Pride and Prejudice (Volume III / Ch. 43 – 61) Vocabulary

amiable

adj. as in gracious 可亲, 和蔼, 随和
having an easygoing and pleasing manner especially in social situations
synonym: gracious, pleasant, nice
antonym: unpleasant, disagreeable, ungracious, unamiable, surly, unkind, boorish, rude, discourteous, irascible, irritable, unsociable, inconsiderate, unmannerly, cantankerous
ex: the owner of the inn is an amiable, talkative widow who treats guests like family

brevity

n. as in shortness 简洁, 简短, 短暂
the condition of being short
synonym: shortness, conciseness, compression, briefness
antonym: lengthiness, extensiveness, extending, extension, prolongation, elongation, stretching, growth
ex: the best quality a graduation speech can have is brevity

as in concision
the quality or state of being marked by or using only few words to convey much meaning
synonym: concision, conciseness, shortness, compactness, succinctness, terseness, crispness, briefness
antonym: prolixity, verbosity, wordiness, diffuseness
ex: if brevity is the soul of wit, then that speech wasn't at all witty

brittle

adj. as in crisp 脆, 易碎, 尖利, 生硬
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
synonym: crisp, crumbly, fragile, short, friable, flaky, crisped
antonym: elastic, flexible, resilient, pliable, strong
ex: a brittle cracker that turned into crumbs in my pocket

as in icy
lacking in friendliness or warmth of feeling
synonym: icy, cold, frigid, chilly, cool
antonym: warm, friendly, sympathetic, happy, cordial, kind, hearty, genial
ex: a brittle apology that was anything but heartfelt

complaisance

n. as in amenability 顺从
a desire or disposition to please
synonym: amenability, friendliness, pleasantness, amiability, submissiveness
antonym: sullenness, disagreeableness, surliness, disobedience
ex: the complaisance of his girlfriend is such that she meekly goes along with everything he says

condole

v. as in to sympathize 吊丧
synonym: sympathize, empathize, commiserate, assure, comfort, console, cheer, reassure
antonym: distress, torment, discourage, trouble
ex: Despite nationwide protests, the prime minister has not yet condemned Lankesh’s murder or condoled with her family.

connubial

adj. as in marital 婚姻的
of or relating to marriage
synonym: martial, wedded, conjugal, matrimonial, nuptial, married
antonym: nonmarital
ex: a happy couple celebrating half a century of connubial bliss

decamp

v. as in to abscond 逃走
synonym: abscond, escape, get(away), get out, elope, scram, make off, lam, skip(out)
antonym: confront, dare, face, remain, defy
ex: The band didn’t want the government seizing its assets, so all four members decamped to France.

dilatory

adj. as in leisurely 拖拉, 缓慢
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
synonym: leisurely, slow
antonym: rapid, hasty, speedy, swift, brisk, rushing, quick, fast, expeditious, lightning, speeding, breathless, racing, meteoric, fleet, whirlwind, running, snappy, prompt, flying, dizzy
ex: the homeowner is claiming that local firefighters were dilatory in responding to the call

disquiet

n. as in turmoil 忧虑, 焦急, 忧心
a disturbed or uneasy state
synonym: turmoil, unrest, unease
antonym: peace, ease, tranquility, calm, quiet, tranquility
ex: a period of disquiet before the results of the close election were confirmed

as in concern
an uneasy state of mind usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or trouble
synonym: concern, fear, anxiety, unease, worry, concernment
antonym: unconcern, tranquillity, peace, ease, contentment, content, calm, quietude, calmness, serenity, quiet, tranquility
ex: was filled with disquiet as the hours passed without any sign of the missing children

v. as in to concern
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
synonym: concern, alarm, worry, disturb, anger, bother, distract, distress, unsettle, discomfort, upset, agitate
antonym: calm, quiet, soothe, settle, alleviate, compose, allay, assuage
ex: we were disquieted by the strange noises we heard outside our tent at night

embargo

n. as in prohibition 禁运, 阻止
an order that something not be done or used
synonym: prohibition, ban, injunction, interdiction
antonym: prescription, sanction, consent, licensing, permission, license, tolerance, authorization, approval, permitting, allowance, granting, clearance, allowing, toleration, support, promotion, letting
ex: there's a standing embargo against the use of foul language in this house

v. as in to exclude
synonym: exclude, prevent, shut out, rule out, preclude, halt, veto, stop
antonym: permit, let, suffer, allow, sanction, approve
ex: During the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Arab countries, which at that time produced a quarter of the world’s oil supply, embargoed the United States over its support for Israel

exigence

n. another term for exigency 紧迫性

• that which is required in a particular situation —usually used in plural
  ex: exceptionally quick in responding to the exigencies of modern warfare

• the quality or state of being exigent

• a state of affairs that makes urgent demands
  ex: a leader must act in any sudden exigency

hauteur

n. as in arrogance 高度
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
synonym: arrogance, superiority
antonym: humility, modesty, unpretentiousness, bashfulness, shyness, demureness, diffidence, timidity
ex: she looked at him with the hauteur of someone who is accustomed to being instantly obeyed

invective

n. as in abuse 谩骂, 非难的
harsh insulting language
synonym: abuse, vituperation, insult, criticism, vitriol, scurrility, fulmination
antonym: praise, applause, acclaim
ex: hurled curses and invective at the driver who heedlessly cut them off in traffic

adj. as in abusive
marked by harsh insulting language
synonym: abusive, insulting, outrageous, vituperative, vitriolic
antonym: moderate, temperate, civil, respectful, deferential
ex: an overbearing, bullying boss who is fond of sending invective e-mails to long-suffering assistants

licentiousness

n. as in corruption 放荡
immoral conduct or practices harmful or offensive to society
synonym: corruption, immorality, sin, evil, sinfulness, libertinism
antonym: virtue, morality, right, rectitude
ex: our minister often condemns the licentiousness he sees cavalierly portrayed in today's mass media

livery

n. as in uniform 制服
the distinctive clothing worn by members of a particular group
synonym: uniform
ex: the limousine chauffeur was easily distinguished from the cab drivers by his livery

nettle

v. as in to bug 荨麻, 激怒, 以荨麻刺
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
synonym: bug, bother, annoy, irritate, persecute, eat, get, ruffle, frost
antonym: placate, conciliate, pacify, appease, satisfy, oblige, please, gratify, delight, propitiate, mollify content
ex: don't nettle your brother while he's trying to do his homework

obtrude

v. as in to interfere 突出
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
synonym: interfere, mess
antonym: avoid
ex: please stop obtruding in your brother's affairs

paddock

n. 围场, 牧场

• a usually enclosed area used especially for pasturing or exercising animals
  ex: led the sheep into the paddock

• especially : an enclosure where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race

• an often enclosed field

• an area at an automobile racecourse where racing cars are parked

palliation

n. as in relief 缓和, 减缓
synonym: relief, assistance, support, furtherance, succor, aid, assist, assuagement, facilitation, encouragement
antonym: interference, obstruction, inhibition, restraint, repression, frustration, constraint

as in extenuation
synonym: extenuation, atonement, acknowledgement, confession, acknowledgement
ex: - treatments that can palliate the painful symptoms of the disease
- don't try to palliate your constant lying by claiming that everybody lies

petulance

n. as in irritability 性急, 过敏性, 闹气
readiness to show annoyance or impatience
synonym: irritability, irritableness, aggression
antonym: tolerance, understanding, patience, forbearance, long-suffering, affability, geniality, cordiality, friendliness, socialbiliy, agreeableness
ex: I do not appreciate your petulance and eagerness to argue

rector

n. as in schoolmaster 校长, 牧师
synonym: schoolmaster, headmaster, teacher, instructor, schoolteacher, educator, pedagogue, preceptor, headmistress
ex: - For the cathedral's dean and rector, Amy Dafler Meaux, the turnout was a thing of beauty.
- Along the way, Wili and Miller made many friends and the rector hoped to tap into that well for the current drive.

simper

n. as in smile 傻笑
synonym: smile, grin, smirk
antonym: cry, sob, groan, wail, moan, frown
ex: - Sandoval, in comparison, sneers and simpers to no success whatsoever; his bad behavior, on and off The Traitors, yields nothing.
- Today’s announcement marks the emergence of a new GE, a high-tech industrial GE — simper, stronger, a more focused company at the core.

v. as in to laugh
synonym: laugh, grin
antonym: grimace, frown, gloom, lower, scowl glare, glower
ex: - Franco is simpering when he wasn’t distracted, and while Hathaway brings a bit of spirit, most of her lines are only half-funny.
- There was Bhanu, the simpering do-nothing who was eventually put out of his misery but shouldn’t have been cast in the first place.

sumptuous

adj. as in luxurious 豪华, 丰盛, 奢华, 华丽
showing obvious signs of wealth and comfort
synonym: luxurious, deluxe, luxuriant, luxury, lavish
antonym: humble, austere, ascetic, spartan, economical, meager
ex: the cruise ship claims to offer sumptuous furnishings, exquisitely prepared cuisine, and stellar entertainment

trifling

adj. as in minor 微不足道, 轻微, 细小
lacking importance
synonym: minor, small, little, slight, trivial, unimportant
antonym: major, important, substantial, significant, big, momentous, meaningful, fatal, weighty, consequential, eventful, decisive, material, principal
ex: deciding what you want to do for a living is no trifling matter

as in slight
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
synonym: slight, nominal, petty, trivial, inconsiderable, insignificant, tiny, piddling
antonym: considerable, important, significant, serious, big, substantial
ex: trifling differences between the theatrical and DVD versions of the movie

v. as in flirting 说着玩
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
synonym: flirting, coquetting
ex: do not trifle with me unless you mean to ask me to marry you

as in playing
to spend time in aimless activity
synonym: playing, fooling around, fiddling(around), goofing(around), doodling, pottering(around), puttering(around)
antonym: setting(to), settling(down), buckling(down)
ex: spent a lazy afternoon trifling on the front porch

vindication

n. as in pardon 辩护, 表白
a setting free from a charge of wrongdoing
synonym: pardon, clearing, forgiveness, acquittal, exoneration
antonym: conviction, indictment, accusation, prosecution
ex: recanted testimony that resulted in a long-overdue vindication