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| audacious - vocabulary audacious - adjective Fearless, bold, daring, as in an audacious explorer; extremely original or inventive, as in his audacious vision for improving the tax laws. The Bush administra… |
| augur - vocabulary augur - verb Note: Used as either a transitive verb (where the verb requires an object) or an intransitive verb (where the verb does not require an object). Also not… |
| acumen - vocabulary acumen - noun Quickness of intellectual insight, or discernment; keenness of judgment, insight, discrimination. Note: The older pronunciation stresses the second … |
| denizen - vocabulary denizen - noun Inhabitant or resident; one who frequently inhabits a place, as in the denizens of the local pub. A tanned skin is something more than respectable, and perhaps olive is a fitter color … |
| circumlocution - vocabulary circumlocution - noun A roundabout way of speaking, usually using more words than necessary; evasion in speech or writing. Whatever was required to be done, the Circumlocutio… |
| complement, compliment - vocabulary complement, compliment - verb Complement: to complete, to add to something, to provide something felt to be lacking, as in The two books complemented each other and … |
| abstruse - vocabulary abstruse - adjective Having to do with matters difficult to comprehend. My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse crypt… |
| anachronism - vocabulary anachronism - noun Anything or anyone not in the correct historical or chronological time; an error in the assignment of a date or time to a person, thing, or event, as in To describ… |
| consummate - vocabulary consummate - verb To bring to completion, to fulfill; to complete an arrangement or an undertaking, as in to consummate the deal; to complete a marital union through sexual intercour… |
| aggrandize - vocabulary aggrandizement - noun Aggrandizement: the act of increasing the size or importance of something or somebody. aggrandize - verb Aggrandize: to widen or increase in size or intensity; … |
| cursory - vocabulary cursory - adjective Rapid and superficial, hasty without noticing details, not thorough. "In India, there is the priestly caste . . . ," "The Arunta, an aboriginal tribe from central Australia . . . … |
| denote - vocabulary denote - verb To indicate, to be a sign of, as in A rise in the price of gold often denotes a fall in the U.S. dollar. Note: Denote and connote are often confused be… |
| comport - vocabulary comport - verb To conduct or behave (oneself), as in He comported himself with dignity; to be in agreement with (usually followed by with), as in Our policy must comport with the pri… |
| despot, despotism - vocabulary despot, despotism - noun Despot: a monarch or other rule with absolute power; a tyrant or oppressor. Despotism: rule by an autocratic government; tyranny; a count… |
| abeyance - vocabulary abeyance - noun A state of suspension or temporary inaction; the condition of being temporarily set aside or held in suspension, as in They held the program in abeyance. In law, a co… |
| castigate - vocabulary castigate - verb To criticize harshly; to punish for the purpose of correcting; to reprimand severely. How can you support a policy of racial preferences and then attack one of its s… |
| degradation - vocabulary degradation - noun Diminution, as of strength or magnitude; changing to a lower or less respected state. Note: Degrade is the verb form. [Former U.S. Sen. David Boren] went on to … |
| contemptible, contemptuous - vocabulary contemptible, contemptuous - adjective Contemptible: Worthy of scorn or disdain, despicable. Contemptuous: Showing or expressing contempt or disd… |
| caricature - vocabulary caricature - noun A picture or depiction that ludicrously exaggerates the features or defects of persons or things. The most perfect caricature is that which, on a s… |
| number The concept of number applies to nouns, verbs, and pronouns. Number distinguishes “oneness” and “more-than-oneness,” that is, it distinguishes the singular from the plural. English verbs do not ha… |
| belie - vocabulary belie - verb To misrepresent, to show to be false; to refute, disprove, gainsay. Often used to show an action directly contrary to the true situation, as in His shaking hands belied … |
| bemoan - vocabulary bemoan - verb To lament; to express grief or distress over; to regard with disapproval or regret. Back in May, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton publicly admonished young folks for thinkin… |
| cant - vocabulary cant - verb To talk in a singsong, preaching, whining tone; to speak tediously with affected solemnity. noun Monotonous speech crammed with platitudes; the special vocabulary o… |
| cacophony - vocabulary cacophony - noun A harsh and discordant sound; a meaningless mixture of sounds. Poets who know no better rhapsodize about the peace of nature, but a well-populated marsh is a |
| debase - vocabulary debase - verb To lower in character or virtue, to reduce in value or quality, as in The Fed debased the dollar; to lower in rank, significance, or dignity. Hygiene is the corruption of medicine by mo… |
