Word of the Day
Terms
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- Saturnine
- broodingly and sullenly unhappy (dour, gloomy) Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he seems.
- blandishment
- excessive, ingratiating praise
- Imbroglio
- 1. an intricate situation or complex agreement 2. a confused heap The gossip among the four friends caused quite an imbroglio and currently, they are all enemies.
- Adamant
- firmly, often unreasonably immovable in purpose or will (die-hard, obdurate, stubborn) He was adamant in his determination to ace the exam.
- Penury
- the condition of being extremely poor (destitution, impecuniousness) We find much penury and suffering in this dangerous part of Philadelphia.
- Funereal
- of or relating to a funeral (woeful, mournful, sorrowful) She was enthralled by the dark and funereal look of the movie "Corpse Bride" and thereafter became a major Tim Burton fan.
- Ethereal
- 1. so light and insubstantial as to resemble air or a thin film (airy, diaphanous, sheer) 2. highly refined 3. of the celestial spheres/not of this world The double-chocolate fudge was simply ethereal.
- Eschew
- to keep away from (shun, elude, avoid, circumvent) Careful writers eschew language that might confuse their audience.
- Curmudgeon
- an ill-tempered person full of resentment and stubborn notions The man at the theater was a curmudgeon and would not open the doors until exactly 9:00 PM.
- codicil
- a supplement or appendix to a will
- Benison
- a blessing, a benediction (grace, thanksgiving, thanks) She gave the Thanksgiving benison, then concluded absent-mindedly with the expression, "Dig-in!"
- Aplomb
- a stable, calm state of emotion (composure, tranquility, poise) His nonchalance and aplomb in times of trouble always calmed his followers.
- Archaic
- of a style or method formerly in vogue (antiquated, antique, outdated) She dresses archaicly but with flare every day and displays fashionable trends.
- Bilious
- 1. relating to or characterized by expressing gastric distress caused by a disorder of the liver or gallbladder 2. resembling bile, especially in color 3. sickly The bilious judge gave the defendant forty years instead of a parking fine.
- Bedizen
- to ornament or dress in a showy or gaudy manner (adorn, decorate, embellish) The hallways of Freedom high school were bedizened with different themes the Friday before the Freedom Liberty Game.
- Abjure
- to disavow something previously said (recant, retract, take back) The witness abjured his initial claim that he had seen the thief climb through the back window.
- Didactic
- 1. inclined to teach or moralize excessively 2. teaching morally The parables that Jesus told were always didactic and effective in teaching his followers His way.
- Candor
- 1. frankness or sincerity of expression 2. freedom from prejudice; impartiality The candor and simplicity of his speech impressed all those who were worried that a biased candidate would win the office.
- Encomium
- an expression of warm approval (acclaim, applause, kudos) She was speechless from the heartfelt encomiums given at her wedding reception about she and her husband.
- Biennial
- ocurring every two years The plant bore biennial flowers.
- Austerity
- the fact or condition of being rigorous and unsparing (hardness, harshness, strictness) The austerity and dignity of the court were maintained by the new justices.
- Efficacious
- producing or able to produce a desired effect (effective, efficient) She found an efficacious way of studying her large list of literary figures by incorporating them all into a fun song.
- Exacerbate
- to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of (aggravate) This unjust arrest will exacerbate the already discontented town citizens.
- Expiate
- to make amends or reparation for (atone) He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.
- Indigent
- 1. an impoverished person 2. having little of no money or wealth (impecunious, penury) Because he was indigent, he was sent to the welfare office.
- meretricious
- tastelessly showy; tacky, chintzy, flashy
- Impecunious
- having little or no money or wealth (beggarly, destitute, impoverished) Little orphan Annie and her parents had an impecunious life together and she was put into an orphanage to be taken care of.
- licentious
- lacking in moral restraint; dissipated, dissolute, unbridled
- Obdurate
- 1. completely lacking in compassion (callous, cold-hearted) 2. firmly, often unreasonably, immovable in purpose or will (adamant) She remained obdurate in her choice of skin-tight clothing despite what her friends advised her to wear.
- Adjudicate
- to make a decision about (decide, determine, rule) The jurors must adjudicate whether they believe the condemned to be guilty or not.
- Precipitate
- VERB 1. to put down, especially in layers, by a natural process, to engender ADJ 2. characterized by unthinking boldness and haste (impulsive, incautious, hasty) 3. happening quickly and without warning
- Obeisance
- 1. an inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, submission, or worship (bow, curtsy) 2. Great respect or high public esteem accorded as a right or as due (homage, honor, reverence) A peasant owes obeisance to the king and queen .
- Onerous
- requiring great or extreme bodily, mental, or spiritual strength (arduous, demanding, laborious) The gymnasts who competed in the Olympics underwent onerous training to perform perfectly.
- Auspicious
- indicative of future success of full of promise; occurring at a fitting or advantageous time (favorable, opportune, prosperous) With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail.
- debility
- the condition of being infirm or physically weak
- Concomitant
- 1. NOUN one that accompanies another (accompaniment, associate, attendant, companion) 2. ADJ ocurring or existing with (concurrent) Good manners are not always concomitant with the wealthy.
- Desiccate
- 1. to make or become free of moisture (dehydrate) 2. to make or become no longer active or productive (deplete) Pressed inside many old books are desiccated wildflowers.
- Heterogeneous
- consisting of a number of different kinds (assorted, diverse) Temple University is a hugely heterogeneous campus since it is in a metropolitan city of America.
- patriarch
- a man who rules a family, clan, or tribe; onen who is regarded as the founder or original head of an enterprise, orgainzation or tradition
- Opprobrious
- 1. of or relating to characterized by verbal abuse (abusive, invective) 2. meriting or causing shame or dishonor (dishonorable) His perverted and opprobrious behavior warranted him a slap in the face.
- Perquisite
- 1. a privilege granted a peron, as by virtue or birth (birthright) 2. a material favor or gift, usually money, given in return for service (tip, perk, gratuity) One of the perquisites of being a public-school teacher is having the summer off.
- Lachrymal
- 1. of or relating to tears 2. of or relating to or contuting the glands that produce tears To say a movie is lachrymal is an elevated way of calling it a tear-jerker. (<--COLLOCATION)
- Hirsute
- 1. covered with hair (hairy) 2. in plants: covered with stiff or coarse hairs The legs of spiders when seen under a microscope are hirsute.
- Iniquitous
- characterized by iniquity (wicked, immoral, reprobate, sinful) My iniquitous cousin set his cat on fire for fun.
- Collocation
- two words commonly used together Dead-serious, bosom-companions, mad-bangin
- Colloquy
- 1. a conversation, especially a formal one 2. a written dialogue The colloquy between the student and teacher was entertaining to the class while being respectful.