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1: to feel or express dejection or discontent : complain
2: to long for something
(There's no use repining over a lost love.) |
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to move in a lively manner often with an exaggerated or affected action
(As the curtains part, the play's main characters tittup to and fro across the stage.) |
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1a : curved like the letter C
1b : curved in two directions like the letter S
2: of, relating to, or being the sigmoid colon
(Glancing out the airplane's window, I could see the sigmoid curvature of the river below us.) |
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marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of view : biased
The author’s tendentious history of the chemical company glosses over its role in one of the most catastrophic environmental accidents in history. |
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1: to cause to be set aside
2: to take the place or position of
3: to displace in favor of another
The special-effects technologies used in films of the 20th century have been superseded by developments in computer-generated imagery. |
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given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth
(Liza wasn't about to fall for the unrealistic claims being touted by the mendacious car salesman.) |
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1. a fortress that commands a city
2. a stronghold (a citadel of higher education) |
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| to enroll in or on a panel (to impanel a jury) |
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1: a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action
2: an order issued by legally constituted authority to a subordinate official
(the basic precepts of a religion)
(I was taught by precept and by example.) |
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1: a rebounding especially at an angle
2: a type of shot in pool |
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1: to run at the nose
2: to snuff mucus up the nose audibly : snuffle
3: to cry or whine with snuffling
4: to speak or act in a whining, sniffling, tearful, or weakly emotional manner |
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| thrift, frugality, tending to save |
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1: affording a general view of a whole
2: manifesting or characterized by comprehensiveness or breadth of view |
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| a showy object of little use or value, gewgaw, bauble |
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embezzlement
The employee's peculation might never have been discovered had he not misdirected an e-mail intended for his bookie to the company bookkeeper. |
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consisting of a confused mixture; formed of various materials in no fixed order or arrangement
The large box at the hotel’s lost and found desk contained a farraginous assortment of hats, umbrellas, cell phones, and other personal items. |
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| a confused mixture or hodgepodge |
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1: to go quickly : hasten
2: to cause (oneself) to go quickly
Every autumn, we hie ourselves down to the county fair for a day of greasy food and entertainment. |
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of, relating to, or being speech used for social or emotive purposes rather than for communicating information
Joe has a tendency to take even phatic inquiries seriously, so when Kristen asked him how he was feeling, I knew the answer would be much longer than "better, thanks." |
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1a : to make eternal b : to prolong indefinitely
2: immortalize |
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expressive of suffering or woe
We could hear the plaintive cry of a wounded animal in the woods. |
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a word that is treated in pronunciation as forming a part of a neighboring word and that is often unaccented or contracted
In "what's happening?" the "s" in "what's" is a clitic.
NOTE: enclitics vs. proclitics |
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1: conversation, dialogue
2: a high-level serious discussion : conference
The company's employees worried and speculated as the executive team remained closeted in an intense colloquy for the entire morning. |
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1: a hoisting apparatus employing a tackle rigged at the end of a beam
2: a framework or tower over a deep drill hole (as of an oil well) for supporting boring tackle or for hoisting and lowering |
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| a man who is extremely devoted to or vain about his appearance or dress |
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1: foolish character or action, foolishness, folly
2: the behavior or dress of a fop |
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to humiliate, lower, degrade
(When told to bow before the king, she refused to abase herself.) |
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to renounce or give up
eg., to abdicate the throne |
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wretched, miserable
abject conditions
abject poverty |
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| removal by cutting off, such as in surgery |
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obscure; profound; difficult to understand
(She was baffled by the abstruse philisophical texts assigned by her professors.)
abstruse texts |
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| to approach and speak to a person |
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to equip
(The fisherman as accoutred with the best that a sporting goods store could supply.) |
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vinegary
The salad had a rather acetic flavor. |
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calculating; relating to insurance statistics
(According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.) |
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to motivate
(I fail to understand what actuated you to respond to his letter so strongly.) |
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(v) to mix; to make less pure; to lessen or moderate
Our delight at the Sox' victory as alloyed by our concern for an injured player. |
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(n. & v.) to move at a comfortable or easy pace
(Since she hadn't ridden a horse for years, she decided to go at a gentle amble.) |
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wrong, faulty
Something is amiss here. |
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in a state of rage
(The police managed to restrain him after he ran amok in the store for nearly twenty minutes.) |
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to make less brittle by exposing to high and low temperatures
to anneal glass |
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(also adj.) extravagantly odd
(Putting on an antic disposition, Hamlet acts so odd that the Danish court thinks him mad.) |
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also: diligent attention
(Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application.) |
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appropriate, fitting
(She was always able to find the apposite phrase for any occasion.) |
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subordinate possessions
(He purchased the estate and all its appurtenances.) |
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1. relevant and oportune (apropos comments)
2. regarding, with reference to (apropos your letter...) |
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curved, hooked
(an aquiline nose) |
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controlling influence
(President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendancy over the Philippines.) |
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to refer, attribute, assign
(I can ascribe no motive for her acts.) |
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to harrass, tease
(The school bully baited the smalled children, terrorizing them.) |
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1. to stop short and refuse to continue
2. to prevent something from happening
(When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt.) |
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| destructive, causing ruin or death |
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indecent, obscene
Jack took offense at Jill's bawdy remarks. |
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to dress with vulgar finery
Walter Mercado appears on TV bedizened in his gaudiest costumes. |
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to wet or soak thoroughly
They arrived completely bedraggled due to the unexpected storm. |
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obligated, indebted
I couldn't accept his offer since I didn't want to be beholden to anyone. |
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to contradict or give false impressions
His calm exterior belied his critical and aggressive nature. |
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to harrass or trouble
to hem in
Many vexing problems beset the American education system.
The small cabin was beset by an impenetrable dark forest. |
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every two years
eg., biennial meetings |
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temporary encampment
to camp temporarily
While in bivouac, we relaxed under the stars with a bottle of aguardiente. |
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flattery
She failed to be influenced by his blandishments. |
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suffering from a disease; destroyed
The extent of the blighted areas could only be seen from the air. |
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rough but good-natured
Jack had a bluff and hearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity. |
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| a figure of speech in which a part is used to refer to the whole |
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middle-class
selfishly materialistic
dully conventional |
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cowlike
placid and dull
"an air of bovine calm" |
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tawny or grayish ith streaks or spots
The puppies were brindled, whereas he had hoped for animals of a uniform color. |
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of a warm sandy color (adj.)
a color as above (n.)
eg., the lion's tawny coat |
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a rich and figured fabric
The sofa was covered with elegant brocade. |
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related to the countryside
peaceful and innocent
related to shepherds |
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an earthen or other strong defense
a person who defends |
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| to give an imitation that ridicules |
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to coax, wheedle
She tried to cajole her father into allowing her to take the family car. |
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youthful; immature; inexperienced
Freshmen are known for their callow behavior. |
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heat-producing
Coal is much more calorific than green wood. |
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an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion
Stock market analysts were pressed to determine whether the sharp decline in prices was a one-day vagary or a sign of more serious economic trouble on the horizon. |
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| relating to or concerned with earning a living -- used pejoratively; also : utilitarian, practical |
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a trusted leader
a champion for a cause
(an animal rights paladin) |
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to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of : appease, conciliate
The fans of the hard-luck baseball team wondered openly how to propitiate the gods of fate after yet another heartbreaking defeat. |
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| otherness; specifically : the quality or state of being radically alien to the conscious self or a particular cultural orientation |
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