acme

Unit 7

the highest point (noun)

A perfect game is the acme of any pitcher's career in baseball.

attribute

Unit 7

a quality or characteristic belonging/associated with someone/something (noun)

to assign to, with with (verb)

The attribute I most admire in you is your willingness to help others.

The doctor attributed my runny nose to allergies.

belittle

Unit 7

to make something appear smaller than it is; to refer to in a way that suggests lack of importance (verb)

Candidates for public office resort to negative ads that belittle their opponents.

convey

Unit 7

to transport/transmit/communicate, make known; to transfer ownership or title (verb)

Please convey our best wishes to your parents on their anniversary.

doctrine

Unit 7

a belief, principle or teaching (noun)

No two religions see eye to eye on every fine detail of doctrine.

excise

Unit 7

to remove by cutting (verb)

an indirect tax (noun)

If you excise that irrelevant remark, you will improve your essay.

The excise imposed on potentially dangerous products like tobacco and alcohol have skyrocketed.

exotic

Unit 7

foreign; charmingly unfamiliar/unusual (adj)

A recipe may call for exotic herbs and spices that may be difficult to obtain.

haggard

Unit 7

thin, pale, careworn as a result of worry/suffering; wild-looking  (adj)

The haggard refugees were given food, clothing and shelter.

jaunty

Unit 7

lively, easy, carefree in manner; smart of trim in appearance (adj)

I bought a jaunty straw hat.

juncture

Unit 7

a joining together; any important point in time (noun)

Our property ends at the juncture of the two stone walls.

menial

Unit 7

lowly, humble, lacking importance/dignity (adj)

a person who does the humble/unpleasant tasks (noun)

parry

Unit 7

to ward off, fend off, deflect, avoid (verb)

a defensive movement in fencing and other sports (noun)

An effective press secretary can parry any question a reporter asks.

The challenger's swift parry caught the champion off guard.

predatory

Unit 7

preying on/ plundering/piratical (adj)

Though many predatory creatures prefer to hunt at night, lions and leopards are active during the day.

ravage

Unit 7

to destroy/lay wast/ruin (verb)

ruinous damage (noun)

Swarms of locusts ravage the farmer's orchards.

No one can escape the ravage of time.

stance

Unit 7

a way of holding the body; an attitude/position on an issue (noun)

A fashion model's stance is calculated to show off a designer's clothing.

tawdry

Unit 7

showy and flashy but lacking in good taste (adj)

An excess of gold and glittery beads gave the costumes a tawdry look.

unassuming

Unit 7

not putting on airs, unpretentious, modest (adj)

Many celebrities remain unassuming despite their fame and wealth.

wallow

Unit 7

to roll about in a lazy/clumsy way; to have in abundance (verb)

a wet, muddy, dusty area used by animals as a bath (noun)

I was too tired to do anything by wallow blissfully in a hot bath.

In Africa, wallow offer animals a relief from the sun.

turncoat

Unit 7

a person who switches to an opposing side or party (noun)

Strikers generally consider those workers who cross the picket lines to be turncoats.

waver

Unit 7

to move to and fro; unsteady; lack of firmness (verb)

The committee wavered for several days before choosing the winner of the contest.