Sat 25th Edition

• The SAT High-Frequency Word List

• The SAT Hot Prospects Word List

• The 3,500 Basic Word List

• Basic Word Parts

The more you study actual SAT critical reading questions, the more you realize one thing: the key to doing well on the critical reading portions of SAT is a strong working vocabulary of college-level words. And the key to building that strong working vocabulary can be summed up in one word: READ.

Read widely, read deeply, read daily. If you do, your vocabulary will grow. If you don’t it won’t.

Reading widely, however, may not always help you remember the words you read. You may have the words in your passive vocabulary and be able to recognize them when you see them in a context and yet be unable to define them clearly or think of synonyms for them. In addition, unless you have already begun to upgrade your reading to the college level, reading widely also may not acquaint you most efficiently with college-level words.

What are college-level words? In going through the preceding two chapters, you have examined dozens of questions modeled on those in published SATs. Some of the words in these questions—inspiring and communicative—have been familiar to you; others—pundit and interlocutor—have not. Still others—economy and charge—have looked familiar, but have turned out to be defined in unexpected ways. All these words belong in your college-level vocabulary; any of them may turn up when you take the SAT.

Use the vocabulary and word parts lists in this chapter to upgrade your vocabulary to a college level. They are all excellent vocabulary building tools.

No matter how little time you have before you take the SAT, you can familiarize yourself with the sort of vocabulary you will be facing on the test. First, look over the words on our SAT High-Frequency Word List, which you’ll find on the following pages. Each of these words has appeared (as answer choices or as question words) from eight to forty times on SATs published in the past two decades.

Next, look over the words on our Hot Prospects List, which appears immediately after the High-Frequency List. Though these words don’t appear as often as the high-frequency words do, when they do appear, the odds are that they’re key words in questions. As such, they deserve your special attention.

Use the flash cards in the back of this book and create others for the words you want to master. Work up memory tricks to help yourself remember them. Try using them on your parents and friends. Not only will going over these high-frequency words reassure you that you do know some SAT-type words, but also it may well help you on the actual day of the test. These words have turned up on recent tests; some of them may well turn up on the test you take.

The 3,500 Basic Word List begins on the following page. Do not let this list overwhelm you. You do not need to memorize every word.

You can use this list as a sort of dictionary. When you come across an unfamiliar word in your reading and can’t figure out its meaning from the context, look it up in the word list. The illustrative sentence may help make the word’s meaning clear.

5. Whenever appropriate, related words are provided, together with their parts of speech.

The word lists are arranged in strict alphabetical order. In each word list, High-Frequency words are marked with a square bullet 123

, Hot Prospects with a round one 123

You can also use this list as a study tool if you concentrate on the High-Frequency and Hot Prospects words.

Master the words on the High-Frequency and Hot Prospects Word Lists. First, check off those words you think you know. Then, look up all the words and their definitions in the Basic Word List. Pay particular attention to the words you thought you knew. See whether any of them are defined in an unexpected way. If they are, make a special note of them. As you know from the preceding chapters, the SAT often stumps students with questions based on unfamiliar meanings of familiar-looking words.

A PLAN FOR MASTERING THE ENTIRE LIST

1. Allot a definite time each day for the study of a list.

2. Devote at least one hour to each list.

3. First go through the list looking at the flagged High-Frequency and Hot Prospects words and the short, simple-looking words (7 letters at most). Mark those you don’t know. In studying, pay particular attention to them.

4. Go through the list again looking at the longer words. Pay particular attention to words with more than one meaning and familiar-looking words that have unusual definitions that come as a surprise to you. Study these secondary definitions.

5. List unusual words on index cards that you can shuffle and review from time to time, along with the flash cards in this book.

6. Use the illustrative sentences in the list as models and make up new sentences of your own.

abase V. Iower; humiliate. Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the conquering Romans, who made her march in chains before the emperor in the procession celebrating his triumph. abasement, N.

abate V. subside; decrease, lessen. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate. abatement, N.

abbreviate V. shorten. Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

abdicate V. renounce; give up. When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world.

abduction N. kidnapping. The movie Ransom describes the attempts to rescue a multimillionaire’s son after the child’s abduction by kidnappers. abduct, V.

aberrant N. abnormal or deviant. Given the aberrant nature of the data, we doubted the validity of the entire experiment. also N.

abet V. aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage. She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

abject ADJ. wretched; lacking pride. On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

abjure V. renounce upon oath. He abjured his allegiance to the king. abjuration, N.

abnegation N. repudiation; self-sacrifice. Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to marry the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom.

abolish V. cancel; put an end to. The president of the college refused to abolish the physical education requirement. abolition, N.

abominable ADJ. detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad. Mary liked John until she learned he was dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women.

aboriginal ADJ., N. being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native. Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reported in the scientific journals. aborigines, N.

abortive ADJ. unsuccessful; fruitless. Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully. abort, V.

abrade V. wear away by friction; scrape; erode. Because the sharp rocks had abraded the skin on her legs, she dabbed iodine on the scrapes and abrasions

abrasive ADJ. rubbing away; tending to grind down. Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener’s patience. abrade, V.

abridge V. condense or shorten. Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel.

abscond V. depart secretly and hide. The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on “America’s Most Wanted.”

absolute ADJ. complete; totally unlimited; certain. Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

absolve V. pardon (an offense). The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution, N.

absorb V. assimilate or incorporate; suck or drink up; wholly engage. During the nineteenth century, America absorbed hordes of immigrants, turning them into productive citizens. Can Huggies diapers absorb more liquid than Pampers can? This question does not absorb me; instead, it bores me. absorption, N.

abstain V. refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice. After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race. abstinence, N.

abstemious ADJ. sparing in eating and drinking; temperate. Concerned whether her vegetarian son’s abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.

abstinence N. restraint from eating or drinking. The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted foods. abstain, V.

abstract ADJ. theoretical; not concrete; non representational.To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

abstruse ADJ. obscure; profound; difficult to understand. Baffled by the abstruse philosophical texts assigned in class, Dave asked Lexy to explain Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason.

abundant ADJ. plentiful; possessing riches or resources. At his immigration interview, Ivan listed his abundant reasons for coming to America: the hope of religious freedom, the prospect of employment, the promise of a more abundant life.

abusive ADJ. coarsely insulting; physically harmful. An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.

abut V. border upon; adjoin. Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

abysmal ADJ. bottomless. His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

abyss N. enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit. Darth Vader seized the evil emperor and hurled him down into the abyss.

academic ADJ. related to a school; not practical or directly useful. The dean’s talk about reforming the college admissions system was only an academic discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.

accede V. agree. If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

accelerate V. move faster. In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

accentuate V. emphasize; stress. If you accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative, you may wind up with an overoptimistic view of the world.

accessible ADJ. easy to approach; obtainable. We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

accessory N. additional object; useful but not essential thing. She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress. also ADJ.

acclaim V. applaud; announce with great approval. The NBC sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat. also N.

acclimate V. adjust to climate. One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travelers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments.

acclivity N. sharp upslope of a hill. The car would not go up the acclivity in high gear.

accolade N. award of merit. In Hollywood, an “Oscar” is the highest accolade

accommodate V. oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt. Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork. (secondary meaning)

accomplice N. partner in crime. Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder.

accost V. approach and speak first to a person. When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.

accoutre V. equip. The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply. accoutrements, N.

acerbity N. bitterness of speech and temper. The meeting of the United Nations General Assembly was marked with such acerbity that informed sources held out little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem. acerbic, ADJ.

acidulous ADJ. slightly sour; sharp, caustic. James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

acknowledge V. recognize; admit. Although Iris acknowledged that the Beatles’ tunes sounded pretty dated nowadays, she still preferred them to the hip-hop songs her brothers played.

acme N. top; pinnacle. His success in this role marked the acme of his career as an actor.

acoustics N. science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in. Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics

acquiesce V. assent; agree without protesting. Although she appeared to acquiesceto her employer’s suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescence, N.; acquiescent, ADJ.

acquire V. obtain; get. Frederick Douglass was determined to acquire an education despite his master’s efforts to prevent his doing so.

acquittal N. deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit, V.

acrid ADJ. sharp; bitterly pungent. The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

acrimonious ADJ. bitter in words or manner. The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms. acrimony, N.

acrophobia N. fear of heights. A born salesman, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club.

actuarial ADJ. calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics. According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

acuity N. sharpness. In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

acumen N. mental keenness. His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

acute ADJ. quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe. The acute young doctor realized immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient’s once acute hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute one.

adage N. wise saying; proverb. There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

adamant ADJ. hard; inflexible. Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family. adamancy, N.

adapt V. alter; modify. Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a changing environment.

addiction N. compulsive, habitual need. His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief.

addle V. muddle; drive crazy; become rotten. This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. addled, ADJ.

address V. direct a speech to; deal with or discuss. Due to address the convention in July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech.

adept ADJ. expert at. She was adept at the fine art of irritating people. also N.

adhere V. stick fast. I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented. adhesion, N.

adherent N. supporter; follower. In the wake of the scandal, the senator’s one-time adherents quickly deserted him.

adjacent ADJ. adjoining; neighboring; close by. Philip’s best friend Jason lived only four houses down the block, close but not immediately adjacent

adjunct N. something added on or attached (generally nonessential or inferior). Although I don’t absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model.

admonition N. warning. After the student protesters repeatedly rejected the dean’s admonitions, the administration issued an ultimatum: either the students would end the demonstration at once or the campus police would arrest the demonstrators. admonish, V.

adorn V. decorate. Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. adornment, N.

adroit ADJ. skillful. His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers.

adulation N. flattery; admiration. The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes men. adulate, V.

adulterate V. make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances. It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer; when consumers learned that Beech-Nut had adulterated their apple juice by mixing it with water, they protested vigorously.

advent N. arrival. Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them.

adversary N. opponent. The young wrestler struggled to defeat his adversary

adverse ADJ. unfavorable; hostile. The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father’s investment portfolio: he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the butler and the upstairs maid. adversity, N.

adversity N. unfavorable fortune; hardship; a calamitous event. According to the humorist Mark Twain, anyone can easily learn to endure adversity, as long as it is another man’s.

advocacy N. support; active pleading on something’s behalf. No threats could dissuade Bishop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans.

advocate V. urge; plead for. The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves. also N.

aerie N. nest of a large bird of prey (eagle, hawk). The mother eagle swooped down on the unwitting rabbit and bore it off to her aerie high in the Rocky Mountains.

aesthetic ADJ. artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful. The beauty of Tiffany’s stained glass appealed to Esther’s aesthetic sense. aesthete, N.

affable ADJ. easily approachable; warmly friendly. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how affable his new employer was.

affected ADJ. artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress. His affected mannerisms—his “Harvard” accent, air of boredom, use of obscure foreign words—annoyed us: he acted as if he thought he was too good for his old high school friends. affectation, N.

affidavit N. written statement made under oath. The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit.

affinity N. kinship. She felt an affinity with all who suffered;their pains were her pains.

affirmation N. positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath. Despite Tom’s affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

affix V. fasten; attach; add on. First the registrar had to affix her signature to the license; then she had to affix her official seal.

affliction N. state of distress; cause of suffering. Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up the spirits of those around her.

affluence N. abundance; wealth. Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

affront N. insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect. When Mrs. Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week. also V.

aftermath N. consequences; outcome; upshot. People around the world wondered what the aftermath of China’s violent suppression of the student protests would be.

agenda N. items of business at a meeting. We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

agent N. means or instrument; personal representative;person acting in an official capacity. “I will be the agent of America’s destruction, ” proclaimed the beady-eyed villain, whose agent had gotten him the role. With his face, he could never have played the part of the hero, a heroic F.B.I. agent.

aggrandize V. increase or intensify. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.

aggregate V. gather; accumulate. Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time. aggregation, N.

aggressor N. attacker. Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one was the aggressor.

aghast ADJ. horrified. He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host.

agility N. nimbleness. The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

agitate V. stir up; disturb. Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

agnostic N. one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality. Agnostics say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of god; we simply just can’t know. also ADJ.

alacrity N. cheerful promptness. Eager to get away to the mountains, Phil and Dave packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.

alchemy N. medieval chemistry. The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy. alchemist, N.

alcove N. nook; small, recessed section of a room. Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple.

alienate V. make hostile; separate. Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

alimentary ADJ. supplying nourishment. The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there. When asked for the name of the digestive tract, Sherlock Holmes replied, “Alimentary, my dear Watson.”

alimony N. payments made to an ex-spouse after divorce. Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award him $500 a month in alimony

allay V. calm; pacify. The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.

allege V. state without proof. Although it is alleged that she has worked for the enemy, she denies the allegation and, legally, we can take no action against her without proof. allegation, N.

allegiance N. loyalty. Not even a term in prison could shake Lech Walesa’s allegiance to Solidarity, the Polish trade union he had helped to found.

allegory N. story in which characters are used as symbols; fable. Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of man’s soul. allegorical, ADJ.

alleviate V. relieve. This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.

alliteration N. repetition of beginning sound in poetry. “The furrow followed free” is an example of alliteration.

allocate V. assign. Even though the Red Cross had allocated a large sum for the relief of the sufferers of the disaster, many people perished.

alloy N. a mixture as of metals. Alloys of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

alloy V. mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate. Our delight at the Yankees’ victory was alloyed by our concern for Dwight Gooden, who injured his pitching arm in the game.

allude V. refer indirectly. Try not to mention divorce in Jack’s presence because he will think you are alluding to his marital problems with Jill.

allure V. entice; attract. Allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef. also N.

allusion N. indirect reference. When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, “One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of flesh?, ” she was making an allusion to Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.

aloft ADV. upward. The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. To get into a loft bed, you have to climb aloft.

aloof ADJ. apart; reserved. Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

altercation N. noisy quarrel; heated dispute. In that hot tempered household, no meal ever came to a peaceful conclusion; the inevitable altercation might even end in blows.

altruistic ADJ. unselfishly generous; concerned for others. In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed. altruism, N.

amalgamate V. combine; unite in one body. The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

amass V. collect. The miser’s aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

ambidextrous ADJ. capable of using either hand with equal ease. A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

ambience N. environment; atmosphere. She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

ambiguous ADJ. unclear or doubtful in meaning. His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take. ambiguity, N.

ambivalence N. the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes. Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings. ambivalent, ADJ.

amble N. moving at an easy pace. When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble. also V.

ambulatory ADJ. able to walk; not bedridden. Juan was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did he refuse to be confined to bed, but he insisted on riding his skateboard up and down the halls.

ameliorate V. improve. Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

amenable ADJ. readily managed; willing to be led. Although the ambassador was usually amenable to friendly suggestions, he balked when we hinted that he should waive his diplomatic immunity and pay his parking tickets.

amend V. correct; change, generally for the better. Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.

amenities N. convenient features; courtesies. In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler—fax machines, modems, a health club—the hotel offers the services of a butler versed in the social amenities.

amiable ADJ. agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly. In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who know her.

amicable ADJ. politely friendly; not quarrelsome. Beth’s sister Jo is the hot-tempered tomboy who has a hard time maintaining amicable relations with those around her. Jo’s quarrel with her friend Laurie finally reaches an amicable settlement, but not because Jo turns amiable overnight.

amiss ADJ. wrong; faulty. Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss. also ADV.

amity N. friendship. Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.

amnesia N. loss of memory. Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

amnesty N. pardon. When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

amoral ADJ. non moral. The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong. The immoral person can tell right from wrong; he chooses to do something he knows is wrong.

amorous ADJ. moved by sexual love; loving. “Love them and leave them” was the motto of the amorous Don Juan.

amorphous ADJ. formless; lacking shape or definition. As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous.

amphibian ADJ. able to live both on land and in water. Frogs are classified as amphibian. also N.

amphitheater N. oval building with tiers of seats. The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.

ample ADJ. abundant. Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why did he let us catch him?

amplify V. broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger. Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks, but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter: she used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice.

amputate V. cut off part of body; prune. Though the doctors had to amputate his leg to prevent the spread of cancer, the young athlete refused to let the loss of a limb keep him from participating in sports.

anachronistic ADJ. having an error involving time in a story. The reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is anachronistic: clocks did not exist in Caesar’s time. anachronism, N.

analogous ADJ. comparable. She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.

analogy N. similarity; parallelism. A well-known analogy compares the body’s immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells.

anarchist N. person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority. Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely. anarchy, N.

anathema N. solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse. The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped anathema upon “the Great Satan, ” that is, the United States. To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words. anathematize, V.

ancestry N. family descent. David can trace his ancestry as far back as the seventeenth century, when one of his ancestors was a court trumpeter somewhere in Germany. ancestral, ADJ.

anchor V. secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place. We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. anchorage, N.

anecdote N. short account of an amusing or interesting event. Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.

anemia N. condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles. The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. anemic, ADJ.

anesthetic N. substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness. His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. anesthesia, N.

anguish N. acute pain; extreme suffering. Visiting the site of the explosion, the governor wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.

angular ADJ. sharp-cornered; stiff in manner. Mr. Spock’s features, though angular, were curiously attractive, in a Vulcan way.

animated ADJ. lively; spirited. Jim Carrey’s facial expressions are highly animated: when he played Ace Ventura, he looked practically rubber-faced.

animosity N. active enmity. He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

animus N. hostile feeling or intent. The speaker’s sarcastic comments about liberal do-gooders and elitist snobs revealed his deep-seated animus against his opponent.

annals N. records; history. “In this year our good King Richard died, ” wrote the chronicler in the kingdom’s annals.

annex V. attach; take possession of. Mexico objected to the United States’ attempts to annex the territory that later became the state of Texas.

annihilate V. destroy. The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

annotate V. comment; make explanatory notes. In explanatory notes following each poem, the editor carefully annotated the poet’s more esoteric references.

annul V. make void. The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

anoint V. consecrate. The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.

anomalous ADJ. abnormal; irregular. He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures which he despised.

anonymity N. state of being nameless; anonymousness. The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his anonymity.

anonymous ADJ. having no name. She tried to ascertain the identity of the writer of the anonymous letter.

antagonism N. hostility; active resistance. Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him. antagonistic, ADJ.

antecede V. precede. The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.

antecedents N. preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background. Susi Bechhofer’s ignorance of her Jewish background had its antecedents in the chaos of World War II. Smuggled out of Germany and adopted by a Christian family, she knew nothing of her birth and antecedents until she was reunited with her family in 1989.

antediluvian ADJ. antiquated; extremely ancient. Looking at his great-aunt’s antique furniture, which must have been cluttering up her attic since the time of Noah’s flood, the young heir exclaimed, “Heavens! How positively antediluvian!”

anthem N. song of praise or patriotism. Let us now all join in singing the national anthem.

anthology N. book of literary selections by various authors. This anthology of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov. anthologize, V.

anthropocentric ADJ. regarding human beings as the center of the universe. Without considering any evidence that might challenge his anthropocentric viewpoint, Hector categorically maintained that dolphins could not be as intelligent as men. anthropocentrism, N.

anthropoid ADJ. manlike. The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals. also N.

anthropologist N. a student of the history and science of mankind. Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric man in this area.

anticlimax N. letdown in thought or emotion. After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax. anticlimactic, ADJ.

antidote N. medicine to counteract a poison or disease. When Marge’s child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the local poison control hot line instructed Marge how to administer the antidote.

antipathy N. aversion; dislike. Tom’s extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife. Noise in any form is antipathetic to him. Among his other antipathies are honking cars, boom boxes, and heavy metal rock.

antiquated ADJ. old-fashioned; obsolete. Philip had grown so accustomed to editing his papers on word processors that he thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.

antiseptic N. substance that prevents infection. It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant. also ADJ.

antithesis N. contrast; direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.

apathy N. lack of caring; indifference. A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. apathetic, ADJ.

ape V. imitate or mimic. He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.

apex N. tip; summit; climax. At the apex of his career, the star was deluged with offers of leading roles; two years later, he was reduced to acting in mouthwash ads.

aphorism N. pithy maxim. An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific. “The proper study of mankind is man” is an aphorism. “There’s no smoke without a fire” is an adage. aphoristic, ADJ.

aplomb N. poise; assurance. Gwen’s aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.

apocalyptic ADJ. prophetic; pertaining to revelations. The crowd jeered at the street preacher’s apocalyptic predictions of doom. The Apocalypse or Book of Revelations of Saint John prophesies the end of the world as we know it and foretells marvels and prodigies that signal the coming doom.

apocryphal ADJ. untrue; made up. To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.

apolitical ADJ. having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs. It was hard to remain apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands.

apologist N. one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.

apostate N. one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs. Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate. apostasy, N.

apotheosis N. elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something. The apotheosis of a Roman emperor was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would worship at his altar forever. The hero of the musical How to Succeed in Business…was the apotheosis of yuppieness: he was the perfect upwardly-bound young man on the make.

appall V. dismay; shock. We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city’s jails.

apparatus N. equipment. Firefighters use specialized apparatus to fight fires.

apparition N. ghost; phantom. On the castle battlements, an apparition materialized and spoke to Hamlet, warning him of his uncle’s treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of apparitions materialized, only to be dematerialized by the specialized apparatus wielded by Bill Murray.

appease V. pacify or soothe; relieve. Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another, but he would not calm down until they appeased his hunger by giving him a bottle.

appellation N. name; title. Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation. Why did they call him Thane of Cawdor, he wondered, when the holder of that title still lived?

append V. attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix.

application N. diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application to the task. apply, V. (secondary meaning)

apposite ADJ. appropriate; fitting. He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.

appraise V. estimate value of. It is difficult to appraise the value of old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. appraisal, N.

appreciate V. be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of. Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, which appreciated in value considerably over the years.

apprehend V. arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive. The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.

apprehension N. fear. His nervous glances at the passersby on the deserted street revealed his apprehension.

apprenticeship N. time spent as a novice learning a trade from a skilled worker. As a child, Pip had thought it would be wonderful to work as Joe’s apprentice; now he hated his apprenticeship and scorned the blacksmith’s trade.

apprise V. inform. When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.

approbation N. approval. She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good grades would please them.

appropriate V. acquire; take possession of for one’s own use. The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians’ use.

apropos PREP. with reference to; regarding. I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent. also ADJ. and ADV.

aptitude N. fitness; talent. The counselor gave him an aptitude test before advising him about the career he should follow.

aquatic ADJ. pertaining to water. Paul enjoyed aquatic sports such as scuba diving and snorkeling.

aquiline ADJ. curved, hooked. Cartoonists exaggerated the senator’s aquiline nose, curving it until it looked like the beak of an eagle.

arable ADJ. fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.

arbiter N. a person with power to decide a dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

arbitrary ADJ. capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical. Tom’s arbitrary dismissal angered him; his boss had no reason to fire him. He threw an arbitrary assortment of clothes into his suitcase and headed off, not caring where he went.

arbitrator N. judge. Because the negotiating teams had been unable to reach a contract settlement, an outside arbitrator was called upon to mediate the dispute between union and management. arbitration, N.

arcade N. a covered passageway, usually lined with shops. The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.

arcane ADJ. secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders. So do doctors. Consider the arcane terminology they use and the impression they try to give that what is arcane to us is obvious to them.

archaeology N. study of artifacts and relics of early mankind. The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

archaic ADJ. antiquated. “Methinks, ” “thee, ” and “thou” are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

archetype N. prototype; primitive pattern. The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

archives N. public records; place where public records are kept. These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the future.

ardent ADJ. intense; passionate; zealous. Katya’s ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause. ardor, N.

aria N. operatic solo. At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma.

arid ADJ. dry; barren. The cactus has adapted to survive in an arid environment.

aristocracy N. hereditary nobility; privileged class. Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy: we say all men are created equal, but we describe particularly outstanding people as natural aristocrats.

aromatic ADJ. fragrant. Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

arousal N. awakening; provocation (of a response). On arousal, Papa was always grumpy as a bear. The children tiptoed around the house, fearing they would arouse his anger by waking him up.

arraign V. charge in court; indict. After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

array V. marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him. also N.

array V. clothe; adorn. She liked to watch her mother array herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening. also N.

arrest V. stop or slow down; catch someone’s attention. Slipping, the trapeze artist plunged from the heights until a safety net luckily arrested his fall. This near-disaster arrested the crowd’s attention.

arrogance N. pride; haughtiness. Convinced that Emma thought she was better than anyone else in the class, Ed rebuked her for her arrogance

arsenal N. storage place for military equipment. People are forbidden to smoke in the arsenal for fear that a stray spark might set off the munitions stored there.

articulate ADJ. effective; distinct. Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers. also V.

artifact N. object made by human beings, either hand-made or mass-produced. Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor but came to no conclusion about the culture they represented.

artifice N. deception; trickery. The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military might.

artisan N. manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artist. A noted artisan, Arturo was known for the fine craftsmanship of his inlaid cabinets.

artless ADJ. without guile; open and honest. Sophisticated and cynical, Jack could not believe Jill was as artless and naive as she appeared to be.

ascendancy N. controlling influence; domination. Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancy over their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing.

ascetic ADJ. practicing self-denial; austere. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders. also N.

ascribe V. refer; attribute; assign. I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

aseptic ADJ. preventing infection; having a cleansing effect. Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced aseptic conditions.

asinine ADJ. stupid. “What an asinine comment!” said Bob contemptuously. “I’ve never heard such a stupid remark.”

askance ADJ. with a sideways or indirect look. Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

askew ADJ. crookedly; slanted; at an angle. Judy constantly straightened the doilies on her furniture: she couldn’t stand seeing them askew.

asperity N. sharpness (of temper). These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

aspersion N. slander; slur; derogatory remark. Unscrupulous politicians practice character assassination as a political tool, casting aspersions on their rivals.

aspirant N. seeker after position or status. Although I am an aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses. also ADJ.

aspire V. seek to attain; long for. Because he aspired to a career in professional sports, Philip enrolled in a graduate program in sports management. aspiration, N.

assay V. analyze; evaluate. When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein. also N.

assent V. agree; accept. It gives me great pleasure to assent to your request.

assert V. declare or state with confidence; put oneself forward boldly. Malcolm asserted that if Reese quit acting like a wimp and asserted himself a bit more, he’d improve his chances of getting a date. assertion, N.

assessment N. evaluation; judgment. Your high school record plays an important part in the admission committee’s assessment of you as an applicant.

assiduous ADJ. diligent. He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results. assiduity, N.

assimilate V. absorb; cause to become homogeneous. The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride to Americans. The immigrants eagerly assimilated new ideas and customs; they soaked them up, the way plants soak up water.

assuage V. ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger). Jilted by Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream. One gallon later, he had assuaged his appetite but not his grief.

assumption N. something taken for granted; taking over or taking possession of. The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her assumption of power. assume, V.

assurance N. promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence. When Guthrie gave Guinness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guinness felt relieved. assure, V.

astral ADJ. relating to the stars. She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.

astringent ADJ. binding; causing contraction. The astringent quality of the unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult. also N.

astronomical ADJ. enormously large or extensive. The government seems willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.

astute ADJ. wise; shrewd; keen. John Jacob Astor made astute investments in land, shrewdly purchasing valuable plots throughout New York City.

asunder ADV. into parts; apart. A fierce quarrel split the partnership asunder: the two partners finally sundered their connections because their points of view were poles asunder.

asylum N. place of refuge or shelter; protection. The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.

asymmetric ADJ. not identical on both sides of a dividing central line. Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William’s face had a particularly asymmetric appearance.

atavism N. reversion to an earlier type; throwback. In his love for gardening, Martin seemed an atavism to his Tuscan forebears, who lavished great care on their small plots of soil.

atheistic ADJ. denying the existence of God. His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

atlas N. a bound volume of maps, charts, or tables. Embarrassed at being unable to distinguish Slovenia from Slovakia, George W. finally consulted an atlas.

atone V. make amends for; pay for. He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

atrocity N. brutal deed. In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

atrophy V. waste away. After three months in a cast, your calf muscles are bound to atrophy; you’ll need physical therapy to get back in shape. also N.

attain V. achieve or accomplish; gain. The scarecrow sought to attain one goal: he wished to obtain a brain.

attentive ADJ. alert and watchful; considerate; thoughtful. Spellbound, the attentive audience watched the final game of the tennis match, never taking their eyes from the ball. A cold wind sprang up; Stan’s attentive daughter slipped a sweater over his shoulders without distracting his attention from the game.

attenuate V. make thin; weaken. By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

attest V. testify, bear witness. Having served as a member of the Grand Jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.

attribute N. essential quality. His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

attribute V. ascribe; explain. I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents.

attrition N. gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment. In the 1960s urban churches suffered from attrition as members moved from the cities to the suburbs. Rather than fire staff members, church leaders followed a policy of attrition, allowing elderly workers to retire without replacing them.

atypical ADJ. not normal. The child psychiatrist reassured Mrs. Keaton that playing doctor was not atypical behavior for a child of young Alex’s age. “Yes, ” she replied, “but not charging for house calls!”

audacious ADJ. daring; bold. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death defying leap to freedom, escaping Darth Vader’s troops. audacity, N.

audit N. examination of accounts. When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the chief cashier. also V.

auditory ADJ. pertaining to the sense of hearing. Audrey suffered from auditory hallucinations: she thought Elvis was speaking to her from the Great Beyond.

augment V. increase; add to. Armies augment their forces by calling up reinforcements; teachers augment their salaries by taking odd jobs.

august ADJ. impressive; majestic. Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

auspicious ADJ. favoring success. With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail. Thomas, however, had doubts about sailing: a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever conditions seemed auspicious.

austere ADJ. forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented. The headmaster’s austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly. The room reflected the man, austere and bare, like a monk’s cell, with no touches of luxury to moderate its austerity.

authenticate V. confirm as genuine. After a thorough chemical analysis of the pigments and canvas, the experts were prepared to authenticate the painting as an original Rembrandt.

authoritarian ADJ. subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another’s will. The leaders of the authoritarian regime ordered the suppression of the democratic protest movement. After years of submitting to the will of her authoritarian father, Elizabeth Barrett ran away from home with the poet Robert Browning.

authoritative ADJ. having the weight of authority; peremptory and dictatorial. Impressed by the young researcher’s well-documented presentation, we accepted her analysis of the experiment as authoritative.

autocratic ADJ. having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial. Someone accustomed to exercising authority may become autocratic if his or her power is unchecked. Dictators by definition are autocrats. Bosses who dictate behavior as well as letters can be autocrats too.

automaton N. robot; person performing a task mechanically. The assembly line job called for no initiative or intelligence on Homer’s part; on automatic pilot, he pushed button after button like an automaton.

autonomous ADJ. self-governing. Although the University of California at Berkeley is just one part of the state university system, in many ways Cal Berkeley is autonomous, for it runs several programs that are not subject to outside control. autonomy, N.

autopsy N. examination of a dead body; post-mortem. The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death. also V.

auxiliary ADJ. helper, additional or subsidiary. To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station. also N.

avalanche N. great mass of falling snow and ice. The park ranger warned the skiers to stay on the main trails, where they would be in no danger of being buried beneath a sudden avalanche.

avarice N. greediness for wealth. King Midas is a perfect example of avarice, for he was so greedy that he wished everything he touched would turn to gold.

avenge V. take vengeance for something (or on behalf of someone). Hamlet vowed he would avenge his father’s murder and punish Claudius for his horrible crime.

aver V. assert confidently; affirm. Despite overwhelming popular skepticism about his voyage, Columbus averred he would succeed in finding a direct sea route to the Far East.

averse ADJ. reluctant; disinclined. The reporter was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

aversion N. firm dislike. Bert had an aversion to yuppies; Alex had an aversion to punks. Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

avert V. prevent; turn away. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

avid ADJ. greedy; eager for. Avid for pleasure, Abner partied with great avidity. avidity, N.

avocation N. secondary or minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.

avow V. declare openly. Lana avowed that she never meant to steal Debbie’s boyfriend, but no one believed her avowal of innocence.

awe N. solemn wonder. The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

awry ADV. crooked; wrong; amiss. Noticing that the groom’s tie was slightly awry, the bride reached over to set it straight. A careful organizer, she hated to have anything go awry with her plans.

axiom N. self-evident truth requiring no proof. Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles or axioms.

badger V. pester; annoy. She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.

badinage N. teasing conversation. Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.

bait V. harass; tease. The school bully baited the smaller children, terrorizing them.

baleful ADJ. deadly; having a malign influence; ominous. The fortune teller made baleful predictions of terrible things to come.

balk V. foil or thwart; stop short; refuse to go on. When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt. However, he balked at punishing them by shackling them to the walls of their cells.

ballast N. heavy substance used to add stability or weight. The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an even keel. also V.

balm N. something that relieves pain. Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

balmy ADJ. mild; fragrant. A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

banal ADJ. hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality. The hack writer’s worn-out clichés made his comic sketch seem banal. He even resorted to the banality of having someone slip on a banana peel!

bandy V. discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly. While the president was happy to bandy patriotic generalizations with anyone who would listen to him, he refused to bandy words with unfriendly reporters at the press conference.

bane N. cause of ruin; curse. Lucy’s little brother was the bane of her existence: his attempts to make her life miserable worked so well that she could have poisoned him with rats bane for having such a baneful effect.

bantering ADJ. good-natured ridiculing. They resented his bantering remarks because they thought he was being sarcastic.

barb N. sharp projection from fishhook, etc.; openly cutting remark. If you were a politician, which would you prefer, being caught on the barb of a fishhook or being subjected to malicious verbal barbs? Who can blame the president if he’s happier fishing than back in the capitol listening to his critics’ barbed remarks?

baroque ADJ. highly ornate. Accustomed to the severe lines of contemporary buildings, the architecture students found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing. They simply didn’t go for baroque.

barrage N. barrier laid down by artillery fire. The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy cannons.

barren ADJ. desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking. Looking out at the trackless, barren desert, Indiana Jones feared that his search for the missing expedition would prove barren.

barricade N. hastily put together defensive barrier; obstacle. Marius and his fellow students hurriedly improvised a rough barricade to block police access to the students’ quarter. Malcolm and his brothers barricaded themselves in their bedroom to keep their mother from seeing the hole in the bedroom floor. also V.

barterer N. trader. The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives’ furs. It seemed smarter to barter than to pay cash.

bask V. luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth. Basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep.

bastion N. fortress; defense. The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerillas’ raids.

bate V. let down; restrain. Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity. bated, ADJ.

bauble N. trinket; trifle. The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

bawdy ADJ. indecent; obscene. Jack took offense at Jill’s bawdy remarks. What kind of young man did she think he was?

beam N. ray of light; long piece of metal or wood; course of a radio signal. V. smile radiantly. If a beam of light falls on you, it illuminates you; if a beam of iron falls on you, it eliminates you. (No one feels like beaming when crushed by an iron beam.)

beatific ADJ. giving bliss; blissful. The beatific smile on the child’s face made us very happy.

beatitude N. blessedness; state of bliss. Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

bedraggle V. wet thoroughly; stain with mud. We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing. bedraggled, ADJ.

beeline N. direct, quick route. As soon as the movie was over, Jim made a beeline for the exit.

befuddle V. confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in befuddling her further.

beget V. father; produce; give rise to. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another.

begrudge V. resent. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings; they’re a complete waste of time.

beguile V. mislead or delude; pass time. With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men beguiled Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, he beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.

behemoth N. huge creature; monstrous animal. Sportscasters nicknamed the linebacker “The Behemoth.”

belabor V. explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; attack verbally. The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring her point.

belated ADJ. delayed. He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just learned of her husband’s untimely death.

beleaguer V. besiege or attack; harass. The baby sitter was surrounded by a crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly beleaguered her.

belie V. contradict; give a false impression. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his inner sensitivity.

belittle V. disparage or depreciate; put down. Parents should not belittle their children’s early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts. Barry was a put-down artist: he was a genius at belittling people and making them feel small.

belligerent ADJ. quarrelsome. Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers. belligerence, N.

bemoan V. lament; express disapproval of. The widow bemoaned the death of her beloved husband. Although critics bemoaned the serious flaws in the author’s novels, each year his latest book topped the best-seller list.

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

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

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

beneficial ADJ. helpful; useful. Tiny Tim’s cheerful good nature had a beneficial influence on Scrooge’s once uncharitable disposition.

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

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

benign ADJ. kindly; favorable; not malignant. Though her benign smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem a sweet little old lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd observer of human nature. benignity, N.

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

bequeath V. leave to someone by a will; hand down. Though Maud had intended to bequeath the family home to her nephew, she died before changing her will. bequest, N.

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

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

bereft ADJ. deprived of; lacking; desolate because of a loss. The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.

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

beseech V. beg; plead with. The workaholic executive’s wife beseeched him to spend more time with their son.

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

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

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

bestial ADJ. beastlike; brutal. According to legend, the werewolf was able to abandon its human shape and take on a bestial form.

betoken V. signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tall piles of cargo containers, and numerous vessels being loaded all betoken Oakland’s importance as a port.

betray V. be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly). The spy betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy. When he was taken in for questioning, the tightness of his lips betrayed his fear of being caught.

betroth V. become engaged to marry. The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any romance. betrothal, N.

bevy N. large group. The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of starlets.

biased ADJ. slanted; prejudiced. Because the judge played golf regularly with the district attorney’s father, we feared he might be biased in the prosecution’s favor. bias, N.

bicameral ADJ. two-chambered, as a legislative body. The United States Congress is a bicameral body.

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

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

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

bilious ADJ. suffering from indigestion; irritable. His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

bilk V. swindle; cheat. The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

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

bizarre ADJ. fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.

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

bland ADJ. soothing or mild; agreeable. Jill tried a bland ointment for her sunburn. However, when Jack absent- mindedly patted her on the sunburned shoulder, she couldn’t maintain a bland disposition.

blandishment N. flattery. Despite the sales person’s blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

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

blasé ADJ. bored with pleasure or dissipation. Although Beth was as thrilled with the idea of a trip to Paris as her classmates were, she tried to act super cool and blasé, as if she’d been abroad hundreds of times.

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

blatant ADJ. flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offensive. To the unemployed youth from Dublin, the “No Irish Need Apply” placard in the shop window was a blatant mark of prejudice.

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

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

blithe ADJ. gay; joyous; carefree. Without a care in the world, Beth went her blithe, lighthearted way.

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

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

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

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

blunder N. error. The criminal’s fatal blunder led to his capture. also V.

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

bluster V. blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully. “Let the stormy winds bluster, ” cried Jack, “we’ll set sail tonight.” Jill let Jack bluster: she wasn’t going anywhere, no matter what he said.

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

bogus ADJ. counterfeit; not authentic. The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills.

bohemian ADJ. unconventional (in an artistic way). Gertrude Stein ran off to Paris to live an eccentric, bohemian life with her writer friends. Oakland was not bohemian: it was too bourgeois, too middle-class.

boisterous ADJ. violent; rough; noisy. The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.

bolster V. support; reinforce. The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments.

bolt N. door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric. The carpenter shut the workshop door, sliding the heavy metal bolt into place. He sorted through his toolbox for the nuts and bolts and nails he would need. Before he cut into the bolt of canvas, he measured how much fabric he would need.

bolt V. dash or dart off; fasten (a door); gobble down. Jack was set to bolt out the front door, but Jill bolted the door. “Eat your breakfast, ” she said, “don’t bolt your food.”

bombardment N. attack with missiles. The enemy bombardment demolished the town. Members of the opposition party bombarded the prime minister with questions about the enemy attack.

bombastic ADJ. pompous; using inflated language. Puffed up with conceit, the orator spoke in such a bombastic manner that we longed to deflate him. bombast, N.

booming ADJ. deep and resonant; flourishing, thriving. “Who needs a microphone?” cried the mayor in his booming voice. Cheerfully he boomed out that, thanks to him, the city’s economy was booming. boom, V.

boon N. blessing; benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

boorish ADJ. rude; insensitive. Though Mr. Collins constantly interrupted his wife, she ignored his boorish behavior, for she had lost hope of teaching him courtesy.

boundless ADJ. unlimited; vast. Mike’s energy was boundless: the greater the challenge, the more vigorously he tackled the job.

bountiful ADJ. abundant; graciously generous. Thanks to the good harvest, we had a bountiful supply of food and we could be as bountiful as we liked in distributing food to the needy.

bourgeois ADJ. middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional. Technically, anyone who belongs to the middle class is bourgeois, but, given the word’s connotations, most people resent it if you call them that.

bovine ADJ. cowlike; placid and dull. Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery, she still preserved her air of bovine calm.

bowdlerize V. expurgate. After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture’s rating was changed from “R” to “PG.”

boycott V. refrain from buying or using. To put pressure on grape growers to stop using pesticides that harmed the farm workers’ health, Cesar Chavez called for consumers to boycott grapes.

braggart N. boaster. Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.

brandish V. wave around; flourish. Alarmed, Doctor Watson wildly brandished his gun until Holmes told him to put the thing away before he shot himself.

bravado N. swagger; assumed air of defiance. The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.

brawn N. muscular strength; sturdiness. It takes brawn to become a champion weightlifter. brawny, ADJ.

brazen ADJ. insolent. Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

breach N. breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap. Jill sued Jack for breach of promise, claiming he had broken his promise to marry her. They found a breach in the enemy’s fortifications and penetrated their lines. also V.

breadth N. width; extent. We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

brevity N. conciseness. Brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.

bristling ADJ. rising like bristles; showing irritation. The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

brittle ADJ. easily broken; difficult. My employer’s self-control was as brittle as an eggshell. Her brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.

broach V. introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to broach the subject of religion with his in-laws. If you broach a touchy subject, it may cause a breach.

brochure N. pamphlet. This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.

browbeat V. bully; intimidate. Billy resisted Ted’s attempts to browbeat him into handing over his lunch money.

browse V. graze; skim or glance at casually. “How now, brown cow, browsing in the green, green grass.” I remember lines of verse that I came across while browsing through the poetry section of the local bookstore.

brunt N. main impact or shock. Tom Sawyer claimed credit for painting the fence, but the brunt of the work fell on others. However, he bore the brunt of Aunt Polly’s complaints when the paint began to peel.

brusque ADJ. blunt; abrupt. Was Bruce too brusque when he brushed off Bob’s request with a curt “Not now!”?

buccaneer N. pirate. At Disneyland the Pirates of the Caribbean sing a song about their lives as bloody buccaneers.

bucolic ADJ. rustic; pastoral. Filled with browsing cows and bleating sheep, the meadow was a charmingly bucolic sight.

buffet N. table with food set out for people to serve themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that’s been set out. Please convey the soufflé on the tray to the buffet. (Buffet rhymes with tray.)

buffet V. slap; batter; knock about. To buffet something is to rough it up. (Buffet rhymes with Muffett.) Was Miss Muffett buffeted by the crowd on the way to the buffet tray?

buffoonery N. clowning. In the Ace Ventura movies, Jim Carrey’s buffoonery was hilarious: like Bozo the Clown, he’s a natural buffoon.

bulwark N. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion.

bumptious ADJ. self-assertive. His classmates called him a show-off because of his bumptious airs.

bungle V. mismanage; blunder. Don’t botch this assignment, Bumstead; if you bungle the job, you’re fired!

buoyant ADJ. able to float; cheerful and optimistic. When the boat capsized, her buoyant life jacket kept Jody afloat. Scrambling back on board, she was still in a buoyant mood, certain that despite the delay she’d win the race.

bureaucracy N. over-regulated administrative system marked by red tape. The Internal Revenue Service is the ultimate bureaucracy: taxpayers wasted so much paper filling out IRS forms that the IRS bureaucrats printed up a new set of rules requiring taxpayers to comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act.

burgeon V. grow forth; send out buds. In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.

burlesque V. give an imitation that ridicules. In Spaceballs Rick Moranis burlesques Darth Vader of Star Wars, outrageously parodying Vader’s stiff walk and hollow voice.

burly ADJ. husky; muscular. The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.

burnish V. make shiny by rubbing; polish. The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.

bustle V. move about energetically; teem. David and the children bustled about the house getting in each other’sway as they tried to pack for the camping trip. The whole house bustled with activity.

buttress V. support; prop up. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case. also N.

buxom ADJ. plump; full-bosomed. Fashion models are usually slim and willowy rather than buxom.

cabal N. small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. The cabal was defeated when their scheme was discovered.

cache N. hiding place. The detectives followed the suspect until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot. He had cached the cash in a bag for trash: it was a hefty sum.

cacophonous ADJ. discordant; inharmonious. Do the students in the orchestra enjoy the cacophonous sounds they make when they’re tuning up? I don’t know how they can stand the racket. cacophony, N.

cadence N. rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat. Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

cajole V. coax; wheedle. Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car. cajolery, N.

calamity N. disaster; misery. As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community.

calculated ADJ. deliberately planned; likely. Lexy’s choice of clothes to wear to the debate tournament was carefully calculated. Her conventional suit was one calculated to appeal to the conservative judges.

caldron N. large kettle. “Why, Mr. Crusoe, ” said the savage heating the giant caldron, “we’d love to have you for dinner!”

caliber N. ability; quality. The scholarship committee searched for students of high caliber, ones with the intelligence and ability to be a credit to the school.

calligraphy N. beautiful writing; excellent penmanship. As we examine ancient manuscripts, we become impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.

callous ADJ. hardened; unfeeling. He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffering in the wards. callus, N.

callow ADJ. youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a freshman, Jack was sure he was a man of the world; as a sophomore, he made fun of freshmen as callow youths. In both cases, his judgment showed just how callow he was.

calorific ADJ. heat-producing. Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

calumny N. malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

camaraderie N. good-fellowship. What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his co-workers shared.

cameo N. shell or jewel carved in relief; star’s special appearance in a minor role in a film. Don’t buy cameos from the street peddlers in Rome: the workmanship is wretched. Did you catch Bill Murray’s cameo in Little Shop of Horrors? He was on-screen so briefly that if you blinked you missed him.

camouflage V. disguise; conceal. In order to rescue Han Solo, Princess Leia camouflaged herself in the helmet and cloak of a space bandit.

candor N. frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry candor too far: when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face. candid, ADJ.

canine ADJ. related to dogs; dog-like. Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population.

canny ADJ. shrewd; thrifty. The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

cant N. insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of the minister’s extramarital love affairs, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who cant, pretend.

cantankerous ADJ. ill humored; irritable. Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.

canter N. slow gallop. Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won in a canter. also V.

canto N. division of a long poem. Dante’s poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.

canvass V. determine votes, etc. After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his district. also N.

capacious ADJ. spacious. In the capacious rotunda of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train.

capacity N. mental or physical ability; role; ability to accommodate. Mike had the capacity to handle several jobs at once. In his capacity as president of Selec Tronics he marketed an electronic dictionary with a capacity of 200, 000 words.

capitulate V. surrender. The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.

capricious ADJ. unpredictable; fickle; fanciful. The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly. Jill was capricious too: she changed boyfriends almost as often as she changed clothes. caprice, N.

caption N. title; chapter heading; text under illustration. The captions that accompany The Far Side cartoons are almost as funny as the pictures. also V.

captivate V. charm or enthrall. Bart and Lisa were captivated by their new nanny’s winning manner.

cardinal ADJ. chief. If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is to read.

careen V. lurch; sway from side to side. The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

caricature N. exaggerated picture or description; distortion. The cartoonist’s caricature of President Bush grossly exaggerated the size of the president’s ears. also V.

carnage N. destruction of life. The film The Killing Fields vividly depicts the carnage wreaked by Pol Pot’s followers in Cambodia.

carnal ADJ. fleshly. Is the public more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters? Compare the number of people who read Playboy daily to the number of those who read the Bible or Koran every day.

carnivorous ADJ. meat-eating. The lion’s a carnivorous beast. A hunk of meat makes up his feast. A cow is not a carnivore. She likes the taste of grain, not gore.

carping ADJ. finding fault. A carping critic is a nit-picker: he loves to point out flaws. If you don’t like this definition, feel free to carp.

castigate V. criticize severely; punish. When the teacher threatened that she would castigate the mischievous boys if they didn’t behave, they shaped up in a hurry.

casualty N. serious or fatal accident. The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

cataclysm N. violent upheaval; deluge. The Russian Revolution was a political and social cataclysm that overturned czarist society. cataclysmic, ADJ.

catalyst N. agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged. Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst.

catapult N. slingshot; a hurling machine. Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults. also V.

cataract N. great waterfall; eye abnormality. She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls.

catastrophe N. calamity; disaster. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a catastrophe that destroyed most of the city. A similar earthquake striking today could have even more catastrophic results.

catechism N. book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer. He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer.

categorical ADJ. without exceptions; unqualified; absolute. Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally had to qualify his categorical denial: he was “hardly ever” sick at sea.

cater to V. supply something desired (whether good or bad). The chef was happy to cater to the tastes of his highly sophisticated clientele. Critics condemned the movie industry for catering to the public’s ever-increasing appetite for violence.

catharsis N. purging or cleansing of any passage of the body. Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts.

catholic ADJ. broadly sympathetic; liberal. He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library.

caucus N. private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy. At the opening of Congress, the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the Majority Leader of the House and the Party Whip.

caulk V. make watertight by filling in cracks. Jack had to caulk the tiles in the shower stall to stop the leak into the basement below.

causal ADJ. implying a cause-and-effect relationship. The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one’s early childhood experiences and one’s adult personality. causality, N.

caustic ADJ. burning; sarcastically biting. The critic’s caustic comments angered the actors, who resented his cutting remarks.

cavalcade N. procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was a motley group.

cavalier ADJ. offhand or casual; haughty. The disguised prince resented the cavalier way in which the palace guards treated him. How dared they handle a member of the royal family so unceremoniously!

cavil V. make frivolous objections. It’s fine when you make sensible criticisms, but it really bugs me when you cavil about unimportant details. also N.

cede V. yield (title, territory) to; surrender formally. Eventually the descendants of England’s Henry II were forced to cede their French territories to the King of France.

celebrated ADJ. famous; well-known. Thanks to their race to break Roger Maris’s home-run record, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are two of America’s most celebrated baseball players. celebrity, N.

celerity N. speed; rapidity. Hamlet resented his mother’s celerity in remarrying within a month after his father’s death.

celestial ADJ. heavenly; relating to the sky. Pointing his primitive telescope at the heavens, Galileo explored the celestial mysteries.

celibate ADJ. unmarried; abstaining from sexual intercourse. Though Havelock Ellis wrote extensively about sexual practices, recent studies maintain he was celibate throughout his life. celibacy, N.

censor N. overseer of morals; person who reads to eliminate inappropriate remarks. Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution. also V.

censure V. blame; criticize. The senator was censured for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress. also N.

centrifugal ADJ. radiating; departing from the center. Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

centripetal ADJ. tending toward the center. Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth’s surface?

cerebral ADJ. pertaining to the brain or intellect. The heroes of Dumb and Dumber were poorly equipped for cerebral pursuits.

cerebration N. thought. Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

ceremonious ADJ. marked by formality. Ordinary dress would be inappropriate at so ceremonious an affair.

certitude N. certainty. Though there was no certitude of his getting the job, Lou thought he had a good chance of doing so.

cessation N. stoppage. The airline’s employees threatened a cessation of all work if management failed to meet their demands. cease, V.

cession N. yielding to another; ceding. The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter.

chafe V. warm by rubbing; make sore (by rubbing). Chilled, he chafed his hands before the fire. The collar of his school uniform chafed Tom’s neck, but not as much the school’s strict rules chafed his spirit. also N.

chaff N. worthless products of an endeavor. When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

chaffing ADJ. bantering; joking. Sometimes Chad’s flippant, chaffing remarks annoy us. Still, Chad’s chaffing keeps us laughing. also N.

chagrin N. vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride); disappointment. Embarrassed by his parents’shabby, working-class appearance, Doug felt their visit to his school would bring him nothing but chagrin. Someone filled with chagrin doesn’t grin: he’s too mortified.

chameleon N. lizard that changes color in different situations. Like the chameleon, he assumed the political thinking of every group he met.

champion V. support militantly. Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize because he championed the oppressed in their struggle for equality.

chaotic ADJ. in utter disorder. He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs. chaos, N.

charisma N. divine gift; great popular charm or appeal of a political leader. Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate’s charisma in these days of television campaigning.

charlatan N. quack; pretender to knowledge. When they realized that the Wizard didn’t know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her companions were indignant that they’d been duped by a charlatan.

chary ADJ. cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty, New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary compliments.

chasm N. abyss. Looking down from the Cliffs of Doom, Frodo and his companions could not see the bottom of the chasm.

chaste ADJ. pure; virginal; modest. To ensure that his bride would stay chaste while he was off to the wars, the crusader had her fitted out with a chastity belt. chastity, N.

chasten V. discipline; punish in order to correct. Whom God loves, God chastens.

chastise V. punish. “Spare the rod and spoil the child” was Miss Watson’s motto: she relished whipping Huck with a birch rod to chastise him.

chauvinist N. blindly devoted patriot. A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be. Likewise, a male chauvinist cannot recognize his bias in favor of his own sex, no matter how flagrant that may be. chauvinistic, ADJ.

check V. stop motion; curb or restrain. Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby’s lunge at his sister. “Young man, ” she said, “you’d better check your temper.” (secondary meaning)

checkered ADJ. marked by changes in fortune. During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boarding houses.

cherubic ADJ. angelic; innocent-looking. With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child.

chicanery N. trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred, made up all sorts of implausible alternative scenarios to confuse the jurors, and in general depended on chicanery to win the case.

chimerical ADJ. fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative. As everyone expected, Ted’s chimerical scheme to make a fortune by raising ermines in his back yard proved a dismal failure.

chisel N. Wedgelike tool for cutting. With his hammer and chisel, the sculptor chipped away at the block of marble.

chisel V. swindle or cheat; cut with a chisel. That crook chiseled me out of a hundred dollars when he sold me that“marble” statue he’d chiseled out of some cheap hunk of rock.

chivalrous ADJ. courteous; faithful; brave. Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.

choleric ADJ. hot-tempered. His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature.

choreography N. art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances. Merce Cunningham uses a computer in designing choreography: a software program allows him to compose sequences of possible moves and immediately view them on-screen.

chronic ADJ. long established as a disease. The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas in his apartment.

chronicle V. report; record (in chronological order). The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities. also N.

churlish ADJ. boorish; rude. Dismayed by his churlish manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.

cipher N. secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher.

cipher N. nonentity; worthless person or thing. She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.

circuitous ADJ. roundabout. To avoid the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route. circuit, N.

circumlocution N. indirect or roundabout expression. He was afraid to call a spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

circumscribe V. limit; confine. School regulations circumscribed Elle’s social life: she hated having to follow rules that limited her activities.

circumspect ADJ. prudent; cautious. Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.

circumvent V. outwit; baffle. In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.

cite V. quote; command. She could cite passages in the Bible from memory. citation, N.

civil ADJ. having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite. Although Internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax cheats.

clairvoyant ADJ., N. having foresight; fortuneteller. Cassandra’s clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans. clairvoyance, N.

clamor N. noise. The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap. also V.

clandestine ADJ. secret. After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

clangor N. loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.

clasp N. fastening device; firm grip. When the clasp on Judy’s bracelet broke, Fred repaired it, bending the hook back into shape. He then helped her slip on the bracelet, holding it firm in the sure clasp of his hand.

cleave V. split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to. With her heavy cleaver, Julia Child can cleave a whole roast duck in two. Soaked through, the soldier tugged at the uniform that cleaved annoyingly to his body. He would cleave to his post, come rain or shine.

cleft N. split. Trying for a fresh handhold, the mountain climber grasped the edge of a cleft in the sheer rock face. also ADJ.

clemency N. disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather. The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith’s chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders.

clench V. close tightly; grasp. “Open wide, ” said the dentist, but Clint clenched his teeth even more tightly than before.

cliché N. phrase dulled in meaning by repetition. High school compositions are often marred by such clichés as “strong as an ox.”

clientele N. body of customers. The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

climactic ADJ. relating to the highest point. When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading. climax, N.

clime N. region; climate. His doctor advised him to move to a milder clime.

clip N. section of filmed material. Phil’s job at Fox Sports involved selecting clips of the day’s sporting highlights for later broadcast. also V.

clique N. small exclusive group. Fitzgerald wished that he belonged to the clique of popular athletes and big men on campus who seemed to run Princeton’s social life.

cloister N. monastery or convent. The nuns lived a secluded life in the cloister.

clout N. great influence (especially political or social). Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club.

cloying ADJ. distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental. Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose to have homemade carrot cake at the reception. cloy, V.

clump N. cluster or close group (of bushes, trees); mass; sound of heavy treading. Hiding behind the clump of bushes, the fugitives waited for the heavy clump of the soldiers’ feet to fade away.

coagulate V. thicken; congeal; clot. Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands; therefore, do not overcook the pudding, lest it become too thick.

coalesce V. combine; fuse. The brooks coalesce into one large river. When minor political parties coalesce, their coalescence may create a major coalition.

coalition N. partnership; league; union. The Rainbow Coalition united people of all races in a common cause.

coddle V. to treat gently. Don’t coddle the children so much; they need a taste of discipline.

codify V. arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify. We need to take the varying rules and regulations of the different health agencies and codify them into a national health code.

coercion N. use of force to get someone to obey. The inquisitors used both physical and psychological coercion to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God. coerce, V.

cogent ADJ. convincing. It was inevitable that David chose to go to Harvard: he had several cogent reasons for doing so, including a full-tuition scholarship. Katya argued her case with such cogency that the jury had to decide in favor of her client.

cognate ADJ. related linguistically: allied by blood: similar or akin in nature. The English word “mother” is cognate to the Latin word “mater, ” whose influence is visible in the words “maternal” and “maternity.” also N.

cognitive ADJ. having to do with knowing or perceiving; related to the mental processes. Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced intellectually.

cognizance N. knowledge. During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international situation.

cohere V. stick together. Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.

cohesion N. tendency to keep together. A firm believer in the maxim “Divide and conquer, ” the evil emperor, by means of lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the cohesion of the federation of free nations.

coiffure N. hairstyle. You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the sixties many African-Americans affirmed their racial heritage by wearing their hair in Afros.

coin V. make coins; invent or fabricate. Mints coin good money; counterfeiters coin fakes. Slanderers coin nasty rumors; writers coin words. A neologism is an expression that’s been newly-coined.

coincidence N. two or more things occurring at the same time by chance. Was it just a coincidence that John and she had chanced to meet at the market for three days running, or was he deliberately trying to seek her out? coincidental, ADJ.

collaborate V. work together. Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.

collage N. work of art put together from fragments. Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage.

collate V. examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order. They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age.

collateral N. security given for loan. The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral.

colloquial ADJ. pertaining to conversational or common speech. Some of the new, less formal reading passages on the SAT have a colloquial tone that is intended to make them more appealing to students.

collusion N. conspiring in a fraudulent scheme. The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

comatose ADJ. in a coma; extremely sleepy. The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state.

combustible ADJ. easily burned. After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible materials be kept in safe containers. also N.

comely ADJ. attractive; agreeable. I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one.

comeuppance N. rebuke; deserts. After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance.

commandeer V. to draft for military purposes; to take for public use. The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.

commemorate V. honor the memory of. The statue of the Minute Man commemorates the valiant soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War.

commensurate ADJ. equal in extent. Your reward will be commensurate with your effort.

commiserate V. feel or express pity or sympathy for. Her friends commiserated with the widow.

commodious ADJ. spacious and comfortable. After sleeping in small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.

communal ADJ. held in common; of a group of people. When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property.

compact N. agreement; contract. The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government.

compact ADJ. tightly packed; firm; brief. His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball.

comparable ADJ. similar. People whose jobs are comparable in difficulty should receive comparable pay.

compatible ADJ. harmonious; in harmony with. They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters. compatibility, N.

compelling ADJ. overpowering; irresistible in effect. The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney’s compelling arguments for leniency won over the jury.

compensatory ADJ. making up for; repaying. Can a compensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

compile V. assemble; gather; accumulate. We planned to compile a list of the words most frequently used on SAT examinations.

complacency N. self-satisfaction; smugness. Full of complacency about his latest victories, he looked smugly at the row of trophies on his mantelpiece. complacent, ADJ.

complaisant ADJ. trying to please; obliging. Always ready to accede to his noble patron’s wishes, Mr. Collins was a complaisant, even obsequious, character.

complement V. complete; consummate; make perfect. The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. also N.

complementary ADJ. serving to complete something. John and Lisa’s skills are complementary: he’s good at following a daily routine, while she’s great at improvising and handling emergencies. Together they make a great team.

compliance N. readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements. Bullheaded Bill was not noted for easy compliance with the demands of others. As an architect, however, Bill recognized that his design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

compliant ADJ. yielding. Because Joel usually gave in and went along with whatever his friends desired, his mother worried that he might be too compliant.

complicity N. participation; involvement. You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.

component N. element; ingredient. I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same time.

composure N. mental calmness. Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

compound V. combine; constitute; pay interest; increase. The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine. also N.

comprehensive ADJ. thorough; inclusive. This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.

compress V. close; squeeze; contract. She compressed the package under her arm.

comprise V. include; consist of. If the District of Columbia were to be granted statehood, the United States of America would comprise fifty-one states, not just fifty.

compromise V. adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of. Sometimes the presence of a neutral third party can help adversaries compromise their differences. Unfortunately, you’re not neutral; therefore, your presence here compromises our chances of reaching an agreement. also N.

compunction N. remorse. The judge was especially severe in his sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.

compute V. reckon; calculate. He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate. computation, N.

concave ADJ. hollow. The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff.

concede V. admit; yield. Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right.

conceit N. vanity or self-love; whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor. Although Jack was smug and puffed up with conceit, he was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.

concentric ADJ. having a common center. The target was made of concentric circles.

conception N. beginning; forming of an idea. At the first conception of the work, he was consulted. conceive, V.

concerted ADJ. mutually agreed on; done together. All the Girl Scouts made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing. When the movie star appeared, his fans let out a concerted sigh.

concession N. an act of yielding. Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions.

conciliatory ADJ. reconciling; soothing. She was still angry despite his conciliatory words. conciliate, V.

concise ADJ. brief and compact. When you define a new word, be concise: the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.

conclusive ADJ. decisive; ending all debate. When the stolen books turned up in John’s locker, we finally had conclusive evidence of the identity of the mysterious thief.

concoct V. prepare by combining; make up in concert. How did the inventive chef ever concoct such a strange dish? concoction, N.

concomitant N. that which accompanies. Culture is not always a concomitant of wealth. also ADJ.

concord N. harmony; agreement between people or things. Watching Tweedledum and Tweedledee battle, Alice wondered at their lack of concord.

concur V. agree. Did you concur with the decision of the court or did you find it unfair?

concurrent ADJ. happening at the same time. In America, the colonists were resisting the demands of the mother country; at the concurrent moment in France, the middle class was sowing the seeds of rebellion.

condemn V. censure; sentence; force or limit to a particular state. In My Cousin Vinnie, Vinnie’s fiancée condemned Vinnie for mishandling his cousin Tony’s defense. If Vinnie didn’t do a better job defending Tony, the judge would condemn Tony to death, and Vinnie would be condemned to cleaning toilets for a living.

condense V. make more compact or dense; shorten or abridge; reduce into a denser form. If you squeeze a slice of Wonder Bread, taking out the extra air, you can condense it into a pellet the size of a sugar cube. If you cut out the unnecessary words from your essay, you can condense it to a paragraph. As the bathroom cooled down, the steam from the shower condensed into droplets of water.

condescend V. act conscious of descending to a lower level; patronize. Though Jill had been a star softball player in college, when she played a pickup game at the park she never condescended to her less experienced teammates. condescension, N.

condiments N. seasonings; spices. The chef seasoned the dish with so much garlic that we could hardly taste the other condiments.

condole V. express sympathetic sorrow. His friends gathered to condole with him over his loss. condolence, N.

condone V. overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse. Unlike the frail widow, who indulged her only son and condoned his minor offenses, the boy’s stern uncle did nothing but scold.

conducive ADJ. contributive; tending to. Rest and proper diet are conducive to good health.

confidant N. trusted friend. He had no confidants with whom he could discuss his problems at home.

confine V. shut in; restrict. The terrorists had confined their prisoner in a small room. However, they had not chained him to the wall or done anything else to confine his movements further. confinement, N.

confirm V. corroborate; verify; support. I have several witnesses who will confirm my account of what happened.

confiscate V. seize; commandeer. The army confiscated all available supplies of uranium.

conflagration N. great fire. In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.

confluence N. flowing together; crowd. They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.

conformity N. harmony; agreement. In conformity with our rules and regulations, I am calling a meeting of our organization.

confound V. confuse; puzzle. No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long.

confrontation N. act of facing someone or something; encounter, often hostile. Morris hoped to avoid any confrontations with his ex-wife, but he kept on running into her at the health club. How would you like to confront someone who can bench press 200 pounds? confront, V., confrontational, ADJ.

congeal V. freeze; coagulate. His blood congealed in his veins as he saw the dread monster rush toward him.

congenial ADJ. pleasant; friendly. My father loved to go out for a meal with congenial companions.

congenital ADJ. existing at birth. Were you born stupid, or did you just turn out this way? In other words, is your idiocy congenital or acquired? Doctors are able to cure some congenital deformities such as cleft palates by performing operations on infants.

conglomeration N. mass of material sticking together. In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis.

congruent ADJ. in agreement; corresponding. In formulating a hypothesis, we must keep it congruent with what we know of the real world; it cannot disagree with our experience.

conjecture V. surmise; guess. Although there was no official count, the organizers conjectured that more than 10,000 marchers took part in the March for Peace. also N.

conjugal ADJ. pertaining to marriage. Their dreams of conjugal bliss were shattered as soon as their temperaments clashed.

conjure V. summon a devil; practice magic; imagine or invent. Sorcerers conjure devils to appear. Magicians conjure white rabbits out of hats. Political candidates conjure up images of reformed cities and a world at peace.

connivance N. assistance; pretense of ignorance of something wrong; permission to offend. With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher. connive, V.

connoisseur N. person competent to act as a judge of art, etc.; a lover of an art. She had developed into a connoisseur of fine china.

connotation N. suggested or implied meaning of an expression. Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.

connubial ADJ. pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state. In his telegram, he wished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss.

conscientious ADJ. scrupulous; careful. A conscientious editor, she checked every definition for its accuracy.

consecrate V. dedicate; sanctify. We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose.

consensus N. general agreement. Every time the garden club members had nearly reached a consensus about what to plant, Mistress Mary, quite contrary, disagreed.

consequential ADJ. pompous; important; self-important. Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air.

conservatory N. school of the fine arts (especially music or drama). A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the conservatory.

consign V. deliver officially; entrust; set apart. The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother’s care. consignment, N.

consistency N. absence of contradictions; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness. Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency: he liked his puddings without lumps and his explanations without improbabilities.

console V. lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort. When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette.

consolidation N. unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger. The recent consolidation of several small airlines into one major company has left observers of the industry wondering whether room still exists for the “little guy” in aviation. consolidate, V.

consonance N. harmony; agreement. Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm.

consort V. associate with. We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort

consort N. husband or wife. The search for a consort for the young Queen Victoria ended happily.

conspicuous ADJ. easily seen; noticeable; striking. Janet was conspicuous both for her red hair and for her height.

conspiracy N. treacherous plot. Brutus and Cassius joined in the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar. conspire, V.

constituent N. supporter. The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass.

constraint N. compulsion; repression of feelings. There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker. constrain, V.

construe V. explain; interpret. If I construe your remarks correctly, you disagree with the theory already advanced.

consummate ADJ. complete. I have never seen anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; what a consummate idiot you are! also V.

contagion N. infection. Fearing contagion, they took great steps to prevent the spread of the disease.

contaminate V. pollute. The sewage system of the city so contaminated the water that swimming was forbidden.

contemporary N. person belonging to the same period. Though Charlotte Brontë and George Eliot were contemporaries, the two novelists depicted their Victorian world in markedly different ways. also ADJ.

contempt N. scorn; disdain. The heavyweight boxer looked on ordinary people with contempt, scorning them as weaklings who couldn’t hurt a fly. We thought it was contemptible of him to be contemptuous of people for being weak.

contend V. struggle; compete; assert earnestly. Sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes are exploited by some college recruiters.

contention N. claim; thesis. It is our contention that, if you follow our tactics, you will boost your score on the SAT. contend, V.

contentious ADJ. quarrelsome. Disagreeing violently with the referees’ ruling, the coach became so contentious that they threw him out of the game.

contest V. dispute. The defeated candidate attempted to contest the election results.

context N. writings preceding and following the passage quoted. Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the message the author intended.

contiguous ADJ. adjacent to; touching upon. The two countries are contiguous for a few miles; then they are separated by the gulf.

continence N. self-restraint; sexual chastity. At the convent, Connie vowed to lead a life of continence. The question was, could Connie be content with always being continent?

contingent ADJ. dependent on; conditional. Caroline’s father informed her that any raise in her allowance was contingent on the quality of her final grades. contingency, N.

contingent N. group that makes up part of a gathering. The New York contingent of delegates at the Democratic National Convention was a boisterous, sometimes rowdy lot.

contortions N. twistings; distortions. As the effects of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and demonstrated how much pain she was enduring.

contraband N. ADJ. illegal trade; smuggling. The Coast Guard tries to prevent traffic in contraband goods.

contract V. compress or shrink; make a pledge; catch a disease. Warm metal expands; cold metal contracts.

contravene V. contradict; oppose; infringe on or transgress. Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert Browning.

contrite ADJ. penitent. Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence. contrition, N.

contrived ADJ. forced; artificial; not spontaneous. Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws, James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.

controvert V. oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict. The witness’s testimony was so clear and her reputation for honesty so well-established that the defense attorney decided it was wiser to make no attempt to controvert what she said.

conundrum N. riddle. During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

convene V. assemble. Because much needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in special session by January 15.

convention N. social or moral custom; established practice. Flying in the face of convention, George Sand shocked society by taking lovers and wearing men’s clothes.

conventional ADJ. ordinary; typical. His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife’s eccentric family.

converge V. approach; tend to meet; come together. African-American men from all over the United States converged on Washington to take part in the historic Million Men march.

conversant ADJ. familiar with. The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

converse N. opposite. The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

converse V. chat; talk informally. Eva was all ears while Lulu and Lola conversed. Wasn’t it rude of her to eavesdrop on their conversation? conversation, N.

convert N. one who has adopted a different religion or opinion. On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the virtues of American automobiles, he made few converts to his beliefs. also V.

convex ADJ. curving outward. He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

conveyance N. vehicle; transfer. During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances.

conviction N. judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter’s conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.

convivial ADJ. festive; gay; characterized by joviality. The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs.

convoke V. call together. Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. convocation, N.

convoluted ADJ. coiled around; involved; intricate. The new tax regulations are so convoluted that even accountants have trouble following their twists and turns.

copious ADJ. plentiful. She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal.

coquette N. flirt. Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette. also V.

cordial ADJ. gracious; heartfelt. Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug.

cordon N. extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress. The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area. also V.

cornucopia N. horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance. The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an inexhaustible source of knowledge for the entire family.

corollary N. consequence; accompaniment. Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with sibling rivalry its natural corollary.

coronation N. ceremony of crowning a queen or king. When the witches told Macbeth he would be king, they failed to warn him he would lose his crown soon after his coronation.

corporeal ADJ. bodily; material. The doctor had no patience with spiritual matters: his job was to attend to his patients’ corporeal problems, not to minister to their souls.

corpulent ADJ. very fat. The corpulent man resolved to reduce. corpulence, N.

correlation N. mutual relationship. He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret reading exercises. correlate, V., N.

corroborate V. confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom’s story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.

corrode V. destroy by chemical action. The girders supporting the bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly collapsed. corrosion, N.

corrosive ADJ. eating away by chemicals or disease. Stainless steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chemicals. corrode, V.

corrugated ADJ. wrinkled; ridged. She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow.

cosmic ADJ. pertaining to the universe; vast. Cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth’s atmosphere from outer space. cosmos, N.

cosmopolitan ADJ. sophisticated. Her years in the capitol had transformed her into a cosmopolitan young woman highly aware of international affairs.

coterie N. group that meets socially; select circle. After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the hotel.

countenance V. approve; tolerate. He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.

countenance N. face. When Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance.

countermand V. cancel; revoke. The general countermanded the orders issued in his absence.

counterpart N. a thing that completes another; things very much alike. Night and day are counterparts, complementing one another.

coup N. highly successful action or sudden attack. As the news of his coup spread throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him.

couple V. join; unite. The Flying Karamazovs couple expert juggling and amateur joking in their nightclub act.

courier N. messenger. The publisher sent a special courier to pick up the manuscript.

covert ADJ. secret; hidden; implied. Investigations of the Central Intelligence Agency and other secret service networks reveal that such covert operations can get out of control.

covetous ADJ. avaricious; eagerly desirous of. The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates. covet, V.

cow V. terrorize; intimidate. The little boy was so cowed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of protest.

cower V. shrink quivering, as from fear. The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.

coy ADJ. shy; modest; coquettish. Reluctant to commit herself so early in the game, Kay was coy in her answers to Ken’s offer.

cozen V. cheat; hoodwink; swindle. He was the kind of individual who would cozen his friends in a cheap card game but remain eminently ethical in all business dealings.

crabbed ADJ. sour; peevish. The crabbed old man was avoided by the children because he scolded them when they made noise.

craftiness N. slyness; trickiness. In many Native American legends, the coyote is the clever trickster, the embodiment of craftiness. crafty, N.

crass ADJ. very unrefined; grossly insensible. The film critic deplored the crass commercialism of movie-makers who abandon artistic standards in order to make a quick buck.

craven ADJ. cowardly. Lillian’s craven refusal to join the protest was criticized by her comrades, who had expected her to be brave enough to stand up for her beliefs.

credibility N. believability. Because the candidate had made some pretty unbelievable promises, we began to question the credibility of everything she said.

credo N. creed. I believe we may best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Golden Rule.

credulity N. belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivete. Con artists take advantage of the credulity of inexperienced investors to swindle them out of their savings. credulous, ADJ.

creed N. system of religious or ethical belief. Any loyal American’s creed must emphasize love of democracy.

crescendo N. increase in the volume or intensity, as in a musical passage; climax. The music suddenly shifted its mood, dramatically switching from a muted, contemplative passage to a crescendo with blaring trumpets and clashing cymbals.

crest N. highest point of a hill; foamy top of a wave. Fleeing the tidal wave, the islanders scrambled to reach the crest of Mount Lucinda. With relief, they watched the crest of the wave break well below their vantage point.

crestfallen ADJ. dejected; dispirited. We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen he was busily engaged in planning new activities.

criterion N. standard used in judging. What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner? criteria, PL.

crop V. cut off unwanted parts of a photograph; graze. With care, David cropped the picture until its edges neatly framed the flock of sheep cropping the grass.

crotchety ADJ. eccentric; whimsical. Although he was reputed to be a crotchety old gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and sensible.

crux N. crucial point. This is the crux of the entire problem: everything centers on its being resolved.

crypt N. secret recess or vault, usually used for burial. Until recently, only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in this crypt.

cryptic ADJ. mysterious; hidden; secret. Thoroughly baffled by Holmes’s cryptic remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.

cubicle N. small compartment partitioned off; small bedchamber. Hoping to personalize their workspace, the staff members decorated their tiny identical cubicles in markedly individual ways.

cuisine N. style of cooking. French cuisine is noted for its use of sauces and wines.

culinary ADJ. relating to cooking. Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices.

cull V. pick out; reject. Every month the farmer culls the nonlaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher. also N.

culminate V. attain the highest point; climax. George Bush’s years of service to the Republican Party culminated in his being chosen as the Republican candidate for the presidency. His subsequent inauguration as President of the United States marked the culmination of his political career.

culpable ADJ. deserving blame. Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable.

cumbersome ADJ. heavy; hard to manage. He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.

cumulative ADJ. growing by addition. Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to your vocabulary, one by one.

cupidity N. greed. The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.

curator N. superintendent; manager. The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.

curmudgeon N. churlish, miserly individual. Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and acts of charity that he secretly performed.

cursive ADJ. flowing, running. In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters.

cursory ADJ. casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire’s cause.

curtail V. shorten; reduce. When Herb asked Diane for a date, she said she was really sorry she couldn’t go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.

cynical ADJ. skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift “with no strings attached.” cynic, N.

cynosure N. the object of general attention. As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.

dabble V. work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finished piece. The children dabbled their hands in the bird bath, splashing one another gleefully.

dais N. raised platform for guests of honor. When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.

dapper ADJ. neat and trim. In “The Odd Couple” TV show, Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.

dappled ADJ. spotted. The sunlight filtering through the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.

daub V. smear (as with paint). From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils. also N.

daunt V. intimidate; frighten. “Boast all you like of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt me, ” the hero answered the villain.

dauntless ADJ. bold. Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.

dawdle V. loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline so don’t dawdle; just get down to work.

deadlock N. standstill; stalemate. Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks. also V.

deadpan ADJ. wooden; impersonal. We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

dearth N. scarcity. The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

debacle N. sudden downfall; complete disaster. In the Airplane movies, every flight turns into a debacle, with passengers and crew members collapsing, engines falling apart, and carry-on baggage popping out of the overhead bins.

debase V. reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. In The King and I, Anna refuses to kneel down and prostrate herself before the king, for she feels that to do so would debase her position, and she will not submit to such debasement.

debauch V. corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did Socrates’teachings lead the young men of Athens to be virtuous citizens, or did they debauch the young men, causing them to question the customs of their fathers? Clearly, Socrates’philosophical talks were nothing like the wild debauchery of the toga parties in Animal House.

debilitate V. weaken; enfeeble. Michael’s severe bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.

debonair ADJ. friendly; aiming to please. The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner.

debris N. rubble. A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, they were still carting away the debris.

debunk V. expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc; ridicule. Pointing out that he consistently had voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate’s claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.

debutante N. young woman making formal entrance into society. As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

decadence N. decay. The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

decapitate V. behead. They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. “Off with her head!” cried the Duchess, eager to decapitate poor Alice.

decelerate V. slow down. Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.

deciduous ADJ. falling off as of leaves. The oak is a deciduous tree; in winter it looks quite bare.

decimate V. kill, usually one out of ten. We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.

decipher V. interpret secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decipher the scrambled message sent to him from the KGB.

declivity N. downward slope. The children loved to ski down the declivity.

decolleté ADJ. having a low-necked dress. Current fashion decrees that evening gowns be decolleté this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.

decomposition N. decay. Despite the body’s advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man.

decorum N. propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school. decorous, ADJ.

decoy N. lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. also V.

decrepit ADJ. worn out by age. The decrepit car blocked traffic on the highway. decrepitude, N.

decry V. express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.

deducible ADJ. derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.

deface V. mar; disfigure. If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

defame V. harm someone’s reputation; malign; slander. If you try to defame my good name, my lawyers will see you in court. If rival candidates persist in defaming one another, the voters may conclude that all politicians are crooks. defamation, N.

default N. failure to act. When the visiting team failed to show up for the big game, they lost the game by default. When Jack failed to make the payments on his Jaguar, the dealership took back the car because he had defaulted on his debt.

defeatist ADJ. attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed. also N.

defection N. desertion. The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.

defer V. delay till later; exempt temporarily. In wartime, some young men immediately volunteer to serve; others defer making plans until they hear from their draft boards. During the Vietnam War, many young men, hoping to be deferred, requested student deferments.

defer V. give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must defer to Michael, our computer guru; he gets the final word. Michael, however, can defer these questions to no one; only he can decide.

deference N. courteous regard for another’s wish. In deference to the minister’s request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.

defiance N. refusal to yield; resistance. When John reached the “terrible two’s, ” he responded to every parental request with howls of defiance. defy, V.

defile V. pollute; profane. The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

definitive ADJ. final; complete. Carl Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.

deflect V. turn aside. His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

defray V. pay the costs of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.

deft ADJ. neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.

defunct ADJ. dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation.

defuse V. remove the fuse of a bomb; reduce or eliminate a threat. Police negotiators are trained to defuse dangerous situations by avoiding confrontational language and behavior.

degenerate V. become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on, the champion’s style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.

degradation N. humiliation; debasement; degeneration. Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a cup of coffee because they resent the degradation of being made to do such lowly tasks. degrade, V.

dehydrate V. remove water from; dry out. Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.

deify V. turn into a god; idolize. Admire Elvis Presley all you want; just don’t deify him.

deign V. condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere seamstress; his overburdened assistant had to convey the master’s wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs.

delectable ADJ. delightful; delicious. We thanked our host for a most delectable meal.

delete V. erase; strike out. Less is more: if you delete this paragraph, your whole essay will have greater appeal.

deleterious ADJ. harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General certainly does), then quit!

deliberate V. consider; ponder. Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she told them her decision.

delineate V. portray; depict; sketch. Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move. delineation, N.

delirium N. mental disorder marked by confusion. In his delirium, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs. Perhaps he wasn’t delirious: he might just have wandered into a movie.

delude V. deceive. His mistress may have deluded herself into believing that he would leave his wife and marry her.

deluge N. flood; rush. When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

delusion N. false belief; hallucination. Don suffers from delusions of grandeur: he thinks he’s a world-famous author when he’s published just one paperback book.

delve V. dig; investigate. Delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher’s job.

demagogue N. person who appeals to people’s prejudice; false leader of people. He was accused of being a demagogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

demean V. degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demean himself by replying to the offensive letter. If you truly believed in the dignity of labor, you would not think it would demean you to work as a janitor.

demeanor N. behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.

demented ADJ. insane. Doctor Demento was a lunatic radio personality who liked to act as if he were truly demented. If you’re demented, your mental state is out of whack; in other words, you’re wacky.

demise N. death. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.

demolition N. destruction. One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by bombing of rail lines and terminals. demolish, V.

demoniac ADJ. fiendish. The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. demon, N.

demur V. object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the board of directors, David demurred: he had scruples about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.

demure ADJ. grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.

demystify V. clarify; free from mystery or obscurity. Helpful doctors demystify medical procedures by describing them in everyday language, explaining that a myringotomy, for example, is an operation involving making a small hole in one’s eardrum.

denigrate V. blacken. All attempts to denigrate the character of our late president have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.

denizen N. inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables, Eliot Ness fights Al Capone and the other denizens of Chicago’s underworld. Ness’s fight against corruption was the talk of all the denizens of the local bars.

denotation N. meaning; distinguishing by name. A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will also give us the connotations. denote, V.

denouement N. outcome; final development of the plot of a play. The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act.

denounce V. condemn; criticize. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public’s trust. denunciation, N.

depict V. portray. In this sensational exposé, the author depicts Beatle John Lennon as a drug-crazed neurotic. Do you question the accuracy of this depiction of Lennon?

deplete V. reduce; exhaust. We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.

deplore V. regret; disapprove of. Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

deploy V. spread out [troops] in an extended though shallow battle line. The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the enemy offensive.

depose V. dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government.

deposition N. testimony under oath. He made his deposition in the judge’s chamber.

depravity N. extreme corruption; wickedness. The depravity of Caligula’s behavior came to sicken even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively innocent orgies.

deprecate V. express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names. deprecatory, ADJ.

depreciate V. lessen in value. If you neglect this property, it will depreciate.

depredation N. plundering. After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless.

derange V. make insane; disarrange. Hamlet’s cruel rejection deranged poor Ophelia; in her madness, she drowned herself.

derelict ADJ. abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever abandoned it in the middle of the harbor was derelict in living up to his responsibilities as a boat owner. also N.

deride V. ridicule; make fun of. The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously. derision, N.

derivative ADJ. unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

derogatory ADJ. expressing a low opinion. I resent your derogatory remarks.

descant V. discuss fully. He was willing to descant upon any topic of conversation, even when he knew very little about the subject under discussion. also N.

descry V. catch sight of. In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

desecrate V. profane; violate the sanctity of. Shattering the altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot, the invaders desecrated the sanctuary.

desiccate V. dry up. A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.

desolate ADJ. unpopulated. After six months in the crowded, bustling metropolis, David was so sick of people that he was ready to head for the most desolate patch of wilderness he could find.

desolate V. rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake. The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest.

despise V. look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful. Mr. Bond, I despise spies; I look down on them as mean, despicable, honorless men, whom I would wipe from the face of the earth with as little concern as I would scrape dog droppings from the bottom of my shoe.

despoil V. strip of valuables; rob. Seeking plunder, the raiders despoiled the village, carrying off any valuables they found.

despondent ADJ. depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents, William became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan; they despaired of finding a cure for his gloom. despondency, N.

despot N. tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler. How could a benevolent king turn overnight into a despot? destitute ADJ. extremely poor. Because they had no health insurance, the father’s costly illness left the family destitute.

desultory ADJ. aimless; haphazard; digressing at random. In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him, reading was purposeful, not desultory.

detached ADJ. emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected. A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with his or her patients’ personal lives. To a child growing up in an apartment or a row house, to live in a detached house was an unattainable dream.

determination N. resolve; measurement or calculation; decision. Nothing could shake his determination that his children would get the best education that money could buy. Thanks to my pocket calculator, my determination of the answer to the problem took only seconds of my time.

deterrent N. something that discourages; hindrance. Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers? deter, V.

detraction N. slandering; aspersion. He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.

detrimental ADJ. harmful; damaging. The candidate’s acceptance of major financial contributions from a well-known racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign, for he lost the backing of many of his early grassroots supporters. detriment, N.

deviate V. turn away from (a principle, norm); depart; diverge. Richard never deviated from his daily routine: every day he set off for work at eight o’clock, had his sack lunch (peanut butter on whole wheat) at 12:15, and headed home at the stroke of five.

devious ADJ. roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The Joker’s plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges.

devise V. think up; invent; plan. How clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan! What ingenious inventions might he have devised if he had turned his mind to science and not to crime.

devoid ADJ. lacking. You may think her mind is a total void, but she’s actually not devoid of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.

devotee N. enthusiastic follower. A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

dexterous ADJ. skillful. The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow him as he performed his tricks.

diabolical ADJ. devilish. “What a fiend I am, to devise such a diabolical scheme to destroy Gotham City,” chortled the Joker gleefully.

diagnosis N. art of identifying a disease; analysis of a condition. In medical school Margaret developed her skill at diagnosis, learning how to read volumes from a rapid pulse or a hacking cough. diagnose, V.; diagnostic, ADJ.

dialectical ADJ. relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal. The debate coach’s students grew to develop great forensic and dialectical skill. Teaching, however, is inherently a dialectical situation: the coach learned at least as much from her students as they learned from her. dialectics, N.

diaphanous ADJ. sheer; transparent. Through the diaphanous curtains, the burglar could clearly see the large jewelry box on the dressing table.

diatribe N. bitter scolding; invective. During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled.

dichotomy N. split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones). Willie didn’t know how to resolve the dichotomy between his ambition to go to college and his childhood longing to run away and join the circus. Then he heard about Ringling Brothers Circus College, and he knew he’d found the perfect school.

dictum N. authoritative and weighty statement; saying; maxim. University administrations still follow the old dictum of “Publish or perish.” They don’t care how good a teacher you are; if you don’t publish enough papers, you’re out of a job.

didactic ADJ. teaching; instructional. Pope’s lengthy poem An Essay on Man is too didactic for my taste: I dislike it when poets turn preachy and moralize.

differentiate V. distinguish; perceive a difference between. Tweedledum and Tweedledee were like two peas in a pod; not even Mother Tweedle could differentiate the one from the other.

diffidence N. shyness. You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson.

diffuse ADJ. wordy; rambling; spread out (like a gas). If you pay authors by the word, you tempt them to produce diffuse manuscripts rather than brief ones. diffusion, N.

digression N. wandering away from the subject. Nobody minded when Professor Renoir’s lectures wandered away from their official theme; his digressions were always more fascinating than the topic of the day. digress, V.

dilapidated ADJ. ruined because of neglect. The dilapidated old building needed far more work than just a new coat of paint. dilapidation, N.

dilatory ADJ. delaying. If you are dilatory in paying bills, your credit rating may suffer.

dilemma N. problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives. In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice.

dilettante N. aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler. He was not serious in his painting; he was rather a dilettante.

diligence N. steadiness of effort; persistent hard work. Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm. diligent, ADJ.

dilute V. make less concentrated; reduce in strength. She preferred to dilute her coffee with milk.

diminution N. lessening; reduction in size. Old Jack was as sharp at eighty as he had been at fifty; increasing age led to no diminution of his mental acuity.

din N. continued loud noise. The din of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer’s voice. also V.

dingy ADJ. dull; not fresh; cheerless. Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and windows and hanging bright posters on the walls.

dint N. means; effort. By dint of much hard work, the volunteers were able to place the raging forest fire under control.

dire ADJ. disastrous. People ignored her dire predictions of an approaching depression.

disabuse V. correct a false impression; undeceive. I will attempt to disabuse you of your impression of my client’s guilt; I know he is innocent.

disaffected ADJ. disloyal. Once the most loyal of Gorbachev’s supporters, Sheverdnaze found himself becoming increasingly disaffected.

disapprobation N. disapproval; condemnation. The conservative father viewed his daughter’s radical boyfriend with disapprobation.

disarray N. a disorderly or untidy state. After the New Year’s party, the once orderly house was in total disarray.

disavowal N. denial; disclaiming. His disavowal of his part in the conspiracy was not believed by the jury. disavow, V.

disband V. dissolve; disperse. The chess club disbanded after its disastrous initial season.

disburse V. pay out. When you disburse money on the company’s behalf, be sure to get a receipt.

discernible ADJ. distinguishable; perceivable. The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog. discern, V.

discerning ADJ. mentally quick and observant; having insight. Though no genius, the star was sufficiently discerning to tell her true friends from the countless phonies who flattered her.

disclaim V. disown; renounce claim to. If I grant you this privilege, will you disclaim all other rights?

disclose V. reveal. Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company’s forthcoming product. disclosure, N.

discombobulated ADJ. confused; discomposed. The novice square dancer became so discombobulated that he wandered into the wrong set.

discomfit V. put to rout; defeat; disconcert. This ruse will discomfit the enemy. discomfiture, N. discomfited, ADJ.

discomposure N. agitation; loss of poise. Perpetually poised, Agent 007 never exhibited a moment’s discomposure.

disconcert V. confuse; upset; embarrass. The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.

discord N. conflict; lack of harmony. Watching Tweedledum battle Tweedledee, Alice wondered what had caused this pointless discord.

discordant ADJ. not harmonious; conflicting. Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a junior high school orchestra tuning up.

discount V. disregard; dismiss. Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

discourse N. formal discussion; conversation. The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers. also V.

discredit V. defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve. The campaign was highly negative in tone; each candidate tried to discredit the other.

discrepancy N. lack of consistency; difference. The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.

discrete ADJ. separate; unconnected. The universe is composed of discrete bodies.

discretion N. prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances. Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss it with anyone. discreet, ADJ.

discriminating ADJ. able to see differences; prejudiced. A superb interpreter of Picasso, she was sufficiently discriminating to judge the most complex works of modern art. (secondary meaning) discrimination, N.

discursive ADJ. digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we wondered what if any point there was to his discursive remarks.

disdain V. view with scorn or contempt. In the film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdained fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests. also N.

disembark V. go ashore; unload cargo from a ship. Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship’s purser.

disenfranchise V. deprive of a civil right. The imposition of the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

disengage V. uncouple; separate; disconnect. A standard movie routine involves the hero’s desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving train.

disfigure V. mar in beauty; spoil. An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.

disgorge V. surrender something; eject; vomit. Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

disgruntle V. make discontented. The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.

dishearten V. discourage; cause to lose courage or hope. His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him.

disheveled ADJ. untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

disinclination N. unwillingness. Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed.

disingenuous ADJ. lacking genuine candor; insincere. Now that we know the mayor and his wife are engaged in a bitter divorce fight, we find their earlier remarks regretting their lack of time together remarkably disingenuous.

disinter V. dig up; unearth. They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

disinterested ADJ. unprejudiced. Given the judge’s political ambitions and the lawyers’ financial interest in the case, the only disinterested person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter.

disjointed ADJ. disconnected. His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

dislodge V. remove (forcibly). Thrusting her fist up under the choking man’s lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food caught in his throat.

dismantle V. take apart. When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before storing it.

dismay V. discourage; frighten. The huge amount of work she had left to do dismayed her. also N.

dismember V. cut into small parts. When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new countries were established.

dismiss V. put away from consideration; reject. Believing in John’s love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful. (secondary meaning)

disparage V. belittle. A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son’s crude attempts at art than to disparage them.

disparate ADJ. basically different; unrelated. Unfortunately, Tony and Tina have disparate notions of marriage: Tony sees it as a carefree extended love affair, while Tina sees it as a solemn commitment to build a family and a home.

disparity N. difference; condition of inequality. Their disparity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.

dispassionate ADJ. calm; impartial. Known in the company for his cool judgment, Bill could impartially examine the causes of a problem, giving a dispassionate analysis of what had gone wrong, and go on to suggest how to correct the mess.

dispatch N. speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed. Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters informing his commander of the great victory. also V.

dispel V. scatter; drive away; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.

disperse V. scatter. The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters. dispersion, N.

dispirited ADJ. lacking in spirit. The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.

disputatious ADJ. argumentative; fond of arguing. Convinced he knew more than his lawyers, Alan was a disputatious client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case. disputant, N.

disquiet V. make uneasy or anxious. Holmes’s absence for a day, slightly disquieted Watson; after a week with no word, however, Watson’s uneasiness about his missing friend had grown into a deep fear for his safety. disquietude, N.

dissection N. analysis; cutting apart in order to examine. The dissection of frogs in the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students.

dissemble V. disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew he was there not to dance but to meet girls.

disseminate V. distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.

dissent V. disagree. In the recent Supreme Court decision, Justice O’Connor dissented from the majority opinion. also N.

dissertation N. formal essay. In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to prepare a dissertation on some scholarly subject.

dissident ADJ. dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, the government hunted down the dissident students and their supporters. also N.

dissimulate V. pretend; conceal by feigning. Although the governor tried to dissimulate his feelings about the opposing candidate, we all knew he despised his rival.

dissipate V. squander; waste; scatter. He is a fine artist, but I fear he may dissipate his gifts if he keeps wasting his time playing games.

dissolute ADJ. loose in morals. The dissolute life led by the ancient Romans is indeed shocking.

dissolution N. breaking of a union; decay; termination. Which caused King Lear more suffering: the dissolution of his kingdom into warring factions, or the dissolution of his aged, failing body?

dissonance N. discord. Composer Charles Ives often used dissonance—clashing or unresolved chords—for special effects in his musical works.

dissuade V. persuade not to do; discourage. Since Tom could not dissuade Huck from running away from home, he decided to run away with him. dissuasion, N.

distant ADJ. reserved or aloof; cold in manner. His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome from the start. (secondary meaning)

distend V. expand; swell out. I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.

distill V. extract the essence; purify; refine. A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips.

distinction N. honor; contrast; discrimination. A holder of the Medal of Honor, George served with great distinction in World War II. He made a distinction, however, between World War II and Vietnam, which he considered an immoral conflict.

distort V. twist out of shape. It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of the riots because of the way some reporters distort and exaggerate the actual events. distortion, N.

distraught ADJ. upset; distracted by anxiety. The distraught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child.

diurnal ADJ. daily. A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows, for example, must be milked regularly.

diva N. operatic singer; prima donna. Although world famous as a diva, she did not indulge in fits of temperament.

diverge V. vary; go in different directions from the same point. The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub.

divergent ADJ. differing; deviating. Since graduating from medical school, the two doctors have taken divergent paths, one going on to become a nationally prominent surgeon, the other dedicating himself to a small family practice in his home town. divergence, N.

diverse ADJ. differing in some characteristics; various. The professor suggested diverse ways of approaching the assignment and recommended that we choose one of them. diversity, N.

diversion N. act of turning aside; pastime. After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion from work. divert, V.

diversity N. variety; dissimilitude. The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of ability are being cared for.

divest V. strip; deprive. He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern. divestiture, N.

divine V. perceive intuitively; foresee the future. Nothing infuriated Tom more than Aunt Polly’s ability to divine when he was telling the truth.

divulge V. reveal. No lover of gossip, Charlotte would never divulge anything that a friend told her in confidence.

docile ADJ. obedient; easily managed. As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast. docility, N.

doctrinaire ADJ. unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding. Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.

doctrine N. teachings, in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught. He was so committed to the doctrines of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially.

document V. provide written evidence. She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm. also N.

dogged ADJ. determined; stubborn. Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert’s long, dogged pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.

doggerel N. poor verse. Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel.

dogmatic ADJ. opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.

doldrums N. blues; listlessness; slack period. Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums.

doleful ADJ. sorrowful. He found the doleful lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could.

dolt N. stupid person. The heroes of Dumb and Dumber are, as the title suggests, a classic pair of dolts.

domicile N. home. Although his legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away from his residence for many years. also V.

domineer V. rule over tyrannically. Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer.

don V. put on. When Clark Kent has to don his Superman outfit, he changes clothes in a convenient phone booth.

doodle V. scribble or draw aimlessly; waste time. Art’s teachers scolded him when he doodled all over the margins of his papers.

dormant ADJ. sleeping; lethargic; latent. At fifty her long-dormant ambition to write flared up once more; within a year she had completed the first of her great historical novels.

dossier N. file of documents on a subject. Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete dossier on him.

dote V. be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline. Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the little rascals, too. Poor old Alf clearly doted: the senile old dotard was past it; in fact, he was in his dotage.

douse V. plunge into water; drench; extinguish. They doused each other with hoses and water balloons.

dowdy ADJ. slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a new fashionable wardrobe.

downcast ADJ. disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.

drab ADJ. dull; lacking color; cheerless. The Dutch woman’s drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore beneath it.

draconian ADJ. extremely severe. When the principal canceled the senior prom because some seniors had been late to school that week, we thought the draconian punishment was far too harsh for such a minor violation of the rules.

dregs N. sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs.

drivel N. nonsense; foolishness. Why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic drivel? Drivel is related to dribble: think of a dribbling, driveling idiot.

droll ADJ. queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.

drone N. idle person; male bee. Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.

drone V. talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee. On a gorgeous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone?

dross N. waste matter; worthless impurities. Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross.

drudgery N. menial work. Cinderella’s fairy godmother rescued her from a life of drudgery.

dubious ADJ. questionable; filled with doubt. Many critics of the SAT contend the test is of dubious worth. Jay claimed he could get a perfect 2400 on the new SAT, but Ellen was dubious: she knew he hadn’t cracked a book in three years.

ductile ADJ. malleable; flexible; pliable. Copper is an extremely ductile material: you can stretch it into the thinnest of wires, bend it, even wind it into loops.

dulcet ADJ. sweet sounding. The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel.

dumbfound V. astonish. Egbert’s perfect 2400 on his SAT exam dumbfounded his classmates, who had always found him to be perfectly dumb.

dupe N. someone easily fooled. While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool. also V.

duplicity N. double-dealing; hypocrisy. When Tanya learned that Mark had been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.