800-1000 Word Formation

He resigned from a _ job as economic adviser to the president. (PROFILE)

high-profile

The news was given bluntly and plainly, without _. (BELLE)

embellishments

I don't think there'll be more than six people eating, so I wouldn't go _ with the food. (BOARD)

overboard

We heard one fan praise him _. (GUSH)

gushingly

I think we've _ the pudding with the amount of technology we've crammed into our daily lives — no one knows how to have a quiet moment anymore. (EGG)

over-egged

After a heart attack you have to be careful not to _ it. (DO)

overdo

He thought he was irreplaceable, and in asking for an absurdly high raise with the threats of quitting, he may have _ his hand. (PLAY)

overplayed

Stop _! Nothing's that perfect. (ROMANCE)

romanticising

Her book _ parenthood and completely ignores the disadvantages of it. (SENTIMENT)

sentimentalises

This is a sensitive issue - I think we'd better _ it for the moment. (PEDAL)

soft-pedal

Don't _ yourself - you have a lot to offer a company. (SELL)

undersell

I don't want to _ the problem, but I do think there are more important matters to discuss. (TRIVIAL)

trivialise

This theft of data was _ different than anything we've ever seen before. (QUALITY)

qualitatively

She was _ brave too. (COMMON)

uncommonly

I'm not carrying that _ great thing around with me! (THUMP)

thumping

Despite a _ speech at conference he has proved himself lazy and self-regarding in the race so far. (THUMP)

tub-thumping

My garden had become a _ jungle by the time I came back from holiday. (VERY)

veritable

Almost all of the guests are _ self-obsessed. (TERMINATE)

terminally

Not only are they among the largest and most stately trees on earth, but they thrive in settings of _ scenic beauty. (PASS)

surpassing / unsurpassed

At times the writing is _ funny. (LIMIT)

sublimely

She is _ bored by many aspects of motherhood. (STUPID)

stupefyingly

Ethel Merman is remembered for her _ performances in Annie Get Your Gun and Call Me Madam. (SHOW)

show-stopping

He usually wore a mask in which the features were made _ repulsive. (HIDE)

hideously

I'm _ sorry about the noise last night. (FRIGHT)

frightfully

His spine is destroyed, but still hurts _. (CRUX)

excruciatingly

Sung by the world's greatest tenor, this aria is _ beautiful. (ACHE)

achingly

He's _ gorgeous! (DEAD)

drop-dead

That's a _ difficult question. (DEVIL)

devilishly

She discovers that the publication is bankrolled by a _ wealthy advertising mogul. (COSMOS)

cosmically

I think the way she was treated is a _ disgrace. (RIGHT)

downright

He was clever, handsome, and _ rich. (EXCEED)

exceedingly

This explosion bears all the _ of a terrorist attack. (MARK)

hallmarks

This film appears to have the _ of a classic. (LINE)

lineaments

The song was perfect for the soft vocals that are her _. (STOCK)

stock-in-trade

The president's trip had all the _ of a state visit. (TRAP)

trappings

The man who helped him was _ with the church. (FILIAL)

unaffiliated

It was a comedy act with an _ of cruelty. (TONE)

undertone

He told stories about _ and civil rights demonstrations, according to his obituary. (WAR)

anti-war

The government has turned a minor local problem into a full-blown regional _. (FLAGRANT)

conflagration

Neighborhood voices have become _ damage on the road to a worthy end. (LATERAL)

collateral

They have long been involved in a _ for racial equality. (CRUX)

crusade

The country was on a war _ last night after the most devastating terrorist attack in history. (FOOT)

footing

This _ with its neighbour, which has raised anxiety levels in the country, has been damaging for the government. (WAR)

non-war

He responded with a _ apology, tweeting ‘sorry I didn't bow down to you’. (APOLOGY)

non-apology

Investors are still _ from the last crash. (BATTLE)

battle-scarred

At school he was what they call a _. He would always make sure everyone was getting along. (PEACE)

peacekeeper

It has often been said, perhaps unfairly, that they are a _ nation. (WAR)

warlike

He is a _ politician who was one of the signers of a model peace treaty. (DOVE)

dovish

We tried to _ our plans with theirs. (DOVE)

dovetail

They serve _ coffee and iced water throughout the day. (BOTTOM)

bottomless

Perhaps this _ will, over time, deprive the opposition of its support and erode the appeal of democracy. (CHECK)

checkmate

It's easy to blame Mark Zuckerberg for making this situation worse and for every other _ problem, but that won't stop me. (WORLD)

first-world

The Soviet Union became anxious to withdraw its soldiers from the Afghan _. (BROIL)

imbroglio

The dispute had reached an _, as neither side would compromise. (PASS)

impasse

Her life is a constant _ act, coping with career, family, and home life single-handed. (JUGGLE)

juggling

When I told her the secret, I let the _ out of the bottle. (GENE)

genie

The weather delivered a _ punch to farmers with unseasonal freezing temperatures and strong winds. (TWO)

one-two

The system to apply for benefits is _ complex. (NIGHT)

nightmarishly

The book was an _ success. (NIGHT)

overnight

The report states that vandalism is a _ that must be stamped out. (PEST)

pestilence

The road to economic recovery is full of _. (POT)

potholes

Since the coup, the country has sunk deeper into a _ of violence and lawlessness. (MIRE)

quagmire

I seemed to be floundering deeper and deeper into the most lethal of social _. (SAND)

quicksand

They were selling the goods at _ prices. (ROCK)

rock-bottom

Demand and the weak dollar are driving the peaks and valleys of oil prices, creating uncertainty about when the _ ride will end. (COAST)

rollercoaster

Despite long discussions, the workers and the management remain locked in _. (STALL)

stalemate

She locked herself in the house, but after a brief _, police convinced her to come out. (STAND)

standoff

He watched us _ for a while, then came over to join us. (STAND)

standoffishly

The study concludes that in a _ scenario there might be 80,000 cases of the disease. (CASE)

worst-case

She has _ energy and enthusiasm. (BOUND)

boundless / unbounded

The archive was an _ important addition to the library’s collections. (ESTIMATE)

inestimably

Their animals are _ and able to roam. (CONFINE)

unconfined

Their four children are _ well-behaved. (ANGEL)

angelically

I didn't find the prospect of a house with no electricity very _. (LURE)

alluring

The design of the car is _ distinctive. (APPEAL)

appealingly

The house has an _ view of the river. (ARREST)

arresting

Beauty is in the eye of the _ and this stock has its fans. (HOLD)

beholder

That's a _ argument, but I'm not convinced by it. (GUILE)

beguiling

Once kids step inside a circus tent, they’re _. (WITCH)

bewitched

We stayed at a _ old-fashioned hotel. (CHARM)

charmingly

I know of no one more warmhearted or more fair; his attitude on all occasions is _, and almost angelic. (CHERUB)

cherubic

The _ image of Mozart as a little miracle can be promptly banged on the head. (CHOCOLATE)

chocolate-box

Shall we not at long last spare this good and _ woman from further degradation? (COME)

comely

Her boyfriend Alex is 21 years old and _ handsome. (DASH)

dashingly

He was _, yet there seemed a sense of fun about him, as though he wasn't bound by the strict rules of his society. (AIR)

debonair

She has created an _ theatre piece. (ENTRANCE)

entrancing

The two girls were _ dressed in red skirts and white boots. (FETCH)

fetchingly

The sheer elegance and _ appeal have ensured the popularity of vinyl boards to traders. (EYE)

eye-catching

He was an _ figure on stage. (IMPOSE)

imposing

A stack of fresh bread sat _ on the table. (INVITE)

invitingly

Already out of training, the latest illness has dealt her hopes of a gold medal a _ blow. (KNOCK)

knockout

Look, I don't want to get into a _ fight with you over this, so let's forget it. (DRAG)

knock-down-drag-out

Isn't her husband _ and generous ? (NICE)

nice-looking

Television at the moment is confined very largely to those who are _. (PHOTO)

photogenic

He started to speak _ about how wonderful it was to build a family life together. (POET)

poetically

We were disappointed at the _ exterior of the hotel. (POSSESS)

unprepossessing

I need to have a wash and make myself _ for our guests. (PRESENT)

presentable

Critics hailed her as the ultimate animate artwork

_ and permanent. (STATUE)

It would simply be a cat were it not for its powers of flight and _. (SHAPE)

shapeshifting

Businesswomen are wearing _ suits. (SHAPE)

shapely