One's Thoughts And Feelings example essay topic

AGREE Acquiesce: to agree to something, often unwillingly. Agree, concur. Reluctantly, he finally acquiesced to / in the plan. She has a very acquiescent nature. Concord: agreement and peace between nations and people. Countries living in concord.

DISAGREE Contravene: to do something that a law or rule does not permit, or to break a law or rule: This contravenes the Race Relations Act. By accepting the money, she was in contravention of company regulations. Demur: (vs. ; n.) to object; objection; misgiving. She hated animals, so when the subject of buying a cat came up, she demurred. She said yes, but he detected a demur in her voice. She agreed to her request without demur.

Dissent: strong difference of opinion on a particular subject She dissents form the motion / on how to approach the problem. Discord: a lack of agreement and shared opinion. A note of discord has crept between the USA and Europe. EXALT Adulation: (n.) high praise, esp. when it is more than deserved. The adulation given to the movie star was sickening.

Anoint: (v.) to crown; ordain; It remains to be seen what chairman will be anointed as his successor. He is the anointed successor to the presidency. Encomium Eulogy: (n.) a speech, poem, writing, etc. containing great praise. The song was a eulogy to the joys of traveling.

The last thing he relished before his death was that he wanted a eulogy. Laud: (v.) praise. He lauded his daughter for winning the accolade. Panegyric: (n.) high praise in writing. His panegyric to his opponent stood in sharp contrast to the harsh tenor of the campaign. He delivered a panegyric on the president.

Tribute: (n.) expression of admiration Her performance was a tribute to her retiring teacher. Venerate: (v.) revere; honor or greatly respect. The missionary was venerated for the help he had given the homeless. Vivien Leigh is America's most venerated actress. VERBAL ATTACK Abase: (v.) to degrade; humiliate; disgrace.

The insecure father abased his children whenever they failed. The pilgrims knelt in self-abasement. Acerbic: (adj.) tasting sour; harsh in language or temper. The columnist's acerbic comments engendered public distress. Asperity: the quality of being severe in the way that one speaks or behaves; harshness.

The asperity of her manner is what engenders such hatred. The asperity of the winter has almost everybody yearning for spring. Aspersion: (n.) slanderous statement; a damaging or derogatory criticism. Real gentlemen do not cast aspersions on others. He blamed the loss of his job on an aspersion stated by his co-worker to his superior. Berate: to criticize or speak in an angry manner to someone.

Scold; reprove; reproach. The parents berated their child for breaking the china. Doctors are often berated for being deplorable communicators of someone's death. Blatant: something bad that is obvious or intentional; crude; vulgar The whole episode was a blatant attempt to gain publicity. The defendant was blatant in his testimonial. A blatant lie / to blatantly lie Caustic: (adj.) burning; sarcastic; harsh.

His caustic sense of humor isn't always apposite. Caustic comments / wit. Defame / Defamation / Defamatory: (n.) to harm a name or reputation; to slander. He is suing for defamation of character. The actress claimed the magazine had defamed her. Denigrate: (v.) to defame, to blacken or sully; to belittle.

He found out her evil secret, announced it to the council and denigrated her in public. You shouldn't denigrate people simply because their opinions are different from yours. Deprecate: (v.) to express disapproval of; to protest against. The environmentalists deprecated the paper companies for cutting down ancient forests. Derision / Deride: (v.) to laugh at with contempt; to mock. No matter what he said, he was derided.

The angry husband treated her suggestion to divorce with derision. Her speech was with hoots / howls of derision. Diatribe: (n.) a bitter or abusive speech. He launched into a long diatribe against the government policies. During the divorce hearings she delivered a diatribe full of emotion.

Disparage: (v.) to belittle; undervalue. The actor's work for charity has recent been disparaged by the press to gain publicity. Only when the secretary left did the boss realize how much he had disparaged the value of her assistance. Fulminate: (v.) to issue a strong denunciation; to criticize strongly. She fulminated against her opponent's double standards. I had to listen to my father fulminating against the government.

Gainsay: (v.) to speak against; to contradict; to deny; to refuse to accept something as the truth. He was the only one to gainsay the law, so it was passed. Certainly, there's no gainsaying the technical brilliance of his performance. Impugn: (v.) to attack with words; to question the truthfulness or integrity. The defense lawyer impugned the witness's testimony, setting back the prosecution's case.

Are you impugning my competence a professional designer? Malign / Malignity: (vs. ; adj.) to speak evil of; having an evil disposition toward others. She has recently been maligned in the gossip columns. She described pornography as a malign industry. Pejorative: (adj.) making things worse; disapproving or suggesting that something is not good or of no importance. Politically correct individuals believe that "fat" is a pejorative word.

The pejorative comment deepened the dislike between the two families. Slander / Vilify: (v.) defame; maliciously misrepresent. She regarded her comment as a slander on his good reputation. He was vilified by the press as the monster of perversity. Wry: (adj.) mocking; cynical; showing that one finds a difficult situation amusing. He has a wry sense of humor which sometimes hurts people's feelings.

A wry smile / comment. POSITIVE SPEECH Articulate Cogent: (adj.) to the point, clearly expressed and persuasive. He made a short, cogent speech which his audience easily understood. She argued most cogently for a relaxation of the sanctions. Coherent Copious Defensible Delineate Depict Discourse: (v.) to converse; to communicate in an orderly fashion. The scientists discoursed on a conference call and were able to solve three problems.

OR (n.) a speech of piece of writing about a particular, usually serious, subject. A discourse on / upon the nature of life after death. Eloquence Elucidate: (v.) to explain or make clear. I don't understand. Please, elucidate. The scientists have elucidated the reasons for the severe weather changes of this week.

Germane: (adj.) pertinent; related; to the point. Her essay contained germane information. Her remarks were germane to the discussion. Illuminate: (v.) make understandable; light or make brighter. An article which illuminates the issue at stake. Incisive: (adj.) acute; to express an idea or opinion in a clear and persuasive way.

His incisive questioning / comments helped settle the matter. Lucid: (adj.) clearly expressed and easily understood; shining. She gave a lucid account of her plans for the future of the company. Pertinent: (adj.) related to the matter at hand.

A pertinent question / remark. Pithy: (adj.) terse and full of meaning. Pithy remarks / comments. Polemicist: (n.) a person skilled in argument. The polemicist could debate any case skillfully.

Rhetorician: (n.) a person who is good at speaking in public. Salient: (adj.) noticeable; prominent The article presented the salient facts of the dispute. What is salient about the report is the evidence presented about life in Mars. Salient points / features / facts.

Terse: (adj.) concise, sometimes in a way that seems rude or unfriendly. She believed in getting to the point, so she always gave terse answers. Veracious: (adj.) conforming to fact; accurate. The video confirmed that the witness's account was in fact a veracious one.

NEGATIVE SPEECH Circuitous Circumlocution: (n.) a roundabout or indirect way of saying something, especially something unpleasant. The child made a long speech using circumlocution to avoid stating that it was she who had knocked over the lamp. Politicians are experts at circumlocution. It was a circumlocutory documentary that could have easily been abridged to half its actual length. Diffuse Digressing / Diverging Disarray Ellipsis: (n.) when words are left out of a sentence but the meaning can be understood. An example of ellipsis is "What percentage was left?"Twenty" ( = 20 percent) His message was written in a deliberate elliptical style.

Gibber: (v.) speak foolishly; speak quickly in a way that cannot be understood, especially when one is frightened or confused. Stop gibbering and tell us what you saw. He was prone to gibbering when speaking in front of an audience. Inchoate: (adj.) not yet fully formed; rudimentary; not completely developed or clear. The outline of the thesis was the inchoate form of a very complex theory.

She had a child's inchoate awareness of language. Incoherent Indecipherable Insipid Jargon Verbose: (adj.) wordy; talkative; using more words than necessary. The verbose speech was too long and difficult to follow. OTHER COMMUNICATION Cant Contend: (v.) claim; to state that something is true or a fact. The lawyer contended (that) her client had never been near the scene of the crime. OR to compete in order to win something.

There are two tennis players contending for this title. The neophyte was contending against someone with twice his experience. Dictum Disavow: (v.) to deny; to refuse to acknowledge. Disavow rumors / one's past. Extemporize: (v.) to speak or perform without preparation or thought.

I lost my notes and I had to extemporize. Impromptu Innuendo: (n.) hint; insinuation. The office was rife with innuendo that a takeover was in the works. Insinuate Intercede: (v.) to plead on behalf of another; mediate. The superpower was called on to intercede in the talks between the two warring nations. Jargon Neologism: (n.) giving a new meaning to an old word.

"Bad" is a neologism for good. Polemic: (n.) a writing in which a person strongly defends or attacks an idea, opinion, belief, person, etc. She has published a fierce anti-war polemic. A polemical essay. Rectify: (v.) correct or make right. The service manager rectified the shipping mistake by refunding the customer's money.

We must rectify the misspelling before the book is printed. Refute / Refutation / Rebut / Rebuttal: (v.) challenge; disprove. He refuted the proposal, deeming it unfair. To refute / rebut a person / theory / argument / claim.

She issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the company's accusations. Rhapsodize: (v.) to speak or write in a very enthusiastic manner. He's always rhapsodizing about / over the joys of having children. Rhetorical Ribald: (adj.) vulgar joking or mocking; language that refers to sex in a rude but humorous way. Some people find the comedian's ribald act offensive.

He entertained us with his ribald stories. Soliloquy Succinct: (adj.) consisting of few words; concise; express without unnecessary words. Keep your letter succinct and to the point. Tacit: (adj.) not voiced or expressed; understood without being expressed directly. Tacit support / approval / agreement. Vehement: (adj.) intense; excited; enthusiastic.

Despite vehement opposition from his family, he quit school and became an actor. Both men were vehement in their denial. Vehement statement / denial. Allude: refer indirectly to something. Without stating that the defendant was an ex-convict, the prosecutor alluded to the fact by mentioning his length of unemployment. SOCIAL Amity / Amiable Charisma Coterie: (n.) a clique; a group who meets frequently, usually socially.

A coterie of writers. Garrulous: (adj.) extremely talkative or wordy, esp. about unimportant things. No one wanted to talk to the garrulous man for fear of being stuck in a long conversation. Genial: (adj.) contributing to life; amiable. Key West's genial climate is among its many attractive aspects. Her genial personality made her a favorite party guest.

Gregarious Ingratiate: (adj.) to make someone like you by praising or trying to please them. He's always trying to ingratiate himself with his boss by bringing him flowers. Loquacious: (adj.) very talkative; garrulous. Voluble: (adj.) fluent (characterized by a great flow of words-talkative); speaking a lot with confidence and enthusiasm.

His voluble style works well on TV. OR expressed in many words. The voluble host barely let his guests get a word in edgewise. Not often does one hear such voluble praise for his government.

ANTI-SOCIAL Adverse / Adversary Aloof Altercation: (n.) controversy; dispute; a loud argument or disagreement. A serious altercation caused the marriage to end in a bitter divorce. The altercation between the two men started inside the restaurant. Churlishness: rude, friendly, and unpleasant; crude or surly; behavior of a peasant.

I thought it would be churlish to decline his dinner invitation. Contempt Contentious Crass Cynic Desolate Detached Discrete Disobliging: (adj.) unwilling to help or do what one is asked to do. Her disobliging attitude exacerbated cooperation at the summer camp. Disputatious Distant Fatuous Infamy / Infamous Intransigent Petulant: (adj.) peevish; cranky; rude; easily annoyed and complaining in a childish and rude way.

His voice and choice of words become quite petulant when he hasn't got enough sleep. Rancor Recluse Reticent: (adj.) silent; reserved; shy; unwilling to talk about one's thoughts and feelings. He's reticent about his past. The students were reticent about answering any questions. The reticent girl player by herself while all the other children played together. Ruffian: (n.) tough person or a hoodlum; a violent, wild and unpleasant man.

Contrary to popular opinion, ruffians are nothing new in the city. Taciturn: (adj.) inclined to silence; speaking little; dour, stern He's a reserved, taciturn person. Vendetta HAUGHTINESS Bombast: pompous speech; pretentious words; using long and difficult words, usually to make people think that you know more than you do. After he delivered his bombast at the podium, he haughtily left the meeting. A bombastic preacher / a bombastic statement. Conceit Gloat: (v.) brag; glory over; She gloated over the fact that she received the highest score on the exam.

His enemies were quick to gloat at his humiliation. Narcissistic Obdurate: (adj.) stubborn; The President remains obdurate on the question tax cuts. Several obdurate / facts remain, preventing a compromise solution. Rant: (v.) to speak in a loud, pompous manner; rave. He disputed the bill with the shipper, ranting that he was dealing with thieves... Rebuff: (n.) a blunt refusal to offered help, often by answering in an unfriendly way.

The rebuff of her aid plan came as a shock. She rebuffed all suggestions that she should resign. Vaunt: (v.) boasted of. When her son was accepted to college, she vaunted his success to everyone.

DIFFIDENCE Servile: (adj.) slavish; groveling; too eager to serve and please everyone else in a way that shows a lack of respect towards yourself. As a waiter to want to be nice to people without appearing utterly servile. Unpretentious Vacuous: (adj.) dull, stupid; empty-headed; not expressing or showing intelligence thought or purpose. A vacuous remark / expression / thought / smile. HUMANE Altruism Beneficent Candid Clemency Complaisance: (n.) the quality of being agreeable or eager to please. The complaisance of the new assistant made it easy for the managers to give him a lot of work without worrying that he may complain.

Deference / Deferent Magnanimity / Magnanimous Munificent: (adj.) very generous in giving; lavish. A former student has donated a munificent amount of money to the college. Obsequious: (adj.) servilely attentive; fawning; too eager to praise or obey someone. She is almost embarrassingly obsequious to anyone with power. Philanthropy Render Reverent Scrupulous EVIL Baleful: (adj.) harmful, malign, detrimental; full of evil intentions; threatening. Baleful look / influence.

AT WORK Abeyance: (n.) a state of not happening or not being used at present; suspension of an activity; postponement. Hostilities between the two groups have been in abeyance since last July. The projects is being held in abeyance until agreement is reaches on funding. Adept: skilled, practiced.

The web designer was adept at creating commercial web sites. Adroit: Clever or expert. The driver's adroit driving avoided a serious accident. Alacrity Allocate Arid: unsuccessful. After several arid years the company has become successful.

OR not interesting and lacking in imagination. I found his writing to be extremely arid. Aspirant Assiduous Complacent: a feeling of calm satisfaction with one's own abilities or situation that precludes one from trying harder. We can't afford to become complacent about any of our products. There is no room for complacency if we want to stay in the competition.

Diligence Finesse Fledgling Hone Inept Implement Jester Mercenary Painstaking: (adj.) thorough, careful, precise, and using a lot of effort. Helga's painstaking research paid off with a top grade on her essay. He was described by his colleagues as a painstaking journalist. Predecessor Privy Relegate Stamina Virtuoso INDOLENCE Haggard Hiatus Laggard Lassitude Lethargy Loiter / Meander: (v.) to spend time aimlessly. Many teenagers loiter around the mall when there's nothing else to do.

They meandered through the woods for the afternoon. Quiescence / Quiescent Respite: (n.) recess; rest period; a pause or rest before something unpleasant happens. The workers talked and drank coffee during the respite. We worked for hours without respite. OR a useful delay before something unpleasant happens.

The teacher was away, so they had a day's respite before the essay was due. Slothful: unwillingness to work or make any effort. The slothful actions of the player led to his benching. The report criticizes the government's sloth in tackling environmental problems. Slothful teenagers. Soporific: (adj.) causing sleep.

The soporific effect of the heat / medication. Tarry: (v.) to go or move slowly; delay; to stay somewhere for longer than expected and delay leaving. She tarried too long, and therefore missed her train. Torpid: (adj.) lacking alertness and activity; lethargic. The old, torpid dog spent most of his time sleeping. With the loss of cabin pressure passengers will become torpid and lose consciousness.

MOVEMENT Inert Lunge: (v.) to move suddenly; to mover forward suddenly and with force, esp. to attack. He suddenly lunged at her with a broken bottle. The owl will lunge at its prey in order to take it off guard. Rummage: (v.) search thoroughly.

She rummaged in / through all the drawers to find a pen. I had a rummage around / about the house to find my certificate. Saunter: (v.) to walk at a leisurely pace; stroll. The lovely couple sauntered down the wooded path. Saunter by / saunter down the street. Sojourn Stagnant Trek Turbulence IMMATURITY Callow Gullible Ing " enu e Lax OBIDIENCEBMISSIVE Accede Compliant Concede Docile Fealty Passive Steadfast Tractable Zealot: (n.) believer; enthusiast; fan.

The zealot followed whatever rules the cult leader set. STRICTNESS Adamant Authoritarian Authoritative Autocrat / Autocracy Condescend Constrain Duress Exigent Prescriptive Rigor Subjugate Adamant: not yielding, firm. Graciela's parents were adamant by not allowing her to go to wilderness expeditions. SPOIL Caprice Coddle Fickle Indulgent Mercurial Whimsical REBELLIOUS Insubordinate Recalcitrant Unruly SAFETY Anchor / Anchorage: something or someone that can be relied on. Knowing the neighbors were right next door was an anchorage for the elderly woman.

PERIL Inimical: harmful or limiting. Excessive control is inimical to creative talent. Baneful: deadly or causing distress, death Not wearing a sit belt could be baneful. Deleterious: (adj.) harmful; hurtful; noxious Deleterious fumes were traced to the warehouse. These drugs have a proven deleterious effect on the nervous system. Pernicious: (adj.) dangerous; harmful.

The cuts in government funding will have a pernicious effect in health services. The banana had a pernicious impact on the asphalt on the road. Truculent: (adj.) fierce, savage, cruel. The truculent beast approached the crowd with wild eyes and sharpened claws.

OR unpleasant and tending to argue a lot. A truculent teenager. I found him truculent and unpleasant. GOOD SOUNDS Euphony Melodious BAD SOUNDS Cacophony Din Dissonance Raucous Rend Stridency: (n.) harshness or shrillness sound. The stridency of the whistle hurt the dog's ears.

People are put off by his strident voice. OR expressing in forceful language which does not try to avoid upsetting other people. A strident article / critique. Tyranny OTHER SOUNDS Guffaw Inaudible Percussion BRAVERY / STRENGTH Audacious Burly Intrepid Ossify Potent Salvage: (v.) to rescue from loss, esp. from a sinking boat or burning place. The family tried to salvage their belongings after their home was destroyed by a tornado. Tenacious: (adj.) holding tightly onto something; keeping an opinion in a determined way.

Tenacious opposition / support / hold. Valor / Valiant Vigor COWARD / WEAK Cower Craven Debilitate Emaciated Enervate Foible Languid Pallor / Pallid Tenuous: (adj.) thin, slim, delicate, weak; a tenuous idea, connection or situation is weak and possibly does not exist. We were only able to make a tenuous connection between the two robberies. Timorous: (adj.) fearful; nervous and lacking confidence or timid. Hillary came to accept him as a timorous soul who needed succor.

Trepidation Undermine Wither Attenuate: to make something smaller, thinner or weaker. Radiation from the sun is attenuated by the Earth's atmosphere. The alchemist attenuated the solution by adding water. CALM Alleviate Appease Assuage Conciliate Imperturbable Mitigate Placate FURY Choleric gleeful Impetuous Implacable Irascible Livid Pique Provoke / Provocative Rabid Reproach Reproof Rout Sedition Seethe: (v.) to be in a state of emotional turmoil; to become angry; to feel very angry but to be incapable or unwilling to express it clearly. The actors positively seethed with indignation when Julia won the accolade. By the end of the painfully long meeting he was seething.

He seethed at the prospect of losing the business to his conniving uncle. Spurn: (vs. ; n.) to push away; a strong rejection. Afraid of commitment, the woman spurned the advances of her suitor Unlucky to be the ninth telemarketer to call Jane that evening, he caught her spurn. Wrath PLEASING Behoove: to be advantageous; to be necessary; it is right for someone to do something. It will behoove the students to buy the books early. It ill behooves you to gossip.

Anchorage Behoove Rustic Savor Solace Suave: (adj.) effortlessly gracious. She was a suave negotiator, always getting what she wanted. DISPLEASING Asperity Nettle Tedious Vex LIKE / LOVE Commiserate Effigy Empathy Fervor Relish: (vs. n.) to like or enjoy something. I didn't relish telling her that her son had been arrested. She ate her cake slowly and with relish.

I have no relish for hunting and killing animals. OR if one relishes the idea or thought of something, one feels pleasure that it is going to happen. She's relishing the prospect of studying in Bologna for six months. Sympathy DISLIKE Abominate Antipathy Animosity Disdain Enmity Rancor Repudiate Disdain: (n. ; v.) intense dislike; look down upon; scorn; when you dislike someone or something and you think that they do not deserve your interest or respect. He shows great disdain towards anyone who disagrees with her.

Classic musicians disdain rock lovers. A disdainful expression. BLITHE Blissful Blithe Chortle Ebullience Effervescent Elated: (adj.) extremely happy or excited, often because something has been achieved. The prince was reported to be elated at / by the birth of her new daughter. Halcyon Jocund Jollity Jovial Levity Sanguine: (adj.) optimistic; cheerful; red.

They are less sanguine about the prospect for peace. Even when victory seemed impossible, the general remained sanguine. The dress was sanguine with a bright green border stripe. Vivacious UNHAPPINESS Bereft Contrite Dirge Disheartened Hone Lament Melancholy Morose Nostalgic Penitent Plaintive Poignancy: (n.) quality of being deeply moving; causing sadness; keenness of emotion. The photograph awakens poignant memories of happier days. It is especially poignant that he died the day before the wedding The poem has a hunting poignancy...

Remorse Solemnity Somber: (adj.) dark, depressing, gloomy; serious, sad and without humor or amusement. The sad story had put everyone in a somber mood. A somber atmosphere / voice / occasion / mood. Wretched BEAUTY Allure: (vs. ; n.) to attract; entice; attraction; temptation; glamour The romantic young man allured the beautiful woman by preparing a wonderful dinner. Singapore's allure is its bustling economy. Aesthetic Allure Comeliness Pulchritude Symmetry UGLY Amorphous Ungainly: (adj.) clumsy and unattractive.

Ducks are ungainly on land. NO EMOTION Apathy Dispassionate Impassive Phlegmatic Stoic: (adj.) detached; unruffled; calm; austere indifference to joy, grief, pleasure, or pain; determined not to complain or show one's feelings, esp. when something bad happens. The soldier had been in week after week of fierce battle; nonetheless, he remained stoic. He was stoical about the damage caused the hurricane. He endured the pains of his wound with great stoicism. She listened stoically as the guilty verdict was read out.

Stoical attitude / resignation. MORAL / HONORABLE Consecrate Dogma Homage Immaculate Parochial Pious Pristine IMMORAL / DISHONORABLE Blasphemous Heresy Depravity Desecrate Iconoclast Ignoble Lascivious Lecherous Maculate Pagan Renegade Reprehensible Shady Sordid: (adj.) filthy; base; vile. The sordid gutters needed to be cleaned after the long, rainy autumn. He told me he had an affair but he spared me the sordid details. Squalid: (adj.) filthy; wretched (from squalor). It's the usual squalid rock star tale of drug, sex and overdoses.

Stigma NATURAL Inborn Inherent Innate Susceptible Viable: (adj.) capable of sustaining life; possible; attainable; able to work as intended or able to succeed. Is life viable on Mars? It was deemed a viable option because the city did have the funds to support it. There is a continuous debate about the age at which a human fetus can be viable.

UNNATURAL / WEIRD Aberrant Amiss Anomaly Atypical Chimera Erratic Paradox Phenomenon Uncanny Unprecedented: (adj.) unheard of; exceptional. This century has witness environmental destruction on an unprecedented scale. Unwonted: (adj.) not ordinary; unusual; rarely experienced or showed. The unwonted migratory habits of the Canada geese always cause a mess.

He ran to the telephone with unwonted eagerness. LIFESTYLE / BEHAVIOR Abstemious Ascetic Hedonistic Quirk Gourmand Prodigal Vagabond / Vagrant FAKE Charlatan Cloying Dissemble Facade Feign Foist Guise Illusory Incognito Malinger Mimicry Perjury Specious Sycophant Synthetic LIE Erroneous: (adj.) wrong or false. An erroneous belief / impression. LIGHT Lucid Luminance Luminous Lustrous Resplendent INTELLIGENT Astute Feasible Judicious Perceptive Proverbial Prudent Sagacious: (adj.) wise. The old man gave sagacious advise. A sagacious person / comment / choice.

Urbane: (adj.) cultured; suave; esp. of a man, confident, comfortable and polite in social situations. The gala concert and dinner dance was attended by the most urbane individuals. He was urbane, humane and kind. UNINTELLIGENT Insular Obtuse Parochial Provincial Sectarian: (adj.) to be narrow minded or limited.

His sectarian beliefs and sectarian friend precluded him from listening to the other side. Vacuous: (adj.) dull; empty-headed. The secretaries protested the delineation on television of secretaries as vacuous blondes. DEFICIT / LONG Immutable Incessant Indelible Perpetual Prevalent SHORT Ephemeral Evanescent Intermittent COMMONPLACE Banal Conventional Generic Hackneyed Inveterate Mundane Orthodox Pedestrian Prosaic Spurious: (adj.) not genuine, false; bogus. Spurious claims / arguments. Trite Workaday OPULENCE Tycoon POVERTY Destitute Impecunious Indigence MONEY-RELATED Avarice Economic Frugality Lucrative Mercenary Miser Parsimonious Penurious Pittance Profligacy / Profligate Recession Stipend: (n.) payment for work done.

She receives a monthly stipend for her help with the project. Thrifty: (adj.) economical; penny-wise. The thrifty couple saved money by taking the bus to work. EXCESS Exorbitant Generic Grandiose Inundate Myriad Pervade Plethora Prodigious Profusion Redundant Regal Reiterate Saturate Superfluous: (adj.) unnecessary; extra. Surpass Ubiquitous: (adj.) omnipresent; present everywhere.

Water may seem ubiquitous, until a drought comes along. Swedes find their language under pressure from the ubiquitous spread of English. The radio, the most ubiquitous of electronic appliances, is entering a new age. Wanton: (adj.) unruly; excessive; (of something bad) extreme and showing complete lack of care. It is hard to lose weight when one has a wanton desire for sweets. Wanton destruction of human life / disregard for safety / extravagance.

LACK / LIMITATION Dearth Demise Determinate Devoid Fulminate Iota Scanty Sporadic Spurious HIGHEST DEGREE Sovereign: (adj.) superior. The power was given to the sovereign warrior. Superlative Zenith: (n.) point directly overhead in the sky; highest point; the best or most successful point in time. The astronomer pointed her telescope straight up toward the zenith. His career reached its zenith in the 1960's.

LOWEST DEGREE Abject: extreme. Abject misery, poverty, terror, etc. They live in abject poverty. Police has proved to be an abject failure. Debase: (v.) to make lower in quality. Some argue that money has debased football.

Our world view has become debased; no longer do we have a sense of the sacred. Petty Shoddy Subsidiary: (adj.) subordinate; something less important than something else with which it is connected. A subsidiary role / factor. We consider this issue subsidiary to a host of other concerns.

Trivial SUCCESS Auspicious: (adj.) suggesting a positive and successful future. FAILURE Awry: not in the intended way; crookedly; askew. Anything that goes awry in the office is blamed on the secretary. The strike has sent the plans for investment seriously awry.

OR in the wrong position She rushed in, her face sweaty and her hat awry. Rout HARD / DIFFICULT Abstruse Arduous NEW Contemporary Innovate Neophyte Novel Progeny Refurbish ARCHAIC / PAST Anachronism Archaic Antediluvian Obsolete Pristine Quaint Yore BODY-RELATED Aseptic: germ-free; medically clean or without infection. An aseptic wound / dressing / bandage Astringent Coagulate Emollient Noxious Resilient Vertigo Virulent: (adj.) deadly; harmful; malicious. Rattlesnakes use a virulent poison to kill their prey. Viscous OBJECT-RELATED August: to be imposing or magnificent. I want my house to be august in glass.

OR having great importance and especially of the highest social class. The society's august patron is the Duke of Norfolk. Baroque: extravagant; ornate The baroque artwork was made up of intricate details which kept the museum-goers enthralled. Grandiose: (adj.) magnificent; flamboyant.

His grandiose idea was to rent a plane to fly to Las Vegas for the night. Grandiose schemes / ideas / plans for making money. Commodious: spacious and convenient; roomy. They need a commodious apartment to fit all their furniture. Cache: (n.) stockpile; store; heap; hoard; a hidden store of things or the place where they are hidden. The town kept a cache of salt on hand to melt winter's snow off the roads.

Extra food is kept in the cache under the pantry. A cache of explosives / weapons / drugs Dictum: (n.) a formal statement of either fact or opinion. Computer programmers have a dictum: garbage in, garbage out. He followed the famous American dictum, "Don't get mad, get even". Gauntlet: (n.) a protective glove. The gauntlet saved the mans hand from being burned in the fire.

Impervious: (adj.) for objects, impenetrable; for people, not influenced by something. The vest that the policeman wears is impervious to bullets. He is impervious to criticism and rational argument. Amalgam August Aviary Baroque Bastion Breadth Cache Citadel Coffer Commodious Contiguous Conundrum Coda Flaccid Gauntlet Hefty Imbue Impervious Labyrinth Limber Lithe Macerate Malleable Mandate Mar Molten Nostrum Ornate Panacea Pavilion Ponderous Realm Raze Replete Serrated Stanza Taut: (adj.) stretched tightly. They knew a fish was biting, because the line suddenly became taut. A taut rope or a face taut with concentration.

The muscles on her face suddenly taunted. OR tense, excited and nervous. A taut thriller. A taut edge to someone's voice. OR writing or speech with is controlled, clear and brief. Taut prose.

Tensile Tortuous Yoke: (n.) harness. The jockey led her horse by the yoke around its neck and face. OR (n.) (v.) something that connects two people, usually in a way that unfairly limits freedom; to combine or connect two things. The yoke of marriage / relationships. Valance Venue Whet FOOD-RELATED Connoisseur Pungent Rancid Repast Tantalizing: (v.) to tempt; to torment; I caught a tantalizing glimpse of the sparkling blue sea through the trees. The desserts were tantalizing, but he was on a diet.

Whet NATURE-RELATED Azure: the clear blue color of the sky. The once azure skies of Athens have been ruined by the pollution. Acrid Azure Cascade Clemency Genial Inundate Menagerie Promontory Rout Sinuous Stoke: (v.) to feed fuel to, esp. a fire. With the last embers dying, he stoked the fire one more time.

Once the fire had been stoked up, the room began to get warm. OR to encourage bad ideas or feelings in a lot of people. He's been accused of stoking up racial hatred in the region. Temper Tepid Vantage Viable Waft Zenith Zephyr: (n.) a gentle wind; breeze. It was a beautiful day, with a zephyr blowing in from the sea. EXPRESSION Aghast Wooden UNION Affinity: connection.

There is a strong emotional affinity between the two siblings. OR similarity of structure. It turns out that the elements bear a strong affinity to each other. Accrue Affiliate Affinity Amalgamate Amass Coalesce Cohesion Communal Conglomerate Confluence Converge Convoke Knead Juxtapose Reciprocal SEPARATION Dichotomy Discrete Disseminate Disperse Sequester Sunder: (v.) spilt into two; break. The Civil War threatened to sunder the United States.

VARIOUS SIDES Bilateral THE SAME Analogy Cognate Replica Sacrosanct Static Uniform: (adj.) consistent; unvaried; unchanging. Most fast-food chains offer a uniform menu plus a special-of-the-week meal. Verbatim DIFFERENT / CHANGE Amendment: (n.) a positive change The amendment in his ways showed that there was still reason for hope. Amendment Catharsis Disparity / Disparate Fluctuation Innovate Juncture Transmutation Unique Vacillation Versatile Volatile: (adj.) changeable; undependable; unstable. It was a volatile situation; no one dared to surmise how it would turn out. Food and fuel prices are very volatile in a war situation.

MODEL Archetype Epitome Paradigm ENLARGE / BIG Aggrandize Augment Burgeon Distention Luxuriant Tumid: (adj.) swollen; inflated. The tumid balloon floated, but the empty one did not. SHORTEN / SMALL Abridge Deplete Derisory: (adj.) an amount so small that is ridiculous. We were awarded a derisory sum. Minute Rarefy Subtlety Truncate: to shorten by cutting, esp. the end of it. With the football game running over, the show scheduled to follow it had to be truncated.

Wane CLEAR / OBVIOUS Blatant Conspicuous Disentangle Manifest Meticulous Palpable Unequivocal CONFUSION Ambiguous Consternation Dither Knotty Quandary: (n.) dilemma. I'm in a real quandary about / over which one of the two job offers to accept. Turmoil Vacillation Welter SCHOLARSHIP Abstruse / Recondite: hard to understand. An abstruse philosophical essay. We had to work from material that was complex and recondite. Chastise Inquisitive Mentor Pedantic Recondite Scrutinize DOCTRINE Eschatology PROPER Ceremonious: very proper and polite behavior.

The black-tie dinner was highly ceremonious. I handed her my letter of resignation without ceremony = (in an informal way) Decorous: (adj.) behaving politely and in a controlled way; showing decorum; propriety; good taste. His manner, as ever, was decorous. A young lady is expected to act with proper decorum.

This movie provides decorous refuge from the violence of other movies. Apposite: suitable; apt; relevant for the occasion. Without giving details, the situation can be understood if apposite information is given. The film starts with guns, an apposite image for the violence of society that is the theme.

Ceremonious Decorous Unobtrusive: (adj.) inconspicuous; reserved; not noticeable; seeming to fit well with the background. It was easy to miss the unobtrusive plaque above the fireplace. Unpretentious Vogue THOUGHT WORLD Cogitate / Muse / Ruminate: to spend time thinking carefully about a subject. The room was quiet while every student cogitated during the calculus exam. I expect I'll have to muse on that question for a while. Facing a tough decision, he decided to ruminate before making his thoughts known.

Cogitate Cognizant Cognitive Mesmerize Muse Pensive Perfunctory Rationalize Reverie Ruminate Stupor: (n.) a stunned or bewildered condition. He was in stupor after being hit on the head. Subliminal: (adj.) below the level of consciousness. Critics of advertising say that it's loaded with subliminal messages.

Surmise: (v.) draw an inference; guess something without having much or any proof. He surmised how the play would end before the second act began. The police surmise that the robbers have left the country. The article is pure surmise and innuendo. IDEOLOGY Materialism Pragmatic Quixotic ARTS Saga Satire FAIR Dispassionate Impassive Indifference Disinterested Impartial Irreproachable Neutral UNFAIR Arbitrary Dogmatic Partisan Propensity LAW Absolve, Acquit, Exonerate. Abrogate: (v.) to end a law, agreement or custom formally.

The treaty was abrogates in 1929. Absolve Arraign: (v.) to formally accuse someone in a court of law of a particular crime and ask them to state whether they are guilty or not. He was arraigned on charges of aiding and abetting terrorists. Cloture Contest Exonerate Indict Ratify Retroaction Vindicate Waive Warrant CRIME Accomplice Larceny Rend Skulk: (v.) to move secretly, implies sinister. The thief skulked around the neighborhood hoping to find his next target. I think I saw someone skulking in the bushes - perhaps we should call the police.

Usurpation Usury DECEIT Bilk Blandishments: pleasant and persuasive words or actions. He was impervious to his blandishments. Cajolery / Cajole Chicanery Duplicity Guile Knavery Slyness START / ENCOURAGE Conjure Incite Initiate Instigate Kindle Salubrious: (adj.) promoting good health; describes a place that is clean, pleasant and healthy to live in. Exercising frequently and eating healthy foods are salubrious habits.

He doesn't live in a very salubrious part of town. Succumb Wheedle END / DISCOURAGE Baneful Consummation Curb Desist Deter Discard Hamper Hindrance Impede Lavish: (v.) lose animation and strength; to exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation, often for a long time. The strength of his narrations used to languish and pine away. The ruling party is languishing in third place in the opinion polls.

After languishing in obscurity for many years, her early novels have been rediscovered. Mired Nullify Obviate Oust Relinquish Repeal Repudiate Retract Rescind Resignation / Resign Retract Revoke Suppress Thwart Upshot: (n.) the final act or result; something which happens as a result of other actions, events or decisions. The upshot of the debate was that the bill would be released to the floor. The upshot of the discussion is that there will not be any redundancies. Chagrin: (n.) distress; shame; disappointment or annoyance, especially when caused by a mistake or failure. My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin.

She turned red-faced with chagrin when she knew that her son was a thief. Amiable / Amity / Affable Apocryphal: (adj.) counterfeit; of doubtful authorship or authenticity. Describes a story that is probably not true although often told and believed by some people to have happened. She related one of those apocryphal stories about the lady on the highway. Denigrate / Deprecate / Diatribe / Disparage Garbled. Assiduous / Diligent / Painstaking Astute / Cunning / Crafty / Sly Bastion / Citadel Bereft: hurt by someone's death; lacking something or feeling great loss.

The widower was bereft for many years after his wife's death. Alone and without love, he was bereft of hope. After the last of their children had left home, the couple felt utterly bereft. Blasphemous Bungler: a clumsy person. The one who broke the glass vase was a true bungler.

Burgeon: to grow or develop quickly. The company hoped to profit from the burgeoning economy. Love burgeoned between them. Burly: a man who is large and strong. A burly policeman. Chimera: a hope or dream that is extremely unlikely ever to come true.

Is the idea of banishing hunger throughout the world just a chimera? Chortle: (v.) to make a gleeful, chuckling sound; to laugh, showing pleasure and satisfaction, often at someone else's bad lack She chortled with merriment at the news. The chortles emanating from the audience made the stand-up comedian happy. Cloture: (n.) a parliamentary procedure to end debate and begin to vote Cloture was declared as the parliamentarians readied to register their votes. Cloying: (adj.) too sugary; too sentimental or flattering This is a good wine -honeyed and rich without being remotely cloying. Complementing her dress and hairstyle was a cloying way to ask fort a raise.

Cognate: (adj. ; n.) having the same family; a person related through ancestry English and German are cognate languages. The woman was a cognate to the royal family. Cognizant: (adj.) aware of; perceptive Unfortunately, we were not cognizant of the full facts. OR take cognizance of something, to take notice of and consider, especially when judging The lawyers asked the jury to take cognizance of the defense's generosity. Comeliness: (n.) beauty; attractiveness in appearance or behavior. Her comeliness attracted many suitors.

Commiserate: (v.) to show sympathy for someone about some bad lack. The hurricane victims commiserated with each other about the loss of their homes. Commiserations on loosing the match / Commiserations to the losing side. Complaisance: (n.) eagerness to please others; quality of being agreeable.

Conspicuous: (adj.) easy to see; noticeable. The diligent and hardworking editor thought the obvious mistake was conspicuous. Contempt: (n.) scorn; disrespect. The greedy, selfish banker was often discussed with great contempt. He was very contemptuous of popular writes, whom he described as having no talent. Contentious: (adj.) quarrelsome.

They hate his contentious behavior because every suggestion they give ends in a fight. The matter has been settled; no longer is it in contention. Contest: (v.) to attempt to disprove or invalidate I will attempt to contest the criminal charges against me. We will certainly contest any claims made against the safety of our products. Contiguous: (adj.) next to or touching another, usually similar, thing.

There are many contiguous buildings in the city due to the scarcity of land. The two states are contiguous to / with each other, but their laws are quite different. Contrite: (adj.) regretful; sorrowful; feeling great regret for something one has done. Regretting his decision not to attend college, the contrite man lead a very unhappy life.

A contrite apology / expression. Conundrum: (n.) a puzzle or riddle; a situation with which it is difficult to deal. Arranging childcare over the holidays is quite a conundrum for working parents. To enter the secret passageway, one must answer the ancient conundrum. Conventional: (adj.) traditional; common; routine. The bridge wanted a conventional ceremony with flowers and a white dress.

Conventional telephones are giving way to videophones. (adj.) traditional; common; routine OR a usually or accepted way of behaving, especially in social situations, often following a way of think or a customer on a particular society. They defied / flouted /broke with convention by giving up their jobs. Convention dictates that it is the man who asks the woman to marry him. In many countries, it is the / a convention to wear black at funerals. Crass: (adj.) stupid or dull; insensitive; materialistic.

To make light of someone's weakness is crass. He made crass comments about her worn-out clothes. A crass remark / behavior / ignorance / a crass error of judgment. Infamy: (n.) bad reputation; notoriety. The production company became infamous for poor manufacturing. The Pearl Harbor bombing was described as a day that would live in infamy.

For the families of the victims, the final infamy was the pardoning of the assassins. Craven: (n.) coward; abject person; (adj.) extremely cowardly. While many fought for their rights, the craven sat shaking. A craven act of terrorism. Curb: (n.) the edge of a raised path nearest the road A curb was put up along the street to help drainage. OR to control or limit something that is not desirable.

The Government should act to curb tax evasion. You must put a curb on your temper. Cynic: (n.) One who believes that other are motivated entirely by selfishness. I'm too much of a cynic to believe that he will keep his promise. The cynic felt that the hero saved the man to become famous.

Dearth: (n.) scarcity; shortage. A dearth of new homes in the region. A series of coincidental resignations left the firm with a dearth of talent. Debacle: (n.) a disaster; a collapse; a rout, especially because of bad organization.

The collapse of the company was the greatest financial debacle in US history. Some argue that money debased football. Deign: (v.) condescend; stoop; to do something unwillingly and in a way that shows that you are too important to do it. He said he wouldn't deign to dignify her statement with a response. If she deigns to reply to my letter, I'll be extremely surprised.

Demise: (n.) ceasing to exist as in death; the end of something that was previously considered to be powerful, such as a business, company or industry. The demise of Gimbals followed years of decline. The demise of the company was sudden and unexpected. Demur: (vs. ; n.) to object; to disagree or refuse to do something. She abominated animals, so when the subject of buying a cat came up, she demurred. She agreed to his request without demur.

Deplete: (v.) to reduce; to empty, exhaust. Having to pay the entire bill will deplete the family's savings. If we continue to deplete the Earth's resources we will cause serious damage to it. Depravity: (n.) moral corruption; evil. Drugs and money engendered depravity throughout the once decorous community. Sean and I depraved Trent by cajoling him into stepping away from his beliefs.

Desecrate: (v.) to violate a holy place or sanctuary; to profane; violate the sanctity of. The invaders desecrated the church in order to gain control. Ignoble: (adj.) shameful; dishonorable. It was ignoble to disgrace the family in front of all of the townspeople. An ignoble action / idea. Desist: (v.) to stop or cease doing something, especially something that someone doesn't want you to do.

The high winds are expected to desist tomorrow. The judge ordered the man to desist from calling his ex-wife. Destitute: (adj.) poor; poverty-stricken; without a home, food, money, etc. The floods left part of the city destitute. Many people live under destitution. Impecunious: (adj.) poor; having no money.

The Great Depression made family after family impecunious. Indigence: (v.) the condition of being poor. The family's indigence was evident by the run-down house they lived in. Devoid: (adj.) lacking; empty. The apartment is devoid of all comforts.

Mars is devoid of any atmosphere. Dichotomy: (n.) a division into two parts or kinds; a difference between two completely opposite ideas or things. There is usually a dichotomy between what politicians say and what they do. Diffident: shy and not confident of one's own abilities. You shouldn't be so diffident about your achievement; you " ve done very well! Disarray: (n.) (state of) being confused or lacking in organization or being untidy.

Ever since the oil crisis, the industry has been in (a state of) disarray. The news had thrown his plans into disarray. Her clothes and hair were in disarray Disentangle: (v.) to free from confusion. It is hard to disentangle truth from lies. Disheartened: (adj.) discouraged; depressed / The results of the test were great and therefore he did not feel disheartened. Disingenuous: (adj.) slightly dishonest; not speaking the complete truth.

It was disingenuous of her to say that she had to financial interest in the case. She gave me a disingenuous response, not a straight answer. Duplicity: (n.) deception, especially by saying two things to two people. They were accused of duplicity in their dealings with both sides. A duplicitous dictator / spy / politician. Disparate: (adj.) unequal; dissimilar; different.

They came from disparate backgrounds, one rich-born, the other born in destitution. The two cultures were so disparate that she found it hard to adjust from one to the other. Disparity: (n.) difference in form, character, or degree. There is a great disparity between a meal and a light snack.

They deprecated the growing disparity between rich and poor. Disperse / Disseminate. The dispersal of seeds must be done during spring for optimum results. Our aim is to disseminate information in the form of brochures about the disease. Dissemble: (v.) to disguise or conceal, usually one's real intentions, feelings or the facts. Agent 007 has a marvelous ability to dissemble his real intentions.

He accused the government of dissembling. Distention: (n.) inflation or extension. The bulge in the carpet was caused by the distention of the wood underneath. We saw children whose stomachs were dissented due to emaciation.

Dither: (vs. ; n.) to act indecisively; a confused condition. She dithers every time she has to make a decision. The decision-making process left me in a dither. She is in a dither about what to wear for the interview. Docile: (adj.) manageable; obedient; gentle. We have to choose a docile pet because we don't have patience for training.

Dogma: (n.) a collection of beliefs, especially those that people are expected to accepted without any doubts. The dogma of the village was based on superstition. Dogmatic: (adj.) stubborn; biased; opinionated; certain that one is right and everybody else is wrong. If I say he's dogmatic, he " ll say he sticks to his guns. Duress: (n.) force; constraint; threats used to oblige somebody to do something. He claimed that he signed the confession under duress.

The plant workers were kept inside the factory under duress. Effigy: (n.) the image or likeness of a person. Demonstrators carried effigies of the dictator they wanted overthrown. Epitome: (n.) model; typification; representation. She is the epitome of French elegance. With her equipment and suitable footwear, she epitomizes the adroit mountain walker.

Exonerate: (v.) to declare or prove blameless. Hopefully, the judge will exonerate you of any wrongdoing. Fatuous: (adj.) lacking in seriousness; vain and silly. The fatuous prank was meant to add comedy to the situation but it was taken as offensive. A fatuous idea / remark.

Fealty: (n.) loyalty. The baron was given land in exchange for his fealty to the king. Feasible: (adj.) reasonable; practical; able to be done or achieved; possible. Increased exercise is a feasible means of weight loss. With the extra resources, the scheme now seems feasible. Fervor / Fervency: (n.) passion; intensity of feeling.

A fervent supporter / believer It is his fervent hope that problems be solved without further disputes. The crowd was full of fervor as the candidate entered the hall. Nationalist / religious fervor. Caprice: Erratic: (adj.) unpredictable; irregular; uncertain or without organization in movement and behavior. Her erratic behavior was attributed to the news she had received. Fickle: (adj.) changeable; unpredictable.

Fickle winds made sailing conditions baneful. Finesse: (n.) the ability to handle situations with skill and diplomacy. The executor with the most finesse was chosen to meet with the diplomats. Fledgling: (adj.) inexperienced person; beginner. The course was not recommended for fledgling skiers.

Neophyte: (n.) beginner; newcomer. Critics applauded his success because he did a marvelous job even being a neophyte. Foible: (n.) a minor weakness of character. My major foible is an inability to resist chocolate. Foist: (v.) to falsely identify as real.

The smuggler tried to foist the cut glass as a priceless gem. Frugality: (n.) thrift; economical use or expenditure; careful when using money or food. His frugality limited him to purchasing the item for which he had a coupon. Glutton / Gourmand: overeater.

The glutton ate 12 hot dogs. A gourmand may eat several servings of entree. Guffaw: (v.) to laugh loudly, especially at something that someone has said or done. With the.