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403 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Absolve
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pardon; free from blame.
The father confessor absolved him of his sins. |
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Abstract
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Theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational.
To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal. |
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Accessible
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Easy to approach; obtainable.
We |
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Acclaim
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applaud; announce with great approval.
The sportscasters acclaimed every victory. |
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Accommodate (v)
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Provide lodgings.
Mary asked the room clerk whether the hotel would accommodate the tour group. |
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Accommodate (v)
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Oblige or help someone.
Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives. |
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Acknowledge
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Recognize; admit.
Although Ira acknowledged that the Beatles tunes sounded dated, he still liked them. |
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Acrimony
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Bitterness of words or manner.
The candidate attacked his opponent with great acrimony. |
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Adversary
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Opponent.
Baytown is our adversary. |
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Adverse
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unfavorable; hostile.
The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father's investments. |
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Aethetic
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Artistic; dealing with beauty.
The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Alice's aesthetic sense. |
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Advocate
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Plead for.
David was an advocate for slavery. |
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Affable
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easily approachable; warmly friendly.
Nicholas was amazed by how affable his new employer was. |
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Affinity
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kinship; attraction to.
She felt an affinity with all who suffered. |
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Accomplice
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partner in crime.
The police arrested the burglar's accomplice. |
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Alias
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assumed name
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Alleviate
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reliev; lessen.
The medicine should alleviate the pain. |
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Aspire
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Seek to attain; long for.
He aspired to be a sports writer. |
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Assert
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state strongly or positively; insist on.
Hill asserted that nobody else had a curfew. |
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Assumption
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something taken for granted.
The young princess made teh assumption that she would be queen. |
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Assurance
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promise or pledge.
She gave her assurance she would study. |
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Attain
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Reach or accomplish.
She attained her goal of being cheerleader. |
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Augment
|
increase
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Authentic
|
genuine
The art expert was able to distinguish the authentic painting from the fake. |
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Autonomous
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Self-governing.
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Aversion
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firm dislike.
Sarah has an aversion to lettuce. |
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Avert
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prevent; turn aside.
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Banal
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Hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality.
The hack writer's worn-out cliches made his comic sketch seem banal. |
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Begrudge
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resent
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Benefactor
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gift giver; patron.
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Beneficial
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Helpful; advantageous; useful
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Benign
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kindly; favorable; not malignant.
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Betray
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be unfaithful; reveal.
The spy betrayed his country. |
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Biased
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slanted; prejudiced.
Because the judge played golf regularly with the DA's father, we feared he might be biased in their favor. |
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Bizarre
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violently contrasting.
The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed. |
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Brittle
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Easily broken.
His bones were brittle. |
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Buoyant
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Able to float.
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Callous
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hardened; unfeeling.
Carl had worked in teh hospital for so many years that he was callous |
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Candor
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Frankness; open honesty.
Jack can carry candor too far; when he told Jill she was fat. |
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Canine
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dog
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Brusque
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blunt; abrupt.
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Captivate
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charm; fascinate.
Although he was disposed to dislike Liz, Darcy found himself captivated by her charm. |
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Caricature
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Exaggerated picture or description; distortion
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Casualty
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Serious or fatal accident.
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Censor
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Inspector overseeing public morals.
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Censure
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blame; criticize.
Though I don't blame Tony for leaving Tina, I do censure him for failing to pay child support. |
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Cessation
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stopping
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Consolidation
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Unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger.
The recent consolidation of small airlines into one major company has left them wondering. |
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Contempt
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scorn; disdain.
The boxer looked on ordinary people with contempt, scorning them as weaklings. |
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Contention
|
claim.
It is our contention that he is a good lawyer. |
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Contentious
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quarrelsome.
Disagreeing violently with the ruling, the coach became so contentious that they threw him out of the game. |
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Contingent
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Dependent on.
The game is contingent upon the team playing together. |
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Convention (n)
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social or moral custom; established practice.
Flying in the face of convention, George shocked society by wearing men's clothes. |
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Convoluted
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Complex and involved; intricate.
The new tax regulations are so convoluted that even my accountant can't unravel their mysteries. |
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Cordial
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gracious; heartfelt.
Our host was very cordial. |
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Corroborate
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Confirm; support.
The man corroborated his son's story. |
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Corrosion
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destruction by chemical action.
The corrosion occurred from the bleach. |
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Covert
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secret; hidden; implied.
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Criterion
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standard used in judging.
What criterion did you use when selecting the essay. |
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Cull
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pick out; reject.
I culled out the rotten tomatoes |
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Culpable
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deserving blame.
The boy was culpable for the accident. |
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Curb
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restrain.
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Curtail
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shorten; reduce.
Her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life. |
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Cynical
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skeptical or distrustful of human motives.
She was cynical about his accident. |
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Dawdle
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loiter; waste time.
At the mall, mother grew impatient with her because they tend to dawdle in the stores. |
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Dearth
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scarcity.
The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools. |
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Debilitate
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weaken; enfeeble.
Michael's flue debilitated him so he couldn't work. |
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Decipher
|
decode.
I could not decipher her writing. |
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Decorous
|
proper.
Prudence's decorous behavior was praised by her teachers. |
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Decry
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Express strong disapproval of.
The founder, strong decries the lack of financial support for children. |
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Deface
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disfigure.
They defaced the statue. |
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Defamation
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harming a person's reputation.
If the candidates persist in defaming one another, the voters may conclude all politicians are crooks. |
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Deference
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courteous regard for another's wish.
In deference to the minister's request, plese do not take photos at the wedding. |
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Definitive
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final; complete.
The definitive answer is yes. |
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Degenerate
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become worse; deteriorate.
As the right dragged on, the style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet. |
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Delete
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serase
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Delineate
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portray; depict.
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Demean
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degrade; humiliate.
The picture he drew was demeaning. |
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Demeanor
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beavior.
His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers. |
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Denounce
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Condemn; criticize.
The candidate denounced the corrupt officials because of their behavior. |
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Deny
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Refuse
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Depict
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portray.
The author depicts John Lennon as a drug-crazed neurotic. |
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Deplete
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Reduce, exhaust.
We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements. |
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Deplore
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regret strongly; express grief over.
He deplored the disintegration of the modern family. |
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Derision
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Ridicule; mockery.
Greeting his pretentious dialogue with derision, the dritics refused to consider his play seriously. |
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Derivative
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unoriginal; derived from another source.
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Despise
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hate; regard as worthless.
I despise him for what he did to you. |
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Detached
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Emotionally removed; calm and objective.
A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view. |
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Deterrent
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something that discourages; hidrance.
Does crating the dog provide a deterrence from having accidents? |
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Detrimental.
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Harmful; damaging.
His behavior was detrimental to him losing his job. |
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Devious
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roundabout; erratic; not straightfoward.
His plan was so devious. |
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Didactic
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teaching; instructional.
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Diffident
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shy; lacking confidence; reserved.
Can a naturally diffident person become a fast-talking successful car salesman? |
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Digression
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Wandering way from the subject.
His digressions were always more fascinating than the topic of the day. |
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Diligence
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steadiness of effort; persistent hard work.
Her employers were gretaly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership. |
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Dilute
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make less concentrated; reduce in strength.
She preferred her coffee diluted with milk. |
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Discernible
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distinguishable; perceivable.
The ships in teh harbor were not discernible in the fog. |
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Disclaimer
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denial of a legal claim or right.
He issued a disclaimer stating tha he was not the anonymous author. |
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Disclose
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Reveal.
Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company's products. |
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Elusive
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Evasive; baffling; hard to grasp.
Trying to pin down exactly when the contractors would be done, Nancy was frustrated by their elusive replies. |
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Embellish.
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Adorn.
We enjoyed my mother-in-law's stories about how she came from Russia, in part because she embellished the bare facts of her journey. |
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Empathy
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Ability to identify with another's feelings
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Emulate
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imitate; rival.
In a brief essay, describe someone whose virtues you would like to emulate. |
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Endorse
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Approve, support.
Everyone waited to see which candidate he would endorse. |
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Engage
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attract; hire.
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Enhance
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increase; improve.
He studied his notes to enhance his chances of making an A. |
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Enigma
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puzzle; mystery.
What do women want asked Dr. Freud. Their behavior was an enigma to him. |
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Entice
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lure; attract; tempt.
He tried to entice her with donuts. |
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Enumerate
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list; mention one by one.
she enumerated his flaws. |
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Ephemeral
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short-lived; fleeting.
The mayfly is an ephemeral creature; its adult life lasts little more than a day. |
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Epic
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long heroid poem, novel
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Elilogue
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short speech at conclusion of dramatic work
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Erode
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Eat away.
The limestone was eroded by the dripping water. |
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Erratic
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odd; unpredictable.
The stock market prices were erratic. |
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Erroneous
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Mistaken; wrong.
I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous. |
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Esoteric
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hard to understand; known on to a chosen few.
New Yorker short stories often included esoteric allusions to obscure people and events. |
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Espouse
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adopt; support.
She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause |
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Esteem
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respect; value.
Jill esteemed Jack's taste in music, but she deplored his taste in clothes. |
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Estranged
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separated; alienated.
The estranged wife sought a divorce. |
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Excerpt
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selected passage.
He read an excerpt from the novel. |
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Execute
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put into effect; carry out; put to death.
The ballerina executed the pirouette poorly. |
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Exemplary
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serving as a model; outstanding.
The DPISD school is exemplary. |
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Exonerate
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acquit; exculpate.
The defense team sought fresh evidence to exonerate their client. |
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Expedite
|
hasten.
because we are on a tight schedule, we hope you will expedite the delivery. |
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Exploit
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deed or action; particularly brave.
He was noted for his exploits in rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces. |
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Exploit (v)
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make use of, sometimes unjustly.
She exploited her kindness. |
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Facilitate
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help bring about, make less difficult.
Rest and nourishment should facilitate the patient's recovery. |
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Fallacious
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false; misleading.
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Fallable
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liable to error.
I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time. |
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Farce
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broad comedy, mockery.
Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce. |
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Fastidious
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difficult to please.
Bobby was such a fastidious eater that he would eat a sandwich only if his mother cut off the crust. |
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Fawning
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seeking favor by cringing and flattering.
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Feasible
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practical.
Was it feasible to build a new stadium for the Yankees on New York's West Side? |
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Fervor
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Glowing ardor; intensity of feeling.
At the protest rally, the students cheered the strikers and booed the dean with equal fervor. |
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finite
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having an end; limited.
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Flippant
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lacking proper seriousness.
He was very flippant to his mother when he yelled at her. |
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Fluctuate
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waver; shift.
The water pressure fluctuated from high to low. |
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Forthright
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outspoken; frank.
Never afraid to call a spade a spade, she was too forthright to be a successful party politician. |
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Frail
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weak.
The delicate child seemed too frail to left the heavy carton. |
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Frivolous
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lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree.
She was frivolous with her money. |
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Garruloous
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loquacious; wordy; talkative.
He is the most garrulous person in Cayuga county. |
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Generate
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cause; produce; create.
In his first days in office, President Obama managed to generate a new mood of optism. |
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Genre
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Particular variety of art or literature.
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Gluttonous
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greedy for food.
The gluttonous boy ate all the cookies. |
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Gratify
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please.
Amy's success in her new job gratified her parents. |
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Gorge (v)
Gorge (n) |
stuff oneself.
small, steep-walled canyon. |
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Gregarious
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sociable.
Typically, party-throwers are gregarious. |
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Hackneyed
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commonplace; trite.
When the reviewer criticized the movie for its hackneyed plot, we agreed. |
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Halting
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Hesitant; faltering.
Notice speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words. |
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Hamper
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obstruct.
The new mother didn't realize how much the effort of caring for an infant would hamper her ability to keep an immaculate house. |
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Harbor
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provide a refuge for; hide.
He harbored a criminal. |
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Hazardous
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dangerous.
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Hindrance
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block; obstacle.
Stalled cards along the highway are a hindranceto traffic. |
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Hostility
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unfriendliness; hatred.
You could see the hostility between the two girls. |
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Hypocritical
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Pretending to be virtuous; deceiving.
It was hypocritical of Martha to say such nice things about my poetry to me and then make fun behind my back. |
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Hypothetical
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based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed.
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Iconoclastic
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attacking cherished traditions.
Deeply iconoclastic, Jean deliberately set out to shock conventional theatergoers with his radical plays. |
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Ignite
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set on fire.
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Illuminate
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light up; brighten.
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Illusory
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deceptive; not real.
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Immaterial
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unimportant; irrelevant.
Though Kit said it was wholly immaterial whet her she had a birthday party or not, we wanted to throw her a party. |
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Immutable
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unchangeable.
All things change over time; nothing is immutable. |
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Impair
|
injure; hurt.
Drinking alcohol can impair your ability to drive safe. |
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Impartial
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not biased; fair.
Knowing she could not be impartial about her own child; Joe refused to judge any match she was in. |
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Impede
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hinder; block; delay.
A series of accidents impeded the launching of the space shuttle. |
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Imperceptible
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unnoticeable; undetectable.
Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was imperceptible after it was washed. |
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Impertinent
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Rude.
She was impertinent to the coach. |
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Implacable
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incapable of being pacified.
Relentlessly seeking revenge, she was the implacable enemy of the family. |
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Implication
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something hinted at or suggested.
When she couldn't find her purse, the implication was that Jiim stole it. |
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Impromptu
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Without previous preparation; on the spur of the moment.
The judges were amazed that she could make such an impromptu presentaion. |
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Incarcerate
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imprison.
The man was incarcerated for murder. |
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Incentive
|
motive.
Her incentive to do well in school is a car. |
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Incongruity.
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Lack of harmony; absurdity.
The incongruity of his wearing sneakers with formal attire amused the observers. |
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Inconsequential
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insignificant; unimportant.
Brushing off her apologies for breaking the class, she said it was inconsequential. |
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Inconsistency
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state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity.
They checked the witness statements for inconsistencies. |
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Incorporate
|
combine; unite.
She had to incorporate two kicks into her dance routine. |
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Indict
|
charge.
The man was indicted for murder. |
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Indifferent
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unmoved or unconcerned by.
Not only was she indifferent to him personally, but she felt that, given his general silliness, he would make an indifferent husband. |
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Induce
|
persuade; bring about.
Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again. He had to induce vomiting. |
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Industrious
|
diligent; hard-working.
It never hurts to appear industrious. |
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Inept
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lacking skill; incompetent.
The inept glover maker was allthumbs. |
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Infallible
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unerring; faultless.
Jane refused to believe teh pope was infallible. |
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Infer
|
deduce; conclude.
From the look on her face, you could infer she did not understand the lesson. |
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Ingenious
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clever; resourceful.
Kit admired the ingenious way that the figured out the math problem. |
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Ingenuous
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naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated.
The woodsman had not realilzed how ingenuous Little Red Riding Hood was until he heard she had gone off for a walk in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf. |
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Ingrate
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ungrateful person.
That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him. |
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Inherent
|
firmly established by nature or habit.
Katy's inherent love of justice caused her to champion anyone she considered treated unfairly by society. |
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Inhibit
|
restrain; prevent.
Only two things inhibited him from taking a punch at Mike Tyson. |
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Initiate
|
begin; originate; receive into a group.
The college is about to initiate a new program. |
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Innate
|
inborn.
Mozart's parents soon recognized young Wolfgang'e innate talent for music. |
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Innocuous
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harmless.
An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively innocuous and should have no ill effect on you. |
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Insightful
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discerning; perceptive.
He thought he was very insightful about human behavior, but he was actually clueless as to why people acted the way they did. |
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Insolvent
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bankrupty; lacking money to pay.
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Insomnia
|
inability to sleep
Because of my insomnia, I cannot sleep at night. |
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Instigate
|
urge; start; provoke
The boy instigated the fight |
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Insurgent
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rebellious
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Intangible
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not able to be perceived by touch; vague.
Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible rewards: prestige, intellectual freedom. |
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Integrity
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uprightness; wholeness.
Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, thought a civil war. |
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Intermmittent
|
periodic; on and off.
I use the intermittent windshield wipers |
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Intimidate
|
frighten.
The man intimidated the boy. |
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Intricacy
|
complexity.
Philip spent many hours designing mazes of such great intricacy that none of his classmates could solve. |
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Intracacy
|
complexity.
Philip spent many hours designing mazes of such great intricacy that none of his classmates could solve them. |
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Introspective
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looking within oneself.
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Intrude
|
trespass.
The intruder was arrested. |
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Intuition
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immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning.
His intuition told him to be careful on the dark street. |
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Invalidate
|
discredit; nullify.
They tried to invalidate the test results. |
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Irony
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Hidden sarcasm; use of woreds that seem to mean the opposite of what they actually mean.
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Irrational
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illogical; lacking reason; insane.
She had an irrational fear of snakes. |
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Irrelevant
|
not applicable; unrelated.
It was irrelevant that she did her homework, she did not study for the test. |
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Isolate
|
keep apart; quarantine.
They tried to isolate the reason for the illness. |
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Judicious
|
sound in judgment; wise.
At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth. |
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Justification
|
good or just reasoning.
There was justification for his behavior. |
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Languid
|
weary; feeble; apathetic
The invalid's most recent siege of illness left her languid and drooping. |
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Lethal
|
deadly.
A gun is a lethal weapon. |
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Lethargic
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drowsy
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Loathe
|
detest.
I loathe running. |
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Lucid
|
easily understood; clear; intelligible.
Her explanation was lucid enough for a child to grasp. |
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Lucrative
|
profitable
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Lure
|
entice; attract.
He tried to lure the child with candy. |
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Malice
|
hatred; spite.
Cinderella was treated with malice by her wicked step sisters. |
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Malign
|
speak ill of; bad-mouth; defame.
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Marked
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noticeable; targeted for vengence.
As British ambassador, he knew he was a marked man. |
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Massive
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solid or heavy; large in scope.
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Mediate
|
settle dispute through the services of an outsider.
The linesman had to mediate the call. |
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Meek
|
quiete and obedient.
Clark Kent was a meek man. |
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Mesmerize
|
hyptonize; fascinate.
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Meticulous
|
Excessively careful.
Jon is meticulous about how he keeps his house. |
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Minute (adj)
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extremely small
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Misconception
|
misunderstanding; misinterpreation.
I'm afraid you are suffering from a misconception, Mr. Collins: I do not want to marry you at all. |
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Misconstrue
|
interpret incorrectly; misjudge.
She took the passage seriously rather than humorously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone. |
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Misrepresent
|
give a false or incorrct impmression; usually intentionally.
She misrepresented the value of the property |
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Mobile
|
movable; not fixed.
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Mock
|
ridicule; immitate.
It is unkind to mock anyone. |
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Mode
|
prevailing style; way of doing something.
Henry plans to adopt a simplier mode of life; he is going to become a mushroom hunter and live off the land. |
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Monarchy
|
government under a single ruler.
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Monotony
|
sameness leading to boredon.
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Monumental
|
massive; immense.
Writing a dictionary is a monumental task. |
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Muse
|
pondner.
For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene. |
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Mutability
|
ability to change in form; fickleness.
Going from rats to riches and then back to rags again, the bankrupt financier was a victim of the mutability of fortune. |
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Naivete
|
quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; gullibility.
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Narrative
|
relating to telling a story
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Navigable
|
wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; able to be steered.
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Negligence
|
neglect; failure to take reasonable care.
Her accident was due to the boy's negligence. |
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Nocturnal
|
relating to, occurring, or active in the night.
Hamsters are nocturnal animals. |
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Nonchalance
|
Indifference; lack of concern; composure.
Cool, calm, and collected under fire, James Bond shows remarkable nonchalance in the face of danger. |
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Nostalgia
|
homesickness; longing for the past.
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Notable
|
conspicuous; important.
Julia Child is a notable chef. |
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Notorious
|
disreputable; widely known; scandalous.
If she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for being notorious |
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Novelty
|
something new.
The computer is no longer a novelty around the office; every office has one. |
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Novice
|
beginner
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Nullify
|
to make invalid
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Nurture
|
nourish; educate; foster.
You must nurture children to help them grow. |
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Objective (adj)
|
not influenced by emotions; fair.
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Objective (n)
|
goal; aim.
A degree in medicine was her ultimate goal. |
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Oblivious
|
inattentive or unmindful.
Deep in her book, Nancy was oblivious of the fighting going on around her. |
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Obnoxious
|
offensive.
A sneak and a tattletale, Sid was an obnoxious little brat. |
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|
Obscure (adj)
|
dark; vague; unclear.
Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure. |
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|
Obscure (v)
|
darken; make unclear.
At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity. |
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Obsolete
|
outmoded.
My cell phone is obsolete. |
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Offensive
|
attacking;insulting.
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Ominous
|
threatening.
The thunder storms seemed ominous. |
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Opaque
|
not transparent; impenetrable to light.
The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room. |
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Opt
|
decide in favor of; choose.
I opt for ice cream tonight. |
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Orator
|
public speaker.
The abolitionist was a brilliant orator whose speeches brought home to his audience the evils of slavery. |
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Ordeal
|
severe trial or affliction.
It wa an ordeal for her to speak in front of the class. |
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Ostentatious
|
showy; pretentions; trying to attract attention.
The girl dressed ostentatiously to get attention from the boys. |
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Outmoded
|
no longer stylish; old fashined.
Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lemore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes. |
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Pacifist
|
One opposed to force; antimilitarist.
Shooting his way through th ejungle, Rambo was clearly not a pacifist. |
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Pacify
|
soothe; make calm or quiet.
Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them. |
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Paradox
|
something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct.
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|
|
What AEs are general to Alpha-2 agonists?
|
Sedation and headache
|
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|
Patronize
|
support; act superior toward; be a customer of.
If a wine steward patronized me because he was I knew nothing about fine wine, I'd refuse to patronize his restaurant. |
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Pedantic
|
showing off learing; bookish.
Judge Walker was not at all the pedantic legal scholar. |
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Perceptive
|
insightful; aware; wise.
She was very perceptive of what was going on. |
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Perjury
|
false testimony while under oath.
The criminal committed perjury at his trial. |
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Perpetual
|
everlasting.
He trield to find the fountain of perpetual youth. |
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Pervasive
|
pervading; spread throughout every part.
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Pessimism
|
belief that life is basically bad or eveil; gloominess.
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Petulant
|
touchy; peevish.
If you've had hardly any sleep for three nights and people kept on phoning and waking you up, you'd sound pretty petulant. |
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Phenomena
|
observable facts or events.
We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the experiments. |
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Philanthropist
|
lover of mankind; doer of good.
Bill Gates is a philanthropist--he donated millions to charities. |
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Plagiarize
|
steal another's ideas and pass them off as one's own.
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Potency
|
power; effectivnessl; influence.
Looking at the expiration date on the cough syrup bottle, we wondered whether the medication still retained its potency. |
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Pragmatic
|
practicalb.
This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French class. |
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Precedent
|
something preceding in time tha tmay be used as an authority or guide for future action.
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Precipitate (adj)
|
premature; abrumpt; hasty; sudden.
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Preclude
|
make impossible; eliminate.
Because the band was already booked to play in Hollywood, htat booking precluded their accepting the offer to play in London. |
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Precursor
|
forerunner.
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Predator
|
creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others.
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Premise
|
assumption; postulate.
Acting on the premise that there's no fool like an old fool, he hired a 90-year old clown. |
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Premonition
|
forewarning.
In horror movies, the hero often has a premonition of danger, yet he foolishly ignores it. |
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Preside
|
act as a president or chairman; exercise control.
The vice president will preside over that session. |
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Prestige
|
impression produced by achievements or reputation.
Many students want to go to Harvard because of the prestige. |
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Presumptuous
|
taking liberties; nervy.
I thought it was presumptuous of her to butt into his talk with the coach. |
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Pretentious
|
ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly ambitious
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Prevail
|
triumph; predominate; prove superior in strenght, power or influence; be current.
The plaintiff prevailed in her lawsuit--beating out the other side. |
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Prey
|
target of a hunt; victim.
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Procstastinate
|
postpone; delay or put off.
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Profound
|
deep, not superficial; complete.
His speech had a profound effect on the crowd. |
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|
Proliferation
|
rapid growth; spread; multiplication.
Times of ecomonic hardship inevitably encourage the proliferation of countless get-rich-quick schemes. |
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Prolific
|
abudantly fruitful.
My editors must assume I'm a prolific writer; they expect me to revise six books this year. |
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Prologue
|
introduction (to a poem or play)
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Prolong
|
make longer; draw out.
She tried to prolong receiving her punishment. |
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Prominent
|
conspicuous; notable; sticking out.
The mayor is a prominent part of our community. |
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Promote
|
help to flourish; advance in rank; publicize.
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Prone
|
inclined to; prostrate.
She was prone to sudden fits of anger. |
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Prophetic
|
foretelling the future.
I have no magical prophetic powers. |
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|
Proponent
|
supporter, backer.
In the Senate, proponents of the universal health care measure lobbied to gain additional support. |
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Prosperity
|
good fortune; financial success; physical well-being.
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Prototype
|
original work used as a model by others
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Protrude
|
stick out.
His fingers protruded from the hole in his gloves. |
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Provocative
|
arousing anger or interest; annoying.
In a typically provocative act, the bully kicked sand into the weaker man's face. |
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Proximity
|
nearness.
Blind people sometimes develop acompensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them. |
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Prudent
|
cautious; careful.
A miser hoards money not becuase he is prudent but because he is greedy. |
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|
Purge
|
remove or get rid of something unwanted; clense or purify.
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|
|
qualified (adj)
|
limited; restricted.
Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement. |
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Ramble
|
wander aimlessly (physically or mentally)
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Random
|
Without definite purpose, plan or aim; haphazard.
The winners were chosen at random. |
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|
Recluse
|
hermit; loner.
Your grandfather was a recluse when he died. |
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Rectify
|
set right; correct.
She tried to rectify the situation so her friend wasn't mad at her. |
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Redundant
|
repetitious; excessively wordy.
Her speech was redundant |
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Refine
|
free from impurities; perfect.
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Reflect
|
consider or deliberate; show.
Mr. Collins reflected on Elizabeth's rejection of his proposal. |
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Refute
|
disprove.
At his trial, he attempted to refute the witness's testimony. |
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Regress
|
Move backward to an earlier state.
Tim outgew his need for a pacifier well over a year ago, occasionally when he's tired or nervous, he regresses and starts sucking his thumb. |
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|
Reiterate
|
repeat.
He reiterated the warning to her. |
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|
Rejuvenate
|
make young again.
The charlatan claimed that his elixer would rejuvenate her. |
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Relinquish
|
give up something with reluctance.
Once you get used to fringe benefits like expense account meals and a company car, it's very hard to relinquish them. |
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|
Remiss
|
negligent.
The gard was accused of being remiss in his duties. |
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|
Remnant
|
remainder.
We used fabric remnants to make a pillow. |
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|
Remorse
|
guit; self-reproach.
The murderer felt no remorse for his crime. |
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|
Renovate
|
restore to good condition; renew.
We renovated Sarah's room. |
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|
Renown
|
Fame.
The author is renowned around the country. |
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|
Reprehensible
|
Deserving blame.
The terrorists bomb was reprehensible. |
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|
Repudiate
|
disown; disavow.
On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would repudiate all debts he incurred. |
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Reserved
|
self-controlled; careful in expressing oneself.
He was cautious and reserved. |
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|
Resignation
|
patient submissiveness; statement that one is quitting a job.
If Bob Cratchit had not accepted Scrooge's bullying with such resignation, he might have gotten up the nerve to hand in his resignation. |
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|
Resolution
|
determination.
Nothing could shack his resolution that his children would get the best education that money could buy. |
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|
Resolve
|
decide; settle; solve.
I have resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between the two. |
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|
Restraint
|
moderation or self-control; controlling force; restriction.
Control yourself, young lady! Show some restraint. |
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|
Resumption
|
taking up again; recommencement.
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Retain
|
keep; employ.
I fought to retain the dog. |
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|
Reticent
|
reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to be silent.
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|
Retract
|
withdraw; take back.
He decided to retract the offer for the house. |
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|
Reverent
|
respectful; worshipful.
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Rigid
|
stiff and unyielding; strict.
By living with a man to whom she was not married, she broke Victorian society's most rigid rule of respectable behavior. |
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|
Ruthless
|
pitiless; cruel.
Her behavior was ruthless. |
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|
Sanction
|
approve; ratify
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|
Satirize
|
mock.
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|
Saturate
|
soak thoroughly
|
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|
Scrutinize
|
examine closely and critically.
Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private's uniform. |
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|
Seclusion
|
isolation; solitude.
The man lived in seclusion. |
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|
Sedate
|
calm and composed.
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|
|
Serenity
|
calmness; placidity.
The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion. |
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|
Sever
|
cut; separate.
He leg was severed. |
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|
Severity
|
harshness; intensity; rigidity.
The severity of her migraine attack caused her to miss the dance. |
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|
Singular
|
unique; extraordinary; odd.
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|
Skeptical
|
douting, suspending judgment.
I am skeptical about this project. |
|
|
Statute
|
law enacted by the legislature.
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|
|
Steadfast
|
loyal; inswerving.
Penelope was steadfast in her effections. |
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|
Stoic
|
Impassive; inmoved by joy or grief.
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|
Stratagem
|
deceptive theme.
Though Wellington's roces seemed to be in full retreat, in reality their withdrawal was a stratagem intended ot lure the enemy away from its sheltered position. |
|
|
Stringent
|
rigid; strict.
Protesting that the school dress code was too stringent, Katy campaigned to have the rules changed. |
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|
Subdued
|
less intense; quieter.
Bob liked the subdued lighting at the restaurant. |
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|
Subordinate
|
occupying a lower rank; inferior.
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|
Subsequent
|
following later.
In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems. |
|
|
Subside
|
sink to a lower level; grow quiet; less active, or less violent.
The noise of the crowd began to subside. |
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|
Substantial
|
amble, solid.
The scholarship represented a substantial sum of money. |
|
|
Subversive
|
tending to overthrow or destroy.
At first glance, the notion that styrofoam cups maybe better than paper cups strikes most environmentalists as subversive. |
|
|
Superficial
|
trivial; shallow.
Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing grade. |
|
|
Superfluous
|
excessive; unnecessary.
Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report. |
|
|
Suppress
|
crush; subdue; inhibit.
He tried to suppress his cough. |
|
|
Surpass
|
Exceed.
Her PSAT scores surpassed our expectations. |
|
|
Susceptible
|
impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistence.
Because of her low immunity, she is susceptible to catching a cold. |
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|
Suspend
|
defer or postpone; expel or eject.
|
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|
Sustain
|
support; nourish.
Stuart sustained a severe head injury. |
|
|
Symmetry
|
arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity.
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|
|
Synthetsis
|
combining parts into a whole.
|
|
|
Taciturn
|
habitually silent; talking little.
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|
|
Tedious
|
boring; tiring.
My job is very tedious. |
|
|
Temper
|
moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen.
Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm. |
|
|
Temperament
|
Characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess.
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|
|
Termination
|
end.
|
|
|
Thwart
|
baffle; frustrate.
Batman searched for a way to thwart the Joker's evil plan to destroy Gotham City. |
|
|
Toxic
|
poisonous
|
|
|
Transcendent
|
Surpassing; exceeding ordinary limits; superior.
Standing on the hillside watching the sunset through the Golden Gate was a transcendent experience for her--it was so beautiful it surpassed her wildest dreams. |
|
|
Transcribe
|
copy
It took hours to transcribe her notes. |
|
|
Transient
|
Temporary; staying for a short time.
|
|
|
Transition
|
going from one state of action to another.
During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off. |
|
|
Transparent
|
easily detected; permitting light to pass through freely.
|
|
|
Trepidation
|
Fear; nervous apprehension.
As she entered the office of the dean, she felt some trepidation about how she would do in the interview. |
|
|
Turbulence
|
State of violent agitation.
There was turbulence on the plane ride home. |
|
|
Undermine
|
weaken.
The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city government. |
|
|
Unfeasible
|
not practical or workable.
Roy's plan to enlarge the living room proved unfeasible when he discovered the costs. |
|
|
Utopia
|
ideal place, state or society.
|
|
|
Vacillate
|
waver; fluctuate.
Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated saying now one, now the other. |
|
|
Validate
|
confirm; ratify.
I will not publish my findings until I validate my results. |
|
|
Versatile
|
having may talents; capable of working in many fields.
She was a versatile athlete and could play many positions. |
|
|
Volatile
|
changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly.
The political climate today is extremely volatile; no one can predict what will happen. |
|
|
Voracious
|
ravenous.
The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied. |
|
|
Vulnerable
|
susceptible to wounds.
|
|
|
Waive
|
give up a claim or right voluntarily.
He waived his rights to a trial. |
|
|
Wary
|
very cautious.
The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry. |
