NYT Word of the Day Test (Scalable - Ephemeral)

Scalable: Capable of being scaled or climbed; able to be expanded in size or scale, or capability.

Impunity: An exemption from punishment or loss. 

Volatile: Liable to sudden, erratic change or violence (especially in affections or attachments); tending to vary often or widely; a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to vapor.

Consternation: Fear or alarm resulting from a sense of danger; dismay

Circumvent: Surround as to force to give up; avoid trying to fulfill expectations or answering questions or performing duties or resolving issues; beat or prevail through cleverness.

Prescient: Perceiving or knowing the significance of events before they occur; having foresight.

Infraction: The breaking of a rule, agreement, or law that is less serious than committing a felony. 

Disproportionate: Out of proper balance; not corresponding in size, extent, or degree.

Denigrate: Charge falsely with malicious intent or attack someone’s reputation; cause to seem lesser or inferior. 

Watershed: A ridge of land that separates rivers (or the entire area of water containing rivers and tributaries to the same outlet); an event marking an important change or turning point (historical). Also an event in which important developments are dependent on. 

Conscious: Knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and thoughts; state of knowing of something else (conscious of the fact that…); intentionally conceived (deliberate/on purpose).

Patently: In a way that is clear, unmistakable or obvious.

Contrive: Devise or come up with a plan (could also be an explanation, theory, idea, or principle after some mental thought); put or send forth a plan

Illusory: Having the nature of seeming unreal or deceptive. 

Curtailment: The temporary stoppage of something or being cut short; reduction of spendings; act of withholding a writing from publication or circulation. 

Seismic: Subject to or caused by or related to an earthquake/earth vibration; having an enormous effect.

Abdicate: Give up power or duties, especially of a leader stepping down.

Unscathed: Not injured.

Aphorism: A short pithy concise (and constructive) saying; axiom or maxim (“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it). 

Longitudinal: Occurring over a long period of time; relating to lines on a map or globe that bisect.

Initiative: Readiness to embark on a new adventure; a new plan to solve a problem (first series of actions); serving to set something in motion (inaugural or initiatory).

Debacle: A sudden and violent collapse (could be flooding caused by an ice river); a sound defeat or tragedy.

Exorbitant: Greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; extravagant or outrageous. 

Synthesize: Combine to form a complex product or whole.

Robust: Sturdy and strong in form in constructionally (could also be strong intellectually); marked by richness of flavor. Could also be rough and crude (basic).

Concurrent: Occurring or operating at the same time. 

Disseminate: Cause to become widely known; spread by scattering.

Emblematic: Serving as a visible symbol for something abstract; being an illustration of a type (something).

Arpeggio: A chord (sound) whose notes are played in rapid succession (in a sequence like a broken chord) rather than all of the notes being played simultaneously (at the same time).

Exodus: A journey taken by a large group of people to escape a hostile environment (mass departure of people). 

Holistic: Emphasizing the organic or functional relationship between parts and the whole (analyzing something as a whole and not in individual parts). A college application is looked at as a whole and not by breaking down sections of grade, test scores, etc.). The parts make up the whole

Biodiversity: The variety of life (plant and animal) in a particular habitat or the whole world. 

Detract: Take away a part from; diminish (lower the worth of something).

Exceedingly: To an extreme degree.

Logistical: Relating to the management of an operation or event.

Pagoda: A Hindu or Buddhist temple or sacred place (known for a pyramidal tower with an upward curving roof).

Tinny: Thin and metallic in sound (lacking resonance or deepness in sound like echo); of poor quality or flimsy; of or containing tin.

Envisage: Form a mental image of something that is not present (not actually happening yet like a prediction); imagine. 

Retaliation: Action taken in return for an injury or offense (revenge).

Paradoxical: Seemingly contradictory but still possibly true.

Indolence: Inactivity resulting from a dislike of work or effort; laziness.

Epitomize: Embody the essential characteristics of something (be the perfect example of something).

Pollinator: An insect that carries pollen from one flower to another (to fertilize the flowers).

Geothermal: Relating to the heat in the interior of the Earth.

Encumbered: Loaded to excess or impeded by a heavy load; burdened. Unencumbered means not having any burden on you.

Juvenile: Relating to or a characteristic of children or young people; displaying a lack of maturity; a young person or animal not fully developed. 

Complacent: Content with oneself or one’s actions; self-satisfied. 

Lichen: A thallophytic plant (looks like crusty patches or bushy growths on trees, rocks, or the ground) that resembles moss; general terms of eruptive skin diseases characterized by lesions (damaged tissue) grouped together (meant to resemble the lichens or moss that grows on rocks). 

Gesticulate: Show, express, or direct through movement (gesture). 

Mischievous: Naughtily or annoyingly playful; deliberately causing harm or damage.

Boomerang: A curved piece of wood (that when thrown correctly, will return to thrower); a miscalculation that recoils (fires back) on its maker (backfires); to return to its original position like a boomerang; go or come back to a place, condition, or activity where one has been before.

Spartan: Characterized by strictness, severity, or restraint; practicing self-denial or austere (strict manner); resolute or determined in the face of pain, danger, or adversity (being firm and determined).

Provost: A high-ranking university administrator (worker at a college).

Saturnine: Bitter or scornful; showing a brooding ill humor (sullen or glum).

Propaganda: Information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause.

Eminent domain: The right of the state to take private property for public use; the fifth amendment added to the U.S. Constitution requires that just (fair) compensation be made for the property.

Equable: Not varying; not easily irritated.

Chutzpah: (Yiddish) unbelievable gall (nerve); insolence; audacity; cheekiness (slightly rude behavior: “I can’t believe you had the chutzpah (nerve) to do that). 

Umber: A colored mineral used as a pigment; a yellowish medium brown to dark-brown color (burnt umber); describing the color of any of the various natural brown Earth pigments.

Incapacitated: Lacking in or deprived of strength or power.

Schwa: A neutral middle vowel occurring in unstressed syllables (the uh sound of a word like the first syllable of “about”). Chocolate (you don’t say choc oh late). 

Permafrost: Ground that is permanently frozen.

Connotation: An implied or suggested idea (like how the connotation of a word is implied); the information you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression.

Toboggan: A long narrow sled made of thin boards that curves upward in front; to move along in a racing sled.

Azure: Bright blue in color, like a clear sky or just a bright shade of blue; to color a light shade of blue.

Efficient: Being effective without wasting time, effort, or money; able to accomplish a purpose by functioning effectively. 

Vocational: Of or relating to a career or occupation; activities providing training in special skills.

Primatology: Study of the order of mammals that includes monkeys and apes.

Marginalized: Put in a lower or outer position and treated as unimportant, as of a person, group, or idea. 

Combustion: A process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to give heat and light; the act of burning something; a state of violent disturbance or excitement. 

Animatronics: The construction of robots to look like living beings. 

Expediency: The quality of being suited to the goal or end despite being possibly convenient through immoral practices. 

Faddish: Stylish or fashionable, often for a brief length of time.

Neologism: A newly invented word or phrase; the act of inventing a word or phrase.

Centenary: A 100th anniversary or the celebration of it; of, relating to or completing a period of 100 years.

Febrile: Of, relating to or characterized by fever.

Actuarial: Relating to statistics used to calculate insurance premiums. 

Boutonniere: A flower that is worn in a buttonhole.

Cacophony: Loud, confusing, or disagreeable sounds; a loud, harsh or strident noise.

Acerbic: Sour or bitter in taste; harsh or corrosive (meant to weaken) in tone.

Castigate: Inflict severe punishment on; censure (criticize) severely in order to chastise (punish) or correct. 

Emporium: A large retail store organized into departments offering a variety of merchandise; commonly part of a retail chain.

Presto: At a very fast tempo (faster than allegro) or suddenly; very fast (relating to a tempo) or a musical composition meant to be played quickly. 

Jeremiad: A long and mournful complaint.  

Cognizant: Having or showing knowledge, understanding, realization, or perception (sometimes followed by “of”. Ex. Cognizant of the process of photosynthesis). 

Dismantle: Take off or remove or to take apart into its constituent (component) pieces; tear down as to make flat with the ground. 

Imprimatur: Formal and explicit approval. 

Zhuzh: Improve the style, appearance, or flavor of something or someone with a small change or addition; a small add-on or adjustment that improves the style, flavor, or appearance of a person or thing. 

Inauspicious: Boding (oncoming) ill or presaging (foreshadowing) ill fortune; contrary to one’s interests or welfare.

Truncate: Make shorter by cutting off or terminating (ending) abruptly by having an end or point cut off (numbers can truncated by just cutting off instead of rounding); approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner/s by a plane (geometry). 

Adulation: Exaggerated or extreme praise or flattery (glaze).

Limbic: Of or relating to brain structures that regulate emotion.

Obsolescence: The process of becoming outdated or falling into disuse. 

Mollify: Cause someone to be more favorably inclined or gain the good will of someone; make more temperate (controlled/moderate), acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; make softer or less rigid.

Arboretum: A facility where trees and shrubs are cultivated (grown) for exhibition. 

Banal: Repeated too often or overly familiar because of overuse; unoriginal. 

Kismet: Fate or fortune (destiny). 

Intelligible: Capable of being apprehended or understood; Well articulated (expressed) or enunciated (pronounced), and loud enough to be heard distinctly. 

Logjam: An immovable mass of cut wood blocking a river; any stoppage of activity attributable to unusual activity. 

Juggernaut: A massive inexorable (unstoppable) force that seems to crush, have power over, or influence everything in its way. 

Obliquely: Not in a forthright (straightforward/honest) manner; to or toward one side (of an argument or just physically leaning toward one side); at a slanting angle. 

Peripatetic: Travelling, especially on foot or a person who walks from place to place; relating to Aristotle or his philosophy. 

Nomadic: Migratory (migration or traveling). 

Aerodynamics: The branch of mechanics that deals with motion of gases (air) and their effects on bodies (objects) in the flow. 

Kiln: A furnace for firing, burning, or drying such things as porcelain (clay/pottery) or bricks.

Grandiloquent: Lofty (noble) in style; puffed up with vanity (self-love) or pretentious (trying to act or be greater than you actually are).

Behoove: To be appropriate, necessary, or advantageous. 

Enunciation: The articulation (expression) of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility (ability of being understanded) to the audience. 

Herculean: Extremely difficult or requiring great strength.

Charade: A word acted out in an episode (part) of a game (charades); blatant (obvious) pretense (faking) or deception; a composition (work of art) that imitates or misrepresents somebody’s style usually in a humorous way like a caricature. 

Mutability: The quality of being capable of change.

Anaphylactic: Related to or caused by a severe allergic reaction. 

Laxity: An absence of rigor or strictness; the condition of being loose or limp (not stiff).

Nomenclature: A system of words used to name things in a particular discipline.

Ostentatiously: In a manner intended to attract notice and impress others. 

Insouciant: Marked by blithe (uncaring) unconcern or nonchalant (casually calm and cool).

Laconic: Brief and to the point; effectively cut short (someone who gives one word answers).

Obstinacy: Resolute (determined) adherence (sticking) to one’s own ideas or desires; trait of being difficult to handle or overcome (stubborn).

Environs: The area is which something exists or lives; an outer adjacent (next to/close) area of any place.

Nonchalantly: In a composed or unconcerned manner; in a casual way.

Behest: An authoritative command or request (you can do something on behest of someone). 

Augment: To enlarge or increase. 

Shenanigan: The use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to take money from them); reckless or malicious (evil) behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others. 

Desiccated: Thoroughly dried out; preserved by removing natural moisture; lacking vitality (liveliness) or spirit (lifeless).

Presage: A foreboding (bad feeling) about what is about to happen; a sign of something about to happen; to indicate by signs.

Archivist: A person in charge of a repository (place where things are stored) of documents and records (archives). 

Quotidian: Found in the ordinary course of events; unremarkable (not interesting).

Repartee: Skill, ease, and cleverness in reply to another person or people.

Talisman: A trinket (ornament) or piece of jewelry usually hung about the neck and thought to be a magical protection against evil or disease.

Spacewalk: To spend time outside of a vehicle (spacecraft) in space; a period of activity outside of a vehicle (spacecraft) in space. 

Quizzical: Perplexed (like being expected to know something that you don’t know); playfully vexing (annoying), especially by ridicule (mockery).

Simpatico: Friendly and pleasant; able to get along well together.  

Impropriety: The condition of being unsuitable or offensive; an unsuitable or offensive demeanor (behavior); a wrong or indecent (improper) act; an act of undue (extreme) intimacy (sexual relations). Noun form for IMPROPER

Profusely: In an abundant (plentiful) manner. 

Rapprochement: The re-establishing of cordial (friendly) relations. 

Flaxen: Hair color that is pale yellowish to yellowish brown.

Salinity: The relative proportion of salt in a solution; the experience of tasting salt (saltiness).

Fortify: Make strong or stronger; add nutrients to or add alcohol to (beverages); enclose by or using walls around a stronghold; prepare oneself for a military confrontation (battle). 

Artisanal: Relating to or characteristic of a skilled craftsperson (artisan) who uses traditional ways of making something; a product, food, or drink made by hand using traditional methods.

Stylus: A pointed tool for writing, drawing, or engraving (carving); a needle attached to the cartridge (cylinder for a machine) of a record player. 

Dormant: Inactive but capable of being active (Ex. volcanoes not erupting but not extinct); in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation; lying with head on paws as if sleeping (heraldry).

Coniferous: Of, relating to, or part of trees or shrubs bearing (carrying) cones (pine) and evergreen leaves. 

Vermilion: Of a vivid (bright) red to reddish-orange color; a variable (varying) color that is vivid red with an orange tinge (tint/shade); to color something vivid red to reddish-orange. 

Invective: Abusive or venomous (spiteful) language used to blame, censure (criticism), or bitter deep-seated (established) ill will. 

Soporific: Inducing (causing) sleep or mental lethargy (sluggishness); a drug that induces sleep.

Tureen: A large, deep serving dish with a cover, used for serving soups and stews.

Chortle: A soft, partly-suppressed laugh; to laugh quietly or with restraint. 

Quasi: Having some resemblance (seemingly) (often followed by a hyphen and the word it modifies). Example: Quasi-American (resembling an American but not actually one). 

Reverberation: A remote (distant) or indirect consequence of some action; the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves. 

Tetchy: Easily irritated or annoyed. 

Enshrine: Enclose (surround) in a place of worship; hold sacred or cherish. 

Simulacrum: A representation of a person (likely in the form of a sculpture); an insubstantial or vague semblance (appearance).

Begrudge: Be envious (jealous) of; wish ill or allow unwillingly (resent).

Runic: Relating to or consisting of characters (letters) from an ancient alphabet.

Unabashed: Not embarrassed (abashed is embarrassed).

Rumination: Calm lengthy consideration (reflection); excessive or obsessive thinking; regurgitation (substances coming out of the body and mouth) of small amounts of food.

Vogue: A current state of general acceptance and use; the popular taste (style) at a given time.

Serendipitous: Lucky in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries.

Pseudonym: A fictitious (fake) name used instead of a person’s real name.

Sabbatical: A leave (from work), or relating to a leave, usually taken every seventh year; of or relating to Sabbath (Jewish day of rest).

Unequivocal: Admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion; clearly defined or formulated (planned).

Guffaw: A burst of loud and hearty (cheerful) laughter; laugh boisterously (cheerfully). 

Ephemeral: Lasting a very short time; anything short-lived, such as an insect that lives for only a day in its winged form.