Common Words I

enervate

to sap energy from

• John preferred to avoid equatorial countries; the intense sun would always leave him _____ after he’d spent the day sightseeing.

paraochial

narrowly restricted in scope or outlook

• Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply too ______; "After all," she quipped on her blog, "he considered Chef Boyardee ethnic food."

gregarious

to be likely to socialize with others

• Often we think that great leaders are those who are _____, always in the middle of a large group of people; yet, as Mahatma Gandhi and many others have shown us, leaders can also be introverted.

ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation

The coach told his team, “Move towards that side of the field”; because he did not point, his directions were _____, and the team had no idea to which side he was referring.

innocuous

harmless and doesn’t produce any ill effects

• Everyone found Nancy’s banter _____—except for Mike, who felt like she was intentionally picking on him.

egregious

standing out in a negative way; shockingly bad

The dictator’s abuse of human rights was so _____ that many world leaders demanded that he be tried in an international court for genocide.

commensurate

to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount

• The convicted felon’s life sentence was ______ with the heinousness of his crime.

ambivalent

mixed or conflicting emotions about something

• Sam was ______ about studying for the exam because doing so ate up a lot of his time, yet he was able to improve his analytical skills.

profligate (adj.)

spending resources recklessly or wastefully

• The composer Wagner, while living on a limited salary, was so _____ as to line all the walls of his apartment with pure silk.

profligate (n)

someone who spends resources recklessly or wastefully

• Most lottery winners go from being conservative, frugal types to outright _____ who blow millions on fast cars, lavish homes, and giant yachts.

intimate

to suggest something subtly

• At first Manfred’s teachers ______ to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy’s precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade.

vindicate

to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof

• Even seven Tour de France wins cannot ______ Lance Armstrong in the eyes of the public--that the athlete used performance enhancing drugs invalidates all those wins.

auspicious

favorable, the opposite of sinister

• Despite an ______ beginning, Mike’s road trip became a series of mishaps, and he was soon stranded and penniless, leaning against his wrecked automobile.

anomalous

not normal

• According to those who do not believe in climate change, the extreme weather over the last five years is simply _____—daily temperatures should return to their old averages, they believe.

amenable

easily persuaded

• Even though she did not like the outdoors, Shirley was generally _____ and so her brother was able to persuade her to go camping.

demur

to object or show reluctance

• Wallace disliked the cold, so he ______ when his friends suggested they go skiing in the Alps.

acrimony

bitterness and ill will

• The a______ between the president and vice-president sent a clear signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.

artful

exhibiting artistic skill/clever in a cunning way

• Picasso is generally considered the most ____ member of the Cubist movement.

• Bernie Madoff's _____ Ponzi scheme stole billions of dollars from investors and is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history.

frugal

not spending much money (but spending wisely)

• Monte was no miser, but was simply _____, wisely spending the little that he earned

venality

the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption

• Even some of the most sacred sporting events are not immune to _____, as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.

wanting

lacking

• She did not think her vocabulary was _____, yet there were so many words that inevitably she found a few she didn't know.

iconoclast

somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions

• Lady Gaga, in challenging what it means to be clothed, is an _____ for wearing a "meat dress" to a prominent awards show.

aberration

a deviation from what is normal or expected

• _____ in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines.

castigate

to reprimand harshly

• Drill sergeants are known to _____ new recruits so mercilessly that the latter often break down during their first week in training.

restive

restless

• The crowd grew ____ as the comedian’s opening jokes fell flat

belie

to give a false representation to; misrepresent

• The smile on her face _____ the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.

ingenuous

to be naive and innocent

• Two-years in Manhattan had changed Jenna from an _____ girl from the suburbs to a jaded urbanite, unlikely to fall for any ruse, regardless of how elaborate.

venerate

to respect deeply

• The professor, despite his sleep-inducing lectures, was _____ amongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.

prevaricate

to speak in an evasive way

• The cynic quipped, “There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to _____”.

mercurial

(of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood

• The fact that Ella’s moods were as _____ as the weather was problematic for her relationships—it didn’t help that she lived in Chicago.

disinterested

unbiased; neutral

• The potential juror knew the defendant, and therefore could not serve on the jury, which must consist only of _____ members.

parsimonious

extremely frugal; miserly

• Katie is so ____ that she only buys a pair of socks if all of her other socks have holes in them.

undermine

to weaken (usually paired with an abstract term)

• The student _____ the teacher’s authority by questioning the teacher’s judgment on numerous occasions.

extant

still in existence (usually refers to documents)

• Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be _____ generations from now.

amorphous

shapeless

• His study plan for the GRE was at best _____; he would do questions from random pages in any one of seven test prep books.

laconic

(describes a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words

• While Martha always swooned over the hunky, ____ types in romantic comedies, her boyfriends inevitably were very talkative—and not very hunky.

prodigal

rashly or wastefully extravagant

• Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to _____ seem to be the exception—most live decadent lives.

involved

complicated, and difficult to comprehend

• The physics lecture became so _____ that the undergraduate’s eyes glazed over.

censure

to express strong disapproval

• After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly _____ by the city council.

upbraid

to reproach; to scold

• Bob took a risk walking into the “Students Barbershop” - in the end he had to _____ the apparently drunk barber for giving him an uneven bowl cut.

amalgam

a mixture of multiple things

• The band’s music was an _____ of hip-hop, flamenco and jazz, blending the three styles with surprising results.

chastise

to reprimand harshly

• Though _____ for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother’s harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.

betray

to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally

• With the gold medal at stake, the gymnast awaited his turn, his quivering lip ____ his intense emotions.

parochial

narrowly restricted in scope or outlook

• Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply too _____; "After all," she quipped on her blog, "he considered Chef Boyardee ethnic food."

maintain

to assert

• The scientist _____ that the extinction of dinosaurs was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate.

qualify

to make less severe; to limit (a statement)

• Chris ______ his love for San Francisco, adding he didn't like the weather there as much as he liked the weather in Los Angeles.

calumny

making of a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation

• With the presidential primaries well under way, the air is thick with _____, and the mud already waist-high.

commensurate

to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount

• The convicted felon’s life sentence was _____ with the heinousness of his crime.

galvanize

to excite or inspire (someone) to action

• At mile 23 of his first marathon, Kyle had all but given up, until he noticed his friends and family holding a banner that read, “Go Kyle”; ______, he broke into a gallop, finishing the last three miles in less than 20 minutes.

equivocal

confusing or ambiguous

• The findings of the study were ______—the two researchers had different opinions on what the results signified.

impertinent

being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold

• Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer’s questions _____—after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline’s favorite snack was?

harangue (n)

a long pompous speech; a tirade

• Dinner at Billy's was more a punishment than a reward, since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy's father's interminable _____ against the government.

harangue (v)

to deliver a long pompous speech or tirade

• Tired of his parents _____ him about his laziness and lack of initiative, Tyler finally moved out of home at the age of thirty-five.