n.-- fear of foreigners

Xenophobia kept the townspeople from encouraging any immigrants to move into the neighborhood.

n.-- modern fashion

Women's magazines advertise the clothing they believe to be in vogue

v.-- to refer indirectly to something

Without stating that the defendant was an exconvict, the prosecutor alluded to the fact by mentioning his length of unemployment.

adj.-- suitable; apt; relevant

Without reenacting the entire scenario, the situation can be understood if apposite information is given.

v.-- to feed fuel to; especially a fire

With the last embers dying, he stoked the fire one more time.

n.-- boisterous laughter

With the guffaw of the boisterous crowd, the comedian was assured of his success.

v.-- to shorten by cutting

With the football game going into overtime, the show scheduled to follow it had to be truncated.

adj.-- time-consuming; burdensome; uninteresting

Counting all the rubber bands in the box proves to be a tedious affair.

adj.-- superfluous; exceeding what is needed

With millions of transactions at stake, the bank built a redundant processing center on a separate power grid.

v.-- to banish; to put to a lower position

With Internal Affairs launching an investigation into charges that Officer Wicker had harassed a suspect, the officer was relegated to desk duty.

adj.-- being young or immature

With his callow remark, the young man demonstrated he wasn't up to the job.

adj.-- not wasteful; thrifty

With her economical sense, she was able to save the company thousands of dollars.

v.-- to comply with; to consent to

With defeat imminent, the rebel army acceded to hash out a peae treaty.

v.-- to take place; to come about

With all that's transpired today, I'm exhausted.

adj.-- unimportant; of subordinate standing

With all of the crime in the world, stealing bubble gum is considered petty theft.

v.-- to appease or pacify

With a soothing voice and the promise of a juicy steak, the trainer placated the escaped lion so that it wouldn't hurt anyone.

n.-- coward; abject person

While many fought for their rights, the craven sat shaking, off in a corner somewhere.

adj.-- common; general; universal

While generic drugs are often a better value, it is always a good idea to consult your doctor before purchasing them.

adj.-- having a saw-toothed edge

Whilecamping, the family used a serrated band saw to cut firewood.

adj.-- sharp; stinging

When the refrigerator door opened, the smell of lemons was pungent

adj.-- suitable (as land) for plowing

When the land was deemed arable, the farmer decided to plow

n.-- critical point; meeting

When the gas changed into a liquid, they sensed that they'd come to a critical juncture in their experimentation

n.-- a confused mass; turmoil

When the emergency alarm sounded, a welter of shivering office workers formed in the stret as people evacuated the site

n.-- ungratefulness

When she failed to send a thank-you card, her friend took it as a sign of ingratitued

adj.-- in agreement with; harmonious

When repairing an automobile, it is necessary to use parts compaticle with its make and model.

adj.-- important; spirited

When in a foreign country, a passport is a vital piece of paperwork to have at all times.

v.-- to boast

When her son was accepted to college, she vaunted his success to everyone

n.-- hope; comfort during a time of grief

When her father passed away, she found solace amongst her friends and family

n.-- former period of time

When he sees his childhood friends, they speak about the days of yore

v.-- to give in; to yield; to collapse

When dieting, it is difficult not to succumb to temptation

adj.-- noticeable; prominent

What's salient about the report is its documentation of utter despair in the heartland of the richest nation on Earth.

adj.-- unheard of; exceptional

Weeks of intense heat created unprecedented power demands, which the utilities were hard pressed to meet

adj.-- odd; peculiar; strange

Wearing polka dot pants and a necklace made of recycled bottle tops is considered ecentric

adj.-- manageable; obedient; gentle

We needed to choose a docile pet because we hadn't the patience for a lot of training

v.-- to free from confusion

We need to disentangle ourselves from the dizzying variety of choices

adj.-- mediocre; ordinary

We expected the meal to be exceptional, but it was just pedestrian

v.-- to improve or make better

We can ameliorate the flooding problem by changing the grading

adj.-- omnipresent; present everywhere

Water may seem ubiquitous, until a drought comes along

n.-- imaginary land with perfect social and political systems

Voltaire wrote of a utopia where the streets were paved with gold

n.-- dilemma

Tristan and Elizabeth were caught in a quandary:  Should they spend Thanksgiving with his parents or hers?

v.-- to sanctify; to make sacred; to immortalize

To make the new statue worthy of worship, it had to be consecrated by the priest.

v.-- to coax with insincere talk

To cajole the disgruntled employee, the manager coaxed him with lies and sweet talk.

n.-- isolation of a person or persons to prevent the spread of disease

To be sure they didn't bring any contagions back to Earth, the astronauts were put under quarantine when they returned

adj.-- marginal; outer

Those are peripheral problems; let's look at the central challenge

adj.-- showing decorum; propriety; good taste

This movie provides decorous refuge from the violence and mayhem that permeates the latest crop of Hollywood films

v.-- to soften by steeping in liquid (including stomach juices)

They placed her foot in the solvent to macerate the cement she had steeped in

v.-- to increase or add to; to make larger

They needed more soup so they augmented the recipe

adj.-- spacious and convenient; roomy

They need a commodious apartment to fit all their furniture

v.-- to go aimlessly

They meandered through the woods for the afternoon

adj.-- stretched tightly

They knew a fish was biting because the line suddenly became taut

adj.-- quarrelsome

They hate his contentious behvior because every suggestion they give ends in a fight

v.-- to make a journey

They had to trek through the dense forest to reach the nearest village

n.-- location

They had always had their holiday party in the town hall; after ten years they were ready for a change of venue

adj.-- emitting light; shining; also enlightened or intelligent

They found their way through the darkness by heading toward the luminous object in the distance

v.-- to speak foolishly

They did not want him to represent their position in front of the committee since he was prone to gibbering when speaking in front of an audience

n.-- short drapery hanging over the window frame

They decided to hang a floral valance over the kitchen window

n.-- expert; authority (usually refers to a wine or food expert)

They allowed her to choose the wine for dinner since she was the connoisseur

v.-- to disagree; to differ in opinion

They agreed that something had to be done, but dissented on how to do it

adj.-- unequal; dissimilar; different

They came from disparate backgrounds, one a real estate magnate, the other a custodian

n.-- a very small piece

There wasn't one iota of evidence to suggest a conspiracy

n.-- propensity of understatement; so slight as to be barely noticeable

There was no subtlety in the protest; each person carried a sign and yelled for civil rights

n.-- disagreement; lack of harmony

There was discord amidst the jury; therefore a decision could not be made

n.-- a superabundance

There was a plethora of food at the royal feast

n.-- difference in form, character, or degree

There is a great disparity between a light snack and a great feast

adj.-- unconcerned

There he lay, indifferent to all the excitement around him

adj.-- touching; adjoining and close, but may not be touching

There are many contiguous buildings in the city because there is no excess land to allow space between them

n.-- travel plan; schedule; course

Their trip itinerary was disrupted by an unexpected snow storm

adj.-- extremely dry; parched; barren; unimaginative

Their thirst became worse due to the arid condition of the desert

adj.-- casual; common; conversational; idiomatic

Their colloquial manner was not accepted in high society

v.-- to prevent from accomplishing a purpose; to frustrate

Their attempt to take over the country was thwarted by the palace guard

n.-- believer; enthusiast; fan

The zealot followed whatever rules the cult leader set

v.-- to annoy; to irritate

the younger brother nettled his older sister until she slapped him

v.-- to deliver; to provide

The Yorkville First Aid Squad was first on the scene to render assistance

n.-- recess; rest period

The workers talked and drank coffee during the respite

adj.-- commonplace

The workaday meal was not exciting to the worldclass chef

adj.-- to be expressionless or dull

The wooden expression of the man made him look like a statue

v.-- to collect together; to accumulate

The women amassed a huge collection of priceless diamonds and pearls

n.-- model; typification; representation

The woman chosen to lead the dancers was the epitome of true grace

adj.-- obscure; secret; mysterious

The wizard's description of his magic was purposefully arcane so that others would be unable to copy it

adj.-- hurt by someone's death

The widower was bereft for many years after his wife's death

n.-- great amount; abundance

The wet winter brought about a profusion of mosquitoes

adj.-- happy; cheery; merry

The wedding was a blithe celebration

n.-- a large tent or covered area, usually used for entertainment

The wedding pavilion was not only beautifully decorated, but also served as welcome protection from a sudden downpour

adj.-- fluent (characterized by a great flow of words, talkative)

The voluble host barely let his guests get a word in edgewise

adj.-- thick and sticky (said of fluids)

The viscous honey poured slowly from the jar

adj.-- inactive; changeless

The view while riding in the train across the endless, flat landscape remained static for days

adj.-- on the surface; narrow minded; lacking depth

The victim had two stab wounds, but luckily they were only superficial

adj.-- impenetrable; not allowing anyghing to pass though; unaffected

The vest that the policeman wears is impervious to bullets

adj.-- wordy; talkative

The verbose speech was too long and difficult to follow

n.-- a natural dislike or repugnance

The vegetarian had an antipathy toward meat.

adj.-- prejudiced; influenced; not neutral

The vegetarian had a biased opinion regarding what should be ordered for dinner.

n.-- the final act or result

The upshot of the debate was that the bill would be released to the floor.

adj.-- irreligious; away from acceptable standards

The upper-class parents thought that it was blasphemous for their son to marry a waitress.

v.-- to make small; to think lightly of

The unsympathetic friend belittled her friend's problems and spoke of her own as the most important.

adj.-- not submitting to discipline; disobedient

The unruly boys had to be removed from the concert hall.

v.-- to act contrary to; to oppose or contradict

The United Nations held that the Eastern European nation had contravened the treaty.

adj.-- clumsy and unattractive

The unginly man knocked over the plant stand.

n.-- appearance

The undercover detective, under the guise of friendship, offered to help the drug runner make a connection.

adj.-- heavy or powerful

The unabridged dictionary makes for a hefty book.

adj.-- unwilling to be pacified or appeased

The two-year-old was implacable child; he cried no matter what his parents did to comfort him.