SAT-3000-3 Flashcards
1
Q
compensatory
A
ADJ. making up for; repaying. Can a com¬pensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years
2
Q
compile
A
V. assemble; gather; accumulate. We planned to compile a list of the words most frequently used on SAT I examinations.
3
Q
complacency
A
N. self-satisfaction; smugness. Full of com¬placency about his latest victories he looked smugly at the row of trophies on his mantelpiece. complacentADJ.
4
Q
complaisant
A
ADJ. trying to please; obliging. The courtier obeyed the king’s orders in a complaisant manner.
5
Q
complement
A
V. complete; consummate; make perfect. The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. also N.
6
Q
*complementary
A
ADJ. serving to complete something. John and Lisa’s skills are complementary. he’s good at following a daily routine while she’s great at improvising and han¬dling emergencies. Together they make a great team.
7
Q
compliance
A
N. readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements. Bullheaded Bill was not noted for easy com¬pliance with the demands of others. As an architect how¬ever Bill recognized that his design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.
8
Q
compliant
A
ADJ. yielding. Because Joel usually gave in and went along with whatever his friends desired his mother worried that he might be too compliant.
9
Q
complicity
A
N. participation; involvement. You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.
10
Q
component
A
N. element; ingredient. I wish all the compo¬nents of my stereo system were working at the same time.
11
Q
composure
A
N. mental calmness. Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.
12
Q
compound
A
V. combine; constitute; pay interest; increase. The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine. also N.
13
Q
comprehensive
A
ADJ. thorough; inclusive. This book pro¬vides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.
14
Q
compress
A
V. close; squeeze; contract. She compressed the package under her arm.
15
Q
comprise
A
V. include; consist of. If the District of Columbia were to be granted statehood the United States of America would comprise fifty-one states not just fifty.
16
Q
compromise
A
V. adjust or settle by making mutual conces¬sions; endanger the interests or reputation of. Sometimes the presence of a neutral third party can help adversaries compromise their differences. Unfortunately you’re not neu¬tral; therefore your presence here compromises our chances of reaching an agreement. also N.
17
Q
compunction
A
N. remorse. The judge was especially severe in his sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.
18
Q
compute
A
V. reckon; calculate. He failed to compute the interest so his bank balance was not accurate. computa¬tion N.
19
Q
concave
A
ADJ. hollow. The back-packers found partial shel¬ter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff.
20
Q
concede
A
V. admit; yield. Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled Mark refused to concede that she was right.
21
Q
conceit
A
N. vanity or self-love; whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor. Although Jack was smug and puffed up with conceit he was an entertaining companion always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.
22
Q
concentric
A
ADJ. having a common center. The target was made of concentric circles.
23
Q
conception
A
N. beginning; forming of an idea. At the first conception of the work he was consulted. conceiveV.
24
Q
concerted
A
ADJ. mutually agreed on; done together. All the Girl Scouts made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing. When the movie star appeared his fans let out a concerted sigh.
25
concession
N. an act of yielding. Before they could reach an agreement both sides had to make certain concessions.
26
conciliatory
ADJ. reconciling; soothing. She was still angry despite his conciliatory words. conciliateV.
27
concise
ADJ. brief and compact. When you define a new word be concise: the shorter the definition the easier it is to remember.
28
contrived
ADJ. forced; artificial; not spontaneous. Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.
29
controvert
V. oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict. The witness's testimony was so clear and her reputation for honesty so well-established that the defense attorney decided it was wiser to make no attempt to contro¬vertwhat she said.
30
contusion
N. bruise. Black and blue after her fall Sue was treated for contusions and abrasions.
31
conundrum
N. riddle. During the long car ride she invented conundrums to entertain the children.
32
convene
V. assemble. Because much needed legislation had to be enacted the governor ordered the legislature to convene in special session by January 15.
33
convention
N. social or moral custom; established prac¬tice. Flying in the face of convention George Sand shocked society by taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.
34
conventional
ADJ. ordinary; typical. His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccen¬tric family.
35
converge
V. approach; tend to meet; come together. African-American men from all over the United States con¬verged on Washington to take part in the historic Million Men march.
36
conversant
ADJ. familiar with. The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.
37
converse
N. opposite. The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.
38
converse
V. chat; talk informally. Eva was all ears while Lulu and Lola conversed. Wasn't it rude of her to eavesdrop on their conversation conversation N.
39
convert
N. one who has adopted a different religion or opinion. On his trip to Japan though the President spoke at length about the virtues of American automobiles he made few converts to his beliefs. alsoV.
40
convex
ADJ. curving outward. He polished the convex lens of his telescope.
41
conveyance
N. vehicle; transfer. During the transit strike commuters used various kinds of conveyances.
42
conviction
N. judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter's conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.
43
convivial
ADJ. festive; gay; characterized by joviality. The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs.
44
convoke
V. call together. Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. convocation N.
45
convoluted
ADJ. coiled around; involved; intricate. His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow it intelligently.
46
Copious
ADJ. plentiful. She had copious reasons for reject¬ing the proposal.
47
coquette
N. flirt. Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage he called her a coquette. alsoV.
48
cordial
ADJ. gracious; heartfelt. Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug.
49
cordon
N. extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress. The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area. alsoV.
50
cornucopia
N. horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance. The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information an inexhaustible source of knowledge for the entire family.
51
corollary
N. consequence; accompaniment. Brotherly love is a complex emotion with sibling rivalry its natural corollary.
52
coronation
N. ceremony of crowning a queen or king. When the witches told Macbeth he would be king they failed to warn him he would lose his crown soon after his coronation.
53
corporeal
ADJ. bodily; material. The doctor had no patience with spiritual matters: his job was to attend to his patients' corporeal problems not to minister to their souls.
54
corpulent
ADJ. very fat. The corpulent man resolved to reduce. corpulence N.
55
correlation
N. mutual relationship. He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret reading exercises. correlate V. N.
56
corroborate
V. confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.
57
corrode
V. destroy by chemical action. The girders support¬ing the bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly collapsed. corrosion N.
58
corrosive
ADJ. eating away by chemicals or disease. Stain¬less steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chem¬icals. corrodeV.
59
corrugated
ADJ. wrinkled; ridged. She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow.
60
Cosmic
ADJ. pertaining to the universe; vast. Cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space. COSMOS N.
61
cosmopolitan
ADJ. sophisticated. Her years in the capitol had transformed her into a cosmopolitan young woman highly aware of international affairs.
62
coterie
N. group that meets socially; select circle. After his book had been published he was invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the hotel.
63
countenance
V. approve; tolerate. He refused to counte¬nance such rude behavior on their part.
64
countenance
N. face. When Jose saw his newborn daugh¬ter a proud smile spread across his countenance.
65
countermand
V. cancel; revoke. The general counter¬manded the orders issued in his absence.
66
culvert
N. artificial channel for water. If we build a culvert under the road at this point we will reduce the possibility of the road's being flooded during the rainy season.
67
cumbersome
ADJ. heavy; hard to manage. He was bur¬dened down with cumbersome parcels.
68
cumulative
ADJ. growing by addition. Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards you will add new words to your vocabulary one by one.
69
cupidity
N. greed. The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors who demanded excessive tribute.
70
curator
N. superintendent; manager. The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.
71
curmudgeon
N. churlish miserly individual. Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and acts of charity that he secretly performed.
72
cursive
ADJ. flowing running. In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing we separate the letters.
73
cursory
ADJ. casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's cause.
74
curtail
V. shorten; reduce. When Herb asked Diane for a date she said she was really sorry she couldn't go out with him but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.
75
cynical
ADJ. skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cyn¬ical from birth Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift "with no strings attached." cynic N.
76
cynosure
N. the object of general attention. As soon as the movie star entered the room she became the cynosure of all eyes.
77
dabble
V. work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art but seldom produced a finished piece. The children dabbled their hands in the bird bath splashing one another gleefully.
78
dais
N. raised platform for guests of honor. When he approached the dais he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.
79
dank
ADJ. damp. The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.
80
dapper
ADJ. neat and trim. In "The Odd Couple" TV show Tony Randall played Felix Unger an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.
81
dappled
ADJ. spotted. The sunlight filtering through the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.
82
daub
V. smear (as with paint). From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas I could tell he knew nothing of oils. also N.
83
daunt
V. intimidate; frighten. "Boast all you like of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt me the hero answered the villain.
84
dauntless
ADJ. bold. Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.
85
dawdle
V. loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline so don't dawdle; just get down to work.
86
deadlock
N. standstill; stalemate. Because negotiations had reached a deadlock some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks. alsoV.
87
deadpan
ADJ. wooden; impersonal. We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.
88
dearth
N. scarcity. The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.
89
debacle
N. sudden downfall; complete disaster. In the Air¬plane movies every flight turns into a debacle with passen¬gers and crew members collapsing engines falling apart and carry-on baggage popping out of the overhead bins.
90
debase
V. reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. In The King and l Anna refuses to kneel down and prostrate herself before the king for she feels that to do so would debase her position and she will not submit to such debasement.
91
debauch
V. corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did Socrates' teachings lead the young men of Athens to be virtuous citi¬zens or did they debauch the young men causing them to question the customs of their fathers Clearly Socrates' philosophical talks were nothing like the wild debauchery of the toga parties in Animal House.
92
debilitate
V. weaken; enfeeble. Michael's severe bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.
93
debonair
ADJ. friendly; aiming to please. The debonair youth was liked by all who met him because of his cheerful and obliging manner.
94
debris
N. rubble. A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City they were still carting away the debris.
95
debunk
V. expose as false exaggerated worthless etc; ridicule. Pointing out that he consistently had voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation reporters debunked the candidate's claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.
96
debutante
N. young woman making formal entrance into society. As a debutante she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.
97
decadence
N. decay. The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.
98
decapitate
V. behead. They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. "Off with her head!" cried the Duchess eager to decapitate poor Alice.
99
decelerate
V. slow down. Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead he decelerated quickly.
100
deciduous
ADJ. falling off as of leaves. The oak is a decid¬uous tree; in winter it looks quite bare.
101
decimate
V. kill usually one out of ten. We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.
102
decipher
V. interpret secret code. Lacking his code book the spy was unable to decipher the scrambled message sent to him from the KGB.
103
declivity
N. downward slope. The children loved to ski down the declivity.
104
decollete
ADJ. having a low-necked dress. Current fashion decrees that evening gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.
105
decomposition
N. decay. Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition the police were able to identify the murdered man.
106
decorum
N. propriety; orderliness and good taste in man¬ners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behav¬ing with decorum on the last day of school. decorousADJ.
107
decoy
N. lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. alsoV.
108
decrepit
ADJ. worn out by age. The decrepit car blocked traffic on the highway.
109
decrepitude
N. state of collapse caused by illness or old age. I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.
110
decry
V. express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children's Defense Fund Marian Wright Edelman strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.
111
deducible
ADJ. derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise your conclusions are easily deducible.
112
deface
V. mar; disfigure. If you deface a library book you will have to pay a hefty fine.
113
defame
V. harm someone's reputation; malign; slander. If you try to defame my good name my lawyers will see you in court. If rival candidates persist in defaming one another the voters may conclude that all politicians are crooks. defamation N.
114
default
N. failure to act. When the visiting team failed to show up for the big game they lost the game by default. When Jack failed to make the payments on his Jaguar the dealership took back the car because he had defaulted on his debt.
115
defeatist
ADJ. attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain your defeatist attitude you will never succeed. also N.
116
defection
N. desertion. The children who had made him an idol were hurt most by his defection from our cause.
117
defer
V. delay till later; exempt temporarily. In wartime some young men immediately volunteer to serve; others
118
defer
making plans until they hear from their draft boards. During the Vietnam War many young men hoping to be deferred requested student deferments.
119
defer
V. give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software we must defer to Michael our computer guru; he gets the final word. Michael however can defer these questions to no one; only he can decide.
120
deference
N. courteous regard for another's wish. In defer¬ence to the minister's request please do not take pho¬tographs during the wedding service.
121
defiance
N. refusal to yield; resistance. When John reached the "terrible two's he responded to every parental request with howls of defiance. defy,V.
122
defile
V. pollute; profane. The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.
123
definitive
ADJ. final; complete. Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.
124
deflect
V. turn aside. His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.
125
defoliate
V. destroy leaves. In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands.
126
defray
V. pay the costs of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.
127
deft
ADJ. neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the cham¬pagne without spilling a drop.
128
defunct
ADJ. dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corpo¬ration.
129
defuse
V. /;()/remove the fuse of a bomb; reduce or eliminate a threat. Police negotiators are trained to defuse danger¬ous situations by avoiding confrontational language and behavior.
130
degenerate
V. become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.
131
degradation
N. humiliation; debasement; degeneration. Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a cup of cof¬fee because they resent the degradation of being made to do such lowly tasks. degradeV.
132
dehydrate
V. remove water from; dry out. Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.
133
deify
V. turn into a god; idolize. Admire Elvis Presley all you want; just don't deify him.
134
deign
V. condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere seamstress; his overburdened assistant had to convey the master's wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs.
135
delectable
ADJ. delightful; delicious. We thanked our host for a most delectable meal.
136
delete
V. erase; strike out. Less is more: if you delete this paragraph your whole essay will have greater appeal.
137
deleterious
ADJ. harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General cer¬tainly does) then quit!
138
deliberate
V. consider; ponder. Offered the new job she asked for time to deliberate before she told them her decision
139
delineate
V. portray; depict; sketch. Using only a few descriptive phrases Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move. delin¬eation N.
140
delirium
N. mental disorder marked by confusion. In his delirium the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs. Perhaps he wasn't delirious: he might just have wandered into a movie.
141
delude
V. deceive. His mistress may have deluded herself into believing that he would leave his wife and marry her.
142
deluge
N. /()()/flood; rush. When we advertised the position we received a deluge of applications.
143
delusion
N. false belief; hallucination. Don suffers from delusions of grandeur: he thinks he's a world-famous author when he's published just one paperback book.
144
delve
V. dig; investigate. Delving into old books and man¬uscripts is part of a researcher's job.
145
demagogue
N. person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people. He was accused of being a dema¬gogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.
146
demean
V. degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity he refused to demean himself by replying to the offensive letter. If you truly believed in the dignity of labor you would not think it would demean you to work as a janitor.
147
demeanor
N. behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor qui¬eted the noisy revelers.
148
demented
ADJ. insane. Doctor Demento was a lunatic radio personality who liked to act as if he were truly demented. If you're demented your mental state is out of whack; in other words you're wacky.
149
demise
N. death. Upon the demise of the dictator a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.
150
demolition
N. destruction. One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of trans¬portation by bombing of rail lines and terminals. demolishV.
151
demoniac
ADJ. fiendish. The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. demon N.
152
demur
V. object (because of doubts scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the board of directors David demurred: he had scruples about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.
153
demure
ADJ. grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.
154
demystify
V. clarify; free from mystery or obscurity. Help¬ful doctors demystify medical procedures by describing them in everyday language explaining that a myringotomy for example is an operation involving making a small hole in one's eardrum.
155
denigrate
V. blacken. All attempts to denigrate the charac¬ter of our late president have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.
156
denizen
N. inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables Eliot Ness fights AI Capone and the other denizens of Chicago's underworld. Ness's fight against cor¬ruption was the talk of all the denizens of the local bars.
157
denotation
N. meaning; distinguishing by name. A dictio¬nary will always give us the denotation of a word; fre¬quently it will also give us the connotations. denoteV.
158
denouement
N. outcome; final development of the plot of a play. The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the mid¬dle of the first act.
159
denounce
V. condemn; criticize. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust. denunciation N.
160
depict
V. portray. In this sensational exposé the author depicts Beatle John Lennon as a drug-crazed neurotic. Do you question the accuracy of this depiction of Lennon
161
deplete
V. reduce; exhaust. We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.
162
deplore
V. regret; disapprove of. Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language I defend your right to express yourself freely.
163
deploy
V. spread out [troops] in an extended though shal¬low battle line. The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the enemy offensive.
164
depose
V. dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military govern¬ment.
165
deposition
N. testimony under oath. He made his deposi¬tion in the judge's chamber.
166
depravity
N. extreme corruption; wickedness. The deprav¬ity of Caligula's behavior came to sicken even those who had willingly participated in his earlier comparatively inno¬cent orgies.
167
deprecate
V. express disapproval of; protest against; belit¬tle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquain¬tances by their first names. deprecatoryADJ.
168
depreciate
V. lessen in value. If you neglect this property it will depreciate.
169
depredation
N. plundering. After the depredations of the invaders the people were penniless.
170
deranged
ADJ. insane. He had to be institutionalized because he was mentally deranged.
171
derelict
ADJ. abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever abandoned it in the mid¬dle of the harbor was derelict in living up to his responsibili¬ties as a boat owner. also N.
172
deride
V. ridicule; make fun of. The critics derided his pre¬tentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seri¬ously. derision N.
173
derivative
ADJ. unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in naturethe critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.
174
dermatologist
N. one who studies the skin and its diseases. I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne.
175
derogatory
ADJ. expressing a low opinion. I resent your derogatory remarks.
176
descant
V. discuss fully. He was willing to descant upon any topic of conversation even when he knew very little about the subject under discussion. also N.
177
descry
V. catch sight of. In the distance we could barely descry the enemy vessels.
178
desecrate
V. profane; violate the sanctity of. Shattering the altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot the invaders desecrated the sanctuary.
179
desiccate
V. dry up. A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.
180
desolate
ADJ. unpopulated. After six months in the crowded bustling metropolis David was so sick of people that he was ready to head for the most desolate patch of wilderness he could find.
181
desolate
V. rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake. The bandits desolated the countryside burning farms and carrying off the harvest.
182
despise
V. look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful. Mr. Bond I despise spies; I look down on them as mean despicable honorless men whom I would wipe from the face of the earth with as little con¬cern as I would scrape dog droppings from the bottom of my shoe.
183
despoil
V. plunder. If you do not yield I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.
184
despondent
ADJ. depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents William became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan; they despaired of finding a cure for his gloom. despondency N.
185
despot
N. tyrant; harsh authoritarian ruler. How could a benevolent king turn overnight into a despot
186
destitute
ADJ. extremely poor. Because they had no health insurance the father's costly illness left the family destitute.
187
desultory
ADJ. aimless; haphazard; digressing at random. In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him reading was purposeful not desultory.
188
detached
ADJ. emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected. A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with his or her patients' personal lives. To a child growing up in an apart¬ment or a row house to live in a detached house was an unattainable dream.
189
detergent
N. cleansing agent. Many new detergents have replaced soap.
190
determination
N. resolve; measurement or calculation; decision. Nothing could shake his determination that his children would get the best education that money could buy. Thanks to my pocket calculator my determination of the answer to the problem took only seconds of my time.
191
deterrent
N. something that discourages; hindrance. Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers deterV.
192
detonation
N. explosion. The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away.
193
detraction
N. slandering; aspersion. He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.
194
detrimental
ADJ. harmful; damaging. The candidate's acceptance of major financial contributions from a well¬known racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign for he lost the backing of many of his early grassroots sup¬porters. detriment N.
195
deviate
V. turn away from (a principle norm); depart; diverge. Richard never deviated from his daily routine: every day he set off for work at eight o'clock had his sack lunch (peanut butter on whole wheat) at 12:15 and headed home at the stroke of five.
196
devious
ADJ. roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The Joker's plan was so devious that it was only with great diffi¬culty we could follow its shifts and dodges.
197
devise
V. think up; invent; plan. How clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan! What ingenious inven¬tions might he have devised if he had turned his mind to science and not to crime.
198
devoid
ADJ. lacking. You may think her mind is a total void but she's actually not devoid of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.
199
devotee
N. enthusiastic follower. A devotee of the opera he bought season tickets every year.
200
devout
ADJ. pious. The devout man prayed daily.
201
dexterous
ADJ. skillful. The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow him as he performed his tricks.
202
diabolical
ADJ. devilish. "What a fiend I am to devise such a diabolical scheme to destroy Gotham City chortled the Joker gleefully.
203
diagnosis
N. art of identifying a disease; analysis of a con¬dition. In medical school Margaret developed her skill at diagnosis learning how to read volumes from a rapid pulse or a hacking cough. diagnose V.; diagnosticADJ.
204
discomfit
V. put to rout; defeat; disconcert. This ruse will discomfitthe enemy. discomfiture N. discomfitedADJ.
205
discomposure
N. agitation; loss of poise. Perpetually poised Agent 007 never exhibited a moment's discompo¬sure.
206
disconcert
V. confuse; upset; embarrass. The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.
207
disconsolate
ADJ. sad. The death of his wife left him dis¬consolate.
208
discord
N. conflict; lack of harmony. Watching Tweedle¬dum battle Tweedledee Alice wondered what had caused this pointless discord.
209
discordant
ADJ. not harmonious; conflicting. Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a junior high school orchestra tuning up.
210
discount
V. disregard; dismiss. Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.
211
discourse
N. formal discussion; conversation. The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical dis¬course of Socrates and his followers. alsoV.
212
discredit
V. defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve. The campaign was highly negative in tone; each candidate tried to discredit the other.
213
discrepancy
N. lack of consistency; difference. The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.
214
discrete
ADJ. separate; unconnected. The universe is com¬posed of discrete bodies.
215
discretion
N. prudence; ability to adjust actions to circum¬stances. Use your discretion in this matter and do not dis¬cuss it with anyone. discreetADJ.
216
discriminating
ADJ. able to see differences; prejudiced. A superb interpreter of Picasso she was sufficiently discrimi¬nating to judge the most complex works of modern art. (secondary meaning) discrimination N.
217
discursive
ADJ. digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wan¬dered from topic to topic we wondered what if any point there was to his discursive remarks.
218
disdain
V. view with scorn or contempt. In the film Funny Face the bookish heroine disdained fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests. also N.
219
disembark
V. go ashore; unload cargo from a ship. Before the passengers could disembark they had to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.
220
disenfranchise
V. deprive of a civil right. The imposition of the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks who lost their right to vote.
221
disengage
V. uncouple; separate; disconnect. A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to dis¬engage a railroad car from a moving train.
222
disfigure
V. mar in beauty; spoil. An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.
223
disgorge
V. surrender something; eject; vomit. Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund the embezzler tried to run away.
224
disgruntle
V. make discontented. The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.
225
dishearten
V. discourage; cause to lose courage or hope. His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him.
226
disheveled
ADJ. untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.
227
disinclination
N. unwillingness. Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed
228
disingenuous
ADJ. lacking genuine candor; insincere. Now that we know the mayor and his wife are engaged in a bitter divorce fight we find their earlier remarks regretting their lack of time together remarkably disingenuous.
229
disinter
V. dig up; unearth. They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.
230
disinterested
ADJ. unprejudiced. Given the judge's political ambitions and the lawyers' financial interest in the case the only disinterested person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter.
231
disjointed
ADJ. disconnected. His remarks were so dis¬jointed that we could not follow his reasoning.
232
dislodge
V. remove (forcibly). Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food caught in his throat.
233
dismantle
V. take apart. When the show closed they dis¬mantled the scenery before storing it.
234
dismay
V. discourage; frighten. The huge amount of work she had left to do dismayed her. also N.
235
dismember
V. cut into small parts. When the Austrian Empire was dismembered several new countries were established.
236
dismiss
V. put away from consideration; reject. Believing in John's love for her she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful. (secondary meaning)
237
disparage
V. belittle. A doting mother Emma was more likely to praise her son's crude attempts at art than to dis¬parage them.
238
disparate
ADJ. basically different; unrelated. Unfortunately Tony and Tina have disparate notions of marriage: Tony sees it as a carefree extended love affair while Tina sees it as a solemn commitment to build a family and a home.
239
disparity
N. difference; condition of inequality. Their dis¬parity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.
240
dispassionate
ADJ. calm; impartial. Known in the company for his cool judgment Bill could impartially examine the causes of a problem giving a dispassionate analysis of what had gone wrong and go on to suggest how to correct the mess.
241
dispatch
N. speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed. Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to head¬quarters informing his commander of the great victory. alsoV.
242
dispel
V. scatter; drive away; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.
243
disperse
V. scatter. The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters. dispersion N.
244
dispirited
ADJ. lacking in spirit. The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team which had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.
245
disputatious
ADJ. argumentative; fond of arguing. Con¬vinced he knew more than his lawyers Alan was a disputa¬tious client ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case. disputant N.
246
disquiet
V. make uneasy or anxious. Holmes's absence for a day slightly disquieted Watson; after a week with no word however Watson's uneasiness about his missing friend had grown into a deep fear for his safety. disquietude N.
247
dissection
N. analysis; cutting apart in order to examine. The dissection of frogs in the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students.
248
dissemble
V. disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance we all knew he was there not to dance but to meet girls.
249
disseminate
V. distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.
250
dissent
V. disagree. In the recent Supreme Court decision Justice O'Connor dissented from the majority opinion. also N.
251
dissertation
N. formal essay. In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities a candidate is fre¬quently required to prepare a dissertation on some schol¬arly subject.
252
dissident
ADJ. dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that fol¬lowed the student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square the government hunted down the dissident students and their supporters. also N.
253
dissimulate
V. pretend; conceal by feigning. She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude.
254
dissipate
V. squander; waste; scatter. He is a fine artist but I fear he may dissipate his gifts if he keeps wasting his time playing games.
255
dissolute
ADJ. loose in morals. The dissolute life led by the ancient Romans is indeed shocking.
256
dissolution
N. breaking of a union; decay; termination. Which caused King Lear more suffering: the dissolution of his kingdom into warring factions or the dissolution of his aged failing body
257
dissonance
N. discord. Composer Charles Ives often used dissonance-clashing or unresolved chords-for special effects in his musical works.
258
dissuade
V. persuade not to do; discourage. Since Tom could not dissuade Huck from running away from home he decided to run away with him. dissuasion N.
259
distant
ADJ. reserved or aloof; cold in manner. His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome from the start. (sec¬ondary meaning)
260
distend
V. expand; swell out. I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.
261
distill
V. extract the essence; purify; refine. A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips.
262
distinction
N. honor; contrast; discrimination. A holder of the Medal of Honor George served with great distinction in World War II. He made a distinction however between World War II and Vietnam which he considered an immoral conflict.
263
distort
V. twist out of shape. It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of the riots because of the way some reporters distort and exaggerate the actual events. distor¬tion N.
264
distraught
ADJ. upset; distracted by anxiety. The dis¬traught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child.
265
diurnal
ADJ. daily. A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows for example must be milked regularly.
266
diva
N. operatic singer; prima donna. Although world famous as a diva she did not indulge in fits of tempera¬ment. ..
267
diverge
V. vary; go in different directions from the same point. The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub.
268
divergent
ADJ. differing; deviating. Since graduating from medical school the two doctors have taken divergent paths one going on to become a nationally prominent sur¬geon the other dedicating himself to a small family practice in his home town. divergence N.
269
diverse
ADJ. differing in some characteristics; various. The professor suggested diverse ways of approaching the assignment and recommended that we choose one of them. diversity N.
270
diversion
N. act of turning aside; pastime. After studying for several hours he needed a diversion from work. divertV.
271
diversity
N. variety; dissimilitude. The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of ability are being cared for.
272
divest
V. strip; deprive. He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern. divestiture N.
273
divine
V. perceive intuitively; foresee the future. Nothing infuriated Tom more than Aunt Polly's ability to divine when he was telling the truth.
274
divulge
V. reveal. No lover of gossip Charlotte would never divulge anything that a friend told her in confidence.
275
docile
ADJ. obedient; easily managed. As docile as he seems today that old lion was once a ferocious snarling beast. docility N.
276
doctrinaire
ADJ. unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding. Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China but the repressive response of the doctri¬naire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.
277
doctrine
N. teachings in general; particular principle (reli¬gious legal etc.) taught. He was so committed to the doc¬trines of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially.
278
document
V. provide written evidence. She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm. also N.
279
doff
V. take off. A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady.
280
dogged
ADJ. determined; stubborn. Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long dogged pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.
281
doggerel
N. poor verse. Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work most of her writing is mere doggerel.
282
dogmatic
ADJ. opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.
283
doldrums
N. blues; listlessness; slack period. Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over she found herself in the doldrums.
284
doleful
ADJ. sorrowful. He found the doleful lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could.
285
dolt
N. stupid person. I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead I find myself addressing a pack of dolts and idiots.
286
domicile
N. home. Although his legal domicile was in New York City his work kept him away from his residence for many years. alsoV.
287
domineer
V. rule over tyrannically. Students prefer teach¬ers who guide not ones who domineer.
288
don
V. put on. When Clark Kent has to don his Superman outfit he changes clothes in a convenient phone booth.
289
doodle
V. scribble or draw aimlessly; waste time. Art's teachers scolded him when he doodled all over the margins of his papers.
290
dormant
ADJ. sleeping; lethargic; latent. At fifty her long¬dormant ambition to write flared up once more; within a year she had completed the first of her great historical novels.
291
dormer
N. window projecting from roof. In remodeling the attic into a bedroom we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient ventilation for the new room.
292
dossier
N. file of documents on a subject. Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator the FBI compiled a complete dossieron him.
293
dote
V. be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline. Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the little rascals too. Poor old Alf clearly doted: the senile old dotard was past it; in fact he was in his dotage.
294
douse
V. plunge into water; drench; extinguish. They doused each other with hoses and water balloons.
295
dowdy
ADJ. slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a new fashionable wardrobe.
296
downcast
ADJ. disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.
297
drab
ADJ. dull; lacking color; cheerless. The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive colorful native costume she wore beneath it.
298
draconian
ADJ. extremely severe. When the principal can¬celed the senior prom because some seniors had been late to school that week we thought the draconian punish¬ment was far too harsh for such a minor violation of the rules.
299
dregs
N. sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs.
300
drivel
N. nonsense; foolishness. Why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic drivel Drivel is related to dribble: think of a dribbling driveling idiot.
301
droll
ADJ. queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.
302
drone
N. idle person; male bee. Content to let his wife support him the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.
303
drone
V. talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee. On a gor¬geous day who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone
304
dross
N. waste matter; worthless impurities. Many meth¬ods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross.
305
drudgery
N. menial work. Cinderella's fairy godmother res¬cued her from a life of drudgery.
306
dubious
ADJ. questionable; filled with doubt. Many critics of SAT I contend the test is of dubious worth. Jay claimed he could get a perfect 1600 on SAT I but Ellen was dubi¬ous: she knew he hadn't cracked a book in three years.
307
ductile
ADJ. malleable; flexible; pliable. Copper is an extremely ductile material: you can stretch it into the thinnest of wires bend it even wind it into loops.
308
dulcet
ADJ. sweet sounding. The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel.
309
dumbfound
V. astonish. Egbert's perfect 1600 on his SAT I exam dumbfounded his classmates who had always found him to be perfectly dumb.
310
dupe
N. someone easily fooled. While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool. alsoV.
311
duplicity
N. double-dealing; hypocrisy. When Tanya learned that Mark had been two-timing her she was furious at his duplicity.
312
duration
N. length of time something lasts. Because she wanted the children to make a good impression on the din¬ner guests Mother promised them a treat if they'd behave for the duration of the meal.
313
duress
N. forcible restraint especially unlawfully. The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners' demands were met.
314
dutiful
ADJ. respectful; obedient. When Mother told Billy to kiss Great-Aunt Hattie the boy obediently gave the old woman a dutiful peck on her cheek.
315
dwarf
V. cause to seem small. The giant redwoods and high cliffs dwarfed the elegant Ahwahnee Hotel making it appear a modest lodge rather than an imposing hostelry.
316
dwindle
V. shrink; reduce. The food in the life boat gradu¬ally dwindled away to nothing; in the end they ate the ship's cook.
317
dynamic
ADJ. energetic; vigorously active. The dynamic aerobics instructor kept her students on the run; she was a little dynamo.
318
earthy
ADJ. unrefined; coarse. His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in his audience.
319
ebb
V. recede; lessen. Sitting on the beach Mrs. Dalloway watched the tide ebb: the waters receded drawing away from her as she sat there all alone. also N.
320
ebullient
ADJ. showing excitement; overflowing with enthu¬siasm. Amy's ebullient nature could not be repressed; she' was always bubbling over with excitement. ebullience N.
321
eccentric
ADJ. irregular; odd; whimsical; bizarre. The comet veered dangerously close to the earth in its eccentric orbit. People came up with some eccentric ideas for deal¬ing with the emergency: someone even suggested tieing a knot in the comet's tail!
322
eccentricity
N. oddity; idiosyncrasy. Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to strangers as the eccen¬tricity of genius.
323
ecclesiastic
ADJ. pertaining to the church. The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the pulpit. also N.
324
eclectic
ADJ. composed of elements drawn from dis¬parate sources. His style of interior decoration was eclec¬tic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique decor. eclecticism N.
325
eclipse
V. darken; extinguish; surpass. The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1995.
326
ecologist
N. a person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment. The ecolo¬gist was concerned that the new dam would upset the nat¬ural balance of the creatures living in Glen Canyon.
327
economy
N. efficiency or conciseness in using something. Reading the epigrams of Pope I admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of meaning. (sec¬ondary meaning)
328
ecstasy
N. rapture; joy; any overpowering emotion. When Allison received her long-hoped-for letter of acceptance from Harvard she was in ecstasy. ecstaticADJ.
329
eddy
N. swirling current of water air etc. The water in the tide pool was still except for an occasional eddy.
330
edict
N. decree (especially issued by a sovereign); official command. The emperor issued an edict decreeing that everyone should come see him model his magnificent new clothes.
331
edify
V. instruct; correct morally. Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience many of his listeners were amused rather than enlightened.
332
eerie
ADJ. weird. In that eerie setting it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings.
333
efface
V. rub out. The coin had been handled so many times that its date had been effaced.
334
effectual
ADJ. able to produce a desired effect; valid. Medical researchers are concerned because of the devel¬opment of drug-resistant strains of bacteria; many once useful antibiotics are no longer effectual in curing bacterial infections.
335
effervescence
N. inner excitement or exuberance; bub¬bling from fermentation or carbonation. Nothing depressed Sue for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself. Soda that loses its effervescence goes flat. efferves¬cent ADJ. effervesceV.
336
efficacy
N. power to produce desired effect. The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the dosage. effica¬ciousADJ.
337
effigy
N. dummy. The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in effigy.
338
effrontery
N. shameless boldness. She had the effrontery to insult the guest.
339
effusive
ADJ. pouring forth; gushing. Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them. effu¬sion N.
340
egoism
N. excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in others. His egoism prevented him from seeing the needs of his col¬leagues.
341
egotistical
ADJ. excessively self-centered; self-important; conceited. Typical egotistical remark: "But enough of this chit-chat about you and your little problems. Let's talk about what's really important: Me!"
342
egregious
ADJ. notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking. She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said. Ed's housekeeping was egregious: he let his dirty dishes pile up so long that they were stuck together with last week's food.
343
egress
N. exit. Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and instead found themselves in the street.
344
ejaculation
N. exclamation. He could not repress an ejacu¬lation of surprise when he heard the news.
345
elaboration
N. addition of details; intricacy. Tell what hap¬pened simply without any elaboration. elaborateV.
346
elated
ADJ. overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning from ear to ear Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her fifth Olympic gold medal. elation N.
347
elegy
N. poem or song expressing lamentation. On the death of Edward King Milton composed the elegy "Lyci¬das." elegiacalADJ.
348
elicit
V. draw out by discussion. The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.
349
elixir
N. cure-all; something invigorating. The news of her chance to go abroad acted on her like an elixir.
350
ellipsis
N. omission of words from a text. Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier as in the sentence "Once dressed you should refrigerate the potato salad."
