After being overthrown and abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his conqueror. -> abase  [v.]  to humiliate, degrade

The rain poured down for a while, then abated. ->   abate  [v.]  to reduce, lessen

When he realized that the revolutionaries would surely win, the king abdicated his throne. ->  abdicate  [v.]  to give up a position, usually one of leadership

The evildoers abducted the fairy princess from her happy home. ->  abduct  [v.]  to kidnap, take by force

In 1918, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and the Red Sox have not won a World Series since. ->  aberration  [n.]  something that differs from the norm

The spy succeeded only because he had a friend on the inside to abet him. ->  abet  [v.]  to aid, help, encourage

Because he always wound up kicking himself in the head when he tried to play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport. ->   A abhor  [v.]  to hate, detest

Though he did not agree with the decision, Chuck decided to abide by it. ->  abide  -  [v.]  to put up with

Despite the beating they’ve taken from the weather throughout the millennia, the mountains abide. ->  abide    -  [v.]  to remain

After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject. ->  abject  [adj.]  wretched, pitiful

To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor. ->   abjure  [v.]  to reject, renounce

The holy man slept on the ﬂoor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation. ->  abnegation  [n.]  denial of comfort to oneself

After they ran out of food, the men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go home. ->  abort  [v.]  to give up on a half-ﬁnished project or effort

The publisher thought the dictionary was too long and abridged it. ->  abridge  -  [v.]  to cut down, shorten

Moby-Dick is such a long book that even the abridged version is longer than most normal books. ->  abridge    -  [adj.]  shortened

The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press. ->  abrogate  [v.]  to abolish, usually by authority

In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the night with the secret plans. ->  abscond  [v.]  to sneak away and hide

Once all the facts were known, the jury gave Angela absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty. ->  absolution  [n.]  freedom from blame, guilt, sin

Everyone demanded that Angus put on the kilt, but he did not want to do it and abstained. ->   abstain  [v.]  to freely choose not to commit an action

Everyone else in the class understood geometry easily, but John found the subject abstruse. ->  abstruse  [adj.]  hard to comprehend

When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but instead he acceded to their request. ->  accede  [v.]  to agree

Psychologists agree that those people who are happiest accentuate the positive in life. ->  accentuate  [v.]  to stress, highlight

After studying with SparkNotes and getting a great score on the SAT, Marlena happily realized that her goal of getting into an Ivy-League college was accessible. ->  A  accessible  [adj.]  obtainable, reachable

Greg’s excellent poem won the acclaim of his friends. ->  acclaim  [n.]  high praise

Everyone offered accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize. ->  accolade  [n.]  high praise, special distinction

Though the apartment was not big enough for three people, Arnold, Mark, and Zebulon were all friends and were accommodating to each other. ->  accommodating  [adj.]  helpful, obliging, polite

After much negotiating, England and Iceland ﬁnally came to a mutually beneﬁcial accord about ﬁshing rights off the cost of Greenland. ->  accord  [n.]  an agreement

Though Antoinette was normally quite calm, when the waiter spilled soup on her for the fourth time in 15 minutes she stood up and accosted the man. ->  accost  [v.]  to confront verbally

Stalactites are formed by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves. ->  accretion  [n.]  slow growth in size or amount

Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends. ->  acerbic  [adj.]  biting, bitter in tone or taste

Though Mr. Correlli wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands. ->  acquiesce  [v.]  to agree without protesting

Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa. ->  acrimony  [n.]  bitterness, discord

Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to ﬁgure out in minutes problems that took other students hours. ->  acumen  [n.]  keen insight

Arnold could not walk because the pain in his foot was so acute. ->  acute  -  [adj.]  sharp, severe

Because she was so acute, Libby instantly ﬁgured out how the magician pulled off his “magic.” ->  acute    -  [adj.]  having keen insight

Though public pressure was intense, the President remained adamant about his proposal. ->  adamant  [adj.]  impervious, immovable, unyielding

Tarzan was adept at jumping from tree to tree like a monkey. ->   adept  [adj.]  extremely skilled

We adhered the poster to the wall with tape. ->   A adhere  -  [n.]  to stick to something

He adhered to the dictates of his religion without question. ->   A adhere    -  [n.]  to follow devoutly

Joe’s mother admonished him not to ruin his appetite by eating cookies before dinner. ->  admonish  [v.]  to caution, criticize, reprove

We adorned the tree with ornaments. ->  adorn  [v.]  to decorate

The adroit thief could pick someone’s pocket without attracting notice. ->  adroit  [adj.]  skillful, dexterous

Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe it deserved the adulation it received. ->  adulation  [n.]  extreme praise

The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do. ->   adumbrate  [v.]  to sketch out in a vague way

Because of adverse conditions, the hikers decided to give up trying to climb the mountain. ->  adverse  [adj.]  antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous

Arnold advocated turning left at the stop sign, even though everyone else thought we should turn right. ->  advocate  -  [v.]  to argue in favor of something

In addition to wanting to turn left at every stop sign, Arnold was also a great advocate of increasing national defense spending. ->  advocate   - [n.] a person who argues in favor of something

We watched as the ﬁghter planes conducted aerial maneuvers. -> aerial [adj.] somehow related to the air

We hired Susan as our interior decorator because she has such a ﬁne aesthetic sense. -> aesthetic [adj.] artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty

People like to be around George because he is so affable and good-natured. -> affable [adj.] friendly, amiable

Jerry didn’t know why, but he felt an incredible afﬁnity for Kramer the ﬁrst time they met. -> afﬁnity [n.]a spontaneous feeling of closeness

Mrs. Grebelski was afﬂuent, owning a huge house, three cars, and an island near Maine. -> afﬂuent [adj.] rich, wealthy

Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront to his honor. -> affront [n.] an insult

Joseph always dropped the names of the famous people his father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal stature. -> aggrandize [v.] to increase or make greater

The three branches of the U.S. Government form an aggregate much more powerful than its individual parts. -> Aaggregate - [n.] a whole or total

The dictator tried to aggregate as many people into his army as he possibly could. -> Aaggregate  - [v.] to gather into a mass

The foreman mercilessly overworked his aggrieved employees. -> aggrieved [adj.] distressed, wronged, injured

The dogs were too slow to catch the agile rabbit. -> agile [adj.] quick, nimble

Joey’s parents are very religious, but he is agnostic. -> agnostic [adj.] believing that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven

It was a huge step in the progress of civilization when tribes left hunting and gathering and began to develop more sustainable methods of obtaining food, such as agriculture. -> agriculture [n.] farming

Once we got inside the stadium we walked down the aisle to our seats. -> aisle [n.] a passageway between rows of seats

For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity. -> alacrity [n.] eagerness, speed

He snuck past the guards by using an alias and fake ID. -> alias [n.] a false name or identity

The chairman of the Federal Reserve gave a speech to try to allay investors’ fears about an economic downturn. -> allay [v.] to soothe, ease

The policeman had alleged that Marshall committed the crime, but after the investigation turned up no evidence, Marshall was set free. -> allege [v.] to assert, usually without proof

This drug will alleviate the symptoms of the terrible disease, but only for a while. -> alleviate [v.] to relieve, make more bearable

The Mayor allocated 30 percent of the funds for improving the town’s schools. -> allocate [v.] to distribute, set aside

The scientist could sometimes seem aloof, as if he didn’t care about his friends or family, but really he was just thinking about quantum mechanics. -> aloof [adj.] reserved, distant

Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car accident, leading to an altercation. ->  altercation [n.] a dispute, ﬁght

Because of his great charisma, the presidential candidate was able to amalgamate all democrats and republicans under his banner. -> Aamalgamate [v.] to bring together, unite

Some people think Caesar married Cleopatra for her power, others believe he was charmed by her beauty. His actual reasons are ambiguous. -> ambiguous [adj.] uncertain, variably interpretable

My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent because on one hand he is a loyal friend, but on the other, he is a cruel and vicious thief. -> ambivalent [adj.] having opposing feelings

The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed a solution everyone could agree upon. -> ameliorate [v.] to improve

Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us to the farm so we could go apple picking. -> amenable [adj.] willing, compliant

Bill Gates’s house is stocked with so many amenities, he never has to do anything for himself. -> amenity [n.] an item that increases comfort

An amiable fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone. -> amiable [adj.] friendly

Claudia and Jimmy got divorced, but amicably and without hard feelings. -> amicable [adj.] friendly

Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite amorous. -> amorous [adj.] showing love, particularly sexual

The effort was doomed from the start, because the reasons behind it were so amorphous and hard to pin down. -> amorphous [adj.] without deﬁnite shape or type

In this book you’re writing, you say that the Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is anachronistic. -> anachronistic [adj.] being out of correct chronological order

Put this analgesic on the wound so that the poor man at least feels a little better. -> analgesic [n.] something that reduces pain

Though they are unrelated genetically, the bone structure of whales and ﬁsh is quite analogous. -> analogous [adj.] similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn

An anarchist, Carmine wanted to dissolve every government everywhere. -> anarchist [n.] one who wants to eliminate all government

I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me. -> anathema [n.] a cursed, detested person

After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the time he got his nose stuck in a toaster. -> Aanecdote [n.] a short, humorous account

When the nerves in his spine were damaged, Mr. Hollins suffered anesthesia in his legs. -> anesthesia [n.] loss of sensation

Angelos suffered terrible anguish when he learned that Buffy had died while combating a strange mystical force of evil. ->  anguish [n.] extreme sadness, torment

When he begins to talk about drama, which is his true passion, he becomes very animated. -> animated [adj.] lively

After defeating them in battle, the Russians annexed Poland. -> annex - [v.] to incorporate territory or space

He likes to do his studying in a little annex attached to the main reading room in the library. -> annex  - [n.] a room attached to a larger room or space

After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, Congress sought to annul the law. -> annul [v.] to make void or invalid

“That rip in the space-time continuum is certainly a spatial anomaly,” said Spock to Captain Kirk. -> anomaly [n.] something that does not ﬁt into the normal order

Mary received a love poem from an anonymous admirer. -> anonymous [adj.] being unknown, unrecognized

Superman and Bizarro Superman shared a mutual antagonism, and often fought. -> antagonism [n.] hostility

The great tradition of Western culture had its antecedent in the culture of Ancient Greece. -> antecedent [n.] something that came before

The antediluvian man still believed that Eisenhower was president of the United States and that hot dogs cost a nickel. -> antediluvian [adj.] ancient

The new anthology of Bob Dylan songs contains all his greatest hits and a few songs that you might never have heard before. -> anthology [n.] a selected collection of writings, songs, etc.

I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you. -> antipathy [n.] a strong dislike, repugnance

That antiquated car has none of the features, like power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great. -> antiquated [adj.] old, out of date

The antiseptic hospital was very bare, but its cleanliness helped to keep patients healthy. -> antiseptic [adj.] clean, sterile

Your values, which hold war and violence in the highest esteem, are the antithesis of my paciﬁst beliefs. -> Aantithesis [n.] the absolute opposite

When he heard about the car crash, he felt anxiety because he knew that his girlfriend had been driving on the road where the accident occurred. -> anxiety [n.] intense uneasiness

Uninterested in politics, Bruno was apathetic about whether he lived under a capitalist or communist regime. -> apathetic [adj.] lacking concern, emotion

Because I am standing before you, it seems obvious that the stories circulating about my demise were apocryphal. ->  apocryphal [adj.] ﬁctitious, false, wrong

The judge found the murderer’s crimes and lack of remorse appalling. ->  appalling [adj.] inspiring shock, horror, disgust

When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to appease him. -> appease [v.] to calm, satisfy

A realtor will come over tonight to appraise our house. -> appraise [v.] to assess the worth or value of

The criminal was apprehended at the scene. -> apprehend - [v.] to seize, arrest

The student has trouble apprehending concepts in math and science. -> apprehend  - [v.] to perceive, understand, grasp

The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation. -> approbation [n.] praise

The government appropriated the farmer’s land without justiﬁcation. -> appropriate [v.] to take, make use of

The marine biologist studies starﬁsh and other aquatic creatures. -> aquatic [adj.] relating to water

The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on which he will grow corn and sprouts. -> arable [adj.] suitable for growing crops

The divorce court judge will serve as the arbiter between the estranged husband and wife. -> arbiter [n.] one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision

The boy’s decision to choose one college over another seems arbitrary. -> arbitrary [adj.] based on factors that appear random

The employee sought ofﬁcial arbitration when he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor. -> arbitration [n.] the process or act of resolving a dispute

Leaves, roots, and bark are a few arboreal traits. -> arboreal [adj.] of or relating to trees

The professor is an expert in arcane Lithuanian literature. -> Aarcane [adj.] obscure, secret, known only by a few

In a few select regions of Western Mongolian, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken. -> archaic [adj.] of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated

Some believe George Washington, with his ﬂowing white hair and commanding stature, was the archetypal politician. -> archetypal [adj.] the most representative or typical example of something

The soldiers conveyed their ardor with impassioned battle cries. -> ardor [n.] extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm

Little other than palm trees and cacti grow successfully in arid environments. -> arid [adj.] excessively dry

The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively. -> arrogate [v.] to take without justiﬁcation

The scientists spent all day searching the cave for artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization. -> artifact [n.] a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place

The artisan uses wood to make walking sticks. -> artisan [n.] a craftsman

With a bit of research, the student ascertained that some plants can live for weeks without water. -> ascertain [v.] to perceive, learn

The priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures. -> ascetic [adj.] practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious

Some ascribe the invention of ﬁreworks and dynamite to the Chinese. -> ascribe [v.] to assign, credit, attribute to

The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each others’ integrity. -> aspersion [n.] a curse, expression of ill-will

The young poet aspires to publish a book of verse someday. -> aspire [v.] to long for, aim toward

At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor. -> assail [v.] to attack

A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash. -> assess [v.] to evaluate

The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor. -> assiduous [adj.] hard-working, diligent

The mother held the baby to assuage its fears. -> assuage [v.] to ease, pacify

Much of Roger’s success in politics results from his ability to provide astute answers to reporters’ questions. -> Aastute [adj.] very clever, crafty

For Thoreau, the forest served as an asylum from the pressures of urban life. -> asylum - [n.] a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary

Once diagnosed by a certiﬁed psychiatrist, the man was put in an asylum. -> asylum  - [n.] an institution in which the insane are kept

The man atoned for forgetting his wife’s birthday by buying her ﬁve dozen roses. -> atone [v.] to repent, make amends

If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will soon atrophy and die. -> atrophy [v.] to wither away, decay

The athletes strived to attain their best times in competition. -> attain [v.] to achieve, arrive at

He attributes all of his success to his mother’s undying encouragement. -> attribute - [v.] to credit, assign

Among the beetle’s most peculiar attributes is its thorny protruding eyes. -> attribute  - [n.] a facet or trait

Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior. -> atypical [adj.] not typical, unusual

The security guard was shocked by the fan’s audacious attempt to offer him a bribe. -> audacious [adj.] excessively bold

The missing person’s shouts were unfortunately not audible. -> audible [adj.] able to be heard

The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of French vocabulary by reading French literature. -> augment [v.] to add to, expand

The tennis player considered the sunny forecast an auspicious sign that she would win her match. -> auspicious [adj.] favorable, indicative of good things

The austere furniture inside the abandoned house made the place feel haunted. -> austere [adj.] very bare, bleak

The banker’s avarice led him to amass a tremendous personal fortune. -> avarice [n.] excessive greed

The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive to avenge themselves against the men who robbed them. -> avenge [v.] to seek revenge

Because he’s from Hawaii, Ben has an aversion to autumn, winter, and cold climates in general. -> aversion [n.] a particular dislike for something

Edna’s boss balked at her request for another raise. -> BBbalk [v.] to stop, block abruptly

Greta’s boyfriend played her a ballad on the guitar during their walk through the dark woods. -> ballad [n.] a love song

The client rejected our proposal because they found our presentation banal and unimpressive. -> banal [adj.] dull, commonplace

Advanced physics is the bane of many students’ academic lives. -> bane [n.] a burden

Shakespeare is often considered the greatest bard in the history of the English language. -> bard [n.] a poet, often a singer as well

Frankie’s mother told him not to be bashful when he refused to attend the birthday party. -> bashful [adj.] shy, excessively timid

Most cars run on a combination of power from a battery and gasoline. -> battery 1.[n.] a device that supplies power

Her husband was accused of assault and battery after he attacked a man on the sidewalk. -> #VALUE!

The thief beguiled his partners into surrendering all of their money to him. -> beguile [v.] to trick, deceive

The new aircraft carrier is among several behemoths that the Air Force has added to its ﬂeet. -> behemoth [n.] something of tremendous power or size

Police ofﬁcers should be commended for their benevolent service to the community. -> benevolent [adj.] marked by goodness or doing good

We were all relieved to hear that the medical tests determined her tumor to be benign. -> benign [adj.] favorable, not threatening, mild

Jon’s father bequeathed his entire estate to his mother. -> bequeath [v.] to pass on, give

The angry boss berated his employees for failing to meet their deadline. -> berate [v.] to scold vehemently

His family was bereft of food and shelter following the tornado. -> bereft [adj.] devoid of, without

The servant beseeched the king for food to feed his starving family. -> beseech [v.] to beg, plead, implore

The judge’s hidden bias against smokers led him to make an unfair decision. -> bias [n.] a tendency, inclination, prejudice

The lawyer discovered that this ﬁrm had bilked several clients out of thousands of dollars. -> Cbilk [v.] cheat, defraud

Rachel’s assistant tried to blandish her into accepting the deal. -> blandish [v.] to coax by using ﬂattery

The dealer agreed to lower the price because of the many blemishes on the surface of the wooden furniture. -> blemish [n.] an imperfection, ﬂaw

The potato blight destroyed the harvest and bankrupted many families. -> blight - [n.] a plague, disease

His bad morale is a blight upon this entire operation. -> blight  - [n.] something that destroys hope

The candidate won the vote after giving several boisterous speeches on television. -> boisterous [adj.] loud and full of energy

The singer’s bombastic performance disgusted the crowd. -> bombastic [adj.] excessively conﬁdent, pompous

The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach. -> boon [n.] a gift or blessing

Many businessmen receive criticism for their bourgeois approach to life. -> bourgeois [n.] a middle-class person, capitalist

Critics condemned the novelist’s brazen attempt to plagiarize Hemingway’s story. -> brazen [adj.] excessively bold, brash

The captain’s brusque manner offended the passengers. -> brusque [adj.] short, abrupt, dismissive

The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them. -> buffet - [v.] to strike with force

Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up. -> buffet  - [n.] an arrangement of food set out on a table

His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before setting the table. -> burnish [v.] to polish, shine

The column buttresses the roof above the statue. -> buttress - [v.] to support, hold up

The buttress supports the roof above the statues. -> buttress  - [n.] something that offers support

The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital. -> Ccacophony [n.] tremendous noise, disharmonious sound

The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize the cadence of the sonata. -> Ccadence [n.] a rhythm, progression of sound

Fred’s buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party. -> cajole [v.] to urge, coax

The earthquake in San Francisco was a calamity worse than any other natural disaster in history. -> calamity [n.] an event with disastrous consequences

The mechanic calibrated the car’s transmission to make the motor run most efﬁciently. -> calibrate [v.] to set, standardize

The murderer’s callous lack of remorse shocked the jury. -> callous [adj.] harsh, cold, unfeeling

The local ofﬁcial’s calumny ended up ruining his opponent’s prospect of winning the election. -> calumny [n.] an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies

Camaraderie among employees usually leads to success in business. -> camaraderie [n.] brotherhood, jovial unity

We were surprised by the candor of the mayor’s speech because he is usually rather evasive. -> candor [n.] honesty, frankness

The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end. -> canny [adj.] shrewd, careful

Picasso liked to work on canvas rather than on bare cement. -> canvas - [n.] a piece of cloth on which an artist paints

We canvassed the neighborhood looking for clues. -> canvas  - [v.] to cover, inspect

The workers delighted in their new capacious ofﬁce space. -> capacious [adj.] very spacious

The army ﬁnally capitulated after ﬁghting a long costly battle. -> capitulate [v.] to surrender

The young girl’s capricious tendencies made it difﬁcult for her to focus on achieving her goals. -> capricious [adj.] subject to whim, ﬁckle

The ﬁreworks captivated the young boy, who had never seen such things before. -> captivate [v.] to get the attention of, hold

We caroused all night after getting married. -> carouse [v.] to party, celebrate

The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping voice for decades. -> carp [v.] to annoy, pester

The judge cataloged the victim’s injuries before calculating how much money he would award. -> Ccatalog - [v.] to list, enter into a list

We received a catalog from J. Crew that displayed all of their new items. -> Ccatalog  - [n.] a list or collection

The president’s speech catalyzed the nation and resuscitated the economy. -> catalyze [v.] to charge, inspire

The ironworkers held a caucus to determine how much of a pay increase they would request. -> caucus [n.] a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal

The politicians exchanged caustic insults for over an hour during the debate. -> caustic [adj.] bitter, biting, acidic

The adults ate their dinners on the patio, while the children cavorted around the pool. -> cavort [v.] to leap about, behave boisterously

The frustrated teenager could not put up with anymore of her critical mother’s censure. -> censure - [n.] harsh criticism

The principal censured the head of the English Department for forcing students to learn esoteric vocabulary. -> censure  - [v.] to rebuke formally

The books we read in this class are too cerebral—they don’t engage my emotions at all. -> cerebral [adj.] related to the intellect

Mr. Thornton’s sudden departure for the lavatory plunged his classroom into chaos. -> chaos [n.] absolute disorder

After being chastised by her peers for mimicking Britney Spears, Miranda dyed her hair black and affected a Gothic style. -> chastise [v.] to criticize severely

She continued to cherish her red plaid trousers, even though they had gone out of style and no longer ﬁt her. -> cherish [v.] to feel or show affection toward something

Lucy chided Russell for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance. -> chide [v.] to voice disapproval

The plot of the musical was banal, but the choreography was stunning. -> choreography [n.] the arrangement of dances

The library featured the newly updated chronicle of World War II. -> chronicle - [n.] a written history

Albert’s diary chronicled the day-to-day growth of his obsession with Cynthia. -> chronicle  - [v.] to write a history

Lionel carefully arranged the snapshots of his former girlfriends in chronological order, and then set ﬁre to them. -> chronological [adj.] arranged in order of time

The bus’s circuitous route took us through numerous outlying suburbs. -> Ccircuitous [adj.] roundabout

The professor’s habit of speaking in circumlocutions made it difﬁcult to follow his lectures. -> circumlocution [n.] indirect and wordy language

The children were permitted to play tag only within a carefully circumscribed area of the lawn. -> circumscribed [adj.] marked off, bounded

Though I promised Rachel’s father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have speciﬁed a time. -> circumspect [adj.] cautious

The school’s dress code forbidding navel-baring jeans was circumvented by the determined students, who were careful to cover up with long coats when administrators were nearby. -> circumvent [v.] to get around

Zelda’s uncanny ability to detect my lies was nothing short of clairvoyant. -> clairvoyant [adj.] able to perceive things that normal people cannot

Each morning the birds outside my window make such a clamor that they wake me up. -> clamor - [n.] loud noise

Neville’s fans clamored for him to appear on stage, but he had passed out on the ﬂoor of his dressing room. -> clamor  - [v.]to loudly insist

Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the gym, Sophie actually went to meet Joseph for a clandestine liaison. -> clandestine [adj.] secret

Following the scandalous disgrace of their leader, the entire political party cleaved into warring factions. ->  cleave - [v.] to divide into parts

After resolving their marital problems, Junior and Rosa cleaved to one another all the more tightly. ->  cleave  - [v.] to stick together ﬁrmly

After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for clemency. -> clemency [n.] mercy

Though the villagers viewed the church rectory as quaint and charming, the clergy who lived there regarded it as a mildewy and dusty place that aggravated their allergies. -> clergy [n.] members of Christian holy orders

Though Ronald was physically attractive, Maud found his constant compliments and solicitous remarks cloying. -> cloying [adj.] sickeningly sweet

The top layer of the pudding had coagulated into a thick skin. -> coagulate [v.] to thicken, clot

Gordon’s ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced into a surprisingly handsome outﬁt. -> Ccoalesce [v.] to fuse into a whole

I had my neighborhood cobbler replace my worn-out leather soles with new ones. -> cobbler [n.] a person who makes or repairs shoes

The court decided that Vanilla Ice did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it. -> coerce [v.] to make somebody do something by force or threat

Irene’s arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them. -> cogent [adj.] intellectually convincing

Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was cognizant of the fact that drinking impairs his judgment. -> cognizant [adj.] aware, mindful

Renee could not ﬁgure out what Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement. -> coherent [adj.] logically consistent, intelligible

Divorcing my wife had the collateral effect of making me poor, as she was the only one of us with a job or money. -> collateral - [adj.] secondary

Jacob left his watch as collateral for the $500 loan. -> collateral  - [n.] security for a debt

Adam’s essay on sexual response in primates was marked down because it contained too many colloquial expressions. -> colloquial [adj.] characteristic of informal conversation

The three law students worked in collusion to steal the ﬁnal exam. -> collusion [n.] secret agreement, conspiracy

For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus standing astride its harbor. -> colossus [n.] a gigantic statue or thing

The unexpected combustion of the prosecution’s evidence forced the judge to dismiss the case against Ramirez. -> combustion [n.] the act or process of burning

Jared received a commendation from Linda, his supervisor, for his stellar performance. -> commendation [n.] a notice of approval or recognition

Ahab selected a very long roll and proceeded to prepare a tuna salad sandwich commensurate with his enormous appetite. -> commensurate [adj.] corresponding in size or amount

Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite commodious. -> commodious [adj.] roomy

Eliot’s speech was so compelling that Lenore accepted his proposal on the spot. -> Ccompelling [adj.] forceful, demanding attention

Reginald bought Sharona a new dress to compensate her for the one he’d spilled his ice cream on. -> compensate [v.] to make an appropriate payment for something

Colin tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them. -> complacency [n.] self-satisﬁed ignorance of danger

Ann’s scarf complements her blouse beautifully, making her seem fully dressed even though she isn’t wearing a coat. -> complement [v.] to complete, make perfect

Sue had very strong opinions about what to do on a ﬁrst date, and Ted was absolutely compliant. -> compliant [adj.] ready to adapt oneself to another’s wishes

By keeping her daughter’s affair a secret, Maddie became complicit in it. -> complicit [adj.] being an accomplice in a wrongful act

I blushed crimson when Emma gave me a compliment on my new haircut. -> compliment [n.] an expression of esteem or approval

The difﬁculty of ﬁnding a ﬁre escape amid the smoke was compounded with the dangers posed by the panicking crowds. -> compound - [v.] to combine parts

My attraction to Donna was a compound of curiosity about the unknown, physical desire, and intellectual admiration. -> compound  - [n.] a combination of different parts

When the ﬁghting started, Joseph rushed into the family compound because it was safe and well defended. -> compound - [n.] a walled area containing a group of buildings

She sent me a comprehensive list of the ingredients needed to cook rabbit soufﬂé. -> comprehensive [adj.] including everything

Lynn compressed her lips into a frown. -> compress [v.] to apply pressure, squeeze together

He felt compunction for the shabby way he’d treated her. -> compunction [n.] distress caused by feeling guilty

Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made sense. -> concede [v.] to accept as valid

I took Amanda’s invitation to dinner as a very conciliatory gesture. -> conciliatory [adj.] friendly, agreeable

Gordon did not like to waste time, and his instructions to Brenda were nothing if not concise. -> Cconcise [adj.] brief and direct in expression

She concocted the most ridiculous story to explain her absence. -> concoct [v.] to fabricate, make up

His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds. -> concomitant [adj.] accompanying in a subordinate fashion

Julie and Harold began the evening with a disagreement, but ended it in a state of perfect concord. -> concord [n.] harmonious agreement

Brian lamely offered his condolences on the loss of his sister’s roommate’s cat. -> condolence [n.] an expression of sympathy in sorrow

He refused to condone his brother’s crime. -> condone [v.] to pardon, deliberately overlook

The water ﬂowed through the conduit into the container. -> conduit [n.] a pipe or channel through which something passes

We went to the mall food court and purchased a delicious confection. -> confection [n.] a sweet, fancy food

Shortly after we met, she became my chief conﬁdant. -> conﬁdant [n.] a person entrusted with secrets

The conﬂagration consumed the entire building. -> conﬂagration [n.] great ﬁre

A conﬂuence of different factors made tonight the perfect night. -> conﬂuence [n.] a gathering together

Julian was such a conformist that he had to wait and see if his friends would do something before he would commit. -> conformist [n.] one who behaves the same as others

MacGuyver confounded the policemen pursuing him by covering his tracks. -> confound [v.] to frustrate, confuse

The sauce had congealed into a thick paste. -> congeal [v.] to thicken into a solid

His congenial manner made him popular wherever he went. -> congenial [adj.] pleasantly agreeable

The priest told the congregation that he would be retiring. -> congregation [n.] a gathering of people, especially for religious services

Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect congruity of opinion. -> congruity [n.] the quality of being in agreement

She connived to get me to give up my vacation plans. -> Cconnive [v.] to plot, scheme

Arvin consecrated his spare bedroom as a shrine to Christina. -> consecrate [v.] to dedicate something to a holy purpose

The jury was able to reach a consensus only after days of deliberation. -> consensus [n.] an agreement of opinion

Unwillingly, he consigned his mother to a nursing home. -> consign [v.] to give something over to another’s care

Darren found Alexandra’s presence to be a consolation for his suffering. -> consolation [n.] an act of comforting

The singers’ consonant voices were beautiful. -> consonant [adj.] in harmony

The most important constituent of her perfume is something called ambergris. -> constituent [n.] an essential part

His belief in nonviolence constrained him from taking revenge on his attackers. -> constrain [v.]to forcibly restrict

He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal that she wanted him to leave. -> construe [v.] to interpret

Erica and Donald consummated their agreement in the executive boardroom. -> consummate [v.] to complete a deal; to complete a marriage ceremony through sexual intercourse

Consumption of intoxicating beverages is not permitted on these premises. -> consumption [n.] the act of consuming

Though her novels do not feature the themes of Romanticism, Jane Austen’s work was contemporaneous with that of Wordsworth and Byron. -> contemporaneous [adj.] existing during the same time

George’s contentious personality made him unpopular with his classmates. -> contentious [adj.] having a tendency to quarrel or dispute

Edwidge contravened his landlady’s rule against overnight guests. -> contravene [v.] to contradict, oppose, violate

Blake’s contrite behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him. -> contrite [adj.] penitent, eager to be forgiven

The contusions on his face suggested he’d been in a ﬁght. -> contusion [n.] bruise, injury

Interpreting Jane’s behavior was a constant conundrum. -> Cconundrum [n.] puzzle, problem

Jason convened his entire extended family for a discussion. -> convene [v.] to call together

The hotel was full because of the cattle-ranchers’ convention. -> convention - [n.] an assembly of people

The cattle-ranchers have a convention that you take off your boots before entering their houses. -> convention  - [n.] a rule, custom

The restaurant’s convivial atmosphere put me immediately at ease. -> convivial [adj.] characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment

Grace’s story was so convoluted that I couldn’t follow it. -> convoluted [adj.] intricate, complicated

Copious amounts of Snapple were imbibed in the cafeteria. -> copious [adj.] profuse, abundant

His cordial greeting melted my anger at once. -> cordial [adj.] warm, affectionate

The new king’s coronation occurred the day after his father’s death. -> coronation [n.] the act of crowning

Henry’s corpulence did not make him any less attractive to his charming, svelte wife. -> corpulence [adj.]extreme fatness

Luke’s seemingly outrageous claim was corroborated by witnesses. -> corroborate [v.] to support with evidence

The effect of the chemical was highly corrosive. -> corrosive [adj.] having the tendency to erode or eat away

Lloyd’s education and upbringing were cosmopolitan, so he felt right at home among the powerful and learned. -> cosmopolitan [adj.] sophisticated, worldly

The antidote counteracted the effect of the poison. -> counteract [v.] to neutralize, make ineffective

Alexander pulled off an amazing coup when he got a date with Cynthia by purposely getting hit by her car. -> coup - [n.] a brilliant, unexpected act

In their coup attempt, the army ofﬁcers stormed the Parliament and took all the legislators hostage. -> coup  - [n.] the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority

I coveted Moses’s house, wife, and car. -> covet [v.] to desire enviously

Nerwin waged a covert campaign against his enemies, while outwardly appearing to remain friendly. -> Dcovert [adj.] secretly engaged in

His credulity made him an easy target for con men. -> credulity [n.] readiness to believe

The crescendo of the brass instruments gave the piece a patriotic feel. -> crescendo [n.] a steady increase in intensity or volume

Among Mrs. Fields’s criteria for good cookies are that they be moist and chewy. -> criteria [n.] standards by which something is judged

The culmination of the couple’s argument was the decision to divorce. -> culmination [n.] the climax toward which something progresses

He was culpable of the crime, and was sentenced to perform community service for 75 years. -> culpable [adj.] deserving blame

At the library, she cultivated her interest in spy novels. -> cultivate [v.] to nurture, improve, reﬁne

The cumulative effect of hours spent in the sun was a deep tan. -> cumulative [adj.] increasing, building upon itself

The general devised a cunning plan to surprise the enemy. -> cunning [adj.] sly, clever at being deceitful

His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers. -> cupidity [n.] greed, strong desire

Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda. -> cursory [adj.] brief to the point of being superﬁcial

Her curt reply to my question made me realize that she was upset at me. -> curt [adj.] abruptly and rudely short

Since losing his job, he had to curtail his spending. -> curtail [v.] to lessen, reduce

He kept delaying the daunting act of asking for a promotion. -> Ddaunting [adj.] intimidating, causing one to lose courage

An eager reader, she was dismayed by the dearth of classic books at the library. -> dearth [n.] a lack, scarcity

The elaborately designed ﬁreworks show turned into a debacle when the ﬁreworks started ﬁring in random directions. -> debacle [n.] a disastrous failure, disruption

The large raise that he gave himself debased his motives for running the charity. -> Ddebase [v.] to lower the quality or esteem of something

An endless amount of good wine and cheese debauched the traveler. -> debauch [v.] to corrupt by means of sensual pleasures

He debunked her claim to be the world’s greatest chess player by defeating her in 18 consecutive matches. -> debunk [v.] to expose the falseness of something

The appreciative guest displayed decorous behavior toward his host. -> decorous [adj.] socially proper, appropriate

The kind video rental clerk decried the policy of charging customers late fees. -> decry [v.] to criticize openly

The brothers used eggs and shaving cream to deface their neighbor’s mailbox. -> deface [v.] to ruin or injure something’s appearance

The defamatory gossip spreading about the actor made the public less willing to see the actor’s new movie. -> defamatory [adj.] harmful toward another’s reputation

Ron deferred to Diane, the expert on musical instruments, when he was asked about buying a piano. -> defer [v.] to postpone something; to yield to another’s wisdom

His deferential attitude toward her made her more conﬁdent in her ability to run the company. -> deferential [adj.] showing respect for another’s authority

She deﬁled the calm of the religious building by playing her banjo. -> deﬁle [v.] to make unclean, impure

Having worked in a bakery for many years, Marcus was a deft bread maker. -> deft [adj.] skillful, capable

They planned to turn the defunct schoolhouse into a community center. -> defunct [adj.] no longer used or existing

The dean delegated the task of ﬁnding a new professor to a special hiring committee. -> delegate [v.] to hand over responsibility for something

She experienced the deleterious effects of running a marathon without stretching her muscles enough beforehand. -> deleterious [adj.] harmful

Though Mary was quite upset, her actions to resolve the dispute were deliberate. -> deliberate [adj.] intentional, reﬂecting careful consideration

She neatly delineated her reasons for canceling the project’s funding. -> delineate [v.] to describe, outline, shed light on

The demagogue strengthened his hold over his people by blaming immigrants for the lack of jobs. -> Ddemagogue [n.] a leader who appeals to a people’s prejudices

Different cultures have different demarcations of good and evil. -> demarcation [n.] the marking of boundaries or categories

She refused to demean her secretary by making him order her lunch. -> demean [v.] to lower the status or stature of something

Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure. -> demure [adj.] quiet, modest, reserved

The company decided that its advertisements would no longer denigrate the company’s competitors. -> denigrate [v.] to belittle, diminish the opinion of

The senator denounced her opponent as a greedy politician. -> denounce [v.] to criticize publicly

We all deplored the miserable working conditions in the factory. -> deplore [v.] to feel or express sorrow, disapproval

Rumors of the ogre’s depravity made the children afraid to enter the forest. -> depravity [n.] wickedness

Always over-modest, he deprecated his contribution to the local charity. -> deprecate [v.] to belittle, depreciate

Even though it was dangerous, the children enjoyed going to the deserted lot and playing in the derelict house. -> derelict [adj.] abandoned, run-down

The bullies derided the foreign student’s accent. -> deride [v.] to laugh at mockingly, scorn

She was bored by his music because she felt that it was derivative and that she had heard it before. ->  derivative [adj.] taken directly from a source, unoriginal

They feared that the construction of a golf course would desecrate the preserved wilderness. -> desecrate [v.] to violate the sacredness of a thing or place

The skin of the desiccated mummy looked like old paper. -> desiccated [adj.] dried up, dehydrated

She found the desolate landscape quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the overcrowded city. -> desolate [adj.] deserted, dreary, lifeless

Having failed the ﬁrst math test, the despondent child saw no use in studying for the next and failed that one too. -> Ddespondent [adj.] feeling depressed, discouraged, hopeless

The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws. -> despot [n.] one who has total power and rules brutally

The hurricane destroyed many homes and left many families destitute. -> destitute [adj.] impoverished, utterly lacking

Bob’s description of scary snakes couldn’t deter Marcia from traveling in the rainforests. -> deter [v.] to discourage, prevent from doing

Not wanting to be punished, the devious girl blamed the broken vase on the cat. -> devious [adj.] not straightforward, deceitful

In the country’s remote, mountainous regions, the inhabitants spoke a dialect that the country’s other inhabitants had difﬁculty understanding. -> dialect [n.] a variation of a language

Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains, brightening the room. -> diaphanous [adj.] light, airy, transparent

She wrote up a didactic document showing new employees how to handle the company’s customers. -> didactic - [adj.] intended to instruct

His didactic style of teaching made it seem like he wanted to persuade his students not to understand history fully, but to understand it from only one point of view. -> didactic  - [adj.] overly moralistic

While eating dinner with the adults, the difﬁdent youth did not speak for fear of seeming presumptuous. -> difﬁdent [adj.] shy, quiet, modest

He diffused the tension in the room by making in a joke. -> diffuse - [v.] to scatter, thin out, break up

In her writings, she tried unsuccessfully to make others understand her diffuse thoughts. -> diffuse  - [adj.] not concentrated, scattered, disorganized

The general’s dilatory strategy enabled the enemy to regroup. -> dilatory [adj.] tending to delay, causing delay

The diligent researcher made sure to check her measurements multiple times. -> diligent [adj.] showing care in doing one’s work

The bullies, tall and strong, picked on the diminutive child. -> diminutive [adj.] small or miniature

The bagpipers played a dirge as the casket was carried to the cemetery. -> dirge [n.] a mournful song, especially for a funeral

Dismayed by Bobby’s poor behavior, the parents sent their disaffected son to a military academy to be disciplined. -> Ddisaffected [adj.] rebellious, resentful of authority

Not wanting others to criticize her, she disavowed any involvement in the company’s hiring scandal. -> disavow [v.] to deny knowledge of or responsibility for

Though he hid his emotions, she discerned from his body language that he was angry. -> discern [v.] to perceive, detect

The CEO disclosed to the press that the company would have to ﬁre several employees. -> disclose [v.] to reveal, make public

The normally cheery and playful children’s sudden misery discomﬁted the teacher. -> discomﬁt [v.] to thwart, bafﬂe

The girls’ sobs were a discordant sound amid the general laughter that ﬁlled the restaurant. -> discordant [adj.] not agreeing, not in harmony with

He was troubled by the discrepancy between what he remembered paying for the appliance and what his receipt showed he paid for it. -> discrepancy [n.] difference, failure of things to correspond

Not wanting her patient to get overly anxious, the doctor used discretion in deciding how much to tell the patient about his condition. -> discretion [n.] the quality of being reserved in speech or action; good judgment

The professor’s discursive lectures seemed to be about every subject except the one initially described. -> discursive [adj.] rambling, lacking order

Insecure about their jobs, the older employees disdained the recently hired ones, who were young and capable. -> disdain - [v.] to scorn, hold in low esteem

After learning of his immoral actions, Justine held Lawrence in disdain. -> disdain  - [n.] scorn, low esteem

The child believed that his parents had unjustly grounded him, and remained disgruntled for a week. -> disgruntled [adj.] upset, not content

The team was disheartened after losing in the ﬁnals of the tournament. -> disheartened [adj.] feeling a loss of spirit or morale

The saleswoman disparaged the competitor’s products to persuade her customers to buy what she was selling. -> disparage [v.] to criticize or speak ill of

Having widely varying interests, the students had disparate responses toward the novel. -> disparate [adj.] sharply differing, containing sharply contrasting elements

The carpenter dispatched his assistant to fetch wood. -> Ddispatch [v.] to send off to accomplish a duty

She entered the ofﬁce as usual on Monday, dispelling the rumor that she had been ﬁred. -> dispel [v.] to drive away, scatter

When the rain began to pour, the crowd at the baseball game quickly dispersed. ->  disperse [v.] to scatter, cause to scatter

The ofﬁcer fell into disrepute after it was learned that he had disobeyed the orders he had given to his own soldiers. -> disrepute [n.] a state of being held in low regard

Not wanting to appear heartlessly greedy, she dissembled and hid her intention to sell her ailing father’s stamp collection. -> dissemble [v.] to conceal, fake

The politician disseminated his ideas across the town before the election. ->  disseminate [v.] to spread widely

The principal argued that the child should repeat the fourth grade, but the unhappy parents dissented. -> dissent - [v.] to disagree

Unconvinced that the defendant was guilty, the last juror voiced his dissent with the rest of the jury. -> dissent  - [n.] the act of disagreeing

The sun ﬁnally came out and dissipated the haze. -> dissipate - [v.] to disappear, cause to disappear

She dissipated her fortune on a series of bad investments. -> dissipate  - [v.] to waste

Though the president of the company often spoke of the company as reliant solely upon its workers, her decision to increase her own salary rather than reward her employees revealed a striking dissonance between her alleged beliefs and her actions. -> dissonance [n.] lack of harmony or consistency

Worried that he would catch a cold, she tried to dissuade him from going out on winter nights. -> dissuade [v.] to persuade someone not to do something

Years of drinking beer caused his stomach to distend. -> distend [v.] to swell out

Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which of the two birthday parties he should attend. -> dither [v.] to be indecisive

Terribly fond of desserts, she found the rich chocolate cake to be divine. -> divine [adj.] godly, exceedingly wonderful

Her divisive tactics turned her two friends against each other. ->  divisive [adj.] causing dissent, discord

Pressured by the press, the government ﬁnally divulged the previously unknown information. -> Edivulge [v.] to reveal something secret

She successfully taught the docile puppy several tricks. -> docile [adj.] easily taught or trained

His dogmatic claim that men were better than women at ﬁxing appliances angered everyone. -> dogmatic [adj.] aggressively and arrogantly certain about unproved principles

Though she pretended everything was ﬁne, her anger lay dormant throughout the dinner party and exploded in screams of rage after everyone had left. -> dormant [adj.] sleeping, temporarily inactive

The children feared their dour neighbor because the old man would take their toys if he believed they were being too loud. -> dour [adj.]stern, joyless

Suspicious that he was only trying to get a raise, she found his praise dubious. -> dubious [adj.] doubtful, of uncertain quality

His duplicity involved convincing his employees to let him lower their salaries and increase their stock options, and then to steal the money he saved and run the company into the ground. -> duplicity [n.] crafty dishonesty

It was only under intense duress that he, who was normally against killing, ﬁred his gun. -> duress [n.] hardship, threat

The parents found it hard to keep up with the dynamic music scene with which their children had become very familiar. -> dynamic [adj.] actively changing

She became ebullient upon receiving an acceptance letter from her ﬁrst-choice college. -> Eebullient [adj.] extremely lively, enthusiastic

That bar attracts an eclectic crowd: lawyers, artists, circus clowns, and investment bankers. -> eclectic [adj.] consisting of a diverse variety of elements

The couple was ecstatic when they learned that they had won the lottery. ->  ecstatic [adj.] intensely and overpoweringly happy

The ruler issued an edict requiring all of his subjects to bow down before him. -> edict [n.] an order, decree

The husband was so angry at his wife for leaving him that he effaced all evidence of her presence; he threw out pictures of her and gave away all her belongings. -> Eefface [v.] to wipe out, obliterate, rub away

My friend is so effervescent that she makes everyone smile. -> effervescent [adj.] bubbly, lively

My doctor promised me that the cold medicine was efﬁcacious, but I’m still snifﬂing. -> efﬁcacious [adj.] effective

When I told my aunt that she was boring, my mother scolded me for my effrontery. -> effrontery [n.] impudence, nerve, insolence

The golden palace was effulgent. -> effulgent [adj.] radiant, splendorous

The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behavior. -> egregious [adj.] extremely bad

Dan always beats me at chess because he develops such an elaborate game plan that I can never predict his next move. -> elaborate [adj.] complex, detailed, intricate

When she found out she had won the lottery, the writer was elated. -> elated [adj.] overjoyed, thrilled

At the funeral, the widow gave a moving elegy describing her love for her husband. -> elegy [n.] a speech given in honor of a dead person

Although I asked several times where the exit was, I elicited no response from the stone-faced policeman. -> elicit [v.] to bring forth, draw out, evoke

The priest gave such an eloquent sermon that most churchgoers were crying. -> eloquent [adj.] expressive, articulate, moving

I didn’t understand why my friend was so angry with me, so I asked Janine to elucidate her feelings. -> elucidate [v.] to clarify, explain

Despite an intense search, the robber continues to elude the police. -> elude [v.] to evade, escape

My sister eats a lot of pastries and chocolate but still looks emaciated. -> emaciated [adj.] very thin, enfeebled looking

My mom embellished the living room by adding lace curtains. -> embellish - [v.] to decorate, adorn

When Harry told me that he had “done stuff” on his vacation, I asked him to embellish upon his account. -> embellish  - [v.]to add details to, enhance

The accountant was ﬁred for embezzling $10,000 of the company’s funds. ->  Eembezzle [v.] to steal money by falsifying records

If my sentence is incorrect, the editor will emend what I have written. -> emend [v.] to correct or revise a written text

Mr. Phillips is such an eminent scholar that every professor on campus has come to hear him lecture. -> eminent - [adj.] distinguished, prominent, famous

There is an eminent stain on that shirt. -> eminent  - [adj.] conspicuous

This emollient cream makes my skin very smooth. -> emollient [adj.] soothing

The director told the actor he had to emote, or else the audience would have no idea what his character was going through. -> emote [v.] to express emotion

I feel such empathy for my sister when she’s in pain that I cry too. -> empathy [n.] sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own

The scientist gathered empirical data on the growth rate of dandelions by studying the dandelions behind his house. -> empirical - [adj.] based on observation or experience

That all cats hate getting wet is an empirical statement: I can test it by bathing my cat, Trinket. -> empirical  - [adj.] capable of being proved or disproved by experiment

I idolize Britney Spears so much that I emulate everything she does: I wear her outﬁts, sing along to her songs, and date a boy named Justin. ->  emulate [v.] to imitate

I grew enamored of that boy when he quoted my favorite love poem. -> enamor [v.] to ﬁll with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by “of” or “with”

At the end of the concert, all the fans yelled, “Encore! Encore!” but the band did not come out to play again. -> encore [n.] the audience’s demand for a repeat performance; also the artist’s performance in response to that demand

At the airport, my friend was encumbered by her luggage, so I offered to carry two of her bags. -> encumber [v.] to weigh down, burden

Writing these sentences enervates me so much that I will have to take a nap after I ﬁnish. -> enervate [v.] to weaken, exhaust

The Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised women. -> enfranchise [v.] to grant the vote to

During the Olympics, the victories of U.S. athletes engender a patriotic spirit among Americans. -> engender [v.] to bring about, create, generate

That man wearing the dark suit and dark glasses is so enigmatic that no one even knows his name. -> enigmatic [adj.] mystifying, cryptic

Mark and Andy have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence. -> Eenmity [n.] ill will, hatred, hostility

I feel such ennui that I don’t look forward to anything, not even my birthday party. -> ennui [n.] boredom, weariness

Building a new fence entails tearing down the old one. -> entail [v.] to include as a necessary step

The sailor’s stories of ﬁghting off sharks and ﬁnding ancient treasures enthralled his young son. -> enthrall [v.] to charm, hold spellbound

She promised she’d love me forever, but her “forever” was only ephemeral: she left me after one week. -> ephemeral [adj.] short-lived, ﬂeeting

Some people call me “Auntie’s boy,” because my aunt and I have such a close epistolary relationship that we write each other every day. ->  epistolary [adj.] relating to or contained in letters

My mother, the epitome of good taste, always dresses more elegantly than I do. -> epitome [n.] a perfect example, embodiment

Even though he had just been ﬁred, Mr. Simms showed great equanimity by neatly packing up his desk and wishing everyone in the ofﬁce well. -> equanimity [n.] composure

His intentions were so equivocal that I didn’t know whether he was being chivalrous or sleazy. ->  equivocal [adj.] ambiguous, uncertain, undecided

My Latin teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the most difﬁcult and abstruse ancient poetry. -> erudite [adj.] learned

George hates the color green so much that he eschews all green food. -> eschew [v.] to shun, avoid

Even the most advanced students cannot understand the physicist’s esoteric theories. -> esoteric [adj.] understood by only a select few

I love animals so much that I espouse animal rights. ->  espouse [v.] to take up as a cause, support

In her ﬂowing silk gown and lace veil, the bride looked ethereal. -> ethereal [adj.] heavenly, exceptionally delicate or reﬁned

From the study of etymology, I know that the word “quixotic” derives from Don Quixote and the word “gaudy” refers to the Spanish architect Gaudí. ->  etymology [n.] the history of words, their origin and development

I was euphoric when I found out that my sister had given birth to twins. ->  Eeuphoric [adj.] elated, uplifted

My joy at getting promoted was evanescent because I discovered that I would have to work much longer hours in a less friendly ofﬁce. -> evanescent [adj.] ﬂeeting, momentary

Christopher’s hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is about the upcoming English test. -> evince [v.] to show, reveal

The gruesome and scary movie I saw last night exacerbated my fears of the dark. -> exacerbate [v.] to make more violent, intense

Michael Jordan is the ﬁgure in basketball we exalt the most. -> exalt [v.] to glorify, praise

George’s endless complaints exasperated his roomate. -> exasperate [v.] to irritate, irk

The pharaoh’s treasures were excavated by archeologists in Egypt. -> excavate [v.] to dig out of the ground and remove

My discovery of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it. -> exculpate [v.] to free from guilt or blame, exonerate

After taking an excursion to the Bronx Zoo, I dreamed about pandas and monkeys. -> excursion [n.] a trip or outing

Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me sick. -> execrable [adj.] loathsome, detestable

Henry exhorted his colleagues to join him in protesting against the university’s hiring policies. -> exhort [v.] to urge, prod, spur

The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his sight. -> exigent [adj.] urgent, critical

The true thief’s confession exonerated the man who had been held in custody for the crime. -> exonerate [v.] to free from guilt or blame, exculpate

Her exorbitant praise made me blush and squirm in my seat. -> exorbitant [adj.] excessive

In his bid for reelection, the governor made an expedient move by tabling all controversial legislation. -> expedient [adj.] advisable, advantageous, serving one’s self-interest

To expiate my selﬁshness, I gave all my proﬁts to charity. ->  expiate [v.] to make amends for, atone

Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax ﬁles. -> Fexpunge [v.] to obliterate, eradicate

The history editors expurgated from the text all disparaging and inﬂammatory comments about the Republican Party. ->  expurgate [v.] to remove offensive or incorrect parts, usually of a book

My mother’s extant love letters to my father are in the attic trunk. -> extant [adj.] existing, not destroyed or lost

Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving brother. -> extol [v.] to praise, revere

Personal political ambitions should always remain extraneous to legislative policy, but, unfortunately, they rarely are. -> extraneous [adj.] irrelevant, extra, not necessary

Instead of trying to mediate between my brother and sister, I extricated myself from the family tension entirely and left the house for the day. -> extricate [v.] to disentangle

When she found out she won the literature prize, Mary exulted by dancing and singing through the school’s halls. ->  exult [v.] to rejoice

When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to school. -> Ffabricate [v.] to make up, invent

Meet me in front of the museum’s main façade. -> façade - [n.] the wall of a building

Despite my smiling façade, I am feeling melancholy. -> façade  - [n.] a deceptive appearance or attitude

This game is so facile that even a four-year- old can master it. ->  facile - [adj.] easy, requiring little effort

The business was in such shambles that any solution seemed facile at best; nothing could really helpit in the long-run. ->  facile  - [adj.] superﬁcial, achieved with minimal thought or care, insincere

Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked. -> fallacious [adj.] incorrect, misleading

Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to ﬁnish a project because it always seems imperfect to him. -> fastidious [adj.] meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards

I cannot fathom why you like that crabby and mean-spirited neighbor of ours. -> fathom [v.] to understand, comprehend

He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks. -> Ffatuous [adj.] silly, foolish

The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us through the entire season. ->  fecund [adj.] fruitful, fertile

While his comments were idiotic and rambling, mine were felicitous and helpful. -> felicitous - [adj.] well suited, apt

I spent a felicitous afternoon visiting old friends. -> felicitous  - [adj.] delightful, pleasing

That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it. -> feral [adj.] wild, savage

The fervent protestors chained themselves to the building and shouted all night long. -> fervent [adj.] ardent, passionate

I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that your milk has spoiled. -> fetid [adj.] having a foul odor

The dog was fettered to the parking meter. -> fetter [v.] to chain, restrain

In Greek dramas, the ﬁckle gods help Achilles one day, and then harm him the next. -> ﬁckle [adj.] shifting in character, inconstant

Guard dogs are known for the great ﬁdelity they show toward their masters. -> ﬁdelity [n.] loyalty, devotion

Using ﬁgurative language, Jane likened the storm to an angry bull. -> ﬁgurative [adj.] symbolic

Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always ﬂabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer. -> ﬂabbergasted [adj.] astounded

If a plant is not watered enough, its leaves become droopy and ﬂaccid. -> ﬂaccid [adj.] limp, not ﬁrm or strong

The judge’s decision to set the man free simply because that man was his brother was a ﬂagrant abuse of power. -> ﬂagrant [adj.] offensive, egregious

The writer’s ﬂorid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card. -> ﬂorid [adj.] ﬂowery, ornate

I ﬂouted the school’s dress code by wearing a tie-dyed tank top and a pair of cut-off jeans. -> ﬂout [v.] to disregard or disobey openly

Inspector Wilkens foiled the thieves by locking them in the bank along with their stolen money. -> foil [v.] to thwart, frustrate, defeat

When we got lost on our hiking trip, we foraged for berries and nuts in order to survive. -> Fforage [v.] to graze, rummage for food

The doctor showed great forbearance in calming down the angry patient who shouted insults at him. -> forbearance [n.] patience, restraint, toleration

I forestalled the cold I was getting by taking plenty of vitamin C pills and wearing a scarf. -> forestall [v.] to prevent, thwart, delay

Even though I had the ﬂu, my family decided to go skiing for the weekend and leave me home alone, feeling feverish and forlorn. -> forlorn [adj.] lonely, abandoned, hopeless

My New Year’s resolution is to forsake smoking and drinking. -> forsake [v.] to give up, renounce

Achilles’ fortitude in battle is legendary. -> fortitude [n.] strength, guts

After looking for Manuel and not ﬁnding him at home, Harriet had a fortuitous encounter with him at the post ofﬁce. -> fortuitous [adj.] happening by chance, often lucky or fortunate

Some radio talk-shows provide a good forum for political debate. ->  forum [n.] a medium for lecture or discussion

To foster good health in the city, the mayor started a “Get out and exercise!” campaign. -> foster [v.] to stimulate, promote, encourage

Although the child insisted he wasn’t tired, his fractious behavior—especially his decision to crush his cheese and crackers all over the ﬂoor—convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed. ->  fractious [adj.] troublesome or irritable

usually used with “with” -> fraught [adj.]

Her glances in his direction were fraught with meaning, though precisely what meaning remained unclear. ->  ﬁlled or accompanied with

In the hours between night and morning, the frenetic pace of city life slows to a lull. ->  frenetic [adj.] frenzied, hectic, frantic

Someday, all that anxiety about whether your zit will disappear before the prom will seem totally frivolous. -> frivolous [adj.] of little importance, triﬂing

Richard is so frugal that his diet consists almost exclusively of catﬁsh and chicken liver—the two most inexpensive foods in the store. -> frugal [adj.] thrifty, economical

Jane’s placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not as furtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the ﬁrst place most parents look. -> Gfurtive [adj.] secretive, sly

Mrs. Watson has poor taste and covers every object in her house with a garish gold lamé. -> Ggarish [adj.] gaudy, in bad taste

Some talk show hosts are so garrulous that their guests can’t get a word in edgewise. -> garrulous [adj.] talkative, wordy

Although he’s been known to behave like a real jerk, I would say that my brother is an overall genial guy. -> genial [adj.] friendly, affable

Ada’s fried chicken tastes so divine, I don’t know how anyone can call gluttony a sin. -> gluttony [n.] overindulgence in food or drink

Jim may think he’s not going to ﬁght Billy, but Billy will goad Jim on with insults until he throws a punch. ->  goad [v.] to urge, spur, incite to action

My parents, who used to eat little more than crackers and salad, have become real gourmands in their old age. -> gourmand [n.] someone fond of eating and drinking

The student thought her grandiloquence would make her sound smart, but neither the class nor the teacher bought it. -> grandiloquence [n.] lofty, pompous language

Margaret planned a grandiose party, replete with elephants, trapeze artists, and clowns. -> grandiose [adj.] on a magniﬁcent or exaggerated scale

Every morning the guy at the donut shop gives me a gratuitous helping of ketchup packets. -> gratuitous [adj.] uncalled for, unwarranted

Well, if you’re not gregarious, I don’t know why you would want to go to a singles party! -> gregarious [adj.] drawn to the company of others, sociable

Electrocuting the inmate without being sure of his guilt would be a truly grievous mistake. -> grievous [adj.] injurious, hurtful; serious or grave in nature

Because of his great guile, the politician was able to survive scandal after scandal. -> guile [n.] deceitful, cunning, sly behavior

A girl can only hear “I love you” so many times before it begins to sound hackneyed and meaningless. -> Hhackneyed [adj.] unoriginal, trite

In the hallowed corridors of the cathedral, the disturbed professor felt himself to be at peace. -> Hhallowed [adj.] revered, consecrated

My poor, hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on vacation. -> hapless [adj.] unlucky

Everyone had heard the teacher’s harangue about gum chewing in class before. -> harangue - [n.] a ranting speech

But this time the teacher harangued the class about the importance of brushing your teeth after chewing gum. -> harangue  - [v.] to give such a speech

I too would have expected the plants to be dead by mid-November, but apparently they’re very hardy. -> hardy [adj.] robust, capable of surviving through adverse conditions

The car crash was a harrowing experience, but I have a feeling that the increase in my insurance premiums will be even more upsetting. -> harrowing [adj.] greatly distressing, vexing

The superstar’s haughty dismissal of her costars will backﬁre on her someday. -> haughty [adj.] disdainfully proud

Because he’s such a hedonist, I knew Murray would appreciate the 11 cases of wine I bought him for his birthday. -> hedonist [n.] one who believes pleasure should be the primary pursuit of humans

Britain’s hegemony over its colonies was threatened once nationalist sentiment began to spread around the world. -> hegemony [n.] domination over others

The killings were made all the more heinous by the fact that the murderer ﬁrst tortured his victims for three days. -> heinous [adj.] shockingly wicked, repugnant

I hate having only one ﬂavor so I always buy the swirled, or should I say heterogeneous, type of ice cream. -> heterogeneous [adj.] varied, diverse in character

The hiatus in service should last two or three months—until the cable lines are repaired . -> hiatus [n.] a break or gap in duration or continuity

Women found it very difﬁcult to break into the upper ranks of the department’s hierarchy. -> hierarchy [n.] a system with ranked groups, usually according to social, economic, or professional class

Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent. ->  hypocrisy [n.] pretending to believe what one does not

Even though it has been celebrated by seven major newspapers, that the drug will be a success when tested in humans is still hypothetical. -> Ihypothetical [adj.] supposed or assumed true, but unproven

Jane goes to one protest after another, but she seems to be an iconoclast rather than an activist with a progressive agenda. -> Iiconoclast [n.] one who attacks common beliefs or institutions

I know you had trouble with the last test, but because your mistakes were highly idiosyncratic, I’m going to deny your request that the class be given a new test. -> idiosyncratic [adj.] peculiar to one person; highly individualized

Xena’s idolatrous fawning over the band—following them on tour, starting their fan club, ﬁlming their documentary—is really beginning to get on my nerves. -> idolatrous [adj.] excessively worshipping one object or person

It was really ignominious to be kicked out of the dorm for having an illegal gas stove in my room. -> ignominious [adj.] humiliating, disgracing

The fourth-grader learned many illicit words from a pamphlet that was being passed around school. -> illicit [adj.] forbidden, not permitted

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Nancy decided to immerse herself in her work in order to avoid crying. -> immerse [v.] to absorb, deeply involve, engross

The laws of physics are immutable and constant. -> immutable [adj.] not changeable

Stop being so impassive; it’s healthy to cry every now and then. -> impassive [adj.] stoic, not susceptible to suffering

If your grades were as impeccable as your sister’s, then you too would receive a car for a graduation present. -> impeccable [adj.] exemplary, ﬂawless

“I fear he’s too impecunious to take me out tonight,” the bratty girl whined. -> impecunious [adj.] poor

It is imperative that you have these folders organized by midday. -> imperative - [adj.] necessary, pressing

Her imperative to have the folders organized by midday was perceived as ridiculous by the others. -> imperative  - [n.] a rule, command, or order

The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you at once. -> imperious [adj.] commanding, domineering

Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer. -> Iimpertinent [adj.] rude, insolent

Because of their thick layer of fur, many seals are almost impervious to the cold. -> impervious [adj.] impenetrable, incapable of being affected

Hilda’s hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous, thoughtless action. -> impetuous [adj.] rash; hastily done

The hail impinged the roof, leaving large dents. -> impinge - [v.] to impact, affect, make an impression

I apologize for impinging upon you like this, but I really need to use your bathroom. Now. -> impinge  - [v.] to encroach, infringe

Watch out: once you shun Grandma’s cooking, she is totally implacable. -> implacable [adj.] incapable of being appeased or mitigated

Do you have a knife or some other sort of implement that I could use to pry the lid off of this jar? -> implement - [n.] an instrument, utensil, tool

After the ﬁrst town curfew failed to stop the grafﬁti problem, the mayor implemented a new policy to use security cameras to catch perpetrators in the act. -> implement  - [v.] to put into effect, to institute

Even though Tom wasn’t present at the time of the shooting, he was implicated by the evidence suggesting that he had supplied the shooters with guns. -> implicate [v.] to involve in an incriminating way, incriminate

I know Professor Smith didn’t actually say not to write from personal experience, but I think such a message was implicit in her instruction to use scholarly sources. -> implicit [adj.] understood but not outwardly obvious, implied

Though the invaders used battering rams, catapults, and rain dances, the fortress proved impregnable and resisted all attacks. -> impregnable [adj.] resistant to capture or penetration

The impudent young man looked the princess up and down and told her she was hot even though she hadn’t asked him. -> impudent [adj.] casually rude, insolent, impertinent

The CEO imputed the many typos in the letter to his lazy secretary. -> impute [v.] to ascribe, blame

Some ﬁlms are so inane that the psychology of the characters makes absolutely no sense. -> inane [adj.] silly and meaningless

Though he spoke for over an hour, the lecturer was completely inarticulate and the students had no idea what he was talking about. -> inarticulate [adj.] incapable of expressing oneself clearly through speech

In the church pageant, I play the role of greed incarnate. -> Iincarnate - [adj.] existing in the ﬂesh, embodied

The alien evaded detection by incarnating himself in a human form. -> Iincarnate  - [v.] to give human form to

If we catch the incendiary who screamed “bomb” in the middle of the soccer match, we’re going to put him in jail. -> incendiary - [n.] a person who agitates

Gas and lighter ﬂuid are incendiary materials that should be kept out of hot storage areas. -> incendiary  - [adj.] inﬂammatory, causing combustion

We wanted to go outside and play, but the incessant rain kept us indoors for two days. -> incessant [adj.] unending

The country’s government is still inchoate and, because it has no great tradition, quite unstable. -> inchoate [adj.] unformed or formless, in a beginning stage

The discussion wasn’t going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were. -> incisive [adj.] clear, sharp, direct

Sarah has an inclination to see every foreign ﬁlm she hears about, even when she’s sure that she won’t like it. -> inclination [n.] a tendency, propensity

Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics. -> incontrovertible [adj.] indisputable

You can buy Grandma nicotine gum all you want, but I think that after sixty-ﬁve years of smoking she’s incorrigible. -> incorrigible [adj.] incapable of correction, delinquent

The workmen made the wall longer, increment by increment. -> increment [n.] an enlargement; the process of increasing

The incumbent senator is already serving his ﬁfth term. -> incumbent - [n.] one who holds an ofﬁce

It is incumbent upon this organization to offer aid to all who seek it. -> incumbent  - [adj.] obligatory

Even after traveling 62 miles, the indefatigable runner kept on moving. -> indefatigable [adj.] incapable of defeat, failure, decay

Some fear that these plants, which are not indigenous to the region, may choke out the vegetation that is native to the area. -> indigenous [adj.] originating in a region

I would rather donate money to help the indigent population than to the park sculpture fund. ->  indigent [adj.] very poor, impoverished

I resigned from the sorority because of my indignation at its hazing of new members. -> indignation [n.] anger sparked by something unjust or unfair

Why should my indolent children, who can’t even pick themselves up off the couch to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to the mall? -> Iindolent [adj.] lazy

To be honest, Jim, my indomitable nature means I could never take orders from anyone, and especially not from a jerk like you. -> indomitable [adj.] not capable of being conquered

Who knew that our decision to boycott school lunch would induce a huge riot? ->  induce [v.] to bring about, stimulate

It is said that the experience of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter. ->  ineffable [adj.] unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words

She proved how inept she was when she forgot three orders and spilled a beer in a customer’s lap. -> inept [adj.] not suitable or capable, unqualiﬁed

Although I begged for hours, Mom was inexorable and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom. -> inexorable [adj.] incapable of being persuaded or placated

Unless I look at the solution manual, I have no way of solving this inextricable problem. -> inextricable [adj.] hopelessly tangled or entangled

The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the decades pass. -> infamy [n.] notoriety, extreme ill repute

The infusion of Eastern religion into Western philosophy created interesting new schools of thought. -> infusion [n.] an injection of one substance into another; the permeation of one substance by another

Her ingenious use of walnuts instead of the peanuts called for by the recipe was lauded by the other garden club members who found her cake delicious. -> ingenious [adj.] clever, resourceful

He must have writers, but his speeches seem so ingenuous it’s hard to believe he’s not speaking from his own heart. -> ingenuous [adj.] not devious; innocent and candid

When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out. -> inhibit [v.] to prevent, restrain, stop

I don’t see how I could ever work for a company that was so cold and inimical to me during my interviews. -> inimical [adj.] hostile, enemylike

“Your iniquity,” said the priest to the practical jokester, “will be forgiven.” -> iniquity [n.] wickedness or sin

After his house was toilet-papered for the ﬁfth time, the mayor issued an injunction against anyone younger than 21 buying toilet paper. -> Iinjunction [n.] an order of ofﬁcial warning

His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or practices. -> innate [adj.] inborn, native, inherent

In spite of their innocuous appearance, these mushrooms are actually quite poisonous. -> innocuous [adj.] harmless, inoffensive

Because of the stiff competition, the company knew it needed to pour a lot of energy into innovating new and better products. -> innovate [v.] to do something in an unprecedented way

During the debate, the politician made several innuendos about the sexual activities of his opponent. -> innuendo [n.] an insinuation

I’ve feared needles ever since I was inoculated against 37 diseases at age one; but I have also never been sick. -> inoculate [v.] to introduce a microorganism, serum, or vaccine into an organism in order to increase immunity to illness; to vaccinate

The inquisitor was instructed to knock on every door in town in order to ﬁnd the fugitive. -> inquisitor [n.] one who inquires, especially in a hostile manner

My insatiable appetite for melons can be a real problem in the winter. -> insatiable [adj.] incapable of being satisﬁed

Lisa’s insidious chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on! -> insidious [adj.] appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive

I wish Luke and Spencer would stop insinuating that my perfect report card is the result of anything other than my superior intelligence and good work habits. -> insinuate [v.] to suggest indirectly or subtly

The play was so insipid, I fell asleep halfway through. -> insipid [adj.] dull, boring

That celebrity is so insolent, making fun of his fans right to their faces. -> insolent [adj.] rude, arrogant, overbearing

The demagogue instigated the crowd into a fury by telling them that they had been cheated by the federal government. ->  instigate [v.] to urge, goad

Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs, those who work for the CIA must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other. -> insular [adj.] separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off

The insurgent snuck into and defaced a different classroom each night until the administration agreed to meet his demands. -> Iinsurgent [n.] one who rebels

Without the integral ingredient of ﬂour, you wouldn’t be able to make bread. -> integral [adj.] necessary for completeness

During our conversation, the cab driver occasionally interjected his opinion. -> interject [v.] to insert between other things

When the ofﬁcials could not come to an agreement over the correct cover of the ﬂags, the prime minister acted as an interlocutor. -> interlocutor [n.] someone who participates in a dialogue or conversation

The fact that biology lectures came just before lunch made them seem interminable. -> interminable [adj.] without possibility of end

Mr. Brinford’s intimation that he would soon pass away occurred when he began to discuss how to distribute his belongings among his children. -> intimation [n.] an indirect suggestion

There was no end in sight to the intractable conﬂict between the warring countries. -> intractable [adj.] difﬁcult to manipulate, unmanageable

The intransigent child said he would have 12 scoops of ice cream, or he would bang his head against the wall until his mother fainted from fear. -> intransigent [adj.] refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion

After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude. -> intrepid [adj.] brave in the face of danger

Because I am the star of a new sitcom, my fans are sure to inundate me with fan mail and praise. -> inundate [v.] to ﬂood with abundance

Twenty years in the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt and grime. -> inure [v.] to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation

My mother’s irrational invective against the way I dress only made me decide to dye my hair green. -> invective [n.] an angry verbal attack

I’m the ﬁrst to admit that I’m an inveterate coffee drinker—I drink four cups a day. -> inveterate [adj.] stubbornly established by habit

Nobody was ever able to break into Batman’s inviolable Batcave. -> inviolable [adj.] secure from assault

At the smallest provocation, my irascible cat will begin scratching and clawing. -> irascible [adj.] easily angered

The bride’s large diamond ring was iridescent in the afternoon sun. -> Jiridescent [adj.] showing rainbow colors

The irreverence displayed by the band that marched through the chapel disturbed many churchgoers. -> irreverence [n.] disrespect

The Bill of Rights is an irrevocable part of American law. -> irrevocable [adj.] incapable of being taken back

The crowd was jubilant when the ﬁreﬁghter carried the woman from the ﬂaming building. -> Jjubilant [adj.] extremely joyful, happy

When the judicious king decided to compromise rather than send his army to its certain death, he was applauded. -> judicious [adj.] having or exercising sound judgment

The interior designer admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table. -> juxtaposition [n.] the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison

Echoing throughout our village, the funeral knell made the stormy day even more grim. -> Kknell [n.] the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death

After the performance, the reviewers gave the opera singer kudos for a job well done. -> kudos [n.] praise for an achievement

Because he fell off his bike into a rosebush, the paperboy’s skin was covered with lacerations. -> Llaceration [n.] a cut, tear

The author’s laconic style has won him many followers who dislike wordiness. -> laconic [adj.] terse in speech or writing

In the summer months, the great heat makes people languid and lazy. -> languid [adj.] sluggish from fatigue or weakness

When my car was not where I had left it, I realized that I was a victim of larceny. -> larceny [n.] obtaining another’s property by theft or trickery

My boss demonstrated great largess by giving me a new car. -> largess [n.] the generous giving of lavish gifts

Sigmund’s dream represented his latent paranoid obsession with other people’s shoes. -> Llatent [adj.] hidden, but capable of being exposed

Such laudatory comments are unusual from someone who is usually so reserved in his opinions. -> laudatory [adj.] expressing admiration or praise

Because they had worked very hard, the performers appreciated the critic’s lavish praise. -> lavish - [adj.] given without limits

Because the performers had worked hard, they deserved the praise that the critic lavished on them. -> lavish  - [v.] to give without limits

Smuggling the French plants through customs by claiming that they were fake was a remarkable bit of legerdemain. -> legerdemain [n.] deception, slight-of-hand

Because Professor Oglethorpe allowed his students to choose their ﬁnal grades, the other teachers believed that he was excessively lenient. -> lenient [adj.] demonstrating tolerance or gentleness

When Jean Claude explained to his boss that he was lethargic and didn’t feel like working that day, the boss ﬁred him. -> lethargic [adj.] in a state of sluggishness or apathy

The bungee-jumping tower was a great liability for the owners of the carnival. -> liability - [n.] something for which one is legally responsible, usually involving a disadvantage or risk

Because she often lost her concentration and didn’t play defense, Marcy was a liability to the team. -> liability  - [n.] a handicap, burden

The dissatisﬁed subjects overthrew the monarch and replaced him with a libertarian ruler who respected their democratic principles. ->  libertarian [adj.] advocating principles of liberty and free will

Marilee has always been fascinated by the licentious private lives of politicians. -> licentious [adj.] displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints

Mr. Johnson’s limpid writing style greatly pleased readers who disliked complicated novels. -> limpid [adj.] clear, transparent

The linchpin in the prosecution’s case was the hair from the defendant’s head, which was found at the scene of the crime. -> linchpin [n.] something that holds separate parts together

Although the dancers were all outstanding, Jae Sun’s control of her lithe body was particularly impressive. -> lithe [adj.] graceful, ﬂexible, supple

When the litigants began screaming at each other, Judge Koch ordered them to be silent. -> litigant [n.] someone engaged in a lawsuit

Because Guenevere’s essay was so lucid, I only had to read it once to understand her reasoning. -> Mlucid [adj.] clear, easily understandable

The light of the luminous moon graced the shoulders of the beautiful maiden. -> luminous [adj.] brightly shining

Gideon’s story, in which he described a character torturing his sister’s dolls, was judged too lurid to be printed in the school’s literary magazine. -> lurid [adj.] ghastly, sensational

Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat. -> Mmaelstrom [n.] a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects

Although I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacqueline was magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them. -> magnanimous [adj.] noble, generous

When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department. -> malediction [n.] a curse

The malevolent old man sat in the park all day, tripping unsuspecting passersby with his cane. -> malevolent [adj.] wanting harm to befall others

Maximillian’s political opinions were so malleable that anyone he talked to was able to change his mind instantly. -> malleable [adj.] capable of being shaped or transformed

In the Old Testament, God mandates that no one should steal. -> mandate [n.] an authoritative command

When I wrote the wrong sum on the chalkboard, my mistake was so manifest that the entire class burst into laughter. -> manifest - [adj.] easily understandable, obvious

His illness ﬁrst manifested itself with particularly violent hiccups. -> manifest  - [v.] to show plainly

The popularity of Dante’s Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifold interpretations. -> manifold [adj.] diverse, varied

Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usually ﬁnd them maudlin and shallow. -> maudlin [adj.] weakly sentimental

Andreas is a real maverick and always does things his own way. -> maverick [n.] an independent, nonconformist person

Although some nineteenth- century critics viewed Dickens’s writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works. -> Mmawkish [adj.] characterized by sick sentimentality

Miss Manners’s etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional. -> maxim [n.] a common saying expressing a principle of conduct

My meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy my appetite. -> meager [adj.] deﬁcient in size or quality

Susannah’s wardrobe contained an astonishing medley of colors, from olive green to ﬂuorescent pink. -> medley [n.] a mixture of differing things

The mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining. -> mendacious [adj.] having a lying, false character

Though he was widely respected for his mathematical proofs, the mercurial genius was impossible to live with. -> mercurial [adj.] characterized by rapid change or temperamentality

Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for his meritorious actions. -> meritorious [adj.] worthy of esteem or reward

Winnifred went to the gym every day for a year and underwent a metamorphosis from a waiﬂike girl to an athletic woman. -> metamorphosis [n.] the change of form, shape, substance

The ornate needlework in the bride’s gown was a product of meticulous handiwork. -> meticulous [adj.] extremely careful with details

When I had an awful sore throat, only warm tea would mitigate the pain. -> mitigate [v.] to make less violent, alleviate

Luckily, the restaurant we chose had moderate prices; none of us have any money. -> moderate - [adj.] not extreme

Because he found both the liberal and conservative proposals too excessive, Mr. Park sided with the moderates. -> moderate  - [n.] one who expresses moderate opinions

Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity, Henrietta announced her boss’s affair in front of the entire ofﬁce. -> modicum [n.] a small amount of something

The composer wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys. -> modulate [v.] to pass from one state to another, especially in music

The police ofﬁcer molliﬁed the angry woman by giving her a warning instead of a ticket. -> mollify [v.] to soften in temper

When Theresa lost her job, she could not get out of her ﬁnancial morass. -> Nmorass [n.] a wet swampy bog; ﬁguratively, something that traps and confuses

Mores change over time; many things that were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as being socially acceptable. -> mores [n.] the moral attitudes and ﬁxed customs of a group of people.

Jason’s morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to. -> morose [adj.] gloomy or sullen

This Swiss Army knife has multifarious functions and capabilities. Among other things, it can act as a knife, a saw, a toothpick, and a slingshot. -> multifarious [adj.] having great diversity or variety

He is more concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics. -> mundane [adj.] concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace

The royal family’s muniﬁcence made everyone else in their country rich. -> muniﬁcence [n.] generosity in giving

Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in ﬁve years. -> mutable [adj.] able to change

It was difﬁcult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun. -> myriad [adj.] consisting of a very great number

My day was boring, but the nadir came when I accidentally spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head. -> Nnadir [n.] the lowest point of something

Unfortunately, my brilliant paper was only in its nascent form on the morning that it was due. -> nascent [adj.] in the process of being born or coming into existence

The transition between governments meant that who was actually in charge was a nebulous matter. -> nebulous [adj.] vaguely deﬁned, cloudy

Although Dr. Meanman’s nefarious plot to melt the polar icecaps was terrifying, it was so impractical that nobody really worried about it. -> nefarious [adj.] heinously villainous

Jessie’s grandfather called me a negligent fool after I left the door to his apartment unlocked even though there had been a recent string of robberies. -> negligent [adj.] habitually careless, neglectful

As a neophyte in the literary world, Malik had trouble ﬁnding a publisher for his ﬁrst novel. ->  Oneophyte [n.] someone who is young or inexperienced

Jackie was a nocturnal person; she would study until dawn and sleep until the evening. -> nocturnal [adj.] relating to or occurring during the night

Nobody would enter the stalls until the horse’s noisome leavings were taken away. -> noisome [adj.] unpleasant, offensive, especially to the sense of smell

In the ﬁrst six months after college, Jose led a nomadic life, living in New York, California, and Idaho. -> nomadic [adj.] wandering from place to place

Because he was moving the following week and needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money, Jordan sold everything for a nominal fee. -> nominal [adj.] triﬂing, insigniﬁcant

Although deep down she was very angry, Marsha acted in a nonchalant manner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing without asking. -> nonchalant [adj.] having a lack of concern, indifference

I was surprised when I saw the movie star in person because she looked nondescript. -> nondescript [adj.] lacking a distinctive character

Jacob was notorious for always arriving late at parties. -> notorious [adj.] widely and unfavorably known

Because we were all novices at yoga, our instructor decided to begin with the basics. -> novice [n.] a beginner, someone without training or experience

Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds were destroying the insects’ natural habitats. -> noxious [adj.] harmful, unwholesome

The nuances of the poem were not obvious to the casual reader, but the professor was able to point them out. -> nuance [n.] a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression

Although Serena had never watered the plant, which was about to die, Javier was able to nurture it back to life. -> nurture [v.] to assist the development of

The obdurate old man refused to take pity on the kittens. -> Oobdurate [adj.] unyielding to persuasion or moral inﬂuences

The detective did want to answer the newspaperman’s questions, so he obfuscated the truth. -> obfuscate [v.] to render incomprehensible

Martin’s oblique language confused those who listened to him. -> Ooblique [adj.] diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward

Oblivious to the burning smell emanating from the kitchen, my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven were burned until much too late. -> oblivious [adj.] lacking consciousness or awareness of something

Because he was standing in the shadows, his features were obscure. -> obscure [adj.] unclear, partially hidden

Mark acted like Janet’s servant, obeying her every request in an obsequious manner. -> obsequious [adj.] excessively compliant or submissive

With the inventions of tape decks and CDs, which both have better sound and are easier to use, eight-track players are now entirely obsolete. -> obsolete [adj.] no longer used, out of date

The obstinate child refused to leave the store until his mother bought him a candy bar. -> obstinate [adj.] not yielding easily, stubborn

Billy’s obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian to ask him to leave the reading room. -> obstreperous [adj.] noisy, unruly

Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war. -> obtuse [adj.] lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect

Mark was assigned the odious task of cleaning the cat’s litter box. -> odious [adj.] instilling hatred or intense displeasure

Brenda resented Allan’s ofﬁcious behavior when he selected colors that might best improve her artwork. -> ofﬁcious [adj.] offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed

The fortuneteller’s ominous words ﬂashed through my mind as the hooded ﬁgure approached me in the alley. ->  ominous [adj.] foreboding or foreshadowing evil

My parents lamented that the pleasures of living in a beautiful country estate no longer outweighed the onerous mortgage payments. -> onerous [adj.] burdensome

The opulent furnishings of the dictator’s private compound contrasted harshly with the meager accommodations of her subjects. -> opulent [adj.] characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation

The prime minister was visibly shaken when the unruly parliament interrupted his oration about failed domestic policies. ->  Poration [n.] a speech delivered in a formal or ceremonious manner

The ornate styling of the new model of luxury car could not compensate for the poor quality of its motor. -> ornate [adj.] highly elaborate, excessively decorated

The company’s proﬁts dwindled because the management pursued orthodox business policies that were incompatible with new industrial trends. -> orthodox [adj.] conventional, conforming to established protocol

My uncle oscillated between buying a station wagon to transport his family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood fantasies. -> oscillate [v.] to sway from one side to the other

Jack’s ostensible reason for driving was that airfare was too expensive, but in reality, he was afraid of ﬂying. -> ostensible [adj.] appearing as such, seemingly

On the palace tour, the guide focused on the ostentatious decorations and spoke little of the royal family’s history. -> ostentatious [adj.] excessively showy, glitzy

Beth risked ostracism if her roommates discovered her ﬂatulence. -> ostracism [n.] exclusion from a group

The chemistry professor’s paciﬁc demeanor helped the class remain calm after the experiment exploded. -> Ppaciﬁc [adj.] soothing

Despite the unpleasant smell, the exotic cheese was quite palatable. ->  palatable [adj.] agreeable to the taste or sensibilities

The palette of colors utilized in the painting was equaled only by the range of intense emotions the piece evoked. ->  palette [adj.] a range of colors or qualities

The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her patient’s discomfort. -> palliate [v.] to reduce the severity of

Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of blood. ->  pallid [adj.] lacking color

Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every disease, but sadly there is not. -> panacea [n.] a remedy for all ills or difﬁculties

Because the new SUV was so popular, it became the paradigm upon which all others were modeled. -> paradigm [n.] an example that is a perfect pattern or model

The diplomat refused to acknowledge the paradox that negotiating a peace treaty would demand more resources than waging war. -> Pparadox [n.] an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true

The mythical Helen of Troy was considered a paragon of female beauty. -> paragon [n.] a model of excellence or perfection

It was paramount that the bomb squad disconnect the blue wire before removing the fuse. -> paramount [adj.] greatest in importance, rank, character

Following the discovery of his plagiarism, Professor Hurley was made a pariah in all academic circles. -> pariah [n.] an outcast

A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to ﬁnd Deborah acting out a parody of his teaching style. -> parody [n.] a satirical imitation

Many relatives believed that my aunt’s wealth resulted from her parsimony. -> parsimony [n.] frugality, stinginess

The king did not believe that his rival could round up enough partisans to overthrow the monarchy. ->  partisan [n.] a follower, adherent

The reason for Jim’s abdominal pain was made patent after the doctor performed a sonogram. -> patent [adj.] readily seen or understood, clear

Dr. Hastings had difﬁculty identifying the precise nature of Brian’s pathology. ->  pathology [n.] a deviation from the normal

Martha ﬁlled with pathos upon discovering the scrawny, shivering kitten at her door. -> pathos [n.] an emotion of sympathy

Gilbert lamented the paucity of twentieth century literature courses available at the college. -> paucity [adj.] small in quantity

The evening’s headline news covered an international scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had made in reference to a foreign leader. -> pejorative [adj.] derogatory, uncomplimentary

Wishing his book to be pellucid to the common man, Albert Camus avoided using complicated grammar when composing The Stranger. ->  pellucid [adj.] easily intelligible, clear

Jill’s dinner parties quickly became monotonous on account of her penchant for Mexican dishes. ->  penchant [n.] a tendency, partiality, preference

The jury’s verdict may have been more lenient if the criminal had appeared penitent for his gruesome crimes. -> penitent [adj.] remorseful, regretful

Having smoked the penultimate cigarette remaining in the pack, Cybil discarded the last cigarette and resolved to quit smoking. -> Ppenultimate [adj.] next to last

Stella complained that her husband’s penurious ways made it impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved. -> penurious [adj.] miserly, stingy

After the ofﬁcial was caught selling government secrets to enemy agents, he was executed for his perﬁdious ways. -> perﬁdious [adj.] disloyal, unfaithful

The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner. -> perfunctory [adj.] showing little interest or enthusiasm

Mrs. Huxtable was annoyed that the wet dog’s odor had permeated the furniture’s upholstery. -> permeate [v.] to spread throughout, saturate

The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious inﬂuence on the nation’s stability. ->  pernicious [adj.] extremely destructive or harmful

Brad was perplexed by his girlfriend’s suddenly distant manner. ->  perplex [v.] to confuse

The detective was too humble to acknowledge that his perspicacity was the reason for his professional success. ->  perspicacity [adj.] shrewdness, perceptiveness

My parents forgave Sandra’s pert humor at the dinner table because it had been so long since they had last seen her. -> pert [adj.] ﬂippant, bold

Harry’s parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the closet door and were eaten. ->  pertinacious [adj.] stubbornly persistent

The actor agreed to accept the role after a two-month perusal of the movie script. -> perusal [n.] a careful examination, review

Stepping off the plane in Havana, I recognized the pervasive odor of sugar cane ﬁelds on ﬁre. -> pervasive [adj.] having the tendency to spread throughout

The Nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance. ->  petulance [n.] rudeness, irritability

Many people felt that the billionaire’s decision to donate her fortune to house the homeless was the ultimate philanthropic act. -> philanthropic [adj.] charitable, giving

Monique feared her dog was ill after the animal’s phlegmatic response to his favorite chew toy. ->  phlegmatic [adj.] uninterested, unresponsive

Invading enemy soldiers pillaged the homes scattered along the country’s border. -> Ppillage [v.] to seize or plunder, especially in war

Book reviewers declared that the author’s new novel was extraordinary and probably the pinnacle ofWestern literature. ->  pinnacle [n.] the highest point

My father’s long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements. ->  pithy [adj.] concisely meaningful

Josh complained that he was paid a pittance for the great amount of work he did at the ﬁrm. ->  pittance [n.] a very small amount, especially relating to money

The man purchased a lollipop to placate his irritable son. -> placate [v.] to ease the anger of, soothe

The placid lake surface was as smooth as glass. -> placid [adj.] calm, peaceful

After reading over her paper, Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes. -> platitude [n.] an uninspired remark, cliché

The controversial new ﬁlm received plaudits from even the harshest critics. ->  plaudits [n.] enthusiastic approval, applause

He studied all the data and then came up with a plausible theory that took all factors into account. -> plausible [adj.] believable, reasonable

My grandmother was overwhelmed by the plenitude of tomatoes her garden yielded this season. -> plenitude [n.] an abundance

The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high. -> plethora [n.] an abundance, excess

Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not break in heavy turbulence. -> pliable [adj.] ﬂexible

My teacher actually cried after reading to us the poignant ﬁnal chapter of the novel. -> poignant [adj.] deeply affecting, moving

My brother launched into a polemic against my arguments that capitalism was an unjust economic system. -> polemic [n.] an aggressive argument against a speciﬁc opinion

When a black cat crossed my sister’s path while she was walking to school, she took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test. -> portent [n.] an omen

During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a supply of potable water because salty ocean water makes anyone who drinks it sick. ->  Ppotable [adj.] suitable for drinking

All the villagers stood along the town’s main road to observe as the potentate’s procession headed towards the capital. -> potentate [n.] one who has great power, a ruler

The politician argued that while increased security measures might not ﬁt with the lofty ideals of the nation, they were a pragmatic necessity to ensure everyone’s safety. ->  pragmatic [adj.] practical

The mountain climber hung from a precipice before ﬁnding a handhold and pulling himself up. ->  precipice [n.] the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place

My grandfather’s large and vicious guard dog precluded anyone from entering the yard. -> preclude [v.] to prevent

Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old, he was already in the ninth grade. ->  precocious [adj.] advanced, developing ahead of time

Francois has a predilection for eating scrambled eggs with ketchup, though I prefer to eat eggs without any condiments. -> predilection [n.] a preference or inclination for something

Britain’s preponderance of naval might secured the nation’s role as a military power. ->  preponderance [adj.] superiority in importance or quantity

His prepossessing appearance made it impossible for me to think of anything else. ->  prepossessing [adj.] occupying the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts or feelings

When my uncle’s old war injury ached, he interpreted it as a presage of bad weather approaching. -> presage [n.] an omen

Questioning the fortune cookie’s prediction, Ray went in search of the old hermit who was rumored to be prescient. ->  prescient [adj.] to have foreknowledge of events

The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the peasants living on his lands would have to pay higher taxes. ->  prescribe [v.] to lay down a rule

The princess grew angry after the presumptuous noble tried to kiss her, even though he was far below her in social status. -> presumptuous [adj.] disrespectfully bold

Though he actually wanted to use his parents’ car to go on a date, Nick borrowed his parents’ car under the pretense of attending a group study session. ->  Ppretense [n.]an appearance or action intended to deceive

The ﬁrst primates to walk on two legs, called Australopithecus, were the primeval descendants of modern man. -> primeval [adj.] original, ancient

After decades of rule by an oppressive government that saw nothing wrong with stealing from its citizens, the recent drought only increased the people’s privation. ->  privation [n.] lacking basic necessities

Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity, no one was surprised by Mr. Samson’s immoral behavior. -> probity [n.] virtue, integrity

In a sick twist of fate, Harold’s childhood proclivity for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon. ->  proclivity [n.] a strong inclination toward something

The FBI was unable to procure sufﬁcient evidence to charge the gangster with racketeering. ->  procure [v.] to obtain, acquire

Jacob’s profane act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the chapel at his boarding school resulted in his dismissal. -> profane [adj.] lewd, indecent

The proﬂigate gambler loved to drink, spend money, steal, cheat, and hang out with prostitutes. ->  proﬂigate [adj.] dissolute, extravagant

The fans were profuse in their cheers for the star basketball player. ->  profuse [adj.] plentiful, abundant

The ﬁlm professor promulgated that both in terms of sex appeal and political intrigue, Sean Connery’s James Bond was superior to Roger Moore’s. -> promulgate [v.] to proclaim, make known

Rumors of Paul McCartney’s demise propagated like wildﬁre throughout the world. ->  propagate [v.] to multiply, spread out

Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping. ->  propensity [n.] an inclination, preference

The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be propitious for sailing. ->  propitious [adj.] favorable

Erma’s old-fashioned parents believed that her mini-skirt lacked the propriety expected of a “nice” girl. -> propriety [n.] the quality or state of being proper, decent

Heather’s prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience. ->  Qprosaic [adj.] plain, lacking liveliness

The town council voted to proscribe the sale of alcohol on weekends. -> proscribe [v.] to condemn, outlaw

Among Nigel’s protean talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue. -> protean [adj.]able to change shape; displaying great variety

The musician had never taken a guitar lesson in his life, making his prowess with the instrument even more incredible. ->  prowess [n.] extraordinary ability

After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my father vowed to practice greater prudence in future investments. ->  prudence [n.] cautious, circumspect

David’s mother was shocked by the discovery of prurient reading material hidden beneath her son’s mattress. ->  prurient [adj.] eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex

The judge demanded order after the lawyer’s puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom ﬂoor. ->  puerile [adj.] juvenile, immature

Aaron’s pugnacious nature led him to start several barroom brawls each month. ->  pugnacious [adj.] quarrelsome, combative

Several of Shakespeare’s sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man. -> pulchritude [n.] physical beauty

Punctilious Bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire, insisted that his peers follow the rules. -> punctilious [adj.] eager to follow rules or conventions

The pungent odor in the classroom made Joseph lose his concentration during the test. -> pungent [adj.] having a pointed, sharp quality—often used to describe smells

If caught smoking in the boys’ room, the punitive result is immediate expulsion from school. -> punitive [adj.] involving punishment

Those rotten eggs smell putrid. -> putrid [adj.] rotten, foul

We’d all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War. -> Qquagmire [n.] a difﬁcult situation

Hilda was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw in Amish country. -> quaint [adj.] charmingly old-fashioned

Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he choose mint chocolate chip or cookie dough? -> Rquandary [n.] a perplexed, unresolvable state

The skilled leader deftly quelled the rebellion. -> quell [v.] to control or diffuse a potentially explosive situation

If deprived of his paciﬁer, young Brendan becomes querulous. -> querulous [adj.] whiny, complaining

Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at ﬁrst sight in a laundromat. -> quixotic [adj.] idealistic, impractical

Ambika’s quotidian routines include drinking two cups of coffee in the morning. -> quotidian [adj.] daily

The professor railed against the injustice of the college’s tenure policy. -> Rrail [v.] to scold, protest

Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad sandwich. -> rancid [adj.] having a terrible taste or smell

When Eileen challenged me to a ﬁght, I could see the rancor in her eyes. -> rancor [n.] deep, bitter resentment

When Margaret met her paramour, they felt an instant rapport. -> rapport [n.] mutual understanding and harmony

It’s best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make rash decisions. -> rash [adj.] hasty, incautious

Sarah’s neighbors called the cops when her house party got too raucous. ->  raucous [adj.] loud, boisterous

The old tenement house was razed to make room for the large chain store. -> raze [v.] to demolish, level

When the cops showed up at Sarah’s party, they rebuked her for disturbing the peace. -> rebuke [v.] to scold, criticize

Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to ﬁnish her lima beans. -> recalcitrant [adj.] deﬁant, unapologetic

Before the ﬁnal exam, the teacher recapitulated the semester’s material. -> recapitulate [v.] to sum up, repeat

When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas, she reciprocated by giving him a kiss. -> Rreciprocate [v.] to give in return

Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and sometimes even enjoy holing up in remote cabins in the woods. -> reclusive [adj.] solitary, shunning society

The feuding neighbors ﬁnally reconciled when one brought the other a delicious tuna noodle casserole. -> reconcile - [v.] to return to harmony

Alou had to reconcile his skepticism about the existence of aliens with the fact that he was looking at a ﬂying saucer. -> reconcile  - [v.] to make consistent with existing ideas

The priest’s rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners. -> rectitude [n.] uprightness, extreme morality

The fortress looked redoubtable set against a stormy sky. -> redoubtable - [adj.] formidable

The audience greeted the redoubtable speaker with a standing ovation. -> redoubtable  - [adj.] commanding respect

The light was refracted as it passed through the prism. -> refract [v.] to distort, change

The dingy old chair, after being refurbished, commanded the handsome price of $200. -> refurbish [v.] to restore, clean up

Maria refuted the president’s argument as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV. -> refute [v.] to prove wrong

Feeling sick, Chuck regurgitated his dinner. -> regurgitate - [v.] to vomit

Margaret rushed through the test, regurgitating all of the facts she’d memorized an hour earlier. -> regurgitate  - [v.] to throw back exactly

At the astrology conference, Simon was relegated to the Scorpio room. -> relegate - [v.] to assign to the proper place

After spilling a drink on a customer’s shirt, the waiter found himself relegated to the least lucrative shift. -> relegate  - [v.] to assign to an inferior place

Pete always relished his bedtime snack. ->  relish [v.] to enjoy

After his teacher discovered he couldn’t read, Alex was forced to enroll in remedial English. -> remedial [adj.] intended to repair gaps in students’ basic knowledge

The burglar gained entrance because the security guard, remiss in his duties, forgot to lock the door. -> remiss [adj.] negligent, failing to take care

The renovated antique candelabra looked as good as new. -> Rrenovate - [v.] restore, return to original state

After getting renovated, the house was twice as big and much more attractive. -> Rrenovate  - [v.] to enlarge and make prettier, especially a house

The young writer earned international renown by winning the Pulitzer Prize. ->  renown [n.] honor, acclaim

Fiona’s renunciation of red meat resulted in weight loss, but confused those people who thought she’d been a vegetarian for years. -> renunciation [n.] to reject

The repentant Dennis apologized profusely for breaking his mother’s vase. -> repentant [adj.] penitent, sorry

The unedited version was replete with naughty words. -> replete [adj.] full, abundant

The cat, after eating an entire can of tuna ﬁsh, reposed in the sun and took a long nap. -> repose [v.] to rest, lie down

Jean’s cruel and reprehensible attempt to dump her boyfriend on his birthday led to tears and recriminations. -> reprehensible [adj.] deserving rebuke

Because the governor woke up in a particularly good mood, he granted hundreds of reprieves to prisoners. -> reprieve [n.] a temporary delay of punishment

Brian reproached the customer for failing to rewind the video he had rented. -> reproach [v.] to scold, disapprove

The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell. -> reprobate [adj.] evil, unprincipled

Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his ﬁngers into the strawberry pie. -> reprove [v.] to scold, rebuke

Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words. -> repudiate [v.] to reject, refuse to accept

Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush her teeth. ->  repulse - [v.] to disgust

With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to the stomach, Lacy repulsed Jack’s attempt to kiss her. ->  repulse  - [v.] to push back

After the most reputable critic in the industry gave the novel a glowing review, sales took off. -> reputable [adj.] of good reputation

During the war, the government made a requisition of supplies. -> requisition [n.] a demand for goods, usually made by an authority

The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering that Jane’s resume was full of lies. -> rescind [v.] to take back, repeal

Igor the Indomitable had quite a reservoir of strengh and could lift ten tons, even after running 700 miles, jumping over three mountains, and swimming across an ocean. -> Rreservoir - [n.] reserves, large supply

After graduation, the more rebellious members of the senior class jumped into the town reservoir used for drinking water. -> Rreservoir  - [n.] a body of water used for storing water

The resilient ballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury. -> resilient [adj.] able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity

With a resolute glint in her eye, Catherine announced that she was set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings. -> resolute [adj.] ﬁrm, determined

Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook hands. -> resolve - [v.] to ﬁnd a solution

Lady Macbeth resolved to whip her husband into shape. -> resolve  - [v.] to ﬁrmly decide

Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the smoke and noise. -> respite [n.] a break, rest

The partygoers were resplendent in diamonds and fancy dress. -> resplendent [adj.] shiny, glowing

Many people feel that descendants of slaves should receive restitution for the sufferings of their ancestors. -> restitution [n.] restoration to the rightful owner

The restive audience pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty comments. -> restive [adj.] resistant, stubborn, impatient

As the media worked itself into a frenzy, the publicist hurriedly retracted his client’s sexist statement. -> retract [v.] withdraw

Theodore reveled in his new status as Big Man on Campus. ->  revel [v.] to enjoy intensely

The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally revered. -> revere [v.] to esteem, show deference, venerate

After missing the curfew set by the court for eight nights in a row, Marcel’s freedom of movement was revoked. -> revoke [v.] to take back

The critic rhapsodized about the movie, calling it an instant classic. -> rhapsodize [v.] to engage in excessive enthusiasm

While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson’s daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes. -> ribald [adj.] coarsely, crudely humorous

Surprisingly, the famous novelist’s writing was rife with spelling errors. -> Srife [adj.] abundant

Terry liked to ruminate while sitting on the banks of the river, staring pensively into the water. -> ruminate [v.] to contemplate, reﬂect

Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed. -> ruse [n.] a trick

Tom’s saccharine manner, although intended to make him popular, actually repelled his classmates. -> Ssaccharine [adj.] sickeningly sweet

In the United States, the Constitution is often thought of as a sacrosanct document. -> sacrosanct [adj.] holy, something that should not be criticized

With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children’s plan to ship him off to a nursing home. -> sagacity [n.] shrewdness, soundness of perspective

One of the salient differences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot taller. -> salient [adj.] signiﬁcant, conspicuous

Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation “Ahoy ahoy.” -> salutation [n.] a greeting

After Tony applied a salve to his brilliant red sunburn, he soon felt a little better. -> salve [n.] a soothing balm

The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered stern lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen, but thought nothing of stealing cars to make some cash on the side. -> sanctimonious [adj.] giving a hypocritical appearance of piety

Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the chirpy cry, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!” -> sanguine [adj.] optimistic, cheery

Satiated after eating far too much turkey and stufﬁng, Liza lay on the couch watching football and suffering from stomach pains. -> satiate [v.] to satisfy excessively

Two hours after breaking up with Russell, Suzanne thought of the perfect scathing retort to his accusations. -> scathing [adj.] sharp, critical, hurtful

The ice skater’s scintillating rhinestone costume nearly blinded the judges. -> Sscintillating [adj.] sparkling

With scrupulous care, Sam cut a snowﬂake out of white paper. -> scrupulous [adj.] painstaking, careful

When Bruno heard the scurrilous accusation being made about him, he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone. -> scurrilous [adj.] vulgar, coarse

The sedentary cat did little but loll in the sun. -> sedentary [adj.] sitting, settled

Anne and Diana communicated with a semaphore involving candles and window shades. -> semaphore [n.] a visual signal

Stephen Greenblatt’s essays on Shakespeare proved to be seminal, because they initiated the critical school of New Historicism. -> seminal [adj.] original, important, creating a ﬁeld

With a coy smile, the guest on the blind-date show announced that he considered himself a very sensual person. -> sensual [adj.] involving sensory gratiﬁcation, usually related to sex

Paul found drinking Coke, with all the little bubbles bursting on his tongue, a very sensuous experience. -> sensuous [adj.] involving sensory gratiﬁcation

In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station. -> serendipity [n.] luck, ﬁnding good things without looking for them

Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa, puzzling over the famous woman’s serene smile. -> serene [adj.] calm, untroubled

The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing and quaking before the guests. -> servile [adj.] subservient

With the sinuous movements of her arms, the dancer mimicked the motion of a snake. ->  sinuous [adj.] lithe, serpentine

Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis was the key to success in life. -> sobriety [n.] sedate, calm

Jim, laid up in bed with a nasty virus, enjoyed the solicitous attentions of his mother, who brought him soup and extra blankets. -> solicitous [adj.] concerned, attentive

Colette’s solipsistic attitude completely ignored the plight of the homeless people on the street. -> solipsistic [adj.] believing that oneself is all that exists

The plot of the spy ﬁlm revolved around an untraceable and water-soluble poison. -> Ssoluble [adj.] able to dissolve

Water is sometimes called the universal solvent because almost all other substances can dissolve into it. -> solvent - [n.] a substance that can dissolve other substances

Upon receiving an unexpected check from her aunt, Annabelle found herself suddenly solvent. -> solvent  - [adj.] able to pay debts

The somnolent student kept falling asleep and waking up with a jerk. -> somnolent [adj.] sleepy, drowsy

The mature senior rolled her eyes at the sophomoric gross-out humor of the underclassman. -> sophomoric [adj.] immature, uninformed

The sovereign queen, with steely resolve, ordered that the traitorous nobleman be killed. -> sovereign [adj.] having absolute authority in a certain realm

Sadly, Tessa was convicted on merely speculative evidence. -> speculative [adj.] not based in fact

Using a spurious argument, John convinced the others that he had won the board game on a technicality. -> spurious [adj.] false but designed to seem plausible

With no room for advancement, the waiter’s career stagnated. -> stagnate [v.] to become or remain inactive, not develop, not ﬂow

The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened. -> staid [adj.] sedate, serious, self-restrained

Scrooge’s stingy habits did not ﬁt with the generous, giving spirit of Christmas. -> stingy [adj.] not generous, not inclined to spend or give

Penelope’s faithfulness to Odysseus required that she be stoic and put off her many suitors. -> stoic [adj.] unaffected by passion or feeling

Charles’s stolid reaction to his wife’s funeral differed from the passion he showed at the time of her death. -> stolid [adj.] expressing little sensibility, unemotional

Running a marathon is quite a strenuous task. So is watching an entire Star Trek marathon. -> strenuous [adj.] requiring tremendous energy or stamina

A strident man, Captain Von Trapp yelled at his daughter and made her cry. -> strident [adj.] harsh, loud

Veronica’s audacity and ungratefulness stupeﬁed her best friend, Heather. -> stupefy [v.] to astonish, make insensible

The invading force captured and subjugated the natives of that place. -> Tsubjugate [v.] to bring under control, subdue

The homeless man sadly pondered his former wealth and once sublime existence. -> sublime [adj.] lofty, grand, exalted

In some cultures, wives are supposed to be submissive and support their husbands in all matters. -> submissive [adj.] easily yielding to authority

The governor’s succinct speech energized the crowd while the mayor’s rambled on and on. -> succinct [adj.] marked by compact precision

Tracy had already won the campaign so her constant ﬂattery of others was superﬂuous. ->  superﬂuous [adj.] exceeding what is necessary

After partaking of the surfeit of tacos and tamales at the All-You-Can-Eat Taco Tamale Lunch Special, Beth felt rather sick. -> surfeit [n.] an overabundant supply or indulgence

After speaking to only one of the students, the teacher was able to surmise what had caused the ﬁght. -> surmise [v.] to infer with little evidence

The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the house without anyone noticing. -> surreptitious [adj.] stealthy

The surrogate carried the child to term for its biological parents. -> surrogate [n.] one acting in place of another

When he got drunk, Robinson’s white skin became rather swarthy. -> swarthy [adj.] of dark color or complexion

Some see the people in the cabinet as the president’s closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants. ->  sycophant [n.] one who ﬂatters for self-gain

I interpreted my parents’ refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request. -> Ttacit [adj.] expressed without words

Though Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn. -> taciturn [adj.] not inclined to talk

I tried to discuss my salary, but the boss kept veering off into tangential topics. -> tangential [adj.] incidental, peripheral, divergent

When it comes to sports, fearing your opponent is tantamount to losing. -> tantamount [adj.] equivalent in value or signiﬁcance

As time passed and the history professor continued to drone on and on, the lecture became increasingly tedious. ->  Ttedious [adj.] dull, boring

Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own temerity. -> temerity [n.] audacity, recklessness

Maintaining temperance will ensure that you are able to think rationally and objectively. -> temperance [n.] moderation in action or thought

The department heads tore down the arguments in other people’s theses, but Johari’s work proved to be quite tenable. -> tenable [adj.] able to be defended or maintained

Your argument is very tenuous, since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay. -> tenuous [adj.] having little substance or strength

Elephants are terrestrial animals. ->  terrestrial [adj.] relating to the land

When dealing with the unknown, timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears. -> timorous [adj.] timid, fearful

Every time Jessica was late, her boyfriend went into a long tirade about punctuality. -> tirade [n.] a long speech marked by harsh or biting language

The other kids referred to the teacher’s pet as the Tenth Grade Toady. -> toady [n.] one who ﬂatters in the hope of gaining favors

In college, I used to carry around an anatomy book that was the heaviest tome in my bag. ->  tome [n.] a large book

The torpid whale ﬂoated, wallowing in the water for hours. -> torpid [adj.] lethargic, dormant, lacking motion

I didn’t want to witness the neighbor’s torrid affair through the window. -> torrid [adj.] giving off intense heat, passionate

The scary thing about driving in mountains are the narrow, tortuous roads. -> tortuous [adj.] winding

The horse was so tractable, Myra didn’t even need a bridle. -> tractable [adj.] easily controlled

There is a time of night when nothing moves and everything is tranquil. -> tranquil [adj.] calm

The criminal’s actions transgressed morality and human decency. -> transgress [v.] to violate, go over a limit

Because virtually everyone in Palm Beach is a tourist, the population of the town is quite transient. -> Utransient [adj.] passing through brieﬂy; passing into and out of existence

Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold. ->  transmute [v.] to change or alter in form

According to the school newspaper’s merciless theater critic, Paciﬁc Coast High’s rendition of the musical Oklahoma was a travesty of the original. -> travesty [n.] a grossly inferior imitation

I always feel a triﬂe tremulous when walking through a graveyard. -> tremulous [adj.] fearful

The directions that accompanied my new cell phone were trenchant and easy to follow. -> trenchant [adj.] effective, articulate, clear-cut

Feeling great trepidation, Anya refused to jump into the pool because she thought she saw a shark in it. -> trepidation [n.] fear, apprehension

Keith thought of himself as being very learned, but everyone else thought he was trite because his observations about the world were always the same as David Letterman’s. -> trite [adj.] not original, overused

This club doesn’t really attract the dangerous types, so why was that bouncer being so truculent? -> truculent [adj.] ready to ﬁght, cruel

After winning the derby, the jockey truncated the long speech he had planned and thanked only his mom and his horse. ->  truncate [v.] to shorten by cutting off

The haughty writer did not realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose. -> turgid [adj.] swollen, excessively embellished in style or language

Sir Marcus’s chivalry often contrasted with the turpitude he exhibited with the ladies at the tavern. -> turpitude [n.] depravity, moral corruption

It seems that everyone in the United States has a television. The technology is ubiquitous here. -> Uubiquitous [adj.] existing everywhere, widespread

He called me a lily-livered coward, and I took umbrage at the insult. -> umbrage [n.] resentment, offense

Luka had an uncanny ability to know exactly what other people were thinking. She also had an uncanny ability to shoot ﬁreballs from her hands. -> Vuncanny [adj.] of supernatural character or origin

The unctuous receptionist seemed untrustworthy, as if she was only being helpful because she thought we might give her a big tip. -> unctuous [adj.] smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner

As the storm began to brew, the placid ocean began to undulate to an increasing degree. -> undulate [v.] to move in waves

The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her again about missing the rent payment. -> upbraid [v.] to criticize or scold severely

The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government, but he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president. -> usurp [v.] to seize by force, take possession of without right

The beautiful, fragile vase couldn’t hold ﬂowers or serve any other utilitarian purpose. -> utilitarian [adj.] relating to or aiming at usefulness

Everyone in the world wants to live in a utopia, but no one can agree how to go about building one. -> utopia [n.] an imaginary and remote place of perfection

I prefer a deﬁnite answer, but my boss kept vacillating between the distinct options available to us. -> Vvacillate [v.] to ﬂuctuate, hesitate

Beyonce realized that the lyrics she had just penned were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance. -> vacuous [adj.] lack of content or ideas, stupid

Yoko’s chemistry lab partner was asleep during the experiment and could not validate the accuracy of her methods. -> validate [v.] to conﬁrm, support, corroborate

The professor’s comments about the poem were surprisingly vapid and dull. -> vapid [adj.] lacking liveliness, dull

Each wire in the engineering exam was variegated by color so that the students could ﬁgure out which one was which. -> variegated [adj.] diversiﬁed, distinctly marked

The candidate vehemently opposed cutting back on Social Security funding. -> vehemently [adv.] marked by intense force or emotion

Thanks to her Chanel makeup, Shannen was able to maintain a veneer of perfection that hid the ﬂaws underneath. -> Vveneer [n.] a superﬁcial or deceptively attractive appearance, façade

The venerable Supreme Court justice had made several key rulings in landmark cases throughout the years. -> venerable [adj.] deserving of respect because of age or achievement

The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his music, his words, and his legend. -> venerate [v.] to regard with respect or to honor

With several agencies regulating the reports, it was difﬁcult for Latifah to argue against its veracity. -> veracity [n.] truthfulness, accuracy

It took the verbose teacher two hours to explain the topic, while it should have taken only ﬁfteen minutes. -> verbose [adj.] wordy, impaired by wordiness

The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look emerald. -> verdant [adj.] green in tint or color

Do you know if the Mexican tortilla is a vestige of some form of Aztec corn-based ﬂat bread? -> vestige [n.] a mark or trace of something lost or vanished

My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end. -> vex [v.] to confuse or annoy

All of my lame friends learned to be social through vicarious involvement in my amazing experiences. -> vicarious [adj.] experiencing through another

The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next. -> vicissitude [n.] event that occurs by chance

The guards remained vigilant throughout the night, but the enemy never launched the expected attack. -> vigilant [adj.] watchful, alert

After the Watergate scandal, almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior. -> vilify [v.] to lower in importance, defame

The attorney had no chance of vindicating the defendant with all of the strong evidence presented by the state. -> vindicate [v.] to avenge; to free from allegation; to set free

The vindictive madman seeks to exact vengeance for any insult that he perceives is directed at him, no matter how small. -> vindictive [adj.] vengeful

Even though Lydia has studied piano for many years, she’s only average at it. She’s no virtuoso, that’s for sure. -> virtuoso [n.] one who excels in an art; a highly skilled musical performer

The viscous syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle. -> Wviscous [adj.] not free ﬂowing, syrupy

When angry, the woman would spew vitriolic insults. -> vitriolic [adj.] having a caustic quality

Jack ran away as soon as his father found out, knowing he would be vituperated for his unseemly behavior. -> vituperate [v.] to berate

The vivacious clown makes all of the children laugh and giggle with his friendly antics. -> vivacious [adj.] lively, sprightly

After growing tired of the superﬁcial world of high-fashion, Edwina decided to devote herself to a new vocation: social work. -> vocation [n.] the work in which someone is employed, profession

I’m tired of his vociferous whining so I’m breaking up with him. -> vociferous [adj.] loud, boisterous

My roommate can’t get over her breakup with her boyfriend and now just wallows in self-pity. -> Wwallow [v.] to roll oneself indolently; to become or remain helpless

Don’t be so afraid of his wrath because his inﬂuence with the president is already beginning to wane. -> wane [v.] to decrease in size, dwindle

Vicky’s wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very excited. -> wanton [adj.] undisciplined, lewd, lustful

The whimsical little girl liked to pretend that she was an elvin princess. -> whimsical [adj.] fanciful, full of whims

Though they were not the strongest of the Thundercats, wily Kit and Kat were deﬁnitely the most clever and full of tricks. -> wily [adj.] crafty, sly

After such a long, frustrating day, I was grateful for Chris’s winsome attitude and childish naivete. -> winsome [adj.] charming, pleasing

Since her pet rabbit died, Edda missed it terribly and sat around wistful all day long. -> wistful [adj.] full of yearning; musingly sad

Agatha’s grandmother, Stephanie, had the most wizened countenance, full of leathery wrinkles. -> wizened [adj.] dry, shrunken, wrinkled

Did you really want to incur her wrath when she is known for inﬂicting the worst punishments legally possible? -> wrath [n.] vengeful anger, punishment

We yoked together the logs by tying a string around them. -> YYyoke [v.] to join, link

If he were any more zealous about getting his promotion, he’d practically live at the ofﬁce. -> Zzealous [adj.] fervent, ﬁlled with eagerness in pursuit of something

I was too nice to tell Nelly that she had reached the absolute zenith of her career with that one hit of hers. -> zenith [n.] the highest point, culminating point

If not for the zephyrs that were blowing and cooling us, our room would’ve been unbearably hot. -> zephyr [n.] a gentle breeze