Wordly Wise Book 10 all words

cautionary

(adj) Offering or serving as a warning.

constrain

(v) To confine, inhibit, or hold back by force or necessity.

(n) Constraint: A restriction or limitation

flotilla

(n) A fleet of small boats or ships

gossamer

1.(n) Thin, sheer fabric resembling gauze.

2.(n) A fine, filmy substance made of strands of cobweb.

3. (adj) As light and delicate as a cobweb.

ignominious

(adj) Marked by, deserving, or causing shame or disgrace.

incur

(v) To bring upon oneself something undesirable, such as a debt.

liquidate

1. (v) To settle the affairs of a business; to convert into cash.

2. (v)To get rid of; to kill or destroy.

magnate

(n) An important, often wealthy, person prominent in a large industry or business.

misnomer

(n) A name that doesn't fit

onerous

(adj) Burdensome; oppressive.

pandemonium

(n) A state or place of great confusion or uproar

quixotic

(adj) Romantic and idealistic, but impractical.

Tenacious

(adj) Holding fast; persistent in adhering to something valued or habitual.

Tenacity (noun)

vestige

(n)A trace of something that was once there

zephyr

(n) A light, gentle breeze

curtail

to cut short or reduce

discriminate

to make or recognize clear distinctions; to treat in a less of more favorable way

espionage

the act or spying especially a government spy obtaining secrets of another goverment

inalienable

not able to be taken or given away

incarcerate

to confine or put in prison

indignity

an insult to one's pride; offensive or humiliating treatment

indiscriminate

not marked by careful distinctions; haphazard

infamous

having a very bad reputation; notorious; disgraceful; vicious

intercede

to act or plead on another's behalf; to try to smooth the differences betweens two parties

malign

to say negative and unfair things about; slander

perpetrate

to commit, as a crime or other antisocial act

rampant

threateningly wild, without restraint or control; widespread

rancor

a deep, long-held feeling of hatred or bitterness

reparation

a mending or repair; a making up or payment for a wrong or damage done, especially in the care of an international war

smattering

superficial, scattered knowledge; a small amount

adjudicate

To judge

Centennial

A 100 year celebration or anniversary

countenance

a person's face; Support or approval

disgruntle

To make dissatisfied

equilibrium

a state of balance

expedite

to speed up a process

gird

to encircle, bind; to get ready for action, brace

gratuitous

Not called for, unnecessary; Free

illusory

Unreal or imagined; deceiving

implacable

Incapable of being placated, soothed, or significantly changed

luminary

A source of light; a celebrity

manifesto

a public statement explaining the intentions/views of a person or group

mesmerize

to fascinate or hypnotize

precedent

an act or statement that may serve as an example or justification for a later one

spurious

Not genuine, false

asperity

Sharpness or harshness of manner; roughness of surface; unevenness

bane

A person or thing that destroys or causes harm; causing destruction or ruin

buffoon

A person who often attempts to be funny; a clown; a fool

doleful

Mournful of full of sorrow; causing grief

extrovert

A person whose attention is focused on other and on what is going on around her or him, rather than on her or his own feelings

garish

Excessively bright and flashy; tastelessly glaring

hierarchy

A group or system in which positions of power are ranked, usually from lowest to highest

imbue

To fill completely with a feeling or idea; to inspire

instigate

To stir up or urge on; to provoke

penchant

A strong attraction or leaning

rambunctious

Behaving in a wild and unruly manner

repertoire

The list of pieces an actor, musician, etc., is ready to perform; the skills or accomplishments of a person or group

rudiment

A basic principle or skill. An undeveloped or beginning stage

undermine

To weaken or ruin by degrees. To attack by indirect, secret, or underhanded means.

unremitting

Not stopping or slowing down; constant

accost

v. to approach and speak to in an aggressive or challenging way.

"The bouncers decided to step in once the customer began accosting the bartender"

avarice

n. Greed for wealth.

"The banker's avarice led to his financial ruin"

bilk

v. To cheat out of what is due.

"The loan shark goes after anyone who tries to bilk him out of what they owe"

consummate

adj. extremely skilled; complete or perfect.

v. To bring to a satisfactory conclusion; to complete.

"He is a consummate artist, painting the equivalent of the Mona Lisa on a daily basis"

conversant

adj. (used with with) Having knowledge or experience; well-informed.

"He is a conversant when it comes to politics, somehow he finds out about all of the scandals before even the press"

credulous

adj. Willing to believe things with only slight or no evidence; easily convinced.

"The credulous audience failed to see the secret to the magician's tricks"

euphoria

n. A feeling of great happiness or well-being.

foruitous

adj. 1. Happening by lucky chance; accidental.

2. Lucky or fortunate.

hypothetical

adj. Based on something that is not actual but assumed or supposed.

n. A supposition or tentative explanation for purposes of argument, further study, or investigation.

incoherent

adj. Not connected; confused; rambling.

miniscule

adj. Very small in size or importance.

pleasantry

n. An agreeable, casual remark.

procrastinate

v. To put off until later.

qualm

n. A feeling of uneasiness as to whether what one is doing is right or wise; a misgiving.

stigma

n. A mark of shame or disgrace.

v. To give a bad name to.

amenable

adj. Responsive; willing to be controlled or to take advice.

"Students would like a class president who is amenable to their ideas and suggestions"

ascribe

v. To attribute to a source or a cause.

"The black plague was ascribed to the wrath of God, rather than the work of a virus"

charisma

n. A special quality in a person that inspires devotion or fascination in others.

"The speakers charisma captivated the whole audience, and he received thunderous applause."

dearth

n. Scarcity; a shortage.

"There has been a dearth of corn ever since Bob ate all of our corn"

demoralize

v. To destroy the morals or morale of someone; to weaken the spirit or courage of someone.

"The troops were demoralized when they say their enemies' secret weapon."

ebullient

adj. Bubbling with enthusiasm or high spirits

"She was ebullient when she found out she'd won the lottery, enthusiastically telling everyone the news"

entrepreneur

n. An individual who manages and takes the risk of a business.

"Donald Trump is an entrepreneur who made his money through the real estate business"

fatuous

adj. Foolish; silly; stupid.

"The teacher could only respond to the student's fatuous question with a stare of utter awe and disbelief"

harbinger

n. A person or thing that is a symbol of what is to come.

"According to legend, the disappearance of ravens from the Tower of London would be a harbinger for the fall of England"

homogeneous

adj. Of a similar kind or nature; uniform throughout.

"The group of Avenged Sevenfold fans was for the most part a homogeneous group of Californian white kids, but there was one Indian"

incumbent

n. One who occupies an office or position; adj. 1. Currently in office; 2. Resting upon as a duty or obligation.

"Our neighbor always severely criticizes the incumbent president, regardless of the president's performance or policy"

matriarchy

n. A society that is headed by a female.

"Beehives can be considered a matriarchy, as the leader is a queen bee"

neophyte

n. A beginner; a novice.

"The neophyte in the martial arts class was very bruised by the end of the first week"

prerogative

n. A special right limited to a person, group, or office; a privilege.

"It is the president's prerogative to launch nukes at other countries"

sibling

n. One of two or more people who have the same parents; brother or sister.

"I have a sibling, and his name is Shreyas."

acoustic

adj. Relating to sound or hearing.

n. The properties of an enclosed space that affect sound quality.

"The acoustics of the hall didn't appeal to the violinist"

assemblage

n. 1. A collection or gathering of people or things. 2. A fitting together of parts.

"The audience at the science conference was an assemblage of the greatest scientific minds in the world"

august

adj. Inspiring great respect or admiration; noble.

"The soldiers were awe struck by George Washington's august appearance"

auspices

n. Protection, support, or guidance; patronage.

"The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a charitable organization run under the auspices of Bill Gates"

cabil

v. To criticize unimportant things; to quibble.

n. A minor criticism.

"The teacher was generally pleased with the student's test, but had a cavil about his essay."

curator

n. A person in charge of an exhibition; an overseer of a museum or library collection.

"The curator of the museum was distraught when the prized painting was ripped in half by a careless viewer"

extant

adj. Still existing; not lost or destroyed.

"The few extant original copies of the timeless work were lost at the book burning"

gamut

n. The entire range of something.

"The new TV has a wider gamut of colors than our old one"

ineffable

adj. Incapable of being expressed in words.

"I felt an ineffable joy when my team finally won the championship."

mellifluous

adj. Sweetly flowing; pleasant to the ear.

"The mellifluous melody lifted my mood when I heard it"