or plan) : FORWARD
2 : to assist or support in the achievement of a purpose <abetted the thief in his getaway>
synonym see INCITE

Front 54

elucidate

Back 54

- to make lucid especially by explanation or analysis <elucidate a text>

synonym see EXPLAIN

Front 55

abhor

Back 55

: to regard with extreme repugnance : LOATHE
synonym see HATE

Front 56

abrade

Back 56

verb [T] SPECIALIZED
to remove part of the surface of something by rubbing

Front 57

desiccated

Back 57

adjective
1 dried:
100g of desiccated (= dried and broken into small pieces) coconut

2 DISAPPROVING not interesting or completely lacking in imagination:
All the party seems to have to offer is the same desiccated old ideas.

Front 58

abscond

Back 58

verb [I]
to go away suddenly and secretly in order to escape from somewhere:
Two prisoners absconded last night.
She absconded from boarding school with her boyfriend.

Front 59

pilfer

Back 59

verb [I or T]
to steal things of small value:
He was caught pilfering (sweets) from the shop.

Front 60

secrete

Back 60

verb [T] FORMAL
to put something in a place where it is unlikely to be found:
He was arrested at the airport with a kilo of heroin secreted in his clothing.

Front 61

lurk

Back 61

1 a : to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose b : to move furtively or inconspicuously c : to persist in staying
2 a : to be concealed but capable of being discovered; specifically : to constitute a latent threat b : to lie hidden

Front 62

abstemious

Back 62

adjective FORMAL
not doing things which give you pleasure, especially not eating good food or drinking alcohol

Front 63

intransigent

Back 63

characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an extreme position or attitude : UNCOMPROMISING <intransigent in their opposition> <an intransigent attitude>

Front 64

abstruse

Back 64

difficult to comprehend : RECONDITE <the abstruse calculations of mathematicians>

Front 65

accolade

Back 65

noun [C] FORMAL
praise and approval:
This is his centennial year and he's been granted the ultimate accolade - his face on a set of three postage stamps.
Her approval was the highest accolade he could have received.

Front 66

blandishment

Back 66

something that tends to coax or cajole : ALLUREMENT -- often used in plural

Front 67

coax

Back 67

2 : to influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering : WHEEDLE <coaxed him into going>
3 : to draw, gain, or persuade by means of gentle urging or flattery <unable to coax an answer out of him>
4 : to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with considerable effort toward a desired state or activity <coax a fire to burn>

Front 68

prevaricate

Back 68

to deviate from the truth : EQUIVOCATE
synonym see LIE

Front 69

accost

Back 69

verb [T often passive] FORMAL
to approach or stop and speak to someone in a threatening way:
I'm usually accosted by beggars and drunks as I walk to the station.

Front 70

importune

Back 70

adjective FORMAL
1 continually asking for something, in a forceful and annoying way:
an importunate beggar/crowd

Front 71

accrete

Back 71

intransitive verb : to grow or become attached by gradual increase or growth by the addition of new layers or parts

transitive verb : to cause to adhere or become attached; also : ACCUMULATE

Front 72

achromatic

Back 72

Function: adjective
1 : refracting light without dispersing it into its constituent colors : giving images practically free from extraneous colors <an achromatic telescope>
2 : not readily colored by the usual staining agents
3 : possessing no hue : being or involving black, gray, or white : NEUTRAL <achromatic visual sensations>
4 : being without accidentals or modulation : DIATONIC

1. 無色的
2. 消色差的

Front 73

extraneous

Back 73

adjective
not directly connected with or related to something:
extraneous information
These questions are extraneous to the issue being discussed.

Front 74

acme

Back 74

noun [S] LITERARY
the highest point of perfection or achievement:
To act on this world-famous stage is surely the acme of any actor's career.

Front 75

acquit

Back 75

verb [T often passive] -tt-
to decide officially in a court of law that someone is not guilty of a particular crime:
She was acquitted of all the charges against her.
Five months ago he was acquitted on a shoplifting charge.

aquittal
noun [C or U]

Front 76

disentangle

Back 76

Function: verb
transitive verb : to free from entanglement : UNRAVEL
intransitive verb : to become disentangled
synonym see EXTRICATE

Front 77

snarl

Back 77

1 : to cause to become knotted and intertwined : TANGLE
2 : to make excessively complicated

Front 78

acrid

Back 78

1 : sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor : IRRITATING
2 : deeply or violently bitter : ACRIMONIOUS <an acrid denunciation>

Front 79

guile

Back 79

noun [U] FORMAL
clever but sometimes dishonest behaviour that you use to deceive someone:
The President will need to use all her political guile to stay in power.
He is a simple, honest man, totally lacking in guile.

Front 80

evanescent

Back 80

adjective FORMAL
lasting for only a short time, then disappearing quickly and being forgotten

Front 81

refractory

Back 81

1 : resisting control or authority : STUBBORN, UNMANAGEABLE
2 a : resistant to treatment or cure <a refractory lesion> b : unresponsive to stimulus c : IMMUNE, INSUSCEPTIBLE <after recovery they were refractory to infection>
3 : difficult to fuse, corrode, or draw out; especially : capable of enduring high temperature
synonym see UNRULY

Front 82

addendum

Back 82

noun [C] plural addenda SPECIALIZED
something that has been added to a book, speech or document

Front 83

impromptu

Back 83

adjective
done or said without earlier planning or preparation:
an impromptu party/performance

Front 84

admonish

Back 84

verb FORMAL
1 [T] to tell someone that they have done something wrong:
His mother admonished him for eating too quickly.

2 [T + to infinitive] to advise someone to do something:
Her teacher admonished her to work harder for her exams.

Front 85

adorn

Back 85

verb [T] LITERARY
to add something decorative to a person or thing:
The bride's hair was adorned with pearls and white flowers.

Front 86

adroit

Back 86

adjective
very skilfull and quick in the way you think or move:
an adroit reaction/answer/movement of the hand
She became adroit at dealing with difficult questions.

Front 87

ungainly

Back 87

1 a : lacking in smoothness or dexterity : CLUMSY <ungainly movements> b : hard to handle : UNWIELDY <an ungainly contraption>
2 : having an awkward appearance <a large ungainly bird>

Front 88

succinct

Back 88

adjective APPROVING
said in a clear and short way; expressing what needs to be said without unnecessary words:
Keep your letter succinct and to the point.

Front 89

inept

Back 89

adjective
not skilled or effective:
an inept comment/remark
He was always rather inept at sport.
He was criticized for his inept handling of the situation.
Dick was socially inept and uncomfortable in the presence of women.

Front 90

adulterate

Back 90

verb [T always passive]
to make food or drink weaker or to lower its quality, by adding something else:
There were complaints that the beer had been adulterated with water.

Front 91

bolster

Back 91

verb [T]
to support or improve something or make it stronger:
More money is needed to bolster the industry.
She tried to bolster my confidence/morale (= encourage me and make me feel stronger) by telling me that I had a special talent.
They need to do something to bolster their image.

Front 92

pillory

Back 92

verb [T]
to severely criticize someone, especially in a public way:
Although regularly pilloried by the press as an obnoxious loudmouth, he is, nonetheless, an effective politician.

Front 93

aerate

Back 93

verb [T]
1 to add a gas to liquid, especially a drink:
aerated water

2 to allow air to act on something:
Earthworms help to aerate the soil.
aerated soil

Front 94

gourmand

Back 94

1 : one who is excessively fond of eating and drinking
2 : one who is heartily interested in good food and drink
synonym see EPICURE

Front 95

epistemology

Back 95

noun [U] SPECIALIZED
the part of philosophy that is about the study of how we know things

Front 96

affected

Back 96

adjective DISAPPROVING
artificial and not sincere:
an affected manner/style of writing
I found her very affected.

Front 97

artless

Back 97

adjective
simple and honest; not wanting to deceive:
"Why did you take the money?" she asked the child. "Because I wanted it, " came the artless reply.

Front 98

affidavit

Back 98

noun [C]
a written statement which someone makes after they have sworn officially to tell the truth, and which might be used as proof in a court of law

Front 99

pigment

Back 99

noun [C or U]
a substance which gives something a particular colour when it is present in it or is added to it:
Melanin is the dark brown pigment of the hair, skin and eyes which is present in varying amounts in every human being.
Pigment is mixed into oil, glue, egg, etc. to make different types of paint.

Front 100

meadow

Back 100

noun [C or U]
a field with grass and often wild flowers in it:
There was a path through the meadow to the village.