U
- Many animals that were once nearly ubiquitous in North America, such as the passenger pigeon, are now extinct.
Ubiquity is the state of being everywhere at the same time.
- The ubiquity of the ad campaign ended up working against it; people got sick of seeing it everywhere all the time that they vowed never to buy the product it advertised.
- I decided not to take umbrage at his insults because I know he was just trying to get a response, and ignoring him would be the most satisfying revenge.
- The small snake undulated over the twigs in the yard, seeming to flow over them in a way that was unlike the movement of any other animal.
Undulations are the motions something makes when it undulates.
- The audience was hypnotized by the belly dancer’s undulations.
- Constance’s surprise when everyone jumped out and said “happy birthday” seemed completely unfeigned, which was amazing since I thought at least three people had inadvertently told her about the surprise party.
- Her unfeigned warmth as she welcomed us into her home made me feel immediately at ease.
- The president realized he was in an untenable position when even his own cabinet disagreed with him.
- Barry was unsure why his girlfriend was arguing that their long distance relationship was untenable when they’d been making it work for two years already.
- I was always impressed that Shelly managed to remain upbeat under even the most untoward situations.
- There was a rumor going around that something untoward had occurred in the principal’s office the night before.
- Nathan was thoroughly upbraided for having gone over his boss’s head with a proposal.
An upbraiding is a severe scolding.
- When I showed up three hours late without the one thing that I was supposed to bring home for dinner, I suspected I was in for a serious upbraiding.
Match each word in the first column with its definition in the second column. Check your answers here.
| 1. upbraid |
a. swollen |
| 2. tyro |
b. depravity |
| 3. turgid |
c. novice |
| 4. umbrage |
d. widespread |
| 5. untoward |
e. resentment |
| 6. unfeigned |
f. fluctuate |
| 7. untenable |
g. genuine |
| 8. turpitude |
h. not viable |
| 9. ubiquitous |
i. unseemly |
| 10. undulate |
j. scold |
- He was particularly proud of his urbane manners, since it was important to him that no one guesses he grew up in a log cabin.
- She was always claiming that her urbane tastes could only truly be satisfied back in Paris or Milan, but we suspected she’d never even been there.
- Hannah, whenever she got her credit card statements, railed against what she claimed was usury on the part of the banks to anyone who would listen.
Quaint as it may seem now, usury used to mean charging interest for a loan, period, and it has been forbidden by law in many religions and cultures. Now that charging interest is a common business practice, its meaning has changed to that of charging an exorbitant rate.