Term
Banal
adj
(buh naal) (bay nuhl) (buh nahl) |
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Definition
Predictable; cliched; boring
His conversation consisted of banal phrases like "Have a nice day" or "Another day, another dollar."
Synonyms: Bland; bromic; cliched; commonplace; fatuous; hackneyed; innocuous; insipid; jejune; musty; platitudinous; prosaic; quotidian; shopworn; stale; stereotypic; threadbare; timeworn; trite; vapid; worn-out |
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Term
Baleful
adj
Clue: A baleful glance |
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Definition
Deadly; having a malign influence; ominous; threatening harm or misofrtune; menacing
The fortune-teller made baleful predictions of terrible things to come. |
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Term
Banality
noun
Context Clue: The banality of cliches |
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Definition
Lack of originality; triteness; a commonplace expression
Appalled by its worn-out cloches and trite ideas, the professor awarded the essay a D for it banality. |
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Term
Bane
noun
Context Clue: The bane of his existence |
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Definition
Cause of ruin or misery; blight; curse
Skeptical of the benefits of nanotechnology, the columnist inquired whether this new methodology would prove to be a blessing or a bane. |
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Term
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Definition
Bell tower; room in which a bell is hung
The town was shocked when a bag of money was found stashed in the old belfry of the church.
Synonyms: Spire; steeple |
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Term
Beneficent
adj
Context Clue: A beneficent donor |
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Definition
Producing benefits; charitable; generous
The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb her beneficent impulses before she gave away all her money and left herself with nothing. |
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Term
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Definition
Group
As predicted, a bevy of teenagers surrounded the rock star's limousine.
Synonyms: Band; bunch; gang; troop |
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Term
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Definition
To divide into two parts
The large corporation just released a press statement announcing its plans to bifurcate.
Synonyms: Bisect.
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Term
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Definition
To cheat; defraud
When the greedy salesman relaized that his customer spoke poor French, he bilked the tourist out of 20 euros.
Synonyms: Beat; defraud; diddle; gyp; overreach. |
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Term
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Definition
To afflict; destroy
The farmers feared that the night's frost would blight the potato crops entirely.
Synonyms: Damage; plague. |
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Term
Blithe
adj
Context Clue: Blithe and carefree |
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Definition
Joyful, cheerfulm or without appropiate thought, carefree, happy, lighthearted
Summer finally came, and the blithe sutdents spent their days at the beach.
Synonyms: Merry |
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Term
Bolster
verb
Context Clue: Bolstering an argument |
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Definition
To support; prop up; reinforce
The presence of gain footprints bolstered the argument that Bigfoot was in the area.
Synonyms: Brace; buttress; crutch; prop; stay; support; sustain; underpinning; uphold. |
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Term
Bombastic
adj
Context Clue: A bombastic orator |
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Definition
Pompous in speech and manner; Pretentious and longwinded; using inflated language
Mussolini's speeched were mostly bombastic, his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact.
Synonyms: Bloated; declamatory; fustian; grandiloquent; grandiose; high-flown; magniloquent; orotund; pretentious; rhetorical; self-important. |
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Term
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Definition
Good-natured geniality; atmosphere of good cheer
The aspects of her job that Dana loved the most were the flexible hours and the pleasant bonhomie in the office. |
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Term
Boor
noun
Context Clue: Insensitive, uncouth boor |
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Definition
Crude person, one lacking manners or taste, oaf, lout
The utter boor ruined my recital with his constant guffawing!
Synonyms: Clod; vulgarian; yahoo |
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Term
Brook
verb
Context Clue: Not brooking misconduct |
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Definition
Allow; tolerate; put up with
The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions. |
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Term
Burgeon
verb
Context Clue: Burgeoning population |
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Definition
To grow and flourish; develop rapidly; send out new buds
Faulkner neither confirmed nor denied stories about himself, allowing rumors to burgeon where it would.
Synonyms: Bloom; prosper; thrive. |
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Term
Burnish
verb
Context Clue: burnishing a brash candlestick |
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Definition
To polish; make shiny by rubbing
He burnished the silver coffee pot until it shone brightly.
Synonyms: Buff; luster; scour. |
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