Common words 5 and 6 (100)

munificent

adjective: very generous

Uncle Charley was known for his ***, giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year.

irrevocable

adjective: incapable of being retracted or revoked

Once you enter your plea to the court, it is *** so think carefully about what you will say.

pernicious

adjective: exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way

The most successful viruses are ***: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.

inimical

adjective: hostile (usually describes conditions or environments)

Venus, with a surface temperature that would turn rubber to liquid, is *** to any form of life.

dilettante

noun: an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge

Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a ***.

precipitous

adjective: done with very great haste and without due deliberation

Instead of calling his financial advisor, Harold acted ***, buying 4,000 shares of the latest "hot" stock, only to find out that the company had a history of inflating its year end numbers.

trite

adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

Many style guides recommend not using idioms in writing because these *** expressions are uninteresting and show a lack of imagination on the part of the writer.

resurgent

adjective: rising again as to new life and vigor

The team sank to fourth place in June, but is now *** and about to win the division.

tempered

adjective: moderated in effect

The wide-eyed optimism of her youth was now *** after she had worked many years in the criminal justice system.

prolific

adjective: intellectually productive

Schubert was the most *** composer, producing hundreds of hours of music before he died at the age of 31.

audacity

noun: aggressive boldness in social situations

Mike was upset at the man who not only cut in front of him at the ticket counter but also had the *** to cut in front of him at the bathroom line.

austere

adjective: practicing self-denial

His lifestyle of revelry and luxurious excess could hardly be called ***.

adjective: unadorned in style or appearance

Late Soviet architecture, although remaining largely ***, moved into experimental territory that employed previously unused shapes and structures.

adjective: harsh in manner of temperament

The principal of my elementary school was a cold, *** woman; I could never understand why she chose to work with children.

myriad

noun: a large indefinite number

There are a *** of internet sites hawking pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end.

reverent

adjective: feeling or showing profound respect or veneration

The professor could speak objectively about the other composers, but he always lectured about Brahms with a particularly *** air, unable to offer a single criticism of his compositions.

insolent

adjective: rude and arrogant

Lilian could not help herself from being ***, commenting that the Queen's shoes were showing too much toe.

foment

verb: try to stir up public opinion

After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to *** a general feeling of discontent.

ostracize

verb: exclude from a community or group

Later in his life, Leo Tolstoy was *** from the Russian Orthodox Church for his writings that contradicted church doctrine.

accolade

noun: an award or praise granted as a special honor

Jean Paul-Sartre was not a fan of ***, and as such, he refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964.

constituent

noun: a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes

The mayor's *** are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another candidate in the upcoming election.

noun: an abstract part of something

The *** of the metal alloy are nickel, copper, and tin.

tractable

adjective: readily reacting to suggestions and influences; easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)

Compared to middle school students, who have an untamed wildness about them, high school students are somewhat more ***.

obsequious

adjective: attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

The *** waiter did not give the couple a moment's peace all through the meal, constantly returning to their table to refill their water glasses and to tell them what a handsome pair they made.

sycophant

noun: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with *** who would never dare criticize him.

propitious

adjective: presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success

The child's heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many *** signs and I think that she may be healing.

lionize

verb: assign great social importance to

Students in the U.S. learn to *** Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington because they are the founding fathers of the nation.

winsome

adjective: charming in a childlike or naive way

She was *** by nature, and many people were drawn to this free and playful spirit.

haphazard

adjective: marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance

Many golf courses are designed with great care, but the greens on the county golf course seem entirely ***.

antithetical

adjective: sharply contrasted in character or purpose

His deep emotional involvement with these ideas is, in fact, *** to the detachment Buddhism preaches.

hegemony

noun: dominance over a certain area

Until the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1587, Spain had *** over the seas, controlling waters stretching as far as the Americas.

gauche

adjective: lacking social polish

Sylvester says the most *** things, such as telling a girl he liked that she was much prettier when she wore makeup.

admonish

verb: to warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding

Before the concert began, security personnel *** the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.

garrulous

adjective: full of trivial conversation

Lynne was ***: once, she had a fifteen minute conversation with a stranger before she realized the woman didn't speak English.

vacillate

verb: be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action

Some students *** between schools when deciding which to attend, while others focus only on one school.

arbitrary

adjective: based on a random, groundless decision

One of the *** decrees in place during the emperor's rule is that all citizens pay him weekly homage at his palace.

sporadic

adjective: recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances

The signals were at first ***, but now we detect a clear, consistent pattern of electromagnetic radiation emanating from deep space.

brazen

adjective: unrestrained by convention or propriety

Their large "donations" to the local police department gave the drug cartel the *** confidence to do their business out in the open.

subversive

adjective: in opposition to an established system or institution.

The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down *** websites that it deems as a threat to "national safety."

inveterate

adjective: habitual

He is an *** smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit.

scrupulous

adjective: characterized by extreme care and great effort

Because of his *** nature, Mary put him in charge of numbering and cataloging the entire collection of rare stamps.

adjective: having a sense of right and wrong; principled

Everyone trusted what he said and followed his example because he was *** and honest.

circumscribe

verb: restrict or confine

Their tour of South America was *** so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities.

intrepid

adjective: fearless

Captain Ahab was an *** captain whose reckless and fearless style ultimately led to his downfall.

repudiate

verb: reject as untrue or unfounded

Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to *** the rumors.

ravenous

adjective: extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities

John didn't eat much at all during the week he had the flu, so now that he is regaining his health, it's not surprising that he has a *** appetite

inscrutable

adjective: not easily understood; unfathomable

His speech was so dense and confusing that many in the audience found it ***.

pedestrian

adjective: lacking imagination

While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more *** concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household.

arcane

adjective: requiring secret or mysterious knowledge

Most college fraternities are known for *** rituals that those hoping to join the fraternity must learn.

sanction

verb: give authority or permission to

The authorities have *** the use of the wilderness reserve for public use; many expect to see hikers and campers enjoying the park in the coming months.

noun: a legal penalty for a forbidden action

International *** have been placed on certain shipping lanes that were thought to be involved in human trafficking.

rescind

verb: cancel officially

The man's driver's license was *** after his tenth car accident, which meant he would never be allowed to legally drive again.

taciturn

adjective: habitually reserved and uncommunicative

While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more ***, rarely revealing his perspective.

poignant

adjective: emotionally touching

After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play's most poignant moment, the two grief-stricken families agree to end their feud once and for all.

prodigious

adjective: so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe

After the relatively small homerun totals in the "dead ball" era, Babe Ruth's homerun totals were truly ***: every year, he set a new all-time record.

sullen

adjective: showing a brooding ill humor

Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing *** after losing.

polemic

noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.

The professor launched into a ***, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory.

impartial

adjective: free from undue bias or preconceived opinions

The judge was not *** since he had been bribed by the witness's family.

mendacity

noun: the tendency to be untruthful

I can forgive her for her *** but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.

specious

adjective: based on pretense; deceptively pleasing

Almost every image on TV is *** and not to be trusted.

adjective: plausible but false

He made a career out of *** arguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times.

deleterious

adjective: harmful to living things

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was *** to the fishing industry in the southern states.

edifying

adjective: enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement

I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is *** or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral.

dilatory

adjective: wasting time

Lawyers use *** tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.

economical

adjective: avoiding waste, efficient

Journalists favor an *** style of writing, in which no unnecessary words are used and every sentence is as short as possible.

pejorative

adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term)

Most psychologists object to the *** term "shrink", believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it.

misconstrue

verb: interpret in the wrong way

The politician never trusted journalists because he thought that they would *** his words and misrepresent his positions.

flux

noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event)

Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of ***.

posit

verb: assume as fact

Initially, Einstein *** a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder.

erudite

adjective: having or showing profound knowledge

Before the Internet, the library was typically where you would find *** readers.

duress

noun: compulsory force or threat

The witness said he signed the contract under *** and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.

antipathy

noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion

Maria had an *** for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.

opulence

noun: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living

Russian oligarchs are famous for their ***, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive caviar.

esoteric

adjective: confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle

Map collecting is an *** hobby to most, but to geography geeks it is a highly enjoyable pastime.

stringent

adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures

Most of the students disliked the teacher because of his *** homework policy, but many students would later thank him for demanding so much from them.

rebuke

verb: criticize severely or angrily; censure

The police chief *** the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers.

jovial

adjective: full of or showing high-spirited merriment

The presidential candidate and her supporters were *** once it was clear that she had won.

bolster

verb: support and strengthen

The case for the suspect's innocence was *** considerably by the fact that neither fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene.

reproach

verb: to express criticism towards

At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn't want to *** him for telling the truth about the situation.

imprudent

adjective: not wise

Hitler, like Napoleon, made the *** move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had.

maverick

noun: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action

Officer Kelly was a ***, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

arduous

adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance

In order to deal with the *** cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.

placate

verb: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

I was able to *** the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.

anomaly

noun: something that is not normal, standard, or expected

After finding an *** in the data, she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.

nonplussed

adjective: unsure how to act or respond

Shirley was totally *** when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window.

transient

adjective: lasting a very short time

The unpredictable and *** nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.

fastidious

adjective: overly concerned with details; fussy

Whitney is *** about her shoes, arranging them on a shelf in a specific order, each pair evenly spaced.

efficacious

adjective: producing the intended result

Since Maggie's cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer ***, she coughed through the night.

timorous

adjective: timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness

Since this was her first time debating on stage and before an audience, Di's voice was *** and quiet for the first 10 minutes.

contrition

noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad

Those who show *** during their prison terms--especially when under review by a parole board--often get shortened sentences.

banality

noun: a trite or obvious remark

Herbert regarded the minister's remark as a mere *** until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.

truncate

verb: reduce the length of something

The soccer game was *** when the monsoon rain began to fall.

furtive

adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed

While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as *** as possible about their romantic relationship.

indecorous

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society

Eating with elbows on the table is considered *** in refined circles.

disseminate

verb: cause to become widely known

Before the effects of anesthesia were ***, patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery.

elicit

verb: call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)

Just smiling--even if you are depressed--can *** feelings of pleasure and happiness.

craven

adjective: pathetically cowardly

Though the man could have at least alerted the police, he crouched *** in the corner as the old woman was mugged.

askance

adverb: with a look of suspicion or disapproval

The old couple looked *** on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, "They've got rings through their noses and purple hair!"

ignominious

adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame

Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ***, bringing shame on both himself and his party.

harried

adjective: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly *** with little questions and could not focus on her projects.

dispassionate

adjective: unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

A good scientist should be ***, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.

appease

verb: pacify by acceding to the demands of

Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister during WWII, tried to *** Hitler and in doing so sent a clear message: you can walk all over us.

mundane

adjective: repetitive and boring; not spiritual

Nancy found doing dishes a thoroughly *** task, although Peter found a kind of Zen pleasure in the chore.

adjective: relating to the ordinary world

Though we think of the pope as someone always dealing in holy matters, he is also concerned with *** events, such as deciding when to set his alarm each morning.

maladroit

adjective: clumsy

As a child she was quite ***, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer.

capricious

adjective: determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason

Nearly every month our *** CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.

nuance

noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude

Because of the *** involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advise us and help.