Term
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Definition
random; disconnected
The patient's ________ speech pattern was a sign she was still under the anesthetic.
haphazard |
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Term
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Definition
the state of not being used
VCRs fell into _____ as more people started buying DVD players.
disuse |
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Term
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Definition
transparent; gauzy
The celebrity's ________ dress was the talk of the town the next day.
translucent |
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Term
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Definition
one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge.
amateur |
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Term
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Definition
to coddle
He was a selfish child and was ________ed by his parents, so he never learned to share or to compromise.
pamper |
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Term
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Definition
to deceive, beguile, or hoodwink
A common internet scam attempts to _____ people into revealing their bank account details.
mislead |
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Term
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Definition
hasty; done with little attention
The producer took a ______ look at the script, then tossed it in the trash.
hurried |
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Term
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Definition
to dry out; to make dull or dry
When you _____ fresh herbs, they keep longer, but lose some of their flavor.
dehydrate |
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Term
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Definition
intended to teach or instruct
A _____ lecture is far more effective when it is interactive.
pedagogic |
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Term
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Definition
trivial or poorly constructed prose
Amid the ______ on the bathroom walls, there is occasionally one piece of poetry that's quite clever.
limerick |
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Term
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Definition
causing delay
I realized later that the students' _______ interruptions were a plot to get to the end of class before I had time to assign the homework.
dallying. |
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Term
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Definition
loud, sustained sounds
The _____ in the train station rendered cell phone conversation futile, but fortunately texting saved the day.
noise |
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Term
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Definition
capable of being set right; correctable
The earlier the intervention, the more ______ the condition; if left too long, it can't be fixed.
reformable |
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Term
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Definition
to approve of or tolerate
The judge was quite a disciplinarian and would not ______ any stunts in his courtroom.
sanction |
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Term
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Definition
contemptibly fainthearted; lacking any courage
Despite all his military training, he feared he was _____ by nature and would turn and run in battle.
cowardly |
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Term
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Definition
tending to believe too readily
The con artist easily deceived his _____ victims.
gullible |
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Term
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Definition
dejected; disappointed
She interviewed for the position three times and was ______ when the job was finally offered to another candidate.
discouraged |
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Term
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Definition
an irritable, ill-tempered person
My neighbor is an old _________ who complains loudly whenever anyone makes a sound.
complainer |
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Term
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Definition
an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
People driven by _____ are often skeptical of others' generosity.
distrust, pessimism. |
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Term
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Definition
to cow or dismay
The size of the workload alone is likely to _____ even the most dedicated students.
discourage |
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Term
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Definition
to observe or discern
The astute editor could ______ a misspelling or factual error before the rest of us could even finish the sentence.
detect. |
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Term
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Definition
to violate the sanctity of
When folding a national flag, you should not _______ it by letting it drag on the ground.
defile |
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Term
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Definition
slandering, verbal attack; aspersion
The company's representatives responded quickly to the whistleblower's ____ and hoped to deflect any bad press about the faulty product.
disparagement |
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Term
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Definition
a harsh denunciation
My failure to turn off the light led to my father's _____ on saving electricity.
fulmination. |
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Term
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Definition
reserved; shy, lacking in self-confidence
He is too ____ to be a good teacher, which is a shame because he possesses a boundless knowledge of the subject.
timid |
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Term
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Definition
to make known especially publicly or formally; to communicate delicately or indirectly
Is he really- as his advisers keep ____ to Western journalists- a serious reformer waiting to emerge from the closet?
allude, imply, indicate |
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Term
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Definition
scornful; having high and often capricious standards; showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care
He is _____ about keeping his house clean.
chosey, demanding, exacting, finicky |
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Term
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Definition
a position of prominence or superiority; prominent or lofty
The ____ of the Nobel Prize in the field of awards and prizes is great.
appellation, beatitude, brethren, esquire |
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Term
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Definition
not perceptible by a sense of by the mind: extremely slight, gradual or subtle
The changes will be _________ to most people.
impalpable, inappreciable, indistinguishable |
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Term
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Definition
to submit or refer for decision
The council will ____ among the interest groups.
decide, determine |
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Term
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Definition
to feel or express sympathy; to feel or express sorrow or compassion for
The players ______ed over the loss in the championship game. |
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Term
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Definition
to alienate the affection or loyalty of; to fill with discontent and unrest
The troops where _____ed by the extension of their tours of duty.
alienate, estrange, disgruntle, sour |
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Term
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Definition
to surrender often after negotiation of terms; to cease resisting
The country still refused to ____ despite its weakening army and dwindling resources.
blink, bow, budge, yield, concede |
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Term
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Definition
to present and urge reasons in opposition; to say or plead in protest, reproof, or opposition
He got angry when I politely ________ed with him about littering. |
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Term
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Definition
given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from the absolute truth
The tabloid routinely published the most moronically _____ stories about celebrities.
lying, dishonest, untruthful |
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Term
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Definition
the act of harassing; a cause of trouble
The repeated _________s guaranteed that she wouldn't get any work done.
bothering, aggravation, bedevilment, disturbance. |
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Term
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Definition
Annoyance or embarrassment caused by a failure, humiliation or disappointment
She gained five pounds over the winter, much to her _______. |
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Term
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Definition
to laugh at contemptuously; to subject to usually bitter or contemptuous ridicule.
ridicule, gibe, jeer, mock |
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Term
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Definition
| an awkward and unsophisticated rustic |
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Term
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Definition
a person who destroys religious images or opposed their veneration' a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions
Notorious as an ____, that music critic isn't afraid to go after sacred cows.
bohemian, boho, counterculturist, deviant |
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Term
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Definition
(n) one who attempts to put into effect an abstract doctrine or theory with little or no regard for practical difficulties
(adj) of, relating to, or characteristic of a doctrinaire
A ______ conservative, the columnist takes a special delight in baiting liberals.
dogmatic, opinionated, pontifical, self-opinionated. |
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Term
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Definition
to shake or wave (as a weapon) menacingly; to exhibit in an ostentatious or aggressive manner
She _____ a stick at the dog. |
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Term
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Definition
something suggesting the twists and coils
The grad student must untangle the ______ of knowledge that they acquire in grad school. |
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Term
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Definition
(n) a song or poem of grief
At the funeral, Claudia sang a _____ she had composed in honor of her grandmother.
lament |
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Term
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Definition
(v)to embarrass or perplex
The students _______ed me with sharp questions, a sign that I wasn't prepared enough for class.
disconcert |
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Term
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Definition
(adj) conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
The sound of the opera singer's voice over teh accordion was quite ________.
cacophonous, inharmonious, jarring |
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Term
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Definition
(n)cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
Daniel edited his article with ______ and double-checked all the facts and quotes.
carefulness |
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Term
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Definition
(adj) disgressive; passing from one topic to another
It took the _____ professor two class sessions to get through the same material that it took the succinct professor to get through in one.
rambling |
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Term
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Definition
(adj) unbiased, neutral or free from personal motive
Seamus and his landlord turned to a _______ third party to resolve their dispute over the security deposit.
dispassionate |
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Term
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Definition
(v) to slight or belittle
The bully _________d the classmate for her mismatched sockas and outdated clothes.
demean |
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Term
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Definition
(adj) fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
After the controversial proposition passed, there were _____ reactions.
incongruent, contrasting, unlike |
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Term
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Definition
(v) to disguise or conceal; to mislead
The celebrity wore a wig and glasses to _______ her appearance and avoid prying photographers.
camouflage |
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Term
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Definition
(n) the state or act of extending or being swollen out of shape
After eating the large holidat meal, I could barely hide the ________ of my belly.
swelling |
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Term
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Definition
(v) to disclose something secret
CIA agents may not ______ any information related to the jobs, even to their family members.
reveal |
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Term
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Definition
(adj)stubbornly opinionated
Nancy is ______ about food and insists that lemon makes everything taste better.
adamant |
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Term
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Definition
(adj) inactive; in abeyance
The separatist group, which had been _____ after the arrest of a top leader, struck last night for the first time in five years.
latent |
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Term
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Definition
(n) slag; worthless matter; impurity
Meditation is a good technique for purging the _______ of your everyday thoughts.
waste |
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Term
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Definition
(adj)melodious; pleasant-sounding
The ______ tones of her voice lulled teh baby to sleep.
harmonious |
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Term
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Definition
(n) generator; forceful, energetic person
The visionary _____ had no problems finding investors for her start-up.
live wire |
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Term
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Definition
(n) the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
Edna can hardly contain her ________ when she talks about her new puppy.
effervescence |
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Term
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Definition
(adj)departing from norms or conventions
The new physics professor quickly became known for flinging marbles around the room, throwing things off the roof, and other _____ teaching methods.
unconventional, aberrant, peculiar |
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Term
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Definition
(adj) culled from many sources
One has to be well-versed in dozens of topics to appreciate the writer's _____ references.
varied |
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Term
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Definition
(adj) enlightening
Spending the holidays with his family was ________; I now know the source of many of his quirks and fears.
instructive |
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Term
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Definition
(n) outflow in a stream of particles; a noxious odor or vapor
The _____ that emerged when we unclogged our shower drain was as disturbing as it was smelly.
emanations |
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Term
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Definition
(n) boldness; impudence; arrogance
The _____ of hte CEO's who insist on bonuses during the recession is not ingratiating them to the public.
presumptuousness |
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Term
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Definition
(adj) gushing; excessively demonstrative
It was hard not to feel welcomed by such an _______ greeting.
profuse |
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Term
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Definition
(n) a path to go out; the right to go out
As a result of a tragic fir in a garment factory in 1911, factories and other places of business now must have at least two means of _______.
exit |
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Term
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Definition
(n) a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead
After Lincoln's assassination, Walt Whitman wrote an _________ that is now considered one of his finest poems.
lament |
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