to choose not to do something

She abstained from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray.

to make impure

The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water.

lack of interest or emotion

The apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligble to vote actually bother to vote.

fearless and daring

Her audacious nature allowed her to fullfill her dream to go skydiving.

changing ones mind quickly and often

to provide supporting evidence

Fingerprints corroborated the witness's testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim's apartment.

to dry out thoroughly

After a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely desiccated.

to produce, cause or bring about

His fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown.

lasting a short time

The lives of mayflies seem ephemeral to us, since the flies' average life span is a matter of hours.

easily deceived

The con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool the gullible bank customers into giving him their account information.

of a similar kind

The class was fairly homogenous, since almost all of the students were last year journalism students.

using few words

She was a laconic poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible.

laud: to give praise, to glorify

Parades and fireworks were staged to laud the success of the rebels.

talkative

She was naturally loquacious, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more important.

to soften, to lessen

A judge may mitigate a sentance if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need.

someone who shows of learning

The graduate instructor's tedious and excessive commentary quickly gained her a reputaion as a pendant.

practical as opposed to idealist

While daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casions, pragmatic gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them.

correct behavior, obedience to rules and customs

The aristocracy maintained a high level of propriety, adhering to even the most minor social rules.

to sway physically, to be indecisive

The customer held up the line as he vacillated between a chocolate cookie and a brownie.

easily aroused or changeable, lively or explosive

His volatile personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything.