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being of the most miserable kind; wretched: abject poverty
On the streets of New York, the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind. |
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verb
to act or be counter to; violate
Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert Browning. |
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impossible to remove, erase, or wash away; permanent
Watching the Challenger fall from the sky in the 1980's left an indelible impression on me. I will never forget it. |
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n
a show, pretense, or display
My friends and I quickly became tired of his affected Southern drawl; we knew his family had just moved here from New Jersey over the summer. |
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extremely or impassably steep
The mountains rose precipitously from the shore. |
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n
extremely liberal or generous of spirit
Cordelia was much too magnanimous to resent her father's unkindness to her; instead, she generously forgave him. |
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n
the quality of being discerning, sound in judgement, and farsighted; wisdom
I try to channel Buddah's calm sagacity. |
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v
to determine the limits of; define
The farmer built a fence that circumscribed his property so the sheep would not escape. |
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bitter and sharp in language or tone
The candidate attacked his opponent using highly acrimonious words. Unfortunately, political campaigns often turn nasty. |
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v
to settle (oneself) securely or comfortably
When Sarah got home, she found that her cat was sleeping soundly snuggled and ensconced in her favorite chair. |
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v
to agree or consent
Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's demands, it was obvious she disagreed with the policy. |
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steadfast or firm, as in one's beliefs
A firm believer in the war on terrorism, Bush delivered a staunch defense of the war in Iraq. |
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excessively critical or demanding; difficult to please
Bob fastidiously organizes his closet according to color and type of clothing. His mother is so proud. |
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lacking in wholesome vigor; decadent
Manny citizens feel that the Republican party is now an effete political force now that the Democrats control the House, the senate, and the presidency. |
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adj
not following any one system, as of philosophy,medicine, ect., but selecting and using what are considered to be the best element of all systems.
His style of interior decoration was eclectic; bits and pieces of furnishing from widely divergent periods, strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique decor. |
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v
to luxuriate; revel
Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during World War 2 lived in conditions that resembled wallow. |
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srong enough to resist or withstand attack; not to be taken by force, unconquerable
Until the development of the airplane as a military weapon, the fort was considered an impregnable defense. |
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gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible
History is filled with macabre tales of war and plague in the middle ages. |
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adj
showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority.
The level of condescension that the clerk displayed to the poorly-dressed woman bordered on insulting. |
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wildly fanciful; highly unrealistic
Ted's chimerical scheme to make a fortune by raising unicorns in his back yard proved a dismal failure. |
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n
the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god
The hero of Zoolander obsessed over becoming the apotheosis of the male modeling world; he even tried to trademark his "look." |
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using few words; expressing much in few words; concise
After responding to all his mother's questions with a curt "yes" or "no," Jim was grounded for his laconic responses. |
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sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding
Italian is a mellifluous language, especially suited to being sung. |
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characterized by trembling, as from fear, nervousness, or weakness
She was tremulous more from excitement than from fear. |
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deserving of reproof, rebuke, or censure; blameworthy
Shocked by the viciousness of the bombing, politicians of every party uniformly condemned the terrorists' reprehensible deed. |
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dour, stern, and silent in expression and manner
I knew he didn't want to discus the bills when he kept giving me taciturn responses. |
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n
sincere penitence or remorse
Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed his sentence; he did not believe she was now sorry for what she had done. |
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adj
radiating or reflecting light; shinning; bright
The crystals surrounding the chandelier ware luminous, lighting up the whole room. |
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not meant or be taken seriously or literally
I'm serious about this project. I don't need any facetious, smart-alecky cracks about do-gooder little rich girls. |
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v
to make evil, harmful, and often untrue statements about; speak evil of
Putting her hands over her ears, Rose refused to listen to Betty malign her friend Susan. |
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severe in manner or appearance
It wasn't the role of head mistress that made ms. Jones seam austere; it was her tightly pulled back hair and dark dress suites. |
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adj
cleverly skillful,resourceful, or ingenious
McGiever was adroit because he could fix anything with a paper clip and gum wrappers. |
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adj
willing to believe or trust too readily; gullible
Little kids are credulous and will believe in anything from Santa Claus to the tooth fairy. |
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adj
common place or dull
Museums don't have to be prosaic, but all the words and few pictures make them boring. |
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lacking food, clothing, and other necessities; impoverished
The warsa ghetto was filled with indigent people, unable to provide for themselves or their families. |
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desolate or dreary; unhappy in feeling, condition, or appearance
Blood hounds always look forlorn, even when you're playing fetch. |
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sly; shifty
A spy must be furtive or else they will be caught. |
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v
to comprehend
The size of the universe is hard to fathom. |
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adj
deprived
Homeless people are bereft of homes because they either don't have the money or means to get a house. |
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n
the act of being tenacious (steadfast and firm)
The tenacity of some religious people is annoying. |
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v
to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify in concrete form
A ballerina must embody power and grace. |
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n
exceptional or superior ability, skill, or strength
The lioness had incredible prowess, never missed a prey. |
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n
to repay; remunerate; reward, as for service, aid, etc.
I always recompense a friend who helped me with homework with cookies. |
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adj
promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable
The cloudless, breezy day made it auspicious for sailing. |
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adj
bending readily; pliant; limber; supple; flexible
Bamboo is popular for building because it is so lithe. |
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faultless; flawless
The diamond cost so much because it was virtually impeccable. |
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pleasantly calm or peaceful
The placid lake made it not only a calm day, but a peaceful one. |
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n
strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base; righteous anger
Treating the princess like a pauper resulted in a look of indignation. |
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v
to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like
The criminal turned out to not be a criminal when he was vindicated. |
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adj
lacking in vitality or interest
When I dislike a sport, my pallid actions make it apparent. |
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adj
having to do with the appreciation of beauty
The aesthetic theory involves the 8 principles of art. |
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adj
simultaneously feeling opposing emotions, uncertain
Loving the ballet, but hating the principle dancer left me feeling ambivalent. |
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feeling or showing little emotion
When I am tired, I become robotic and apathetic. |
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adj
well-meaning; generous
Donating to charities makes you benevolent. |
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n
sincerity, openness
The candor beauty queen won because she was actually genuine. |
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adj
convincing, reasonable
I must be cogent for my mom to agree for me to go to a party. |
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n
a fixed or strong belief
To have religious conviction means to have a strong belief in god. |
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doubtful; unlikely authentic
The dubious gold ring turned out to be plastic. |
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conspicuously bad or offensive
Wiping your nose on your sleeve is egregious in high societies. |
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v
to free from guilt or blame
Confession at church exculpates people from their sins. |
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adj
given freely; unearned; unwarranted
Without answering a single question, Mark still won 4th place with his team at Science bowl; the captain thought it was a rather gratuitous win for him. |
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worn out through overuse; trite
The word swag is hackneyed. |
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adj
arrogantly domineering or overbearing
The prince was imperious because he was born into power. |
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inborn; built- in
Some are convinced man is inherently evil and will never remain good for long. |
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long established; deep rooted; habitual
Brushing your teeth is an inveterate action. |
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adj
giving praise
Gold stars are used of laudatory purposes in elementary school. |
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v
to calm or soothe
Parents rock babies to mollify them when they are upset. |
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adj
strikingly new or unusual
Tumblr is a novel, new website. |
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adj
stubborn, inflexible
Dictators are as obdurate as bulls. |
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describing a pretentious display
Wearing purple sick smocking jackets and eating caviar is rather ostentatious. |
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adj
of chief concern or importance
Passing this vocab quiz is paramount for my grade. |
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adj
remorseful for one's misdeeds
Criminals often become penitent after several years in jail. |
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adj
dispersed throughout
The Easter eggs are hidden pervasively through out the yard. |
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adj
seemingly valid or acceptable, credible
While I don't understand the big picture, the math involved in calculating E=mc2 is plausible. |
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n
bitter resentment or ill will; hatred; malice
The rancor of the union and confederacy before the civil war proved to be far more than just a dislike. |
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adj
not genuine; false; counterfeit
The coals covered in silver were spurious coins. |
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adj
indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive
The stoic gentleman didn't laugh at a single joke. |
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adj
extra; unnecessary
Bringing dessert to the party was superfluous because the hostess was a baker. |
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adj
having little substance pr strength; unsure; weak
Little Tommy was so tenuous that it pulled at Schrudge's heart strings. |
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short-lived; temporary
Dying your hair 2 different colors was transitory because it left people looking like skunks. |
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