500 essential Flashcards

Question

deterrent

Answer 1

Definition: Something that restrains or discourages Usage: Some argue that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime—that is, the point is not just to punish the guilty, but to frighten other prospective criminals. Related Words: Balk (an impediment; refuse to proceed or to do something) More Info: As a military policy, deterrence is building military strength or ability to retaliate (especially by stockpiling nuclear weapons, as in the Cold War) sufficient to deter enemies from attacking.

Answer 2

Definition: Loud, confused noise, esp. for a long period of time Usage: This hotel was described as “near all the hot spots,” but I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t be able to sleep due to the all-night din from partygoers. Related Words: Cacophony (harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds), Dissonance (harsh, inharmonious sound), Clamor (noisy uproar, as from a crowd)

Answer 3

Definition: Having good judgment or insight; able to distinguish mentally Usage: In an age in which we are bombarded with advertising, it’s important to be a discerning consumer. For instance, the term “all natural” is not federally regulated and doesn’t have to mean anything at all, so a smart shopper still reads ingredients. Related Words: Keen, Perceptive, and Perspicacious are all related to having good judgment or perception. Descry means to discover or see by looking carefully.

Answer 4

Definition: A person’s general or natural mood; tendency Usage: She was possessed of a kind and helpful disposition—she wouldn’t just help you move, she’d bring home-baked muffins to the affair. / I could really use some help in the kitchen, if you are so disposed. Related Words: Penchant and Predilection mean “tendency, preference” (a penchant for fast cards, a predilection to get angry easily). More Info: Disposed and disposition are slightly old-fashioned words and occur in oldfashioned expressions: “possessed of a ____ disposition” and “so disposed” (meaning “inclined towards the kind of activities I just mentioned”).

Answer 5

Definition: Scatter, spread about, broadcast Usage: Many plants use attractive fruits to disseminate their seeds—animals eat the fruit and excrete the seeds, allowing new plants to grow. / In the 1760s, revolutionary ideas were disseminated via pamphlets such as Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” Related Words: Disperse (scatter, spread widely, cause to vanish), Diffuse (spread widely, disseminate; dispersed; or wordy and going off-topic) More Info: Disseminate contains the Latin root for “seed.” Use disperse for something that spreads out and disappears (the crowd dispersed); use disseminate for something that spreads out and remains significant (writers disseminate ideas; disseminating seeds grows new plants).

Answer 6

Definition: Disagree or take an opposing view, esp. in relation to a formal body such as a government, political party, or church; such a view Usage: Judge Antonin Scalia cast the only dissenting vote, explaining in his written decision why he thought all the other justices had it wrong. / Not every country has a right to free speech (and thus to dissent), although nations that throw dissenters in jail are condemned by the international community at large. Related Words: Gainsay (deny, refute, oppose), Sedition (incitement of dissent against a government; promoting rebellion by speech or writing) More Info: The variant dissidence tends to be a strong, longstanding, determined practice of dissenting.

Answer 7

Definition: Harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement Usage: After allowing her sixth-grader’s heavy metal band to practice in her living room, Mrs. Rosen decided she’d better get used to dissonance. Related Words: Din (loud, confused noise), Clamor (noisy uproar, as from a crowd), Hubbub (loud noise, confusion) More Info: An opposite to dissonance is assonance, primarily a poetry term, meaning sound resemblance or vowel rhyme. Harmony or euphony, meaning “good sound,” are more general antonyms.

Answer 8

Definition: Deprive or strip of a rank, title, etc., or of clothing or gear; to sell off holdings (opposite of invest) Usage: When she found out that the most profitable stock in her portfolio was that of a company that tested products on animals, she immediately divested by telling her broker to sell the stock. / Once his deception was exposed, he was divested of his position on the Board. Related Words: Arrogate (claim or take presumptuously or without right), Appropriate (as a verb, to set aside or authorize for a particular purpose; take for one’s own use

Answer 9

Definition: Asleep, inactive, on a break Usage: Some famous writers’ skills have lain dormant until quite late in life; Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish Little House on the Prairie until she was 65. Related Words: Abeyance (temporary suspension, inactivity), Hiatus (break or gap in an activity), Deferment or Deferral (postponement) More Info: If you speak Spanish or French, dormant will certainly remind you of the verb dormir, to sleep.

Answer 10

Definition: Related to belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political, economic, or social spheres Usage: After moving to a more liberal part of the country, the couple was pleased to have neighbors who shared their views of egalitarian marriage—for instance, men and women could be found in equal proportions downshifting to part-time work to make time for childcare. More Info: Egalitarian, of course, contains a root for “equal,” but comes into English through French, which explains the spelling (égal is French for “equal”).

Answer 11

Definition: Very happy, in high spirits Usage: I am elated that you flew my twin brother in from Australia to surprise me at my birthday party! Related Words: Ebullient (very enthusiastic, lively, excited), Blithe (joyous, merry; excessively carefree), Exultant (joyful, celebratory)

Answer 12

Definition: Call forth, bring out, evoke Usage: The touchdown elicited wild cheer from the crowd. / While the death of Ellen’s elderly cat was indeed sad, Ellen’s constant, mournful looks whenever anyone mentioned any animal at all were nothing but a play to elicit sympathy. Related Words: Educe means “bring out, esp. something that has been dormant,” as in “The speech therapist finally educed (or elicited) a complete sentence from a boy who had been previously labeled ‘non-verbal.’” More Info: Don’t confuse with illicit, which is an adjective meaning “illegal.”

Answer 13

Definition: Scholarly, knowledgeable; possessing deep, often systematic, knowledge Usage: Some have said that Americans dislike erudite leaders; while German leaders frequently have Ph.D.’s, even speaking a foreign language is considered pretentious by many American voters. Related Words: Learned is a synonym. Cerebral can mean “intellectual, esp. as opposed to instinctual or emotional.” Esoteric, recondite, and abstruse all mean “pertaining to difficult or obscure knowledge; known to only a few.” More Info: Erudite comes from the Latin “erudire,” meaning “to polish.”

Answer 14

Definition: Understood by or intended for only a few; secret Usage: In his first year of university-level physics, he felt he was merely memorizing information found in every textbook on the subject; by his fourth year, he spent his days poring over esoteric journal articles that few people had ever read or understood. Related Words: Arcane and Recondite are synonyms. More Info: The “eso” in esoteric means “in”—in this case, in the sense of “inside knowledge.” An antonym is exoteric (“exo” = out), as in that which is “common knowledge.”

Answer 15

Definition: Speech of praise or written work of praise, esp. a speech given at a funeral Usage: While it was hard for Xing to write a eulogy for his friend, he was pleased to be able to tell others at the funeral some wonderful things about him that they hadn’t known. / The review of the book was pure eulogy—usually, this publication runs more balanced articles. Related Words: Encomium (warm, glowing praise, esp. a formal expression of praise), Laudation (praise, tribute), Panegyric (formal, lofty, or elaborate praise), Paean (song of praise, triumph, or thanks) More Info: “Eu” is a Greek root for “good,” and “log” or “logos” for “discourse.”

Answer 16

Definition: Person who expounds or explains; champion, advocate, or representative Usage: An exponent of clean fuel, he petitioned the state government to commit to replacing conventional energy with solar and wind energy where possible. Related Words: Proponent (person who proposes or argues in favor of something) More Info: Of course, an exponent is also the number to which another number is raised. Both senses of the word come from the verb expound, meaning “interpret, explain, state in detail.” In a sense, an exponent on a number expounds upon that number by telling us how many times the number is to be multiplied by itself.

Answer 17

Definition: Joking, humorous, esp. inappropriately; not serious, concerned with frivolous things Usage: When I said, “Sure, you can take anything in my house as a souvenir of this study session,” I was being facetious! I would like my nightgown back now. / He’s a facetious person—I doubt he will take your offer of a spiritual quest very seriously. Related Words: Waggish (merry, roguish), Risible (laughable, related to laughing), Jocular, Jocund, or Jocose (jesting, jolly), Droll (funny in an odd way) More Info: Don’t confuse facetious with fatuous, meaning “foolish, silly, inane.” Facetious people can be smartly sarcastic; fatuous people are dull and dim-witted. Facetious comes from a Latin word for clever; fatuous comes from a word for gaping—as in, having one’s mouth hang open like a very stupid person.

Answer 18

Definition: Excessively devoted, enthusiastic, or zealous in an uncritical way Usage: We avoid our neighbors—they’re fanatics who can’t go five minutes without trying to convert you to their beliefs. / Mrs. Becker was fanatical about grammar, once deducting fifteen points from a student’s paper for a misused semicolon—and it was a physics class! Related Words: Ardent (very passionate), Zealous (full of fervor or dedicated enthusiasm for a cause, person, etc.). Also Fervent, Fervid, and Perfervid all mean “passionate, fiery, deeply enthusiastic.”

Answer 19

Definition: Measure the depth of (usually of water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand Usage: I cannot even remotely fathom how you interpreted an invitation to sleep on my couch as permission to take my car on a six-hour joyride! Related Words: Sound and Plumb (used as verbs) are synonyms. More Info: A sounding line or plumb line is a length of rope with a weight at the bottom; dropping it into water will allow the weight to sink and water to be measured in fathoms (sixfoot increments—fathom comes from a word for outstretched arms, which on an adult male tend to measure about six feet).

Answer 20

Definition: Passing quickly, transitory Usage: I had assumed our summer romance would be fleeting, so I was very surprised when you proposed marriage! Related Words: Ephemeral, Evanescent and Fugacious are synonyms. Fugitive is best known as meaning “running from the law,” but can also mean fleeting. More Info: A fleet is a group of ships controlled together. The connection is the root word, “to float”—a fleet of boats floats on the water, and a fleeting romance, for instance, is one that simply seems to float away.

Answer 21

Definition: Incite, instigate, stir up, promote the growth of; apply medicated liquid to a body part Usage: The revolutionary group was quietly fomenting a rebellion, galvanizing student radicals, leading unions in revolutionary songs, and anonymously pasting incendiary posters in every quarter of the city. Related Words: Rouse (wake up; incite, stir up) More Info: Abigail Adams famously told her husband John Adams that, if left out of the Constitution, ladies would “foment a rebellion.” Foment comes from a Latin word for a poultice or hot compress. The similiar-sound ferment (to undergo fermentation as in yogurt, kimchi, etc., such as by a yeast or bacterium) can also be used to mean “excite or agitate”— you can foment or ferment a rebellion.

Answer 22

Definition: Indicate or suggest beforehand, presage Usage: You didn’t know this was a horror movie? I thought it was pretty clear that the children’s ghost story around the campfire was meant to foreshadow the horrible things that would happen to them years later as teenagers at a motel in the middle of the woods. Related Words: Prefigure is a synonym. Forerun means run before or foreshadow. Harbinger and Herald mean a person or thing that indicates what is to come (Herald can also mean “messenger,” including about something in the past). Portentous and Ominous can mean “giving a bad sign about the future” (portentous can also mean “very significant, exciting wonder and awe”). More Info: “Fore” means “before”—foreshadow literally comes from the idea that an object’s shadow sometimes arrives before the object does.

Answer 23

Definition: Surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, or failure to fulfill an obligation Usage: “The rules are clear,” said the umpire. “This is a co-ed league, and if your team doesn’t have at least three women, you forfeit. Sorry, everybody, no game today!” / If you are found guilty of defrauding this casino, the forfeiture of your winnings will be only the first of the consequences coming your way. More Info: Forfeit comes from the Middle English “forfet,” for “crime” (people often have to give up, or forfeit, rights or property as punishment for a crime). A forfeit, as a noun, simply means the property, right, etc. that was forfeited.

Answer 24

Definition: On the margin, periphery (adj); the people in a group who hold the most extreme views (noun) Usage: In America, reincarnation is a fringe belief, but in primarily Hindu countries, the belief is quite mainstream. / Stacey and Mark liked to say they lived on the fringe of the big city, but really they had just moved to the suburbs. Related Words: Penumbra (partial shadow in an eclipse; outer area, periphery) More Info: Fringe is also, of course, a clothing decoration of hanging cords, strings, etc. (as worn by cowboys or hippies). The connection is that fringe is on the border or edge of clothes, just as fringe ideas are on the border or edge of society.

Answer 25

Definition: Physically awkward (esp. of a tall, skinny person, often used to describe teenagers) Usage: As a teenager, she thought of herself as gawky and often slouched so as not to seem so much taller than her peers; of course, now that she’s a supermodel, no one thinks of her as gawky at all. Related Words: Coltish (playful, wild; resembling a young horse, esp. having disproportionately long legs), Ungainly (awkward, ungraceful) More Info: To gawk is to stare at something in a blatant, often surprised way. The origin of gawk is related to an old word for left, or left-handed.

Answer 26

Definition: Main idea, essence Usage: I didn’t read the whole book, but I read enough to get the gist. Related Words: Pith (central part, essence), Precis (summary of the essentials of a text) More Info: If you read enough to get the pith of something, you really deeply understand it to the core; if you read enough to get the gist, you probably just skimmed, and might need to go back later to get more detail.

Answer 27

Definition: A progression, a process taking place gradually, in stages; one of these stages Usage: The hill’s gradation was so gradual that even those on crutches were able to enjoy the nature trail. / The short story’s language graded from the vernacular to the erudite so gradually that you practically didn’t realize until the end that the speaker had become educated almost before your eyes. More Info: A grade is a step, stage, or rank, as in grades on papers, school years (“sixth grade”), or “Grade A” milk

Answer 28

Definition: Clever deceit, cunning, craftiness Usage: The game of poker is all about guile, manipulating your own body language and patter to lead other players to erroneous conclusions about the cards you’re holding. Related Words: Duplicity (deceit, double-dealing, acting in two different ways for the purpose of deception), Wily (crafty, cunning) More Info: Beguile can mean to trick or mislead, but can also mean to charm or bewitch—that is, to trick in a pleasant, sometimes flirtatious way.

Answer 29

Definition: Harbor or port; refuge, safe place Usage: The relief workers set up the camp as a haven from persecution. Related Words: Succor (relief, aid), Asylum (refuge or sanctuary; refuge granted by a country to a foreigner persecuted in her or her own country). Asylum was once used to mean a care facility for the mentally ill, orphans, etc., but this usage is generally considered insensitive today.

Answer 30

Definition: Person devoted to pleasure Usage: A vacation is a fine time to practice hedonism, letting your troubles go and pursuing massages and cocktails as though it’s your life mission. Related Words: Sybarite (synonym). Voluptuary is also very similar, but adds the idea of seeking luxury. Licentious (sexually unrestrained; immoral; ignoring the rules), Libertine (morally or sexually unrestrained person; freethinker) More Info: The original Hedonists were Greek philosophers who held that pleasure is the highest moral good, so whatever policy causes the most pleasure (and least pain) to the most people is the most moral policy

Answer 31

Definition: Deliberate exaggeration for effect Usage: Oh, come on. Saying “That movie was so bad it made me puke” was surely hyperbole. I strongly doubt that you actually vomited during or following The Back-Up Plan. Related Words: Overstatement is similar in meaning. More Info: Hyperbole shares a root (meaning “throw”) with ballistics—think of it as throwing your statement quite a bit past the mark.

Answer 32

Definition: Narrow-mindedness, bigotry; strictness or lack of generosity Usage: Students protested the illiberality of an admissions policy that made no allowances for those from disadvantaged areas or backgrounds who may not have had access to advanced classes and tutors. Related Words: Chauvinism (fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc.), Bigot (obstinately prejudiced person), Xenophobia (fear of foreigners), Jingoism (extreme chauvinism plus warlike foreign policy), Insular (pertaining to an island; isolated; illiberal) More Info: Illiberal can also mean lacking a liberal arts education (as a person), or not requiring such an education (as a profession).

Answer 33

Definition: Make worse, weaken Usage: Playing in a rock band without earplugs will almost certainly impair your hearing over time. Related Words: Exacerbate and Aggravate (make worse or irritate), Mar (damage, spoil, deface), Vitiate (ruin, corrupt)

Answer 34

Definition: Unintentional; characterized by a lack of attention, careless Usage: In attempting to perfect his science project, he inadvertently blew a fuse and plunged his family’s home into darkness. Related Words: Fortuitous (happening by chance; lucky), Fluke (stroke of luck, something accidentally successful) More Info: To advert is to turn attention to (as in an advertisement). Thus, inadvertent indicates a lack of attention paid.

Answer 35

Definition: Setting on fire, pertaining to arson; arousing strife, rebellion, etc.; “inflaming” the senses Usage: The college suspended him for creating an incendiary website, encouraging sit-ins and protests, but the ACLU defended his right to freedom of speech. / It is illegal to bring incendiaries on a plane—there are many good reasons why you may not have a stick of dynamite in your carry-on. Related Words: Kindle (ignite, cause to begin burning; incite, arouse, inflame), Rouse or Foment (incite, stir up) More Info: The root “candere” (“to shine”) also appears in candle, incense, and incensed (furious, “on fire” with anger).

Answer 36

Definition: Just beginning; in a very early stage Usage: The movie producer was devastated when, due to legal trouble over the screenplay, the incipient project was crushed before it had even begun shooting. Related Words: Nascent (synonym), Inchoate (just begun, undeveloped, unorganized) More Info: The “in” here means “on,” and the remainder of the word shares a root with capable.

Answer 37

Definition: Out of place, inappropriate, not harmonious Usage: Among the student artwork posted in the halls, Angelina’s submission was incongruous, a dark, gruesome, and even worldly work amidst the happy family portraits and other childish drawings. Related Words: Heterogeneous (different in type, incongruous), Conspicuous (standing out) More Info: Incongruous is, of course, related to congruent, as in “congruent triangles” (those that are identical).

Answer 38

Definition: Insignificant, unimportant; illogical Usage: You wrote a bestselling book and got a stellar review in the New York Times—whatever your cousin has to say about it is simply inconsequential. / Given that your entire essay is about Hamlet’s relationship with his mother, your thesis that Hamlet’s relationship with Laertes drives the plot is inconsequential —that is, it does not follow as a consequence of the evidence you’ve provided. Related Words: Negligible, Null, and Nil mean “nothing, or too insignificant to matter.”

Answer 39

Definition: Deep-rooted, forming part of the very essence; worked into the fiber Usage: Religious observance had been ingrained in him since birth; he could not remember a time when he didn’t pray five times a day. Related Words: Inculcate (teach persistently, implant [an idea] in a person) More Info: The “grain” root is related to using plant parts for dye; something ingrained is suffused into the very fiber, like dye.

Answer 40

Definition: Able to be understood, clear Usage: You are doing a disservice to all music by listening through those horrible speakers! None of the lyrics are even intelligible! I’ll bet you have no idea what this song is even about! Related Words: Legible applies to handwriting and means “able to be read.” Intelligible can be used for speech, writing, or ideas. Lucid means clear and applies to people as well as ideas. As in, “After brain surgery, it will take awhile for the anesthesia to wear off and for her to become lucid. Then we can test whether her handwriting is intelligible, which will help pinpoint any loss of functioning.”

Answer 41

Definition: Difficult to control, manage, or manipulate; hard to cure; stubborn Usage: That student is positively intractable! Last week, we talked about the importance of staying in your seat during the lesson—this week, she not only got up mid-class, but she actually scrambled on top of a bookcase and refused to come down! / Back injuries often result in intractable pain; despite treatment, patients never feel fully cured. Related Words: Intransigent, Obdurate, and Obstreperous are also used to describe people who are stubborn and hard to control. More Info: The antonym of intractable is tractable, meaning “compliant.” The root “tract” means “manage or handle” (and originally “drag about”) and also appears in tractor, distract, retract, and, of course, tract (a stretch of land).

Answer 42

Definition: Fearless, brave, enduring in the face of adversity Usage: Intrepid explorers Lewis and Clark led the first U.S. expedition to the West Coast, facing bitter winters and rough terrain. Related Words: Hardy (bold, brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold, etc.), Fortitude (strength in facing adversity), Grit (firmness of mind, esp. during hardship; courage) More Info: The antonym trepid means frightened and trepidation means fear or alarm. The USS Intrepid is a decommissioned Naval aircraft carrier docked in NYC as a museum. As a rule, if it’s the name of a ship, it’s probably something good (even the Titanic was meant to be positive—“titanic” means very large).

Answer 43

Definition: Belonging to the essential nature of a thing Usage: Despite all this high-tech safety equipment, skydiving is an intrinsically dangerous proposition. / Communication is intrinsic to a healthy relationship. Related Words: Innate (inborn), Inherent (existing as a permanent, essential quality; intrinsic) More Info: The antonym extrinsic means “not forming part of a thing, extraneous, coming from the outside.” Intrinsic motivation is wanting to do something due to interest in the task itself; extrinsic motivation is wanting to do something for a reward, to earn a grade, to avoid punishment, etc.

Answer 44

Definition: Critical point in time, such as a crisis or a time when a decision is necessary; a place where two things are joined together Usage: We are at a critical juncture in the history of this organization: either we can remain a nonprofit, or we can register as a political action committee and try to expand our influence. / The little canoe started to sink when it split at the juncture between the old wood and the new material used to repair it. Related Words: Dovetail (join or fit together), Diverge (differ, deviate; branch off or turn aside, as from a path) More Info: Junction is the act of joining, or a place where two things meet, esp. railroad lines or roads. A juncture is more the actual line where two things join, and a junction is the place where they come together. Junction often occurs in place names.

Answer 45

Definition: Sharp, piercing; very perceptive or mentally sharp; intense (of a feeling) Usage: Dogs have a keen sense of smell. / As homecoming queen, she had experienced the envy of others, but their jealousy only grew more keen when she was selected for a small role in a movie. Related Words: Acumen (keen, quick, accurate insight or judgment), Astute (shrewd, very perceptive), Perspicacity (acuteness of perception) More Info: Keen comes from the same root as “can” (to be able)—if there’s a job to do, a keen person can probably get it done!

Answer 46

Definition: Praise, honor, congratulations Usage: “Kudos on your amazing GRE score!” said the teacher. / While the critics weren’t impressed, the play received plentiful kudos from the audience. Related Words: Plaudits (applause, approval), Laudation (praise), Panegyric (formal, lofty, or elaborate praise), Paean (song of praise, triumph, or thanks)

Answer 47

Definition: Using few words, concise Usage: The boss was famously laconic; after allowing his employees to present their new plan for an entire hour, he finally responded, “Confirmed.” Related Words: Reticent and Taciturn (not talking much) are often used to describe shy people and do not have the sense of “getting the point across efficiently” that laconic does. Pithy, however, takes this idea even further—it means getting the point across in just a few, cleverlychosen words. More Info: Laconic comes from the Greek place named Laconia, the region in which Sparta (which of course gives us spartan) was located. A famous story has an invading general threatening, “If I enter Laconia, I will raze Sparta to the ground.” The Spartans laconically replied, “If.”

Answer 48

Definition: Mourn; express grief, sorrow, or regret (verb); an expression of grief, esp. as a song or poem (noun) Usage: Silda said she couldn’t make it to the party—she’s still lamenting the death of her cat. In fact, she wrote a poem: “A Lament On the Topic of Buttons McFlufferton.” Lamentably, Silda is a very bad poet. Related Words: To bewail is to lament, while to bemoan can be to express grief or simply disapproval (to bemoan one’s fate). The two words, of course, come from wail and moan. Lachrymose means tearful or mournful. A person might get lachrymose over a lamentable situation.

Answer 49

Definition: a person who is not a member of the clergy or not a member of a particular profession (such as medicine, law, etc.) Usage: The actress Jenny McCarthy has written a book about autism. While her experience as a parent is interesting to anyone in a similar situation, it’s still important to remember that McCarthy is a layperson, not a doctor. More Info: A layperson is literally a member of a church who is not a minister or priest. The laity is the church’s membership (not including the clergy), or a group of people outside a particular profession. Lay can be an adjective meaning “pertaining to regular people,” as in a lay version of a medical text.

Answer 50

Definition: Morally or sexually unrestrained person; freethinker (regarding religion) Usage: A famed libertine, the sitcom star was constantly in the news for cavorting with women of dubious occupations and overdosing on drugs often enough to regularly hold up production of his popular television show. Related Words: Hedonists, sybarites, and voluptuaries are people devoted to pleasure. Debauchery is excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures. More Info: Libertine certainly is related to “liberty”—think of a libertine as someone who has a little too much liberty. You can also use libertine as an adjective (as in libertine attitudes).

Answer 51

Definition: Talkative, wordy Usage: The loquacious professor spoke at a million miles an hour and still regularly talked past the scheduled end time of the class. Related Words: Prolix and Verbose are synonyms. Magniloquent and Grandiloquent mean speaking in a lofty, grandiose style. More Info: The root “loq” means “speech” and also appears in eloquent and interlocutor (participant in a dialogue; interrogator).

Answer 52

Definition: A temporary, often improvised, substitute (noun); improvised for temporary use (adj) Usage: Lost in the woods for over 24 hours, the children were eventually found sleeping under a makeshift tent made from branches and old plastic bags. / I don’t have a ladder, but I can stack up some boxes as a makeshift. More Info: The expressions “thrown together” or “slapped together” express a similar idea of “making do” with the resources on hand. To “jury rig” something is to assemble it quickly with whatever materials you have available.

Answer 53

Definition: Lying, habitually dishonest Usage: She was so mendacious that, when she broke the television, she blamed it on her little brother, even though he was in a wheelchair and could hardly have tipped over a piece of furniture. Her mendacity knows no bounds! Related Words: Disingenuous (insincere, not genuine), Dissembling (misleading, concealing the truth, acting hypocritically), Prevaricating (misleading or lying) More Info: Mendacious comes from a root for “defect, fault” that also gives us mend and amendment, which relate to fixing faults.

Answer 54

Definition: A complete change or transformation (in biology, a change such as a caterpillar becoming a pupa and then a butterfly) Usage: Many reality show competitions are based on the idea of a contestant undergoing a metamorphosis, such as through dieting, exercise, life coaching, rehab, or plastic surgery— or all of the above. More Info: “Meta” means “change” and “morph” means “shape” (morphology is the branch of biology dealing with form and structure of organisms). When people use “morph” as a short form of metamorphose (“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”), they have actually used the wrong part of the word; the television heroes should be the Mighty Meta Power Rangers

Answer 55

Definition: Humble; simple rather than showy; decent (esp. “covering up” in terms of dress); small, limited Usage: The reporter was surprised that the celebrity lived in such a modest house, one that looked just like every other plain, two-story house on the block. / Her first job out of college was a rude awakening—her modest salary was barely enough for rent, much less going out and having fun. Related Words: Paltry (extremely small or worthless, insultingly small—in terms of money, often “a paltry sum”) More Info: Many students know modest as in “a modest outfit” (one that doesn’t show too much) and are confused by references to “modest beginnings”—a person from a modest or humble background grew up poor (or relatively poor).

Answer 56

Definition: Customs, manners, or morals of a particular group Usage: An American in Saudi Arabia should study the culture beforehand so as to avoid violating deeply conservative cultural mores. Related Words: Ethos (the character, personality, or moral values specific to a person, group, time period, etc.) More Info: Pronounce this word as two syllables (rhymes with “more ways”).

Answer 57

Definition: Coming into existence, still developing Usage: The violin teacher was always very encouraging with children. All children sound terrible the first couple of years, so she offered plenty of praise to encourage nascent talents. Related Words: Inchoate and incipient also mean just beginning, not yet completed, although inchoate can also have the sense of chaotic or disordered. More Info: Nascent contains a Latin root (“born”) that also occurs in prenatal and neonate (a newborn baby).

Answer 58

Definition: Deny or refute; make void or cause to be ineffective Usage: Darling, if you add “I promise to try to work things out for at least a couple of weeks before giving up” to our wedding vows, it would kind of negate the part where you promise to love, honor, and cherish me “until death do us part.” / The debate coach reminded the students that they had to negate each one of their opponents’ major points in order to win. Related Words: Nullify is to make void or invalid. Sap, Enfeeble, and Undermine all mean “weaken” and thus are not as strong as negate or nullify. More Info: Of course, negate is the same word we use in math, as in “To negate both sides of the equation, multiply through by -1.”

Answer 59

Definition: A subtle difference in tone, meaning, expression, etc. Usage: People with certain cognitive disabilities cannot understand the nuances of non-literal speech. For instance, “You can come if you want to, but it’s really going to be mostly family” means that you shouldn’t try to come. Related Words: Usually occurring in the plural, nuances has the synonym subtleties. More Info: Nuance can be important in negotiating, social situations, and flirting. Nuance comes from a root for “cloud” and describes that which is “cloudy” in the sense of being hard to discern. Incidentally, nubilous means cloudy.

Answer 60

Definition: Out of date, no longer in use Usage: She kept her old laptop so long that it was obsolete—she couldn’t sell it on Craigslist, and the local elementary school didn’t even want it as a donation. / When you look up a word in the dictionary and see “Archaic” next to a definition, that means that definition is obsolete —people don’t use the word that way anymore, although you might want to know that meaning if you’re reading old texts. Related Words: Antediluvian (extremely old, before the Biblical flood) More Info: “Planned obsolescence” is a business strategy of making products with a deliberately limited life so you’ll have to buy new ones.

Answer 61

Definition: Prevent, eliminate, or make unnecessary Usage: Adding protective heel taps to your dress shoes can obviate the need to take them to the shoe repair store later, once the heels have worn down. Related Words: Circumvent (go around, avoid, bypass, such as circumventing the rules) More Info: It can be confusing that obviate looks so much like obvious but doesn’t seem related. The words do share a root, and the common meaning is that something that is “in the way” is obvious—and also takes some effort to avoid or obviate.

Answer 62

Definition: The supernatural (noun); pertaining to magic, astrology, etc.; mysterious, secret or hidden (adj); to hide, to shut off from view (verb) Usage: A group of religious parents demanded that a popular series of young adult vampire novels be banned in schools because it promoted the occult. / During a solar eclipse, the moon occults the sun and it is momentarily dark in the middle of the day. Related Words: Eclipse (the obscuring of one thing by another, such as the sun by the moon or a person by a more famous or talented person, or to obscure, darken, make less important)

Answer 63

Definition: Casual, informal; done without preparation or forethought; rude in a short way, brusque Usage: I was pretty happy with my salary until my coworker Deena mentioned offhandedly that she was thinking about buying a house now that she made six figures. Related Words: Extemporaneous and Impromptu (done with no or little preparation), Ad-lib (to improvise; something improvised)

Answer 64

Definition: Counteract, compensate for (verb); a counterbalance (noun) Usage: Property taxes did go up this year, but the hit to our finances was offset by a reduction in fees paid to our homeowners association. More Info: Something offset is “set off” against something else, such as by acting as a counterweight. A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases that can be applied to compensate for emissions made someplace else. That is, a company that sends out a lot of carbon dioxide can compensate for polluting by financially supporting energy efficiency or wind turbine projects.

Answer 65

Definition: Burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure Usage: Doctors are often faced with the onerous task of telling waiting families that their loved one has died. Related Words: Cumbersome also means burdensome (or clumsy or unwieldy), but usually in a physical way, whereas onerous is generally metaphorical. Arduous means difficult. More Info: Onerous comes from onus, a modern-day word meaning “burden,” and is often used in the expression “put the onus on” (The committee put the onus on Joe to get everything turned in on time).

Answer 66

Definition: Surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind Usage: Our sales figures this quarter have outstripped those of any other quarter in the company’s history. Related Words: The expression “leave in the dust” has a similar meaning. Supersede means to replace or cause to be set aside (iPods have superseded portable CD players). More Info: Other out- words can have the sense of “do better than”—for instance, outweigh, outsell, outshine. To outpace is to be faster than and to outwit or outfox is to be more clever than. Here’s a weird one: to outbrave is to be more brave than.

Answer 67

Definition: Relating to or caused by disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior Usage: She thought her skin darkening was simply a result of the sun, but it was actually pathological, the result of a serious disease. / I can’t believe you stole from the Make a Wish Foundation—you’re pathological! More Info: “Pathos” means “disease.” Pathological often occurs as “pathological liar.” When pathological is used alone to describe a person, the meaning is that the person compulsively lies or hurts others.

Answer 68

Definition: Small sin or fault Usage: I’m going to propose to Melinda tomorrow—sure, she has her peccadillos, like anyone, but she’s the perfect woman for me. More Info: “Pecado” is Spanish for “sin.” Adding “-illo” to a Spanish word indicates “small” (a tomatillo resembles a small tomato, for instance). Thus, peccadillo means “small sin.” English speakers pronounce the word like “armadillo,” although of course Spanish speakers would use a “y” sound for the double l.

Answer 69

Definition: Liking or inclination (usually penchant for) Usage: He seems like a mild-mannered accountant, but twice a year he jets off to Australia to satisfy his penchant for adventure sports. Related Words: Predilection, Propensity, Proclivity, and Bent are all words for a preference or inclination (He has an arrogant bent about him, and a propensity to offend others). Partial means biased, or having a special liking for something or someone. More Info: From the French penchant (“leaning”) which comes from a Latin root that also gives us pendulum. A person with a penchant leans metaphorically in a certain directions.

Answer 70

Definition: Disloyal, treacherous, violating one’s trust Usage: The perfidious soldier sold out his comrades, giving secrets to the enemy in exchange for money and protection. Related Words: Apostate (person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc.), Recreant (coward or deserter), Quisling (person who betrays his country by aiding an invader), Infidel (unbeliever, person who does not accept a particular faith) More Info: Perfidious contains the root “fid,” for “trust,” also appearing in diffident, fiduciary, infidel, and Fidel Castro’s name.

Answer 71

Definition: Spread or penetrate throughout Usage: Under the Emperor Constantine, Christianity began to permeate every sector of public life. Related Words: Pervade is a synonym. Both words use the root “per” for “through.”

Answer 72

Definition: Tending to spread throughout Usage: Poverty is pervasive in our school system; 65% of students receive free or reducedprice lunch. Related Words: Omnipresent and ubiquitous mean existing everywhere.

Answer 73

Definition: Devout; religiously reverent and dutiful Usage: Some matrimonial websites catering to conservative religious groups contain listings for young women that feature testimonials from the woman’s relatives about her piety. Naturally, only similarly pious suitors need apply. More Info: Pious shares a root (“pure”) with purity, puree, and purge.

Answer 74

Definition: Plunge, fall straight down Usage: During the first 60 seconds or so of a skydive, the diver plummets towards Earth in freefall; then, he or she activates a parachute and floats down at what seems like a relatively leisurely pace. More Info: As a noun, a plummet (or plumb bob) is a weight on the end of a cord. To plumb (or sound) the depths of a body of water is to drop a plummet (or sounding line) and see how much cord is used when the plummet hits the bottom, and therefore how deep the water is. When something plummets, the idea is that it is falling fast and straight down, as though it has been weighted.

Answer 75

Definition: Happening or continuing after death Usage: Ernest Hemingway died in 1961. His novel The Garden of Eden was published posthumously in 1986. More Info: “Post” means “after,” course. Posthumous also shares a root with humus—earth or soil, as in the kind a deceased person is buried in. (Not to be confused with hummus, the spread made from chickpeas). Posthumous often describes the publication of books, the granting of awards or military honors, or the birth of a child after the father’s death.

Answer 76

Definition: Ruler, person of great power Usage: 62-year-old Prince Charles has certainly waited long enough to become potentate of England; his mother, Elizabeth II, has been ruling for his entire life. Related Words: Sovereign can be a noun meaning “monarch or supreme ruler,” or an adjective meaning “having supreme power, being above all others.” More Info: Potentate shares a root (“power”) with omnipotent (all powerful), impotent (lacking power), and despot (ruler who uses power in a bad way).

Answer 77

Definition: Something that comes before, esp. something that also announces or suggests something on its way Usage: We cannot ignore this warning sign—it is clearly a precursor of larger problems to come. / The new CEO decided to do things differently from his precursors. Related Words: Antedate (be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date) More Info: The “cursor” in precursor is the same as in currency—the root means “run.” A precursor can be thought of as a “before-runner,” or forerunner (a synonym).

Answer 78

Definition: Having an inclination or tendency beforehand; susceptible Usage: Some autoimmune disorders don’t kill the patient directly, but rather make the patient predisposed to contracting other, potentially fatal illnesses. / His defense attorney argued that his abusive childhood predisposed him to a life of crime. More Info: Predisposed certainly is related to the idea of being disposed. While to dispose of something is to throw it away, to be disposed to do something is to be inclined to or willing to do it. For instance, He is disposed to be a good host.

Answer 79

Definition: Based on inference or assumption; providing reasonable grounds for belief Usage: The dictator’s favorite nephew is the presumptive heir to power, but anything could happen. / He’s the presumptive winner of the election—we haven’t counted all the votes, but at this point it’s almost mathematically impossible for the other guy to win. Related Words: Ostensible or ostensive (professed, evident, or pretended; outwardly appearing in a certain way), Putative (supposed or reputed) More Info: Don’t confuse presumptive with presumptuous, meaning assuming in an arrogant way. He’s presumptively a nice guy, at least from what I’ve heard—my sister said he wasn’t presumptuous at all.

Answer 80

Definition: Claiming or demanding a position of importance or dignity, esp. when unjustified; showing off, creating a deceptive, false show of worth Usage: Josie found her date’s habit of constantly dropping French phrases into conversation to be incredibly pretentious, especially since he knew she didn’t speak French. He sure did sound fancy, though. Related Words: Ostentatious (pretentious, boastfully showy in order to impress others) More Info: Pretentious shares an origin with pretend and pretense (pretending or making a false show of something).

Answer 81

Definition: Extraordinarily large, impressive, etc. Usage: The Great Wall of China consists of a prodigious series of fortifications stretching over 5,000 miles! / If we don’t double our sales with this new product, we will have to declare bankruptcy—we have a prodigious task ahead. Related Words: Prodigious can be good or bad, but Titanic and Olympian specifically mean large or majestic in a manner suitable for the gods. More Info: Prodigious shares an origin with prodigy (very gifted child

Answer 82

Definition: Completely and shamelessly immoral, or extremely wasteful Usage: The billionaire software developer was so disgusted with his profligate daughter’s spending that he cut her off—she had bought champagne for an entire nightclub full of strangers one too many times. Related Words: Prodigal (wasteful, extravagant), Debauched (corrupted morally), Dissolution (sinking into extreme hedonism, vice, and degradation)

Answer 83

Definition: Conforming to good manners or appropriate behavior; justness Usage: The parent questioned the propriety of the punishment meted out to her son—sitting in a corner all day seemed a little harsh for using the pencil sharpener at the wrong time. / Saying the accounting firm was complicit in “financial impropriety” was a rather polite way to refer to the fraud it committed against its investors. Related Words: Genteel (aristocratic, elegant), Seemly (proper or attractive), Decorous (behaving with propriety and good taste; polite), Mores (customs, manners, or morals of a particular group) More Info: This is an easy one to remember—it’s not a coincidence that propriety looks a lot like proper.

Answer 84

Definition: Potential, in the future Usage: Everyone had a hard time correctly saying the name of the seminar, “Perspectives for Prospective Doctors.” Even the prospective doctors—college students hoping to be admitted to medical school—were a bit confused. More Info: Don’t confuse with perspective (point of view). Perspective is a noun, which is a good clue that you want prospective in phrases like “prospective student” (usually a person applying to a college but not yet accepted).

Answer 85

Definition: Wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future Usage: Katie’s friends blew all kinds of money on spring break, but Katie prudently kept to her usual spending habits: she’d drink one of whatever was least expensive, and then watch her friends get stupid while she checked her bank balances on her phone and dreamed about the day she’d have a full-time job and a 401K. Related Words: Circumspect (cautious, prudent; careful to consider the circumstances and consequences), Provident (showing foresight, being frugal or careful to provide for the future, thinking ahead in a wise way) More Info: The antonym is imprudent.

Answer 86

Definition: Inclined to fight, combative Usage: Amy had hoped to avoid inviting Uncle Ed to the wedding, as he was a pugnacious fellow—and, sure enough, he managed to start a fistfight with the best man. Related Words: Belligerent, bellicose, and truculent are synonyms. More Info: Pugilism (boxing, fistfighting) and pugnacious come from the Latin “pugnus,” for “fist.”

Answer 87

Definition: Make trivial arguments or criticisms, find faults in a petty way, esp. to evade something more important Usage: Look, I am telling you some of the serious consequences of global warming, as predicted by the scientific establishment—I think you’re just quibbling to complain that I said “carbon monoxide” when I meant “carbon dioxide.” Related Words: Cavil (synonym), Carp (constantly complain, fret, and find fault), Peevish (annoyed, in a bad mood, stubborn) More Info: This word is often associated with lawyers.

Answer 88

Definition: Harvest, such as by cutting; gather; get as a result of one’s effort Usage: He worked night and day in the strange new country, never stopping to rest, for he knew he would reap his reward when his family greeted him as a hero for all the money he had sent back home. Related Words: Reap and sow are used together or separately as metaphors related to farming, and specifically the idea that the seeds that you plant (or sow) determine what you will later harvest (or reap). A common expression is You reap what you sow. More Info: The “Grim Reaper” is a fictional figure who uses a scythe (curved blade on a handle) to “cut down” lives as one would cut down grain.

Answer 89

Definition: Person who lives in seclusion Usage: That show about “hoarders” featured a recluse who hadn’t left her house in six years. Related Words: Hermit or Anchorite (person who lives away from society, esp. for religious reasons) More Info: Recluse is generally more negative than hermit—it often refers to a person thought by others to be a bit crazy. Recluse shares a root (“claudere,” meaning “to close or shut”) with secluded and exclusive.

Answer 90

Definition: Give, submit, surrender; translate; declare formally; cause to become Usage: When you render your past due payments, we will turn your phone back on. / Only in her second year of Japanese, she was unable to render the classic poem into English. / The judge rendered a verdict that rendered us speechless. More Info: From an Old French word for “give back.” This word has so many definitions because it is so general. You can even render fat (by melting it); many definitions of render have to do with changing the state of something

Answer 91

Definition: Supplied in abundance, filled, gorged (used with with) Usage: This essay is replete with errors—I don’t think you even bothered to use spellcheck, much less carefully edit your work. Related Words: Surfeit, surplus, plethora (excess, overabundance) More Info: Replete shares a root (“plenus” for “full”) with plenty and plenary (entire, complete).

Answer 92

Definition: Blame, disgrace (noun); criticize, express disappointment in (verb) Usage: I’m not really enjoying my foreign study program. My host mom reproached me in Spanish—it sounded really harsh, but I couldn’t really understand her and I have no idea what I did wrong! Related Words: Admonish means scold or mildly criticize. Reprove, upbraid, reprimand, rebuke, excoriate, and castigate are all words for criticizing or scolding more harshly. More Info: The expression beyond reproach means “not able to be reproached”—due to being good or perfect.

Answer 93

Definition: Reject, cast off, deny that something has authority Usage: If you receive an erroneous notice from a collections agency, you have 30 days to repudiate the debt by mail. / As part of becoming an American citizen, Mr. Lee repudiated his former citizenship. Related Words: Recant (withdraw, retract, or disavow something one has previously said, esp. formally)

Answer 94

Definition: Reciprocate, repay, or revenge Usage: Ashley felt that her unrequited love for George would surely kill her. George barely noticed her—he cared about nothing but requiting his father’s death. Related Words: Redress (setting something right after a misdeed; compensation or relief for injury or wrongdoing), Recompense (repay, reward, compensate) More Info: Most people only know this word in the phrase unrequited love. But anything you can “get someone back for,” you can requite—kindness, murder, etc.

Answer 95

Definition: Annul, repeal, make void Usage: The governor rescinded his proclamation making September 10 th “Pastafarian Day” once someone told him it wasn’t a real religion. Related Words: Negate (deny or refute; make void or cause to be ineffective), Nullify (make void or invalid)

Answer 96

Definition: Not talking much; private (of a person), restrained, reserved Usage: She figured that, to rise to the top, it was best to be reticent about her personal life; thus, even her closest colleagues were left speculating at the water cooler about whether her growing belly actually indicated a pregnancy she simply declined to mention to anyone. Related Words: Laconic (using few words, concise) More Info: Taciturn also means not talking much. The Latin root “tacere” (to be silent) appears in both words.

Answer 97

Definition: Looking to the past or backward; applying to the past, retroactive (adj); an art exhibit of an artist’s work over a long period of time (noun) Usage: The proposed law is retrospective: anyone who violated the law before the law even existed can be prosecuted. More Info: The expression in retrospect is often used to express what the speaker would have done or thought in the past if he knew what he knows now. In retrospect, I should have realized that a Nigerian widow wouldn’t want to leave me a million dollars for no reason, but at the time, I was very excited.

Answer 98

Definition: The art or study of persuasion through speaking or writing; language that is elaborate or pretentious but actually empty, meaning little Usage: The ancient Greeks used to study rhetoric as a major academic subject. Today, if you want to improve your rhetorical skills, you will probably have to hunt down a public speaking class or join Toastmasters. / The politician’s blather is all rhetoric and no substance. Related Words: Oratorical is a synonym. While a lawyer needs good rhetorical skills, sometimes rhetorical and oratorical mean only related to style and effect, and lacking substance. More Info: A rhetorical question is one intended for effect, and not intended to be answered, as in “Are you stupid?”

Answer 99

Definition: Happening frequently, abundant, currently being reported Usage: Reports of financial corruption are rife. Related Words: Replete (supplied in abundance, filled, gorged), Ridden (dominated or burdened by), Teeming (swarming, as in teeming with people) More Info: From an Old Norse word for “river”—thus the idea of “flowing freely.”

Answer 100

Definition: Sacred, inviolable, not to be trespassed on or violated; above any criticism Usage: In our house, family dinners were sacrosanct—if being in the school play meant you would miss dinner, then you just couldn’t be in the school play. More Info: From the root for “sacred” that also occurs in sanctify (make holy) and sanctuary (sacred place; refuge).

Answer 101

Definition: Healthful, promoting health Usage: After spending her twenties smoking and drinking, Jessica recognized the necessity of adopting a more salubrious lifestyle, but found it difficult to cut back. Related Words: Salutary is a synonym. More Info: Spanish speakers probably recognized this one – it’s very similar to the Spanish “salud.”

Answer 102

Definition: To fully satisfy; to go beyond satisfying to the point of excess (possibly inducing disgust, tiredness, etc.) Usage: I usually just eat a tiny salad or something while I’m at work, but since I had a half day off, I went to the Indian buffet and stayed for a whole hour! I’ve never been more satiated (or sated) in my life. / To maintain a healthy weight, stop eating before you reach the point of satiety. Related Words: Blasé (bored from overindulgence), Ennui (feeling of weariness, boredom, etc. often caused by satiety)

Answer 103

Definition: Appreciate fully, taste or smell with pleasure Usage: As a parent, it’s important to take a step back and really savor the special moments— those children will grow up sooner than you think! More Info: Savory means appetizing or enjoyable. It can refer to foods that are pungent, salty, etc. (any flavor but sweet) or to that which is morally respectable (a “dirty” joke could be called unsavory). Although these uses are rarer, you can also savor a food by adding flavor to it, or even use savor as a noun, as in “This soup has a wonderful savor.”

Answer 104

Definition: Not enough or barely enough Usage: The new intern was scant help at the conference—he disappeared all day to smoke and didn’t seem to realize that he was there to assist his coworkers. / The soldiers were always on the verge of hunger, complaining about their scanty rations. Related Words: A modicum, scintilla, iota, mite, or tad of something is a small amount. A paucity or dearth is scarcity or lack.

Answer 105

Definition: Severe, injurious; bitterly harsh or critical (as a remark) Usage: The school superintendant gave a scathing criticism of the education bill, calling it “an attack on our community’s children that will surely go down in infamy.” / How is it possible that she flew off her bicycle like that and walked away unscathed? More Info: As you can see from the use of unscathed to mean “not physically injured,” scathing originally referred to physical injury and now generally refers to injurious comments. A word used in a similar metaphorical way is excoriate, which literally means “to rub the skin off of” but is more often used to mean “to criticize very harshly.”

Answer 106

Definition: Not religious or holy; pertaining to worldly things Usage: Forty years ago, American companies wished their employees “Merry Christmas”— even the employees who didn’t celebrate Christmas. Today, the secular “Happy Holidays” is common. / Western governments have grown increasingly secular over the last century; many have laws prohibiting religious expression from being sponsored by the government. More Info: Secular doesn’t mean “atheist”—for instance, a devoutly religious person would describe a church as sacred or sanctified and a library as secular.

Answer 107

Definition: Conscious; experiencing sensation or perceiving with the senses Usage: Tia became a vegan because she refused to eat any sentient creature. / Look at the mold in your fridge! Let it grow any more, it might become sentient! Related Words: The antonym insensate can man unconscious or inanimate, lacking reason (that is, “sense”), or “cold-blooded,” merciless, lacking warm human feelings. A rock, a very intoxicated person, and a murderer could all be described as insensate.

Answer 108

Definition: Person inclined to doubting or questioning generally accepted beliefs Usage: I wish you’d be more of a skeptic—I can’t believe you spent money on a pet psychic so we can “talk” to our dearly departed shih tzu. / Descartes was a great skeptic, famously declaring that we cannot truly be sure of anything except our own existence—hence, “I think, therefore I am.” More Info: Don’t confuse skeptical and cynical (thinking the worst of others’ motivations; bitterly pessimistic). In a GRE Reading Comprehension passage, an author might be skeptical (a very appropriate attitude for a scientist, for instance), but would never be cynical.

Answer 109

Definition: Border, lie along the edge of, go around; evade Usage: Melissa spent all of Thanksgiving skirting the issue of who she was dating and when she might get married and make her mother a grandmother. It was exhausting changing the subject two dozen times! / The creek skirts our property on the west, so it’s easy to tell where our farm ends. Related Words: Circumvent (go around, avoid, bypass, such as circumventing the rules) More Info: This word is a metaphor related to the clothing item skirt, which passes around a person’s body in a somewhat circular manner.

Answer 110

Definition: Loose, negligent, lazy, weak (adj); neglect to do one’s duties; loosen up, relax (verb); period of little work (noun) Usage: As the product of slack parenting, I never learned good time management skills—Mom and Dad never checked my homework or made me go to bed at a certain time. / The holidays represent a lull or slack in work at many companies. Related Words: Lax (not strict; careless, loose, slack), Lull (to calm, or a period of calm or quiet) More Info: The slang phrase “slacking off” comes from the word slack. In more formal English, “He is slacking off” might be “He is slacking in his duties.”

Answer 111

Definition: A large number or quantity Usage: As soon as we switched software packages, we encountered a whole slew of problems. Related Words: Myriad can also mean a very great number of something (probably bigger than a slew). More Info: From the Irish “sluagh,” a crowd or army.

Answer 112

Definition: Sudden outpouring or rush; flood Usage: After a brief spate of post-exam partying, Lola is ready for classes to begin again. / He was so furious that a spate of expletives just flew out of his mouth. Related Words: Inundate and deluge are both words for flooding, also used metaphorically to mean an overwhelming influx of something (inundated with work, a deluge of complaints).

Answer 113

Definition: Be the leader of Usage: Lisa agreed to spearhead the “healthy office” initiative, and was instrumental in installing two treadmills and getting healthy food stocked in the vending machines. Related Words: Avant-garde or vanguard originally referred to the soldiers at the front of an army, and now can mean anyone who innovates or is on the forefront (as in the expression “ahead of their time”). More Info: A spearhead can, of course, be the sharp head of a spear. It can also be a person at the front of a military attack, or a leader of anything.

Answer 114

Definition: Complete, total, utter; harsh or grim; extremely simple, severe, blunt, or plain Usage: The designer’s work is appreciated for its stark beauty, but most people prefer to live in a cozier, more welcoming home—the kind with carpets and pillows, for instance. / She is stark raving mad! / The stark reality is that we will have to begin burning our furniture for warmth if we are to survive. Related Words: Austere (severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic; without luxury or ease; sober or serious) More Info: A common expression is “stark naked” (here, stark adds emphasis). In British slang, “starkers” (American: “streakers”) are people who run naked through a public place for amusement. In many cultures, such an act would be a stark violation of public decency.

Answer 115

Definition: Not generous with money, reluctant to spend or give Usage: Billionaire industrialist J. Paul Getty was so famously stingy that he installed pay phones in his mansion for guests to use. When his grandson was kidnapped, he refused to pay ransom and only changed his mind when the kidnappers cut off the boy’s ear. This famous cheapskate then demanded that his son (the boy’s father) pay him back! What a miser. Related Words: Miser, Cheapskate, Skinflint (stingy person), Frugal (economical, thrifty, not wasteful with money), Stint (to be frugal) More Info: A “scrooge” is also a miserly person, especially a wealthy one, after the character of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Answer 116

Definition: Unemotional, showing little emotion, not easily moved Usage: Dad is so stolid that we can’t get a rise out of him no matter what we do—Jody got a tattoo, Max declared himself a communist, and Helen won a Rhodes Scholarship. No response! Dad just nods and says “Alright, then.” Related Words: Impassive (not having or not showing physical feeling or emotion), Inscrutable (not able to be scrutinized, mysterious) More Info: Stolid has a lot of overlap with stoic (indifferent to pleasure or pain). Stoic is generally stronger and often related to enduring suffering.

Answer 117

Definition: Block, hinder, or thwart (verb); an obstacle (noun) Usage: Sara feared that her learning disability would stymie her success in college, but the support services offered were excellent and she was fine academically; the thing that really stymied her college career was poor time management. Related Words: Impede, hamper (hold back, obstruct the progress of) More Info: This word originates from golf. In golf, a stymie is when an opponent’s ball lies in the way of getting your own ball into the cup.

Answer 118

Definition: Sink, settle down, become less active; return to a normal level Usage: When her terror subsided, she realized that the house wasn’t really haunted. / It is a chronic illness—symptoms will flare up and subside over one’s lifetime. Related Words: Abate (reduce, diminish) More Info: From the Latin for “sink to the bottom,” subside is related to sediment (material at the bottom of a liquid) and sedentary (not moving around, as a person with an inactive lifestyle).

Answer 119

Definition: Support with evidence or proof; give a material existence to Usage: You say you were at home when the crime occurred two towns over—is there anyone who can substantiate your claim? / Your business ideas are interesting, but you never substantiate them—you haven’t put a single plan into action. Related Words: Corroborate (support, add evidence to), Verify (prove true)

Answer 120

Definition: Replace, take the position of, cause to be disregarded as void or obsolete Usage: Of course, electric washing machines superseded hand-powered ones many decades ago, but my great-grandmother used her hand-cranked washer until she died in the 1990s. Related Words: Supplant (take the place of, displace, especially through sneaky tactics), Outstrip (surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind), Overshadow (cast a shadow over, make to seem less important), Supersede (replace or cause to be set aside), Eclipse (obscure, darken, make less important) More Info: “Super” is Latin for “above, beyond” and appears in many words that have a sense of being literally or figuratively on top: superficial, superimpose, etc.

Answer 121

Definition: Pray humbly; ask, beg, or seek in a humble way Usage: She had been estranged from her wealthy father for years, but when she needed money for her daughter’s medical care, she supplicated the old man for assistance. Related Words: Entreat, Beseech, and Implore are synonyms. More Info: Supplicate is related to supple (pliant, flexible). To supplicate is to attempt to “soften” another person or get that person to “bend” to your request.

Answer 122

Definition: Guess, infer, think or make an opinion with incomplete information Usage: Based on your rather sad attempt to figure out the tip on our restaurant bill, I would surmise that you actually have no idea how percents work. Related Words: Conjecture (synonym), Supposition (assumption, hypothesis, something that has been supposed)

Answer 123

Definition: Lay aside to discuss later, often as a way to postpone discussion indefinitely Usage: I see we’re not going to agree on whether to scrap our entire curriculum and develop a new one, so let’s table that discussion and move on to voting on the budget. More Info: In American English, to table something means to postpone discussion of it until later, but in British English, to table a bill is the opposite—to submit it for consideration.

Answer 124

Definition: Understood without being said; implied, not stated directly; silent Usage: Her parents never told her she could smoke, but they gave their tacit consent when they didn’t say anything about the obvious smell coming from her bedroom. Related Words: Implicit (implied, not stated directly; involved in the very essence of something, unquestionable) More Info: Tacit is related to taciturn (not talking much, reserved).

Answer 125

Definition: Moderation, self-control, esp. regarding alcohol or other desires or pleasures; total abstinence from alcohol Usage: After the end of the Civil War, economic change led to an increase in alcohol problems and the birth of the Temperance Movement, which ultimately led to Prohibition. / Grandma is a model of temperance—she drinks red wine every night, but only the 1/3 of a glass that she read was conducive to preventing heart attacks. Related Words: Teetotaler (person who doesn’t drink alcohol at all), Abstain (hold back, refrain, esp. from something bad or unhealthy), Sobriety (temperance or the state of being sober; seriousness) More Info: To temper is to moderate, soften, or tone down, or to make less intense. Something untempered is not controlled or moderated. Of course, temper as a noun means a person’s state of mind or tendency to anger.

Answer 126

Definition: Long and thin, slender; flimsy, having little substance Usage: Your argument is quite tenuous—it depends on our accepting the results of a 1955 study published in an obscure medical journal not subject to peer review. More Info: The related attenuate means “weaken or thin out” (for instance, a general who sends too few troops over too large an area has attenuated his army). The related tensile means “relating to tension” or “capable of being stretched.

Answer 127

Definition: Bitter, abusive criticism or verbal attack Usage: I hate that television show where that commentator goes on angry tirades about all the liberal conspiracies taking over America. Even my conservative friends find his ranting embarrassing. Related Words: Diatribe, Tirade, Harangue, and Fulmination are all words for bitter, angry speeches or attacks.

Answer 128

Definition: Sluggishness, lethargy, or apathy; a period of inactivity Usage: Sam had hoped to be able to play in the game after having his wisdom teeth out, but the anesthesia left him in such torpor that he obviously couldn’t play soccer. Related Words: Listless (spiritless, lacking interest or energy), Inertia (inactivity, lack of motion or progress), Loafing (idling away the time, lounging) More Info: Don’t confuse torpid with turbid (turbulent), tepid (lukewarm), or turgid or tumid (swollen, bombastic).

Answer 129

Definition: Very hot, parching, burning; passionate Usage: They had a torrid love affair in the ‘80s, but split up because a royal was not permitted to marry a commoner. / The wandering refugees were in serious danger in the torrid Sahara. Related Words: Arid (dry, parched, barren) More Info: The “torrid zone” is the region of Earth between the tropics

Answer 130

Definition: Trivial, not very important; so small as to be unimportant; frivolous, shallow Usage: Luis broke up with Cara because she was always obsessed with some trifling matter— he tried to talk about foreign aid dependency, and she changed the subject to what the actress Katie Holmes dressed her daughter Suri in for a shopping trip. / The young heiress was so wealthy that she considered the salary from her internship a mere trifle, and didn’t even notice when her paycheck was days late. Related Words: Frivolous (lacking seriousness, excessively carefree, as in The judge dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous—you can’t sue the government for failing to protect you from birds). Nugatory also means “of little or no importance.”

Answer 131

Definition: Lacking freshness and originality, lacking effectiveness due to overuse, cliché Usage: The topic of your speech is “Children are the Future”? That’s pretty trite. Maybe you should think harder and come up with something original. Related Words: Banal, Hackneyed, Inane, and Insipid all mean “lacking freshness and originality, shallow.” Shopworn also means this (or can also literally mean something marred from being handled in a store). Bromide and Platitude are nouns for a cliché or shopworn expression.

Answer 132

Definition: Existing everywhere at the same time Usage: Thirty years ago, women would lie about coloring their hair, considering the admission embarrassing. Today, blatantly fake hair color—not to mention fake tans and unnaturally white teeth—are ubiquitous, not only on starlets, but even on the checkers at the local grocery store. / Maggie learned in Sunday school that God was ubiquitous, leading to the question nearly all children ask when they hear this: “Does that mean God sees me in the bathroom?” Related Words: Omnipresent (synonym), Pervasive (tending to spread throughout)

Answer 133

Definition: Weaken, cause to collapse by digging away at the foundation (of a building or an argument); injure or attack in a secretive or underhanded way Usage: Rather than searching impartially for the truth, these pharmaceutical company “scientists” willfully ignored any evidence that undermined the conclusion they were being paid to produce. / You are nice to my face, but you are undermining me behind my back, suggesting to others in the office that I am making mistakes in my work and that you have been fixing them! More Info: Don’t confuse with undergird (strengthen, add support) and underscore (emphasize). Undermine literally comes from the idea of “mining” underneath—certainly, mining under your house would be likely to make the house fall down.

Answer 134

Definition: Dig up, uncover, expose Usage: The ACLU’s Prison Project works tirelessly to unearth evidence from old cases that might exonerate innocent people who have spent years or even decades in prison. / The archaeologist unearthed what appears to be the world’s oldest known gravesite, showing that the earliest humans cared for their deceased loved ones. Related Words: Debunk (expose, ridicule, or disprove false or exaggerated claims), Disabuse (free someone from a mistake in thinking)

Answer 135

Definition: Truthfulness, accuracy; habitual adherence to the truth Usage: I question the veracity of your story—I just don’t think you’ve been to outer space. / She was known for her veracity only because she had no choice—she was a terrible liar. Related Words: Probity (honesty, integrity), Verisimilitude (having the appearance of truth), Verity (the quality of being true) More Info: Don’t confuse veracious (true) with voracious (hungry, ravenous).

Answer 136

Definition: Wordy Usage: Twitter’s 140 character limit really forces the verbose to go against their natural tendencies and instead write succinctly. Related Words: Loquacious, Prolix, and Voluble mean “talkative, wordy.” More Info: The Latin “verbum” means “word” and of course gives us verb, verbal, etc., and also verbiage (excess words or style of expressing something in words). A verbose person could stand to cut down on the verbiage.

Answer 137

Definition: Capable of living (or growing, developing, etc.); practical, workable Usage: I have three screenplay ideas, but the studio head said only one was commercially viable. Apparently, it’s important to have a human lead character and a satisfying ending. / Due to leaps forward in technology, premature babies are considered viable earlier and earlier—currently around 24 weeks. Related Words: Feasible (possible; logical or likely; suitable), Plausible (credible, having the appearance of truth) More Info: The Latin root for “life” (“vi”) gives us vivid, survive, revive, vivacious, and convivial. And also the Spanish word for “life” and thus the Ricky Martin classic, “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

Answer 138

Definition: Verbally abuse, rebuke or criticize harshly Usage: All couples fight, but your girlfriend vituperates you so severely that I’m not sure she loves you at all. Verbal abuse is actually a pretty good reason to break up. Related Words: Pejorative (disparaging, derogatory, belittling), Revile (verbally abuse or speak very badly of), Berate (scold angrily and at length) More Info: Vituperate comes from the Latin root “vitium,” (“fault”), which also occurs in vice (sin, wickedness) and vitiate (ruin, corrupt). Vice (or vitiating your things) would be one reason for vituperating someone.

Answer 139

Definition: Justified, authorized (warrant can mean to justify or a justification, but can also mean to vouch for or guarantee) Usage: The pundit’s comments don’t even warrant a response from our organization—they were mere name-calling, not suitable for public discourse. / Your criticism of Anne is unwarranted—as your assistant, she has done everything you’ve asked her to do. / He doesn’t have his documents with him, but I’ll warrant that he is indeed a certified forklift operator. More Info: A warrant can, of course, be a legal justification (as in every cop movie ever)— such as permission given to police by a judge to enter and search a suspect’s home.

Answer 140

Definition: Watchful, motivated by caution, on guard against danger Usage: Be wary of anyone who tells you that “anyone” can get rich with some special plan or scheme. Related Words: Chary is a synonym (there are very few rhyming synonyms in English!), Leery (suspicious or wary), Vigilant (keenly watchful or alert in order to guard against danger)

Answer 141

Definition: Crafty, cunning, characterized by tricks or artifice Usage: The wily criminal stole eight laptops by simply walking into a branch of a large company, introducing himself as the laptop repairman, and waiting for people to hand him their computers. / She was quite offended when her coworker suggested that she use her “feminine wiles” to make the sale. Related Words: Artifice (trickery, especially as part of a strategy), Finesse (use tact or diplomacy; employ a deceptive strategy), Duplicity (deceit, double-dealing, acting in two different ways for the purpose of deception) More Info: “Feminine wiles” refers to artful or beguiling behavior that a typically attractive woman uses to get what she wants—which could be as innocent as a romance, or something more devious.