ENGLISH VOCABULARY #3 (A2 COURSE) Flashcards
1
Q
definition:
- the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.
- If someone behaves or moves with _____, they are calm, controlled, and admirable.
- If you talk about the _____ of people or their lives or activities, you mean that they are valuable and worthy of respect.
- the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
–
(n)
If someone has _____, it means they are worthy of respect. If you really want the lead role in a play and you try to bribe the director to give it to you, she might say, “Have you no _____?”
Someone with _____ carries herself well. If you lose an election, and you say nasty things about your opponent and try to undermine her, you are acting without _____. But if you graciously congratulate her and accept the results, then you are behaving in a _____d manner. We also talk about human _____, which is an idea of what separates humans from animals. Human Rights activists believe that everyone has the right to live with _____.
d_____y
A
dignity
dignified
definition:
- the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.
- If someone behaves or moves with _____, they are calm, controlled, and admirable.
- If you talk about the _____ of people or their lives or activities, you mean that they are valuable and worthy of respect.
- the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
–
Example sentences
2
Q
definition:
- (n)
- permission to do something
- permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.
- If you give your _____ to something, you give someone permission to do it.
- (v)
- give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to
- give permission for something to happen.
- If you _____ to something, you agree to do it or to allow it to be done.
Before you have surgery, you’d better give your _____, because the surgeon can’t get his scalpel anywhere near your skin without first getting this permission from you.
_____ is permission that can be given or taken away. On the night of the school dance, your parents might _____ to extend your curfew by an hour. A homeowner who won’t give a developer _____ to tear down her house and build a shopping mall might finally _____ after receiving a very large check from the developer.
c____nt
A
consent
consentiual
definition:
- (n)
- permission to do something
- permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.
- If you give your _____ to something, you give someone permission to do it.
- (v)
- give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to
- give permission for something to happen.
- If you _____ to something, you agree to do it or to allow it to be done.
Example sentences
3
Q
definition:
(adj)
- not settling an issue.
- characterized by lack of decision and firmness
- (of a person) not having or showing the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.
- If you say that someone is _____, you mean that they find it very difficult to make decisions.
If you’re _____, you have a hard time making decisions. When you finally do make a decision, you may not be confident about it, or you might change your mind.
Another definition for _____ is not definitely settling something, like when election results are too close to call or some result has been called into question. Several historic American elections have had this happen in the recent past, and in that case, the election result remains _____ until a recount has been finished or until one party gives a concession speech.
in______ve
A
indecisive
indecision
definition:
(adj)
- not settling an issue.
- characterized by lack of decision and firmness
- (of a person) not having or showing the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.
- If you say that someone is _____, you mean that they find it very difficult to make decisions.
Example sentences
4
Q
definition:
- an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
- a condition in which a person or community is doing well financially.
- the condition of having good fortune
(n)
Use _____ to refer to the state of being successful. In the US, the decades following World War II were characterized by rising _____, with large numbers moving into the middle class.
_____ usually means the type of success that comes from having a lot of money. Our modern English word derives from Middle English word borrowed through Old French from Latin word that means “favorable.” The Latin word also means “fortunate,” and the word _____ does have an element of good luck.
pr______ty
A
prosperity
prosperous
definition:
- an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
- a condition in which a person or community is doing well financially.
- the condition of having good fortune
Example sentences
5
Q
definition:
- opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas
- a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.
(n)
A _____ is a situation or ideas in opposition to one another. Declaring publicly that you are an environmentalist but never remembering to take out the recycling is an example of a _____.
A “_____ in terms” is a common phrase used to describe a statement that contains opposing ideas. Examples of a _____ in terms include, “the gentle torturer,” “the towering midget,” or “a snowy summer’s day.” A person can also express a _____, like the person who professes atheism, yet goes to church every Sunday.
co______on
A
contradiction
conradict
definition:
- opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas
- a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.
Example sentences
6
Q
definition:
- all future generations of people.
- You can refer to everyone who will be alive in the future as _____.
- all of the offspring of a given progenitor
- all future generations
(n)
_____ is a noun meaning “future generations.” These people of the future could be your children and great-great grandchildren, or any people who are born after you.
If you save something “for _____,” you’re hoping that years later people will appreciate it, like a time capsule you bury in the yard. The word comes from the Latin word for “post, after.” It’s also related to the word which means “behind, to come after in time.” In legal terms, _____ refers to the offspring of a person and it often has to do with inheriting property and who is entitled to do so.
po_____y
A
posterity
definition:
- all future generations of people.
- You can refer to everyone who will be alive in the future as _____.
- all of the offspring of a given progenitor
- all future generations
Example sentences
7
Q
definition:
- a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.
- a pause in which nothing happens, or a gap where something is missing.
- an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
(n)
A temporary gap, pause, break, or absence can be called a ____. When your favorite TV show is on ____, that means there are no new episodes, not forever, just for a little while.
Even things that go on for a long time take a break once in a while: one kind of break is a ____. If someone has to leave her job for a time, she’s going on ____. A touring band will need to take a ____ if the lead singer gets in an accident. The key thing about a ____ is that it’s an interruption of something that was happening, but it’s not a permanent break.
hi_____s
A
hiatus
definition:
- a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.
- a pause in which nothing happens, or a gap where something is missing.
- an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
Example sentences
8
Q
its hard to phatham, unpathamable
A
its hard to phatham, unpathamable
9
Q
definition:
- eternity
- a bond or other security with no fixed maturity date.
- the property of being perpetual (seemingly ceaseless)
- the state or quality of lasting forever.
(n)
The word _____ means “the property of lasting forever.” The _____ of an eternal flame means that it will burn endlessly, while an ordinary candle flame will eventually extinguish.
Anything in _____ keeps on going and going and going. If you crash the family car and your parents ban you from driving it in _____, you’re never driving that car again. First appearing in the 15th century, the noun _____ derives from the Latin word meaning “continuing throughout.”
pe_____ty
A
perpetuity
definition:
- eternity
- a bond or other security with no fixed maturity date.
- the property of being perpetual (seemingly ceaseless)
- the state or quality of lasting forever.
Example sentences
10
Q
definition:
- the condition of being enslaved or of being completely under the control of someone else.
- the state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful.
- state of subjection to an owner or master or forced labor imposed as punishment
(n)
If you’re free-spirited you won’t enjoy _____, mainly because _____ means you have to answer to a master, like a servant does.
Slavery, a brutal form of _____, existed in the United States until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. Before this, thousands upon thousands of African Americans were forced into _____, where they were forced to perform labor for their masters. A key to remembering the meaning of _____ is the fact that it resembles servant. If your friend rear-ends you but doesn’t have insurance, let him pay for the damage in _____. Make him your personal assistant for a month!
ser_____de
A
servitude
definition:
- the condition of being enslaved or of being completely under the control of someone else.
- the state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful.
- state of subjection to an owner or master or forced labor imposed as punishment
Example sentences
11
Q
definition:
- attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.
- making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction
- someone or something that tries to seem important or significant, but you do not think that they are.
(adj)
Use the adjective ______ as a way to criticize people who try to act like they are more important or knowledgeable than they really are.
You might not be surprised to learn that ______ is related to the word pretend, and it is an adjective that fits the bill for describing someone who’s only concerned with making an impressive appearance. If you don’t want to be accused of being ______, just act naturally and don’t put on airs!
pr________s
A
pretentious (adj)
definition:
- attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.
- making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction
- someone or something that tries to seem important or significant, but you do not think that they are.
12
Q
definition:
- (n)
- an act of moving back or withdrawing.
- an act of withdrawing or going backward (especially to escape something hazardous or unpleasant)
- (military) a withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy’s superior forces or after a defeat
- (v)
- to move back
- to pull back or move away or backward
- to move away from something or someone.
The noun _____ means a place you can go to be alone, to get away from it all. A spot under a shady tree might be your favorite _____ from the sun, or your bedroom in the basement may serve as a retreat from your siblings.
In the military sense, the noun _____ means the withdrawal of troops. The British _____ after the Battles of Lexington and Concord gave the American colonists an early taste of victory during the American Revolution. As a verb, _____ means to back out of something — like a lawyer who is forced to _____ from his argument when the opposing evidence is too convincing.
r______t
A
retreat (v) (n)
- (n)
- an act of moving back or withdrawing.
- an act of withdrawing or going backward (especially to escape something hazardous or unpleasant)
- (military) a withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy’s superior forces or after a defeat
- (v)
- to move back
- to pull back or move away or backward
- to move away from something or someone.
13
Q
definition:
- to demand or specify (a requirement), typically as part of a bargain or agreement.
- to specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement
- to specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement
(v)
To _____ something means to demand that it be part of an agreement. So when you make a contract or deal, you can _____ that a certain condition must be met.
Anytime you draw up a legal agreement, you can _____ a requirement that has to be met for that agreement to be complete. This _____ion might put some sort of limit on the agreement. For example, if you run a fencing company and offer a sale, you can _____ that to get the sale price, the fence must be ordered by a certain date. Your customer, in turn, might _____ that the work must be finished before the ground freezes.
st_____te
A
stipulate (v)
stipulation (n)
definition:
- to demand or specify (a requirement), typically as part of a bargain or agreement.
- to specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement
- to specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement
14
Q
defintion:
- intended to deceive
- deliberately deceitful, dishonest, or untrue.
- obtained, done by, or involving deception (especially criminal deception)
(adj)
Something _____ is intentionally false and meant to harm or deceive. That email message from the Sultan of Brunei offering you millions of dollars just might be _____.
From the fact that the word _____ is frequently teamed with the word scheme, you can get the idea that something _____ is sneaky, snarky, and just plain wrong. A _____ scheme is one designed to gain something at the expense of someone else. It might be small — trying to use an expired coupon (or bigger) lying on your taxes. Whatever its form, planning something _____ is cheating, and it’s wrong.
fr_______nt
A
- *fraudulent** (adj)
- *fraudulence** (n) fraud (n)
defintion:
- intended to deceive
- deliberately deceitful, dishonest, or untrue.
- obtained, done by, or involving deception (especially criminal deception)
15
Q
defintion:
- to enlarge or increase
- to grow or intensify
- to make it larger, stronger, or more effective by adding something to it.
- to make (something) greater by adding to it; to increase.
(v)
Do you need to make something bigger, better, or stronger? Then you need to ____ it. To ____ is to increase the amount or strength of something.
Maybe your bike isn’t getting around very well on hills: the bike needs to be ____ed with a better set of tires. People ____ their computers and phones all the time, adding new gadgets and apps. They ____ the storage space in their cars by buying roof racks. If the President decides to ____ taxes, taxes are going up. When you see the word augment, think “More!”
a_____nt
A
augment (v)
augmentation (n)
defintion:
- to enlarge or increase
- to grow or intensify
- to make it larger, stronger, or more effective by adding something to it.
- to make (something) greater by adding to it; to increase.
16
Q
definition:
- to cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; surrender.
- to surrender under agreed conditions
(v)
To ____ means to give in to something. If your parents refuse to raise your allowance, you might try to argue until they ____. Good luck!
To ____ is to surrender outright or to give in under certain terms. Either way, you’re agreeing to something you don’t really want. The word comes from the Latin roots, a reference to the official agreement drawn up when someone formally surrendered.
c_____te
A
capitulate (v)
capitulation (n)
definition:
- to cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; surrender.
- to surrender under agreed conditions
- to surrender under agreed conditions
17
Q
definition:
- 1. to exceeding or surpassing usual limits especially in excellence
- beyond and outside the ordinary range of human experience or understanding
- beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience.
- something that goes beyond normal limits or boundaries, because it is more significant than them.
- to surpass the ordinary; exceptional.
- 2. (of God) existing apart from and not subject to the limitations of the material universe. (supernatural)
(adj)
_____ describes something so excellent that it’s beyond the range of human understanding.
_____ shares the prefix trans, meaning “across,” with many familiar words such as transport (“carry across”), transcontinental ( across a continent”), and transparent (“allowing light to shine across”). _____al meditation carries people across to a higher consciousness. So something _____ goes across boring reality into super awesomeness in a world all its own. It moves you. Angels are _____, and even your favorite novel can be _____.
tr_______nt
A
transcendent (adj)
trancendental (adj)
trancendence (n)
trancend (v)
definition:
- 1. to exceeding or surpassing usual limits especially in excellence
- beyond and outside the ordinary range of human experience or understanding
- beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience.
- something that goes beyond normal limits or boundaries, because it is more significant than them.
- to surpass the ordinary; exceptional.
- 2. (of God) existing apart from and not subject to the limitations of the material universe. (supernatural)
18
Q
definition:
- a firmly held belief or opinion.
- a strong belief or opinion
- an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
- (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed
- the quality of showing that one is firmly convinced of what one believes or says.
(n)
A ____ is something certain: a judgment of guilty in court and a strong belief are both ____s.
In the legal world, when a judge or jury ____s someone of a crime — finding them guilty, this is called a ____. Prosecutors try to get ____s, and defense attorneys try to prevent them. Also, ____s are beliefs, principles. The United States was founded on many ____s, such as the belief in free speech and separation of church and state. When you have a ____, you’re certain of something.
co_____t
A
conviction (n)
convict (v) (n)
convicted (adj)
- ex: “convicted in the court of public opinion”*
- —*
- definition:*
- a firmly held belief or opinion.
- a strong belief or opinion
- an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
- (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed
- the quality of showing that one is firmly convinced of what one believes or says.
19
Q
definition:
- an effort to minimize or curtail damage or loss
- an action that is taken to make the bad results of something as small as possible, when it is impossible to avoid bad results completely.
- action taken to limit the damaging effects of an accident or error.
(idiom)
A
idiom: “damage control’
definition:
- an effort to minimize or curtail damage or loss
- an action that is taken to make the bad results of something as small as possible, when it is impossible to avoid bad results completely.
- action taken to limit the damaging effects of an accident or error.
20
Q
definition:
- spreading or spread throughout
- something present or felt throughout a place or thing.
- (especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people.
When something is ______, it’s everywhere. Common things are ______, like greed and cheap perfume.
Ever notice how certain trends seem to spread all over the place? When something — like a hairstyle — is super-common, it’s ______. ______ things can’t be escaped. Playing video games is ______ among kids. Talking about the weather is ______ among adults. Ideas, diseases, habits, and all sorts of things can be ______. If you’re sick of seeing something because you’re seeing it again and again, it must be ______.
pe_____ve
A
pervasive (adj)
pervasiveness (n)
definition:
- spreading or spread throughout
- something present or felt throughout a place or thing.
- (especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people.
21
Q
definition:
- to remove the testicles of (a male animal or man).
- to remove the testicles of a male animal
(v)
To _____ a male animal is to surgically remove its testicles. A veterinarian _____s a male dog to ensure that it can’t mate with a female and produce unwanted puppies.
People often choose to _____ pets or farm animals to keep them from reproducing. _____ is one of several words used to refer to this process; most pet owners prefer terms such as neuter or fix. _____ comes from a Latin root which means not just “to _____,” but also “to prune.” The word has also come to mean “to take away strength.”
ca_____e
A
castrate (v)
castration (n)
similar words: neuter, geld
definition:
- to remove the testicles of (a male animal or man).
- to remove the testicles of a male animal
22
Q
definition:
- (v)
- to bring into being
- to cause (a process or action) to begin.
- you start or cause something to happen.
- to set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
- (n)
- a person who has been initiated into an organization or activity, typically recently.
If you want to end the feud between your siblings, you might need to _____ peace talks, and come up with a fair way to decide who gets the top bunk. As a verb, _____ means to start. As a noun, _____ refers to someone who has been inducted into a group.
_____ is tricky because you pronounce the last bit one way as a verb (i-ni-she-ate) and another when it’s a noun (i-ni-she-at). If you’re an _____, you’ve been introduced to a field of study, an activity, a club, etc. As a verb, to _____ is to begin, pioneer, or broach a topic. You might say, “Let’s _____ the swearing-in ceremony so our new _____s can join the Rule-Breakers’ Club and still get home without missing their curfews.”
in______te
A
initiate (v) (n)
initiation (n)
definition:
- (v)
- to bring into being
- to cause (a process or action) to begin.
- you start or cause something to happen.
- to set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
- (n)
- a person who has been initiated into an organization or activity, typically recently.
23
Q
definition:
- (n)
- (Greek mythology) a box that Zeus gave to _____ with instructions that she not open it; she gave in to her curiosity and opened it; all the miseries and evils flew out to afflict mankind
- the box which _____, the first woman, was forbidden to open, and which released from all the ills that beset humankind
- a process that generates many complicated problems as the result of unwise interference in something.
A
Pandora’s box (n)
definition:
- (n)
- (Greek mythology) a box that Zeus gave to _____ with instructions that she not open it; she gave in to her curiosity and opened it; all the miseries and evils flew out to afflict mankind
- the box which _____, the first woman, was forbidden to open, and which released from all the ills that beset humankind
- a process that generates many complicated problems as the result of unwise interference in something.
—
24
Q
definition:
- without a clearly defined shape or form.
- lacking a clear structure or focus.
- something that has no clear shape or structure.
- having no definite form or distinct shape
(adj)
_____ means without a clearly defined form, like the moon’s _____ reflection in a lake. Figuratively, something _____ lacks focus, be it a work of art, a political movement, or even someone’s life plans.
The Greek roots of this word are clear: morphē means “form,” and a- means “lacking or without.” When creative works or ideas are described as _____, it means they suffer from a lack of organization. An _____ object lacks a well-defined outline or structure, like _____ jellyfish drifting on the surface of the ocean. And scientifically, this adjective simply describes something without a crystalline form, like an _____ metal or _____ ice.
am_______s
A
amorphous (adj)
definition:
- without a clearly defined shape or form.
- lacking a clear structure or focus.
- something that has no clear shape or structure.
- having no definite form or distinct shape
25
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a person who engages in dishonest and fraudulent business dealings.**
* **someone who makes money from illegal activities such as threatening people or selling worthless, immoral, or illegal goods or services.**
* **someone who commits crimes for profit (especially one who obtains money by fraud or extortion)**
* (v)
* **to carry on illegal business activities involving crime**
---
A _____ is a criminal, especially one who's involved in organized white collar crime or dishonest business dealings. If a lawyer embezzles money from her clients, she is a \_\_\_\_\_.
\_\_\_\_\_s commit crimes in order to make money for themselves. In many cases, a _____ is a business owner or professional who falsifies financial records to hide income or bills clients for more than they owe. A ------ is a scam or fake service that's run by a \_\_\_\_\_, and the crime itself, if the _____ is caught, is called \_\_\_\_\_ing. The source of all three words is thought to be racquet, and the idea of a scam as a "game."
^
^
ra\_\_\_\_\_\_er
**racketeer** (v) (n)
**racketerring** (v)
---
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a person who engages in dishonest and fraudulent business dealings.**
* **someone who makes money from illegal activities such as threatening people or selling worthless, immoral, or illegal goods or services.**
* **someone who commits crimes for profit (especially one who obtains money by fraud or extortion)**
* (v)
* **to carry on illegal business activities involving crime**
---
[Example sentences](https://wordsinasentence.com/racketeer-in-a-sentence/)
26
*definition:*
* **having a good reputation.**
* **a company or person is reliable and can be trusted.**
---
(adj)
Want the real scoop on your favorite singer's latest romance? Then you should probably find a more _____ source than the tabloids, meaning someone with a better reputation, in this case for telling the truth.
That's the thing with _____ reputations. People know you can be trusted, that you're honest and not trying to pull one over on anybody. _____ institutions usually have a history of excellent service or outstanding work, and always come highly recommended. Reputable used car salesmen may seem scarce. The word _____ actually has a good deal of reputability itself, since it's been in standard use since the 17th century.
^
^
re\_\_\_\_\_\_\_le
**reputable** (adj)
**reputation** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **having a good reputation.**
* **a company or person is reliable and can be trusted.**
---
**reputation** (n):
*definition:*
* **the general estimation that the public has for a person**
* **the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something.**
* **a widespread belief that someone or something has a particular habit or characteristic.**
---
[Example sentences](https://wordsinasentence.com/reputable-in-a-sentence/)
27
*definition:*
* **a hollow wooden statue of a horse in which the Greeks concealed themselves in order to enter Troy.**
* **a person or thing intended secretly to undermine or bring about the downfall of an enemy or opponent.**
* **a person of thing that are being used to hide someone's true purpose or intentions.**
* **a program that appears desirable but actually contains something harmful**
---
(n)
**Trojan horse** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a hollow wooden statue of a horse in which the Greeks concealed themselves in order to enter Troy.**
* **a person or thing intended secretly to undermine or bring about the downfall of an enemy or opponent.**
* **a person of thing that are being used to hide someone's true purpose or intentions.**
* **a program that appears desirable but actually contains something harmful**
---
[Example sentences](https://sentencedict.com/trojan%20horse.html)
28
*definition:*
(v)
* **to subject to some form of punishment.**
* **impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on**
*---*
When you _____ someone, you punish them. A traffic cop will usually _____ a speeder with an expensive ticket.
A court might _____ a criminal with fines or time in prison, while a frustrated teacher is more likely to _____ the class clown with detention. Sports referees frequently _____ players by allowing the opposing team an advantage of some sort, like a penalty kick in soccer or a free throw in basketball. _____ is rooted in penal, or "pertaining to punishment." The Greek root is poine, "penalty, punishment, or blood money."
^
^
pe\_\_\_\_\_\_e
**penalize** (v)
**penalty** (n)
---
*definition:*
(v)
* **to subject to some form of punishment.**
* **impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on**
*---*
[Example sentences](https://wordsinasentence.com/penalize-in-a-sentence/)
29
*definition:*
* (n)
* **the action of providing or supplying something for use.**
* **the activity of supplying or providing something**
* * (v)
* **supply with food, drink, or equipment, especially for a journey.**
* **If you make ____ for something that might happen or that might need to be done, you make arrangements to deal with it.**
---
A ____ is a store or supply of something, like food or clothing. This noun can also describe the planning you do for "when something happens."
We often use this word when we talk about outdoor activities like hiking or camping, or when we talk about outfitting an army in the field, but it basically means "supply." And since ____ comes from the Latin word that means to "attend to," you can pretty much guess what the verb form of this word describes: the act of supplying someone else with \_\_\_\_s. In a legal or contractual sense, a ____ is a stipulated condition or proviso.
^
^
pr\_\_\_\_\_\_\_n
**provision** (n)
---
*definition:*
* (n)
* **the action of providing or supplying something for use.**
* **the activity of supplying or providing something**
* * (v)
* **supply with food, drink, or equipment, especially for a journey.**
* **If you make ____ for something that might happen or that might need to be done, you make arrangements to deal with it.**
---
[Example sentences](https://wordsinasentence.com/provision-in-a-sentence/)
30
*definition:*
* **a weakness or vulnerable point.**
* **a seemingly small but actual mortal weakness**
* **Someone's _____ \_\_\_ is the weakest point in their character or nature, where it is easiest for other people to attack or criticize them.**
---
An ______ \_\_\_ is a specific weakness or vulnerability that might lead to failure. An otherwise excellent basketball player might consider her ______ \_\_\_ to be the fact that she's short.
In Greek mythology, ______ was protected from a curse by being immersed in magical water as a baby. His mother held his heel as she dipped him, leaving it unwashed by the protective water. His ______ \_\_\_ was literally his heel, the one part of him vulnerable to the poison arrow which eventually killed him. Your ______ \_\_\_ might be your lack of upper body strength, your laziness, or your shyness, anything that's a particular weak spot.
^
^
Ac\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_l
**Achilles' heel** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a weakness or vulnerable point.**
* **a seemingly small but actual mortal weakness**
* **Someone's _____ \_\_\_ is the weakest point in their character or nature, where it is easiest for other people to attack or criticize them.**
---
[Example sentences](https://sentencedict.com/achilles'%20heel.html)
31
*definition:*
* **easily handled or managed**
* **ready to accept control or instruction; submissive.**
* **A person or animal that is docile is quiet, not aggressive, and easily controlled.**
---
(adj)
If someone is \_\_\_\_\_, he is easily taught or handled. If you suddenly became a trouble-maker in class, your teachers would long for the days when you were sweet and \_\_\_\_\_.
\_\_\_\_\_ comes from Latin root for teaching, docere, so someone _____ is easy to teach. A _____ student is willing to be taught. A _____ animal is easy to handle. If you behave well and do what people tell you to do, you're a _____ person. _____ might be a word of praise, but it can also be a criticism of someone
^
^
d\_\_\_\_\_e
**docile** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **easily handled or managed**
* **ready to accept control or instruction; submissive.**
* **A person or animal that is docile is quiet, not aggressive, and easily controlled.**
---
[Example sentences](https://wordsinasentence.com/docile-in-a-sentence/)
32
*definition:*
* **to change something so that it is more effective or appropriate.**
* **to alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard**
* **to alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result.**
---
(v)
When you _____ to something, you change so that you can fit in, conform, or keep on going. Arriving at a new school almost always requires that you _____ a little. Once you \_\_\_\_\_, you'll find you're as happy as you were in your old school.
To _____ doesn't mean to transform in a major way. It implies small but important changes that make a big difference. If you _____ your speed by just ten miles per hour, you'll get more than fifty more miles per fill-up. You can _____ your hair to make it fancier, you can _____ your lifestyle to make it more sober, or you can _____ your attitude to make yourself less annoying. You used to have to _____ your TV antenna to get a better picture. Ask your mom.
^
^
a\_\_\_\_t
**adjust** (v)
**adjustment** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to change something so that it is more effective or appropriate.**
* **to alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard**
* **to alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result.**
---
Example sentences
33
*definition:*
* **susceptible to attack**
* **capable of being wounded or hurt**
* **to be susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.**
* **(of a person) in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect.**
* **Someone who is weak and without protection, with the result that they are easily hurt physically or emotionally.**
---
(adj)
Use the adjective ____ to describe something or someone open to being physically or emotionally wounded, like a newborn chick or an overly sensitive teenager.
\_\_\_\_ is from Latin and is based on vulnus, "wound." From its literal meaning, it has come to be more often used for someone who is easily hurt or likely to succumb to temptation. It's best used for a person whose feelings are so delicate that they can't withstand any criticism or pressure: "Don't speak harshly to her, she's very ____ today."
^
^
v\_\_\_\_\_\_le
vulnerable
vulnerability
---
*definition:*
* **susceptible to attack**
* **capable of being wounded or hurt**
* **to be susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.**
* **(of a person) in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect.**
* **Someone who is weak and without protection, with the result that they are easily hurt physically or emotionally.**
---
Example sentences
34
*definition:*
* **having or showing no skill; (clumsy)**
* **generally incompetent and ineffectual**
* **someone who does something with a complete lack of skill.**
----
(adj)
A clumsy, incompetent person, or an ineffective action, is \_\_\_\_\_\_. When you're \_\_\_\_\_\_, you don't know what you're doing or just can't get it done.
Someone ______ is bumbling, clueless, and ineffective. ______ people are dumb or clueless; they don't understand things. More than that, ______ people are bad at what they do. An ______ lawyer always loses cases. An ______ figure skater wipes out on the ice. An ______ postal worker loses mail and puts it in the wrong box. An ______ person is downright bad at something. The opposite of ______ is competent.
^
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i\_\_\_\_t
**inept** (adj)
**ineptitude** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **having or showing no skill; (clumsy)**
* **generally incompetent and ineffectual**
* **someone who does something with a complete lack of skill.**
----
Example sentences
35
*definition:*
* **to make less severe or harsh**
* **to make it less unpleasant, serious, or painful.**
* **lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of**
* **to make less severe, serious, or painful.**
* **to lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake).**
---
(v)
Choose the verb ______ when something lessens the unpleasantness of a situation. You can ______ your parents' anger by telling them you were late to dinner because you were helping your elderly neighbor.
The somewhat formal verb ______ comes from the Latin roots. It is often used with words that indicate an outcome or something harmful. When you buy car insurance, you are trying to ______ the risks involved with driving. Sunscreen is used to ______ the effects of the sun on your skin.
^
^
m\_\_\_\_\_te
**mitigate** (v)
**mitigation** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to make less severe or harsh**
* **to make it less unpleasant, serious, or painful.**
* **lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of**
* **to make less severe, serious, or painful.**
* **to lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake).**
---
Example sentences
36
*definition:*
* **to interrupt (an event, activity, or process) by causing a disturbance or problem.**
* **something that causes difficulties that prevent an event, system, or process from continuing or operating in a normal way.**
---
(v)
To ______ is to interrupt or throw something into disorder. If you don't turn your phone off before a play, it might ring and ______ the actors and the audience.
\_\_\_\_\_\_ goes back to the Latin root disrumpere, "to break apart." When you \_\_\_\_\_\_, you break someone's concentration, break up a routine, or break apart a system or order, as when bad weather \_\_\_\_\_\_s the travel plans of people in airports. Even if your headphones keep the music in your ears only, singing out loud can ______ those around you. A larger interruption would be if a war were to erupt. That would ______ the peace of an entire region and its people.
^
^
d\_\_\_\_t
**disrupt** (v)
**disruption** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to interrupt (an event, activity, or process) by causing a disturbance or problem.**
* **something that causes difficulties that prevent an event, system, or process from continuing or operating in a normal way.**
---
Example sentences
37
*definition:*
* **occurrences of something happen at irregular intervals**
* **occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.**
* **recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is an adjective that you can use to refer to something that happens or appears often, but not constantly or regularly. The mail carrier comes every day but the plumber's visits are \_\_\_\_\_\_\_, he comes as needed.
A specialized use of _______ is to describe a disease that appears only occasionally in random cases, and is therefore not an epidemic. Mostly, though, you'll hear this word used to describe anything that happens occasionally, like your family's _______ trips to visit your distant cousins in Ohio or the _______ bake sales your science club sponsors when it's low on funds. English borrowed the word _______ from the Greek word meaning "scattered."
^
^
s\_\_\_\_\_ic
**sporadic** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **occurrences of something happen at irregular intervals**
* **occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.**
* **recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances**
---
Example sentences
38
*definition:*
* **the exact opposite**
* **the _______ of something is its exact opposite.**
* **a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.**
---
(n)
An _______ is the complete opposite of something. Though the counterculture was strong in America in 1968, voters elected Richard Nixon, the _______ of a hippie.
The noun _______ comes from a Greek root meaning "opposition" and "set against." It's often used today when describing two ideas or terms that are placed in strong contrast to each other. We might come across _______ in school if we learn about the "Hegelian dialectic." There, the thesis, or main idea put forward in an argument, is countered with its opposite idea, the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_, and the two are finally reconciled in a third proposition, the synthesis. An _______ wouldn't exist without a thesis because it works as a comparison.
^
^
a\_\_\_\_\_\_\_is
**antithesis** (n)
**antithetical** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **the exact opposite**
* **the _______ of something is its exact opposite.**
* **a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.**
---
Example sentences
39
*defintion:*
* **to discuss the terms of an arrangement**
* **to obtain or bring about by discussion.**
* **to try to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion with others.**
* **when people talk about a problem or a situation such as a business arrangement in order to solve the problem or complete the arrangement.**
---
(v)
To ______ is to try to work out an agreement between parties that each want something out of the deal. You might ______ with your mom — offering to do more chores for a raise in your allowance. Good luck.
\_\_\_\_\_\_tion is all about give and take. Governments are always \_\_\_\_\_\_ing with unions, trying to define the terms of new contracts. The government might offer the teachers union a raise, if they agree to work 200 days a year instead of 180. The verb ______ can also mean to successfully pass through or travel along. You may have to ______ a hazardous road, or a tricky path through sticker bushes.
^
^
n\_\_\_\_\_te
**negotiate** (v)
**negotiator** (n)
**negotiation** (n)
---
*defintion:*
* **to discuss the terms of an arrangement**
* **to obtain or bring about by discussion.**
* **to try to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion with others.**
* **when people talk about a problem or a situation such as a business arrangement in order to solve the problem or complete the arrangement.**
---
Example sentences
40
*definition:*
* **suited to your comfort or purpose or needs**
* **fitting in well with a person's needs, activities, and plans.**
* **involving little trouble or effort.**
* **occurring in a place or at a time that is useful.**
---
If something is \_\_\_\_\_\_, it adds to your comfort, causes little trouble, or is easy to use, do, or reach. If you live close to your job, that's \_\_\_\_\_\_, it's very easy to get there and get home.
This adjective descends from Middle English, from Latin word "to be suitable, fit." The basic meaning of Latin word "to agree, meet, come together." The opposite of convenient is in---------, meaning making trouble or annoyance for you. The corresponding nouns are ______ and in\_\_\_\_\_\_.
^
^
co\_\_\_\_\_\_nt
**convenient** (adj)
**convenience** (n)
*antonym: inconvenient, inconvenience*
---
*definition:*
* **suited to your comfort or purpose or needs**
* **fitting in well with a person's needs, activities, and plans.**
* **involving little trouble or effort.**
* **occurring in a place or at a time that is useful.**
---
Example sentences
41
*definition:*
* **a movement by two separate bodies of troops converging on the enemy.**
* **a military maneuver in which simultaneous flank movements are used to converge upon an enemy force or stronghold and cut it off from support and supplies**
----
(phrase) (n)
**pincer move** (n)
(pincers movement,in American English)
---
*definition:*
* **a movement by two separate bodies of troops converging on the enemy.**
* **a military maneuver in which simultaneous flank movements are used to converge upon an enemy force or stronghold and cut it off from support and supplies**
----
Example sentences
42
*definition:*
* *1.* **something that is small and beautifully shaped.**
* **marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique**
* **very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality.**
* *2.* **easily broken or damaged; fragile.**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_\_ things, like a flower, a necklace, or someone’s feelings are fragile, easily broken, and often quite beautiful.
A _____ situation. A _____ balance. A _____ child. A _____ lace design. A delicate taste. Sometimes the word implies intricate beauty and at other times fragility. Delicate can have negative overtones: A _____ situation is a tricky one. A _____ balance describes an agreement that might turn sour any moment. A _____ child may cry easily. But _____ can also refer to things that are very lovely and hard to reproduce: a _____ lace collar on a dress stands out. A _____ flavor, like pomegranate peach mint sauce, makes salad, or vanilla ice cream, much more delicious.
^
^
de\_\_\_\_\_te
**delicate** (adj)
**delicacy** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.* **something that is small and beautifully shaped.**
* **marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique**
* **very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality.**
* *2.* **easily broken or damaged; fragile.**
---
Example sentences
43
*definition:*
* **a final test or confrontation intended to settle a dispute.**
* **a hostile disagreement face-to-face**
* **a big argument or conflict which is intended to settle a dispute that has lasted for a long time.**
---
(n)
**showdown** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a final test or confrontation intended to settle a dispute.**
* **a hostile disagreement face-to-face**
* **a big argument or conflict which is intended to settle a dispute that has lasted for a long time.**
---
Example sentences
44
*definition*:
* **a stalemate or deadlock between two equally matched opponents in a dispute or conflict.**
* **a situation in which neither of two opposing groups or forces will make a move until the other one does something, so nothing can happen until one of them gives way.**
---
(n)
A _____ happens when two people or groups can't move forward or proceed because of a disagreement, or when two teams have a tied score.
In chess, a stalemate is a kind of \_\_\_\_\_, when there's no way for a player to move without putting herself in check. Another example of a _____ is when two governments are bargaining or negotiating but can't reach an agreement, and so make no progress. You might see protesters and police officers in a \_\_\_\_\_, or witness friends argue about politics and reach a \_\_\_\_\_, where neither one will change their mind.
^
^
st\_\_\_\_f
**standoff** (n)
---
*definition*:
* **a stalemate or deadlock between two equally matched opponents in a dispute or conflict.**
* **a situation in which neither of two opposing groups or forces will make a move until the other one does something, so nothing can happen until one of them gives way.**
---
Example sentences
45
*definition:*
* **to make (something) physically stronger or more solid.**
* **to reinforce or strengthen (one's position or power).**
---
(v)
\_\_\_\_\_ means to bring together. If you _____ student loans, you put them all together into one big loan. If you _____ your childhood toys, you grab them all up and put them in one place. Preferably a toy box.
\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin roots com- ("together") and solidare ("to make solid"). So, _____ is to bring things together to make something solid, stronger, or easier to handle. A general might _____ his troops, a librarian might _____ his grammar books, and someone with credit-card debt might _____ the debt from different cards onto one.
^
^
co\_\_\_\_\_\_\_te
**consolidate** (v)
**consolidation** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to make (something) physically stronger or more solid.**
* **to reinforce or strengthen (one's position or power).**
---
Example sentences
46
*definition:*
* **the belief that life and the world are pointless**
* **a belief which rejects all political and religious authority and current ideas in favour of the individual.**
---
(n)
If you're one of those people who believe there's nothing worth believing in, your doctrine is \_\_\_\_\_. In philosophy, _____ is the complete rejection of moral values and religious beliefs.
It is such a negative outlook that it denies any meaning or purpose in life. In political theory, _____ is carried to an even greater extreme, arguing for the destruction of all existing political and social institutions. The term _____ was borrowed from German Nihilismus, since the doctrine was developed by the German philosopher Friedrich Jacobi. The German word is formed from Latin nihil "nothing" plus the suffix –ismus "a doctrine or theory."
^
^
n\_\_\_\_\_\_\_m
**nihilism** (n)
**nihilist** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **the belief that life and the world are pointless**
* **a belief which rejects all political and religious authority and current ideas in favour of the individual.**
---
Example sentences
47
*definition:*
* **wind up the affairs of (a company or firm) by ascertaining liabilities and apportioning assets.**
* **to pay off debts using assets**
* **to eliminate by paying off (debts)**
* **to _______ a company is to close it down and sell all its assets, usually because it is in debt.**
---
(v)
If you ______ something, you get rid of it. When a huge retailer has to close all of its stores, it \_\_\_\_\_\_s everything, meaning the inventory and even the shelves and display cases are sold to bargain-hunters, to raise money for the company to pay its debts.
\_\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin word meaning “to melt,” or “to clarify.” A recipe might ask you to liquefy the butter, not ______ it, because ______ has to do with assets. To ______ is to convert stocks or goods into cash by selling them, to finish business neatly, and to clear debts. If you ______ your old baseball card collection, you will have money to put in your college fund.
^
^
li\_\_\_\_\_e
**liquidate** (v)
**liquidation** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **wind up the affairs of (a company or firm) by ascertaining liabilities and apportioning assets.**
* **to pay off debts using assets**
* **to eliminate by paying off (debts)**
* **to _______ a company is to close it down and sell all its assets, usually because it is in debt.**
---
Example sentences
48
*definition:*
* **remote in manner**
* **not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.**
* **someone who is not very friendly and does not like to spend time with other people.**
---
(adj)
Someone who's _____ isn't warm and friendly, instead being distant and reserved. That emotionally cold and detached fellow who keeps to himself, drinking espresso and reading French philosophy, would best be described as \_\_\_\_\_.
In Middle English, _____ was originally a nautical term; the loof (now spelled luff) is the windward side of a ship. Smart sailors wanting to avoid a hazard on the leeward side would give the order, "A loof!" From this command we get the idea of steering clear of something (or someone). In modern usage the word has taken on a negative connotation: an _____ person is often considered cold or snobby.
^
^
a\_\_\_\_f
**aloof** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **remote in manner**
* **not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.**
* **someone who is not very friendly and does not like to spend time with other people.**
---
Example sentences
49
*definition:*
* **easily upset or likely to become angry**
* **subject to sharply varying moods**
* **(of a person) liable to unreasonable changes of mood.**
---
(adj)
If your moods change quickly and dramatically, people might describe you as \_\_\_\_\_. If you weren't so \_\_\_\_\_, maybe your friends would open up to you more. Did I say something wrong?
The adjective _____ can also be used to describe objects that behave unpredictably. A _____ air conditioner can make for a long, hot summer. Fortunately, you're not _____ or you might have smashed it to bits by now. The second “e” in _____ gets swallowed so that it sounds like "temp-ra-MENT-al" (four syllables).
^
^
tem\_\_\_\_\_al
**temperamental** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **easily upset or likely to become angry**
* **subject to sharply varying moods**
* **(of a person) liable to unreasonable changes of mood.**
---
Example sentences
50
*definition:*
* **to appease or pacify**
* **to make (someone) less angry or hostile.**
* **If you ______ someone, you do or say something to make them stop feeling angry.**
* **to cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of**
---
If you _____ someone, you stop them from being angry by giving them something or doing something that pleases them. If your dad is annoyed that you forgot to take out the trash, you might be able to _____ him by doing the dishes.
If your little sister is mad that the dog ate her favorite teddy bear, you could _____ her by buying her an ice cream cone. A near synonym for _____ is appease. The origin of _____ is Latin placare, "to calm or soothe." The related Latin verb placere is the source of English please.
^
^
p\_\_\_\_\_te
**placate** (v)
**mollify** (v)
---
*definition:*
* **to appease or pacify**
* **to make (someone) less angry or hostile.**
* **If you ______ someone, you do or say something to make them stop feeling angry.**
* **to cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of**
---
Example sentences
51
*definition:*
* **the act of confronting or challenging another especially face to face**
* **a hostile or argumentative meeting or situation between opposing parties.**
* **a dispute, fight, or battle between two groups of people.**
* **a hostile disagreement face-to-face**
---
(n)
A ______ is an angry disagreement. You might become so irritated about your upstairs neighbor's loud, awful music that a ______ is unavoidable.
\_\_\_\_\_\_ implies hostility, although like a fight, a ______ can involve actual violence, or just a clash of words. A ______ often refers to a military encounter involving opposing armies. This meaning became popular after the Cuban missile crisis in 1963. Before that, ______ was used to mean "bringing two opposing parties face to face," from the Latin word \_\_\_\_\_\_.
^
^
co\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ion
**confrontation** (n)
**confrontational** (adj)
**confront** (v)
---
*definition:*
* **the act of confronting or challenging another especially face to face**
* **a hostile or argumentative meeting or situation between opposing parties.**
* **a dispute, fight, or battle between two groups of people.**
* **a hostile disagreement face-to-face**
---
Example sentences
52
*definition:*
* **a traveler on a public or private conveyance other than the driver, pilot, or crew.**
* **a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) but not operating it**
* **a person who is travelling in a car, boat or plane, but who is not driving it or working on it.**
---
(n)
A ______ is a person who rides in a vehicle. If you grab a ride home from school with your best friend, you are a ______ in her car.
Everyone riding in a train, plane, bus, or any other vehicle is a \_\_\_\_\_\_, except the driver, pilot, or crew. A \_\_\_\_\_\_'s only job is to ride along. In the fourteenth century, a ______ was simply a "passer-by," from the Old French passagier, "passing, fleeting, or traveling." The first instance of the modern use was recorded in the early 1500s.
^
^
pa\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_r
**passenger** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a traveler on a public or private conveyance other than the driver, pilot, or crew.**
* **a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) but not operating it**
* **a person who is travelling in a car, boat or plane, but who is not driving it or working on it.**
---
Example sentences
53
*definition:*
* *(v)*
* **speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner.**
* **If you _____ someone, you say unpleasant and untrue things about them.**
* * *(adj)*
* **evil in nature or effect; malevolent.**
* **If something is \_\_\_\_\_, it causes harm.**
* **dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor)**
---
(v)
For something that's very harmful, especially a tumor that's cancerous, use the term malignant.
Malignant and its opposite benign are medical terms used to describe a tumor or growth as either cancerous or not respectively. The gn part of both words comes from the Latin word for born, but the word root mal means "evil," while bene means "kind." A malignant tumor grows uncontrollably and spreads to other parts of the body. Less commonly, malignant can also be used to mean "evil or malicious," like when someone has a malignant imagination.
^
^
m\_\_\_\_\_\_n
**malign** (v)
**malignant** (adj)
* similar word: impugn*
* ---*
* definition:*
* *(v)*
* **speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner.**
* **If you _____ someone, you say unpleasant and untrue things about them.**
* * *(adj)*
* **evil in nature or effect; malevolent.**
* **If something is \_\_\_\_\_, it causes harm.**
* **dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor)**
---
Example sentences
54
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **the skillful and effective interaction of movements**
* **the organization of the different elements of a complex body or activity so as to enable them to work together effectively.**
* *2.*
* **the ability to use different parts of the body together smoothly and efficiently.**
----
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is the act of arranging, putting things in order, or making things run smoothly together. Fencing might seem like a breeze, but it actually takes the graceful _____ of your hands, eyes, feet and mind.
\_\_\_\_\_ has to do with \_\_\_\_\_ing things, whether it's pulling all the elements together for a fabulous party or just getting your hands and eyes to work together during batting practice. If you're looking for more _____ in your life, try organizing your calendar, doing some yoga, or getting a personal assistant.
^
^
co\_\_\_\_\_\_on
**coordination** (n)
**coordinate** (v)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **the skillful and effective interaction of movements**
* **the organization of the different elements of a complex body or activity so as to enable them to work together effectively.**
* *2.*
* **the ability to use different parts of the body together smoothly and efficiently.**
----
Example sentences
55
*definition:*
* *(n)*
* **a person who travels by foot**
* **a person walking along a road or in a developed area.**
* **a person who is walking, especially in a town or city, rather than travelling in a vehicle.**
* *(adj)*
* **lacking wit or imagination**
* **lacking inspiration or excitement; dull.**
* **something that is ordinary and not at all interesting.**
---
(n)
A ______ is someone traveling by foot. If you're a \_\_\_\_\_\_, you will likely get annoyed at the drivers who don't stop so you can cross the street.
\_\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin word meaning "going on foot" but also "plain." As a noun, it's someone walking around, sidewalks are for \_\_\_\_\_\_s. As an adjective it means "lacking wit or imagination." If someone calls your new poem \_\_\_\_\_\_, they mean it's dull. If you want to impress your friends while also making them feel worthless, mutter "these people are SO \_\_\_\_\_\_," at a party, loud enough for everyone to hear.
^
^
pe\_\_\_\_\_\_an
**pedestrian** (n) (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *(n)*
* **a person who travels by foot**
* **a person walking along a road or in a developed area.**
* **a person who is walking, especially in a town or city, rather than travelling in a vehicle.**
* *(adj)*
* **lacking wit or imagination**
* **lacking inspiration or excitement; dull.**
* **something that is ordinary and not at all interesting.**
---
Example sentences
56
*definition:*
* **to take apart into its constituent pieces**
* **to take (a machine or structure) to pieces.**
* **if you _____ a machine or structure, you carefully separate it into its different parts.**
---
(v)
To take something apart or down is to ______ it. If you ______ a computer to see what it looks like inside, you better know how to put it back together, or you might be looking at the inside of your room for awhile.
\_\_\_\_\_\_ is a verb used for both physical things and ideas. You can ______ a campground by taking down the tents and breaking apart the fire logs, or you can ______ a government by going against its leadership and bringing down its rule. Often when you ______ something, you take away its ability to work, as with a nuclear warhead, but you can also take apart decorative or non-working things, as when you ______ a science-fair display or a city made of blocks.
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di\_\_\_\_\_le
**dismantle** (v)
*similar word: deconstruct*
---
*definition:*
* **to take apart into its constituent pieces**
* **to take (a machine or structure) to pieces.**
* **if you _____ a machine or structure, you carefully separate it into its different parts.**
---
Example sentences
57
*definition:*
* (v)
* **compel observance of or compliance with (a law, rule, or obligation).**
* **to cause (something) to happen by necessity or force.**
* **to force or cause something to be done or to happen.**
* **to compel to behave in a certain way**
* **to ensure observance of laws and rules**
---
(v)
To ____ means to make sure the laws and rules are being followed. So those guys wearing striped outfits and whistles? They're in charge of \_\_\_\_ing the rules of the game.
See the word force inside of \_\_\_\_? It can help you remember that ____ is all about forcing others to follow the rules. The traffic police ____ the driving laws by handing out speeding tickets. Your parents hopefully ____ good behavior by grounding you when you stay out too late. It would be wonderful if everyone just followed the rules on their own, but it seems the temptation to be bad is just too strong. So thank goodness for all the \_\_\_\_rs that keep us in line.
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en\_\_\_\_\_e
**enforce** (v)
**enforcement** (n)
---
*definition:*
* (v)
* **compel observance of or compliance with (a law, rule, or obligation).**
* **to cause (something) to happen by necessity or force.**
* **to force or cause something to be done or to happen.**
* **to compel to behave in a certain way**
* **to ensure observance of laws and rules**
---
Example sentences
58
*definition:*
* **marked by or capable of arousing controversy**
* **giving rise or likely to give rise to public disagreement.**
* **If you describe something or someone as \_\_\_\_, you mean that they are the subject of intense public argument, disagreement, or disapproval.**
---
(adj)
If a politician ran for office on the platform that children should be put to work from age six, his platform is likely to be \_\_\_\_\_\_\_, meaning it will cause -------------, or a long discussion among people with opposing opinions.
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ies are usually public disagreements about important matters. The adjective controversial is from the Latin word formed from the prefix contra- "against" plus versus, from vertere "to turn." The Latin suffix –ialis, corresponding to the English suffixes –ial and –al, means "relating to or characterized by."
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con\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_al
**controversial** (adj)
**controversy** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **marked by or capable of arousing controversy**
* **giving rise or likely to give rise to public disagreement.**
* **If you describe something or someone as \_\_\_\_, you mean that they are the subject of intense public argument, disagreement, or disapproval.**
---
Example sentences
59
*definition:*
* **a stretch of land, especially with regard to its physical features.**
* **used to refer to an area of land or a type of land when you are considering its physical features.**
* **a piece of ground having specific characteristics or military potential**
---
(n)
An ATV, or all-\_\_\_\_\_ vehicle, is useful for people who drive on lots of different \_\_\_\_\_, hence the name. _____ is a noun used to talk about the ground, when you're specifically interested in how it appears or is shaped.
In times of war, you'll often hear the term "hostile \_\_\_\_\_" used to describe a region with lots of mountains, vast stretches of desert, or impenetrable jungles. These are all areas of difficult _____ that are hard to pass. Much of humankind's history can be traced by its effort to alter the \_\_\_\_\_. We've made mountains into meadows, rivers into lakes, and prairies into roads, all to make the _____ more livable for us. You could even go so far as to say that a person's psyche is mysterious \_\_\_\_\_.
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te\_\_\_\_\_n
**terrain** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a stretch of land, especially with regard to its physical features.**
* **used to refer to an area of land or a type of land when you are considering its physical features.**
* **a piece of ground having specific characteristics or military potential**
---
Example sentences
60
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **malevolent.**
* *2.*
* **a tumour or disease that is out of control and likely to cause death.**
* **(of a tumor) tending to invade normal tissue or to recur after removal; cancerous.**
* **dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor)**
---
(adj)
For something that's very harmful, especially a tumor that's cancerous, use the term \_\_\_\_\_.
\_\_\_\_\_ and its opposite benign are medical terms used to describe a tumor or growth as either cancerous or not respectively. The gn part of both words comes from the Latin word for born, but the word root mal means "evil," while bene means "kind." A _____ tumor grows uncontrollably and spreads to other parts of the body. Less commonly, _____ can also be used to mean "evil or malicious," like when someone has a _____ imagination.
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ma\_\_\_\_\_\_nt
**malignant** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **malevolent.**
* *2.*
* **a tumour or disease that is out of control and likely to cause death.**
* **(of a tumor) tending to invade normal tissue or to recur after removal; cancerous.**
* **dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor)**
---
Example sentences
61
*definition:*
* **the intention or desire to do evil; ill will.**
* **a behaviour that is intended to harm people or their reputations, or cause them embarrassment and upset.**
* **feeling a need to see others suffer**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is the intention to cause harm. If someone feels _____ toward you, look out! They've got bad intentions.
Just like the Spanish mal, this is a word for badness or evil. _____ isn't just any evil, though: it's evil done intentionally by someone seeking to do harm. People feel _____ for people they hate. _____ is even stronger than spite. Out of all the emotions and thoughts you can have, malice is one of the most dangerous. Just about every villain in every movie and TV show is full of \_\_\_\_\_.
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m\_\_\_\_e
**malice** (n)
**malicious** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **the intention or desire to do evil; ill will.**
* **a behaviour that is intended to harm people or their reputations, or cause them embarrassment and upset.**
* **feeling a need to see others suffer**
---
Example senteneces
62
*definition:*
"mor\_\_\_\_\_ con\_\_\_\_\_\_\_"
moral conviction
*similar: moral courage*
[link](https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199828340/obo-9780199828340-0274.xml#:~:text=Moral%20conviction%20refers%20to%20the,beliefs%20about%20right%20and%20wrong.&text=Morally%20convicted%20attitudes%20have%20a,equally%20strong%20but%20nonmoral%20attitudes.)
63
*definition:*
* **involving marriage to one person at a time.**
* **having a sexual relationship with only one partner at a time.**
* **(zoology) having only one mate at a time.**
---
(adj)
Use the adjective _____ to describe a person or animal who has only one mate. Beavers are one of only a few mammals that are truly \_\_\_\_\_, raising their young and living with a single mate.
There are many cultures in the world that aren't typically \_\_\_\_\_, meaning that men may have more than one wife or women more than one husband. However, most western, industrialized countries have made being _____ the only culturally acceptable choice, and most American kids grow up imagining they'll marry one person and stay with that husband or wife until death. _____ comes from the Greek word for "marrying only once."
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mo\_\_\_\_\_\_\_s
**monogamous** (adj)
* *monogyny** (n)
- --
*definition:*
* **involving marriage to one person at a time.**
* **having a sexual relationship with only one partner at a time.**
* **(zoology) having only one mate at a time.**
---
Example sentences
64
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **being or operating under the surface of the earth**
* **existing, occurring, or done under the earth's surface.**
* **a river or tunnel is under the ground.**
* **lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed (especially being kept in the background or deliberately concealed)**
* *2.*
* **secret; concealed.**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_\_ is an adjective that describes something just below what can be seen, like the _____ jealousy you hide under a smile and kind words for the actor who got the part you wanted.
\_\_\_\_\_ feelings and intentions are those you keep "on the down low." In fact, real things that are _____ really are down low, underground, in fact. A _____ worm lives under the earth's surface. A _____ lair is a secret hideout dug under the dirt, or maybe it's just your basement. The word comes from the Latin word from sub meaning "under" and terra meaning "earth."
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su\_\_\_\_\_\_\_an
**subterranean** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **being or operating under the surface of the earth**
* **existing, occurring, or done under the earth's surface.**
* **a river or tunnel is under the ground.**
* **lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed (especially being kept in the background or deliberately concealed)**
* *2.*
* **secret; concealed.**
---
Example sentences
65
*definition:*
* **a series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system**
* **the organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body**
* **a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.**
* **a system of organizing people into different ranks or levels of importance, for example in society or in a company.**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_ describes a system that organizes or ranks things, often according to power or importance. At school the principal is at the top of the staff \_\_\_\_, while the seniors rule the student \_\_\_\_.
Also known as a pecking order or power structure, a ____ is a formalized or simply implied understanding of who's on top or what's most important. All that sorting and ranking can be helpful if you're a business administrator, but if you find yourself arranging all the produce in your fridge according to a ____ of color, size, and expiration date, you might want to consider visiting a therapist.
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hi\_\_\_\_\_\_y
**hierarchy** (n)
**hierarchical** (adj)
"the hierarchy": the upper echelons of a hierarchical system; those in authority.
---
*definition:*
* **a series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system**
* **the organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body**
* **a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.**
* **a system of organizing people into different ranks or levels of importance, for example in society or in a company.**
---
Example sentences
66
*definition:*
* **the loss of the ability to move (and sometimes to feel anything) in part or most of the body, typically as a result of illness, poison, or injury.**
* **loss of the ability to move and feel in all or part of one's body.**
* **inability to act or function (in a person, organization, or place).**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_ is the inability to move part of your body. It's actually fairly common for people to have short periods of ____ while they sleep.
\_\_\_\_ is the experience of being paralyzed, or unable to move part or all of your body. There are medical conditions that can cause \_\_\_\_. You can also use ____ to describe the inability to act, like the ____ of a city during a big snowstorm, or the paralysis of the school play's star, suddenly struck with stage fright.
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pa\_\_\_\_\_\_s
**paralysis** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **the loss of the ability to move (and sometimes to feel anything) in part or most of the body, typically as a result of illness, poison, or injury.**
* **loss of the ability to move and feel in all or part of one's body.**
* **inability to act or function (in a person, organization, or place).**
---
Example sentences
67
*definition:*
* **(hatred of mankind)**
* **(hatred of men)**
* **(hatred of women)**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is a mistrust of other people and a general hatred for mankind. So people with this character trait aren't much fun at parties.
If you're full of \_\_\_\_\_, then you don't care too much for other people — you're a ------ who basically hates everyone else in the world. _____ isn't about disliking specific people, but disliking human beings in general. That makes _____ different from sexism or racism, which are prejudices aimed at specific types of people. If you're a fan of \_\_\_\_\_, you'd better get a dog, because no one else will want to hang out with you.
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is strong dislike of all men. If your dog barks ferociously at every single man she encounters, you may wonder if she suffers from \_\_\_\_\_.
Misandry is a prejudice based simply on a person's sex, and just like racism and other forms of bigotry, it's unfair. A boss's refusal to promote men may stem from _____ — or it may be because the women who work for her happen to be more highly qualified.
--
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is the hatred of women. Whenever someone thinks that all women share one trait — usually something negative — that’s \_\_\_\_\_.
The noun _____ comes from the Greek word which means “woman-hater.” _____ is prejudice — like bigotry or racism — that’s directed toward women. _____ takes many forms, from hiring a less-qualified male job candidate instead of a woman to excluding women from joining a club, just because of their gender.
misanthropy (hatred of mankind)
misandry (hatred of men)
misogyny (hatred of women)
Example sentences 1
Example sentences 2
Example sentences 3
68
*definition:*
* **a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line.**
* **a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.**
* **a society or community organized on patriarchal lines.**
---
(n)
A _____ is a social system or organization run by men. If Dad always gets the last word in your house, then you're living under a \_\_\_\_\_!
A _____ is a social or political system with one or several men in charge. It may refer to society at large or to one segment, such as the Catholic Church, with the Archbishop and Pope in positions of power. The word can also describe family systems, especially when relationships and property are determined by males. In modern times _____ is often considered to be oppressive to women; if you’re a feminist, then you’re definitely not a fan of \_\_\_\_\_.
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pat\_\_\_\_\_\_y
**patriarchy** (n)
**patriarchal** (adj)
**matriarchy** (n)
**matriarchal** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line.**
* **a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.**
* **a society or community organized on patriarchal lines.**
---
Example sentences
69
*definition:*
* **ready or willing to receive favorably**
* **open to arguments, ideas, or change**
* **willing to consider or accept new suggestions and ideas.**
* **Someone who is _____ to new ideas or suggestions is prepared to consider them or accept them.**
---
(adj)
To be _____ is to be open to new ideas or change. If you’re responsive to other people’s suggestions and not set in your ways, then you’re not only \_\_\_\_\_, but flexible.
The adjective _____ actually comes from a Latin word that means receive. So a _____ person is willing to receive things, especially opposing arguments, constructive criticism, and helpful hints. How _____ you are speaks to your willingness to have an impression made upon you. It can be good to be large and in charge sometimes, but you can also benefit from stepping back and being _____ to what life brings.
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re\_\_\_\_\_ve
**receptive** (adj)
**receptivity** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **ready or willing to receive favorably**
* **open to arguments, ideas, or change**
* **willing to consider or accept new suggestions and ideas.**
* **Someone who is _____ to new ideas or suggestions is prepared to consider them or accept them.**
---
Example sentences
70
* definition:*
* **to form an idea of something**
---
(v)
If you have an idea for something, or if you understand something fully, you _____ it. You might _____ the plan for a big party, but find it hard to _____ exactly how the big bang worked.
In \_\_\_\_\_, you see the word concept which means an idea. Don't think of a simple idea though, like taking a walk. Imagine a complex ----- involving many elements, so a little brain work is involved. When you \_\_\_\_\_, you either create a ------ or you grasp one. The idea of man landing on the moon was \_\_\_\_\_ed hundreds of years before it was planned or achieved.
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con\_\_\_\_\_\_ze
**conceptualize** (v)
**concept** (n)
**conception** (n)
---
* definition:*
* **to form an idea of something**
---
Example sentences
71
*definition:*
* **to hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of**
* **to prevent (something considered wrong or undesirable) from succeeding.**
* **If you ____ someone's plan or attempt to do something, for example to commit a crime, you succeed in stopping them from doing what they want.**
---
(v) (n)
You can serve as a ____ to someone if you show them to be better than you by contrast. If you can't dance but your friend Lisa can, you can be a ____ to Lisa's grace.
If you're having trouble remembering this definition, think about a shiny piece of tin \_\_\_\_. It reflects an image back to you, so if you're a ____ to someone, their image is reflected off of you in a positive light. Your brother's mediocre grades might serve as a ____ to your intelligence. As a verb, if you ____ someone's plans or attempts to do something, you cause them to fail. Your brother will be really mad if you ____ his plans to hide his mediocre report card from your parents.
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f\_\_\_\_l
**foil** (v) (n)
*similar: thwart*
---
*definition:*
* **to hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of**
* **to prevent (something considered wrong or undesirable) from succeeding.**
* **If you ____ someone's plan or attempt to do something, for example to commit a crime, you succeed in stopping them from doing what they want.**
---
Example sentences
72
*definition:*
* **betrayal of a trust**
* **an act of deliberate betrayal**
* **betrayal of trust; deceptive action or nature.**
* **behaviour or an action in which someone betrays their country or betrays a person who trusts them.**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is trickery, cheating, and deceit, like the _____ of your former friend who only stuck around until he stole your girlfriend and turned the whole grade against you.
The noun _____ comes from the Old French word “to cheat.” Many a corrupt government or dictator has been accused of \_\_\_\_\_: deceiving the people and abusing their trust. Greed is a common cause of \_\_\_\_\_, with the promise of wealth, people can be tempted to betray their country and even their loved ones, as new celebrities find out when their best friends sell embarrassing secrets to the tabloids.
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tr\_\_\_\_\_y
**treachery** (n)
**treacherous** (adj)
*related words: treason, traitor*
---
*definition:*
* **betrayal of a trust**
* **an act of deliberate betrayal**
* **betrayal of trust; deceptive action or nature.**
* **behaviour or an action in which someone betrays their country or betrays a person who trusts them.**
---
Example sentences
73
*definition:*
* **the act of preying by a predator who kills and eats the prey**
* **a relationship between two species of animal in a community, in which one (the predator) hunts, kills, and eats the other (the prey)**
* **an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_ is the act of preying on someone or something, especially when you're talking about animals. Nature shows can be hard to watch when they show the ____ of an animal on a smaller, cuter animal.
A -------- is an animal that attacks a smaller, weaker animal, called the prey. So ____ is the act of being a -------, catching and attacking. The noun ____ is most commonly used to talk about groups like pirates or marauders who prey on innocent people. In fact, the Latin root word praedationem means a plundering or taking of booty. In fact, ____ described people before it was applied to animals.
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pr\_\_\_\_\_n
**predation** (n)
**predator** (n)
**predatory** (adj)
**prey** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **the act of preying by a predator who kills and eats the prey**
* **a relationship between two species of animal in a community, in which one (the predator) hunts, kills, and eats the other (the prey)**
* **an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding**
---
Example sentences
74
*definition:*
* **involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing.**
* **if someone is _____ in a crime or unfair activity, they are involved in it.**
* **culpably involved**
---
(adj)
When you're \_\_\_\_\_, you're guilty of being involved in some underhanded or illegal activity. If you see your brother steal the neighbor's cat and don't say anything, you're _____ in a catnapping!
Whenever someone makes it easier for a crime or wrongdoing to be committed, they're _____ in it. A getaway driver may not have actually robbed a bank, but she's still _____ in the crime of robbery because she helped the robber. And you may not be responsible for taking the neighbor's cat, but if you suggested to your brother that nobody would notice if he did (and promised not to tell), you're completely \_\_\_\_\_!
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co\_\_\_\_\_\_t
**complicit** (adj)
**complicity** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing.**
* **if someone is _____ in a crime or unfair activity, they are involved in it.**
* **culpably involved**
---
Example sentences
75
*definition:*
* **the ability to be defended with logic or justification; validity.**
* **undisputed credibility**
---
(n)
The noun _____ means authenticity. If you found an old copy of the Gettysburg Address in your grandmother's attic, you'd have to question its _____ when you realized it was written on the back of a car advertisement.
\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin verb which means lawful. \_\_\_\_\_, then, refers to something that is legal because it meets the specific requirements of the law. The _____ of various countries' presidential elections is often discussed, with monitors keeping track of the voting procedures to make sure they follow all the necessary rules.
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le\_\_\_\_\_\_y
**legitimacy** (n)
**legitimate** (adj)
**legit** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **the ability to be defended with logic or justification; validity.**
* **undisputed credibility**
---
Example sentences
76
*definition:*
* **contrary to or forbidden by law**
* **not authorized by the law; not in accordance with accepted standards or rules.**
* **(of a child) born of parents not lawfully married to each other. (caution: considered offensive)**
* **used to describe activities and institutions that are not in accordance with the law or with accepted standards of what is right.**
---
(adj)
Something _____ is unlawful, or improper. If you're a doctor, even a great doctor, but you were never certified by the medical board, then you're an _____ doctor.
\_\_\_\_\_ has the root for "law" in it, and something _____ is outside the law or custom. A child not born to married parents is known as an _____ child, although so many people are making different choices about how to raise families, that the stigma is dropping away, especially if the child isn't the result of philandering (cheating). In King Lear, Edmund is mad that he's an _____ son, because it means he can't inherit the throne.
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il\_\_\_\_\_\_te
**illegitimate** (adj)
**illegitimacy** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **contrary to or forbidden by law**
* **not authorized by the law; not in accordance with accepted standards or rules.**
* **(of a child) born of parents not lawfully married to each other. (caution: considered offensive)**
* **used to describe activities and institutions that are not in accordance with the law or with accepted standards of what is right.**
---
Example sentences
77
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **causing annoyance, anger, or another strong reaction, especially deliberately.**
* **serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; stimulating discussion or exciting controvers**
* **something that it is intended to make people react angrily or argue against it.**
* *2.*
* **exciting sexual desire**
* **arousing sexual desire or interest, especially deliberately.**
---
(adj)
If something is \_\_\_\_, it provokes a reaction. A ____ book might get people talking about a controversial idea. A ____ statement, such as "I hate babies," will get another kind of reaction.
The action, thought, or feeling is often a desired one, called forth on purpose. In fact, ____ is often used to describe actions or ways of dressing that cause sexual feelings. But ____ things can also call forth something unwanted: "She was angered by the ____ remarks." This adjective was borrowed from French word from the Late Latin word meaning "calling forth," from Latin provocare "to call forth, challenge."
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pr\_\_\_\_\_ve
**provocative** (adj)
**provocation** (n)
**provoke** (v)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **causing annoyance, anger, or another strong reaction, especially deliberately.**
* **serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; stimulating discussion or exciting controvers**
* **something that it is intended to make people react angrily or argue against it.**
* *2.*
* **exciting sexual desire**
* **arousing sexual desire or interest, especially deliberately.**
---
Example sentences
78
*definition:*
* *(v)*
* **to lure or entice (a person or animal) away from an intended course, typically into a trap.**
* *(n)*
* **a bird or mammal, or an imitation of one, used by hunters to attract other birds or mammals.**
* **something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed**
* **a person or thing used to mislead or lure an animal or person into a trap.**
---
A ____ is a fake version of something used to play a trick or lead you into danger, like the cork duck \_\_\_\_s hunters put on the pond to make the real ducks think it's safe to stop by.
\_\_\_\_ most often refers to bait used for trapping or killing an animal, but it can be any object or plan used to lead someone or something into trouble. Fisherman use worm \_\_\_\_s on their lures to catch fish, just like police use people as undercover \_\_\_\_s to catch criminals. While etymologists aren't positive, they suspect ____ comes from the Dutch kooi, which means “a cage.” So think of luring a mouse into a cage with a big slice of ____ cheese.
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d\_\_\_\_y
**decoy** (v) (n)
---
*definition:*
* *(v)*
* **to lure or entice (a person or animal) away from an intended course, typically into a trap.**
* *(n)*
* **a bird or mammal, or an imitation of one, used by hunters to attract other birds or mammals.**
* **something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed**
* **a person or thing used to mislead or lure an animal or person into a trap.**
---
Example sentences
79
*definition:*
(adv)
* **for an unlimited or unspecified period of time.**
* **to an unlimited or unspecified degree or extent.**
* **to an undetermined extent; for an unspecified length of time**
---
Use the adverb _____ to describe something that happens for an unlimited amount of time or to an unlimited extent. Kittens could bat around a ball of string \_\_\_\_\_.
When your cousin postpones her wedding _____ after her fiancé’s “business trip” to Las Vegas, you probably want to hold off on buying a gift. They may work things out, but sometimes people intend _____ to be synonymous with forever. Like, “We can’t keep fighting over that weekend I spent in Las Vegas \_\_\_\_\_…”
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in\_\_\_\_\_\_ly
**indefinitely** (adv)
---
*definition:*
* **for an unlimited or unspecified period of time.**
* **to an unlimited or unspecified degree or extent.**
* **to an undetermined extent; for an unspecified length of time**
---
Example sentences
80
*definition:*
(n)
* **a postulated sequence of possible events**
* **If you talk about a likely or possible \_\_\_\_\_, you are talking about the way in which a situation may develop.**
---
(n)
A ____ is a specific possibility. To plan on playing with a bunch of bear cubs is a \_\_\_\_, a dumb one, but still a \_\_\_\_.
When people are wondering what to do, they think of different \_\_\_\_s. Moving to a big city is one \_\_\_\_, moving to a tiny town is another. A football team has to plan for many \_\_\_\_s, like the starting quarterback being injured. The government plans for hundreds of \_\_\_\_s, such as natural disasters and attacks by terrorists. In literature, a ____ can mean a summing up of what's going on — what the situation is. A ____ is pretty similar to a situation, but a ____ hasn't happened yet and might not happen at all.
^
^
sc\_\_\_\_o
**scenario** (n)
---
*definition:*
(n)
* **a postulated sequence of possible events**
* **If you talk about a likely or possible \_\_\_\_\_, you are talking about the way in which a situation may develop.**
---
Example sentences
81
*definition:*
* **the action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or other sexual partner.**
* **when a person who is married or in a long-term relationship has sex with another person.**
* **the quality of being unfaithful**
**---**
(n)
Someone guilty of ____ is cheating on a spouse or romantic partner. A common cause of divorce and heartbreak is \_\_\_\_.
Fidel means "faithful" or "loyal." Tack on the prefix in, which means "not," and you've got yourself \_\_\_\_, the act of being unfaithful. The word can also be used to refer to someone's religious beliefs. Run angrily through a church and claim that God doesn't exist, and your fellow churchgoers will think you lack faith, or that you are guilty of \_\_\_\_.
^
^
in\_\_\_\_\_\_y
**infidelity** (n):
* **the action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or other sexual partner.**
Example sentences
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**extramarital** (adj):
* **occurring outside marriage (especially sexual relations)**
Example sentences
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82
*definition:*
* **the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, especially unrealistically.**
* **elevated ideals or conduct; the quality of believing that ideals should be pursued**
* **the beliefs and behaviour of someone who has ideals and who tries to base their behaviour on these ideals.**
* **(in art or literature) the representation of things in ideal or idealized form.**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_, as "noble-mindedness," is the belief that we should always strive for our highest ideals. Sometimes, though, ____ is a sort of incurable optimism.
It's one thing if you always pursue high-minded goals and right conduct — one definition of \_\_\_\_. Just be careful to not get so caught up that you fail to see things as they really are — you don't want to go through life "wearing rose-colored glasses" — yet another definition of \_\_\_\_. In philosophy, ____ is the theory that ideas are the only reality.
^
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i\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_m
**idealism** (n)
**idealistic** (adj)
**ideal** (adj)
**idyllic** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, especially unrealistically.**
* **elevated ideals or conduct; the quality of believing that ideals should be pursued**
* **the beliefs and behaviour of someone who has ideals and who tries to base their behaviour on these ideals.**
* **(in art or literature) the representation of things in ideal or idealized form.**
---
Example sentences
83
*definition:*
* **no longer in force or use; inactive**
* **no longer exists or has stopped functioning or operating.**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_\_ describes something that used to exist, but is now gone. A magazine that no longer publishes, like Sassy, the girl-power mag from the '90s, is \_\_\_\_\_, for example.
Although _____ comes from the Latin word meaning "dead," it's not usually used to describe a person who's no longer with us, but rather institutions, projects, companies and political parties, you know, the boring stuff. _____ can also refer to a rule or law that's no longer used or has become inactive, like prohibition.
^
^
d\_\_\_\_t
**defunct** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **no longer in force or use; inactive**
* **no longer exists or has stopped functioning or operating.**
---
Example sentences
84
*definition:*
* (v)
* **act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes**
* **(of a person or group) act in accordance with a wish or command.**
* **someone or something that is in accordance with what is required or expected.**
---
(v)
\_\_\_\_\_ is to act according to someone's wishes or rules. Although you might like to stay out with your friends, you'll have to _____ with your parents' rules and be home by midnight.
\_\_\_\_\_ shares a root with the word, complete. In a way, when you _____ with a rule or agreement, you are completing it, or completing your part in it. When someone is in compliance with an agreement or a legal ruling, that means that they have done everything they needed to satisfy the ruling. _____ with the rules of grammar or your English teacher will turn your paper red with ink!
^
^
c\_\_\_\_y
**comply** (v)
**compliance** (n)
---
*definition:*
* (v)
* **act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes**
* **(of a person or group) act in accordance with a wish or command.**
* **someone or something that is in accordance with what is required or expected.**
---
Example sentences
85
*definition:*
* **to act between parties with a view to reconciling differences**
* **to intervene between people in a dispute in order to bring about an agreement or reconciliation.**
---
(v)
If your two best friends aren't speaking to each other, you might find yourself trying to _____ a peace accord between them. To _____ is to go from one to another and try to make peace.
\_\_\_\_\_ derives from the Latin medius "middle," and people who _____ are in the middle, between the parties. Other things that are in the middle can be said to _____ as well. Your mind can _____ between your two conflicting personalities.
^
^
m\_\_\_\_\_te
**mediate** (v)
**mediation** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to act between parties with a view to reconciling differences**
* **to intervene between people in a dispute in order to bring about an agreement or reconciliation.**
---
Example sentences
86
*definition:*
* **a person or situation that is likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly**
* **liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse.**
---
(adj)
Watch out when a situation becomes \_\_\_\_\_, it is likely to change for the worse suddenly. If you and your best friend have a _____ relationship, you frequently fight and make up.
\_\_\_\_\_ from a Latin vword, always gives the sense of sudden, radical change. Think of it as the opposite of stable. A person who is _____ loses their temper suddenly and violently. A _____ political situation could erupt into civil war. When the stock market is \_\_\_\_\_, it fluctuates greatly. And in scientific language, a _____ oil evaporates quickly.
^
^
v\_\_\_\_\_le
**volatile** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **a person or situation that is likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly**
* **liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse.**
---
Example sentences
87
*definition:*
* **when someone breaks an agreement, law, or promise**
* **to break or fail to comply with (a rule or formal agreement).**
* **fail to respect (someone's peace, privacy, or rights).**
* **fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns**
* **to act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises**
---
(v)
\_\_\_\_\_ is a verb that describes actions that show no respect for people, laws, property, and customs. Drivers _____ the law when they fail to stop at red lights, and people _____ your privacy when they eavesdrop on your personal conversations.
\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin word which means "to break," as in a promise or oath. As members of our society, we make unspoken promises, to follow all laws, to help people if we can, or at the very least, not hurt them. So when we \_\_\_\_\_, laws, property, people's abilities to live safe, peaceful lives, we break the promises that come with being lawful citizens.
^
^
vi\_\_\_\_\_\_te
**violate** (v)
**violation** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **when someone breaks an agreement, law, or promise**
* **to break or fail to comply with (a rule or formal agreement).**
* **fail to respect (someone's peace, privacy, or rights).**
* **fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns**
* **to act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises**
---
Example sentences
88
*definition:*
* **a word composed of the first letters of the words in a phrase, especially when this is used as a name.**
* *An example would be 'NATO', which is made up of the first letters of the 'North Atlantic Treaty Organization'.*
---
(n)
Are the members of your skydiving club tripping over the name Student Parachuting League & Aerial Team? Why not use each word's first letter to make an \_\_\_\_\_, and call the club SPLAT? There, that’s better.
What do NASA, sonar, and scuba have in common? They are all \_\_\_\_\_s. Not only does each letter come from the first letter of another word, but each group of letters is easy to pronounce as its own word. Though its roots are classical (acro means "tip" and nym means "name"), _____ is fairly new as English words go: it's been around since the early 1940s.
^
^
a\_\_\_\_\_m
**acronym** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a word composed of the first letters of the words in a phrase, especially when this is used as a name.**
* *An example would be 'NATO', which is made up of the first letters of the 'North Atlantic Treaty Organization'.*
---
Example sentences
89
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **old but having enduring appeal or importance; classic**
* **something that is old but admired because it is considered the best of its kind.**
* **denoting something of high quality, especially something from the past or characteristic of the best period of a person's work.**
* **something which is the best and most typical of its kind; classic, old, veteran, historic**
* *2.*
* **the period or time when something was produced**
---
(adj) (n)
A _____ is the specific year that a wine was made. Different \_\_\_\_\_s are better than others.
This word is mainly associated with wine. Some wine drinkers can actually identify a wine’s _____ based on smell or taste. Also, this word can refer to things that are old, yet also kind of cool. An antique car is known as a _____ automobile. There are also _____ bikes and watches. Watch out for the word _____ though: sometimes it just means old or used, like a _____ clothing store.
^
^
v\_\_\_\_\_ge
**vintage** (adj) (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **old but having enduring appeal or importance; classic**
* **something that is old but admired because it is considered the best of its kind.**
* **denoting something of high quality, especially something from the past or characteristic of the best period of a person's work.**
* **something which is the best and most typical of its kind; classic, old, veteran, historic**
* *2.*
* **the period or time when something was produced**
---
Example sentences
90
*definition:*
* (v)
* **to reveal its presence or make an appearance**
* **display or show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate.**
* **If you _____ a particular quality, feeling, or illness, or if it manifests itself, it becomes visible or obvious.**
* (adj)
* **clear or obvious to the eye or mind.**
* **clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment**
* **If you say that something is \_\_\_\_\_, you mean that it is clearly true and that nobody would disagree with it if they saw it or considered it.**
---
(v)
Choose the verb ____ when someone shows something for everyone to notice. You might ____ your dislike of school food by stirring it around into a big pile of slop on your tray.
Coming from the Latin word for "caught in the act," ____ can be used as an adjective or a noun as well as a verb. As an adjective, ____ is a formal way to say that something is apparent to the senses and is synonymous with evident, apparent, or clear. If you have strong feelings about something, they will be ____ on your face. A ship or plane's ____ is the list of cargo or passengers on a particular trip.
^
^
m\_\_\_\_\_\_t
**manifest** (v)
**manifestation** (n)
**manifestly** (adv)
---
*definition:*
* (v)
* **to reveal its presence or make an appearance**
* **display or show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate.**
* **If you _____ a particular quality, feeling, or illness, or if it manifests itself, it becomes visible or obvious.**
* (adj)
* **clear or obvious to the eye or mind.**
* **clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment**
* **If you say that something is \_\_\_\_\_, you mean that it is clearly true and that nobody would disagree with it if they saw it or considered it.**
---
Example sentences
91
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **someone who copies the words or behavior of another**
* **(especially in children's use) a person who copies another's behavior, dress, or ideas.**
* *2.*
* **denoting an action, typically a crime, carried out in imitation of another.**
* **a crime is committed by someone who is copying someone else.**
- --
(n) (adj)
Someone who mimics what you do or say is a \_\_\_\_\_. If your little brother orders fettuccine Alfredo after you've already ordered it, you might call him a \_\_\_\_\_.
The word _____ is a lighthearted, gently derogatory word for a person who imitates someone else. If you love your friend's red shoes so much that you run out and buy identical ones, she might call you a \_\_\_\_\_. When a criminal commits a crime that exactly follows the pattern of a previous crime, newspapers often refer to it as a _____ crime. The word has been in use in the United States since at least the 1880s.
^
^
co\_\_\_\_\_t
**copycat** (n) (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **someone who copies the words or behavior of another**
* **(especially in children's use) a person who copies another's behavior, dress, or ideas.**
* *2.*
* **denoting an action, typically a crime, carried out in imitation of another.**
* **a crime is committed by someone who is copying someone else.**
---
Example sentences
92
*definition:*
\_\_\_\_\_ _____ is a special sub-field of physical anthropology (the study of human remains) that involves applying skeletal analysis and techniques in archaeology to solving criminal cases.
\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_s specialize in analyzing hard tissues such as bones.
**forensic anthropologist** (n)
**forensic anthropology** (n)
[link](https://fac.utk.edu/what-is-forensic-anthropology-2/)
[link](https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/social-studies/forensic-anthropology)
93
*definition:*
* **a science dealing with the life of past geologic periods as known from fossil remains**
* **a specialist in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_**
---
(n)
A _____ is a scientist who studies fossils. If your basement is filled with fossils found while out on hikes, then you're an amateur paleontologist.
A _____ tries to figure out how things were in ancient times by studying their remains in fossil traces. If you are obsessed with all things related to dinosaurs, becoming a _____ might make sense for you.
^
^
pa\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_t
**paleontologist** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a science dealing with the life of past geologic periods as known from fossil remains**
* **a specialist in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_**
---
Example sentences
94
*definition:*
* **the most important point**
* **the decisive or most important point at issue.**
* **a problem or argument is the most important or difficult part of it which affects everything else.**
---
(n)
The essential point or problem is the \_\_\_\_. People are always trying to get to the ____ of a matter or the ____ of a problem, while others try to distract them.
The noun ____ is often followed by the phrases "of the matter" or "of the problem." When people are trying to identify the ____ of something, it's like they want to get to the heart of it. They want to peel back the layers and find out what something is really all about or what is causing the problem. No more beating around the bush!
^
^
c\_\_\_\_x
**crux** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **the most important point**
* **the decisive or most important point at issue.**
* **a problem or argument is the most important or difficult part of it which affects everything else.**
---
Example sentences
95
*definition:*
* (adj)
* **relating to horse riding.**
* (n)
* **a rider or performer on horseback.**
---
An _____ is an expert horseback rider. If you only go riding for an hour while on vacation you aren't an \_\_\_\_\_, but the person leading the group and riding the flashy horse probably is.
An _____ is someone who is involved with horses. You can also use it as an adjective to describe anything having to do with horseback riding. An aspiring _____ may have to give up socializing with friends in favor of _____ duties like grooming horses.
^
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eq\_\_\_\_\_n
**equestrian** (n)
---
*definition:*
* (adj)
* **relating to horse riding.**
* (n)
* **a rider or performer on horseback.**
---
Example sentences
96
*definition:*
* **something modern**
* **the quality or state of being modern**
---
(n)
Use the noun ______ when you're talking about the newness of something, like the ______ of the new, sleek skyscraper in your city.
When something is contemporary, it feels like it belongs in the present day, you might take note of its \_\_\_\_\_\_. Sometimes people use the word to discuss something old that's becoming more modern, or attempting to find its place today. You could talk about the balance between tradition and ______ in the Hindu faith, for example. The root of ______ is a Latin word.
^
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m\_\_\_\_\_y
**modernity** (n)
**modern** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **something modern**
* **the quality or state of being modern**
---
Example sentences
97
*definition:*
* **relating to the lungs.**
* **means relating to your lungs.**
* **relating to or affecting the lungs**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_\_\_ means of or relating to the lungs. A ______ specialist is a doctor who treats lung problems.
Once you know that ______ means "relating to the lungs," you know pretty much all there is to know. It will give you a lot more insight into whatever doctor's visits are coming up, because you will know that your \_\_\_\_\_\_gist is your lung doctor, your ______ artery is the one carrying blood to your lungs, and if you have a problem with ______ circulation, it means that you aren’t getting enough blood to your...you guessed it, lungs.
^
^
p\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ry
**pulmonary** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **relating to the lungs.**
* **means relating to your lungs.**
* **relating to or affecting the lungs**
---
Example sentences
98
definition:
* **a person who does not stay long in the same place; a wanderer.**
* **a member of a people who have no permanent home but move about according to the seasons**
* **a member of a group of people who travel from place to place rather than living in one place all the time.**
* **a member of a people having no permanent abode, and who travel from place to place to find fresh pasture for their livestock.**
---
(n)
A ____ is someone with no permanent home, like the member of a tribe that moves from place to place in search of food, or the rock star who spends 365 days a year in tour buses and hotel rooms.
The word ____ has traditionally meant a member of a tribe of people who roamed from place to place in search of animals and shelter. ____ tribes wandered out of necessity. Wherever the food went, they went. In its more modern sense, a ____ is someone who would rather wander from place to place than set down roots, like the ____ who crashes at his friends' apartments in various cities instead of renting his own place.
^
^
n\_\_\_\_d
* *nomad** (n)
* *nomadic** (adj)
---
definition:
* **a person who does not stay long in the same place; a wanderer.**
* **a member of a people who have no permanent home but move about according to the seasons**
* **a member of a group of people who travel from place to place rather than living in one place all the time.**
* **a member of a people having no permanent abode, and who travel from place to place to find fresh pasture for their livestock.**
---
Example sentences
99
*definition:*
* *(n)*
* **an unsophisticated person from the rural area of a particular country.**
* **an awkward, simple, rustic person.**
**country bumpkin** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **an unsophisticated person from the rural area of a particular country.**
* **an awkward, simple, rustic person.**
---
Example sentences
100
*definition:*
* **someone who is slightly dishonest and insincere in what they say.**
* **not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness**
* **not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.**
---
(adj)
Use the adjective _____ to describe behavior that's not totally honest or sincere. It's _____ when people pretend to know less about something than they really do.
\_\_\_\_\_ combines the meaning for "not" with "born" which was originally used to distinguish free-born Romans from slaves, and later came to mean honest or straightforward. So _____ means dishonest. IN--------- is less common now than \_\_\_\_\_, but we still use it for someone who is sincere to the point of naiveté. A good synonym is "insincere."
^
^
di\_\_\_\_\_\_\_us
**disingenuous** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **someone who is slightly dishonest and insincere in what they say.**
* **not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness**
* **not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.**
---
Example sentences
101
*definition:*
(n)
* **a dark appearance on a man's chin and face caused by the slight growth of beard that has occurred since he shaved in the morning.**
---
**five o'clock shadow** (n)
---
*definition:*
(n)
* **a dark appearance on a man's chin and face caused by the slight growth of beard that has occurred since he shaved in the morning.**
---
Example sentences
102
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a long or roundabout route that is taken to avoid something or to visit somewhere along the way.**
* **a roundabout road (especially one that is used temporarily while a main route is blocked)**
* **He did not take the direct route home, but made a ____ around the outskirts of the city.**
* **If you make a ____ on a journey, you go by a route which is not the shortest way, because you want to avoid something such as a traffic jam, or because there is something you want to do on the way.**
* (v)
* **travel via a \_\_\_\_**
* **take a long or roundabout route.**
---
A **\_\_\_\_** is a longer, less direct way to get where you're going. A traffic accident sometimes means you have to take a **\_\_\_\_** to get home.
When signs direct drivers to take a **\_\_\_\_**, it's usually because of road work or an emergency that's blocking traffic. You can also **\_\_\_\_**, or take an unexpected route, while you're running errands, stopping at your favorite bakery for a cookie before you continue on. This French word comes from the verb destorner "turn aside."
^
^
d\_\_\_\_\_r
**detour** (n) (v)
---
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a long or roundabout route that is taken to avoid something or to visit somewhere along the way.**
* **a roundabout road (especially one that is used temporarily while a main route is blocked)**
* **He did not take the direct route home, but made a ____ around the outskirts of the city.**
* **If you make a ____ on a journey, you go by a route which is not the shortest way, because you want to avoid something such as a traffic jam, or because there is something you want to do on the way.**
* (v)
* **travel via a \_\_\_\_**
* **take a long or roundabout route.**
---
Example sentences
103
*definition:*
* *(adj)*
* *1.*
* **skillful at eluding capture**
* **difficult to find, catch, decsribe, or achieve.**
* **difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze**
* **something or someone that is _____ is difficult to find, describe, remember, or achieve.**
* **making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe**
* *2.*
* **difficult to remember or recall.**
---
Things that are _____ are hard to find, pin down, or remember. They slip right out of your grasp.
Ever try to catch a mouse? It's not easy, because mice are quick and \_\_\_\_\_, they're tough to catch. Rabbits are speedy, so they're _____ too. Also, things that are tough to understand or describe are \_\_\_\_\_, like the concepts of love and beauty. If you had an idea and then forgot it, the idea is \_\_\_\_\_: it slipped away. Anything you can't get hold of, with your hands or with your brain, is \_\_\_\_\_.
^
^
e\_\_\_\_\_ve
**elusive** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *(adj)*
* *1.*
* **skillful at eluding capture**
* **difficult to find, catch, decsribe, or achieve.**
* **difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze**
* **something or someone that is _____ is difficult to find, describe, remember, or achieve.**
* **making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe**
* *2.*
* **difficult to remember or recall.**
---
Example sentences
104
*definition:*
* **causing harm or damage.**
* **harmful to living things**
* **something that has a harmful effect**
---
(adj)
If something is \_\_\_\_\_, it does harm or makes things worse. Smoking has obvious _____ effects on your health, not to mention your social life.
My parents were worried that their divorce would have a _____ effect on us kids, but in the end it was less harmful than watching them fight all the time. For most plants, a lack of sunlight has very _____ consequences, but there are some plants that actually do very well in the dark. It's a wonder, given how well-established the science is, that we continue to do things that are _____ to the fragile ecosystem. We must be willing to live with the _____ effects.
^
^
de\_\_\_\_\_\_us
**deleterious** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **causing harm or damage.**
* **harmful to living things**
* **something that has a harmful effect**
---
Example sentences
105
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **(of a role or status) existing in name only.**
* **someone or something that is supposed to have a particular identity or status, but in reality does not have it.**
* 2.
* **(of a price or amount of money) very small; far below the real value or cost.**
---
(adj)
Schools, libraries, and other organizations often ask you to make a ____ donation to their cause. While you want to support many causes, these ____ donations soon add up to a substantial portion of your budget!
Another meaning for the adjective ____ is "in name only" or only having a title. The CEO is the ____ head of the company, but you know his assistant is one who is really in charge of the day-to-day business of the company. He is the go-to person for signing invoices, purchase orders, and resolving personnel issues.
^
^
n\_\_\_\_\_\_al
**nominal** (adj)
**nominally** (adv)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **(of a role or status) existing in name only.**
* **someone or something that is supposed to have a particular identity or status, but in reality does not have it.**
* 2.
* **(of a price or amount of money) very small; far below the real value or cost.**
---
Example sentences
106
*definition:*
* **marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects**
* **someone who is too concerned with unimportant rules, especially in connection with academic subjects**
---
(adj)
There's nothing wrong with focusing on the details, but someone who is _____ makes a big display of knowing obscure facts and details.
\_\_\_\_\_ means "like a pedant," someone who's too concerned with literal accuracy or formality. It's a negative term that implies someone is showing off book learning or trivia, especially in a tiresome way. You don't want to go antique-shopping with a _____ friend, who will use the opportunity to bore you with his in-depth knowledge of 18th-century porcelain kitty-litter boxes.
^
^
p\_\_\_\_\_ic
pedantic (adj) = pedant (n) (purist)
---
*definition:*
* **marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects**
* **someone who is too concerned with unimportant rules, especially in connection with academic subjects**
---
Example sentences
107
*definition:*
* **the mental process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding things.**
* **the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning; knowledge**
* **the mental courses by which one obtains knowledge through experiences and thoughts**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is the act of thinking, perceiving, and understanding. It's _____ that makes it possible for you to learn a foreign language.
The word _____ is most often used in scholarly or formal writing about learning and thinking, though you can also use it to describe what happens when you use your brain power to complete a crossword puzzle or remember math equations for a test. _____ comes from the Latin verb meaning "a getting to know, or knowledge," combining another word meaning "together," and gnoscere, "to know."
^
^
co\_\_\_\_\_\_n
**cognition** (n)
**cognitive** (adj)
**cognitive function** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **the mental process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding things.**
* **the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning; knowledge**
* **the mental courses by which one obtains knowledge through experiences and thoughts**
---
Example sentences
108
*definition:*
* **dig out (something buried, especially a corpse) from the ground.**
* **dig up for reburial or for medical investigation; of dead bodies**
* **to bring something forth, often a body from the ground**
* **a body taken out of the ground where it is buried, especially so that it can be examined in order to find out how the person died.**
---
(v)
When you see your mysterious neighbor digging around in his backyard, you may wonder if he’s trying to ____ something. Chances are he’s only digging up potatoes — when you ____ something, it means you’re digging up a corpse.
When you ____ something, you dig it up out of the ground. The word almost always applies to the removing of a previously buried corpse, such as law enforcement officials who ____ a body to perform an autopsy or collect evidence related to an investigation.
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e\_\_\_\_\_me
**exhume** (v)
---
*definition:*
* **dig out (something buried, especially a corpse) from the ground.**
* **dig up for reburial or for medical investigation; of dead bodies**
* **to bring something forth, often a body from the ground**
* **a body taken out of the ground where it is buried, especially so that it can be examined in order to find out how the person died.**
---
Example sentences
109
*definition:*
* **to recover through digging**
* **to make (a hole or channel) by digging --- to dig a pit or empty space**
* **to remove earth carefully and systematically from (an area) in order to find buried remains.**
* *When archaeologists or other people _____ a piece of land, they remove earth carefully from it and look for things such as pots, bones, or buildings which are buried there, in order to discover information about the past.*
----
(v)
To _____ is to remove or find by digging. If you have rocky soil in your garden, you may have to _____ it to remove the rocks and replace them with additional soil.
Construction crews also _____ when they remove material from the ground. Workers slowly _____ subways tunnels using explosives to break up the rock and earth. Then the workers clear away the materials, hollowing out a tunnel as they go. It often takes a lot of time and effort to \_\_\_\_\_. But most people would agree a new subway line is dynamite!
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e\_\_\_\_te
**excavate** (v)
**excavation** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to recover through digging**
* **to make (a hole or channel) by digging --- to dig a pit or empty space**
* **to remove earth carefully and systematically from (an area) in order to find buried remains.**
* *When archaeologists or other people _____ a piece of land, they remove earth carefully from it and look for things such as pots, bones, or buildings which are buried there, in order to discover information about the past.*
----
Example sentences
110
*definition:*
* **the quality of being fraudulent**
* **a misleading falsehood**
* **the act of \_\_\_\_ing**
* **the action or practice of \_\_\_\_ing someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.**
* **behaviour that is deliberately intended to make people believe something which is not true.**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_ is purposeful falsehood. If you want to keep your true love true to you, avoid any acts of \_\_\_\_.
\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin for "cheat." When you ____ someone, you give them a false impression, mislead them so as to get away with something bad. If a person speaks in a way that gives a false impression, we call the way he speaks "-----ive." If someone pretends to be someone else, that’s an act of \_\_\_\_, like when a thief pretends to be a valet parking attendant and takes off with your car.
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de\_\_\_\_\_t
**deceit** (n)
**deceitful** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **the quality of being fraudulent**
* **a misleading falsehood**
* **the act of \_\_\_\_ing**
* **the action or practice of \_\_\_\_ing someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.**
* **behaviour that is deliberately intended to make people believe something which is not true.**
---
Example sentences
111
*definition:*
* **acting or done in a secret or dishonest way.**
* **marked by deception**
---
(adj)
Use the adjective ____ to describe someone who plays dirty tricks, like a cheating poker player or a manipulative classmate.
It would be ____ to spread gossip about your opponent during a student council election, just as it's ____ for a business owner to pay herself more while laying off workers. If it's unfair and sneaky, it's \_\_\_\_, unless you're pitching a softball, in which case you're simply throwing it from below your shoulder instead of above.
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un\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ed
**underhanded** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **acting or done in a secret or dishonest way.**
* **marked by deception**
---
Example sentences
112
*definition:*
* (v)
* **holding something in a threatening way, especially a weapon**
* **exhibit aggressively**
* **move or swing back and forth**
* **wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.**
* **If you brandish something, especially a weapon, you hold it in a threatening way.**
* **wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.**
* (n)
* **the act of waving**
---
(v)
To ____ something is to wave it about aggressively, as one might ____ a sword or tennis racket (if it's a particularly intense game).
\_\_\_\_ often implies that a person is wielding a physical weapon. In fact, ____ comes from the archaic French word meaning “sword.” However, it’s also possible to ____ objects that aren’t weapons. If you win a bowling tournament, for example, you might be inclined to ____ your shiny new trophy in front of the other competitors.
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br\_\_\_\_\_h
**brandish** (v) (n)
---
*definition:*
* (v)
* **holding something in a threatening way, especially a weapon**
* **exhibit aggressively**
* **move or swing back and forth**
* **wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.**
* **If you brandish something, especially a weapon, you hold it in a threatening way.**
* **wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.**
* (n)
* **the act of waving**
---
Example sentences
113
*definition:*
* *(adj)*
* **unrestrained by convention or morality**
* **having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing evidence of decline.**
* *(n)*
* **an immoral or corrupt person.**
* **a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior**
* **If you describe a person or their behaviour as \_\_\_\_\_, you disapprove of them because you think they have low standards of behaviour or morality.**
* *(v)*
* **to grow worse**
---
(adj)
If something \_\_\_\_\_\_\_s, it gets worse, like a food fight that \_\_\_\_\_\_\_s to an all-out spaghetti-throwing war. _______ can also describe an immoral person, or the behavior of such a person.
Whether used as a verb, noun, or adjective, _______ carries a sense of making worse or declining to a lower state. People who are \_\_\_\_\_\_\_, or who exhibit _______ behavior, are often set apart from others, in part out of fear that their influence will _______ the morals of the impressionable people around them.
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de\_\_\_\_\_\_te
**degenerate** (adj) (n) (v)
**degeneracy** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *(adj)*
* **unrestrained by convention or morality**
* **having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing evidence of decline.**
* *(n)*
* **an immoral or corrupt person.**
* **a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior**
* **If you describe a person or their behaviour as \_\_\_\_\_, you disapprove of them because you think they have low standards of behaviour or morality.**
* *(v)*
* **to grow worse**
---
Example sentences
114
*definition:*
* **of the countryside rather than the town.**
* **places that are far away from large towns or cities.**
* **living in or characteristic of farming or country life**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_ means "relating to or characteristic of the country or the people who live there." If you move to a ____ area, you won't see a lot of skyscrapers or taxis — but you'll probably see a lot of trees.
You may have known people who live on country roads––mail to their houses must be addressed to a ____ route, abbreviated as RR. Rustic is a near synonym but emphasizes the supposed qualities of country people: being simple, awkward, and even rude and rough.
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r\_\_\_\_l
**rural** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **of the countryside rather than the town.**
* **places that are far away from large towns or cities.**
* **living in or characteristic of farming or country life**
---
Example sentences
115
*definition:*
* **extreme physical or mental suffering.**
* **intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain**
---
(n)
The noun ____ means acute pain, either mental or physical, but people often use the word hyperbolically: "This paper cut is \_\_\_\_."
The noun ____ is also used in the common phrase "the thrill of victory and the ____ of defeat," which has been the tag-line of ABC's Wide World of Sports for decades. The catchphrase, in turn, is often rendered as a pun: "He fell of the ladder and broke his foot. He writhed in ____ from the pain, but the physical pain, was nothing compared to his mental ____ when the doctor setting the bone joked, 'Now you know the ____ of de feet!'"
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a\_\_\_\_y
**agony** (n)
**agonize** (v)
**agonizing** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **extreme physical or mental suffering.**
* **intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain**
---
Example sentences
116
*definition:*
* **to be enough or adequate.**
* **to meet the needs of.**
* **something that will be enough to achieve a purpose or to fulfil a need.**
* **to be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity**
---
(v)
To _____ is to be enough, in either quality or quantity. It may not be gourmet all the time, but if your food is healthy, it will \_\_\_\_\_.
The word _____ comes from a combination of the Latin words sub ("under") and facere ("make") that together mean "meet the need of." This need is usually the bare minimum — no leftovers, nothing fancy. The common phrase "\_\_\_\_\_ it to say" means "I'll just say" or "All that needs to be said is...."
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s\_\_\_\_\_ce
**suffice** (v)
**sufficient** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **to be enough or adequate.**
* **to meet the needs of.**
* **something that will be enough to achieve a purpose or to fulfil a need.**
* **to be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity**
---
Example sentences
117
*definition:*
* *(adj)*
* **relating to water.**
* **operating or living or growing in water**
* **relating to or consisting of or being in water**
* **to be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity**
* *(n)*
* **a plant that lives in or on water**
* **an ____ animal or plant that lives or grows on or in water.**
* **an ____ plant or animal suitable for a pond or aquarium.**
---
If it has to do with water, it's \_\_\_\_. If you prefer your volleyball net in a pool, it sounds like you're into ____ sports.
The word ____ comes from the Latin word which means water. The adjective also describes something that takes place in water. If you are on a swimming or diving team, you can say you are into ____ sports, which may take place at an ____ center. If you visit an ____ garden, you'll see plants that thrive in water like water lilies and lotus flowers.
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aq\_\_\_\_c
**aquatic** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *(adj)*
* **relating to water.**
* **operating or living or growing in water**
* **relating to or consisting of or being in water**
* **to be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity**
* *(n)*
* **a plant that lives in or on water**
* **an ____ animal or plant that lives or grows on or in water.**
* **an ____ plant or animal suitable for a pond or aquarium.**
---
Example sentences
118
*definition:*
* **characterized by catatonia especially either rigidity or extreme laxness of limbs**
* **If you describe someone as being in a _____ state, you mean that they are not moving or responding at all, usually as a result of illness, shock, or drugs.**
* **PSYCHIATRY: relating to or characterized by catatonia.**
----
(adj)
Use the adjective ____ to describe someone who is in an unresponsive stupor, as if suffering from a mental disorder. Sometimes in the summer it gets so hot that people lose all their energy and get \_\_\_\_.
\_\_\_\_ can also be used to describe something that is related to psychiatric problems. ____ schizophrenia, for example, has symptoms that can include physical immobility, unresponsiveness, or strange movements. The weird thing about the word ____ is that it can either mean not moving at all or moving in a frenzy, or it can mean having totally rigid muscles or having totally relaxed muscles.
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ca\_\_\_\_\_c
**catatonic** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **characterized by catatonia especially either rigidity or extreme laxness of limbs**
* **If you describe someone as being in a _____ state, you mean that they are not moving or responding at all, usually as a result of illness, shock, or drugs.**
* **PSYCHIATRY: relating to or characterized by catatonia.**
----
Example sentences
119
*definition:*
* *(adj)*
* **relating to or indicating a remainder**
* **remaining after the greater part or quantity has gone.**
* **used to describe what remains of something when most of it has gone.**
* *(n)*
* **something left after other parts have been taken away**
* **a quantity remaining after other things have been subtracted or allowed for.**
---
\_\_\_\_\_ describes what remains after most of something is gone. It’s an almost formal word for what’s leftover. If you’ve gotten over your breakup but you still have the urge to kick your ex, then you have some _____ bitterness.
\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Old French root word which means "a remainder." That's why _____ can be something that is left behind, like the _____ grime on your kitchen counter from wiping it with a dirty sponge or _____ feelings of guilt that remain after you dumped your girlfriend because you were rude. A _____ is also a payment to a performer, writer, or director of a television show every time the commercial airs; it’s a kind of royalty.
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re\_\_\_\_l
**residual** (adj) (n)
---
*definition:*
* *(adj)*
* **relating to or indicating a remainder**
* **remaining after the greater part or quantity has gone.**
* **used to describe what remains of something when most of it has gone.**
* *(n)*
* **something left after other parts have been taken away**
* **a quantity remaining after other things have been subtracted or allowed for.**
---
Example sentences
120
*definition:*
* **to pose a series of questions to**
* **to ask questions of** (someone, especially a suspect or a prisoner) **closely, aggressively, or formally.**
* **If someone** (especially a police officer) **\_\_\_\_\_s someone, they question them thoroughly for a long time in order to get some information from them.**
---
(v)
To _____ is to ask someone a bunch of questions. Usually, it’s the police, FBI, or other law-enforcement officials who _____ suspects, but your father-in-law may _____ you about your career plans.
\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin prefix inter-, “between” added to the Latin verb rogare, “to ask.” To _____ someone is not just asking a few polite questions over a cup of tea. When you _____ someone there is usually a method to the questioning with a specific mission in mind, like determining a criminal's motive or where she stashed the loot. Your college entrance interview may feel like an \_\_\_\_\_ion, but their mission is really just to get to know you.
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in\_\_\_\_\_\_te
**interrogate** (v)
**interrogation** (n)
**interrogator** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to pose a series of questions to**
* **to ask questions of** (someone, especially a suspect or a prisoner) **closely, aggressively, or formally.**
* **If someone** (especially a police officer) **\_\_\_\_\_s someone, they question them thoroughly for a long time in order to get some information from them.**
---
Example sentences
121
*definition:*
* **pouring in abundance**
* (of rain) **falling rapidly and in copious quantities.**
* **heavy rain that pours down very rapidly and in great quantities.**
---
(adj)
If it's raining extremely hard, then the rain is \_\_\_\_\_, it's absolutely pouring.
Use _____ to describe something that's happening in ------s, or turbulent flowing streams. When there's a _____ storm, there's so much rain falling so fast that you'll be soaked in about three seconds. If a basketball team's offense just keeps coming and won't stop, you could call it a _____ attack. And if you take your sister's shoes without asking, she might shower you with a _____ tongue-lashing.
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to\_\_\_\_\_nt
**torrential** (adj) ---- *"torrential rain"*
**torrent** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **pouring in abundance**
* (of rain) **falling rapidly and in copious quantities.**
* **heavy rain that pours down very rapidly and in great quantities.**
---
Example sentences
122
*definition:*
* **likely to perform unpredictably**
* **liable to sudden unpredictable change**
* **not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.**
* **something that does not follow a regular pattern, but happens at unexpected times or moves along in an irregular way.**
---
(adj)
The adjective ____ describes things that are unpredictable, unusual, and that deviate from the norm. An ____ quarterback might completely confuse his receivers waiting for a pass.
Like its linguistic relative, error, the adjective ____ means "deviating from the norm," or "wrong." It also implies behavior or qualities that are unpredictable or odd. The word comes from the Latin verb errare, or "to wander" off course. In the field of geology, a rock that is ____ is unlike others in its environment because it has been transported by glacial activity. Likewise, someone driving a car that veers out of its lane is said to be driving \_\_\_\_ally.
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e\_\_\_\_c
**erratic** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **likely to perform unpredictably**
* **liable to sudden unpredictable change**
* **not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.**
* **something that does not follow a regular pattern, but happens at unexpected times or moves along in an irregular way.**
---
Example sentences
123
*definition:*
(phrase)
* **to provide a lot of information about something : to show something very clearly**
**speaks volumes** (phrase)
---
* definition:*
* **to provide a lot of information about something : to show something very clearly**
---
Example sentences
124
*definition:*
* **very complicated and difficult to understand**
* **a sentence, isea, or structure that is complicated & difficult to understand.**
* **highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious**
---
(adj)
If something is \_\_\_\_\_\_, it's intricate and hard to understand. You'll need to read over your brother's ______ investment scheme a few times before deciding whether or not to go in on it.
\_\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin word for "rolled up together." Its original meaning in English was exactly that, first for eaves coiled up on themselves, then for anything rolled or knotted together. Over time ______ took on its metaphorical sense of complicated and intricate, which is how it's generally used today. People complain about ______ legal language and the ______ tax code.
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co\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_d
**convoluted** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **very complicated and difficult to understand**
* **a sentence, isea, or structure that is complicated & difficult to understand.**
* **highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious**
---
Example sentences
125
*definition:*
* **pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome**
* **something that makes you feel excited or anxious about what is going to happen next.**
---
(adj)
Anything that keeps you in a state of excitedly (or nervously) waiting for something to happen is \_\_\_\_\_. For example, _____ movies keep you on the edge of your seat.
Things that cause a feeling of -------,being unsure, excited, or scared about what is to come, are \_\_\_\_\_. Waiting for the scary twist at the end of a good book is \_\_\_\_\_, and it can be _____ to watch someone open an enormous birthday present. ------- and _____ come from the Old French sospense, "delay," and a Latin root meaning "to hang up or interrupt."
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su\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ul
**suspenseful** (adj)
**suspense** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome**
* **something that makes you feel excited or anxious about what is going to happen next.**
---
Example sentences
126
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **vulnerably delicate**
* **easily broken or destroyed**
* **something that is easily broken or damaged.**
* *2.*
* **a situation that is weak or uncertain, and unlikely to be able to resist strong pressure or attack.**
---
(adj)
If it's delicate and easily broken, like a rare glass vase or the feelings of an overly emotional friend, it's certainly \_\_\_\_.
Back in the 1500s, ____ implied moral weakness. Then around 1600, its definition broadened to mean “liable to break.” It wasn’t until the 19th century that the word started to mean “frail” and was used to describe people. Today we use it to describe things like spider webs, unstable political systems, and insecure egos. Synonyms include flimsy, vulnerable, and brittle.
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f\_\_\_\_\_e
**fragile** (adj)
**fragility** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **vulnerably delicate**
* **easily broken or destroyed**
* **something that is easily broken or damaged.**
* *2.*
* **a situation that is weak or uncertain, and unlikely to be able to resist strong pressure or attack.**
---
Example sentences
127
*definition:*
* **a slope, or the degree to which the ground slopes.**
* **a graded change in the magnitude of some physical quantity or dimension**
* **a change in the value of a quantity (such as temperature, pressure, or concentration) with change in a given variable and especially per unit distance in a specified direction**
---
(n)
The _____ of a surface is its slope. If you're a daredevil and you're looking for a road to fly down on your skateboard, you'll want to find one with a fairly steep \_\_\_\_\_.
In mathematics, the _____ tells you how steep a line in a graph is. In physics, when you say \_\_\_\_\_, you're talking about how quickly something changes from one point to another. The word comes ultimately from the Latin gradus "step," and a _____ gives you a measure of the "steps" by which something changes.
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g\_\_\_\_\_nt
**gradient** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a slope, or the degree to which the ground slopes.**
* **a graded change in the magnitude of some physical quantity or dimension**
* **a change in the value of a quantity (such as temperature, pressure, or concentration) with change in a given variable and especially per unit distance in a specified direction**
---
Example sentences
128
*definition:*
(n)
* **a combination of the two different styles.**
* **an instance of breaking into another category**
* **a point or place of crossing from one side to the other.**
* **the process of achieving success in a different field or style, especially in popular music.**
**crossover** (n)
---
*definition:*
(n)
* **a combination of the two different styles.**
* **an instance of breaking into another category**
* **a point or place of crossing from one side to the other.**
* **the process of achieving success in a different field or style, especially in popular music.**
---
Examples:
"...the contemporary crossover of pop, jazz and funk."
"...dance/rock crossover bands."
"I can see why Laura said it seems like a scifi film to her. There is some crossover there, for sure..."
more example sentences
129
*definition:*
* **a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity**
* * **a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.**
* * **a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.**
* * **a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money)**
---
(n)
If you brag that "the world's your oyster," you're using a _____ from Shakespeare, who knew a thing or two about figures of speech.
Good writers know their way around a \_\_\_\_\_, where you make an analogy between two things to show how one resembles the other in some way. When a character from Shakespeare calls the world his oyster, that's his boastful way of saying that all the riches of the world are his for the taking, like plucking a pearl from an oyster shell. Shakespeare also wrote, "All the world's a stage." Oyster? Stage? Come on, Will, get your \_\_\_\_\_s straight!
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m\_\_\_\_\_or
**metaphor** (n)
**metaphorical** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity**
* * **a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.**
* * **a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.**
* * **a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money)**
---
Example sentences
130
*definition:*
* **extravagant exaggeration**
* **exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.**
* **language that describes something as better or worse than it really is**
---
(n)
Praising your favorite sports team is one thing, but if you call the team the most incredible group of humans ever to walk the earth, then you're going overboard and indulging in \_\_\_\_\_.
Someone who gets hyperactive about something and ends up hyperventilating (breathing too hard) might be prone to the exaggerated style of speaking known as \_\_\_\_\_. If you find yourself talking about the absolutely best (or worst) thing of all time, it's time to take it down a notch and cut down on the \_\_\_\_\_.
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hy\_\_\_\_\_\_le
**hyperbole** (n)
**hyperbolic** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **extravagant exaggeration**
* **exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.**
* **language that describes something as better or worse than it really is**
---
Example sentences
131
*definition:*
(v)
* **to make superficially attractive or palatable**
* **to cause to appear more pleasant or appealing**
* **to make (something disagreeable) seem more acceptable or less unpleasant, as by using flattery, euphemism, etc.**
**sugarcoat** (v)
---
*definition:*
(v)
* **to make superficially attractive or palatable**
* **to cause to appear more pleasant or appealing**
* **to make (something disagreeable) seem more acceptable or less unpleasant, as by using flattery, euphemism, etc.**
---
Example sentences
132
definition:
* **to put in a short or concise form; reduce in volume**
* **to enclose in or as if in a capsule**
* **to enclose in a capsule or other small container**
**---**
To ____ something is to sum it up in shorter form — to summarize something.
When you see the word \_\_\_\_, think about trying to put your comic book collection inside one tiny capsule — all of them wouldn't fit, so you'd have to pick out just your favorites or the most valuable ones. \_\_\_\_ing means condensing something down into its most important parts, so you just get the gist of it. Cliff's Notes ____ longer books. If you tell a friend about your summer vacation, you better ____ it or you'll be there for hours.
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en\_\_\_\_\_\_\_te
**encapsulate** (v)
**encapsulation** (n)
---
definition:
* **to put in a short or concise form; reduce in volume**
* **to enclose in or as if in a capsule**
* **to enclose in a capsule or other small container**
**---**
Example sentences
133
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **being or involving basic facts or principles** ("\_\_\_\_\_ truths")
* **being in the earliest stages of development**
* **involving or limited to basic principles.**
* **things that are very basic or simple and are therefore unsatisfactory.**
* **consisting in first principles : FUNDAMENTAL**
* *2.*
* **relating to an immature, undeveloped, or basic form.**
* **not fully developed in mature animals** ("\_\_\_\_\_wings")
* *3.*
* **of a primitive kind**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_\_ means basic, or at a very early stage. The test should be easy: it requires only a _____ understanding of the materials.
The word rude means simple or offensive, and people with only _____ understanding of good manners might not know how that belching is rude. If you remember that the word rude is the foundation of \_\_\_\_\_, you'll have a _____ understanding of the word.
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r\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ry
**rudimentary** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **being or involving basic facts or principles** ("rudiemntary truths")
* **being in the earliest stages of development**
* **involving or limited to basic principles.**
* **things that are very basic or simple and are therefore unsatisfactory.**
* **consisting in first principles : FUNDAMENTAL**
* *2.*
* **relating to an immature, undeveloped, or basic form.**
* **not fully developed in mature animals** ("rudimentary wings")
* *3.*
* **of a primitive kind**
---
Example sentences
134
*definition:*
* **accepted truth, general truth, dictum, truism, principle. proposition, postulate. maxim, saying, adage, aphorism.**
* **a statement or idea which people accept as being true.**
* **a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits**
* **a statement accepted as true as the basis for argument or inference**
* **a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.**
---
(n)
An ____ is a statement that everyone believes is true, such as "the only constant is change." Mathematicians use the word ____ to refer to an established proof.
The word ____ comes from a Greek word meaning “worthy.” An ____ is a worthy, established fact. For philosophers, an ____ is a statement like “something can’t be true and not be true at the same time.” An example of a mathematical ____ is “a number is equal to itself.” In everyday usage, an ____ is just a common saying, but it’s one that pretty much everyone agrees on.
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a\_\_\_\_\_m
**axiom** (n)
(synonym: maxim)
---
* **accepted truth, general truth, dictum, truism, principle. proposition, postulate. maxim, saying, adage, aphorism.**
* **a statement or idea which people accept as being true.**
* **a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits**
* **a statement accepted as true as the basis for argument or inference**
* **a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.**
---
An axiom is a statement that everyone believes is true, such as "the only constant is change." Mathematicians use the word axiom to refer to an established proof.
The word axiom comes from a Greek word meaning “worthy.” An axiom is a worthy, established fact. For philosophers, an axiom is a statement like “something can’t be true and not be true at the same time.” An example of a mathematical axiom is “a number is equal to itself.” In everyday usage, an axiom is just a common saying, but it’s one that pretty much everyone agrees on.
Example:
"...the long-held axiom that education leads to higher income."
135
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **a form of sexual desire in which gratification is linked to an abnormal degree to a particular object, item of clothing, part of the body, etc.**
* **If someone has a \_\_\_\_, they have an unusually strong liking or need for a particular object or activity, as a way of getting sexual pleasure.**
* **a form of sexual desire in which gratification depends to an abnormal degree on some object or item of clothing or part of the body**
* *2.*
* **excessive or irrational devotion to some activity**
* **an excessive and irrational devotion or commitment to a particular thing.**
---
(n)
A ____ is an extremely strong devotion to something. There are sexual \_\_\_\_es and nonsexual \_\_\_\_es: both are obsessive interests.
The most common use of the word ____ is probably the sexual meaning. Someone with a foot ____ is abnormally interested in feet and gets sexual pleasure from seeing, being around, and even thinking about feet. There are probably thousands of sexual \_\_\_\_es, most of which are too inappropriate to write about here. A non-sexual ____ is just an excessive interest in something, like a football fan who lives and breathes everything NFL.
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f\_\_\_\_h
**fetish** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **a form of sexual desire in which gratification is linked to an abnormal degree to a particular object, item of clothing, part of the body, etc.**
* **If someone has a \_\_\_\_, they have an unusually strong liking or need for a particular object or activity, as a way of getting sexual pleasure.**
* **a form of sexual desire in which gratification depends to an abnormal degree on some object or item of clothing or part of the body**
* *2.*
* **excessive or irrational devotion to some activity**
---
Example sentences
136
*definition:*
* **an object which you believe has magic powers to protect you or bring you luck.**
* **an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.**
* **a trinket or piece of jewelry usually hung about the neck and thought to be a magical protection against evil or disease**
---
(n)
A _____ is a charm that is supposed to ward off evil or illness. Your rabbit's foot key chain may be your lucky \_\_\_\_\_. Of course, it wasn't so lucky for that rabbit.
The word _____ has been around in English since the 1630s and it has roots in both Arabic and Greek words. A _____ is usually worn around the neck but could exist in other forms, like a ring or inscribed stone. You can think of a _____ as a good luck charm, but people tend to take \_\_\_\_\_s more seriously — as if they are empowered with magic to ward off evil spirits.
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t\_\_\_\_\_n
**talisman** (n)
*synonym: talisman, amulet, (charm)*
---
*definition:*
* **an object which you believe has magic powers to protect you or bring you luck.**
* **an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.**
* **a trinket or piece of jewelry usually hung about the neck and thought to be a magical protection against evil or disease**
---
Example sentences
137
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **an especially fierce attack**
* **a fierce or destructive attack.**
* **a very violent, forceful attack against them.**
* *2.*
* **a large quantity of people or things that is difficult to cope with.**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is a military term that refers to an attack against an enemy. It's safe to say that no one wants to be caught on the receiving end of an \_\_\_\_\_, because there will be lots of danger, destruction and probably death.
One way to help you remember the brutal meaning of _____ is through the word's English origin, slaught, meaning "slaughter." But _____ can be used in non-military ways, too. It can mean a barrage of written or spoken communication, like an _____ of emailed birthday wishes. Taken individually, the birthday wishes are nice but an _____ is too many, too fast, all at once. _____ can also mean a sudden and severe start of trouble. For example, if your office is unprepared for the _____ of flu season, the entire sales force will be home sick at the same time.
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on\_\_\_\_\_t
**onslaught** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **an especially fierce attack**
* **a fierce or destructive attack.**
* **a very violent, forceful attack against them.**
* *2.*
* **a large quantity of people or things that is difficult to cope with.**
---
Example sentences
138
* definition:*
* **a white-flowered swamp plant (Dionaea muscipula) of the sundew family, native to the Carolinas, having sensitive leaves with two hinged blades that snap shut,** *often trapping insects*
**Venus flytrap** (n)
---
definition:
* **a white-flowered swamp plant (Dionaea muscipula) of the sundew family, native to the Carolinas, having sensitive leaves with two hinged blades that snap shut,** *often trapping insects*
* ---*
Example sentences
139
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **deviating from a straight course**
* **having a circular or winding course**
* **(of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way.**
* **a route that is long and complicated rather than simple and direct.**
* *2.*
* **not being forthright or direct in language or action**
* **marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_ means indirect or roundabout. If you're already late for school, you'll want to take the straightest, fastest way there, not a ____ one!
\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin word ____ meaning "a going around." If you're being ____ it's like you're going around and around in circles. It can also refer to someone's manner or speech, if they are not being direct. For example, if you want someone to get you another piece of cake, but just you sit there looking longingly at your empty plate and talking about how delicious cake is, then you're being \_\_\_\_. And annoying.
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ci\_\_\_\_\_\_us
**circuitous** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **deviating from a straight course**
* **having a circular or winding course**
* **(of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way.**
* **a route that is long and complicated rather than simple and direct.**
* *2.*
* **not being forthright or direct in language or action**
* **marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct**
---
Example sentences
140
*definition:*
* **to arrive at (a fact or a conclusion) by reasoning; to draw as a logical conclusion.**
* **to reach a conclusion that something is true because of other things that you know to be true.**
* **to reason by deduction; establish by deduction**
* **to conclude by reasoning; in logic**
---
(v)
To ____ is to figure something out based on what you already know. When you see a person crying, it's easy to ____ that the person is sad. Unless they're happy, of course. Sometimes happy people cry.
Derived from the Latin ducere, meaning "to lead," a person who \_\_\_\_s something is "leading" their mind from one idea to the next. Deduction is a noun from the verb \_\_\_\_: it's what we call something that we learn when we \_\_\_\_. Sherlock Holmes, the famous investigator created by Arthur Conan Doyle, was a master of deduction. He could ____ from a few small clues all of the facts of a murder case.
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d\_\_\_\_\_e
**deduce** (v)
---
*definition:*
* **to arrive at (a fact or a conclusion) by reasoning; to draw as a logical conclusion.**
* **to reach a conclusion that something is true because of other things that you know to be true.**
* **to reason by deduction; establish by deduction**
* **to conclude by reasoning; in logic**
---
Example sentences
141
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **like a labyrinth**
* **resembling a labyrinth in form or complexity**
* **(of a network) like a labyrinth; irregular and twisting.**
* *2.*
* **(of a system) intricate and confusing.**
* **If you describe a situation, process, or field of knowledge as \_\_\_\_\_, you mean that it is very complicated and difficult to understand.**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_ is a good word to describe a place that feels like an enormous maze. A new student at a huge, sprawling high school is likely to find the building ____ as she wanders the halls looking for her math class.
If you've ever been lost in a hedge maze, you know what a --------- is. The adjective ____ describes something that is as confusing, complex, or maze-like as a -------. This could be an actual maze, a city, or even a convoluted idea. The word comes from the Greek word meaning the structure built to contain the mythological Minotaur. In the story, Daedalus did such a good job making the building ____ that he nearly couldn't find his way out.
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la\_\_\_\_\_\_ne
**labyrinthine** (adj)
***labyrinth** (n) (definition): a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way; _a_ _maze_.*
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **like a labyrinth**
* **resembling a labyrinth in form or complexity**
* **(of a network) like a labyrinth; irregular and twisting.**
* *2.*
* **(of a system) intricate and confusing.**
* **If you describe a situation, process, or field of knowledge as \_\_\_\_\_, you mean that it is very complicated and difficult to understand.**
---
Example sentences
142
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **A ____ is an object that has been invented for a particular purpose, for example for recording or measuring something.**
* **An instrumentality invented for a particular purpose**
* *2.*
* **a piece of portable electronic equipment that can connect to the internet, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer.**
**---**
(n)
A ____ is really anything that has a specific use. It might be a tool or object, or a plan that is devised to accomplish something. If it has a purpose, it is a \_\_\_\_.
A ____ is a noun that can be used to describe anything, simple or complex, that is used for a specific purpose. You might have one ____ for opening bottles, and another for opening cans. You probably even have a ____ for turning on your TV. While these have specific names (bottle opener, can opener, remote), you can cover each with the generic term \_\_\_\_. We can see its root in an Old French word which meant “purpose” or “contrivance.”
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d\_\_\_\_e
**device** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **A ____ is an object that has been invented for a particular purpose, for example for recording or measuring something.**
* **An instrumentality invented for a particular purpose**
* *2.*
* **a piece of portable electronic equipment that can connect to the internet, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer.**
**---**
Example sentences
143
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **to ring or echo with sound**
* **When a loud sound \_\_\_\_\_\_s through a place, it echoes through it.**
* **(of a loud noise) be repeated several times as an echo.**
* *2.*
* **to have a long or continuing effect**
* **have continuing and serious effects.**
* **You can say that an event or idea \_\_\_\_\_s when it has a powerful effect which lasts a long time.**
---
If you give a loud shout in a cavernous place, like a gym or a church, the sound of your voice will _____ throughout the room. _____ means sound waves traveling back and forth, as in an echo.
Often we use _____ to talk about sound, or sometimes light. If a noise echoes for a long time, we can say the space \_\_\_\_\_s with that noise. You may have heard of a reverb effect in audio processing, which is basically a long echo. We also use the word metaphorically to describe the impact of huge events. For example, the 2008 mortgage crisis in the U.S. \_\_\_\_\_ed throughout the world’s economy, causing a global recession.
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re\_\_\_\_\_\_\_te
**reverberate** (v)
**reverberation** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **to ring or echo with sound**
* **When a loud sound \_\_\_\_\_\_s through a place, it echoes through it.**
* **(of a loud noise) be repeated several times as an echo.**
* *2.*
* **to have a long or continuing effect**
* **have continuing and serious effects.**
* **You can say that an event or idea \_\_\_\_\_s when it has a powerful effect which lasts a long time.**
---
Example sentences
144
*definition:*
* **the state of being caught in or as in a trap.**
* **the action of tricking someone into committing a crime in order to secure their prosecution.**
* **a defense that claims the defendant would not have broken the law if not tricked into doing it by law enforcement officials**
---
\_\_\_\_ is a legal term that describes what happens when someone is tricked into committing a crime. Police officers have to be careful not to use techniques that might be seen as \_\_\_\_.
A defense attorney might try to prove that her client was a victim of ____ in order to get charges dropped or to influence a jury to find the defendant not guilty. Legally, ____ is considered unfair because it influences someone (who otherwise wouldn't) to break the law. The word's been around since the 16th century, meaning "being caught in a trap," but the legal definition arose toward the end of the 19th century.
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en\_\_\_\_\_\_\_nt
**entrapment** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **the state of being caught in or as in a trap.**
* **the action of tricking someone into committing a crime in order to secure their prosecution.**
* **a defense that claims the defendant would not have broken the law if not tricked into doing it by law enforcement officials**
---
Example sentences
145
*definition:*
* **an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.**
* **a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions**
* **ideally perfect state; especially in its social and political and moral aspects**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is a perfect paradise that doesn’t exist, but which we all dream of anyway. In the dead of winter, we might imagine a _____ full of palm trees, warm breezes, and sun-soaked beaches.
\_\_\_\_\_ didn't evolve from Latin or another old foreign language. Author Thomas More actually created the noun in one of his books to describe an imaginary island where all systems—political, social, and legal—are perfect and operate harmoniously. The definition of _____ was later broadened to imply any perfect place. The opposite of _____ is dystopia, coined in 1868 by J.S. Mill to describe an “imaginary bad place.”
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u\_\_\_\_\_a
**utopia** (n)
**utopian** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.**
* **a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions**
* **ideally perfect state; especially in its social and political and moral aspects**
---
Example sentences
146
*definition:*
* **an imaginary place where everything is as bad as it can be**
* **a state in which the conditions of life are extremely bad as from deprivation or oppression or terror**
* **an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives**
* **an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.**
---
(n)
A ______ is a fictional world where people live under a highly controlled, totalitarian system. In his novel "Brave New World," Aldous Huxley created a ______ where individual identity is suppressed and families no longer exist. Yep, it’s pretty scary.
The word ______ comes from adding the Latin prefix dys, which means “bad,” to the word utopia. So a ______ is a utopia gone wrong. While the intention might have been to create a perfect society, all the regulations make life there really bad. Often a ______ in a book is a society of the future, serving as a warning about what might happen if we let technology, industry, and government creep further and further into our lives.
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d\_\_\_\_\_\_a
**dystopia** (n)
**dystopian** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **an imaginary place where everything is as bad as it can be**
* **a state in which the conditions of life are extremely bad as from deprivation or oppression or terror**
* **an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives**
* **an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.**
---
Example sentences
147
*definition:*
* **describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world.**
* **relating to the total destruction of something, especially of the world.**
* **resembling the end of the world; momentous or catastrophic.**
---
(adj)
The lyrics of a popular song from the 1980’s by the band REM go, “It’s the end of the world as we know it.” This song’s tune may be catchy but the sentiment is rather \_\_\_\_\_\_, since it refers to the final destruction of the world.
The base word of \_\_\_\_\_\_, ---------, means "ultimate doom." This scenario is most famously described in the Bible’s Book of Revelation, but the concept is used in reference to many extreme catastrophes. For example, the devastating conditions left behind after a hurricane or tornado has hit an area can be said to be \_\_\_\_\_\_. Often, this adjective is used for exaggeration, so you could also use ______ to describe the bad haircut you just got.
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ap\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_c
**apocalyptic** (adj)
**apocalypse** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world.**
* **relating to the total destruction of something, especially of the world.**
* **resembling the end of the world; momentous or catastrophic.**
---
Example sentences
148
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **to entice (someone) into sexual activity.**
* **to use one's charm to persuade another person to have sex with them.**
* **induce to have sex**
* *2.*
* **to lead astray usually by persuasion or false promises**
* **something that is so attractive that it makes you do something that you would not otherwise do.**
---
(v)
To _____ is to lure or entice, particularly away from obligations or proper behavior. A gorgeous day could _____ you from doing your homework.
\_\_\_\_\_ means something close to attract, beguile, tempt, and mislead. The word often has romantic overtones, but it doesn't have to: a clever criminal could _____ someone into a life of crime. When you're being \_\_\_\_\_d, it implies you're being tricked a little bit, often into something that's enticing but not so good.
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se\_\_\_\_\_e
**seduction** (n)
**seduce** (v)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **to entice (someone) into sexual activity.**
* **to use one's charm to persuade another person to have sex with them.**
* **induce to have sex**
* *2.*
* **to lead astray usually by persuasion or false promises**
* **something that is so attractive that it makes you do something that you would not otherwise do.**
---
Example sentences
149
*definition:*
* **the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating.**
* **You say that something \_\_\_\_\_s when it has a special meaning or when it is particularly important to someone.**
* **to strike a chord within someone**
---
(v)
To ____ is to make, hear, or even understand a deep, full sound. Your speech about the dangers of scarves and convertibles will ____ with your audience if you tell the story of Isadora Duncan's death.
The verb \_\_\_\_, which comes from a Latin word, first referred only to sound, but has now developed an emotional connotation. ____ sounds a whole lot like another verb, resound, but they have subtly different meanings. Resound means “to repeat the sound,” but ____ means “to expand, amplify.” Sound can ____ when broadcast through speakers, and so can an idea or feeling, when expressed articulately or with passion.
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r\_\_\_\_\_te
**resonate** (v)
**resonance** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating.**
* **You say that something \_\_\_\_\_s when it has a special meaning or when it is particularly important to someone.**
* **to strike a chord within someone**
---
Example sentences
150
*definition:*
* **a state of social isolation**
* **the state or situation of being alone.**
* **the state of being alone, especially when this is peaceful and pleasant.**
* **a state or situation in which you are alone usually because you want to be**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is the state of being alone. You might crave _____ after spending the holidays with your big, loud family, you want nothing more than to get away from everyone for a little while.
\_\_\_\_\_ can also refer to a place where you're completely alone. The middle of the woods, the top of a big mountain, the middle of a vast desert, even your room, these are places where you might go for \_\_\_\_\_. _____ comes from a Latin word which means "loneliness," but if you have moments of _____ that doesn't necessarily mean you're lonely. The word _____ carries the sense that you're enjoying being alone by choice.
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so\_\_\_\_\_\_e
**solitude** (n)
**solitary** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **a state of social isolation**
* **the state or situation of being alone.**
* **the state of being alone, especially when this is peaceful and pleasant.**
* **a state or situation in which you are alone usually because you want to be**
---
Example sentences
151
*definition:*
* **a performance or interpretation of something**
* **A "\_\_\_\_\_ of" a play, poem, or piece of music is a performance of it.**
* **a performance or interpretation, especially of a dramatic role or piece of music.**
* **a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role etc.**
* **the act of interpreting something as expressed in an artistic performance**
---
(n)
A ____ is an interpretation, performance, or translation. Whitney Houston's ____ of the Star Spangled Banner is still used at games today; Roseanne Barr's is not.
This word comes from an Old French word which means “to deliver, yield.” So if you want to put your spin on a song or poem or your favorite movie monologue, go ahead and deliver your ____ of it. But know that in modern times this word has also been used as a noun, describing the secret capture and interrogation of a terror suspect in a foreign country that has less strict human rights laws.
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re\_\_\_\_\_on
**rendition** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a performance or interpretation of something**
* **A "\_\_\_\_\_ of" a play, poem, or piece of music is a performance of it.**
* **a performance or interpretation, especially of a dramatic role or piece of music.**
* **a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role etc.**
* **the act of interpreting something as expressed in an artistic performance**
---
Example sentences
152
*definition:*
* **a place that is quiet & private.**
* **hidden from general view or use**
* **providing privacy or seclusion**
* **(of a place) not seen or visited by many people; sheltered and private.**
---
(adj)
A ____ place is isolated, away from other people. It's quiet, and there's not a lot going on.
Sometimes you need to get away from it all to someplace where no one will find you. What you seek is a ____ area where you can be alone. A ____ spot conjures the image of someplace removed from the intrusions of life. A writer might want to be ____ so she can get work done, and a couple might want to be ____ so they can spend time together. When you're \_\_\_\_, there aren't many other people or distractions.
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se\_\_\_\_\_d
**secluded** (adj)
**seclusion** (n)
**seclude** (v)
---
*definition:*
* **a place that is quiet & private.**
* **hidden from general view or use**
* **providing privacy or seclusion**
* **(of a place) not seen or visited by many people; sheltered and private.**
---
Ecample sentences
153
*definition:*
* **the act of giving a false appearance**
* **pretending with intention to deceive**
* **an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true.**
* **an action or way of behaving that is intended to make people believe something that is not true.**
* **a false show of something**
---
(n)
When you operate under a \_\_\_\_, you're not being honest. You're pretending. If you say you're going to a party because you’re eager to see your friend, but really you're just interested in the birthday cake, you’re acting on \_\_\_\_.
\_\_\_\_ involves deceiving on purpose, and it's usually something you shouldn’t be proud of. Under the ____ of being a college student, you might sneak into a library restricted to enrolled students. That’s dishonest and deceitful. But ____ isn’t always bad. You might not want to hurt your mother’s feelings, so you make a ____ of loving her tuna casserole, even though you’re trying not to gag on it.
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pr\_\_\_\_\_e
**pretense** (n)
"under the guise of" (idiom): saying or acting as if something is other than what it really is
---
*definition:*
* **the act of giving a false appearance**
* **pretending with intention to deceive**
* **an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true.**
* **an action or way of behaving that is intended to make people believe something that is not true.**
* **a false show of something**
---
Example sentences
154
*definition:*
(adj)
* **having body parts like those of actual people**
* **having representations of the sexual organs**
* **having representations of the sexual organs**
**anatomically correct** (adj)
---
*definition:*
(adj)
* **having body parts like those of actual people**
* **having representations of the sexual organs**
* **having representations of the sexual organs**
---
Examples:
"an anatomically correct replica of the human brain"
Dissectible Anatomically Correct Heart Model
"anatomically correct mannequin."
"An anatomically correct doll was shown to the witness in the courtroom."
155
*definition:*
* **excessively or hypocritically pious**
* * **having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior.**
* * **convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic**
* * **If you describe someone as \_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_, you disapprove of them because they are convinced that they are right in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour and that other people are wrong.**
---
(adj)
A \_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_ person thinks their beliefs and morals are better than everyone else's. If you're quite sure the charity of others pales in comparison with yours, you might be \_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_.
Join the Old English words self, meaning "one's own person," and rightwise, meaning "virtuous," and you've got somebody who thinks very highly of their own morality. A \_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_ person thinks they can do no wrong, and goes about with a "holier-than-thou" attitude, judging and scrutinizing everyone else. A fur designer may view PETA activists as \_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_ when they picket his fashion show. You may consider a friend \_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_ when it comes to musical taste.
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se\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_us
**self-righteous** (adj)
**santicimonious** (adj) pretending to be better than others on a moral level
**holier-than-thou** (adj) characterized by an attitude of moral superiority.
---
*definition:*
* **excessively or hypocritically pious**
* * **having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior.**
* * **convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic**
* * **If you describe someone as \_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_, you disapprove of them because they are convinced that they are right in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour and that other people are wrong.**
---
Example sentences
156
**a parable about a wayward son that returns back home, etc.**
"the prodigal son"
[link](https://interestingliterature.com/2021/07/prodigal-son-parable-summary-analysis/)
157
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **to bring to low esteem or into disrepute**
* **to drag down in moral or intellectual character**
* *2.*
* **to treat or regard (someone) with contempt or disrespect.**
* *3.*
* **break down or deteriorate chemically.**
---
(v)
To ___ means to reduce the worth of something, as when smoke and pollution ___ the environment. The word can also mean to disrespect or insult: thoughtless comments can ___ a person.
If you whistle at a passing woman, you're being disrespectful, your behavior \_\_\_s women.
\_\_\_ is often used to mean to insult someone because of their gender or race. ___ also means to break down. Old paper or photographs can ___ when left in the light, their material breaks down so that they crumble at a touch.
^
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d\_\_\_\_\_e
**degrade** (v)
**degrading** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **to bring to low esteem or into disrepute**
* **to drag down in moral or intellectual character**
* *2.*
* **to treat or regard (someone) with contempt or disrespect.**
* *3.*
* **break down or deteriorate chemically.**
---
Example sentences
158
palidrome
palidrome
159
ambivert
ambivert
160
*definition:*
* **to preach the gospel (to)**
* **convert or seek to convert (someone) to Christianity.**
* **to try to convert people to their religion, especially Christianity.**
* **to preach the Christian gospel.**
---
(v)
To ____ is to share religious beliefs, especially Christian ones, with other people. Preachers and ministers ____ from the pulpit in their churches every Sunday.
Certain Christians believe that it's important to ____ to others, to preach the gospel and convey what they believe. In some cases, Christian missionaries travel to foreign countries to \_\_\_\_. The ultimate goal for those who ____ tends to be converting non-Christians to Christianity. The word ____ comes from the Church Latin word "to spread or preach the Gospel," with the Greek root euangelizesthai, or "bring good news."
^
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ev\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ze
**evangelize** (v)
**evangelism** (n)
**evangelical** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to preach the gospel (to)**
* **convert or seek to convert (someone) to Christianity.**
* **to try to convert people to their religion, especially Christianity.**
* **to preach the Christian gospel.**
---
Example sentences
161
*definition:*
* **to take arbitrarily or by force**
* **to seize for military purposes**
* **to take possession of (something) without authority.**
* **to take arbitrary or forcible possession of something**
* **If the armed forces ____ a vehicle or building owned by someone else, they officially take charge of it so that they can use it.**
---
(v)
What is that person doing, interrupting everyone and changing the subject every minute? He is trying to \_\_\_\_, or take control, of the conversation.
You can probably tell from the look of the word that ____ is somehow related to ------ in meaning. A ----- is someone who is officially in charge, giving orders and making decisions for a group such as a nation or a military. Many groups don't have a commander, but this doesn't stop some people from trying to take charge. If you ____ something, whether it's a car or a conversation, you use force to try to take over.
^
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co\_\_\_\_\_\_er
**commandeer** (v)
---
*definition:*
* **to take arbitrarily or by force**
* **to seize for military purposes**
* **to take possession of (something) without authority.**
* **to take arbitrary or forcible possession of something**
* **If the armed forces ____ a vehicle or building owned by someone else, they officially take charge of it so that they can use it.**
---
Example sentences
162
*definition:*
* **a robbery.**
* **the act of stealing**
* **armed robbery : HOLDUP**
* **a ____ is a robbery, especially one in which money, jewellery, or art is stolen.**
---
(n)
When a man with a gun walks into a bank and says, "Give me all your money," that's a ____ or a robbery at gunpoint.
\_\_\_\_ is a slang word for an armed robbery. It's also a slang word used to describe the act of stealing or breaking into someone's house to steal their stuff. In other words, it's a burglary. ____ can also act as a verb: "If you've \_\_\_\_ed a diamond ring, you've stolen it."
^
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h\_\_\_\_t
**heist** (n)
exmaple: "bank heist" (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a robbery.**
* **the act of stealing**
* **armed robbery : HOLDUP**
* **a ____ is a robbery, especially one in which money, jewellery, or art is stolen.**
---
Example sentences
163
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.**
* **an impressive or outstanding example of a particular quality.**
* **an amazing or unusual thing, especially one out of the ordinary course of nature.**
* * *2.*
* **a highly talented child or youth**
* **A ____ is someone young who has a great natural ability for something such as music, mathematics, or sport.**
* **An unusually gifted or intelligent (young) person; someone whose talents excite wonder and admiration**
---
(n)
A ____ is someone who is so naturally talented at something that they become a master of that particular skill as a child, you can be a musical ____ or a math \_\_\_\_. Mozart was one, writing symphonies and playing for kings when he was only five years old.
\_\_\_\_ is one of those wonderful words whose different meanings tell a story about how the meanings of words bloom over time. The word derives from the Latin word meaning "an omen or a sign of something to come." \_\_\_\_ies are kids who often seem so talented that their success must presage even greater mastery, though, of course, the irony is that most \_\_\_\_ies peak in their youth.
^
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p\_\_\_\_\_y
**prodigy** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.**
* **an impressive or outstanding example of a particular quality.**
* **an amazing or unusual thing, especially one out of the ordinary course of nature.**
* * *2.*
* **a highly talented child or youth**
* **A ____ is someone young who has a great natural ability for something such as music, mathematics, or sport.**
* **An unusually gifted or intelligent (young) person; someone whose talents excite wonder and admiration**
---
Example sentences
164
definition:
* *(v)*
* 1. **arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate.**
* 2. **make secret plans to do something illicit or detrimental to someone.**
* *(n)*
* 1. **the secret planning of something illicit or detrimental.**
* 2. **a mysterious or fascinating quality.**
---
(v) (n)
An ____ is a secret plot. If you ever become the monarch of a small island kingdom, keep watch for signs of any ____ against you.
\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin verb intricare, to entangle, and is related to intricate. It can be a noun, meaning underhanded plot, or a verb for the act of plotting. Agents of two opposing powers ____ against each other. In the late nineteenth century it also came to mean the feeling of curiosity or interest. If someone's ideas ____ you, you want to know more about them.
^
^
in\_\_\_\_\_ue
**intrigue** (v) (n)
---
definition:
* *(v)*
* 1. **arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate.**
* 2. **make secret plans to do something illicit or detrimental to someone.**
* *(n)*
* 1. **the secret planning of something illicit or detrimental.**
* 2. **a mysterious or fascinating quality.**
---
Example sentences
165
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a lengthy and aggressive speech.**
* (v)
* **lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner.**
* **trying to persuade someone to accept one's opinions or ideas in a forceful way.**
---
A ____ is more than a speech, louder than a discussion, and nastier than a lecture. It is a verbal attack that doesn't let up, delivered as a verb or received as a noun. Either way, it's pretty unpleasant.
The word ____ developed its modern spelling around 1530, when the word was recorded as ____ in French. The word, meaning a strong, nasty rant, appears to have evolved from the Old Italian word aringa, probably from the word for a public square or place for public speaking. This in turn appears to have evolved from a Germanic word related to ring, as in "circular gathering," which is clearly similar to the Italian meaning.
^
^
ha\_\_\_\_\_\_ue
**harangue** (v) (n)
---
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a lengthy and aggressive speech.**
* (v)
* **lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner.**
* **trying to persuade someone to accept one's opinions or ideas in a forceful way.**
---
Example sentences
166
*definition:*
* **a thunderous verbal attack**
* **a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.**
* **an angry speech or article which is extremely critical of someone's ideas or activities.**
---
(n)
It's pretty overwhelming when you ask your friend a seemingly innocuous question, like "Do you like hot dogs?" and she unleashes a _____ about the evils of eating meat. A _____ is an angry, critical speech.
This noun has its roots in the Greek word meaning "to waste time or wear away," combining dia-, "thoroughly" with "to rub." So the origin of the word _____ is connected to both serious study and the spending or wasting of time. With most \_\_\_\_\_s, the speaker thinks he's well informed and knows something the listener doesn't, while to most listeners the _____ is so angry and unhinged that it's just a waste of time.
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d\_\_\_\_be
**diatribe** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a thunderous verbal attack**
* **a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.**
* **an angry speech or article which is extremely critical of someone's ideas or activities.**
---
Example sentences
167
*definition:*
* **the killing of a large number of people.**
* **the savage and excessive killing of many people**
* **the violent killing of large numbers of people, especially in a war.**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is mass murder. If you have seen news footage of a village after a bomb has been detonated, you probably saw a scene of \_\_\_\_\_.
\_\_\_\_\_ comes from the Latin word meaning "flesh" or "slaughter of animals." _____ is often used to describe the brutal killing of many people, but can also refer to large numbers of animals that have been butchered.
^
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c\_\_\_\_ge
**carnage** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **the killing of a large number of people.**
* **the savage and excessive killing of many people**
* **the violent killing of large numbers of people, especially in a war.**
---
Example sentences
168
*definition:*
(n)
* **(euphemism) inadvertent casualties and destruction inflicted on civilians in the course of military operations**
* * **accidental injury to civilians or damage to civilian buildings which occurs during a military operation.**
**collateral damage** (n)
---
*definition:*
(n)
* **(euphemism) inadvertent casualties and destruction inflicted on civilians in the course of military operations**
* * **accidental injury to civilians or damage to civilian buildings which occurs during a military operation.**
**---**
Example sentences
169
*definition:*
* (v)
* **to honor**
* (n)
* **respectful deference**
---
\_\_\_\_\_ means great respect and honor, or something done to honor a person or thing. We pay _____ to our ancestors and say prayers in _____ to their memory.
In Middle English, _____ specifically referred to respect for and loyalty to a feudal lord.
^
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p\_\_\_ h\_\_\_\_\_ge
**to pay homage** (v)
*tribute (n): a way to honor a person*
---
*definition:*
* (v)
* **to honor**
* (n)
* **respectful deference**
---
Example sentences
170
*definition:*
* **given to wordiness**
* **containing more words than necessary**
* **using or containing too many words**
* **described as using an excessive amount of words**
* **when someone uses more words than necessary, making th listener feel bored or annoyed.**
---
(adj)
If you're \_\_\_\_, you use far more words than you need to. A ____ book report goes on and on and is packed with long, complicated words that aren't at all necessary.
If a friend asks, "Did you have fun at the party?" you can simply answer, "No." Or you can provide a ____ reply that describes just how much you hated the party, who was and wasn't there, the fact that you got lost on the way, the terrible food that was served, and the awful music that was played. ____ is from the Latin word meaning "full of words." As you can guess from the spelling, the English verb is closely related.
^
^
v\_\_\_\_se
**verbose** (adj)
**verbosity** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **given to wordiness**
* **containing more words than necessary**
* **using or containing too many words**
* **described as using an excessive amount of words**
* **when someone uses more words than necessary, making th listener feel bored or annoyed.**
---
Example sentences
171
*definition:*
* **tediously long in speaking or writing**
* **using or containing too many words**
* **If you describe something that is written or said as \_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_, you are critical of it because it is longer than necessary.**
---
(adj)
Someone who's \_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_ takes way too long to tell a story or give a speech. Once your \_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_ history teacher gets started on an anecdote about the Civil War, everyone in the class sighs deeply.
A \_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_ explanation is one that uses many words when just a few would do. And your grandfather's \_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_ toasts before Thanksgiving dinner inevitably end in everyone's food getting cold before they can start eating it. An older meaning of this word was "able to do something for a long time without losing one's breath," but the modern definition dates from the 1580s, when it specifically meant "given to lengthy speeches."
^
^
lo\_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_ed
**long-winded** (adj)
**long-windedness** (n)
*ramble (v): to talk aimlessly*
---
*definition:*
* **tediously long in speaking or writing**
* **using or containing too many words**
* **If you describe something that is written or said as \_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_, you are critical of it because it is longer than necessary.**
---
Example sentences
172
* definition:*
(n) (informal)
* **someone who talks incessantly**
* **a person who talks excessively**
* **a person who talks quickly and incessantly.**
* **If you describe someone as a "\_\_\_\_\_\_," you mean that they talk a lot, especially in a loud or aggressive way.**
^
^
mo\_\_\_\_\_\_\_th
**motormouth** (n)
---
*definition:*
(informal)
* **someone who talks incessantly**
* **a person who talks excessively**
* **a person who talks quickly and incessantly.**
* **If you describe someone as a "\_\_\_\_\_\_," you mean that they talk a lot, especially in a loud or aggressive way.**
**---**
Example sentences
173
*definition:*
* **a place for someone to live, stay, or work**
* **temporary lodgings, sometimes also including board.**
* **a convenient arrangement; a settlement or compromise.**
* **making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances**
* **something supplied for convenience or to satisfy a need: such as**
* **a: lodging, food, and services or traveling space and related services —usually used in plural**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_ is all about making room, it can mean a room or place where you will stay or an agreement about sharing something.
If the only ____ at Grandma's is the bunk bed and you and your sis decide to take turns on the top, you've made an ____ regarding your \_\_\_\_s. When you are \_\_\_\_ing someone, you are making room for them or special circumstances for them. For example, the student with the broken hand was granted the ____ of having a scribe write his answers for the test. Always remember that ____ is an \_\_\_\_ing word, there's room inside for two m's and two c's.
^
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ac\_\_\_\_\_\_on
**accommodation** (n)
**accommodating** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **a place for someone to live, stay, or work**
* **temporary lodgings, sometimes also including board.**
* **a convenient arrangement; a settlement or compromise.**
* **making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances**
* **something supplied for convenience or to satisfy a need: such as**
* **a: lodging, food, and services or traveling space and related services —usually used in plural**
---
Example sentences
174
*definition:*
* (n)
* **an unoccupied position or job.**
* **an empty space.**
* **a job or position which has not been filled.**
* **an empty/avaiable office, post, or tenancy**
* **If there is a ______ at a building such as a hotel, one of the rooms is available to rent.**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ refers to something being unoccupied. If a hotel has \_\_\_\_\_ies, there are rooms available.
Have you ever noticed a store that's boarded up and empty, with signs like "For sale" or "For rent"? That's an example of \_\_\_\_\_: the store has no one in it. An unrented apartment is a \_\_\_\_\_, as is a house with no one living in it. Hotels put up a sign saying "No \_\_\_\_\_ies" when they have every room filled. It could help you remember what _____ means if you know that a vacant lot is an empty lot.
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v\_\_\_\_y
**vacancy** (n)
**vacant** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* (n)
* **an unoccupied position or job.**
* **an empty space.**
* **a job or position which has not been filled.**
* **an empty/avaiable office, post, or tenancy**
* **If there is a ______ at a building such as a hotel, one of the rooms is available to rent.**
---
Example sentences
175
*definition:*
(idiom)
* **used to refer to something that is different from what has just been mentioned**
**as opposed to** (idiom)
---
*definition:*
(idiom)
* **used to refer to something that is different from what has just been mentioned**
---
* Example sentences:*
* "The car gets 30 miles per gallon, **as opposed to** last year's model, which got only 25."*
* "They use fresh fish, **as opposed to** fish that has been frozen."*
* "I'd say she is a good player, **as opposed to** a great one."*
176
*definition:*
* **an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh**
* **a word or expression used to talk about something unpleasant, blunt or offensive without mentioning the thing itself**
* **a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.**
---
(n)
Pardon me, but when a polite term is substituted for a blunt, offensive one, you should call it a \_\_\_\_\_\_.
\_\_\_\_\_\_ is from Greek word meaning "good speech," and it's a way that we paper over uncomfortable things with more pleasant-sounding words. These days we tend to use \_\_\_\_\_\_s when talking about anything having to do with elimination of bodily waste: toilet, bathroom, and water closet were all originally \_\_\_\_\_\_s. The military is also notorious for using \_\_\_\_\_\_s, like saying "neutralizing the target" instead of "killing someone."
^
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eu\_\_\_\_\_\_m
**euphemism** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh**
* **a word or expression used to talk about something unpleasant, blunt or offensive without mentioning the thing itself**
* **a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.**
---
Example sentences
177
*definiton:*
* (n)
* *1.*
* **a ghostly appearing figure**
* **the appearance of a ghostlike figure**
* **a ghost or ghostlike image of a person.**
* **someone you see or think you see but who is not really there as a physical being.**
* *2.*
* **an unusual or unexpected sight : PHENOMENON**
---
(n)
If you see something you think might be a ghost, you can call it an _____ to hedge your bets. _____ doesn't commit you in the same way the word ghost does—and saying that you've seen one won't cause you to be committed.
Deriving from the Latin word meaning "appear," _____ was first used in 1520 in a religious context, referring to the moment when the three wise men appear before the infant Jesus in the Bible. Later, _____ came to include the appearance of ghosts, or ghostly figures. It can also mean a memory so vivid it's like seeing a ghost.
^
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ap\_\_\_\_\_on
**apparition** (n)
---
*definiton:*
* (n)
* *1.*
* **a ghostly appearing figure**
* **the appearance of a ghostlike figure**
* **a ghost or ghostlike image of a person.**
* **someone you see or think you see but who is not really there as a physical being.**
* *2.*
* **an unusual or unexpected sight : PHENOMENON**
---
Example sentences
178
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **a copy of something**
* **copying someone else's actions**
* *2.*
* **something produced as a copy : COUNTERFEIT**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_ means copying the words, facial expressions, or actions of another person. Sometimes ____ is flattering, but often it's just annoying, like when your little brother does it to drive you crazy.
Use the adjective ____ to describe an object that pretends to be something else. ____ paintings can be so real looking that it's hard to tell the fake from the genuine article. Some \_\_\_\_s have hung unnoticed on museum walls for years, only being exposed through the use of modern technology. A common proverb is "\_\_\_\_ is the sincerest form of flattery," although museum directors and people with obnoxious little brothers would probably disagree.
^
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im\_\_\_\_\_\_n
**imitation** (n)
**imitate** (v)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **a copy of something**
* **copying someone else's actions**
* *2.*
* **something produced as a copy : COUNTERFEIT**
---
Example sentences
179
*definition:*
* **unintentionally**
* **without intention; accidentally.**
* **without knowledge or intention; unknowingly, unwittingly**
* **An action that you do without realizing what you are doing.**
---
(adv)
\_\_\_\_\_\_ is an adverb that means "without knowledge or intent," like when you ______ take someone else's coat from the coatroom because it looks just like yours.
When you do something \_\_\_\_\_\_, you don't mean to do it, you might ______ step in a puddle, leave something important at home, or hurt your friend's feelings. Some things that happen ______ aren't mistakes, though: They happen by chance. For example, if you just happen to park your car at the exact place that blocks a bus from hitting a pedestrian, you've ______ saved a life.
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in\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ly
**inadvertently** (adv)
---
*definition:*
* **unintentionally**
* **without intention; accidentally.**
* **without knowledge or intention; unknowingly, unwittingly**
* **An action that you do without realizing what you are doing.**
---
Example sentences
180
*definition:*
* **done in a private place or way : done secretly**
* **kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.**
* **conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods**
* **something hidden or kept secret, often because it is illegal.**
---
(adj)
Use the adjective ______ to describe something that is done in secret, like your ______ attempts to steal your brother's Halloween candy.
\_\_\_\_\_\_, an adjective imported from Latin, describes a secret, usually illegal activity. Often these things have to do with political and spy organizations. The CIA might run a ______ operation to infiltrate terrorist organizations. Words with similar meanings include secret; covert, used especially for military matters; undercover, common in espionage; and surreptitious which emphasizes a person's efforts to keep something secret.
^
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cl\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ne
**clandestine** (adj) "clandestine operation"
*synonyms: surreptitious, stealthy*
---
*definition:*
* **done in a private place or way : done secretly**
* **kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.**
* **conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods**
* **something hidden or kept secret, often because it is illegal.**
---
Example sentences
181
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a person who claims to have a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact.**
* (adj)
* **foreseeing the future**
* **perceiving things beyond the natural range of the senses**
* **someone who is believed to know about future events or able to communicate with dead people**
* **having or exhibiting an ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact.**
---
If you can predict the future, you may want to keep your ____ powers to yourself. Otherwise everyone will be knocking down your door asking for the next winning lotto numbers.
A ____ individual is believed to possess psychic abilities or a higher level of insight than other humans who can only use the regular old five senses. Through dreams, visions, Ouija boards and crystal balls, they can see what happens in the future. But before 1851, ____ didn't have the same mystical meaning that it does today, it merely meant a “clear-sighted person.”
^
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cl\_\_\_\_\_\_\_nt
**clairvoyant** (n) (adj)
**clairvoyance** (n)
*similar words: psychic, fortune teller, crystal gazer*
---
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a person who claims to have a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact.**
* (adj)
* **foreseeing the future**
* **perceiving things beyond the natural range of the senses**
* **someone who is believed to know about future events or able to communicate with dead people**
* **having or exhibiting an ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact.**
---
Example sentences
182
definition:
take shape, form, become clear
to cause to take a definite form
cause to take on a definite and clear shape
to make free from confusion or ambiguity; to make clear and (more) comprehensible
an opinion or idea that becomes fixed and definite in someone's mind.
**crystallize** (v)
**crystallization** (
to make or become definite, solid, and clear.
*"vague feelings of unrest crystallized into something more concrete"*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**distill** (v)
**distillation** (n)
to extract the essential meaning or most important aspects of.
*"my travel notes were distilled into a book"*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Note:**
What is the major difference between crystallization and distillation?
- Crystallization is the process by which a chemical is converted from soluble liquid solution into a solid crystalline state.
- Distillation is a process of separating the component or substances from a mixture of liquid by selective evaporation and condensation.
----
Example sentences:
He tried to crystallize his thoughts”
Now my thoughts really began to crystallize.
"vague feelings of unrest crystallized into something more concrete"
He has managed to crystallize the feelings of millions of ordinary people.
"encouraging the crystallization of new values."
link
183
*definition:*
(adj)
* **relating to the heart and blood vessels.**
* **of or pertaining to or involving the heart and blood vessels**
* **of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels**
* **relating to the heart and blood vessels.**
**cardiovascular** (adj)
---
*definition:*
(adj)
* **relating to the heart and blood vessels.**
* **of or pertaining to or involving the heart and blood vessels**
* **of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels**
* **relating to the heart and blood vessels.**
---
Example sentences
184
*definition:*
* **not scientifically explainable : SUPERNATURAL**
* **not in accordance with scientific laws**
* **seemingly outside normal sensory channels**
* **A ____ event or power that cannot be explained by scientific laws and is thought to involve strange, unknown forces; for example the appearance of a ghost**
* **denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.**
---
(adj)
Use the adjective ____ to talk about things that are outside of normal experience, like ESP, ghosts, and UFOs.
You might describe your friend's uncanny ability to bend spoons with her mind as \_\_\_\_, or beyond a scientific explanation. While many people don't believe in any kind of ____ events, there are those who see or hear things they can't explain rationally. The Greek word para, "against, or contrary to," is paired up with normal: if it goes against what's normal, you can probably describe it as \_\_\_\_.
^
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pa\_\_\_\_\_al
**paranormal** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **not scientifically explainable : SUPERNATURAL**
* **not in accordance with scientific laws**
* **seemingly outside normal sensory channels**
* **A ____ event or power that cannot be explained by scientific laws and is thought to involve strange, unknown forces; for example the appearance of a ghost**
* **denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.**
---
Example sentences
185
*definition:*
(v)
* **to set or keep apart**
* **to cut off from a whole**
* **to put or keep apart : DIVIDE**
* **to remove** (something, such as a part) **by or as if by cutting**
* **to put an end to** (a connection or relationship)**; break off.**
* **divide by cutting or slicing, especially suddenly and forcibly.**
* **to cut completely through it or to cut it completely off.**
* **to suddenly and completely end a relationship with another person**
---
To ____ something is to cut it off from the whole. If your girlfriend breaks up with you on your anniversary, you might respond by \_\_\_\_ing the blossoms off the roses you were planning to give her. (Just an idea.)
\_\_\_\_ rhymes with ever, but it looks like the word severe, which means "harsh." The similarity between ____ and severe is a good reminder to reserve ____ for harsh, unpleasant circumstances. If you’re trimming your fingernails, you might use the word clip, but ____ wouldn’t be appropriate. If, however, you somehow cut off your finger while clipping your fingernails, you’re free to use the word \_\_\_\_, or any other word you like, on your way to the hospital.
^
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s\_\_\_\_\_r
**sever** (v)
"sever ties"
*severance pay (n): an amount paid to an employee upon dismissal or discharge from employment.*
---
*definition:*
(v)
* **to set or keep apart**
* **to cut off from a whole**
* **to put or keep apart : DIVIDE**
* **to remove** (something, such as a part) **by or as if by cutting**
* **to put an end to** (a connection or relationship)**; break off.**
* **divide by cutting or slicing, especially suddenly and forcibly.**
* **to cut completely through it or to cut it completely off.**
* **to suddenly and completely end a relationship with another person**
---
Example sentences
186
* definition:*
* **in a way that is unambiguously explicit and direct.**
---
(adv)
\_\_\_\_ means in a way that's so clear that it's impossible to be confused or uncertain. When your sister ____ warns you against snooping in her diary, there's no mistaking what she means.
If you ____ deny knowing anything about who ate the last chocolate chip cookie, you state clearly and directly: "I did not eat that cookie, and I have no idea who did." In fact, anything you do or say ____ is done or said unambiguously and unconditionally. This adverb comes from -----------, "asserting absolutely," and its Greek source kategorikos, "accusatory or affirmative."
^
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ca\_\_\_\_\_\_\_lly
**categorically** (adv)
**categorical** (adj)
**category** (n)
---
* definition:*
* **in a way that is unambiguously explicit and direct.**
---
Example sentences
187
*definition:*
* **marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior**
* (of a person or their behavior) **tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness.**
* **If you say that someone or something is \_\_\_\_\_, you mean that they are very noticeable, stylish, and exciting.**
---
(adj)
\_\_\_\_\_ means elaborate and ostentatious. When you think of \_\_\_\_\_, think of Las Vegas showgirls: feathers, sequins, three-inch heels, enough make-up to disguise any irregularity.
\_\_\_\_\_ means showy, and though we often roll our eyes at it, it's not a hateful thing. Liberace was \_\_\_\_\_. So was Elvis. The word comes from the French word "to flame." Think of passion and pageantry all rolled into one, and you'll have a good idea what _____ should mean at its best. If that doesn't do it for you, think of a man playing a shiny white grand piano at a rock concert, wearing a white satin jump suit and 8-foot wide, fully-feathered wings. See? \_\_\_\_\_.
^
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fl\_\_\_\_\_\_nt
**flamboyant** (adj)
**flamboyance** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior**
* (of a person or their behavior) **tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness.**
* **If you say that someone or something is \_\_\_\_\_, you mean that they are very noticeable, stylish, and exciting.**
---
Example sentences
188
*definition:*
* **place in a particular class or group.**
* **to put into (or assign) people or things into a category**
* **divide people or things into sets or you say which set they belong to.**
---
(v)
If you decided to ____ your wardrobe, you could sort it by type (pants or shirts), or by color. To ____ is to put something into a category or classification
When you think of \_\_\_\_ing things, imagine taking a pile of marbles and putting them into little boxes by color. You are sorting things by how they are alike. Scientists ____ animals and plants by their properties. Doctors ____ illnesses by whether they are caused by viruses or bacteria. In movies, high school students are often \_\_\_\_ized as jocks, popular kids, troublemakers, and geeks.
^
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cat\_\_\_\_\_\_ze
**categorize** (v)
**category** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **place in a particular class or group.**
* **to put into (or assign) people or things into a category**
* **divide people or things into sets or you say which set they belong to.**
---
Example sentences
189
*definition:*
* **The combining of different groups, processes, objects, or people to increase success.**
* * **the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.**
* * **when two or more organizations/groups are more successful when they work together than when they work separately.**
---
(n)
You write the lyrics and your friend composes the music. Separately each of you is pretty good, but together you’ve got a mega-hit song. That’s \_\_\_\_, working together to create something greater than either of you could do alone.
The word ____ comes from the Greek sun “together” and ergon “work” (the same root that gives us ergonomic and energy). When one thing magnifies the effect of another, together they have \_\_\_\_. If your company makes some revolutionary kind of yo-yo, you may decide to acquire a company that distributes toys, as you’d expect there would be a natural \_\_\_\_: each company will benefit from the other’s strengths, and together they’ll be stronger than either would be by itself.
^
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s\_\_\_\_\_y
**synergy** (n)
*synergetic* (adj)
**synergistically** (adv)
---
*definition:*
* **The combining of different groups, processes, objects, or people to increase success.**
* * **the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.**
* * **when two or more organizations/groups are more successful when they work together than when they work separately.**
---
Example sentences
190
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **the act or process of following in order : SEQUENCE**
* **a group of people or things arranged or following in order**
* **the same kind is a number of them that exist or happen one after the other.**
* **the action of following in order**
* * *2.*
* **the right or sequence of inheriting a position, title, etc.**
* **the fact or right of being the next person to have an important job or position.**
* **the process of taking over the duties and privileges of another person**
---
(n)
Use the word _____ to describe things that follow one another, as well as the order in which they do so. The Vice President is first in line of _____ to be the President and the Secretary of State is fourth.
Sometimes when a leader dies, the one who rules after him is determined not by law as in the U.S. or blood as in a monarchy but by the dying leader himself. Dictators often groom one of their sons for \_\_\_\_\_. Figuratively, you can use _____ to indicate that one thing after another has come and gone without taking hold. The storefront has been home to a _____ of businesses, all of which have failed. Fashions come and go in quick \_\_\_\_\_.
^
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su\_\_\_\_\_\_on
**succession** (n)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **the act or process of following in order : SEQUENCE**
* **a group of people or things arranged or following in order**
* **the same kind is a number of them that exist or happen one after the other.**
* **the action of following in order**
* * *2.*
* **the right or sequence of inheriting a position, title, etc.**
* **the fact or right of being the next person to have an important job or position.**
* **the process of taking over the duties and privileges of another person**
---
Example sentences
191
*definition:*
(adj)
* **a condition in which a baby is born with one or more extra fingers.**
* **(of humans and other vertebrates) having more than the normal number of digits**
* **a human or other vertebrate having more than the normal number of digits**
* **of or relating to a person (or other vertebrate) having more than the normal number of digits**
**polydactyl** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **a condition in which a baby is born with one or more extra fingers.**
* **(of humans and other vertebrates) having more than the normal number of digits**
* **a human or other vertebrate having more than the normal number of digits**
* **of or relating to a person (or other vertebrate) having more than the normal number of digits**
**---**
Example sentences
192
*definition:*
* **a person or animal with two different eye colors**
* **a difference in coloration in two anatomical structures or two parts of the same structure which are normally alike in color**
**heterochromia** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a person or animal with two different eye colors**
* **a difference in coloration in two anatomical structures or two parts of the same structure which are normally alike in color**
**---**
Example sentences
193
*definition:*
* **to heal or recover**
* **to fix something; the act of putting something in working order again**
* **restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken**
* **sewing that repairs a worn or torn hole (especially in a garment)**
* **to make amends or atonement for**
---'
(v)
When you ____ something, you fix it or make it better. If you can ____ your broken lamp, then it will shine again. If not you'll have to sit in the dark.
The word ____ was originally used as a religious term, meaning to free a person from sin, usually through repentance and good deeds. ____ has come to refer to fixing something that is broken. A mechanic might ____ a broken car, or a seamstress might ____ a torn dress. The word also frequently relates health and healing. Someone recovering from a long bout of the flu is said to be "on the \_\_\_\_." But as the song goes, "How can you ____ a broken heart?"
^
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m\_\_\_\_\_d
**mend** (v) (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to heal or recover**
* **to fix something; the act of putting something in working order again**
* **restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken**
* **sewing that repairs a worn or torn hole (especially in a garment)**
* **to make amends or atonement for**
---'
Example snetences
194
*definition:*
* (v)
* *"to make \_\_\_\_\_\_"*
* **for someone to try to "make it right" with another person they had a falling out with**
* **to do something to correct a mistake that one has made or a bad situation that one has caused**
---
(n)
So you blew the surprise party by mentioning it in passing to the birthday girl. Now, you have to do something to make \_\_\_\_, or reparations, to the boyfriend who worked all day to set up the party.
When you make \_\_\_\_, you mend something you have damaged, like a deal, or relationship. Maybe, your cupcake shop was panned by a food critic in the paper, but he never went to your store, he went to that awful cupcake shop across the street. The critic should make ____ by printing a retraction.
^
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a\_\_\_\_\_s
**amends** (n)
---
*definition:*
* (v)
* *"to make \_\_\_\_\_\_"*
* **for someone to try to "make it right" with another person they had a falling out with**
* **to do something to correct a mistake that one has made or a bad situation that one has caused**
---
Example sentences
195
*definition:*
* **the power to move something with your mind**
* **the supposed ability to move objects by mental effort alone.**
* **the ability, which some people believe exists, to move objects using the power of your mind.**
---
If you can make things move just by thinking about moving them, you can call your amazing ability telekinesis.
While most people don't believe in telekinesis, there are those who feel strongly that some people can move or change objects with their minds. The study of this phenomenon is called "parapsychology," which includes things like mind reading and reincarnation as well. The term telekinesis was first used in 1890 by Alexander N. Aksakof, a Russian adviser to the Czar, who combined the Greek tele, "at a distance," with kinesis, "movement or motion."
**telekinesis** (n)
**telekinetic** (adj) (ex: "telekinetic powers")
* synonym: psychokinesis (n)*
* ---*
* definition:*
* **the power to move something with your mind**
* **the supposed ability to move objects by mental effort alone.**
* **the ability, which some people believe exists, to move objects using the power of your mind.**
---
Example sentences
196
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **involving or producing movement:**
* **relating to the motion of material bodies and the forces associated therewith**
* **characterized by motion**
* **(in phsyics) used to describe something that is concerned with movement**
* *2.*
* **(of a work of art) depending on movement for its effect.**
---
(adj)
If you marvel at the _____ pace of popular cartoons, you are amazed at how lively and energetic the shows are. _____ comes from a Greek verb meaning "to move."
Used generally, _____ can simply mean "animated," "dynamic," or "lively," but it also has more specific meanings in the realms of art and science. _____ drawings, sculptures, and installations have moving parts. Alexander Calder's mobiles are well-known examples of _____ art. In physics, the phrase "\_\_\_\_\_ energy" is used to describe the energy of motion. Any object in motion possesses _____ energy, and this energy can be harnessed, transferred, and transformed to do work: Think of wind turning turbines to generate electricity.
^
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k\_\_\_\_c
**kinetic** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* *1.*
* **involving or producing movement:**
* **relating to the motion of material bodies and the forces associated therewith**
* **characterized by motion**
* **(in phsyics) used to describe something that is concerned with movement**
* *2.*
* **(of a work of art) depending on movement for its effect.**
---
Example sentences
197
*definition:*
* **something that is believed to be holy and to have a special connection with God.**
* **considered to be holy and deserving respect, especially because of a connection with a god**
* **made or declared or believed to be holy; devoted to a deity or some religious ceremony or use**
* **connected with God (or the gods) or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.**
* **worthy of religious veneration**
---
(adj)
Something ____ is holy, devoted to a religious ceremony, or simply worthy of awe and respect. Jerusalem is a ____ place for many religions, just as Fenway is a ____ place for Red Sox fans.
\_\_\_\_ is an adjective used to describe a person or thing worthy of worship or declared holy. It usually appears in a religious context, but an object or place set aside for a particular purpose can also be \_\_\_\_. ____ spaces and items are intended to be treated with care and respect — even if it's just your shrine to Brad Pitt.
^
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s\_\_\_\_d
**sacred** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **something that is believed to be holy and to have a special connection with God.**
* **considered to be holy and deserving respect, especially because of a connection with a god**
* **made or declared or believed to be holy; devoted to a deity or some religious ceremony or use**
* **connected with God (or the gods) or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.**
* **worthy of religious veneration**
---
Example sentences
198
*definition:*
* **mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.**
* * **a feeling of friendliness toward people that you work or share an experience with**
* * **the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability: chumminess**
* * **a feeling of trust and friendship among a group of people who have usually known each other for a long time or gone through some kind of experience together.**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_\_ is a spirit of good friendship and loyalty among members of a group. You might not like your job, but still enjoy the _____ of the people you work with.
A high level of _____ among athletes on and off the field not only makes it fun to play sports, but is likely to make your team win. This noun was borrowed from the French word for "comrade."
^
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ca\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ie
**camaraderie** (n)
*alt spelling: comradery*
---
*definition:*
* **mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.**
* * **a feeling of friendliness toward people that you work or share an experience with**
* * **the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability: chumminess**
* * **a feeling of trust and friendship among a group of people who have usually known each other for a long time or gone through some kind of experience together.**
---
Example sentences
199
*definition:*
* **naughtily or annoyingly playful**
* * (of a person, animal, or their behavior) **causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way.**
* * **a person who likes to have fun by playing harmless tricks on people or doing things they are not supposed to do.**
* * **behaving in a way, or describing behavior, that is slightly bad but is not intended to cause serious harm or damage:**
---
(adj)
If you’re the one making prank phone calls at 3 am and you can’t resist short-sheeting your camp counselor’s bunk, you're \_\_\_\_. If your dog likes to decorate your house with streamers of toilet paper, he's \_\_\_\_, too.
You can be ____ in harmless, playful ways, or you might also use the word ____ to describe behavior that's more than just a little naughty. If you post online some embarrassing photos of an acquaintance, your more generous friends might describe your behavior as \_\_\_\_, although others might accuse you of being downright mean.
^
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mi\_\_\_\_\_\_us
**mischievous** (adj)
* Note: Keep in mind that the word has only three syllables: MIS-chuh-vuhs.*
* ---*
* definition:*
* **naughtily or annoyingly playful**
* * **(of a person, animal, or their behavior) causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way.**
* * **a person who likes to have fun by playing harmless tricks on people or doing things they are not supposed to do.**
* * **behaving in a way, or describing behavior, that is slightly bad but is not intended to cause serious harm or damage:**
---
Example sentences
200
*definition:*
* **total destruction**
* **complete destruction or obliteration.**
* **complete destruction, so that nothing or no one is left:**
---
(n)
\_\_\_\_ is the total destruction of something. In World War II, our nuclear bombs resulted in the annihilation of Hiroshima.
If you spill milk on your textbooks, it won’t result in \_\_\_\_, this word is much more serious. After an \_\_\_\_, there's nothing left but total, horrific destruction, like a wild fire completely wiping out a forest or a tsunami sweeping away a seaside town. This word has an end-of-the-world feel to it: many religions have stories of ____ of some sort, resulting in the end of everything.
^
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an\_\_\_\_\_\_on
**annihilation** (n)
**annihilate** (v)
---
*definition:*
* **total destruction**
* **complete destruction or obliteration.**
* **complete destruction, so that nothing or no one is left:**
---
Example sentences
201
*definition:*
* **(British) impudent or irreverent, typically in an endearing or amusing way.**
* **If you describe a person or their behaviour as \_\_\_\_, you think that they are slightly rude or disrespectful but in a charming or amusing way.**
---
(adj)
If you're being ____ you're being brash or irreverent. If you're a ____ child, you're probably just being impudent and disrespectful, and you're probably going to get in trouble.
\_\_\_\_ has shades of meaning according to the degree of offense taken, and this may vary between British and American English. At the offensive end are the synonyms rude, disrespectful, and insulting.
Less offensive are sassy, arrogant, and shameless. Rounding out the ____ spectrum are bold, assertive, and daring, which are about getting noticed but without causing injury.
^
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c\_\_\_\_y
**cheeky** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* (British) **impudent or irreverent, typically in an endearing or amusing way.**
* **If you describe a person or their behaviour as \_\_\_\_, you think that they are slightly rude or disrespectful but in a charming or amusing way.**
---
Example sentences
202
*definition:*
* (of a child) **having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual.**
* * (especially of children) **showing mental development or achievement much earlier than usual**
* * **A child who is very clever, mature, or good at something, often in a way that you usually only expect to find in an adult.**
* * **characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity** (especially in mental aptitude)
* * **appearing or developing early**
---
(Adj)
That high school hoops phenom who plays like an NBA pro? The sixth grader who's already asking questions about organic chemistry? They're both \_\_\_\_, meaning they're way beyond their years in skill or knowledge.
When you look at the Latin roots of \_\_\_\_, it all makes sense. When pre (meaning "before") joins coquere (meaning "to ripen"), you have something that is ripening prematurely. And in the case of \_\_\_\_, you are usually describing young people who have some adult-like quality about them. Maybe it's their vast vocabulary, maybe it's their ease with Calculus, or maybe it's just applying lipstick.
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pr\_\_\_\_\_\_us
**precocious** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* (of a child) **having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual.**
* * (especially of children) **showing mental development or achievement much earlier than usual**
* * **A child who is very clever, mature, or good at something, often in a way that you usually only expect to find in an adult.**
* * **characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity** (especially in mental aptitude)
* * **appearing or developing early**
---
Example sentences
203
*definition:*
* **to be aware of**
* **having knowledge or being aware of**
* **understanding or realizing something**
* **knowledgeable of something, especially through personal experience**
---
(adj)
If you are _____ of what's going on at the table behind you in the lunchroom, that means you know they're plotting to throw peas at your head. If you are _____ of something, you are aware of or informed about it.
This 19th century adjective derives from Latin cognōscere, "to learn." For the English adjective and noun, an older pronunciation with a silent g was in use in legal contexts up until the early 20th century. In law, these terms refer to jurisdiction, or the right of a court to hear a case.
^
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c\_\_\_\_\_\_t
**cognizant** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **to be aware of**
* **having knowledge or being aware of**
* **understanding or realizing something**
* **knowledgeable of something, especially through personal experience**
---
Example sentences
204
*definition:*
**a view or opinion that is incorrect because it's based on faulty thinking or misunderstanding.**
---
(n)
A ____ is a conclusion that's wrong because it's based on faulty thinking or facts that are wrong. Your accusation about your brother's role in that unfortunate event at your party may be based on a \_\_\_\_.
First appearing in the 1660s, the noun ____ comes from the prefix mis-, meaning "bad, wrong," and the word conception, meaning "act of conceiving." A ____ usually results from incorrect thinking or a flawed understanding. Because they don't know the facts, many people have a ____ about how diseases such as AIDS are transmitted. It's a common ____ that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, when, in fact, he didn't.
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mi\_\_\_\_\_\_\_n
**misconception** (n)
---
*definition:*
**a view or opinion that is incorrect because it's based on faulty thinking or misunderstanding.**
---
Example sentences
205
*definition:*
(n)
* **a compliment that implies it is not really a compliment at all**
* **The most obvious _______ \_\_\_\_\_ is one that doesn't even attempt to disguise the insult. It more or less simply pairs the two together.**
---
*Example: "You have such a lovely smile, you barely even notice the gap in your teeth."*
**backhanded compliment** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a compliment that implies it is not really a compliment at all**
* **The most obvious _______ \_\_\_\_\_ is one that doesn't even attempt to disguise the insult. It more or less simply pairs the two together.**
---
Example sentences
206
*definition:*
* (n)
* **a point where two systems, subjects, organizations, etc. meet and \_\_\_\_.**
* **the place at which independent and often unrelated systems meet and act on or communicate with each other**
* (v)
* **\_\_\_\_ with (another system, person, organization, etc.).**
* ***"his goal is to get people \_\_\_\_ing with each other"***
---
Think of an interface as a "face-to-face," a place where things, or people, or people and things (like you and your computer) meet. Any common boundary or area of convergence can be an interface.
Used as a verb, interface means to merge or mingle, bonding and synthesizing by communicating and working together. The word interface is comprised of the prefix inter, which means "between," and face. In the 1960's, when computers first began to be commonly used, the word became familiar and now can simply mean “to meet.” Although "Shall we interface over coffee?" still feels a bit awkward.
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in\_\_\_\_ce
**interface** (n) (v)
---
*definition:*
* (n)
* **the place at which independent and often unrelated systems meet and act on or communicate with each other**
* * **a point where two systems, subjects, organizations, etc. meet and \_\_\_\_.**
* * **the place at which independent and often unrelated systems meet and act on or communicate with each other**
* * (v)
* **\_\_\_\_ with (another system, person, organization, etc.).**
* *"his goal is to get people \_\_\_\_ing with each other"*
---
Example sentences
207
*definition:*
(adj)
* **calm and sensible.**
* **exercising or showing good judgment**
* **having or showing sound judgment : SENSIBLE**
* **calm and able to deal easily with difficult situations**
* **someone that is calm and sensible even in difficult situations.**
**level-headed** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **calm and sensible.**
* **exercising or showing good judgment**
* **having or showing sound judgment : SENSIBLE**
* **calm and able to deal easily with difficult situations**
* **someone that is calm and sensible even in difficult situations.**
---
Example sentences
208
*definition:*
(n)
* **a point of congestion or blockage.**
* **a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel; bottleneck, constriction**
* **a place of greatest congestion and often hazard; bottleneck**
**chokepoint** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **a point of congestion or blockage.**
* **a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel; bottleneck, constriction**
* **a place of greatest congestion and often hazard; bottleneck**
---
Example sentences
209
*definition:*
(adj)
* **equally skillfull with each hand**
* **(of a person) able to use the right and left hands equally well.**
---
\_\_\_\_ people have the ability to use both hands with equal dexterity. But the ____ probably prefer to write with their right hands, since lefties always smudge what they've written as they drag their hand across the page.
In a broader sense ____ means "facile" or "skillful." But when it first came into use in the 1530's, ____ had more sinister connotations with the practice of deceitful double-dealing.
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am\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_us
**ambidextrous** (adj)
---
*definition:*
* **equally skillfull with each hand**
* **(of a person) able to use the right and left hands equally well.**
---
Example sentences
210
*definition:*
* **to make a subtraction**
* **to subtract or take away (an amount or part) from a total.**
---
(v)
To ____ is to remove or take away some amount. If your boss \_\_\_\_s money from your paycheck because you're always late to work, she subtracts it.
When taxes are withheld from your salary, your employer \_\_\_\_s them to pay your contribution. Each time you use a debit card, it \_\_\_\_s the amount you spend from your bank account. A different way to ____ is to come to a reasoned, thoughtful conclusion, or to -----. The two words were once interchangeable, while now it's more common to use ____ to mean "remove a portion," and deduce to mean "infer logically."
^
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d\_\_\_\_\_t
**deduct** (v)
**deduction** (n)
---
*definition:*
* **to make a subtraction**
* **to subtract or take away (an amount or part) from a total.**
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Example sentences
211
*definition:*
* (n)
* * **the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.**
* * **the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict.**
**emotional intelligence** (i.e., EQ = "emotional quotient")
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*definition:*
* (n)
* * **the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.**
* * **the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict.**
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According to Daniel Goleman , an American psychologist who helped to popularize emotional intelligence, there are five key elements to it:
* Self-awareness.
* Self-regulation.
* Motivation.
* Empathy.
* Social skills.
212
*definition:*
* **having or showing calmness in a crisis.**
* **not easily perturbed, excited, or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure**
* **not likely to get worried, nervous, or angry even in difficult situations**
* **Someone who is _____ is always calm and never panics or gets upset or angry.**
* **marked by assurance and self-control**
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(adj)
To be _____ is to be calm and relaxed, even in a stressful situation. A confident person is usually \_\_\_\_\_.
Some people get nervous and jittery under pressure, while others are \_\_\_\_\_. If you're \_\_\_\_\_, you stay calm, relaxed, and poised no matter what's happening. A good kindergarten teacher stays _____ in the midst of chaos, and a successful businessperson is _____ when faced with deadlines and unexpected problems. The earliest use of this word was in 1953, in reference to the British prime minister. At its root is flap, twentieth-century British slang meaning "disturbance or tumult."
^
^
un\_\_\_\_\_\_le
**unflappable** (adj)
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*definition:*
* **having or showing calmness in a crisis.**
* **not easily perturbed, excited, or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure**
* **not likely to get worried, nervous, or angry even in difficult situations**
* **Someone who is _____ is always calm and never panics or gets upset or angry.**
* **marked by assurance and self-control**
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Example sentences
