Word with the most definitions

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Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have multiple meanings.

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  • Though the English language has many quirks, one of its most interesting is homographs: words that are spelled identically but have different meanings or definitions. 
  • There are at least 10 words with hundreds of definitions each, like «go» and «put.»
  • «Run» is anticipated to have approximately 645 different meanings in the next Oxford English Dictionary, set for a 2037 release.

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The English language is, indeed, a quirky one: it’s notoriously difficult to learn, and often words have more than one meaning. 

Some of these words are called homographs. They’re spelled identically but have vastly different definitions. «Go» has 368, for instance, and «set» has 430. The word «run» is anticipated to have approximately 645 different meanings in the next Oxford English Dictionary, set for a 2037 release.

Keep scrolling to see which 10 words in the English language have the most definitions. 

Run: 645 definitions

«Running» can be a verb.

Syda Productions/Shutterstock

Though there is some debate surrounding the first place position of «run,» as one of the top homographs it has (an anticipated) 645 different definitions, according to a New York Times article from 2011.

The word is widely used to describe various activities: a computer runs a program, a car runs on gas, a candidate runs for office, etc. Of course, as with the rest of the English language, the word continues to evolve. 

Set: 430 definitions

TV «set.»

Keystone Features/Getty Images

Referred to as the «old chestnut» in the same New York Times article, «set» previously held the top position for the English word with the most definitions.

But «set» «hasn’t undergone as much development in the 20th and 21st centuries as has ‘run,'» Gilliver told the Times. Regardless, «set» holds strong at 430 definitions, per the 1989 O.E.D.

Go: 368 definitions

Green signifies «go.»

Prisma by Dukas/UIG via Getty Images

«Go» is one of the most ubiquitous everyday words in the English language. Like many others on this list, it can be a noun, adjective, and verb. It clocked in at 368 definitions in 1989’s O.E.D.

Its top meaning as a verb is «to move from one place to another; travel,» but it can also be «said in various expressions when angrily or contemptuously dismissing someone.» Used in a sentence: «Go and get lost!» 

Take: 343 definitions

Take out.

iStock

The word «take» is described by Merriam-Webster as «to get into one’s hands or into one’s possession, power, or control.» But its meanings stretch across a vast terrain: to «take something in» could also mean «to consider or view in a particular relation.» 

It comes in a close fourth place, roughly 20 definitions less than «go:» 343 in the 1989 O.E.D.

Get: 289 definitions

«Getting» dolled up.

Nicky J Sims/Getty Images

Like «go,» «getting» is one of those commonplace words that we use so much, we don’t even realize how much we use it. We «get» coffee.» We are «getting» dolled up for a date. We «got» a bad grade on that test.

According to the 1989 O.E.D., it has 289 definitions, to be exact. 

Turn: 288 definitions

Figure skaters turning.

REUTERS/David Gray

The word «turn» is nestled closely behind, with only one less definition than «get.» It can take on many other meanings beyond «moving in a circular direction,» including «passing the age or time of» something. In a sentence: «I turned 40 last year.» 

Put: 268 definitions

«Putting» lemon into a drink.

Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

«In terms of sheer size, the entry for ‘run’ is half as big again as that for ‘put,'» said the New York Times article. But that doesn’t make «put» any less impressive, with exactly 268 definitions in total.

«Put» also may be a reason for «set»‘s decline in popularity, as we tend to use the former in favor of the latter these days. For example: we «put» the drinking glass down, rather than «set» it down.

Fall: 264 definitions

A model «falling» on the runway.

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Perhaps the most embarrassing of the list (in verb form, that is), «fall» clocks in at about 264 definitions in the O.E.D.

Though we all know fall’s most common definition as a verb — «to descend freely by the force of gravity» — it’s interesting to note that «fall» is also used to refer to lambs giving birth, according to Merriam-Webster.

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If you are going to answer a trivia question about which English word has the most definitions, your answer might depend on when the question was written. The old champion was the word «set,» which had 430 definitions in the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary published in 1989. This record was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records.

In that edition of the OED, the entry for set runs 60,000 words. It beats the others. Here are the runners-up for that edition:

Here’s how the others stack up:

  • Run — 396 (definitions)
  • Go — 368
  • Take — 343
  • Stand — 334
  • Get — 289
  • Turn — 288
  • Put — 268
  • Fall — 264
  • Strike — 250

A New Champion for Number of Definitions

Language doesn’t stand still. While «set» was the champion since the first edition of the OED in 1928 (when it had a meager 200 meanings), it has been overtaken by the word «run.» However, since the next edition of the OED won’t be out until 2037, it hasn’t made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the champion.

According to the OED’s chief editor, John Simpson, «run» has continued to evolve new meanings and had 645 as of 2011. In the interim, the word «put» has outpaced «set» in any case, and even replaces it in many usages. You might «put» something on a table rather than «set» it on a table.

How Should You Answer the Trivia Question?

This brings up a dilemma. How should you answer the question about which English word has the most definitions? If it’s possible to ask what authority has determined the answer, go with the word «set» if it is the second edition of the OED or the Guinness Book of World Records. If not, you may worry that the question is based on the New York Times interview with John Simpson in 2011 or a newer source.

Should You Use This Question in a Trivia Quiz?

If you are designing trivia or word game questions, it’s best just to drop this one as it is a moving target. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, «Modern English includes words from a wide variety of different sources around the world. Patterns of word-borrowing over time reflect the changing demography of its speakers; cultural and economic influences on Britain; the spread of English-speaking explorers, traders, and settlers; and encounters with other cultures.»

The English language has one of the largest vocabularies of all the languages of the world. The Oxford English Dictionary contains more than 600,000 words. They are all in a race to have more and more meanings. Even as new ones are added, older ones fall out of favor. You may not even recognize many of the uses of the words.

If you choose to use this as a question, you should cite which authority you are basing the answer on. Check the current Guinness World Record for a readily-accessible source.

This is a question whose answer surprised me when I first heard it many years ago. I was well aware that many words had more than one meaning, and could think of a few obvious examples. Still, the answer, though it certainly has a few obvious different meanings, was not what I was expecting.

The word is set.

Plain, simple, unassuming set. Seems odd, doesn’t it? Of course straight away you can probably think of a few different meanings for it. It can be a verb meaning to arrange or put in order. It can be a noun referring to a united group of entities, either in an abstract mathematical sense, or the more mundane sense of a chemistry set. And tennis matches are divided into sets. And you can set something aside, or down.

So yes, a few different meanings, but it probably still sounds surprising that the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains 430 definitions for set, and most other dictionaries will have about the same number. Have a look for yourself if you have one to hand.

There are a few main reasons set has so many definitions. First, it’s a hot verb, meaning it doesn’t have one simple main definition, but can be used with many different meanings, depending on the context. Second, this also means it’s used a lot as a phrasal verb, e.g. set down, set out, set out to, set up, which all count as distinct definitions in the dictionary. Set also has the advantage of its ability to be used as a number of different types of words. It can, for example, be a verb (set your watch), a noun (a mathematical set), and an adjective (a set number of people).

Still, don’t get too used to set claiming the top spot. In fact, if you look in some modern editions of dictionaries, you might find that run and put take up more space. Officially though, the Second Edition of the OED is taken to be the definitive authority on words and their meanings. The problem is, it was published in 1989, and obviously things have evolved linguistically since then. Never fear though, the third edition is being worked on right now, and we can expect that once it’s published, set will have been replaced as the word with the most definitions. They’ve been working on it since 2000 and are about halfway through, so eh, not too long to wait now!

A list of 15 words by myth.

  • pointwas added by myth and appears on 72 lists
  • playwas added by myth and appears on 80 lists
  • givewas added by myth and appears on 40 lists
  • getwas added by myth and appears on 54 lists
  • rollwas added by myth and appears on 62 lists
  • setwas added by myth and appears on 68 lists
  • markwas added by myth and appears on 76 lists
  • linewas added by myth and appears on 75 lists
  • deadwas added by myth and appears on 61 lists
  • lightwas added by myth and appears on 142 lists
  • goodwas added by myth and appears on 90 lists
  • gowas added by myth and appears on 78 lists
  • makewas added by myth and appears on 38 lists
  • runwas added by myth and appears on 79 lists
  • takewas added by myth and appears on 47 lists

I am not a native speaker and it sometimes surprise me how many different meanings some words have. An example is the word call — when I was learning English I thought it was only «shout» or «to ring someone» but the list of meanings is almost endless: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/call .

What are some other such words so that I can be careful when interpreting their meaning? As if I could execute the query «give me a top ten list of words with most definition lines on TheFreeDictionary».

Bogdan Lataianu's user avatar

asked Sep 19, 2011 at 22:43

Borek Bernard's user avatar

6

For a long time, «set» had the most meanings in the OED, but now it is «run». From the New York Times of 25th May 2011:

Which is the most lustrously complex word among the three quarters of
a million or so words and senses that make up this vast mongrel tongue
we know as the English language?

Well, according to the O.E.D.’s chief editor, John Simpson, we now
have a winner — and a winner that may well say something about the
current state of English-speaking humankind. For while in the first
edition of the O.E.D., in 1928, that richest-of-all-words was “set”
(75 columns of type, some 200 senses), the victor in today’s rather
more frantic and uncongenial world is, without a doubt, the
three-letter word “run.”

… Mr. Gilliver has finally calculated that there are for the verb-form alone of “run” no fewer than 645 meanings. A record.

In terms of sheer size, the entry for “run” is half as big again as that for “put,” a word on which Mr. Gilliver also worked some years ago. But more significantly still, “run” is also far bigger than the old chestnut “set,” a word that, says Mr. Gilliver, simply “hasn’t undergone as much development in the 20th and 21st centuries as has ‘run.’ ”

answered Sep 20, 2011 at 12:33

Hugo's user avatar

HugoHugo

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This is what I get using WRI curated data. Click to see a larger image.

enter image description here

For the record, the script used is:

r = SortBy[{Length[#[[2]]], #[[1]]}&/@({#, WordData[#]} & /@ DictionaryLookup[]), -First@# &]
BarChart[Transpose[r1][[1]], 
 ChartLabels -> 
  Placed[Text[Style[#, Italic, 24]] & /@ Transpose[r1][[2]], Center, Rotate[#, Pi/2] &]]

Edit

Just answering comments and other answers, here are the 76 meanings of break according to WRI.

1   Noun     Flight
2   Noun     Open Frame
3   Noun     Dash
4   Noun     Change Of Integrity
5   Noun     Holdup
6   Noun     Break Of Serve
7   Noun     Shot
8   Noun     Pause
9   Noun     Modification
10  Noun     Breach
11  Noun     Fortuity
12  Noun     Breakup
13  Noun     Occurrent
14  Noun     Crevice
15  Noun     Hurt
16  Noun     Interval
17  Verb     Weaken
18  Verb     Diminish
19  Verb     Injure
20  Verb     Fall
21  Verb     Domesticate
22  Verb     Change
23  Verb     Turn
24  Verb     Damage
25  Verb     Change Integrity
26  Verb     Divide
27  Verb     Check
28  Verb     Develop
29  Verb     Break Off
30  Verb     Interrupt
31  Verb     Deaden
32  Verb     Break Down
33  Verb     Change Voice
34  Verb     Go
35  Verb     Lick
36  Verb     Destroy
37  Verb     Diphthongize
38  Verb     Disrupt
39  Verb     Pause
40  Verb     Tell
41  Verb     Get Out
42  Verb     Outstrip
43  Verb     Penetrate
44  Verb     Become Punctured
45  Verb     Detach
46  Verb     Crumble
47  Verb     Bust
48  Verb     Disunite
49  Verb     Shoot
50  Verb     Modify
51  Verb     Exchange
52  Verb     Express Feelings
53  Verb     Trip The Light Fantastic Toe
54  Verb     Give Way
55  Verb     Founder
56  Verb     Appear
57  Verb     Scatter
58  Verb     Take Flight
59  Verb     Get Away
60  Verb     Change Direction
61  Verb     Impoverish
62  Verb     Designate
63  Verb     Split
64  Verb     Invalidate
65  Verb     Break Away
66  Verb     Ruin
67  Verb     Disrespect
68  Verb     Trespass
69  Verb     Come About
70  Verb     Emerge
71  Verb     Violate
72  Verb     Quit
73  Verb     Give Up Habit
74  Verb     Vary
75  Verb     Finish
76  Interjection     

answered Sep 20, 2011 at 1:45

Dr. belisarius's user avatar

Dr. belisariusDr. belisarius

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7

This trivia has already been studied. The top five words in the list are:

  • set (464 definitions)
  • run (396 definitions)
  • go (368 definitions)
  • take (343 definitions)
  • stand (334 definitions)

answered Apr 24, 2012 at 5:45

Bravo's user avatar

BravoBravo

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I believe the answer is set. It has more than 200 definitions in the OED, organised thus:

  1. To cause to sit, seat; to be seated, sit.

  2. To sink, descend.

  3. To put in a definite place (the manner of the action being implied either in the verb itself or in the context).

  4. To place or cause to be in a position, condition, relation, or connection. (This group embraces a large number of uses in which the precise implication of sense depends mainly on the kind of construction employed.)

  5. To appoint, prescribe, ordain, establish.

  6. To arrange, fix, adjust.

  7. To place mentally, suppose, estimate.

  8. To put or come into a settled position or condition.

  9. To put in the way of following a course, cause to take a certain direction.

  10. Senses perhaps arising from reversal of construction or from ellipsis (their origin being often obscure).

  11. With prepositions in specialized senses.

  12. With adverbs in specialized senses.

This is just for the verb usage, set is also used as an adjective, noun, conjunction and comb. form.

answered Apr 24, 2012 at 4:52

J D OConal's user avatar

J D OConalJ D OConal

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The most polysemous word in the OED is set.

answered Sep 20, 2011 at 4:57

Shoe's user avatar

ShoeShoe

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Just to concur with Shoe, I remember reading long long ago — in the Guinness Book of Records of all places — that set has the most (22) distinct different meanings in English.

Another common problem among non-native users of English are phrasal verbs which can appear very similar but have quite different meanings, eg set up, set out, set off, set about, set on, set down, etc. Often native speakers will use these verbs in an attempt to simplify their language when talking to non-native speakers (eg, by using «set up» instead of «establish»), often having the opposite effect.

answered Sep 20, 2011 at 12:13

Matt's user avatar

MattMatt

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In practical usage rather than dictionary definitions, thingamy probably has the most different meanings — it can mean any noun, depending on context, and I think there are more nouns than other parts of speech. There are other four-letter words which also take multiple meanings depending on context.

Another word which can take multiple meanings is ‘buffalo’ which can act as a noun ( the animal ), and adjectival phrase ( pertaining to the city ) and a verb ( to harass ) so ‘Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo’ is possibly the longest sentence made of the same word repeated, parsed in a similar way to ‘London cats annoy London cats’

answered Dec 5, 2014 at 22:38

Pete Kirkham's user avatar

1

José is in his third and final week with me on a home stay full immersion course and has come to the conclusion that the English Language is extremely confusing and frustrating! Especially when it comes to all those words that have multiple meanings. I have to confess that he has got a point.

Take the word “run” for example. It has 179 meanings according to Dictionary.com whilst the word “take” has 127 definitions! The following infographic that was compiled by Kaplan International together with Dictionary.com highlights the 10 English words with the most meanings in the English Language. You can view this infographic here on the Kaplan website.

Kaplan has taken each word and categorised them according to the different parts of speech, for example, verb, noun, adverb, adjective and so on as well as verb phrases and idioms. As this list is very long, I’ve decided to break this list in two parts.

Part 1 will deal with the first 5 words. I’ve shown some examples of the different verb and noun meanings and verb phrases for each word.

1. RUN

Verb

  • My dog loves to run about in the park (move quickly with legs)
  • She runs a very successful business (manages)
  • The bus company runs a regular weekend service (offer a service)
  • Don’t leave your car engine running/ try running the computer programme and see if it works (machine: working)

Noun

  • I always go for a 10k run in the mornings.
  • The play has had a successful run in the West End. (a period of time)
  • I do the school run every morning and my husband does it in the afternoon (a journey that a train, ship, car and so on does regularly)

Verb Phrases

  • Her withdrawal meant that her opponent was given a clear run for the nomination (you can progress without anyone stopping you)
  • He gave Tom a good run for his money (competing so well with someone that they cannot defeat you)
  • He is on the run from the law (trying to escape or hide from the police)

2. TAKE

Verb

  • Don’t forget to take an extra pair of shoes (move something or someone from one place to another)
  • Take a deep breath  James took a sip of his drink  I took a quick look at the audience (to perform an action or series of actions)
  • I took a course in origami at college  I’ve taken my driving test three times (to study or take an exam in a particular subject)

Verb Phrases

  • I like chocolate but I can take it or leave it (to not care whether you have, see or do something – informal)
  • It takes all sorts (used for saying that you find someone’s behaviour surprising or strange but will accept it – spoken)
  • Take it from me, this restaurant is excellent. (used to emphasize that what you’re saying is true and people should believe it – spoken)

 3. BREAK

Verb

  • Be careful  that you don’t break those glasses (separate into pieces by dropping)
  • If you break the speed limit, the penalties are high break the law. (don’t obey rules or the law)
  • When the news first broke, he was no where to be found breaking news ( if news breaks, it becomes publicly known)
  • Why don’t we break now and meet again after lunch? (stop what you’re doing for a period of time)

Noun

  • Doctors and nurses often work very long hours without a break ◆ Let’s take/have a break.
  • This could be the lucky break he’s always wanted (an opportunity that helps you achieve success)
  • She decided to make the break from marketing after eighteen years (a time of major change in one’s life).

Verb Phrases

  • He’s been breaking his back getting the house ready in time for the baby’s arrival (working very hard)
  • I think we’ve broken the back of this project now. (British English – to finish the hardest part of a task)
  • In their first year, the company broke even. (when a company doesn’t make a profit or a loss)
  • I want to break free (as sung by Freddy Mercury – to escape from someone or something that is holding you or controls you)

4. TURN

Verb

  • She turned around and smiled at me (change position)
  • When you get to the junction, turn right (change direction)
  • She could not concentrate on her book. All she seemed to be doing was turning the pages without reading them.
  • After years as an amateur dancer, she turned professional ( change and do something different)
  • It has turned cold again ( change and become something else)

Noun

  • Oh no, is it my turn again to wash the dishes?! ◆ Is it my turn to roll the dice? (in a group and it’s your time to do something)
  • The debate over drugs in sport took an unexpected turn yesterday ◆ The situation took a turn for the better/worse (a change in a situation)
  • He took the wrong turn and that took him miles away from his destination (change of direction)

Verb Phrases

  • He was stopped at every turn by the rigid rules (wherever or whenever someone tries to do something)
  • He did her a good turn by offering her the job (an action that helps someone – also applies in the opposite “a bad turn”)
  • I hope I’m not speaking out of turn, but I preferred the original version (to say something that you shouldn’t say in case you offend someone or you have no right to say it)
  • The mansion was built at the turn of the century ( the time at the end of one century and the beginning of the next)

5. SET 

Verb

  • “Tea is served,” he told them and set the tray on the table. (put something in a position)
  • I’ve set the alarm for 6am ◆ You can set the iPhone so that it does an automatic backup (to make equipment ready)
  • Have you set a date for the wedding? (to decide when something will happen)
  • The Bank of England sets the interest rate ◆ They set the price of the house too high. (to decide the price or value of something)
  • I have set the team three challenges/goals/objectives/tasks (to give someone something to achieve)

Noun

  • a set of keys  a set of guidelines  a complete set  a chess set ( a group of things)
  • the literary set  the jet set a set of friends (a group of people that share the same interests)
  • a film set  a stage set (theatre, film – place where a film or play is made)

Verb Phrases

  • The drivers’ demands were not met, setting the stage for a prolonged transport strike (create the conditions for something to happen)
  • They are a company that has set the standard for excellence in service (perform an activity to a level that other people need to achieve)
  • Dinner will be ready soon. Could you please set the table? (put cutlery and plates on the table)
  • After lunch I set to work on the mountain of paperwork on my desk (start working in a determined and enthusiastic way)

The above examples are just a few that I have selected here. Please do share with me any other meanings you know and use.

I will deal with the other five words in my next post (Part 2) so look out for it!

If you liked this post, please share it and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog if you don’t want to miss out on my posts.

Ciao for now

Shanthi

Emo! Emo has the most definitions on Urban dictionary. At 915, it is coming very close to 1000 and will soon pass it.

Emo is the word with the most definitions on urban dictionary.

by Vozlezhaschikh May 23, 2006

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The top 1,000 vocabulary words have been carefully chosen to represent difficult but common words that appear in everyday academic and business writing. These words are also the most likely to appear on the SAT, ACT, GRE, and ToEFL.

To create this list, we started with the words that give our users the most trouble and then ranked them by how frequently they appear in our corpus of billions of words from edited sources. If you only have time to study one list of words, this is the list.

1,000 words

255,839 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. consider

    deem to be

    At the moment, artemisinin-based therapies are
    considered the best treatment, but cost about $10 per dose — far too much for impoverished communities.Seattle Times (Feb 16, 2012)

  2. minute

    infinitely or immeasurably small

    The
    minute stain on the document was not visible to the naked eye.

  3. accord

    concurrence of opinion

    The committee worked in
    accord on the bill, and it eventually passed.

  4. evident

    clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

    That confidence was certainly
    evident in the way Smith handled the winning play with 14 seconds left on the clock.

  5. practice

    a customary way of operation or behavior

    He directed and acted in plays every season and became known for exploring Elizabethan theatre
    practices.

  6. intend

    have in mind as a purpose

    “Lipstick, as a product
    intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities,” the agency said on its website.

  7. concern

    something that interests you because it is important

    The scandal broke out in October after former chief executive Michael Woodford claimed he was fired for raising
    concerns about the company’s accounting practices.

  8. commit

    perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

    In an unprecedented front page article in 2003 The Times reported that Mr. Blair, a young reporter on its staff, had
    committed journalistic fraud.New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)

  9. issue

    some situation or event that is thought about

    As a result, the privacy
    issues surrounding mobile computing are becoming ever-more complex.

  10. approach

    move towards

  11. establish

    set up or found

    A small French colony, Port Louis, was
    established on East Falkland in 1764 and handed to the Spanish three years later.

  12. utter

    without qualification

  13. conduct

    direct the course of; manage or control

    Scientists have been
    conducting studies of individual genes for years.

  14. engage

    consume all of one’s attention or time

    We had nearly two hundred passengers, who were seated about on the sofas, reading, or playing games, or
    engaged in conversation.Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)

  15. obtain

    come into possession of

    He delayed making the unclassified report public while awaiting an Army review, but Rolling Stone magazine
    obtained the report and posted it Friday night.New York Times (Feb 11, 2012)

  16. scarce

    deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand

    Meanwhile, heating oil could grow more
    scarce in the Northeast this winter, the Energy Department warned last month.New York Times (Jan 21, 2012)

  17. policy

    a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group

    Inflation has lagged behind the central bank’s 2 percent target, giving
    policy makers extra scope to cut rates.

  18. straight

    successive, without a break

  19. stock

    capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares

  20. apparent

    clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

    But the elderly creak is beginning to become
    apparent in McCartney’s voice.

  21. property

    a basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class

    Owing to these magic
    properties, it was often planted near dwellings to keep away evil spirits.Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

  22. fancy

    imagine; conceive of; see in one’s mind

  23. concept

    an abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances

  24. court

    an assembly to conduct judicial business

    When Brown pleaded not guilty to assaulting Rihanna, their violent past came out in
    court.Slate (Feb 16, 2012)

  25. appoint

    assign a duty, responsibility, or obligation to

    In 1863 he was
    appointed by the general assembly professor of oriental languages at New College.Various

  26. passage

    a section of text, particularly a section of medium length

    His interpretation of many obscure scriptural
    passages by means of native manners and customs and traditions is particularly helpful and informing.Sheets, Emily Churchill Thompson

  27. vain

    unproductive of success

    An attempt was made to ignore this brilliant and irregular book, but in
    vain; it was read all over Europe.Various

  28. instance

    an occurrence of something

    In many
    instances large districts or towns would have fewer representatives than smaller ones, or perhaps none at all.Clarke, Helen Archibald

  29. coast

    the shore of a sea or ocean

    Martello towers must be built within short distances all round the
    coast.Wingfield, Lewis

  30. project

    a planned undertaking

    The funds are aimed at helping build public
    projects including mass transit, electricity networks, water utility and ports, it said.

  31. commission

    a special group delegated to consider some matter

  32. constant

    a quantity that does not vary

    In 1929, Hubble independently put forward and confirmed the same idea, and the parameter later became known as the Hubble
    constant.Nature (Nov 15, 2011)

  33. circumstances

    one’s overall condition in life

    The
    circumstances leading up to the shootings was not immediately available.

  34. constitute

    compose or represent

    Oil and natural gas
    constituted almost 50 percent of Russian government revenue last year.

  35. level

    a relative position or degree of value in a graded group

  36. affect

    have an influence upon

    The central bank will start distributing low-interest loans in early March to individuals and small- and medium-sized companies
    affected by the flooding.

  37. institute

    set up or lay the groundwork for

  38. render

    give an interpretation of

  39. appeal

    be attractive to

  40. generate

    bring into existence

    Qualities such as these are not
    generated under bad working practices of any sort.Hungerford, Edward

  41. theory

    a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the world

  42. range

    a variety of different things or activities

    Like American community colleges, admission at an open university is not competitive, but the schools offer a
    range of programs, including doctoral degrees.

  43. campaign

    a race between candidates for elective office

    At the same point in 2004 — as an incumbent facing re-election — Mr. Bush had taken in about $145.6 million for his
    campaign.New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)

  44. league

    an association of sports teams that organizes matches

    «When I broke into the big
    leagues until a month ago, Gary kept in touch,» Mets third baseman David Wright said.Seattle Times (Feb 17, 2012)

  45. labor

    any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

    More
    labor is entailed, more time is required, greater delay is occasioned in cleaning up, and the amount of water used is much greater.Hoskin, Arthur J.

  46. confer

    have a meeting in order to talk something over

    Ms. Stewart said Mrs. Bachmann
    conferred with her family and a few aides after her disappointing showing on Tuesday evening.New York Times (Jan 4, 2012)

  47. grant

    allow to have

  48. dwell

    think moodily or anxiously about something

  49. entertain

    provide amusement for

    The first Super Bowl in 1967 featured college marching bands
    entertaining the crowds at halftime.

  50. contract

    a binding agreement that is enforceable by law

    Contracts with utilities will be signed starting next month, he said.

  51. earnest

    characterized by a firm, sincere belief in one’s opinions

    Too much praise cannot be given to the
    earnest and efficient missionaries who founded and have maintained this mission.Miller, George A.

  52. yield

    give or supply

    It is a very important honey plant, as it
    yields an exceptionally pure nectar and remains in bloom a long time.Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

  53. wander

    move or cause to move in a sinuous or circular course

  54. insist

    be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

    Interior Department officials
    insisted that they had conducted an extensive scientific inquiry before moving ahead with the spill response plan.New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)

  55. knight

    a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry

  56. convince

    make realize the truth or validity of something

  57. inspire

    serve as the inciting cause of

  58. convention

    a large formal assembly

    Last year, the industry’s main trade
    convention, the Inside Self-Storage World Expo, organized workshops in Las Vegas focusing on lien laws and auction sales.New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)

  59. skill

    an ability that has been acquired by training

    He says many new drivers are terrified of motorway driving because they do not have the
    skills or confidence needed.

  60. harry

    annoy continually or chronically

  61. financial

    involving fiscal matters

  62. reflect

    show an image of

    Teens ranting over chores and whatnot can often
    reflect deeper feelings of alienation or perceived uncaring on the part of parents.

  63. novel

    an extended fictional work in prose

    Before Robert Barr publishes a
    novel he spends years in thinking the thing out.Anonymous

  64. furnish

    provide with objects or articles that make a room usable

    Instead, according to court documents, the money went toward
    furnishing mansions, flying in private jets, and retaining a $120,000-a-year personal hairstylist.BusinessWeek (Feb 1, 2012)

  65. compel

    force somebody to do something

  66. venture

    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers

    Clearly he would not
    venture to descend while his enemy moved.Strang, Herbert

  67. territory

    the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a state

    On Friday, West Africa regional group Ecowas condemned the rebels, urging them to end hostilities and surrender all occupied
    territory.

  68. temper

    a characteristic state of feeling

    Oscar Wilde, to do him justice, bore this sort of rebuff with astonishing good
    temper and sweetness.Anonymous

  69. bent

    fixed in your purpose

    The business-oriented constituency of the Republican Party, Jacobs said, has been weakened by a faction
    bent on lowering taxes and cutting spending.

  70. intimate

    marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity

  71. undertake

    enter upon an activity or enterprise

    An autopsy has reportedly been
    undertaken but the results are not expected for several weeks.

  72. majority

    more than half of the votes in an election

    Republicans need just four seats in the Senate to take control as the
    majority party.

  73. assert

    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

    In your talk you
    asserted the pill’s risks of blood clotting, lung artery blockage, heart attack and stroke are minimal.

  74. crew

    the people who work on a vehicle

    Several pilots and
    crew members would have to escape at once, while safety divers watched, ready to rescue anyone who became stuck.New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

  75. chamber

    a natural or artificial enclosed space

    «Today,» said the old man, «you must push through with me into my most solitary
    chamber, that we may not be disturbed.»Carlyle, Thomas

  76. humble

    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful

  77. scheme

    an elaborate and systematic plan of action

    Some companies in the Globe District of Arizona have started extensive underground
    schemes for mining large tonnages very cheaply by «caving» methods.Hoskin, Arthur J.

  78. keen

    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

    Not one of his movements escaped her
    keen observation; she drank in every shiver.Wingfield, Lewis

  79. liberal

    having political views favoring reform and progress

    Romney’s actually done well in open primaries where fiscally conservative yet socially
    liberal independents have backed him over his opponents.

  80. despair

    a state in which all hope is lost or absent

    There were wounded love, and wounded pride, and
    despair, and coming madness, all in that piteous cry.Reade, Charles

  81. tide

    the periodic rise and fall of the sea level

  82. attitude

    a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings

    «Behaviours have changed and
    attitudes have changed,» Mr Taylor said.

  83. justify

    show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for

    He felt sure that if the circumstances
    justified it, the necessary proceedings could be taken.”Anonymous

  84. flag

    a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design

  85. merit

    any admirable or beneficial attribute

    Thus far in our inquiry extraordinary
    merits have been offset by extraordinary defects.Ayres, Harry Morgan

  86. manifest

    reveal its presence or make an appearance

    A too rapid transformation of existing conditions might very easily lead to an economic crisis, symptoms of which are already beginning to
    manifest themselves.Vay, P?ter

  87. notion

    a general inclusive concept

  88. scale

    relative magnitude

  89. formal

    characteristic of or befitting a person in authority

  90. resource

    a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed

    “Economists assume that, under normal conditions, markets will allocate
    resources efficiently,” he added.

  91. persist

    continue to exist

    Old ideas, long after the conditions under which they were produced have passed away, often
    persist in surviving.Ingersoll, Robert Green

  92. contempt

    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

    And with his backhanded
    contempt for all things ordinary, Blake is making some of the catchiest, most difficult music in recent memory.

  93. tour

    a route all the way around a particular place or area

  94. plead

    enter a defendant’s answer

  95. weigh

    be oppressive or burdensome

    So far, the political turmoil has not appeared to have discouraged visitors, but prolonged strife could
    weigh on tourism.New York Times (Feb 11, 2012)

  96. mode

    how something is done or how it happens

  97. distinction

    a discrimination between things as different

    But such a
    distinction is quite external; at heart the men may be very much alike.Anonymous

  98. inclined

    at an angle to the horizontal or vertical position

    Such an
    inclined passage following a seam of coal is known as a slope.Hoskin, Arthur J.

  99. attribute

    a quality belonging to or characteristic of an entity

    The authors found that when the available prospects varied more in
    attributes such as age, height, occupation and educational background, people made fewer dating proposals.Scientific American (Feb 13, 2012)

  100. exert

    make a great effort at a mental or physical task

  101. oppress

    come down on or keep down by unjust use of one’s authority

    Those who managed to survive were later
    oppressed by Poland’s post-war communist authorities.

  102. contend

    compete for something

    But eight men, however bold and stout-hearted, could not long
    contend with an enemy at least four times their number.Strang, Herbert

  103. stake

    a strong wooden or metal post driven into the ground

    His remains were buried in Cannon Street, and a
    stake was driven through the body.Andrews, William

  104. toil

    work hard

    He
    toiled in the sweat of his brow, tilling the stubborn ground, taking out stones, building fences.Adler, Felix

  105. perish

    pass from physical life

    Simon Wiesenthal’s parents are long since deceased, with his father dying in World War I and his mother
    perishing in the Holocaust.

  106. disposition

    your usual mood

  107. rail

    complain bitterly

    Mr. Gray
    railed against lengthy stage directions, saying he crossed them out in scripts before he would begin rehearsals with his actors.New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

  108. cardinal

    one of a group of prominent bishops in the Sacred College

  109. boast

    talk about oneself with excessive pride or self-regard

  110. advocate

    a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea

    Well, safety
    advocates, consumers and the government dragged the automobile industry toward including seat belts, air bags, more visible taillights and other safety features.New York Times (Feb 19, 2012)

  111. bestow

    present

  112. allege

    report or maintain

    It is being fired into enclosed areas and homes, the human rights group
    alleges.

  113. notwithstanding

    despite anything to the contrary

  114. lofty

    of imposing height; especially standing out above others

  115. multitude

    a large indefinite number

    Department store chains in general have been strained in recent years as a »
    multitude» of alternatives has emerged, all competing for customers.Chicago Tribune (Dec 28, 2011)

  116. steep

    having a sharp inclination

    It was narrow and very
    steep, and had precipices in all parts, so that they could not mount upward except one at a time.Various

  117. heed

    pay close attention to

    But Cain was already too far gone to
    heed the warning voice.Adler, Felix

  118. modest

    not large but sufficient in size or amount

    A healthy person living in an unfashionable city with no student loans to pay off can get by on a fairly
    modest income.Slate (Feb 17, 2012)

  119. partial

    being or affecting only a segment

  120. apt

    naturally disposed toward

    Another reason to display beds at an electronics show: consumers are
    apt to use high-tech devices while tucked in.New York Times (Jan 9, 2012)

  121. esteem

    the condition of being honored

    Despite being held in the highest
    esteem by his fellow poets, Redgrove never quite achieved the critical reception or readership he deserved.

  122. credible

    appearing to merit belief or acceptance

    Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has acknowledged receiving the memo but said he ignored it as not
    credible.New York Times (Dec 19, 2011)

  123. provoke

    provide the needed stimulus for

    It
    provoked a bigger reaction than we could ever have anticipated.

  124. tread

    a step in walking or running

    The farmer went down, his clumsy boots making no sound on the uncarpeted stairway, so careful was his
    tread.Woolson, Constance Fenimore

  125. ascertain

    learn or discover with confidence

    Health care providers and manufacturers can
    ascertain alternative treatment more effectively by tackling predicted drug shortage incidences early in the process.Forbes (Feb 13, 2012)

  126. fare

    proceed, get along, or succeed

  127. cede

    relinquish possession or control over

    Some militia chiefs say they will only
    cede command of their fighters once an organized military and security apparatus is in place.

  128. perpetual

    continuing forever or indefinitely

  129. decree

    a legally binding command or decision

    While the
    decree takes effect immediately, it requires Parliament’s approval within 60 days to remain in force.

  130. contrive

    make or work out a plan for; devise

    The wily Roc, never taken much by surprise,
    contrived to escape, but old Tributor and his men were all captured.Thornbury, Walter

  131. derived

    formed or developed from something else; not original

    Modern kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi are all members of the same species,
    derived from a single prehistoric plant variety.Slate (Feb 21, 2012)

  132. elaborate

    marked by complexity and richness of detail

    But the tobacco industry and owners of other convenience stores say tribal cigarette manufacturing is just an
    elaborate form of tax evasion.New York Times (Feb 22, 2012)

  133. substantial

    real; having a material or factual existence

    Defence lawyers said the large number of forensic tests which had been carried out had failed to find any
    substantial evidence linked to the accused.

  134. frontier

    a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country

    Adding to the precarious security situation, tribesmen kidnapped 18 Egyptian border guards along the
    frontier with Israel in Sinai Peninsula.New York Times (Feb 9, 2012)

  135. facile

    arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth

  136. cite

    make reference to

    The Federal Reserve has pledged low interest rates until late 2014,
    citing in part the weakness of the job market.

  137. warrant

    show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for

    In the United Kingdom and Europe the devices are not used unless the need is
    warranted by the patient’s medical condition.

  138. sob

    weep convulsively

    He cried and trembled,
    sobbing, while they spoke, like the child he was.Weyman, Stanley J.

  139. rider

    a traveler who actively sits and travels on an animal

    In horseback riding, a
    rider will give commands by squeezing or lengthening the reins and altering the position of his legs.

  140. dense

    permitting little if any light to pass through

    Dense black smoke rose in the distance as demonstrators burned tires in Shiite villages.

  141. afflict

    cause physical pain or suffering in

    Melanoma globally
    afflicts nearly 160,000 new people each year.

  142. flourish

    grow vigorously

    His business had been all along steadily
    flourishing, his patrons had been of high social position, some most illustrious, others actually royal.Petherick, Horace William

  143. ordain

    invest with ministerial or priestly authority

    One of the present bishops was consecrated when quite a young boy, and deacons are often
    ordained at sixteen, and even much earlier.Bird, Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy)

  144. pious

    having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity

    Mother, you see, is a very
    pious woman, and she attributes it all to Providence, saying that it was the Divine interference in her behalf.Various

  145. vex

    disturb, especially by minor irritations

    There are
    vexing problems slowing the growth and the practical implementation of big data technologies.Forbes (Oct 21, 2011)

  146. gravity

    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe

    Once captured, the combined object will have a new center of
    gravity and may be spinning in an uncontrolled way.

  147. suspended

    supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy

    Frustrating enough at ground level, but can you imagine the agony about a stranded, ever-soggier Oreo being
    suspended 11 feet above the ground?Washington Post (Feb 21, 2012)

  148. conspicuous

    obvious to the eye or mind

    Its bright scarlet fruits are
    conspicuous in late autumn.Anonymous

  149. retort

    a quick reply to a question or remark

  150. jet

    an airplane powered by gas turbines

    Typhoon fighter
    jets, helicopters, two warships and bomb disposal experts will also be on duty to guard against security threats.Seattle Times (Feb 20, 2012)

  151. bolt

    run away

    The blare of bugles was heard, and a few seconds afterwards Jackson, still facing the enemy, shouted: «By Jupiter, they’re
    bolting, sir.»Strang, Herbert

  152. assent

    agree or express agreement

    His two companions readily
    assented, and the promise was mutually given and received.Keightley, Thomas

  153. purse

    a sum spoken of as the contents of a money container

    She watched over her husband, kept his accounts, held the family
    purse, managed all his affairs. Shorter, Clement K.

  154. plus

    the arithmetic operation of summing

    The survey’s margin of error was
    plus or minus four percentage points.

  155. sanction

    give authority or permission to

    The Securities and Exchange Commission said last year it had
    sanctioned 39 senior officers for conduct related to the housing market meltdown.

  156. proceeding

    a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked

    Chu attended the special court-martial
    proceeding on Monday in Hawaii, Hill said.

  157. exalt

    praise, glorify, or honor

  158. siege

    an action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place

    Rebellion broke out, and finally the aged Caliph, after enduring a
    siege of several weeks, was murdered in his own house.Nicholson, Reynold

  159. malice

    the desire to see others suffer

    He viewed the moths with
    malice, their fluttering wings fanning his resentment.Lyman, Olin L.

  160. extravagant

    recklessly wasteful

    Advisers say new millionaires are prone to mistakes, like making
    extravagant purchases or risky deals with friends.

  161. wax

    increase in phase

    Carols had existed for centuries, though their popularity
    waxed and waned as different governments and religious movements periodically declared them sinful.

  162. throng

    press tightly together or cram

    Deafening cheers rent the air as he landed; hundreds
    thronged around him to clasp his hand.Strang, Herbert

  163. venerate

    regard with feelings of respect and reverence

  164. assail

    attack someone physically or emotionally

    His campaign even issued a press release
    assailing other rivals for, in Mr. Paul’s view, taking Mr. Romney’s quote about firing people out of context.New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

  165. sublime

    of high moral or intellectual value

    He was uneven, disproportioned, saying ordinary things on great occasions, and now and then, without the slightest provocation, uttering the
    sublimest and most beautiful thoughts.Ingersoll, Robert Green

  166. exploit

    draw from; make good use of

    As humans increasingly
    exploit the deep seas for fish, oil and mining, understanding how species are dispersed is crucial, Copley said.Scientific American (Jan 3, 2012)

  167. exertion

    use of physical or mental energy; hard work

  168. kindle

    catch fire

  169. endow

    furnish with a capital fund

    The grammar school here, founded in 1533, is liberally
    endowed, with scholarships and exhibitions.Various

  170. imposed

    set forth authoritatively as obligatory

    The Arab League has already suspended Syria and
    imposed economic sanctions.

  171. humiliate

    cause to feel shame

    The letter claims pensioners are too often patronised,
    humiliated, denied privacy or even medical treatment.

  172. suffrage

    a legal right to vote

    There has been a great deal said in this country of late in regard to giving the right of
    suffrage to women.Ingersoll, Robert Green

  173. ensue

    take place or happen afterward or as a result

    An uproar
    ensued months after the approval, when opponents realized the online gambling measure had been slipped in.New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)

  174. brook

    a natural stream of water smaller than a river

  175. gale

    a strong wind moving 34–40 knots

    The
    gale was accompanied, as usual, by incessant rain and thick weather, and a heavy confused sea kept our decks always flooded.Fitzroy, Robert

  176. muse

    reflect deeply on a subject

    Musing about the Big Picture may be a lot more gratifying than focusing on the details of the specific policies that aren’t working.

  177. satire

    witty language used to convey insults or scorn

    There’s plenty of humor on Russian television, though not much political
    satire; Mr. Putin put a stop to that long ago.New York Times (Feb 13, 2012)

  178. intrigue

    cause to be interested or curious

  179. indication

    something that serves to suggest

  180. dispatch

    send away towards a designated goal

    More than one assassin was
    dispatched by the Turkish authorities to murder Napoleon.Various

  181. cower

    crouch or curl up

  182. wont

    an established custom

    He made his customary slick feeds to open teammates, but as is their
    wont, the Nets struggled at times to convert points on his passes.New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)

  183. tract

    a system of body parts that serves some specialized purpose

    When probiotics flourish in the digestive
    tract, nutrients are better absorbed and bad bugs are held at bay, research suggests.Seattle Times (Jan 10, 2012)

  184. canon

    a collection of books accepted as holy scripture

    For me, all novels of any consequence are literary, and they take their place, high and low, in the
    canon of English literature.

  185. impel

    cause to move forward with force

  186. latitude

    freedom from normal restraints in conduct

    Great employees often get more
    latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.

  187. vacate

    leave behind empty; move out of

    Their number diminished sharply after Villaraigosa announced last week that he wanted protesters to
    vacate the grounds by Monday or be forcibly removed.Chicago Tribune (Nov 30, 2011)

  188. undertaking

    any piece of work that is attempted

  189. slay

    kill intentionally and with premeditation

    «It were shame,» said Lancelot, «for an armed to
    slay an unarmed man.»Unknown

  190. predecessor

    one who goes before you in time

  191. delicacy

    the quality of being exquisitely fine in appearance

    This refinement appears in his works, which are full of artistic grace and dainty
    delicacy.Drake, Samuel Adams

  192. forsake

    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

    «I’m surprised,» said Philip, cautiously opening fire, «that you were ever allowed to
    forsake your native land.»Hay, Ian

  193. beseech

    ask for or request earnestly

    Utterly distraught, he ran up and down the bank, hunting for his clothes, calling, crying out, imploring,
    beseeching help from somewhere.Frank, Ulrich

  194. philosophical

    relating to the investigation of existence and knowledge

  195. grove

    a small growth of trees without underbrush

  196. frustrate

    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire

    Frustrated after two years of missed budget targets, finance chiefs demanded Greek officials put their verbal commitments into law.

  197. illustrious

    widely known and esteemed

    She will be joining an
    illustrious list of recipients that include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Princess Diana.

  198. device

    an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose

    You’ve probably also noticed that the telephone and computer are no longer the only
    devices on your employees’ desks.Forbes (Feb 26, 2012)

  199. pomp

    cheap or pretentious or vain display

    Throughout U.S. history, Americans have been fascinated by royal
    pomp — even on a movie screen.

  200. entreat

    ask for or request earnestly

    «Let me go now, please,» she
    entreated, her eyes unable to meet his any longer.Hope, Anthony

  201. impart

    transmit, as knowledge or a skill

    Long before writing and books were in common use, proverbs were the principal means of
    imparting instruction.Preston, Thomas

  202. propriety

    correct behavior

    I felt a trifle doubtful about the
    propriety of taking a short cut across private grounds, and said as much.Sutphen, Van Tassel

  203. consecrate

    render holy by means of religious rites

  204. proceeds

    the income or profit arising from a transaction

    His own share in the
    proceeds was about a hundred thousand dollars.Stark, James H.

  205. fathom

    come to understand

  206. objective

    the goal intended to be attained

    The
    objective was to mobilize students from 18 high schools across the city to provide community services and inspire others.New York Times (Feb 5, 2012)

  207. clad

    wearing or provided with clothing

    A few of the villagers came behind,
    clad in mourning robes, and bearing lighted tapers.Various

  208. partisan

    devoted to a cause or political group

    But given the bitter
    partisan divide in an election year, Democrats said they would never be able to get such legislation passed.Chicago Tribune (Mar 30, 2012)

  209. faction

    a dissenting clique

    One
    faction declared it would begin an armed struggle against the government of the United States.Slate (Feb 29, 2012)

  210. contrived

    artificially formal

    In lesser hands the story about a young man who discovers life among the dead could be impossibly cute and
    contrived.New York Times (Mar 25, 2012)

  211. venerable

    impressive by reason of age

    Thus, after much more than two hundred years, the
    venerable building looks almost as it did when the first students entered its doors.Faris, John T. (John Thomson)

  212. restrained

    not showy or obtrusive

    By contrast, Mr. Pei’s
    restrained design took time to claim my attention, particularly since it sat quietly next door to Saarinen’s concrete gull wings.New York Times (Oct 6, 2011)

  213. besiege

    harass, as with questions or requests

  214. manifestation

    a clear appearance

  215. rebuke

    an act or expression of criticism and censure

    Afterward, the leaders fought court orders to release records showing what they had done, drawing an uncommonly sharp
    rebuke from a federal judge.Washington Post (Mar 14, 2012)

  216. insurgent

    in opposition to a civil authority or government

    The Free Syrian Army, an
    insurgent group made of defecting soldiers and based in southern Turkey, claimed responsibility for both attacks.New York Times (Nov 20, 2011)

  217. rhetoric

    using language effectively to please or persuade

    His fiery
    rhetoric in support of limiting cuts to projected defense spending has surprised and impressed some of Obama’s toughest Republican critics.

  218. scrupulous

    having ethical or moral principles

    The reason is that the vast majority of businesses are
    scrupulous and treat their employees well.

  219. ratify

    approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation

    Company officials at Safeway said those replacement workers will remain on standby until the agreement is
    ratified by union members.Washington Post (Mar 29, 2012)

  220. stump

    cause to be perplexed or confounded

    Though family members long suspected Evans, a local handyman who frequently hired local youths, the case
    stumped investigators for years.Washington Post (Aug 30, 2011)

  221. discreet

    marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint

    Sarkozy has attempted to tone down his image, becoming more
    discreet about his private life.

  222. imposing

    impressive in appearance

  223. wistful

    showing pensive sadness

  224. mortify

    cause to feel shame

    Intensely
    mortified at this humiliation, the king fell sick, and henceforth his health failed rapidly.Various

  225. ripple

    stir up so as to form small waves

  226. premise

    a statement that is held to be true

  227. subside

    wear off or die down

    Affliction is allayed, grief
    subsides, sorrow is soothed, distress is mitigated.Webster, Noah

  228. adverse

    contrary to your interests or welfare

  229. caprice

    a sudden desire

  230. muster

    summon up, call forth, or bring together

  231. comprehensive

    broad in scope

    The United States Army developed a
    comprehensive plan to address problematic race relations in the 1970s, recognizing that they were hampering military effectiveness.New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

  232. accede

    yield to another’s wish or opinion

  233. fervent

    characterized by intense emotion

    But, to
    fervent applause and scattered fist pumps from two sets of worshipers, he pledged to legally challenge the claims against him.New York Times (Sep 26, 2010)

  234. cohere

    cause to form a united, orderly, and consistent whole

  235. tribunal

    an assembly to conduct judicial business

    The military has historically been protected from civilian courts, with any crimes committed by soldiers being decided in closed military
    tribunals.

  236. austere

    severely simple

    A certain
    austere simplicity was noticeable all over Longfellow’s house.Anonymous

  237. recovering

    returning to health after illness or debility

  238. stratum

    a group of people sharing similar wealth and status

    She belonged to the upper
    stratum of the profession, and, knowing it, could not sink.George, Walter Lionel

  239. conscientious

    characterized by extreme care and great effort

    A
    conscientious hostess would be very much mortified if she served chicken out of its proper course.Reed, Myrtle

  240. arbitrary

    based on or subject to individual discretion or preference

    Sandra Nurse, a member of Occupy’s direct action working group, said police treated demonstrators roughly and made
    arbitrary arrests.Time (Mar 18, 2012)

  241. exasperate

    irritate

    Shopkeepers,
    exasperated at the impact of higher taxes and reduced consumer spending, are planning to close down for the day.New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

  242. conjure

    summon into action or bring into existence

  243. ominous

    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments

    The Count’s words were so
    ominous, so full of sinister meaning that for the moment he felt like crying out with fear.Hocking, Joseph

  244. edifice

    a structure that has a roof and walls

    They are here erecting a fine stone
    edifice for an Episcopal Church.Clark, John A.

  245. elude

    escape, either physically or mentally

    But despite racking up world titles, Olympic gold was
    eluding him.

  246. pervade

    spread or diffuse through

  247. foster

    promote the growth of

    Mr. Horne accused the district’s Mexican-American studies program of using an antiwhite curriculum to
    foster social activism.New York Times (Mar 19, 2012)

  248. admonish

    scold or reprimand; take to task

    «Children, children, stop quarrelling, right here in public!»
    admonished Mrs. Dering, in a low, shocked tone.Perry, Nora

  249. repeal

    cancel officially

    If Republicans
    repeal the law, Ms. Schakowsky said, they would be “taking away benefits that seniors are already getting.”New York Times (Mar 19, 2012)

  250. retiring

    not arrogant or presuming

  251. incidental

    not of prime or central importance

    The models themselves are
    incidental on “Scouted,” merely empty planets around which revolve some fascinating characters and plenty more dull ones.New York Times (Nov 27, 2011)

  252. acquiesce

    agree or express agreement

  253. slew

    a large number or amount or extent

    In fact, intense focus may be one reason why so-called savants become so extraordinary at performing extensive calculations or remembering a
    slew of facts.Scientific American (Mar 3, 2012)

  254. usurp

    seize and take control without authority

    More than anything, though, officials expressed concern about reigniting longstanding Mexican concerns about the United States’
    usurping Mexico’s authority.New York Times (Mar 15, 2011)

  255. sentinel

    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event

    The prisoners undressed themselves as usual, and went to bed, observed by the
    sentinel.Drake, Samuel Adams

  256. precision

    the quality of being exact

    At this time, home ranges of small rodents can not be measured with great
    precision, therefore any such calculations are, at best, only approximations.Douglas, Charles L.

  257. depose

    force to leave an office

  258. wanton

    unprovoked or without motive or justification

    I am not a sentimentalist by any means, yet I abominate
    wanton cruelty.Stables, Gordon

  259. odium

    state of disgrace resulting from detestable behavior

    This was one of the men who bring
    odium on the whole class of prisoners, and prejudice society against them.Henderson, Frank

  260. precept

    a rule of personal conduct

  261. deference

    a courteous expression of esteem or regard

  262. fray

    a noisy fight

    Armed rebels have joined the
    fray in recent months.

  263. candid

    openly straightforward and direct without secretiveness

  264. enduring

    unceasing

  265. impertinent

    improperly forward or bold

    Imagine calling a famous writer by his first name—it seemed
    impertinent, to say the least.Watkins, Shirley

  266. bland

    lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting

    Many critics were less than enamored with the kind of “easy listening” Mr. Williams embodied, deriding his approach as
    bland and unchallenging.New York Times (Oct 9, 2011)

  267. insinuate

    suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand

    «Good heavens, do you mean to
    insinuate that I did anything crooked?» said Bojo loudly, yet at the bottom ill at ease.Johnson, Owen

  268. nominal

    insignificantly small; a matter of form only

    He sought
    nominal damages of one dollar from each defendant.

  269. suppliant

    humbly entreating

    The colonists asked for nothing but what was clearly right and asked in the most respectful and even
    suppliant manner.Judson, L. Carroll

  270. languid

    lacking spirit or liveliness

  271. rave

    praise enthusiastically

  272. monetary

    relating to or involving money

    A hundred years ago,
    monetary policy – control over interest rates and the availability of credit – was viewed as a highly contentious political issue.New York Times (Mar 29, 2012)

  273. headlong

    in a hasty and foolhardy manner

    “They may not be wishing to rush
    headlong back into the same sort of risks just yet.”

  274. infallible

    incapable of failure or error

    But conductors are no more
    infallible than other people, and once in a blue moon in going through a train they miss a passenger.Lynde, Francis

  275. coax

    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging

    He used his most enticing manner and did his best to
    coax the little animal out again.Kay, Ross

  276. explicate

    elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses

  277. gaunt

    very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

  278. morbid

    suggesting the horror of death and decay

  279. ranging

    wandering freely

  280. pacify

    ease the anger, agitation, or strong emotion of

    How they
    pacified him I don’t know, but at the end of two hours he had cooled off enough to let us go aboard.Quincy, Samuel M.

  281. pastoral

    idyllically rustic

    He made a considerable reputation as an accomplished painter of quiet
    pastoral subjects and carefully elaborated landscapes with cattle.Various

  282. dogged

    stubbornly unyielding

    Some analysts expect Mr. Falcone, who is known for his
    dogged determination, to just continue to limp along while slashing costs.New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)

  283. ebb

    fall away or decline

  284. aide

    someone who acts as an assistant

  285. appease

    cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

  286. stipulate

    make an express demand or provision in an agreement

    The mayor has an executive order in place
    stipulating that all top officials, except those granted a waiver, live in the city.New York Times (Sep 22, 2011)

  287. recourse

    something or someone turned to for assistance or security

    Bargain hunters and holiday shoppers are bad guys’ favorite targets and have little or no
    recourse when shoddy or fake merchandise arrives.Forbes (Nov 22, 2011)

  288. constrained

    lacking spontaneity; not natural

    All his goodness, however, will be of a forced,
    constrained, artificial, and at bottom unreal character.Hyde, William De Witt

  289. bate

    moderate or restrain; lessen the force of

    “You called her ‘an interfering, disagreeable old woman’!” whispered Bertha with
    bated breath, glancing half fearfully at the door as she spoke.Vaizey, George de Horne, Mrs.

  290. aversion

    a feeling of intense dislike

  291. conceit

    an artistic device or effect

    An urban panorama is viewed from a high vantage point, a
    conceit used in topographic art to render vast perspectives.New York Times (Sep 30, 2011)

  292. loath

    strongly opposed

  293. rampart

    an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes

    The night was gloomy, dark, and wet; the soldiers, wearied with watching at the
    ramparts, dozed, leaning on their weapons.Sienkiewicz, Henryk

  294. extort

    obtain by coercion or intimidation

    The owners, in turn, have called the lawyers shakedown artists bent on ruining their good reputations to
    extort money.New York Times (Jan 27, 2012)

  295. tarry

    leave slowly and hesitantly

  296. perpetrate

    perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

  297. decorum

    propriety in manners and conduct

    Wishing to observe the rules of
    decorum she invited him to stay for supper, though absolutely nothing had been prepared for a guest.Sudermann, Hermann

  298. luxuriant

    produced or growing in extreme abundance

  299. cant

    insincere talk about religion or morals

    It was the familiar
    cant of the man rich enough to affect disdain for money, and Wade was not impressed.Day, Holman

  300. enjoin

    give instructions to or direct somebody to do something

    He turned to beckon the others forward with one hand, while laying the other over his mouth in a gesture
    enjoining silence.Breckenridge, Gerald

  301. avarice

    extreme greed for material wealth

  302. edict

    a formal or authoritative proclamation

    An
    edict was issued by him forbidding any Christian to give instruction in Greek literature under any circumstances.Lightfoot, J. B.

  303. disconcert

    cause to lose one’s composure

  304. symmetry

    balance among the parts of something

  305. capitulate

    surrender under agreed conditions

    «Alas, no,» said Bergfeld, mournfully, «the day after the battle our brave soldiers were surrounded by overwhelming forces and obliged to
    capitulate.»Meding, Johann Ferdinand Martin Oskar

  306. arbitrate

    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences

    The Scottish throne was now disputed by many claimants, and the Scots asked Edward to
    arbitrate between them.Various

  307. cleave

    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument

    Instead someone shouts «Go» and he is bearing down on me and almost
    cleaves my shield in two with his first blow.

  308. append

    add to the very end

    Some specimens will appear in the papers
    appended to this report.Various

  309. visage

    the human face

  310. horde

    a moving crowd

  311. parable

    a short moral story

  312. chastise

    scold or criticize severely

    She remembers an upsetting incident when a headmistress
    chastised her for working too much.

  313. foil

    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire

    On March 1st, a Turkish newspaper reported that the country’s intelligence service had
    foiled an attempt by Syrian agents to kidnap the colonel.

  314. veritable

    being truly so called; real or genuine

    The heavy rain had reduced this low-lying ground to a
    veritable quagmire, making progress very difficult even for one as unburdened as he was.Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)

  315. grapple

    work hard to come to terms with or deal with something

  316. gentry

    the most powerful members of a society

    The mode of travel of the
    gentry was riding horses, but most people traveled by walking.Reilly, S. A.

  317. pall

    a sudden feeling of dread or gloominess

    Residents who fled in recent days spoke of the smell of death and piles of garbage drifting like snowbanks, casting a
    pall over the city.New York Times (Mar 7, 2012)

  318. maxim

    a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits

    The
    maxim «All is fair in love and war» was applied literally.Thomson, Basil

  319. projection

    a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations

    Volume is down 25 percent from five years ago, and
    projections show even further declines, said Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe.New York Times (Mar 22, 2012)

  320. prowess

    a superior skill learned by study and practice

    While our engineering
    prowess has advanced a great deal over the past sixty years, the principles of innovation largely have not.

  321. dingy

    thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot

    Though composed amid the unromantic surroundings of a
    dingy, dusty, and neglected back room, the speech has become a memorable document.Herndon, William H.

  322. semblance

    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something

    He was perceptibly older, in the way in which people look older all at once after having long kept the
    semblance of youth.King, Basil

  323. tout

    advertise in strongly positive terms

  324. fortitude

    strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity

    Leigh Hunt bore himself in his captivity with cheerful
    fortitude, suffering severely in health but flagging little in spirits or industry.Colvin, Sidney

  325. asunder

    into parts or pieces

  326. rout

    an overwhelming defeat

    It’s how Seattle won Sunday’s game in Chicago, scoring 31 consecutive second-half points as an impressive comeback became an overwhelming
    rout.Seattle Times (Dec 19, 2011)

  327. staid

    characterized by dignity and propriety

    He was prim and
    staid and liked to do things in an orderly fashion.Doyle, A. Conan

  328. beguile

    influence by slyness

    I can no longer remain silent in the presence of the schemers who seek to
    beguile you.Bolanden, Conrad von

  329. purport

    have the often misleading appearance of being or intending

  330. deprave

    corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

    The people who make up this typical Gorky offering are drunkards, thieves,
    depraved creatures of every kind.Kilmer, Joyce

  331. bequeath

    leave or give, especially by will after one’s death

    No matter how often she changed her will, she told me, that diamond pin was always
    bequeathed to me.Wells, Carolyn

  332. enigma

    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

    Tails are often an
    enigma; many creatures have them, but scientists know little about their function, particularly for extinct species.

  333. assiduous

    marked by care and persistent effort

    He’s an
    assiduous diary-keeper and regularly rereads ancient entries to check up on himself.

  334. vassal

    a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord

    And what was of still greater importance, he could only obtain taxes and soldiers from among the
    vassals, by the consent of their feudal lords.Freytag, Gustav

  335. quail

    draw back, as with fear or pain

    He
    quailed before me, and forgetting his new part in old habits, muttered an apology.Weyman, Stanley John

  336. outskirts

    area relatively far from the center, as of a city or town

    Ms. Waters talked about how she had spent the day at an organic farm on the
    outskirts of Beijing looking at vegetables for the dinner.New York Times (Nov 14, 2011)

  337. bulwark

    a protective structure of stone or concrete

    The cliffs are of imposing height, nearly three hundred feet: a formidable
    bulwark.White, Walter

  338. swerve

    an erratic turn from an intended course

  339. gird

    prepare oneself for action or a confrontation

  340. betrothed

    pledged to be married

    We are not
    betrothed‘—her eyes filled with tears,—’he can never marry me; and he and my father have quarrelled.Fleming, George

  341. prospective

    of or concerned with or related to the future

    Most
    prospective homesteaders make the same mistake I did in buying horses, unless they are experienced.Micheaux, Oscar

  342. advert

    make reference to

  343. peremptory

    not allowing contradiction or refusal

    This time it was not a request but a
    peremptory order to go at once to Cuba and undertake the work.Johnson, Willis Fletcher

  344. rudiment

    the elementary stage of any subject

    He retraced his steps, and came to Cape Girardeau, in Missouri, where he remained some time, acquiring the
    rudiments of the English language.Anonymous

  345. deduce

    reason from the general to the particular

    They then used models of global wind circulation to
    deduce which dust sources have become stronger and which weaker.

  346. halting

    proceeding in a fragmentary, hesitant, or ineffective way

  347. ignominy

    a state of dishonor

    After all, we love nothing better than seeing the powerful and formerly smug dragged across the front pages in
    ignominy.

  348. ideology

    an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group

    Bill O’Reilly and others picked up on the theme, summing up left-wing
    ideology as “San Francisco values.”Slate (Jan 19, 2012)

  349. pallid

    lacking in vitality or interest or effectiveness

  350. chagrin

    strong feelings of embarrassment

  351. obtrude

    thrust oneself in as if by force

  352. audacious

    disposed to venture or take risks

    In an
    audacious operation that unfolded like a Hollywood thriller, the Navy Seals executed a daring raid deep into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden.New York Times (Sep 4, 2011)

  353. construe

    make sense of; assign a meaning to

  354. ford

    cross a river where it’s shallow

    Sometimes they drive their teams through unsettled country, without roads, swimming and
    fording streams, clearing away obstructions, and camping where night overtakes them.Folsom, William Henry Carman

  355. repast

    the food served and eaten at one time

    Fragrant coffee, light rolls, fresh butter, ham and eggs, fried crocuses and soft crabs, formed the
    repast.Reid, Mayne

  356. stint

    an unbroken period of time during which you do something

  357. fresco

    a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster

    The little church has an ancient
    fresco of St. Christopher, placed, as usual, opposite the entrance.Conybeare, Edward

  358. dutiful

    willingly obedient out of a sense of respect

    Perhaps he thinks an engaged young lady should be demure and
    dutiful, having no eyes or ears for any one except her betrothed.Harland, Marion

  359. hew

    make or shape as with an axe

  360. parity

    functional equality

  361. affable

    diffusing warmth and friendliness

    He was well liked and respected in these islands, for his
    affable manners had obtained for him much popularity.Various

  362. interminable

    tiresomely long; seemingly without end

    All was going well, but slowly, the time taken for the last few feet seeming to be
    interminable.Cumberland, Barlow

  363. pillage

    steal goods; take as spoils

    In addition great material losses were inflicted: seven hundred houses were destroyed, six hundred stores
    pillaged, and thousands of families utterly ruined.Straus, Oscar S.

  364. foreboding

    a feeling of evil to come

    Mr. Harding had strong
    forebodings that the trouble, so far from being ended, was only just beginning.Marsh, Richard

  365. rend

    tear or be torn violently

    In the distance heavy artillery was growling, and high explosive shells were bursting with a violence that seemed to
    rend the sky.Tracy, Louis

  366. livelihood

    the financial means whereby one supports oneself

    With businesses shut, fields untended and fishing abandoned many have lost their
    livelihoods as well as their homes, our correspondent says.

  367. deign

    do something that one considers to be below one’s dignity

  368. capricious

    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity

    Her admirers were
    capricious, returning to her at times, and then holding aloof again; and as for suitors, they entirely disappeared.Schubin, Ossip

  369. stupendous

    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe

  370. chaff

    material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem

  371. innate

    not established by conditioning or learning

    In other words, one of our most essential abilities as humans—reading—is the product of a combination of
    innate and learned traits.

  372. reverie

    an abstracted state of absorption

  373. wrangle

    quarrel noisily, angrily, or disruptively

    Here were many fierce and bitter
    wrangles over vexed questions, turbulent scenes, displays of sectional feelings.Raymond, Evelyn

  374. crevice

    a long narrow opening

    The disruptive power of tree roots, growing in the
    crevices of rocks, is well known.Various

  375. ostensible

    appearing as such but not necessarily so

    This already-exhaustive book is studded with diary entries, academic papers and other
    ostensible evidence that its fictitious stories of destruction are true.New York Times (Jun 6, 2010)

  376. craven

    lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful

    Was it for them to follow the
    craven footsteps of a cowardly generation?Robinson, Victor

  377. vestige

    an indication that something has been present

  378. plumb

    examine thoroughly and in great depth

    Tellingly, Ms. Liao said she had great difficulty finding three actors willing to
    plumb their own personalities.New York Times (Jun 1, 2011)

  379. reticent

    not inclined to talk or provide information

    No questions were asked, and few indeed were the words spoken, his
    reticent manner preventing any undue familiarity.Maclean, John

  380. propensity

    an inclination to do something

    A longtime colleague, Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, noted Kelly’s old-school charms, punctuated by his
    propensity for bow ties and smart suits.Seattle Times (Feb 15, 2012)

  381. chide

    scold or reprimand severely or angrily

  382. espouse

    choose and follow a theory, idea, policy, etc.

    He said Islam should not be equated with terrorism or the kind of violence
    espoused by Bin Laden.

  383. raiment

    especially fine or decorative clothing

  384. intrepid

    invulnerable to fear or intimidation

    There are some very courageous and
    intrepid reporters in Afghanistan, including some who work for American media outlets.

  385. seemly

    according with custom or propriety

    The Baron was less conscientious, for he ate more beefsteak than was
    seemly, and talked a great deal of stupid nonsense, as was his wont.Hoffmann, Ernst Theordor Wilhelm

  386. allay

    lessen the intensity of or calm

  387. fitful

    occurring in spells and often abruptly

    She had lost her composure, her breath came in
    fitful, uneven gasps, and as she sat there she pressed one hand over her heart.Davis, Owen

  388. erode

    become ground down or deteriorate

    Another report today showed home prices fell more than forecast in November,
    eroding the wealth of families as they seek to rebuild savings.

  389. unaffected

    free of artificiality; sincere and genuine

    His conversation was
    unaffectedly simple and frank; his language natural; always abounding in curious anecdotes.Conway, Moncure Daniel

  390. canto

    a major division of a long poem

    Folengo’s next production was the Orlandino, an Italian poem of eight
    cantos, written in rhymed octaves.Various

  391. docile

    easily handled or managed

    Time and again humans have domesticated wild , producing tame individuals with softer appearances and more
    docile temperaments, such as dogs and guinea pigs.Scientific American (Jan 25, 2012)

  392. patronize

    treat condescendingly

    Ms. Paul herself noted that “glib talk about appreciating dyslexia as a ‘gift’ is unhelpful at best and
    patronizing at worst.”New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)

  393. teem

    be full of or abuzz with

    The coast, once
    teeming with traffic, is now lonely and deserted.Mahaffy, J. P.

  394. estrange

    arouse hostility or indifference in

    An atmosphere of distrust, suspicion and fear can cause workers to feel
    estranged from one another, Dr. Wright has written.New York Times (Jan 28, 2012)

  395. spat

    a quarrel about petty points

    Public
    spats are rare in the asset-management industry, where companies typically resolve disputes behind closed doors.

  396. warble

    sing or play with trills

    Meadow larks, as you have undoubtedly noticed,
    warble many different songs.Barrett, R. E.

  397. mien

    a person’s appearance, manner, or demeanor

  398. sate

    fill to contentment

    His appetite was not
    sated by any means, but he knew the danger of overloading his stomach, so he stopped.Dewey, Edward Hooker

  399. constituency

    the body of voters who elect a representative for their area

    Each posited that the blue-collar Democratic
    constituency rooted in the New Deal had grown increasingly conservative, alienated from “big government.”New York Times (Jan 14, 2012)

  400. patrician

    characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy

    Respectable ladies, long resident, wearing black poke bonnets and camel’s-hair shawls, lifted their
    patrician eyebrows with disapproval.Brooks, Charles Stephen

  401. parry

    avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing

    The boys asked a few guarded questions, but gained no information whatever, their questions being
    parried in every instance.Mears, James R.

  402. practitioner

    someone who carries out a learned profession

    In particular, modern medical
    practitioners are coming around to the idea that certain illnesses cannot be reduced to one isolatable, treatable cause.Nature (Dec 21, 2011)

  403. ravel

    disentangle or separate out

  404. infest

    occupy in large numbers or live on a host

    Many lived in dilapidated apartments with leaky pipes, broken windows, rooms full of mold, and walls
    infested with cockroaches and rats.New York Times (Jul 28, 2011)

  405. actuate

    give an incentive for doing something

    He knew that men were
    actuated by other motives, good and bad, than self-interest.Blease, Walter Lyon

  406. surly

    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation

  407. convalesce

    get over an illness or shock

    Patients
    convalescing from pneumonia were evacuated to England or given Base Duty.Jahns, Lewis E.

  408. demoralize

    lower someone’s spirits; make downhearted

    The storm clobbered many communities still recovering from the flooding two months ago caused by Hurricane Irene, leaving weary homeowners exhausted and
    demoralized.Washington Post (Nov 1, 2011)

  409. devolve

    grow worse

    As the rhetoric heated up inside, the violence outside
    devolved into chaos.

  410. alacrity

    liveliness and eagerness

    Every one exerted himself not only without murmuring and discontent, but even with an
    alacrity which almost approached to cheerfulness.Kippis, Andrew

  411. waive

    do without or cease to hold or adhere to

    Low rates have also led retail brokerages to
    waive fees on money market funds to avoid negative returns for their clients.

  412. unwonted

    out of the ordinary

    He must rush off to see his people, who no doubt were quite confounded by his
    unwonted energy.Speed, Nell

  413. seethe

    be in an agitated emotional state

    Outwardly quite calm and matter-of-fact, his mind was in a
    seething turmoil.Douglas, Hudson

  414. scrutinize

    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail

  415. diffident

    lacking self-confidence

  416. execrate

    curse or declare to be evil or anathema

    When all Great Britain was
    execrating Napoleon, picturing him as a devil with horns and hoofs, Byron looked upon him as the world’s hero.Hubbard, Elbert

  417. implacable

    incapable of being appeased or pacified

  418. pique

    a sudden outburst of anger

    A talented youngster who smashes his guitar in a fit of
    pique finds it magically reassembled just in time for a crucial concert.

  419. mite

    a slight but appreciable amount

    I never saw anybody so pleased with monkeys as she is, and not one
    mite afraid.Raymond, Evelyn

  420. encumber

    hold back, impede, or weigh down

  421. uncouth

    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste

  422. petulant

    easily irritated or annoyed

    The black eyes emitted an angry flash, the voice that answered was sharp and
    petulant.Fleming, May Agnes

  423. expiate

    make amends for

    Wulphere was absolved on condition that he should
    expiate his crime by founding churches and monasteries all over his kingdom.Clifton, A. B.

  424. cavalier

    showing a lack of concern or seriousness

  425. banter

    light teasing repartee

  426. bluster

    act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner

    Slade, despite his swaggers and
    blustering, was at heart a coward.Landon, Herman

  427. debase

    corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

    Long oppression had not, on the whole, either blunted their intellects or
    debased their morals.Adler, Felix

  428. retainer

    a person working in the service of another

    This faithful and trusted
    retainer is greatly valued by his employers.Black, Helen C.

  429. subjugate

    make subservient; force to submit or subdue

    The Confederacy was led by thoroughgoing racists who wanted to keep blacks
    subjugated for all time because of the color of their skin.Slate (Apr 7, 2010)

  430. extol

    praise, glorify, or honor

    How I praised the duck at that first dinner, and
    extolled Madame’s skill in cookery!Warren, Arthur

  431. fraught

    filled with or attended with

  432. august

    profoundly honored

    At all times reserved in his manner and his bearing full of dignity, never before had she realized the majesty of General Washington’s
    august presence.Madison, Lucy Foster

  433. fissure

    a long narrow depression in a surface

    The brown bark is not very rough, though its numerous
    fissures and cracks give it a rugged appearance.Step, Edward

  434. knoll

    a small natural mound

    Opened in 2008, the park serves as a true public space; elderly couples stroll around the artificial lake as toddlers roll down grassy
    knolls.New York Times (May 7, 2010)

  435. callous

    emotionally hardened

    Outwardly merry and good-humoured, he was by nature coldly fierce, calculating,
    callous.Wingfield, Lewis

  436. inculcate

    teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions

  437. nettle

    disturb, especially by minor irritations

    Lincoln began these remarks by good-humored but
    nettling chaffing of his opponent.Various

  438. blanch

    turn pale, as if in fear

    He is silent, as if struck dumb, his face showing
    blanched and bloodless, while she utters a shriek, half terrified, half in frenzied anger.Reid, Mayne

  439. inscrutable

    difficult or impossible to understand

    The fashion industry is notoriously opaque and often
    inscrutable for outsiders, even ones as well connected as him.Seattle Times (Oct 1, 2011)

  440. tenacious

    stubbornly unyielding

    She was a
    tenacious woman, one who would even hold fast a thing which she no longer valued, simply because it belonged to her.Morris, Clara

  441. thrall

    the state of being under the control of another person

  442. exigency

    a pressing or urgent situation

    The
    exigency of the situation roused Mr. Popkiss’ sluggish faculties into prompt action.Magnay, William

  443. disconsolate

    sad beyond comforting; incapable of being soothed

  444. impetus

    a force that makes something happen

    Critics say it has known mixed success at best, although supporters hope the U.S. drawdown could provide just the
    impetus it needs to thrive.

  445. imposition

    an uncalled-for burden

  446. auspices

    kindly endorsement and guidance

    In March 2009, negotiations between Israel and Hamas were held in Cairo, under the
    auspices of the Egyptian intelligence agency.New York Times (Nov 9, 2011)

  447. sonorous

    full and loud and deep

  448. exploitation

    an act that victimizes someone

    In a scathing report released last year, Amnesty International found there was widespread
    exploitation of migrants in Malaysia.

  449. bane

    something causing misery or death

  450. dint

    force or effort

    If only certain puzzles could be solved by
    dint of sheer hard thinking!Marsh, Richard

  451. ignominious

    deserving or bringing disgrace or shame

    The great Ottawa chief saw his partially accomplished scheme withering into
    ignominious failure.Rudd, John

  452. amicable

    characterized by friendship and good will

    After a short colloquy the two men evidently came to an
    amicable understanding, for they shook hands.Kraszewski, Jo?zef Ignacy

  453. onset

    the beginning or early stages

  454. conservatory

    a schoolhouse with special facilities for fine arts

    The young instrumental talent that is coming out of local music schools and
    conservatories is as amazingly good as you are going to find anywhere.

  455. zenith

    the highest point of something

    In other words it never reaches the
    zenith, a point directly overhead.George H. Lowery.

  456. voluble

    marked by a ready flow of speech

    I find him charming: shy – yet easy to talk to –
    voluble and funny once he gets going.

  457. yeoman

    a free man who cultivates his own land

    On one extreme was the well-to-do
    yeoman farmer farming his own land.Reilly, S. A.

  458. levity

    a manner lacking seriousness

    The same balance of seriousness and
    levity runs through her plays, which put an absurdist spin on everyday problems.New York Times (May 7, 2010)

  459. rapt

    feeling great delight and interest

    She was watching the development of the investigation with
    rapt, eager attention.Mitford, Bertram

  460. sultry

    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity

    New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics arrive just as school sports ramp up in
    sultry August temperatures.Washington Post (Aug 9, 2011)

  461. pinion

    restrain or bind

    The prisoners having dismounted, were placed in a line on the ground facing the guillotine, their arms
    pinioned.Various

  462. axiom

    a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof

    The fundamental
    axiom of scientific thought is that there is not, never has been, and never will be, any disorder in nature.Huxley, Thomas H.

  463. descry

    catch sight of

  464. retinue

    the group following and attending to some important person

    Despite his
    retinue of security personnel, Atambaev had been poisoned during his short tenure as prime minister.

  465. functionary

    a worker who holds or is invested with an office

    He was the
    functionary of the assize court, impaneling its juries, bringing accused men before it, and carrying out its penalties.Reilly, S. A.

  466. imbibe

    take in liquids

    «We’re cornered at last,» he said suddenly, as the old man set the bottle down after having
    imbibed the best half of its contents.Douglas, Hudson

  467. diversified

    having variety of character or form or components

  468. maraud

    raid and rove in search of plunder

    Its reporter says armed gangs and looters are
    marauding the streets.

  469. grudging

    petty or reluctant in giving or spending

    Expect delays, scattered outages and surly,
    grudging customer service in the interim.

  470. partiality

    a predisposition to like something

    She still showed a
    partiality for bright colors, by her gown of deep crimson.Sage, William

  471. philology

    the humanistic study of language and literature

    I had determined to study
    philology, chiefly Greek and Latin, but the fare spread out by the professors was much too tempting.Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)

  472. wry

    humorously sarcastic or mocking

    She also has a very understated but very
    wry sense of humour; watch out for it.

  473. caucus

    meet to select a candidate or promote a policy

    Representative Ron Paul of Texas isn’t campaigning in Florida, instead focusing on Maine, which will
    caucus in late February.

  474. permeate

    spread or diffuse through

  475. propitious

    presenting favorable circumstances

    With the Athens stock market down nearly 30 percent so far this year, it would not seem a
    propitious time for initial public offerings.New York Times (Jun 2, 2010)

  476. salient

    conspicuous, prominent, or important

    Bullying has become an increasingly
    salient problem for school-age children, and in rare cases has ended tragically with victims committing suicide.

  477. propitiate

    make peace with

    King Edward, having subdued the Welsh, “endeavoured to
    propitiate his newly acquired subjects by becoming a resident in the conquered country.Frith, William Powell

  478. excise

    remove by cutting

    Wielding a razor, Jefferson
    excised all passages containing supernaturalistic elements from the gospels, extracting what he took to be Jesus’s pure ethical teachings.

  479. betoken

    be a signal for or a symptom of

    The haggard face and sombre eyes
    betokened considerable mental anguish.Young, F.E. Mills

  480. palatable

    acceptable to the taste or mind

    If nicely cooked in this way, cabbage is as
    palatable and as digestible as cauliflower.Ronald, Mary

  481. upbraid

    express criticism towards

    When Kahn warned of a serious economic «depression», he was
    upbraided by the White House for using such language.

  482. renegade

    someone who rebels and becomes an outlaw

    If he went off to another people he lost all standing among the Sioux and was thereafter treated as an outlaw and a
    renegade.Robinson, Doane

  483. hoary

    ancient

    The device of the trapped young person saved by books is a
    hoary one, but Ms. Winterson makes it seem new, and sulfurous.New York Times (Mar 8, 2012)

  484. pedantic

    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning

    The reader is treated to
    pedantic little footnotes, and given a good deal of information which is either gratuitous or uninteresting.Hay, Ian

  485. coy

    showing marked and often playful evasiveness or reluctance

    It was funny watching such a solid person, based in faith and education, grow a trifle
    coy about the year of his birth.New York Times (Jul 11, 2010)

  486. troth

    a solemn pledge of fidelity

    She had pledged to him her
    troth, and she would not attempt to go back from her pledge at the first appearance of a difficulty.Trollope, Anthony

  487. encroachment

    entry to another’s property without right or permission

    The move may mark yet another attempt by France to rein in what it sees as the
    encroachment of online services on the country’s culture.BusinessWeek (Jan 8, 2010)

  488. belie

    be in contradiction with

    «It is a fine morning,» he said, taken aback by my sudden movement, but affecting an indifference which the sparkle in his eye
    belied.Weyman, Stanley John

  489. armada

    a large fleet

    An
    armada of three hundred ships manned by eighteen thousand marines assembled in the bay on their way to the conquest of Algiers.Douglas, Frances

  490. succor

    assistance in time of difficulty

    Given his health woes, succession worries and persistent isolation, Mr. Kim may simply be seeking
    succor from what may be his last friend on earth.New York Times (May 5, 2010)

  491. imperturbable

    marked by extreme calm and composure

  492. irresolute

    uncertain how to act or proceed

    I stood for a moment before I entered on my arduous undertaking,
    irresolute and hesitating, swayed by two conflicting impulses.Waugh, Joseph Laing

  493. knack

    a special way of doing something

    He had a special
    knack of hunting out farm houses, engaging madame in conversation, and coming away with bread, eggs, or cheese in his knapsack.Price, Lucien

  494. unseemly

    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper

    The square mile’s upbeat mood may strike some as
    unseemly at a time of national gloom.

  495. accentuate

    stress or single out as important

    This sparkling marvel lies modestly nestled among the law courts, whose plainer modern buildings serve but to
    accentuate its wonderful beauty.Sherrill, Charles Hitchcock

  496. divulge

    make known to the public information previously kept secret

  497. brawn

    the trait of possessing muscular strength

    He believes Hollywood has often have had an over-reliance on physical
    brawn as the deciding factor for portraying a strong man.

  498. burnish

    polish and make shiny

    Great cleanliness is enforced in all that belongs to a lighthouse, the reflectors and lenses being constantly
    burnished, polished, and cleansed.Whymper, Frederick

  499. palpitate

    beat rapidly

  500. promiscuous

    not selective of a single class or person

    A
    promiscuous assembly had gathered there—men of all creeds and opinions—and an «open-air» meeting was in progress.Whitney, Orson F.

  501. dissemble

    make believe with the intent to deceive

    Pictures have always
    dissembled – there are millions of snaps of miserable families grinning bravely – but now they directly lie.

  502. flotilla

    a fleet of small craft

    She was guarded by a
    flotilla of boats equipped with satellites, Global Positioning System devices, advanced navigation systems and shark shields.New York Times (Aug 11, 2011)

  503. invective

    abusive language used to express blame or censure

    There’s much more name-calling, shouting and personal
    invective in American life than anywhere I’ve ever traveled outside the United States.Washington Post (Jan 15, 2011)

  504. hermitage

    the abode of a recluse

    All the rest of their time is passed in solitude in their
    hermitages, which are built quite separate from one another.Various

  505. despoil

    destroy and strip of its possession

    Wherever his lordship’s army went, plantations were
    despoiled, and private houses plundered.Campbell, Charles

  506. sully

    make dirty or spotty

    Why
    sully the reputation of an otherwise fascinating online community with really deeply questionable, troubling content?Forbes (Feb 13, 2012)

  507. malevolent

    having or exerting a malignant influence

  508. irksome

    tedious or irritating

    It was pretty
    irksome passing the time in his enforced prison, and finally Andy went to sleep.Webster, Frank V.

  509. prattle

    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly

    She
    prattled on about the gossip of the town until Penny and her father were thoroughly bored.Clark, Joan

  510. subaltern

    inferior in rank or status

    The careful commanding officer of a regiment discourages his young
    subalterns from taking leave to Hill Stations.Casserly, Gordon

  511. welt

    a raised mark on the skin

    But red, itchy
    welts typically appear within 24 to 48 hours of being bitten.

  512. wreak

    cause to happen or to occur as a consequence

  513. tenable

    based on sound reasoning or evidence

    First, it is no longer really
    tenable – and in fact a bit disrespectful – to call a country like China an emerging economy.

  514. inimitable

    matchless

    Leave aside Spain, where Barcelona breeds its own,
    inimitable style, and the answer might be that we are rushing toward uniformity.New York Times (Sep 26, 2010)

  515. depredation

    a destructive action

    Wild elephants abound and commit many
    depredations, entering villages in large herds, and consuming everything suitable to their tastes.Various

  516. amalgamate

    bring or combine together or with something else

    Where two weak tribes
    amalgamated into one, there it exceptionally happened that two closely related dialects were simultaneously spoken in the same tribe.Engels, Friedrich

  517. immutable

    not subject or susceptible to change or variation

    We are mistaken to imagine a work of literature is or should be
    immutable, sculpted in marble and similarly impervious to change.

  518. proxy

    a person authorized to act for another

    Ideally, everybody over 18 should execute a living will and select a health care
    proxy — someone to represent you in medical matters.New York Times (Jan 17, 2011)

  519. dote

    shower with love; show excessive affection for

  520. reactionary

    extremely conservative or resistant to change

    Old people are often accused of being too conservative, and even
    reactionary.Chinard, Gilbert

  521. rationalism

    the doctrine that reason is the basis for regulating conduct

    Offering a religious rationale for policy goals threatens what for many has become the cherished principle of secular
    rationalism in public life.

  522. endue

    give qualities or abilities to

    To say the least of it, he was
    endued with sufficient intelligence to acquire an ordinary knowledge of such matters.Various

  523. discriminating

    showing or indicating careful judgment and discernment

    Jobs’ Apple specializes in delighting the most
    discriminating, hard-to-please customers.Forbes (Oct 12, 2011)

  524. brooch

    a decorative pin

    Upon her breast she wore a
    brooch of gold set with many precious stones.Butler, Pierce

  525. pert

    characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent quality

    Her
    pert, lively manner said she hadn’t taken any wooden nickels lately.Schoenherr, John

  526. disembark

    exit from a ship, vehicle, or aircraft

    The immigrants
    disembarked from their ships tired and underfed—generally in poor health.Hughes, Thomas Proctor

  527. aria

    an elaborate song for solo voice

  528. trappings

    ornaments; embellishments to or characteristic signs of

  529. abet

    assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing

    «Since YouTube, digital culture has aided and enhanced — or maybe the better word is
    abetted — the celebrity meltdown,» said Wired magazine senior editor Nancy Miller.

  530. clandestine

    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods

    For Jordan, this is a
    clandestine relationship it would much prefer to have kept secret.BBC (Jan 5, 2010)

  531. distend

    swell from or as if from internal pressure

  532. glib

    having only superficial plausibility

    The other sort of engineer understands that
    glib comparisons between computers and humans don’t do justice to the complexities of either.

  533. pucker

    gather something into small wrinkles or folds

  534. rejoinder

    a quick reply to a question or remark

    «Not at all!» was Aunt Susannah’s brisk
    rejoinder.Various

  535. spangle

    adornment consisting of a small piece of shiny material

    Magdalen’s garments are rich with
    spangles; her mantle is scarlet; she has flowers in her luxuriant tresses, and looks a vain creature.O’Shea, John Augustus

  536. blighted

    affected by something that prevents growth or prosperity

    Hudec, whose career has been
    blighted by knee injuries and operations, won for the first time in more than four years.New York Times (Feb 4, 2012)

  537. nicety

    conformity with some standard of correctness or propriety

  538. aggrieve

    infringe on the rights of

    Some fallout appears evident in donations from Wall Street executives, who feel particularly
    aggrieved by Mr. Obama’s criticisms and policies.New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)

  539. vestment

    a gown worn by the clergy

    And then a priest, arrayed in all his
    vestments, came in at the open door, and the prince and princess exchanged rings, and were married.Glinski, A. J.

  540. urbane

    showing a high degree of refinement

    Polished,
    urbane and gentlemanly—his manners were calculated to refine all around him.Judson, L. Carroll

  541. defray

    bear the expenses of

  542. spectral

    resembling or characteristic of a phantom

  543. munificent

    very generous

    They have shown themselves very loving and generous lately, in making a quite
    munificent provision for his traveling.Carlyle, Thomas

  544. dictum

    an authoritative declaration

  545. fad

    an interest followed with exaggerated zeal

    According to Chinese media, the hottest new
    fad in China involves selling small live-animal key chains.Time (Apr 5, 2011)

  546. scabbard

    a sheath for a sword or dagger or bayonet

    Drawing his own sabre from its
    scabbard, he pointed to a stain on it, saying, «This is the blood of an Englishman.»Reed, Helen Leah

  547. adulterate

    make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance

    Shady dealers along the supply chain frequently
    adulterate olive oil with low-grade vegetable oils and add artificial coloring.New York Times (Dec 7, 2011)

  548. beleaguer

    annoy persistently

    Rock concert ticket sales dropped sharply last year, sounding another sour note for the
    beleaguered music industry.

  549. gripe

    complain

    If America is going to
    gripe about the yuan’s rate, then China will complain about the dollar’s role.

  550. remission

    an abatement in intensity or degree

    After a few hours there is a
    remission of the pain, slight perspiration takes place, and the patient may fall asleep.Various

  551. exorbitant

    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation

    Soon, stories began trickling across the Atlantic of crazed fans paying
    exorbitant sums to get into London gigs.Slate (Oct 10, 2011)

  552. invocation

    the act of appealing for help

    These dances are prayers or
    invocations for rain, the crowning blessing in this dry land.Roosevelt, Theodore

  553. cajole

    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

    Hamilton, however, was not to be
    cajoled into friendliness by superficial compliment.Fisher, Harrison

  554. inclusive

    encompassing much or everything

    We are going to adhere to our basic programing strategy of nonpartisan information
    inclusive of all different points of view.

  555. interdict

    command against

    Failing to satisfy his examiners, he was
    interdicted from practice, but ignored the prohibition, and suffered more than one imprisonment in consequence.Worley, George

  556. abase

    cause to feel shame

    Ashamed,
    abased, degraded in his own eyes, he turned away his head.Caine, Hall, Sir

  557. obviate

    do away with

    Comfortable sleeping-cars
    obviate the necessity of stopping by the way for bodily rest, provided the traveller be physically strong and in good health.Ballou, Maturin Murray

  558. hurtle

    move with or as if with a rushing sound

    The hurricane was expected to hit Washington in the early hours of Sunday before
    hurtling toward New York City.

  559. unanimity

    everyone being of one mind

    On all other points of colonial policy, Mackenzie declared, people would be found to differ, but as regards the post office there was absolute
    unanimity.Smith, William, Sir

  560. mettle

    the courage to carry on

  561. interpolate

    insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby

    Most scholars agree that these lines are
    interpolated, since they do not fit in with the rest of the poem.Various

  562. surreptitious

    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy

  563. dissimulate

    hide feelings from other people

    From infancy these people have been schooled to
    dissimulate and hide emotion, and ordinarily their faces are as opaque as those of veteran poker players.Kephart, Horace

  564. ruse

    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture

    Overseas criminals use elaborate
    ruses, including phony websites, to trick job-seekers into helping transfer stolen funds.BusinessWeek (Aug 4, 2011)

  565. specious

    plausible but false

    You might be tempted to think of the biggest airline as the one with the most aircraft, but capacity differences make this reasoning
    specious.

  566. revulsion

    intense aversion

    After a first instinctive cry of horrified
    revulsion, the men reached down under water with their hands and drew out—a corpse.Livingston, Arthur

  567. hale

    exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health

    From a hearty,
    hale, corn-fed boy, he has become pale, lean, and wan.Adams, Abigail

  568. palliate

    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

    Divisions and inequalities persist, but government can
    palliate their effects with hard cash.

  569. obtuse

    lacking in insight or discernment

    The affair had been mentioned so plainly that it was impossible for the most dense and
    obtuse person not to have understood the allusion.Brazil, Angela

  570. querulous

    habitually complaining

  571. vagary

    an unexpected and inexplicable change in something

    Today such acquisitions are more likely to stay put, destined to survive both market fluctuations and the
    vagaries of style.New York Times (Sep 29, 2010)

  572. incipient

    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed

    Above all, medical teams will need to establish quick surveillance to identify health needs and pinpoint
    incipient outbreaks before they explode.Time (Jan 13, 2010)

  573. obdurate

    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing

    Several appeared deeply affected, with tears of repentance standing in their eyes, others sullen and
    obdurate.Huth, Alexander

  574. grovel

    show submission or fear

    The two young men who drove them had fallen flat and were
    grovelling and wailing for mercy.Mitford, Bertram

  575. refractory

    stubbornly resistant to authority or control

  576. dregs

    sediment that has settled at the bottom of a liquid

    «Right got to go,» Ali says, draining the
    dregs of his beer.

  577. ascendancy

    the state when one person or group has power over another

    But in a few days he had secured an almost incredible
    ascendancy over the sullen, starved, half-clothed army.Various

  578. supercilious

    having or showing arrogant superiority

    A
    supercilious, patronizing person—son of a wretched country parson—used to loll against the wall of your salon—with his nose in the air.Pinero, Arthur Wing, Sir

  579. pundit

    someone who has been admitted to membership in a field

    Pundits of agricultural science explore the sheds, I believe, the barns, stables, machine-rooms, and so forth, before inspecting the crops.Boyle, Frederick

  580. commiserate

    feel or express sympathy or compassion

    We had spent countless hours together drinking wine and
    commiserating about child-rearing, long Wisconsin winters and interrupted sleep.New York Times (Mar 24, 2011)

  581. alcove

    a small recess opening off a large room or garden

    They showed him where he would sleep, in a little closet-like
    alcove screened from the big room by a gay curtain.Wilson, Harry Leon

  582. assay

    make an effort or attempt

  583. parochial

    narrowly restricted in outlook or scope

  584. conjugal

    relating to the relationship between a wife and husband

  585. abjure

    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief

  586. frieze

    an ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band

    All the doorways mentioned above have cornices, and in those at Palmyra and Baalbec richly carved
    friezes with side corbels.Various

  587. ornate

    marked by complexity and richness of detail

  588. inflammatory

    arousing to action or rebellion

    We don’t know whether
    inflammatory language or images can incite the mentally ill to commit acts of violence.Time (Jan 13, 2011)

  589. machination

    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends

    He was continued a member of Congress until 1777 when his enemies succeeded in their long nursed
    machinations against him.Judson, L. Carroll

  590. mendicant

    a pauper who lives by begging

  591. meander

    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course

    They paused beside one of the low stone walls that
    meandered in a meaningless fashion this way and that over the uplands.Vance, Louis Joseph

  592. bullion

    gold or silver in bars or ingots

  593. diffidence

    lack of self-assurance

    His grave
    diffidence and continued hesitation in offering an opinion confirmed me in my own.Froude, James Anthony

  594. makeshift

    done or made using whatever is available

    The house was still under construction, so he climbed up a ladder being used as a
    makeshift stairway, fell and injured his leg.New York Times (Apr 12, 2012)

  595. husbandry

    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock

    The U.S. can take a lesson from Denmark, which has efficiently raised livestock without hurting farmers, by using better animal
    husbandry practices.Scientific American (Mar 22, 2011)

  596. podium

    a platform raised above the surrounding level

    Leyva beamed as he stood atop the
    podium, nodding as the American flag was raised and “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in his honor.New York Times (Oct 22, 2011)

  597. dearth

    an insufficient quantity or number

  598. granary

    a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed

    Here is where he does his husking, and the «clear corn» produced is stored away in some underground
    granary till It is needed.Seton, Ernest Thompson

  599. whet

    make keen or more acute

    While he described the fishing as “pretty good,” the silver salmon running in the creek only
    whetted his appetite to return to Alaska.Washington Post (Aug 17, 2011)

  600. imposture

    pretending to be another person

    He got somebody to prosecute him for false pretences and
    imposture, on the ground that Madame was a man. Leland, Charles Godfrey

  601. diadem

    an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty

    I dethrone monarchs and the people rejoicing crown me instead, showering
    diadems upon my head.Tilney, Frederick Colin

  602. fallow

    undeveloped but potentially useful

    Several new prostate cancer drugs have been approved in the last couple of years, after a long
    fallow period, and others are in advanced development.New York Times (Nov 3, 2011)

  603. hubbub

    loud confused noise from many sources

    There was some good-humoured pushing and thrusting, the drum beating and the church bells jangling bravely above the
    hubbub.Weyman, Stanley J.

  604. dispassionate

    unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

  605. harrowing

    causing extreme distress

    Belgium found itself in turmoil as hundreds of people came forward to offer
    harrowing accounts of abuse over several decades.New York Times (Jan 16, 2012)

  606. askance

    with suspicion or disapproval

    A secret marriage in these days would be looked upon
    askance by most people.Wood, Mrs. Henry

  607. lancet

    a surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade

  608. rankle

    make resentful or angry

    He was feeling more like himself now, though the memory of the bully’s sneering words
    rankled.Chadwick, Lester

  609. ramify

    have or develop complicating consequences

    Cometary science has
    ramified in unexpected ways during the last hundred years.Various

  610. gainsay

    take exception to

    That Whitman entertained a genuine affection for men and women is, of course, too obvious to be
    gainsaid. Rickett, Arthur

  611. polity

    a governmentally organized unit

    China needs a
    polity that can address its increasingly sophisticated society, and to achieve that there must be political reform, Mr. Sun said.New York Times (Mar 21, 2012)

  612. credence

    the mental attitude that something is believable

    «Well-known brand names that promote new products receive more
    credence than newcomers that people don’t know about.»

  613. indemnify

    make amends for; pay compensation for

    She put her affairs in order and left instructions that those whom she had unwittingly wronged should be
    indemnified out of her private fortune.Butler, Pierce

  614. ingratiate

    gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts

    He became kindly and coaxing, leaning across the table with an
    ingratiating smile.King, Basil

  615. declivity

    a downward slope or bend

  616. importunate

    making persistent or urgent requests

  617. passe

    out of fashion

  618. whittle

    cut small bits or pare shavings from

  619. repine

    express discontent

    Those poor fellows above, accustomed to the wild freshness and freedom of the sea, how they must mourn and
    repine!O’Shea, John Augustus

  620. flay

    strip the skin off

    Once at the moose and hastily
    flaying the hide from the steaming meat my attention became centered on the task.Sinclair, Bertrand W.

  621. larder

    a small storeroom for storing foods or wines

    Mr. Goncalves’s
    larder holds staples like beefsteak, salt cod, sardines, olives, artichokes, hot and sweet peppers and plenty of garlic.New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)

  622. threadbare

    thin and tattered with age

  623. grisly

    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

    Television video showed a heavily damaged building and a
    grisly scene inside, with clothing and prayer mats scattered across a blood-splattered floor.New York Times (Aug 19, 2011)

  624. untoward

    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper

    Responding to criticism that cash payments are a classic means of tax evasion, he said he had done nothing
    untoward.New York Times (Aug 2, 2011)

  625. idiosyncrasy

    a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual

    One of his well-known
    idiosyncrasies was that he would never allow himself to be photographed.Le Queux, William

  626. quip

    make jokes or witty remarks

    «I could have joined the FBI in a shorter period of time and with less documentation than it took to get that mortgage,» she
    quipped.

  627. blatant

    without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

    There was no
    blatant display of wealth, and every article of furniture bore signs of long though careful use.Bull, Charles Livingston

  628. stanch

    stop the flow of a liquid

    She did not attempt to
    stanch her tears, but sat looking at him with a smiling mouth, while the heavy drops fell down her cheeks.Stockley, Cynthia

  629. incongruity

    the quality of disagreeing

    Hanging out wet clothes and an American flag at the North Pole seemed an amusing
    incongruity.Cook, Frederick A.

  630. perfidious

    tending to betray

    The
    perfidious Italian at length confessed that it was his intention to murder his master, and then rob the house.Billinghurst, Percy J.

  631. platitude

    a trite or obvious remark

    But details are fuzzy and rebel leaders often resort to
    platitudes when dismissing suggestions of discord, saying simply that «Libya is one tribe.»Wall Street Journal (Jun 20, 2011)

  632. revelry

    unrestrained merrymaking

  633. delve

    turn up, loosen, or remove earth

  634. extenuate

    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or degree of

    Prosecutors often spend time weighing mitigating and
    extenuating circumstances before deciding to seek the death penalty.Washington Post (Oct 15, 2011)

  635. polemic

    a verbal or written attack, especially of a belief or dogma

    Would it be a
    polemic that denounced Western imperialism for using cinema to undermine emerging nations like Kazakhstan?New York Times (Oct 4, 2010)

  636. enrapture

    hold spellbound

    I was delighted,
    enraptured, beside myself—the world had disappeared in an instant.Spielhagen, Friedrich

  637. virtuoso

    someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

    Each of the seven instrumentalists was a
    virtuoso in his own right and had ample opportunity to prove it, often in long, soulful solos.New York Times (May 3, 2010)

  638. glower

    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval

    A moment later he would collapse, sit
    glowering in his chair, looking angrily at the carpet.Hecht, Ben

  639. mundane

    found in the ordinary course of events

    Now, it would seem, that the Chinese are getting back to their everyday concerns, paying attention to events more
    mundane and less cataclysmic.New York Times (Mar 20, 2012)

  640. fatuous

    devoid of intelligence

    They’re too stupid, for one thing; they go on burning houses and breaking windows in their old
    fatuous way.McKenna, Stephen

  641. incorrigible

    impervious to correction by punishment

    She scolded and lectured her sister in vain; Cynthia was
    incorrigible.Various

  642. postulate

    maintain or assert

    In fact, when Einstein formulated his cosmological vision, based on his theory of gravitation, he
    postulated that the universe was finite.Scientific American (Jul 26, 2011)

  643. gist

    the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

    The syntax was a little off, even comical at times, but I got the
    gist of what was going on.Time (May 6, 2010)

  644. vociferous

    conspicuously and offensively loud

    The complaints grew so loud and
    vociferous that even President Obama was forced to address the backlash from Lisbon on Saturday.New York Times (Nov 23, 2010)

  645. purvey

    supply with provisions

  646. baleful

    deadly or sinister

    “But he is dead,” put in Fanning, wondering at the
    baleful expression of hatred that had come into the man’s face.Burnham, Margaret

  647. gibe

    laugh at with contempt and derision

    So much did their taunts prey upon him that he ran away from school to escape their
    gibes.Hubbard, Elbert

  648. dyspeptic

    irritable as if suffering from indigestion

    One may begin with heroic renunciations and end in undignified envy and
    dyspeptic comments outside the door one has slammed on one’s self.Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

  649. prude

    a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum

    Criticising high-profile programmes about teenage sex education often means risking being written off as a
    prude.

  650. luminary

    a celebrity who is an inspiration to others

    Founded in 1947, the group’s members have included such
    luminaries as Walt Disney, Spencer Tracy and another American president, Ronald Reagan.Seattle Times (Apr 11, 2011)

  651. amenable

    disposed or willing to comply

    He, Jean Boulot, being so
    amenable to sensible argument, would at once fall in with his views.Wingfield, Lewis

  652. willful

    habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition

  653. overbearing

    having or showing arrogant superiority

    «True; but——» «Just so,» interrupted Mr. Fauntleroy, in his decisive and rather
    overbearing manner.Wood, Mrs. Henry

  654. dais

    a platform raised above the surrounding level

    The throne was elevated on a
    dais of silver steps.Tracy, Louis

  655. automate

    operate or make run by machines rather than human action

    And because leap seconds are needed irregularly their insertion cannot be
    automated, which means that fallible humans must insert them by hand.

  656. enervate

    weaken physically, mentally, or morally

  657. wheedle

    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

  658. gusto

    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment

    The audience, surprisingly large given the inclement weather, responded with
    gusto, applauding each song, including those within the Shostakovich cycle.New York Times (Mar 2, 2010)

  659. bouillon

    a clear seasoned broth

    The meat soups are called broths,
    bouillon, or consommé, according to their richness.Ronald, Mary

  660. omniscient

    knowing, seeing, or understanding everything

    Robbe-Grillet responds that his work is in fact far less objective than the godlike,
    omniscient narrator who presides over so many traditional novels.

  661. apostate

    not faithful to religion or party or cause

    They are atheist conservatives — Mr. Khan an
    apostate to his family’s Islamic faith, Ms. Mac Donald to her left-wing education.New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)

  662. carrion

    the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food

    Habitually his diet is not carnivorous, but he will eat at times either
    carrion or living flesh.Reid, Mayne

  663. emolument

    compensation received by virtue of holding an office

    As the TUC has pointed out, those incomes – except for senior executives, whose
    emoluments seem to know few bounds – are rising more slowly than prices.

  664. ungainly

    lacking grace in movement or posture

    Thomas looked up furtively and saw that an
    ungainly human figure with crooked legs was being led into the church.Gogol, Nikolai Vasilievich

  665. impiety

    unrighteousness by virtue of lacking respect for a god

  666. decadence

    the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities

    But there are people who really do not want to import what they regard as Western
    decadence, especially public drunkenness.BBC (Jun 11, 2011)

  667. homily

    a sermon on a moral or religious topic

    In his New Year’s
    homily, the pope said «words were not enough» to bring about peace, particularly in the Middle East.

  668. avocation

    an auxiliary activity

    Unlike many retired doctors, whom he says often have no life outside their profession, he always knew sailing would become his
    avocation.Newsweek (Nov 17, 2010)

  669. circumvent

    avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing

  670. syllogism

    reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises

  671. collation

    assembling in proper numerical or logical sequence

    In the case of early printed books or manuscripts, which are often not paged, special knowledge is needed for their
    collation.Rooke, Noel

  672. haggle

    wrangle, as over a price or terms of an agreement

    Obama said while officials can
    haggle over the makeup of spending cuts, the policy issues have no place in the measure.

  673. waylay

    wait in hiding to attack

    Sir Samuel Clithering was not, of course, a member of it; but he lurked about outside and
    waylaid us as we went in.Birmingham, George A.

  674. savant

    a learned person

    Frank had studied something of almost everything and imagined himself a
    savant.Roussel, John

  675. cohort

    a group of people having approximately the same age

  676. unction

    excessive but superficial compliments with affected charm

  677. adjure

    command solemnly

  678. acrimony

    a rough and bitter manner

    Relations with India have been slowly improving, although talks ended in
    acrimony last July with the two sides indulging in a public spat over Kashmir.

  679. clarion

    loud and clear

    “He has been the single,
    clarion voice for commuter rail in central Florida for 20 years,” said Mayor Ken Bradley of Winter Park.New York Times (Jun 27, 2011)

  680. turbid

    clouded as with sediment

  681. cupidity

    extreme greed for material wealth

    Well educated, but very corrupt at heart, he found in his insatiable
    cupidity many ways of gaining money.Kraszewski, Jozef Ignacy

  682. disaffected

    discontented as toward authority

    The financial crisis, largely caused by banker incompetence, has created legions of
    disaffected customers.Forbes (Sep 15, 2011)

  683. preternatural

    surpassing the ordinary or normal

  684. eschew

    avoid and stay away from deliberately

  685. expatiate

    add details, as to an account or idea

  686. didactic

    instructive, especially excessively

    Let us have a book so full of good illustrations that
    didactic instruction shall not be needed.Various

  687. sinuous

    curved or curving in and out

  688. rancor

    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

    The current session of Parliament has so far produced only
    rancor, as opposition parties have shut down proceedings with angry, theatrical protests against corruption.New York Times (Aug 14, 2011)

  689. puissant

    powerful

    The ship was not fighting now, but yielding—a complacent leviathan held captive by a most
    puissant and ruthless enemy.Tracy, Louis

  690. homespun

    characteristic of country life

  691. embroil

    force into some kind of situation or course of action

    But Mr. Marbury, often
    embroiled in controversy during his N.B.A. days, seems to have found some measure of peace in China.New York Times (Apr 1, 2012)

  692. pathological

    caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition

    «Fixated individuals» — mentally ill people with a
    pathological focus on someone, often a stranger — make up the first group.

  693. resonant

    characterized by a loud deep sound

    His eyes were piercing but sad, his voice grand and
    resonant, suiting well the wrathful, impassioned Calvinism of his sermons.Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston

  694. libretto

    the words of an opera or musical play

  695. flail

    thrash about

  696. bandy

    discuss lightly

    Hillary Clinton’s name has been
    bandied about, but she’s made it clear she’s not interested.

  697. gratis

    costing nothing

    «Would you admit them
    gratis?» asked Mr. Castlemaine with a smile, «or would they have to pay, like ordinary residents in an hotel?»Hocking, Joseph

  698. upshot

    a phenomenon that is caused by some previous phenomenon

    The inevitable
    upshot of their growing social power was that brands wanted an expanded visual presence.

  699. aphorism

    a short pithy instructive saying

  700. redoubtable

    worthy of respect or honor

    Captain Miles Standish was a
    redoubtable soldier, small in person, but of great activity and courage.Mann, Henry

  701. corpulent

    excessively large

    Obesity is very common, but chiefly among the women, who while still quite young often become enormously
    corpulent.D’Anvers, N.

  702. benighted

    lacking enlightenment or knowledge or culture

    I alone was magnificently and absurdly aware—everyone else was
    benightedly out of it.James, Henry

  703. sententious

    abounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing

    He is the village wise man; very
    sententious; and full of profound remarks on shallow subjects.Irving, Washington

  704. cabal

    a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue

    Supposedly, see, there’s this global
    cabal of scientists conspiring to bring about socialist one-world government.

  705. paraphernalia

    equipment consisting of miscellaneous articles

  706. vitiate

    make imperfect

    His talent in writing is
    vitiated by his affectation and other faults.Blair, Emma Helen

  707. adulation

    exaggerated flattery or praise

    And celebrities get all this
    adulation for something that is not about character, it’s about talent.

  708. quaff

    swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught

    Meanwhile the officers under the tree had got served, and, cups in hand, were
    quaffing joyously.Reid, Mayne

  709. unassuming

    not arrogant

    Parr’s conduct after his most heroic actions was thoroughly modest and
    unassuming.Greely, Adolphus W.

  710. libertine

    a dissolute person

    Still, Mr. Awlaki was neither among the most conservative Muslim students nor among the
    libertines who tossed aside religious restrictions on drinking and sex.New York Times (May 8, 2010)

  711. maul

    injure badly

  712. adage

    a condensed but memorable saying embodying an important fact

  713. expostulation

    the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest

  714. tawdry

    tastelessly showy

    It was a
    tawdry affair, all Cupids and cornucopias, like a third-rate wedding cake.Wilde, Oscar

  715. trite

    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

    The subject—a deathbed scene—might seem at first sight to be a
    trite and common one.Lancey, Magdalene de

  716. hireling

    a person who works only for money

    Why should I?—a mere police detective, who had been hired to do a service and paid for it like any other
    hireling.Hanshew, Thomas W.

  717. ensconce

    fix firmly

    Though she is firmly
    ensconced in a writing career, Ms. Freud, 48, said that in the early days she missed acting terribly.New York Times (Oct 30, 2011)

  718. egregious

    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible

  719. cogent

    powerfully persuasive

    His thesis was too
    cogent, and appealed too powerfully to all classes of the Upper Canada community, to be anything but irresistible.Morison, J. L. (John Lyle)

  720. incisive

    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

  721. errant

    straying from the right course or from accepted standards

    As the crowd voiced its displeasure, the referees made sure Wisconsin got the ball, but pass was
    errant and rolled out of bounds at midcourt.Seattle Times (Feb 28, 2012)

  722. sedulous

    marked by care and persistent effort

  723. incandescent

    characterized by ardent emotion, intensity, or brilliance

    Kirkwood’s anger cooled apace; at worst it had been a flare of passion—
    incandescent.Vance, Louis Joseph

  724. derelict

    in deplorable condition

    Others are clustered under a tin awning by a
    derelict railway station or in similarly run-down school buildings.

  725. entomology

    the branch of zoology that studies insects

    From the department of
    entomology you expect to learn something about the troublesome insects, which are so universal an annoyance.Latham, A. W.

  726. execrable

    unequivocally detestable

  727. sluice

    pour as if from a conduit that carries a rapid flow of water

  728. moot

    of no legal significance, as having been previously decided

    The statement from Hermitage said even in the Soviet period no defendant had been tried after death, when charges were generally considered
    moot.New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)

  729. evanescent

    short-lived; tending to vanish or disappear

    Time seems stopped but it is moving on, and every glimmer of light is
    evanescent, flitting.

  730. vat

    a large open vessel for holding or storing liquids

  731. dapper

    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners

    Thoroughly
    dapper, he took off his black-and-white pinstriped suit jacket — with its pocket-square flair — and weaved in and out among them, his voice ever rising.New York Times (Jan 22, 2011)

  732. asperity

    harshness of manner

    All this proceeds from the old man, whose proper character it is to be angry and bitter, and to exhibit rancor and
    asperity.Arndt, Johann

  733. flair

    a natural talent

    In fact, while Lamarr qualified as an inventive genius for her artistic
    flair, she fell somewhat short on her scientific acumen.Slate (Nov 28, 2011)

  734. mote

    a tiny piece of anything

    He took his discharge out of his pocket, brushed every
    mote of dust from the table, and spread the document before their eyes.Auerbach, Berthold

  735. circumspect

    careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk

    Obama administration officials argue that new regulations are forcing insurers to be more
    circumspect about raising rates.New York Times (Sep 27, 2011)

  736. inimical

    tending to obstruct or cause harm

    The Hindu idea is that so long as justice and equity characterise a king’s rule, even beasts naturally
    inimical are disposed to live in friendship.Kingscote, Mrs. Howard

  737. apropos

    of a suitable, fitting, or pertinent nature

    I found myself thinking vaguely about things that were not at all
    apropos to the situation.Stockley, Cynthia

  738. gruel

    a thin porridge

  739. gentility

    elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression

    This was no rough bully of the seas; Carew’s bearing and dandified apparel bespoke
    gentility.Springer, Norman

  740. disapprobation

    an expression of strong disapproval

    Mr Ruthven shook his head and declared that he regarded the conduct of her persecutors with grave moral
    disapprobation.Wheeler, E.J.

  741. cameo

    engraving or carving in low relief on a stone

    The trinket was a small round
    cameo cut out of mother-of-pearl and set in gold; it represented St. George and the dragon.J?kai, M?r

  742. gouge

    swindle; obtain by coercion

    Shortages also have raised concerns about higher prices and
    gouging by wholesale drug companies that obtain supplies of hard-to-get drugs and jack up the costs.Seattle Times (Jan 20, 2012)

  743. oratorio

    a musical composition for voices and orchestra

    Mendelssohn had no sooner completed his first
    oratorio, «St. Paul,» than he began to think about setting another Bible story to music.Edwards, Frederick George

  744. inclement

    severe, of weather

  745. scintilla

    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount

    Gardner «never expressed one
    scintilla of remorse for his attack upon the victim» despite overwhelming evidence, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.

  746. confluence

    a flowing together

    And indeed, before the 13th century, there was an extraordinary
    confluence of genius and innovation, particularly around Baghdad.New York Times (Dec 28, 2010)

  747. squalor

    sordid dirtiness

    What can be expected of human beings, crowded in such miserable habitations, living in filth and
    squalor, and often pinched with hunger?Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)

  748. stricture

    severe criticism

    While gratefully accepting the generous praises of our friends, we must briefly reply to some
    strictures by our critics.Stanton, Elizabeth Cady

  749. emblazon

    decorate with heraldic arms

  750. augury

    an event indicating important things to come

    This is always an encouraging sign, and an
    augury of success.Alger, Horatio

  751. abut

    lie adjacent to another or share a boundary

  752. banal

    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

    Highly dramatic incidents are juxtaposed with comparatively
    banal ones; particular attention is given to tales of doomed love affairs.New York Times (Dec 4, 2011)

  753. congeal

    solidify, thicken, or come together

    Boil down the syrup to half its original quantity, but take care that it does not boil long enough to
    congeal or become thick.Baru?, Sulpice

  754. pilfer

    make off with belongings of others

    Many young people scavenge for reusable garbage, living on proceeds from
    pilfered construction material and other recyclables.Seattle Times (Feb 8, 2012)

  755. malcontent

    a person who is unsatisfied or disgusted

    Now, unfortunately, some
    malcontents among the hands here have spread their ideas, and a strike has been called.Maitland, Robert

  756. sublimate

    direct energy or urges into useful activities

  757. eugenic

    causing improvement in the offspring produced

    Eugenics was aimed at creating a better society by filtering out people considered undesirable, ranging from criminals to those imprecisely designated as “feeble-minded.”Washington Post (Aug 1, 2011)

  758. lineament

    the characteristic parts of a person’s face

    The tears stood in Muriel’s eyes, and her face was very pale, but serenity marked every
    lineament.Davidson, John

  759. firebrand

    someone who deliberately foments trouble

  760. fiasco

    a complete failure or collapse

    The Stuttgart protests became a national
    fiasco in late September, when protesters clashed with police wielding batons and water cannons.Newsweek (Dec 14, 2010)

  761. foolhardy

    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences

  762. retrench

    tighten one’s belt; use resources carefully

    But there was only one way open to me at present—and that was to
    retrench my expenses.Caine, Hall, Sir

  763. ulterior

    lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed

    Shop window displays may help prettify shopping thoroughfares, but any savvy retailer has the
    ulterior motive of self promotion.BBC (Feb 3, 2010)

  764. equable

    not varying

  765. inured

    made tough by habitual exposure

    But he had become
    inured to the rush and whirr of missiles, and now paid no heed whatever to them.Mitford, Bertram

  766. invidious

    containing or implying a slight or showing prejudice

    «After an old-fashioned, all-round team performance … it might seem
    invidious to single out one player,» admits the paper before singling out one player.

  767. unmitigated

    not diminished or moderated in intensity or severity

    In order to be well directed, sympathy must consider all men, and not the individual alone; only then is it an
    unmitigated good.Williams, C. M.

  768. concomitant

    an event or situation that happens at the same time

  769. cozen

    cheat or trick

    Dicing-houses, where cheaters meet, and
    cozen young men out of their money.Various

  770. phlegmatic

    showing little emotion

    Humanity, when surfeited with emotion, becomes calm, almost
    phlegmatic.Tracy, Louis

  771. dormer

    a gabled extension built out from a sloping roof

    Other features, such as the front French doors and two roof
    dormers with curved-top windows and operable shutters, give this home a pleasing, well-balanced presence.Southern Living (Apr 14, 2010)

  772. pontifical

    denoting or governed by or relating to a bishop or bishops

    The high priest made no resistance, but went forth in his
    pontifical robes, followed by the people in white garments, to meet the mighty warrior.Lord, John

  773. disport

    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion

    Straightway the glade in which they sat was filled with knights, ladies, maidens, and esquires, who danced and
    disported themselves right joyously.Spence, Lewis

  774. apologist

    a person who argues to defend some policy or institution

    Tories, and
    apologists for Great Britain, have written much about a justification for this action, but there is no real justification.Barce, Elmore

  775. abeyance

    temporary cessation or suspension

    My feelings of home-sickness had returned with redoubled strength after being long in
    abeyance.Boldrewood, Rolf

  776. enclave

    an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct

    And its suburban schools, rather than being exclusive
    enclaves, include children whose parents can’t afford a house in the neighborhood.Washington Post (Jan 11, 2011)

  777. improvident

    not supplying something useful for the future

    He was industrious but
    improvident; he made money and he lost it.Hubbard, Elbert

  778. disquisition

    an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion

    Cumulatively, what emerges from To Kill a Mockingbird is a thoughtful
    disquisition that encompasses – and goes beyond – the question of racial bias at its worst.

  779. categorical

    not modified or restricted by reservations

    «European leaders were united,
    categorical and crystal clear: Gaddafi must go,» British Prime Minister David Cameron said.

  780. placate

    cause to be more favorably inclined

    The East India Company was
    placated by the concession of further exemptions in its favour.Smith, A. D.

  781. redolent

    serving to bring to mind

    Here, however, are congregated a vast number of curious and interesting objects, while the place is
    redolent of vivid historical associations.Ballou, Maturin Murray

  782. felicitous

    exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style

    The first book is the finest, sparkling with
    felicitous expressions and rising frequently to true poetry.Dennis, John

  783. gusty

    blowing in puffs or short intermittent blasts

    Winds could get
    gusty, occasionally blowing at more than 30 miles per hour.

  784. natty

    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners

    He wore a checked suit, very
    natty, and was more than usually tall and fine-looking.Green, Anna Katharine

  785. pacifist

    opposed to war

    He was, furthermore, a real
    pacifist, believing that war is debasing morally and disastrous economically.Seymour, Charles

  786. buxom

    healthily plump and vigorous

    Mrs. Connelly—a round, rosy,
    buxom Irishwoman, with a mellow voice, laughing eye, and artist-red hair—was very much taken with their plan.Douglas, Amanda Minnie

  787. heyday

    the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

  788. herculean

    displaying superhuman strength or power

    He made
    herculean efforts to get on terms with his examination subjects, and worked harder than he had ever done in his life before.Marshall, Archibald

  789. burgeon

    grow and flourish

    Brooklyn’s
    burgeoning dining scene has even developed a following among Manhattan food lovers.

  790. crone

    an ugly, evil-looking old woman

    The aged
    crone wrinkled her forehead and lifted her grizzled eyebrows, still without looking at him.Myrick, Frank

  791. prognosticate

    make a prediction about; tell in advance

    How strange it is that our dreams often
    prognosticate coming events!Huth, Alexander

  792. lout

    an awkward, foolish person

  793. simper

    smile in an insincere, unnatural, or coy way

    Mrs. Barnett’s mouth
    simpered at the implied flattery; but her eyes, always looking calculatingly for substantial results, were studying Reedy Jenkins.Hamby, William H. (William Henry)

  794. iniquitous

    characterized by injustice or wickedness

    This was some piece of wickedness concocted by the venomous brain of the
    iniquitous Vicar, more abominable than all his other wickednesses.Trollope, Anthony

  795. rile

    disturb, especially by minor irritations

    The prospect of seeing Ms. Palin tour Alaska’s wild habitats may
    rile some people who oppose her opinions about climate change.New York Times (Mar 25, 2010)

  796. sentient

    endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness

    The money fluttered from his hand to the floor, where it lay like a
    sentient thing, staring back as if mocking him.Hitchcock, Lucius W.

  797. garish

    tastelessly showy

    With its opulently
    garish sets and knee-jerk realism, the production dwarfed the cast, no matter what stars were singing.New York Times (Jan 2, 2011)

  798. readjustment

    the act of correcting again

    While earpieces are not uncomfortable, they do sometimes come loose, requiring
    readjustment.Slate (Apr 17, 2012)

  799. erstwhile

    belonging to some prior time

    Sony, whose
    erstwhile dominance in consumer electronics has been eroded by the likes of Samsung, could beat rivals to a potentially new generation of devices.

  800. aquiline

    curved down like an eagle’s beak

    The nose slightly
    aquiline, curving at the nostril; while luxuriant hair, in broad plaits, fell far below her waist.Various

  801. bilious

    irritable as if suffering from indigestion

    But his sleep had not refreshed him; he waked up
    bilious, irritable, ill-tempered, and looked with hatred at his room.Garnett, Constance

  802. vilify

    spread negative information about

    The trial was televised and the victim’s identity became known, resulting in her being
    vilified by almost the entire town.

  803. nuance

    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude

  804. gawk

    look with amazement

  805. refectory

    a communal dining-hall, usually in a monastery

    Meanwhile, the soup was getting cold in the
    refectory, so that the assembled brotherhood at last fell to, without waiting any longer for the Abbot.Scheffel, Joseph Victor von

  806. palatial

    suitable for or like a large and stately residence

  807. mincing

    affectedly dainty or refined

    She went, carrying her little head very high indeed, and taking dainty,
    mincing steps.Banks, Nancy Huston

  808. trenchant

    having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought

    They are written in a serio-comic tone, and for sparkling wit,
    trenchant sarcasm, and dramatic dialectics surpass anything ever penned by Lessing.Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

  809. emboss

    raise in a relief

    Requests may also be made of the stationer to use an
    embossed plate so that the letters stand out in relief.Eichler, Lillian

  810. proletarian

    a member of the working class

    As yet, the true
    proletarian wage-earner, uprooted from his native village and broken away from the organization of Indian society, is but insignificant.Stoddard, Lothrop

  811. careen

    pitching dangerously to one side

    I turned the steering wheel all the way to one side, and found myself
    careening backward in a violent arc.Vogel, Nancy

  812. debacle

    a sound defeat

    The Broncos are coming off their worst season in franchise history, a 4-12
    debacle that included issues on and off the field.Newsweek (Jan 9, 2011)

  813. sycophant

    a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage

  814. crabbed

    annoyed and irritable

    He grew
    crabbed and soured, his temper flashing out on small provocation.Weyman, Stanley J.

  815. archetype

    something that serves as a model

    Newport, R.I., looks like a perfect
    archetype of a small, seaside New England town.

  816. cryptic

    of an obscure nature

    The authorities, beyond some
    cryptic language about the death being sudden but not suspicious, have released no details.New York Times (Aug 24, 2011)

  817. penchant

    a strong liking or preference

  818. bauble

    cheap showy jewelry or ornament

    But men were buying Valentine’s
    baubles for their honeys long before the first Zales ever opened its doors in a suburban shopping mall.Slate (Feb 14, 2012)

  819. mountebank

    a flamboyant deceiver

    They are singularly clever, these Indian
    mountebanks, especially in sleight of hand tricks.Ballou, Maturin Murray

  820. fawning

    attempting to win favor by flattery

  821. hummock

    a small natural mound

    Captain Bill leaned back on a
    hummock of earth, his arms folded behind his head.Grayson, J. J.

  822. apotheosis

    model of excellence or perfection of a kind

    Contrary to popular belief, however, she said Ms. Deen’s fat-laden cooking does not in fact represent the
    apotheosis of Southern cuisine.New York Times (Jan 17, 2012)

  823. discretionary

    not earmarked; available for use as needed

  824. pithy

    concise and full of meaning

    As Moore isolated finer points of the passing game, Keller in neat penmanship jotted down
    pithy phrases and punchy quotes, basic ideas and specific concepts.New York Times (Dec 10, 2011)

  825. comport

    behave in a certain manner

    Ironically, the one man on stage who did
    comport himself with dignity, John Huntsman, is now being dismissed as having not made an impact.

  826. checkered

    marked by changeable fortune

    Both restaurants have
    checkered histories with the health department; they were temporarily shut down for sanitary violations that included evidence of rodents.New York Times (Aug 22, 2010)

  827. ambrosia

    the food and drink of the gods

    «Frieda represents the lovely goddess, Hebe, who served nectar and
    ambrosia to the high gods on Mount Olympus,» she explained.Vandercook, Margaret

  828. factious

    dissenting with the majority opinion

    Will it be answered that we are
    factious, discontented spirits, striving to disturb the public order, and tear up the old fastnesses of society?Stanton, Elizabeth Cady

  829. disgorge

    cause or allow to flow or run out or over

    There are telephone poles and cinder blocks and living room chairs and large trash bins, overturned and
    disgorging their soggy contents.New York Times (Oct 28, 2011)

  830. filch

    make off with belongings of others

    Then, in place of the real site, it displays a fake site created  to
    filch account numbers, login names and passwords.New York Times (Jul 13, 2010)

  831. wraith

    a ghostly figure, especially one seen shortly before death

    Whichever way he turns there loom past
    wraiths, restless as ghosts of unburied Grecian slain.Lee, Carson Jay

  832. demonstrable

    capable of being proved

    The linkage between deposits and trade is definite, causal, positive, statistically
    demonstrable.Anderson, Benjamin M.

  833. pertinacious

    stubbornly unyielding

    His temper, though yielding and easy in appearance, was in reality most obstinate and
    pertinacious.Kavanagh, Julia

  834. emend

    make corrections to

    The following were identified as spelling or typographic errors and have been
    emended as noted.Hopper, James

  835. laggard

    someone who takes more time than necessary

  836. waffle

    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

  837. loquacious

    full of trivial conversation

    Pan soon found it needful to make conversation, in order to keep the
    loquacious old stage driver from talking too much.Grey, Zane

  838. venial

    easily excused or forgiven

  839. peon

    a laborer who is obliged to do menial work

    For the most part, the men were wiry
    peons, some toiling half naked, but there were a number who looked like prosperous citizens.Bindloss, Harold

  840. effulgence

    the quality of being bright and sending out rays of light

    Then, all at once, in a way that seemed to frighten her, the sunshine had burst the clouds, and dazzled her with its
    effulgence.Fenn, George Manville

  841. lode

    a deposit of valuable ore

    Such local perturbations are regularly used in Sweden for tracing out the position of underground
    lodes of iron ore.Gilbert, William

  842. fanfare

    a gaudy outward display

    It opened a month ago to considerable
    fanfare, with television cameras trailing government officials meandering proudly around the bright new stores filled with imported goods.New York Times (Aug 22, 2010)

  843. dilettante

    showing frivolous or superficial interest; amateurish

    They dabbled in politics and art in the same
    dilettante fashion.Cannan, Gilbert

  844. pusillanimous

    lacking in courage, strength, and resolution

    He was described by his friends as
    pusillanimous to an incredible extent, timid from excess of riches, afraid of his own shadow.Motley, John Lothrop

  845. ingrained

    deeply rooted; firmly fixed or held

    The narrow prejudices of his country were
    ingrained too deeply in his character to be disturbed by any change of surroundings.Fuller, Robert H.

  846. quagmire

    a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot

    The heavy rain had reduced this low-lying ground to a veritable
    quagmire, making progress very difficult even for one as unburdened as he was.Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)

  847. reprobation

    severe disapproval

    Mr. Conway denounced this scheme as «utterly and flagrantly unconstitutional, as radically revolutionary in character and deserving the
    reprobation of every loyal citizen.»Blaine, James Gillespie

  848. mannered

    having unnatural behavioral attributes

  849. squeamish

    easily disturbed or disgusted by unpleasant things

    But please note that this gunfire-fueled film is for mature audiences; given its content, young and/or
    squeamish viewers should avoid this one.Washington Post (Aug 6, 2010)

  850. proclivity

    a natural inclination

    She received, under her father’s supervision, a very careful education, and developed her
    proclivities for literary composition at an early age.Adams, W. H. Davenport

  851. miserly

    characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity

    Now, my uncle seemed so
    miserly that I was struck dumb by this sudden generosity, and could find no words in which to thank him.Stevenson, Robert Louis

  852. vapid

    lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest

    How
    vapid was the talk of my remaining fellow-passengers; how slow of understanding, and how preoccupied with petty things they seemed!Dawson, A. J. (Alec John)

  853. mercurial

    liable to sudden unpredictable change

  854. perspicuous

    transparently clear; easily understandable

    The statements are plain and simple, a perfect model of
    perspicuous narrative.Smith, Uriah

  855. nonplus

    be a mystery or bewildering to

  856. enamor

    attract

    Young Indian audiences are so
    enamored with reality television that they will not watch the soap operas and dramas that their parents or grandparents watch.New York Times (Jan 9, 2011)

  857. hackneyed

    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

    Many speakers become so addicted to certain
    hackneyed phrases that those used to hearing them speak can see them coming sentences away.Lewis, Arthur M. (Arthur Morrow)

  858. spate

    a large number or amount or extent

    French authorities are already reporting a rising
    spate of calls to emergency services by homeowners whose once-frozen water mains have now burst.

  859. pedagogue

    someone who educates young people

  860. acme

    the highest level or degree attainable

    Scientifically speaking, it is the
    acme of absurdity to talk of a man defying the law of gravitation when he lifts his arm.Huxley, Thomas H.

  861. masticate

    bite and grind with the teeth

    Food should be
    masticated quietly, and with the lips closed.Cooke, Maud C.

  862. sinecure

    a job that involves minimal duties

    He would have repudiated the notion that he was looking for a
    sinecure, but no doubt considered that the duties would be easy and light.Trollope, Anthony

  863. indite

    produce a literary work

    She
    indited religious poems which were the admiration of the age.Brittain, Alfred

  864. emetic

    a medicine that induces nausea and vomiting

    The juice of this herb, taken in ale, is esteemed a gentle and very good
    emetic, bringing on vomiting without any great irritation or pain.Smith, John Thomas

  865. temporize

    draw out a discussion or process in order to gain time

    So he
    temporized and beat about the bush, and did not touch first on that which was nearest his heart.Erskine, Payne

  866. unimpeachable

    beyond doubt or reproach

    Whether we agree with the conclusions of these writers or not, the method of critical investigation which they adopt is
    unimpeachable.Huxley, Thomas H.

  867. genesis

    a coming into being

    He found himself speculating on the
    genesis of the moral sense, how it developed in difficulties rather than in ease.Miller, Alice Duer

  868. mordant

    harshly ironic or sinister

    Even Morgan himself, intrepid as he was, shrank from the awful menace of the
    mordant words.Crawford, Will

  869. smattering

    a small number or amount

  870. suavity

    the quality of being charming and gracious in manner

    His combativeness was harnessed to his
    suavity, and he could be forcible and at the same time persuasive.Windsor, William

  871. stentorian

    very loud or booming

    If a hundred voices shouted in opposition, his
    stentorian tones still made themselves heard above the uproar.J?kai, M?r

  872. junket

    a trip taken by an official at public expense

    Mr. Abramoff arranged for
    junkets, including foreign golfing destinations, for the members of Congress he was trying to influence.New York Times (Feb 26, 2010)

  873. appurtenance

    a supplementary component that improves capability

    In the center of this space stood a large frame building whose courtyard, stables, and other
    appurtenances proclaimed it an inn.Madison, Lucy Foster

  874. nostrum

    patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable

    Just here a native «medicine man» dispenses
    nostrums of doubtful efficacy, and in front a quantity of red Moorish pottery is exposed for sale.Meakin, Budgett

  875. immure

    lock up or confine, in or as in a jail

    Political prisoners, numbering as many as three or four hundred at a time, have been
    immured within its massive walls.Boyd, Mary Stuart

  876. astringent

    acidic or bitter in taste or smell

    There was something sharply
    astringent about her then, like biting inadvertently into a green banana.McFee, William

  877. unfaltering

    marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable

    Still
    unfaltering, the procession commenced to trudge back, the littlest boy and girl bearing themselves bravely, with lips tight pressed.Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)

  878. tutelage

    attention and management implying responsibility for safety

    It will do so under German leadership that grows less hesitant with each crisis, and without the American
    tutelage it enjoyed for so many decades.Newsweek (Jan 23, 2011)

  879. testator

    a person who makes a will

    This will was drawn up by me some years since at the request of the
    testator, who was in good health, mentally and bodily.Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

  880. elysian

    of such excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods

    Life seemed an
    elysian dream, from which care and sorrow must be for ever banished.Hentz, Caroline Lee

  881. fulminate

    criticize severely

    But with people looking for almost any excuse to
    fulminate against airlines these days, there’s a certain risk of embellishment.

  882. fractious

    easily irritated or annoyed

    He was a
    fractious invalid, and spared his wife neither time nor trouble in attending to his wants.Brazil, Angela

  883. pummel

    strike, usually with the fist

    Another, with rubber bands wrapped tightly around his face, is
    pummelled by a plastic boxing kangaroo.

  884. manumit

    free from slavery or servitude

    Moreover,
    manumitted slaves enjoyed the same rights, privileges and immunities that were enjoyed by those born free.Various

  885. unexceptionable

    completely acceptable; not open to reproach

    All cowboys are from necessity good cooks, and the fluffy, golden brown biscuits and fragrant coffee of Red’s making were
    unexceptionable.Mayer, Frank

  886. triumvirate

    a group of three people responsible for civil authority

    This
    triumvirate approach has real benefits in terms of shared wisdom, and we will continue to discuss the big decisions among the three of us.

  887. sybarite

    a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses

    He was not used to travelling on omnibuses, being something of a
    sybarite who spared nothing to ensure his own comfort.Wallace, Edgar

  888. jibe

    be compatible, similar, or consistent

    Contemporary art has never quite
    jibed with mainstream media.

  889. magisterial

    offensively self-assured or exercising unwarranted power

    “Now look here,” he said, making believe to take down my words and shaking his pencil at me in a
    magisterial way.Fenn, George Manville

  890. roseate

    of something having a dusty purplish pink color

    Behind the trees rough, lichened rock and stony slopes ran up to a bare ridge, silhouetted against the
    roseate glow of the morning sky.Bindloss, Harold

  891. obloquy

    abusive, malicious, and condemnatory language

    This is the real history of a transaction which, by frequent misrepresentation, has brought undeserved
    obloquy upon a generous man.Purchas, H. T. (Henry Thomas)

  892. hoodwink

    influence by slyness

    The stories of the saints he regarded as preposterous fables invented to
    hoodwink a gullible and illiterate populace.

  893. striate

    mark with stripes of contrasting color

  894. arrogate

    seize and take control without authority

  895. rarefied

    of high moral or intellectual value

    The debate over climate science has involved very complex physical models and
    rarefied areas of scientific knowledge.New York Times (Apr 9, 2011)

  896. chary

    characterized by great caution

    There was no independent verification of the figure; the authorities have been
    chary of releasing death tolls for fear of inflaming further violence.New York Times (Apr 24, 2011)

  897. credo

    any system of principles or beliefs

    She preferred to hang out with everyone but was best friends with no one, holding to the
    credo: “You should be nice to people.”New York Times (Jan 21, 2011)

  898. superannuated

    too old to be useful

    Civil servants are
    superannuated at fifty-five years of age and are sent home on a pension, seldom enjoying life longer than two years afterward.Hunt, Eleonora

  899. impolitic

    lacking tact, shrewdness, or prudence

    Bill Maher has always been a vocal critic of Islam, even at times making
    impolitic statements about the religion.

  900. aspersion

    a disparaging remark

    Lord Sanquhar then proceeded to deny the
    aspersion that he was an ill-natured fellow, ever revengeful, and delighting in blood.Thornbury, Walter

  901. abysmal

    exceptionally bad or displeasing

  902. poignancy

    a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow

  903. stilted

    artificially formal or stiff

    But thanks to the
    stilted writing and stiff acting, the characters still feel very much like one-dimensional figures from a dutiful fable.New York Times (Jul 12, 2011)

  904. effete

    excessively self-indulgent, affected, or decadent

    John Bull was an
    effete old plutocrat whose sons and daughters were given up to sport and amusement.Moffett, Cleveland

  905. provender

    food for domestic livestock

    «Fools!» she cried, looking in her magic crystal, «he was in the big sycamore under which you stopped to give your horses
    provender!»Housman, Laurence

  906. endemic

    of a disease constantly present in a particular locality

  907. jocund

    full of or showing high-spirited merriment

  908. procedural

    of or relating to processes

  909. rakish

    marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness

    She wore her red cap in a
    rakish manner on the side of her head, its tassel falling down over her forehead between her eyes.Sage, William

  910. skittish

    unpredictably excitable, especially of horses

    That combined with his calm and reassuring tone made me think of an animal trainer trying to woo
    skittish wild animals.

  911. peroration

    a flowery and highly rhetorical address

    He had little hope that Gallagher, once embarked on a
    peroration, would stop until he had used up all the words at his command.Birmingham, George A.

  912. nonentity

    a person of no influence

  913. abstemious

    marked by temperance in indulgence

    Raw, boozy, untethered performances are heralded as real; the
    abstemious professional is yawned off the stage.

  914. viscid

    having the sticky properties of an adhesive

    Roads were quagmires where travellers slipped and laboured through
    viscid mud and over icy fords.Buck, Charles Neville

  915. doggerel

    a comic verse of irregular measure

  916. sleight

    adroitness in using the hands

    The trick was performed Tuesday by Russell Fitzgerald, an amateur magician known to open meetings with a little
    sleight of hand.Washington Post (Sep 29, 2011)

  917. rubric

    category name

    Ms. Moss took issue, not surprisingly, with the notion that grouping the performances under the
    rubric of spirituality was a marketing ploy.New York Times (Nov 22, 2010)

  918. plenitude

    a full supply

    Of course at that season, amid the
    plenitude of seeds, nuts, and berries, they were as plump as partridges.Reid, Mayne

  919. rebus

    a puzzle consisting of pictures representing words

    They wrote at times with pictures standing for sounds, as we now write in
    rebus puzzles.Park, Robert Ezra

  920. wizened

    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness

    Kim Jong Il may be increasingly
    wizened and frail, with fingernails white from kidney disease, but his propaganda apparatus is as vigorous as ever.Wall Street Journal (Mar 26, 2010)

  921. whorl

    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles

    The flowers are waxy, tubular, fragrant, turning their yellow petals backward in a
    whorl.Rogers, Julia Ellen

  922. fracas

    a noisy quarrel

    Other cops were battling each other, going after the kids and clutching empty air, cursing and screaming unheard orders in the
    fracas.Freas, Kelly

  923. iconoclast

    someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions

  924. saturnine

    bitter or scornful

    Only when Bill Lightfoot spoke did he look up, and then with a set sneer, growing daily more
    saturnine.Dixon, Maynard

  925. madrigal

    an unaccompanied partsong for several voices

    Nevertheless we learn from Malvezzi’s publication that the pieces were all written in the
    madrigal style, frequently in numerous voice parts.Henderson, W. J. (William James)

  926. discursive

    tending to cover a wide range of subjects

    “Tabloid,” like his previous films, consists largely of long,
    discursive conversations — in effect monologues directed at an unseen, mostly unheard interlocutor.New York Times (Jul 22, 2011)

  927. zealot

    a fervent and even militant proponent of something

  928. moribund

    not growing or changing; without force or vitality

  929. modicum

    a small or moderate or token amount

    He volunteered a
    modicum of advice, limited in quantity, but valuable.Bolderwood, Rolf

  930. connotation

    an idea that is implied or suggested

    In Arabic, the word “bayt” translates literally as house, but its
    connotations resonate beyond rooms and walls, summoning longings gathered about family and home.New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)

  931. adventitious

    associated by chance and not an integral part

  932. recondite

    difficult to understand

    The mystery of verse is like other abstruse and
    recondite mysteries—it strikes the ordinary fleshly man as absurd.Gosse, Edmund

  933. zephyr

    a slight wind

    The dwellings and public buildings throughout Cuba are planned to give free passage to every
    zephyr that wafts relief from the oppressive heat.Various

  934. countermand

    cancel officially

    In the midst of executing this order, he got another order
    countermanding it, and proceeding directly from his direct superior.Belloc, Hilaire

  935. captious

    tending to find and call attention to faults

    Miss Burton had been very irritable and
    captious in class, more so even than usual, and most of her anger was vented upon Gerry.Chaundler, Christine

  936. cognate

    having the same ancestral language

    The synonyms are also given in the
    cognate dialects of Welsh, Armoric, Irish, Gaelic, and Manx, showing at one view the connection between them. Jenner, Henry

  937. forebear

    a person from whom you are descended

    His
    forebears were Greek immigrants who opened a small sandwich shop in Brooklyn, then moved, one after another, to Providence, to sell distinct, delectable wieners.New York Times (Sep 24, 2010)

  938. cadaverous

    very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

    He looked gaunt and
    cadaverous, and much of his old reckless joyousness had left him, though he brightened up wonderfully on seeing an old friend.Doyle, A. Conan

  939. foist

    force onto another

  940. dotage

    mental infirmity as a consequence of old age

  941. nexus

    a connected series or group

    Numerous innovators are also worrying away at this
    nexus of problems.

  942. choleric

    characterized by anger

    Jonathan,
    choleric with indignation, stood by his desk, clenching his hands.Mills, Weymer Jay

  943. garble

    distort or make false by mutilation or addition

    But the fact remains that the contradictory and inconsistent things said do reach the public, and usually in
    garbled and distorted form.Unknown

  944. bucolic

    idyllically rustic

    Forty-four years ago, Bill Sievers moved into his neo-Colonial house in Douglaston, Queens, on
    bucolic Poplar Street, lined with stately trees and equally stately homes.New York Times (Mar 26, 2012)

  945. denouement

    the outcome of a complex sequence of events

    Suppose the truly apocalyptic
    denouement happens — no deal is reached, and taxes rise for everyone.

  946. animus

    a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility

    The youthful savages had each an armful of snowballs, and they were pelting the child with more
    animus than seemed befitting.Murray, David Christie

  947. overweening

    unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings

  948. tyro

    someone new to a field or activity

  949. preen

    dress or groom with elaborate care

  950. largesse

    liberality in bestowing gifts

    After being saved by government
    largesse, they say, big banks then moved to thwart reforms aimed at preventing future meltdowns caused by excessive risk-taking.New York Times (Jul 14, 2011)

  951. retentive

    good at remembering

  952. unconscionable

    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation

    For generations in the New York City public schools, this has become the norm with devastating consequences rooted in
    unconscionable levels of student failure.New York Times (Nov 4, 2011)

  953. badinage

    frivolous banter

  954. insensate

    devoid of feeling and consciousness and animation

    Men also are those brutal soldiers, alike stupidly ready, at the word of command, to drive the nail through quivering flesh or
    insensate wood.Stowe, Harriet Beecher

  955. sherbet

    a frozen dessert made primarily of fruit juice and sugar

  956. beatific

    resembling or befitting an angel or saint

  957. bemuse

    cause to be confused emotionally

    They were marching in the middle of the street, chanting and singing and disrupting traffic while countless New Yorkers looked on, some
    bemused, others applauding.

  958. microcosm

    a miniature model of something

  959. factitious

    not produced by natural forces; artificial or fake

    Indeed, the Chinese make a
    factitious cheese out of peas, which it is difficult to discriminate from the article of animal origin.Cameron, Charles Alexander, Sir

  960. gestate

    develop in the mind; have the idea for

  961. traduce

    speak unfavorably about

    For Grover Cleveland there were no longer enemies to
    traduce and vilify.Straus, Oscar S.

  962. sextant

    an instrument for measuring angular distance

  963. coiffure

    the arrangement of the hair

    They sat down, and Saint-Clair noticed his friend’s
    coiffure; a single rose was in her hair.M?rim?e, Prosper

  964. malleable

    easily influenced

  965. rococo

    having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation

    The upper part of the case is decorated with elaborately carved and gilt
    rococo motifs.Bedini, Silvio A.

  966. fructify

    become productive or fruitful

  967. nihilist

    someone who rejects all theories of morality

  968. ellipsis

    a mark indicating that words have been omitted

    He speaks in
    ellipses, often leaving sentences hanging, and fiddles apologetically with his BlackBerry.

  969. accolade

    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

  970. codicil

    a supplement to a will

    The
    codicil to her will, which she had spoken of with so much composure, left three hundred pounds to Stella and me.Fothergill, Jessie

  971. roil

    be agitated

    Like thousands of fellow students, he was
    roiled with emotions, struggling to come to grips with an inescapable reality.New York Times (Nov 26, 2011)

  972. grandiloquent

    lofty in style

    A large part of his duties will be to strut about on the stage, and mouth more or less unintelligible sentences in a
    grandiloquent tone.Smith, Arthur H.

  973. inconsequential

    lacking worth or importance

    But as the months went by, Mr. Kimura had an unexpected epiphany: His business, which he thought was
    inconsequential, mattered to a lot of people.

  974. effervescence

    the property of giving off bubbles

    Both were in the very sparkle and
    effervescence of that fanciful glee which bubbles up from the golden, untried fountains of early childhood.Stowe, Harriet Beecher

  975. stultify

    deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless

    Far from being engines of economic growth, Egypt’s leading cities are
    stultified.

  976. tureen

    large deep serving dish with a cover

  977. pellucid

    transparently clear; easily understandable

    Caribou Island is a scant 300 pages, and written in prose as
    pellucid as the rivers he used to fish as a boy.

  978. euphony

    any pleasing and harmonious sounds

  979. apocryphal

    being of questionable authenticity

    We’re reminded of the story, possibly
    apocryphal, that they used to play the Beach Boys’ Smiley Smile in psychiatric wards to calm patients.

  980. veracious

    precisely accurate

    For proof, we cite the following
    veracious narrative, which bears within it every internal mark of truth, and matter for grave and serious reflection.Roby, John

  981. pendulous

    hanging loosely or bending downward

    And all around, far out of reach, the trees of the forest were swaying restlessly, their long,
    pendulous branches, like tentacles, lashing out hungrily.Bates, Harry

  982. exegesis

    an explanation or critical interpretation

    Its musical significance has been presented with illuminating
    exegesis by more than one commentator.Forkel, Johann Nikolaus

  983. effluvium

    a foul-smelling outflow or vapor

    However, acting on my best judgment, I struck a downward course, and then suddenly a horrible
    effluvium was wafted to my nostrils.Mitford, Bertram

  984. apposite

    being of striking appropriateness and pertinence

    He was quite capable of meaningful,
    apposite phrases about the game, even though distant sports editors did not encourage them enough.

  985. viscous

    having the sticky properties of an adhesive

    Sluggish, blind crawling things like three-foot slugs flowed across their path and among the tree trunks, leaving
    viscous trails of slime behind them.Various

  986. misanthrope

    someone who dislikes people in general

    And shaking his head like a
    misanthrope, disgusted, if not with life, at least with men, Patout led the horse to the stable.Dumas père, Alexandre

  987. vintner

    someone who makes wine

    The question remains, he said, whether established
    vintners will change their winemaking practices or “continue to sell their schlock.”New York Times (Oct 27, 2010)

  988. halcyon

    idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquility

    He now seemed to have entered on a
    halcyon period of life—congenial society, romantic and interesting surroundings.Kennard, Nina H.

  989. anthropomorphic

    suggesting human features for animals or inanimate things

    The same
    anthropomorphic fallacy that accords human attributes to giant corporations like BP distorts clear thinking about how to limit their political influence.

  990. turgid

    ostentatiously lofty in style

    His waspish wit can make him entertaining company at a party, but there is little evidence of that in his largely
    turgid prose.

  991. malaise

    a feeling of mild sickness or depression

    Initially, many doctors discounted sufferers’ feelings of generalized
    malaise as nothing more than stress or normal fatigue.

  992. polemical

    of or involving dispute or controversy

    His works include several dogmatic and
    polemical treatises, but the most important are the historical.Various

  993. gadfly

    a persistently annoying person

  994. atavism

    a reappearance of an earlier characteristic

    Criminal
    atavism might be defined as the sporadic reversion to savagery in certain individuals.Symonds, John Addington

  995. contusion

    an injury in which the skin is not broken

    My falling companion, being a much stouter man than myself did not fare so well, as his right shoulder received a severe
    contusion.Bevan, A. Beckford

  996. parsimonious

    excessively unwilling to spend

    Pill-splitting is catching on among
    parsimonious prescription-takers who want to lower costs.

  997. dulcet

    pleasing to the ear

  998. reprise

    a repetition of a short musical passage

    The live set
    reprises material from this remarkable group’s earlier Aurora CD.

  999. anodyne

    capable of relieving pain

    But philosophy failed, as it will probably fail till some far-off age, to find an
    anodyne for the spiritual distresses of the mass of men.Dill, Samuel

  1000. bemused

    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements

    They were marching in the middle of the street, chanting and singing and disrupting traffic while countless New Yorkers looked on, some
    bemused, others applauding.

Created on May 19, 2011
(updated May 12, 2012)

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