Word List 31 Flashcards
relate
to give an account of; tell
e.g. We listened eagerly as she related the whole exciting story.
relegate
to send into exile; banish
assign
e.g. The bill has been relegated to committee for discussion.
Courtiers and generals who incurred the emperor’s disfavor were soon relegated to the farther reaches of the empire.
relent
to become less severe, harsh, or strict usually from reasons of humanity
to cease resistance; give in
let up, slacken
e.g. Our application was initially refused, but the city relented in the end and the permit was issued.
relish
characteristic flavor; especially, pleasing or zestful flavor
a strong liking; inclination
to be pleased or gratified by; enjoy
to appreciated with taste and discernment
e.g. He took particular relish in pointing out my error.
I relish traveling to new places.
reminisce
to indulge in reminiscence
e.g. He reminisced about his time in Europe.
remiss
negligent in the performance of work or duty; careless
showing neglect or inattention; lax
e.g. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you how much I appreciated the lovely gift.
remunerative
providing remuneration; profitable
e.g. investors seeking more remunerative opportunities
a highly remunerative investment that ended up paying for my college tuition
rend
to remove from place by violence; wrest
to split or tear apart in pieces by violence
to lacerate mentally or emotionally
e.g. mourners rending their clothes in grief
render
to transmit to another; deliver give up, yield to give in return or retribution to cause to be or become to reproduce or represent by artistic or verbal means to direct the execution of; administer
e.g. enough rainfall to render irrigation unnecessary
documents rendered in the original French
render a salute / render justice
rendering
an act or instance of performing, rendition, or depiction, as of a dramatic or musical part
a translation
e.g. her rendering of the part of Hedda
Chapman’s rendering of Homer
renegade
a deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another
an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior
e.g. stories about pirates and renegades on the high sea
renege
deny, renounce
revoke
to go back on a promise or commitment
e.g. They had promised to pay her tuition but later reneged.
renounce
to give up, refuse, or resign usually by formal declaration
to refuse to follow, obey, or recognize any further; repudiate
e.g. Many of his former supporters have renounced him.
renounce the authority of the church
renown
a state of being widely acclaimed and highly honored; fame
e.g. Her photographs have earned her international renown.
rent
an opening made by or as if by rending
a split in a party or organized group; schism
an act or instance of rending
repartee
a quick and witty reply; a succession or interchange of clever retorts; amusing and usually light sparring with words
adroitness and cleverness in reply; skill in repartee
e.g. The repartee to the reporter’s question drew laughs from the bystanders.
repatriate
(transitive) to restore or return to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship
e. g. Countries are required to repatriate prisoners of war when conflict has ended.
repercussion
reflection, reverberation
an action or effect given or exerted in return; a reciprocal action or effect
a widespread, indirect, or unforeseen effect of an act, action, or even (oft. pl.)
e.g. Your decision not to go to college will have repurcissions you’ll feel for years to come.
repertory
a place where something may be found; repository
repertoire
a company that presents several different plays alternately in the course of a season at one theater
production of plays by a repertory company
e.g. She acted in repertory for many years.
repine
to be fretfully discontented; fret, complain
e.g. There is no using repining over a love that’s been long lost.
replenish
to fill with persons or animals; stock
to fill with inspiration or power; nourish
to fill or build up again
to make good; replace
e.g. An efficient staff of workers replenished the trays of appetizers almost as quickly as gusts emptied them.
replete
fully or abundantly provided or filled
e.g. a book replete with delicious details
reportorial
of or relating to a reporter
of, noting, or characteristic of a report
e.g. His lectures are more reportorial than analytical.
reprehend
to voice disapproval of; censure
e.g. Without exception, book reviewers reprehend the novel’s tired plot.
reprehensible
worthy of or deserving reprehension; culpable
reprieve
to delay the punishment of (as a condemned prisoner)
to give grief or deliverance to for a time
e.g. He was sentenced to death but then reprieved.
The library has been reprieved and will remain open for at least another year.
reprimand
a severe or formal reproof
to reprove sharply or censure formally usually from a position of authority
e.g. reprimanded the summer intern for her constant tardiness
reprisal
the act or instance in international law or resorting to force short of war in retaliation for damage or loss suffered
the regaining of something (as by recapture)
something (as a sum of money) given or paid in restitution (oft. pl.)
e.g. The allies threatened economic reprisal against the invading country.
The hostages were taken in reprisal for the bombing.
reprise
a recurrence, renewal, or resumption of an action
e.g. The team is hoping to avoid a reprise of last year’s defeat.
reproach
an expression of rebuke or disapproval
discredit, disgrace
also
e.g. Accusations and reproaches from both parties made it difficult to pursue discussions.
She cleared her throat as a way of a reproaching us for having our elbows on the table.
reprobate
to condemn strongly as unworthy, unacceptable, or evil to foreordain to damnation to refuse to accept; reject also morally corrupt; depraved
e.g. Without hesitation she reprobated such an indecent idea.
a reprobate judge who could be bribed, and often with astonishing ease
reproof
criticism for a fault; rebuke
e.g. The fear of reproof prevented them from complaining.
reprove
to scold or correct usually gently or with kindly intent
to express disapproval of; censure
e.g. It is not for me to reprove popular taste.
reptile
a person who cannot be trusted or who is not likable
reptilian
cold-bloodedly treacherous
e.g. a reptilian villain
repudiate
to refuse to have anything to do with; disown
to reject as untrue or unjust
to refuse to acknowledge
e.g. a generation that has repudiated the values of the past
repudiate a charge / repudiate a debt
repugnant
incompatible, inconsistent
exciting distaste or aversion
e.g. graffiti that featured absolutely repugnant racial slurs
A bylaw must not be repugnant to the general law of the country.
repulse
to drive or beat back; repel
to cause repulsion
rebuff, rejection
the action of repelling an attack
e.g. I was repulsed by the movie’s violence.
The waiter’s incredibly rude repulse of our polite request for a better prompted us to walk out.
repute
believe, consider
the character or status commonly ascribed to one; reputation
the state of being favorably known, spoken of, or esteemed
e.g. a person reputed to be a billionaire
a shop with good repute
requisite
essential, necessary
also
e.g. This new CD is the requisite album of the year for classical music lovers.
requite
to make return for; repay
to make retaliation for; avenge
to make suitable return to for a benefit or service or for an injury
e.g. The company requited the employee who had fallen on the ice while leaving work by promptly paying all his medical bills, hoping that would stave off a lawsuit.
The future writer would later requite the abuse he suffered at the hands of his classmates by creating scathing portraits of them in his novels.
rescind
to take away; remove
take back, cancel
e.g. The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors.
refuse to rescind the offer
rescission
- rescind
e. g. The judge ruled that the town’s rescission of the contract was justified due the contractor’s repeated failures to meet its obligations.
reside
to dwell permanently or continuous; occupy a place as one’s domicile
to be present as an element or quality
to be vested as a right
e.g. Meaning resides within the text of the poem.
resignation
an act or instance of resigning something; surrender
the quality or state of being resigned; submissiveness
e.g. meet his fate with resignation
resigned
submissive, acquiescent
e.g. resigned to his fate
resilient
capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture
tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change
e.g. a resilient economy
resonant
continuing to sound; echoing
capable of inducing resonance
intensified and enriched by or as if by resonance
e.g. the resonant tones of the piano
words resonant with meaning
resound
to become filled with sound; reverberate
to sound loudly; to produce a sonorous or echoing sound
to become renowned
to extol loudly or widely; celebrate
e.g. The organ resounded throughout the church.
His speech resounded throughout the world.
resourceful
able to meet situations; capable of devising ways and means
respite
a period of temporary delay
an interval of rest or relief
to grant a temporary period of relief; grant respite to
put off; delay
e.g. The bad weather has continued without respite.
resplendent
shining brilliantly; characterized by a glowing splendor
e.g. meadows resplendent with flowers
The house was deserted, just a melancholy wreckage of a vanished and resplendent time.
respondent
one who maintains a thesis in reply
one who answers in various legal proceedings
a person who responds to a poll
restitution
a restoration of something to its rightful owner
a making good of or giving an equivalent for some injury
a legal action serving to cause restoration of a previous state
e.g. the restitution of her stolen property
make restitution to the victim
restive
stubbornly resisting control; balky
marked by impatience or uneasiness; fidgety
e.g. The restive horse threw its head and refused to move when the rider urged it forward.
spend a restive night worrying about the exam
resuscitate
to revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness; also, revitalize
e.g. She hopes to resuscitate the currently defunct charity.
retainer
a person attached or owing service to a household; especially, servant
employee
retaliate
to repay (as an injury) in kind to return like for like; especially, to get revenge
e.g. After the company announced plans to reduce benefits, the union threatened to retaliate by calling for a strike.
retard
to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or accomplishment; impede
e.g. The problems have retarded the progress of the program.
reticent
inclined to be silent or uncommunicative in speech; reserved
restrained in expression, presentation, or appearance
reluctant
e.g. The panel decided to investigate the fraud charges against the company, which has always been reticent about its internal operations.
Her husband is by nature a reticent person, and she resigned herself to that fact long ago.
retinue
a group of retainers or attendants
e.g. the king and his retinue
retiring
reserved, shy
e.g. One retiring girl was sitting alone quietly in a corner during the party.
retort
to pay or hurl back; return
to make a reply to; to answer by a counter argument
to answer back usually sharply
a quick, witty, or cutting reply
retouch
to rework in order to improve; touch up
to alter to produce a more desirable appearance
e.g. The photo had been retouched to remove the wrinkles of his eyes.
retrench
cut down, reduce
to cut out; excise
to pare away; remove
to make retrenchment; specifically, economize
e.g. When the economy slowed, the company was forced to retrench.
retribution
recompense, reward
the dispensing or receiving of reward or punishment especially in the hereafter
something given or exacted in recompense; especially, punishment
e.g. without fear of retribution
The neighborhood is being torn apart by an endless cycle of gang violence and retribution.
retrieve
rescue, salvage
restore, revive
to remedy the evil consequences of; correct
e.g. to retrieve an error
His writings retrieves the past.
revel
to take part in a revel; carouse
to take intense pleasure or satisfaction
a usually wild party or celebration
e.g. reveled in the quiet after everyone had gone
The holiday ushers in a nationwide revel as the Finns celebrate the endless hours of sunlight.
revelry
noisy partying or merrymaking
e.g. The lottery winner was exhausted after a long night of revelry.
revenant
one that returns after death or a long absence
reverberate
reflect
repel
echo
to continue in or as if in a series of echoes; resound
e.g. The sound of thunder reverberated from one end of the mountain pass to the other.
an historic event that still reverberates today
jape
to say or do something jokingly or mockingly
a make mocking fun of
also
e.g. The characters in his plays jape with a readiness and sophistication that is rarely, if ever, encountered in real life.
By the standards of today’s no-holds-barred satire, his homespun japes about politician seem awfully.
reverie
daydream
the condition of being lost in thought
e.g. I was lost in reverie and didn’t realize my flight was boarding until it was almost too late.
revile
to subject to verbal abuse; vituperate
e.g. Many people reviled him for his callous behavior.
revert
to return to a former habit, practice, belief, condition, etc.
to go back in thought or discussion
e.g. They reverted to the ways of their ancestors.
He constantly reverted to his childhood.
revolt
to renounce allegiance or subjection; rebel
to experience disgust or shock
e.g. revolt against the present government
revolt at the sight of blood
revue
a theatrical production consisting typically of briefly loosely connected often often satirical skits, songs, and dances (usually about current events)
rhetoric
the art of speaking or writing effectively
insincere or grandiloquent language
e.g. The mayor’s promise to right drugs was just rhetoric, since there was no money in the city budget for a drug program.
rhinestone
a small stone that is made to look like a diamond and that is used in jewelry or for decoration
rhubarb
a plant with large green leaves and with thick pink or red stems that are cooked and used in pies, jams
a heated dispute or controversy
e.g. a basketball coach whose ranting rhubarbs with officials are the stuff of legend
ribald
a ribald person
crude, offensive
characterized by or using coarse indecent humor
e.g. Some of the movie’s most ribald, and thus funniest, scenes were cut for showing on broadcast television.
a ribald tale rife with double entendres and racy innuendo
ribaldry
- ribald
e. g. There’s a ribaldry in the works of Chaucer that generations of students of English literature have heartily enjoyed.
rickety
lacking stability or firmness; shaky
in unsound physical condition
e.g. a rickety coalition
rickety veterans/stairs
rider
an addition to a document
something used to overlie another or to move along on another piece
e.g. Congress added a rider to the health insurance bill.
rife
prevalent especially to an increasing degree
abundant, common
copiously supplied; abounding (oft. used with with)
e.g. Speculation about who would be fired ran rife for weeks.
a city government rife with malfeasance and corruption
rifle
to ransack especially with the intent to steal
to steal and carry away
e.g. She rifled through the cassette tapes.
The lieutenant’s servant rifled the dead man’s possessions.
rift
fissure, crevasse
a clear space or interval
breach, estrangement
e.g. The fight will only widen the rift with his brothers.
We could see some stars through the rifts in the clouds.
rig
to put in condition or position for use; adjust, arrange
construct
to manipulate or control usually by deceptive or dishonest means
e.g. a car rigged for manual control
rig up a temporary shelter
rig an election / rig the contest
rile
to make agitated and angry; upset
to stir up; disturb, disorder, roil
e.g. One sure way to rile me is to keep yelling at me.
rind
a usually hard or tough outer layer; peel, crust
e.g. the rind of a cheese
ringlet
a small ring or circle
curl; especially, a long curl of hair
