OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

cynical

ADJ: believing the worst about people or events

Many young voters are cynical about politicians and their campaign promises.

dejected

ADJ: depressed, sad

N: dejection

Eric was dejected after hearing the bad news.

initiate

V: to begin

Customers can use the online forum to initiate discussion about the product.

fatigue

N: exhaustion, tiredness

ADJ: fatigued

After his third night with little sleep, Michael suffered from severe fatigue.

feeble

ADJ: weak, faint, lacking strength

Aaron gave a rather feeble excuse for why he forgot his homework.

diligent

ADJ: steadily persevering to complete a task

N: diligence

Mary is a diligent student, studying every day to improve her grades.

industrial

ADJ: of or relating to production and manufacturing

N: industry

Factories and new inventions boomed during the Industrial Revolution.

valiant

ADJ: showing courage or determination

N: valor

Although it was defeated, the team made a valiant effort during the soccer match.

resolute

ADJ: determined, firm, unyielding

N/V: resolve

Martia’s hard work and resolute determination earned her great success in her career.

emphatic

ADJ: forceful, spoken with emphasis

When asked whether he would change his mind, Peter made an emphatic refusal.

endeavor

V: to make an attempt

N: an attempt

Scientists are currently endeavoring to find a cure for cancer.

endure

V: to suffer, to put up with something unpleasant

N: endurance

Residents of Siberia have to endure extremely cold, dark winters.

withstand

V: to resist, to stand up to something

Strong as they were, the walls of the fortress could not withstand the attack.

resilient

ADJ: springing back, recovering quickly

N: resilience

Policemen have to be resilient in order to cope with and bounce back fro the stress of their work.

robust

ADJ: strong, sturdy

These are few plants robust enough to survive the Arctic climate.

pragmatic

ADJ: practical, useful

N: pragmatist

The software’s pragmatic design was intended to make it easier to use.

fret

V: to worry unnecessarily

Relax, enjoy, and don’t fret the small stuff.

adversity

N: hardship, difficulty, misfortune

ADJ: adverse

MLK Jr had to overcome great adversity in his struggle for racial equality.

plight

N: a difficult or extremely unpleasant situation

After the earthquake, the world was concerned about the plight of the citizens of Haiti.

predicament

N: a difficult or extremely unpleasant situation

The doctor was faced with a difficult predicament: how could he treat the patient’s infection if the patient was allergic to the antibiotics?

rigor

N: something very hard to endure

ADJ: rigorous

The rigorous curriculum was designed to challenge the students and teach them how to manage a heave workload.

strenuous

ADJ: requiring hard effort or energy

Mountain climbing is a strenuous activity, requiring strength as well as endurance.

toil

V: to labor, to work hard

N: hard work

At noon, the farmhands came back for lunch and a chance to rest from their toil under the hot sun.

tedious

ADJ: boring, tiring, long

The chapters in the textbook were long and stuffed with so much information that they were tedious to read.

trek

N: a very long journey on foot

V: to go on a long journey on foot

The guide took us on a long trek through the jungle in order to reach the village.

grimace

N: a facial expression indicating pain

V: to contort one’s face in pain

We grimaced as the frigid gust of December air whipped across our faces.

wince

V: to flinch in fear or pain

Jose winced as the doctor touched his swollen, bruised ankle.

daunting

ADJ: discouraging, inspiring fear

Balancing the budget appeared a daunting task, but it was the new president’s goal.

bleak

ADJ: hopeless, depressing, bare

After the stock market crash, the future of the economy looked bleak.

dread

N: great fear, terror

V: to feel great fear or terror

The students dreaded the approaching exam week.

grim

ADJ: 1 - gloomy, dark, bleak

ADJ: 2 - relentless, unyielding

1 - The earthquake destroyed the village so thoroughly that its hopes of recovery look grim

2 - With grim determination, he plodded forward through the blowing snow.

ail

V: to be ill or unwell

N: ailment

The government proposed a bailout to rescue the ailing car manufacturers.

deteriorate

V: to become worse, to disintegrate

The abandoned house had deteriorated after years of exposure to harsh weather.

falter

V: to be unsteady or weak, to stumble

After keeping up his pace for 10 miles, the runner began to falter.

relinquish

V: to give up, abandon, release

After several days of bombardments, the rebels relinquished control of the military bases.

concede

V: 1 - to yield or surrender, to give in

V: 2 - to admit to be true

N: concession

1 - The losing candidate graciously conceded defeat and congratulated his opponent.

2 - The journalist conceded that his report may have been influenced by his own personal opinions.

pessimist

N: a person who expects a bad outcome

ADJ: pessimistic

Always a pessimist, Andrew expected to fail the test.

optimist

N: a person who expects a good outcome

ADJ: optimistic

Despite the rough start to the season, the coach was optimistic about the team’s improvement.

versatile

ADJ: having a wide variety of skills, flexible

N: versatility

Susan was a versatile actress, able to adapt easily from theatre to film acting.

apt

ADJ: able, skillful, fitting

N: aptitude

The poems are accompanied by humorous and apt illustrations.

capacity

N: 1 - the capability to perform, produce, or hold

N: 2 - the maximum amount that can be produced or held

1 - With continued training, Mark will have the capacity to win the 100 meter dash.

2 - The theatre has a capacity of 450 audience members.

merit

N: 1 - excellence in achievement or performance

N: 2 - deserving of aid or recognition

V: to deserve aid or recognition

1 - Scholarships will be given based in financial need and academic merit.

2 - The environmental program merits further consideration by the government.

surpass

V: to exceed

With their popular new blockbuster, the filmmakers aim to surpass their previous record of success.

feat

N: a great achievement

The heroes were rewarded for their feats of bravery.

exuberance

N: joyful enthusiasm

ADJ: exuberant

His youthful exuberance always keeps his parents on their toes.

bliss

N: extreme happiness

ADJ: blissful

As the child stuffed the cake into his mouth, his face showed pure bliss.

ecstasy

N: extreme happiness

ADJ: ecstatic

For some, sky-diving is ecstasy; for me, it is terrifying.

elation

N: extreme happiness

ADJ: elated

The elation you feel when you cross the finish line makes running a marathon worth all the difficulty.

jubilation

N: extreme happiness

ADJ: jubilant

When the team scored the winning goal, the crowd exploded with jubilation.

awe

N: wonder, respect, admiration

We felt a sense of awe as we gazed at the Grand Canyon.

acclaim

N: praise, approval

V: to praise or approve

The author’s first novel received widespread public acclaim, and we eagerly await her second book.

exalt

V: to praise, glorify, honor, to heighten

N: exaltation

Van Goh’s paintings are works of art that exalt the imagination.