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sinister, pernicious, ominous
The basilisk is a notoriously cranky, albeit mythical, creature whose baleful glare is fatal. |
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Cause of injury, source of harm; source of persistent frustration
Even for those who recognize that smoking is far more of a bane than a benefit, quitting can be a strugle |
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to bless, make happy, or ascribe a virtue to; to regard as saintly.
She was described in such a flowing way; every single quility she possessed was beatified. |
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state of bliss, and beatific means having a blissful appearance.
His beatific smile could only mean that he had just eaten some exceptionally good sushi.....
This is NOT the same as beautify. |
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to adorn, especially in a cheap, showy manner; festoon, caparison.
the speakeasy was bedizened with every manner of tawdry decoration. |
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to give a false impression of , to misrepresent.
Carlos' disapproving coutenance was belied by the twinkle in his eye, making it hard to believe that he was angry at all. |
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belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
The bully's bellicose demeanor hid a tender side, but he was too busy getting into fights to reveal it. |
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leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency;
Puck was notorious for his mischievous bent; wherever there was trouble to be stirred up, he was certain to be found. |
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to coax with flattery, toady or fawn.
to minister was famous for his ability to blandish his wasy from obscurity to vicarious power; it seemed as if every ruler was receptive to bootlicking. |
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flattery intended to cajole or coax.
Blandishment plus a really big present might convice me to forgive you. |
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carefree, merry
Stephanie's blithe disregard for what her peers might think made her the perfect hero for a clever yet moving coming-of-age teen movie. |
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lound, noisy, rough, lacking restraint
After a while, our neighbors became reconciled to our boisterous weekend gatherings, evern joining us on occasion; the rest of the time they were probably wearing earplugs. |
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to provide support or reinforcement.
He hoped his frequent references to legal theory would loster his argument, but all they did was make him seem pompous. |
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pompous, grandiloquent
The self-important leader's speech was so bombastic that even his most loyal followers were rolling their eyes, and no one else could even figure out what he was talking about. |
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self-important or pompous writing or speech.
His books were always so filled with bombast that they were almost impossible to read; it sounded as if he had swallowed a thesaurus whole. |
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a rude or insensitive person; out, yokel.
I have learned never to take a boor to dine with royalty; last time we had tea with the Queen of England, my boorish boyfriend put his feet on the table! |
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to bring up, announce, begin to talk about.
To broach the subject of her truly hideous brooch would have been impolitic. There's no way I could have managed to say anything nice about it. |
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to tolerate, endure, countenance
our drill sergeant made it very clear she would brook no insubordinatino; even any quite grumbling would be grounds for endless pushups. |
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rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
Pastoral poetry tends to depict bucolic wonderlands of shepherds tending their flocks in verdant meadows, but poets always leave out the part about getting up at fve o'cklock in the morning to take those flocks out to graze. |
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to grow rapidly or flourish
When the wildflowers burgeon in April and May we know that spring has truly arrived. |
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to polish, rub to a shine
Be careful about burnishing certain old lamps; you never know while one is going to have a genie in it, and histroy shows that those three wishes lead to no good. |
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labrynthine, complex
Tom's byzantine explanation of why he missed curfew was confusing even to this parents who were used to his convoluted punishment-avoidance strategies. |
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high-sounding phrase, pompous personality.
Characterized by excessive self-esteem or exaggerated dignity; pretentious: pompous officials who enjoy giving orders |
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| Tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly: a pernicious virus. |
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| Pompous or bombastic speech or expression. |
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| A natural propensity or inclination; predisposition |
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An innate inclination; a tendency
synonym: predilection |
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| A partiality or disposition in favor of something; a preference. |
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1. Menacing; threatening: ominous black clouds; ominous rumblings of discontent.
2. Of or being an omen, especially an evil one. |
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1. Of, relating to, or typical of country life or country people. See Synonyms at rural.
1. Lacking refinement or elegance; coarse.
2. Charmingly simple or unsophisticated. |
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1. To persuade or try to persuade by pleading or flattery; cajole(synonym).
2. To obtain by persistent persuasion: coaxed the secret out of the child. |
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| To urge with gentle and repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery; wheedle. |
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1. Deficiency or absence of light; darkness.
1. The quality or condition of being unknown: “Even utter obscurity need not be an obstacle to [political] success” (New Republic).
2. One that is unknown. |
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1. To exhibit affection or attempt to please, as a dog does by wagging its tail, whining, or cringing.
2. To seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior. |
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