Wordly Wise 3000 11-4

Front 1

autonomy

Back 1

The quality or state of being self-governing; independence.
Quebec's separatist movement seeks autonomy for the province.

Front 2

circumspect

Back 2

Cautious and prudent; heedful of consequences.
A circumspect investor researches carefully before buying shares of any stock.

Front 3

composure

Back 3

Calmness of mind or bearing; self-control.
Savanna maintained her composure, despite the prosecutor's repeated verbal attacks.

Front 4

edifice

Back 4

1. A large, imposing structure or building.
The edifice with the grand staircase is the Metropolitan Museaum of Art.
2. A complex structure or system built up over time, as if it were a real building.
Successive generations of scholars have added to the edifice of science.

Front 5

ensconce

Back 5

To settle or place securel or snugly.
Grandfather ensconced himself in the armchair by the fire and promptly fell asleep.

Front 6

environs

Back 6

The area adjoining or surrounding a place.
The combined population of Dayton, Ohio, and its environs exceeds two hundred thousand.

Front 7

hapless

Back 7

Marked by the absence of good luck; unfortunate.
Ted's failed lawn-care service was merely the latest of his hapless ventures.

Front 8

heinous

Back 8

Shockingly evil or wicked.
The execution of innocent civilians is a heinous act, even in times of war.

Front 9

incognito

Back 9

With one's identity concealed; unrecognized.
The princess traveled incognito so that people would not recognize her.

Front 10

indoctrinate

Back 10

1. To teach or train in the fundamentals.
The Americorps volunteers were indoctrinated for several weeks before receiving an assignment.
2. To instill or teach from a partisan point of view.
The sergeant indoctrinated new recruits into the army's way of doing things.

Front 11

interim

Back 11

An interval of time between events.
I start my full-time job in May, but I'm looking for part-time work in the interim.
2. belonging to or taking place between events; temporary.
The interim peace treaty will be in force until a final agreement is negotiated.

Front 12

mausoleum

Back 12

A large and impressive tomb.
The marble mausoleum holds the remains of Ulysses S. Grant.

Front 13

pillage

Back 13

To rob and plunder.
After the army retreated, enemy troops pillaged the town, looting house after house.

Front 14

reverie

Back 14

1. The condition of being lost in thought.
With his work lying untouched before him, Carlos found himself in a reverie about the woman he loved.
2. a daydream.
My reveries took me back to my mother's kitchen and the tantalizing smell of her turkey soup.

Front 15

thrall

Back 15

A loss of one's ability to act freely; a state over which one appears to have no control.
Persons in thrall to tobacco find it difficult to break the addiction.
thralldom - slavery.

Front 16

abstruse

Back 16

difficult to understand.
The professor's circuitous explanation of how to solve the problem was so abstruse that we had trouble following it.

Front 17

accrue

Back 17

1. To arise or increase as a natural result or growth, usually used with to or from.
Hubble's prodigious knowledge of astronomy accrued from years of studying the heavens.
2. To come as a regular addition.
Interest on the savings account accrues monthly.

Front 18

acquiesce

Back 18

To accept as inevitable; to comply passively.
Marta felt obliged to acquiesce when her supervisor suggested that she work late.
acquiescence

Front 19

besmirch

Back 19

To stain or tarnish; to make dirty.
"The sole reason for the existence of tabloids," Amelia asserted, "is to besmirch the reputation of famous people.

Front 20

explicit

Back 20

Fully and clearly expressed, leaving nothing merely implied.
The explicit directions made assembling the grill a simple task.

Front 21

histrionic

Back 21

Purposely affected; theatrical.
Minh's histrionic moans failed to convince the school nurse to send her home.
Histrionics - exaggerated displays of emotion, intended to produce an effect or response.

Front 22

impropriety

Back 22

1. The quality or state of being improper or unsuitable.
Dolores saw no impropriety in hiring her qualified friend for the job.
2. Something that is improper.
The senator was mortified when he was reprimanded for mishandling campaign contributions and for various other improprieties.

Front 23

inveigle

Back 23

1. To lure or trick into doing something.
By posing as a reporter, the agent inveigled the guard into letting her enter the complex.
2. To obtain by flattery or trickery.
By saying he had to pick up a friend, Mark inveigled the keys to Daniel's car.

Front 24

penitent

Back 24

Sorry for having done wrong.
Agatha was in a penitent state of mind after realizing that she had chastised her daughter unfairly.
penitence

Front 25

probity

Back 25

honesty; trustworthiness; adherence to virtue.
A high level of probity is expected from workers who handle cash.

Front 26

purport

Back 26

To give or present the often false impression of being someone or intending something.
The woman purports to be a surviving member of the Russian royal family.

Front 27

repercussion

Back 27

An unforeseen or indirect result or effect of an event.
Last fall's flooding of California farmland will have economic repercussions throughout the country.

Front 28

revelation

Back 28

Something that is made known or revealed, often coming as a surprise.
Ms. Curran's knowledge of arcane points of property law was a revelation to me.

Front 29

surfeit

Back 29

An overabundant supply; an excess.
The surfeit of evidence left the jury little room for doubt as to the suspect's guilt.

Front 30

unsavory

Back 30

1. Having an unpleasant look, taste, or smell.
The week-old sandwich had an unsavory aroma.
2. Morally offensive.
More details of the unsavory scandal became known after the mayor assaulted his business partner.