gre 3000-3500 Flashcards
retrospective
looking back on the past (Eg: It is only when we become retrospective that we can appreciate the tremendous advances made during this )
revelry
boisterous merrymaking (Eg: New Year’s Eve is a night of revelry. )
reverberate
echo; resound (Eg: The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells. )
reverent
respectful (Eg: His reverent attitude was appropriate in a house of worship. )
reverie
daydream; musing (Eg: He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher’s question. )
revile
slander; vilify (Eg: )
revoke
cancel; retract (Eg: Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver’s licenses )
revulsion
sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction (Eg: Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what )
rhapsodize
to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner (Eg: She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks. )
rhetoric
art of effective communication; insincere or grandiloquent language (Eg: All writers, by necessity, must be skilled in rhetoric. )
ribald
wanton; profane (Eg: He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners. )
rider
amendment or clause added to a legislative bill (Eg: Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster’s tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add )
rife
abundant; current (Eg: In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent. )
rift
opening; break (Eg: The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds. )
rig
fix or manipulate (Eg: The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked )
rigid
stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending (Eg: By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society’s most rigid rule )
rigor
severity (Eg: Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters. )
rile
vex; irritate; muddy (Eg: Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile. )
riveting
absorbing; engrossing (Eg: The reviewer described Byatt’s novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, he had finished it )
rivulet
small stream (Eg: As the rains continued, the trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to )
robust
vigorous; strong (Eg: The candidate for the football team had a robust physique. )
rococo
ornate; highly decorated (Eg: The rococo style in furniture and architecture, marked by scrollwork and excessive decoration, flourished )
roil
to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb (Eg: Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you’ll destroy the flavor. )
roseate
rosy; optimistic (Eg: I am afraid you will have to alter your roseate views in the light of the distressing news that has just arrived. )
roster
list (Eg: They print the roster of players in the season’s program. )
rostrum
platform for speech-making; pulpit (Eg: The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was )
rote
repetition (Eg: He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood what he was saying. )
rotunda
circular building or hall covered with a dome (Eg: His body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol. )
rotundity
roundness; sonorousness of speech (Eg: Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference. )
rousing
lively; stirring (Eg: “And now, let’s have a rousing welcome for TV’s own Roseanne Arnold, who’ll lead us in a rousing )
rout
stampede; drive out (Eg: The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy )
rubble
fragments (Eg: Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen. )
rubric
title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol (Eg: In ordaining the new priests, the bishop carefully observed all the rubrics for the ordination service. )
ruddy
reddish; healthy-looking (Eg: His ruddy features indicated that he had spent much time in the open. )
rudimentary
not developed; elementary (Eg: His dancing was limited to a few rudimentary steps. )
rueful
regretful; sorrowful; dejected (Eg: The artist has captured the sadness of childhood in his portrait of the boy with the rueful countenance. )
ruffian
bully; scoundrel (Eg: The ruffians threw stones at the police. )
ruminate
chew the cud; ponder (Eg: We cannot afford to wait while you ruminate upon these plans. )
rummage
ransack; thoroughly search (Eg: When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days. )
runic
mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet (Eg: Tolkien’s use of Old English words and inscriptions in the runic alphabet give The Lord of the Rings its )
ruse
trick; stratagem (Eg: You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse. )
rustic
pertaining to country people; uncouth (Eg: The backwoodsman looked out place in his rustic attire. )
rusticate
banish to the country; dwell in the country (Eg: I like city life so much that I can never understand how people can rusticate in the suburbs. )
ruthless
pitiless (Eg: The escaped convict was a dangerous and ruthless murderer. )
relapse
fall back or sink again (Eg: The economy relapsed into a depression from the peak. )
saboteur
one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property (Eg: Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the )
saccharine
cloyingly sweet (Eg: She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile. )
sacrilegious
desecrating; profane (Eg: His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act. )
sacrosanct
most sacred; inviolable (Eg: The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the )
sadistic
inclined to cruelty (Eg: If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden. )
saga
Scandinavian myth; any legend (Eg: This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it. )
sagacious
keen; shrewd; having insight (Eg: He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a trick like that. )
sage
person celebrated for wisdom (Eg: Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed )
salacious
lascivious; lustful (Eg: Chaucer’s monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests. )
salient
prominent (Eg: One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page. )
saline
salty (Eg: The slightly saline taste of this mineral water is pleasant. )
sallow
yellowish; sickly in color (Eg: We were disturbed by his sallow complexion, which was due to jaundice. )
salubrious
healthful (Eg: Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of August )
salutary
tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome (Eg: The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student. )
salvage
rescue from loss (Eg: All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed. )
sanctimonious
displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness (Eg: You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout. )
sanction
approve; ratify (Eg: Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man. )
sanguinary
bloody (Eg: The battle of lwo Jina was unexpectedly sanguinary with many casualties. )
sanguine
cheerful; hopeful (Eg: Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong. )
sap
diminish; undermine (Eg: The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it sapped his strength. )
sarcasm
scornful remarks, stinging rebuke (Eg: His feelings were hurt by the sarcasm of his supposed friends. )
sardonic
disdainful; sarcastic; cynical (Eg: The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some )
sartorial
pertaining to tailors (Eg: He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his attire as he was for his acting. )
sate
satisfy to the full; cloy (Eg: Its hunger sated, the lion dozed. )
satellite
small body revolving around a larger one (Eg: During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United )
satiate
surfeit; satisfy fully (Eg: The guests, having eaten until they were satiated, now listened inattentively to the speakers. )
satire
form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly (Eg: Gulliver’s Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking )
satirical
mocking (Eg: The humor of cartoonists Gary Trudeau often is satirical; though the comments of the Doonesbury )
saturate
soak (Eg: Their clothes were saturated by the rain. )
saturnine
gloomy (Eg: Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks. )
satyr
half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus, portrayed as wanton and cunning (Eg: He was like a satyr in his lustful conduct. )
saunter
stroll slowly (Eg: As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers. )
savant
scholar (Eg: Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants. )
savor
enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality (Eg: Relishing his triumph, Costner especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure. )
savory
tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable (Eg: Julia Child’s recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests. )
scabbard
case for a sword blade; sheath (Eg: The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard. )
scad
a great quantity (Eg: Refusing Dave’s offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, “No, thanks: I’ve got scads of clothes.” )
scaffold
temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution (Eg: Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story. )
scale
climb up; ascend (Eg: To locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder. )
scanty
meager; insufficient (Eg: Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more. )
scapegoat
someone who bears the blame for others (Eg: After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame. )
scavenge
hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food (Eg: If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto )
scenario
plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto (Eg: Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their )
schematic
relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols (Eg: In working out the solution to an analytical logic question, you may find it helpful to construct a simple )
schism
division; split (Eg: Let us not widen the schism by further bickering. )
scintilla
shred; least bit (Eg: You have not produced a scintilla of evidence to support your argument. )
scintillate
sparkle; flash (Eg: I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates. )
scoff
mock; ridicule (Eg: He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache. )
scotch
stamp out; thwart; hinder (Eg: Heather tried to scotch the rumor that she had stolen her best friend’s fiance. )
scourge
lash; whip; severe punishment (Eg: )
scruple
fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons (Eg: Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary. )
scrupulous
conscientious; extremely thorough (Eg: I can recommend him for a position of responsibility for I have found him a very scrupulous young man. )
scrutinize
examine closely and critically (Eg: Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private’s uniform. )
scuffle
struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry. (Eg: The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, )
scurrilous
obscene; indecent (Eg: Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue. )
scurry
move briskly (Eg: The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time. )
scurvy
despicable; contemptible (Eg: Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew. )
scuttle
sink (Eg: The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy. )
seamy
sordid; unwholesome (Eg: In the Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his )
sear
char or burn; brand (Eg: Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly. )
seasoned
experienced (Eg: Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned )
secession
withdrawal (Eg: The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration. )
seclusion
isolation; solitude (Eg: One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion. )
secrete
hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism. (Eg: The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans. )
sectarian
narrow-minded; limited in scope (Eg: As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to mere )
secular
worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal (Eg: The church leaders decided not interfere in secular matters. )
sedate
composed; grave (Eg: The parents were worried because they felt their son was too quiet and sedate. )
sedentary
requiring sitting (Eg: Because he had a sedentary occupation, he decided to visit a gymnasium weekly. )
sedition
resistance to authority; insubordination (Eg: His words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition. )
sedulous
diligent (Eg: The young woman was so sedulous that she received a commendation for her hard work. )
seedy
run-down; decrepit; disreputable (Eg: I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy )
seemly
proper; appropriate (Eg: Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a proper family; no baby abandoned on a )
seep
ooze; trickle (Eg: During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards. )
seethe
be disturbed; boil (Eg: The nation was seething with discontent as the nobleman continued their arrogant ways. )
seine
net for catching fish (Eg: When the shad run during the spring, you may see fishermen with seines along the banks of our coastal )
seismic
pertaining to earthquakes (Eg: The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances. )
semblance
outward appearance; guise (Eg: Although this book has a semblance of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many )
seminal
germinal; influencing future developments; related to seed or semen (Eg: Although Freud has generally been regarded as a seminal thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his )
seminary
school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women (Eg: Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman )
senility
old age; feeble mindedness of old age (Eg: Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the senility of the )
sensual
devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptous (Eg: I cannot understand what caused him to drop his sensual way of life and become so ascetic. )
sensuous
pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses (Eg: He was stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells about him; he was enjoying his sensuous experience. )
sententious
terse; concise; aphoristic (Eg: After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particulary pleasing. )
sentinel
sentry; lookout (Eg: Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around )
septic
putrid; producing putrefaction (Eg: The hospital was in such a filthy state that we were afraid that many of the patients would suffer from )
sepulcher
tomb (Eg: Annabel Lee was buried in a sepulcher by the sea. )
sequester
retire from public life; segregate; seclude (Eg: Although he had hoped for a long time to sequester himself in a small community, he never was able to )
sere
parched; dry (Eg: After the unseasonably dry winter the Berkeley hills looked dusty and sere. )
serendipity
gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck (Eg: Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity )
serenity
calmness; placidity (Eg: The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion. )
serpentine
winding; twisting (Eg: The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road. )
serrated
having a sawtoothed edge (Eg: The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated leaves. )
servile
slavish; cringing (Eg: Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature. )
servitude
slavery; compulsory labor (Eg: )
severance
division; partition; separation (Eg: The severance of church and state is a basic principle of our government. )
severity
harshness; plainness (Eg: The newspapers disapproved of the severity of the sentence. )
sextant
navigation tool used to determine a ship’s latitude and longitude (Eg: Given a clear night, with the aid of his sextant and compass, he could keep the ship safely on course. )
shackle
chain; fetter (Eg: The criminal’s ankles were shackled to prevent his escape. )
sham
pretend (Eg: He shammed sickness to get out of going to school. )
shambles
slaughterhouse; scene of carnage (Eg: By the time the police arrived, the room was a shambles. )
shard
fragment, generally of pottery (Eg: The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards )
sheaf
bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together (Eg: The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness. )
sheathe
place into a case (Eg: As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends. )
sherbet
flavored dessert ice (Eg: I prefer raspberry sherbet to ice cream since it is less fattening. )
shimmer
glimmer intermittently (Eg: The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment. )
shirk
avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger (Eg: Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility. )
shoddy
sham; not genuine; inferior (Eg: You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material. )
shrew
scolding woman (Eg: No one wanted to marry Shakespeare’s Kate because she was a shrew. )
shrewd
clever; astute (Eg: A shrewd investor, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market. )
shun
keep away from (Eg: )
shunt
turn aside; divert; sidetrack (Eg: If the switchman failed to shunt the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union )
shyster
lawyer using questionable methods. (Eg: On L.A. Law, respectable attorney Brackman was horrified to learn that his newly discovered half brother )
sibling
brother or sister (Eg: We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong to the same family. )
sibylline
prophetic; oracular (Eg: Until their destruction by fire in 83 B.C., the sibylline books were often consulted by the Romans. )
sidereal
relating to the stars (Eg: Although hampered by optical and mechanical flaws, the orbiting Hubble space telescope has relayed )
silt
sediment deposited by running water (Eg: The harbor channel must be dredged annually to remove the silt. )
simian
monkeylike (Eg: Lemurs are nocturnal mammals and have many simian characteristics, although they are less intelligent )
simile
comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as (Eg: “My love is like a red, red rose” is a simile. )
simper
smirk; smile affectedly (Eg: Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered. )
simplistic
oversimplified (Eg: Though Jack’s solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to )
simulate
feign (Eg: He simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for his crime. )
sinecure
well-paid position with little responsibility (Eg: My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility. )
sinewy
tough; strong and firm (Eg: The steak was too sinewy to chew )
singular
unique; extraordinary; odd (Eg: Though the young man tried to understand Father William’s singular behavior, he still found it odd that the )
sinister
evil (Eg: We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall. )
sinuous
winding; bending in and out; not morally honest (Eg: The snake moved in a sinuous manner. )
skeptic
doubter; person who suspends judgment until he has examined the evidence supporting a (Eg: point of view. )
skiff
small, light sailboat or rowboat (Eg: Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay. )
skimp
provide scantily; live very economically (Eg: They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter. )
skinflint
miser (Eg: The old skinflint refused to give her a raise. )
skirmish
minor fight (Eg: Custer’s troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on maneuvers; they did not expect to face a )
skittish
lively; frisky (Eg: She is as skittish as a kitten playing with a piece of string. )
skulduggery
dishonest behavior (Eg: The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of skulduggery daily. )
skulk
move furtively and secretly (Eg: He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former )
slacken
slow up; loosen (Eg: As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace. )
slag
residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter (Eg: The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag. )
slake
quench; sate (Eg: When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst. )
slander
defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements (Eg: Unless you can prove your allegations, your remarks constitute slander. )
slapdash
haphazard; careless; sloppy (Eg: From the number of typos and misspellings I’ve found on it, it’s clear that Mario proofread the report in a )
sleazy
flimsy; unsubstantial (Eg: This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well. )
sleeper
something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable (Eg: Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper. )
sleight
dexterity (Eg: The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand. )
slight
insult to one’s dignity; snub (Eg: Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or )
slither
slip or slide (Eg: During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station. )
sloth
laziness (Eg: Such sloth in a young person is deplorable; go to work! )
sloth
slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal (Eg: Note how well the somewhat greenish coat of the sloth enables it to blend in with its arboreal )
slough
cast off (Eg: Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin. )
slovenly
untidy; slipshod (Eg: Such slovenly work habits will never produce good products. )
sluggard
lazy person (Eg: “You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite,” the angry father shouted at his lazy son. )
sluggish
slow; lazy; lethargic (Eg: After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion. )
sluice
artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water (Eg: In times of drought, this sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation. )
slur
insult to one’s character or reputation; slander (Eg: Polls revealed that the front-runner’s standing had been damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by )
smattering
slight knowledge (Eg: I don’t know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere smattering of information )
smirk
conceited smile (Eg: Wipe that smirk off your face! )
smolder
burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment (Eg: The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame. )
snicker
half-stifled laugh (Eg: The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack. )
snivel
run at the nose; snuffle; whine (Eg: Don’t you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother. )
sobriety
moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness (Eg: Neither drunkards nor comics are noted for sobriety. )
sodden
soaked; dull, as if from drink (Eg: He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry. )
sojourn
temporary stay (Eg: After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home. )
solace
comfort in trouble (Eg: I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss. )
solder
repair or make whole by using a metal alloy (Eg: The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing. )
solecism
construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically (Eg: I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms. )
solemnity
seriousness; gravity (Eg: The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service. )
solicit
request earnestly; seek (Eg: Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass, the mayor telephoned all the members )
solicitous
worried, concerned (Eg: The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to get. )
soliloquy
talking to oneself (Eg: The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character’s innermost thoughts and emotions. )
solstice
point at which the sun is farthest from the equator (Eg: The winter solstice usually occurs on December 21. )
solvent
able to pay all debts (Eg: By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings. )
somatic
pertaining to the body; physical (Eg: Why do you ignore the spiritual aspects and emphasize only the corporeal and the somatic ones? )
somber
gloomy; depressing (Eg: From the doctor’s grim expression, I could tell he had somber news. )
somnambulist
sleepwalker (Eg: The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her monologue in the sleepwalking scene is )
somnolent
half asleep (Eg: The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker. )
sonorous
resonant (Eg: His sonorous voice resounded through the hall. )
sophist
teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning (Eg: You are using all the devices of a sophist in trying to prove your case; your argument is specious. )
sophistication
artificiality; unnaturalness; act of employing sophistry in reasoning (Eg: Sophistication is an acquired characteristic, found more frequently among city dwellers than among )
sophistry
seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning (Eg: Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries. )
sophomoric
immature; shallow (Eg: Your sophomoric remarks are a sign of your youth and indicate that you have not given much thought to )
soporific
sleep producing (Eg: I do not need a sedative when I listen to one of his soporific speeches. )
sordid
filthy; base; vile (Eg: The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless. )
spangle
small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation (Eg: The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights. )
spartan
lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined (Eg: Looking over the bare, unheated room with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan )
spasmodic
fitful; periodic (Eg: The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers. )
spat
squabble; minor dispute (Eg: What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument. )
spate
sudden flood (Eg: I am worried about the possibility of a spate if the rains do not diminish soon. )
spatial
relating to space (Eg: It is difficult to visualize the spatial extent of our universe. )
spatula
broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing (Eg: The manufacturers of this frying pan recommended the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the )
spawn
lay eggs (Eg: Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams. )
specious
seemingly reasonable but incorrect (Eg: Let us not be misled by such specious arguments. )
spectral
ghostly (Eg: We were frightened by the spectral glow that filled the room. )
spectrum
colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism (Eg: The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other. )
spendthrift
someone who wastes money (Eg: Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop. )
. sphinx-like enigmatic; mysterious
(Eg: The Mona Lisa’s sphinx-like expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries. )
splice
fasten together; unite (Eg: Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly. )
spontaneity
impulsiveness; absence of premeditation (Eg: What I liked best about Dale’s parties was their spontaneity: a couple of friends would drop by, someone )
spoonerism
accidental transposition of sounds in sucessive words (Eg: When the radio announcer introduced the President as Hoobert Herver, he was guilty of spoonerism. )
sporadic
occurring irregularly (Eg: Although there are still sporadic outbursts of shooting in the streets, the rebellion is essentially over. )
sportive
playful (Eg: Such a sportive attitude is surprising in a person as serious as you usually are. )
spruce
neat and trim (Eg: Every button buttoned, tie firmly in place, young Alex Keaton looked spruce and tidy for his job interview )
spry
vigorously active; nimble (Eg: She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert. )
spurious
false; counterfeit; forged; illogical (Eg: The hero of Jonathan Gash’s mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell )
spurn
reject; scorn (Eg: The heroine spurned the villain’s advances. )
squabble
minor quarrel; bickering (Eg: Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let )
squalid
dirty; neglected; poor (Eg: It is easy to see how crime can breed in such a squalid neighborhood. )
squander
waste (Eg: The prodigal son squandered the family estate. )
squat
stocky; short and thick (Eg: Tolkien’s hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good food. )
staccato
played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt, sharp sound (Eg: His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun. )
stagnant
motionless; stale; dull (Eg: The stagnant water was a breeding ground for disease )
staid
sober; sedate (Eg: Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn. )
stalemate
deadlock (Eg: Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to )
stalwart
strong, brawny; steadfast (Eg: His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member. )
stamina
strength; staying power (Eg: I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race. )
stanch
check flow of blood (Eg: It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries. )
stanza
division of a poem (Eg: Do you know the last stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner”? )
static
unchanging; lacking development (Eg: Nothing had changed at home; things were static there )
statute
law (Eg: )
statutory
created by statute or legislative action (Eg: The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes. )
steadfast
loyal; unswerving (Eg: Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings. )
stealth
slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness (Eg: Fearing detection by the sentries on duty, the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great )
steep
soak; saturate (Eg: Be sure to steep the fabric in the dye bath for the full time prescribed. )
stellar
pertaining to the stars (Eg: He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance. )
stem
check the flow (Eg: The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery. )
stemfrom
arise from (Eg: Milton’s problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits. )
stentorian
extremely loud (Eg: The town crier had stentorian voice. )
streotyped
oversimplified; lacking individuality; seen as a type (Eg: My chief objection to the book is that the characters are stereotyped; they come across as ethnic )
stickler
perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right (Eg: The Internal Revenue Service agent was a stickler for accuracy; no approximations or rough estimates )
stifle
suppress; extinguish; inhibit (Eg: Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns. )
stigma
token of disgrace; brand (Eg: I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted )
stilted
bombastic; stiffly pompous (Eg: His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances. )
stint
be thrifty; set limits (Eg: “Spare no expense,” the bride’s father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements. )
stint
supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work (Eg: )
stipend
pay for services (Eg: There is a nominal stipend for this position. )
stipple
paint or draw with dots (Eg: Seurat carefully stippled dabs of pure color on the canvas, juxtaposing dots of blue and yellow that the )
stipulate
make express conditions, specify (Eg: Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams )
stodgy
stuffy; boringly conservative (Eg: For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you’d expect someone of his age to have a little )
stoic
person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain (Eg: The doctor called her patient a stoic because he had borne the pain of the examination without )
stoke
stir up a fire; feed plentifully (Eg: As a Scout, Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to )
stolidity
dullness; impassivenss (Eg: The earthquake shattered his usual stolidity; trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground. )
stratified
divided into classes; arranged into strata (Eg: As the economic gap between the rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified. )
stratum
layer of earth’s surface; layer of society (Eg: Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt. )
strew
spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter (Eg: Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle. )
striated
marked with parallel bands; grooved (Eg: The glacier left many striated rocks. )
stricture
critical comments; severe and adverse criticism (Eg: His strictures on the author’s style are prejudiced and unwarranted. )
strident
loud and harsh (Eg: She scolded him in a strident voice )
stringent
binding; rigid (Eg: I think these regulations are too stringent. )
strut
pompous walk (Eg: His strut as he marched about the parade ground revealed him for what he was: a pompous buffoon. )
strut
supporting bar (Eg: The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be reinforced. )
studied
unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful (Eg: Given Jill’s previous slights, Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult. )
stultify
cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder (Eg: His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had )
stupefy
make numb; stun; amaze (Eg: Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might )
stupor
state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness (Eg: In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him. )
stymie
present an obstacle; stump (Eg: The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation. )
suavity
urbanity; polish (Eg: He is particulary good in roles that require suavity and sophistication. )
subaltern
subordinate (Eg: The captain treated his subalterns as though they were children rather than commissioned officers. )
subjective
occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal (Eg: Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your )
subjugate
conquer; bring under control (Eg: It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in establishing peaceful relations. )
sublimate
refine; purify (Eg: We must strive to sublimate these desires and emotions into worthwhile activities. )
sublime
exalted; noble; uplifting (Eg: Mother Teresa has been honored for her sublime deeds. )
subliminal
below the threshold (Eg: We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking. )
submissive
yielding; timid (Eg: Crushed by his authoritarian father, Will had no defiance left in him; he was totally submissive in the face )
suborn
persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury) (Eg: In the Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael )
subpoena
writ summoning a witness to appear (Eg: The prosecutor’s office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness. )
subsequent
following; later (Eg: In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems. )
subservient
behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious (Eg: He was proud and dignified; he refused to be subservient to anyone. )
subside
settle down; descend; grow quiet (Eg: The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside. )
subsidiary
subordinate; secondary (Eg: This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument. )
subsidy
direct financial aid by government, etc. (Eg: Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets. )
subsistence
existence; means of support; livelihood (Eg: In those days of inflated prices, my salary provided mere subsistence. )
substantiate
verify; support (Eg: I intend to substantiate my statement by producing witnesses. )
substantive
essential; pertaining to the substance (Eg: Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the )
subsume
include; encompass (Eg: Does the general theory of relativity contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton’s law of gravity subsumed )
subterfuge
pretense; evasion (Eg: As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge we withdrew our endorsement of )
subtlety
nicety; cunning; guile; delicacy (Eg: The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience. )
subversive
tending to overthrow; destructive (Eg: At first glance, the notion that Styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups )
succinct
brief; terse; compact (Eg: His remarks are always succinct and pointed. )
succor
aid; assistance; relief (Eg: We shall be ever grateful for the succor our country gave us when we were in need. )
succulent
juicy; full of richness (Eg: To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California. )
succumb
yield; give in; die (Eg: I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way. )
suffragist
advocate of voting rights (for women) (Eg: In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar )
suffuse
spread over (Eg: A blush suffused her cheeks when we teased her about her love affair. )
sully
tarnish; soil (Eg: He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial labor. )
sultry
sweltering (Eg: He could not adjust himself to the sultry climate of the tropics. )
summation
act of finding the total, summary (Eg: In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses. )
sumptuous
lavish; rich (Eg: I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast. )
sunder
separate; part (Eg: Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered. )
sundry
various; several (Eg: My suspicions were aroused when I read sundry items in the newspapers about your behavior. )
superannuated
retired or disqualified because of age (Eg: The superannuated man was indignant because he felt that he could still perform a good day’s work. )
supercilious
contemptuous; haughty (Eg: I prefer Jill’s modesty to Jack’s supercilious and arrogant attitude. )
supererogatory
superfluous; more than needed or demanded (Eg: We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be )
superficial
trivial; shallow (Eg: Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing )
superfluous
excessive; overabundant, unnecessary (Eg: Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the bare facts. )
superimpose
place over something else (Eg: Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of )
supernumerary
person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra (Eg: His first appearance on the stage was as a supernumerary in a Shakespearean tragedy. )
supersede
cause to be set aside; replace (Eg: This regulation will supersede all previous rules. )
supine
lying on back (Eg: The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas. )
supplant
replace; usurp (Eg: Corazon Aquino supplanted Ferdinand Marcos as president of the Philippines. )
supple
flexible; pliant (Eg: The angler found a supple limb and used it as a fishing rod. )
suppliant
entreating; beseeching (Eg: He could not resist the dog’s suppliant whimpering, and he gave it some food. )
supplicate
petition humbly; pray to grant a favor (Eg: We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty. )
supposition
hypothesis; surmise (Eg: I based my decision to confide in him on the supposition that he would be discreet. )
supposititious
assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical (Eg: I find no similarity between your supposititious illustration and the problem we are facing. )
surfeit
satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything (Eg: Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats. )
surly
rude; cross (Eg: Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company. )
surmise
guess (Eg: I surmise that he will be late for this meeting. )
surmount
overcome (Eg: He had to surmount many obstacles in order to succeed. )
surpass
exceed (Eg: Her SAT scores surpassed out expectations. )
surreptitious
secret (Eg: News of their surreptitious meeting gradually leaked out. )
surrogate
substitute (Eg: For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate. )
surveillance
watching; guarding (Eg: The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of capturing all the criminals at one time. )
susceptible
impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease (Eg: He was a very susceptible young man, and so his parents worried that he might fall into bad company. )
sustain
experience; support; nourish (Eg: He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his )
sustenance
means of support, food, nourishment (Eg: In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to obtain because of all the fruit trees. )
suture
stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing (Eg: We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals. )
swarthy
dark; dusky (Eg: Despite the stereotype, not all Italians are swarthy; many are fair and blond. )
swathe
wrap around; bandage (Eg: When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages. )
swelter
be oppressed by heat (Eg: I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another )
swerve
deviate; turn aside sharply (Eg: The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel. )
swill
drink greedily (Eg: Singing, “Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum,” Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog. )
swindler
cheat (Eg: She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along. )
sybarite
lover of luxury (Eg: Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for a life of luxury. )
sycophant
servile flatterer (Eg: The king enjoyed the servile compliments and attentions of the sycophants in his retinue. )
syllogism
logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive (Eg: or specious argument )
sylvan
pertaining to the woods; rustic (Eg: His paintings of nymphs in sylvan backgrounds were criticized as oversentimental. )
symbiosis
interdependent relationship (between groups, species), often mutually beneficial (Eg: Both the crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis; pecking away at food )
symmetry
arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity (Eg: The addition of a second tower will give this edifice the symmetry that it now lacks. )
synchronous
similary timed; simultaneous with (Eg: We have many examples of scientists in different parts of the world who have made synchronous )
synoptic
providing a general overview; summary (Eg: The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new )
synthesis
combining parts into a whole (Eg: Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next problem is to plan its synthesis in the )
synthetic
artificial; resulting from synthesis (Eg: During the twentieth century, many synthetic products have replaced the natural products. )
sedative
calming drug or influence (Eg: It is dangerous to drive after taking the sedative; it brings drowsiness. )
stygian
literary dark (Eg: The stygian room reminded him of an empty space. )
tacit
understood; not put into words (Eg: We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake. )
taciturn
habitually silent; talking a little (Eg: New Englanders are reputedly taciturn people. )
tactile
pertaining to the organs or sense of touch (Eg: His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity. )
tainted
contaminated; corrupt (Eg: )
talisman
charm (Eg: She wore the talisman to ward off evil. )
talon
claw of bird (Eg: The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk’s talons. )
tangential
peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing (Eg: Despite Clark’s attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main )
tangible
able to be touched; real; palpable (Eg: Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets–a car, a television, a PC–that he could )
tanner
person who turns animal hides into leather (Eg: Using a solution of tanbark, the tanner treated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather. )
tantalize
tease; torture with disappointment (Eg: Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it. )
tantamount
equal (Eg: Your ignoring their pathetic condition is tantamount to the murder. )
tantrum
fit of petulance; caprice (Eg: The child learned that he could have almost anything if he went into tantrums. )
taper
candle (Eg: He lit the taper on the windowsill. )
tarantula
venomous spider (Eg: We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula. )
tarry
delay; dawdle (Eg: We can’t tarry if we want to get to the airport on time. )
taut
tight; ready (Eg: The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship. )
tautological
needlessly repetitious (Eg: In the sentence “It was visible to the eye,” the phrase “to the eye” is tautological. )
tawdry
cheap and gaudy (Eg: He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island. )
taxonomist
specialist in classifying (animals, etc.) (Eg: Dental patterns often enable the taxonomist to distinguish members of one rodent species from those of )
tedium
boredom; weariness (Eg: We hope this radio will help overcome the tedium of your stay in the hospital. )
temerity
boldness; rashness (Eg: Do you have the temerity to argue with me? )
temper
moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel) (Eg: Not even her supervisor’s grumpiness could temper Nancy’s enthusiasm for her new job. )
temperament
characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess (Eg: Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Tod is calm, but Rod is excitable. )
temperate
restrained; self-controlled (Eg: Noted for his temperate appetite, he seldom gained weight. )
tempo
speed of music (Eg: I find the conductor’s tempo too slow for such a brilliant piece of music. )
temporal
not lasting forever; limited by time; secular (Eg: At one time in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right. )
temporize
avoid committing oneself; gain time (Eg: I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today. )
tenacious
holding fast (Eg: I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm. )
tenacity
firmness; persistency; adhesiveness (Eg: It is extremely difficult to overcome the tenacity of a habit such as smoking. )
tendentious
having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause (Eg: The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking. )
tender
offer; extend (Eg: Although no formal changes had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt )
tenet
doctrine; dogma (Eg: The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith. )
tensile
capable of being stretched (Eg: Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes. )
tentative
provisional; experimental (Eg: Your tentative plans sound plausible; let me know when the final details are worked out. )
tenuous
thin; rare; slim (Eg: The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties; let us hope they will remain loyal. )
tenure
holding of an office; time during which such an office is held (Eg: He was permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired. )
tepid
lukewarm (Eg: During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one. )
terminate
to bring to an end (Eg: When his contract was terminated unexpectedly, he desperately needed a new job. )
terminology
terms used in a science or art (Eg: The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse laypersons )
terminus
last stop of railroad (Eg: After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses. )
terrestrial
on or relating to the earth (Eg: We have been able to explore the terrestrial regions much more thoroughly than the aquatic or celestial )
terse
concise; abrupt; pithy (Eg: I admire his terse style of writing; he comes directly to the point. )
tertiary
third (Eg: He is so thorough that he analyzes tertiary causes where other writers are content with primary and )
tesselated
inlaid; mosaic (Eg: I recall seeing a table with a tesselated top of bits of stone and glass in a very interesting pattern. )
testator
maker of a will (Eg: The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator. )
testy
irritable; short-tempered (Eg: My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as he is rather testy and may shout at you. )
tether
tie with a rope (Eg: Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night. )
thematic
relating to a unifying motif or idea (Eg: Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss is underlying thematic )
theocracy
government of a community by religious leaders (Eg: Some Pilgrims favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England. )
theoretical
not practical or applied; hypothetical (Eg: Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and )
therapeutic
curative (Eg: Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of )
thermal
pertaining to heat (Eg: The natives discovered that the host springs gave excellent thermal baths and began to develop their )
thespian
pertaining to drama (Eg: Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career. )
thrall
slave; bondage (Eg: The captured soldier was held in thrall by the conquering army. )
thrifty
careful about money; economical (Eg: A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases. )
thrive
prosper; flourish (Eg: Despite the impact of recession on the restaurant trade, Philip’s cafe thrived. )
throes
violent anguish (Eg: The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain. )
throng
crowd (Eg: Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles. )
throttle
strangle (Eg: The criminal tried to throttle the old man with his bare hands. )
thwart
baffle; frustrate (Eg: He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success. )
tightwad
excessively frugal person; miser (Eg: Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check. )
tilter
handle used to move the boat’s rudder (to steer) (Eg: Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tilter at all times. )
timbre
quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument (Eg: We identify the instrument producing a musical sound by its timbre. )
timidity
lack of self-confidence or courage (Eg: If you are to succeed as a salesperson, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure. )
timorous
fearful; demonstrating fear (Eg: His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment. )
tipple
drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently (Eg: He found that his most enjoyable evenings occurred when he tippled with his friends at the local pub. )
tirade
extended scolding; denunciation (Eg: Long before he had finished his tirade, we were sufficiently aware of the seriousness of our misconduct. )
titanic
gigantic (Eg: titanic waves beat aginst the shore during the hurricane. )
tithe
tax of one-tenth (Eg: Because he was an agnostic, he refused to pay his tithes to the clergy. )
titillate
tickle (Eg: I am here not to titillate my audience but to enlighten it. )
title
right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.) (Eg: Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as )
titter
nervous laugh (Eg: Her aunt’s constant titter nearly drove her mad. )
titular
having the title of an office without the obligations (Eg: Although he was the titular head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager. )
toady
servile flatterer; yes man (Eg: Never tell the boss anything he doesn’t wish to hear: he doesn’t want an independent adviser, he just wants )
toga
Roman outer robe (Eg: Marc Antony pointed to the slashes in Caesar’s toga. )
tome
large volume (Eg: He spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes. )
tonsure
shaving of the head, especially by person entering religious orders (Eg: His tonsure, even more than his monastic garb, indicated that he was a member of the religious order. )
topography
physical features of a region (Eg: Before the generals gave the order to attack, they ordered a complete study of the topography of the )
torpor
lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy (Eg: Nothing seemed to arouse him from his torpor; he had wholly surrendered himself to lethargy. )
torque
twisting force; force producing rotation (Eg: With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the nut the loosen it. )
torrent
rushing stream; flood (Eg: Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents. )
torso
trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk (Eg: This torso, found in the ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples. )
tortuous
winding; full of curves (Eg: Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it. )
touchstone
stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion (Eg: What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person? )
touchy
sensitive; irascible (Eg: Do not discuss this phase of the problem as he is very touchy about it. )
tout
publicize; praise excessively (Eg: I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment. )
toxic
poisonous (Eg: We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten. )
tract
pamphlet; a region of indefinite size (Eg: The King granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World. )
tractable
docile (Eg: You will find the children in this school very tractable and willing to learn. )
traduce
expose to slander (Eg: His opponents tried to traduce the candidate’s reputation by spreading rumors about his past. )
trajectory
path taken by a projectile (Eg: The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory )
tranquillity
calmness; peace (Eg: After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests. )
transcend
exceed; surpass (Eg: This accomplishment transcends all our previous efforts. )
transcribe
copy (Eg: When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr.Smith and keep the original for our files. )
transgression
violation of a law; sin (Eg: Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do. )
transient
momentary; temporary; staying for a short time (Eg: Lexy’s joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient; she still had to find presents for the )
transition
going from one state of action to another (Eg: During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off. )
transitoriness
impermanence (Eg: Conscious that all things pass, the psalmist relates the transitoriness of happiness and fame. )
translucent
partly transparent (Eg: We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us. )
transmute
change; convert to something different (Eg: He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities. )
transparent
permitting to light to pass through freely; easily detected (Eg: Your scheme is so transparent that it will fool no one. )
transpire
be revealed; happen (Eg: When Austen writes the sentence “It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him,” her )
transport
strong emotion (Eg: Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset, at another )
trappings
outward decorations; ornaments (Eg: He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet. )
traumatic
pertaining to an injury caused by violence (Eg: In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle. )
travail
painful labor (Eg: How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation without rebelling? )
traverse
go through or across (Eg: When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull. )
travesty
comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous (Eg: The ridiculous decision the jury has arrived at is a travesty of justice. )
treatise
article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly (Eg: He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree. )
trek
travel; journey (Eg: The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game. )
tremor
trembling; slight quiver (Eg: She had a nervous tremor in her right hand. )
tremulous
trembling; wavering (Eg: )
trenchant
cutting; keen (Eg: I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic. )
trepidation
fear; trembling agitation (Eg: We must face the enemy without trepidation if we are to win this battle. )
tribulation
distress; suffering (Eg: After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through, we need this rest. )
tribunal
court of justice (Eg: The decision of the tribunal was final and the prisoner was sentenced to death. )
tribute
tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect (Eg: The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot. )
trident
three-pronged spear (Eg: Neptune is usually depicted as rising from the sea, carrying his trident on his shoulder. )
trigger
set off (Eg: John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you’ll trigger an explosion. )
trilogy
group of three works (Eg: Romain Rolland’s novel Jean Christophe was first published as a trilogy. )
trinket
knickknack; bauble (Eg: Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs. )
trite
hackneyed; commonplace (Eg: Thr trite and predictable situations in many television programs alienate many viewers. )
trivia
trifles; unimportant matters (Eg: Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivia. )
troth
pledge of good faith especially in betrothal (Eg: He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always. )
