GRE Words: difficult ones.

1. Abstemious: sparing in eating and drinking; temperate. 2. Abstruse: obscure, profound; difficult to understand. 3. Acrid: sharp, bitterly pungent. 4. Acrimonious: bitter in words or manner. The candidate attacked his opponent in acrimonious

terms. 5. Addendum: an addition or supplement. As an addendum to the minutes, let me point out that

susan appointed Kate to the finance committee. 6. Adventitious: accidental; casual. He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely

fortunate. 7. Affidavit: written statement made under oath. The court refused to accept his statement unless

he presented it in the form of an affidavit. 8. Agnostic. One who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of God. 9. Alacrity. Cheerful promptness. They packed up their ski gear and jumped in the van with

alacrity. 10. Alimony: payment by a husband to his divorced wife or viceversa. Mrs. Jones was awarded a

200 dollars monthly alimony by the judge when she was divorced from her husband. 11. Allegory: story in which characters are used as symbols; fable. 12. Alliteration: repetition of the beginning sound in poetry. The furrow followed free is an example

of alliteration.13. Aloof: apart, reserved. Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed. 14. Ambivalence: the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes. Torn between

loving her parents one minute and hating them then next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.

15. Amble: moving at an easy pace. She didn’t want the horse to move go faster than a gentle amble.

16. Ambulatory: able to walk. Juan was a highly ambulatory patient. 17. Anachronism: an error involving time in a story. 18. Anathema: solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse. The USA was regarded as

anathema by the orthodox Muslim leader. 19. Ancillary: serving as an aid or accessory, auxiliary. In an ancillary capacity Dr. Watson was

helpful; however, Holmes could not trust Watson to solve a case on his own. 20. Antagonism: hostility, active resistance. Barriy showed his antagonism towards his new

stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him. 21. Antediluvian: antiquated, extremely ancient. Looking at her great grandmother’s antique

furniture she explaimed “how positively antediluvian”. 22. Antithesis: contrast, direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all he had hoped

for. 23. Apathy: lack of caring, indifference. She could not understand the apathy of those that never

bothered to vote. 24. Ape: imitate, mimic. He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of

the whole school. 25. Aphasia: loss of speech due to injury or illness. After the accident, she had periods of aphasia

when he could not speak. 26. Aphorism: pithy maxim. An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical and

scientific. “The proper study of mankind is man”.

27. Apiary: a place where bees are kept. He spent many hours a day in the apiary, but he was seldom stung by a bee.

28. Apocalyptic: prophetic, pertaining to revelations . The crowd jeered at the preacher’s apocalyptic predictions of doom.

29. Apologist: one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.

30. Apostate: one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs. Because he switched from one party to the other his former friends shunned him as an apostate.

31. Apotheosis: elevation to godhood, an ideal example of something. The apotheosis of a Roman Emperor was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would worship at his altar forever.

32. Appellation: name, title. Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation.

33. Append: attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix. 34. Apposite: appropriate, fitting. He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct

expression for every occasion. 35. Apprise: inform. When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to

postpone his trip. 36. Apropos: with reference to; regarding. I find your remarks apropos of the present situation

timely and pertinent. 37. Aquiline: curved, hooked. He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the

eagle. 38. Arcane: secret, mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround

themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders. Doctors sometimes use arcane terminology that only they can understand.

39. Arraign: charge in court, indict. After his indictment by the grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the Criminal Court.

40. Array: verb. Marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him. Also noun.

41. Array: clothe, adorn. She liked to watch her mother array herself in her finest clothes. 42. Arrest: stop or slow down, catch someone’s attention. A safety net luckily arrested the fall of

the trapeze artist. 43. Artless: without guile; open and honest. Sophisticated and cynical, Jack could not believe how

Jill was as artless and naïve as she appeared to be. 44. Ascendancy: controlling influence, domination. Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancy

over their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing. 45. Ascetic: practicing self-denial; austere. The self-indulgent man felt oddly drawn to the strict,

ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders. 46. Ascribe: refer; attribute; assign. I can ascribe no motive for her acts. The violent years of

conquest in Latin America are often ascribed to the values that the reconquest instilled in the Spaniards.

47. Asinine: stupid. Our asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

48. Askance: with a sideways or indirect look. Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

49. Askew: crookedly; slanted; at an angle. When he placed his hat askew over his head, his observers laughed.

50. Assay: analyze, evaluate. When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein.

51. Astigmatism: eye defect that prevents proper focus. 52. Astral: relating to the stars. She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope

revealed. 53. Asunder: into parts, apart. A fierce quarrel split the partnership asunder. Their points of view

were poles asunder. 54. Atavism: resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after the

passage of two or more generations. The doctors ascribed the child’s deformity to atavism. 55. Atone: make amends for; pay for. He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime. 56. August: impressive, majestic. Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the august

surroundings in which she found herself. 57. Autocratic: having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial. Someone accustomed to exercising

authority may become autocratic if his or her power is unchecked. 58. Automaton: mechanism that imitates the actions of humans. Robots are automatons that can

sometimes outperform men. 59. Avert: prevent; turn away. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway. 60. Avocation: secondary or minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating that gradually

he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation. 61. Awry: distorted, crooked. He held his head awry, giving the impression he had caught cold in his

neck during the night. 62. Axiom: self-evident truth requiring no proof. Before a student can begin to think along the lines

of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles as axioms. 63. Azure: sky blue. Azure skies are indicative of good weather. 64. Bacchanalian: drunken. Emperor Nero attended a bacchanalian orgy. 65. Badger: pester; annoy. She was forced to change her telephone number because she was

badgered by obscene calls. 66. Badinage: teasing conversation. Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with

cheerful badinage. 67. Bait: harass; tease. The school bully baited the smaller children. 68. Baleful: deadly; having a malign influence; ominous. The fortune teller made baleful predictions

of terrible things to come. 69. Balk: foil or thwart; stop short; refuse to go on. The guard took steps to balk the attempt of the

inmates to escape. However, he balked at punishing them by shackling them to the walls of their cells.

70. Ballast: heavy substance used to add stability or weight. The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an even keel.

71. Bandy: discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly. While the president was happy to bandy patriotic generalizations with anyone, he refused to bandy words with unfriendly reporters at the press conference.

72. Bane: cause of ruin; curse. Lucy’s little brother was the bane of her existence: his attempts to make her life miserable worked so well that she could have poisoned him with rat poison for having such a baneful effect.

73. Bantering: good-natured ridiculing. They resented his bantering remarks because they thought he was being sarcastic.

74. Barb: sharp projection from fishhook, etc.; openly cutting remark. If you were a politician, which would you prefer, being caught on the barb of a fishhook, or being subjected to malicious verbal barbs.

75. Barrage:

a. barrier laid down by artillery fire. The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy cannons.

b. an overwhelming quantity or explosion, as of words, blows, or criticisms: a barrage of questions.

76. Bate: let down, restrain. Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity.

77. Bawdy: indecent; obscene. Jack took offense at Jill’s bawdy remarks. What kind of young man did she think she was?

78. Beatitude: blessedness; state of bliss. Growing closer to god each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

79. Beeline: direct, quick route. As soon as the movie was over, Jim made a beeline for the exit. 80. Befuddle: confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in befuddling

her further. 81. Beget: father, produce, give rise to. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily

beget another. 82. Begrudge: resent. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings; they are a

complete waste of time. 83. Beguile:

a. to influence by trickery, flattery, etc.; mislead; delude.b. to charm or divert: a multitude of attractions to beguile the tourist.c. to pass (time) pleasantly: beguiling the long afternoon with a good book.d. EXAMPLE: With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men beguiled Kyle into

betting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, he beguiled himself during the long hours y playing solitaire.

84. Beleaguer: besiege or attack. The baby sitter was surrounded by a crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly beleaguered her.

85. Belie: contradict; five a false impression. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his inner sensitivity.

86. Bemoan: lament; express disapproval of. The widow bemoaned the death of her beloved husband. Although critics bemoaned the serious flaws in the author’s novels, each year his latest book topped the best-seller list.

87. Bemused: confused; lost in thought; preoccupied. Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.

88. Benediction: blessing. The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

89. Bereavement: state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved. His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.

90. Bereft: deprived of, lacking; desolate because of a loss. The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.

91. Berserk: frenzied. Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room. 92. Beseech: beg; plead with. The workaholic executive’s wife beseeched him to spend more time

with his son. 93. Hem:

a. to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.

b. to enclose or confine (usually fol. by in, around, or about): hemmed in by enemies.

94. Beset: harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems beset the American public school system. Sleeping Beauty’s castle was beset on all sides by dense forests that hid it from view.

95. Besmirch: soil, defile. The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of society.

96. Betoken: signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tall piles of cargo containers and numerous vessels all betoken Oakland’s importance as a port.

97. Betroth: become engaged to marry. The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any romance.

98. Bigotry: stubborn intolerance. Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, the student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

99. Bilious: suffering from indigestion; irritable. His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

100. Billowing: swelling out in waves; surging. Standing over the air vent; Marilyn Monroe tried in vain to control her billowing skirts.

101. Blanch: bleach; whiten. Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

102. Blandishment: flattery. Despite the salesperson’s blandishment, the customer did not buy the outfit.

103. Blighted: suffering from a disease; destroyed; deteriorated. The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

104. Blithe: gay; joyous; heedless. Shelley called the singer a “blithe spirit” because of his happy song.

105. Bluff: rough but good-natured. Jack had a bluff and hearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity. He never let people know how thin-skinned he really was.

106. Bluff: pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought Byron’s boast that he could jump from the high bluff was just a bluff.

107. Portend: to indicate in advance; to foreshadow or presage, as an omen does: The street incident may portend a general uprising.

108. Bode: foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies seemed to bode evil to those planning a day at the beach.

109. Bogus: counterfeit; not authentic. The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus dollar bills.

110. Bombastic: pompous; using inflated language. Puffed up with conceit, the orator spoke in such a bombastic manner that we longed to deflate him.

111. Boon: blessing, benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

112. Boorish: rude; clownish. Your boorish remarks to the driver of the other car were not warranted by the situation.

113. Braggart: boaster. Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.

114. Brandish: wave around, flourish. Alarmed, Dr. Watson wildly brandished his gun until Holmes told him to put the thing away.

115. Bravado: swagger; assumed air of defiance. The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.

116. Swagger: a. to walk or strut with a defiant or insolent air. b. to boast or brag noisily.

c. Noun. swaggering manner, conduct, or walk; ostentatious display of arrogance and conceit.

117. Brazen: insolent. Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials. 118. Brittle: easily broken; difficult. My employer’s self-control was as brittle as an egg-shell.

Her brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her. 119. Broach: introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to broach the subject of religion with

his in-laws. If you broach a touchy subject, it may cause a breach. 120. Brunt: main impact or shock. Tom Sawyer claimed credit for painting the fence, but the

brunt of the work fell on others. 121. Bucolic: rustic, pastoral. Filled with cows and sheep, the meadow was a charmingly

bucolic sight. 122. Bullion: gold and silver in the form of bars. Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort

Knox. 123. Bulwark: earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our

principal bulwark against invasion. 124. Bungle: mismanage; blunder. Don’t botch this assignment. If you bungle the job you are

fired. 125. Buoyant: able to float; cheerful and optimistic. When the boat capsized, her buoyant

life jacket kept Judy afloat. Scrambling back on board, she was still in a buoyant mood, thinking she would still win the race.

126. Burgeon: grow forth; sent out buds. In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.

127. Bustle: move about energetically; teem. David and the children bustled about the house getting in each other’s way as they tried to pack for the camping trip. The whole house bustled with activity.

128. Buttress: support; prop up. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case.

129. Cabal: a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority. The cabal was defeated when their scheme was discovered.

130. Cache: a hiding place, esp. one in the ground, for ammunition, food, treasures, etc.: She hid her jewelry in a little cache in the cellar. He had cached the jewels in a bag for trash.

131. Cadence: rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds). Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

132. Callow: youthful, immature; inexperienced. As a sophomore he made fun of freshmen as callow youths. His judgment showed just how callow he was.

133. Cameo: shell or jewel carved in relief; stars special appearance in a minor role in a film. Don’t worry buying cameos from the street peddlers in Rome; the carvings they sell are clumsy jobs. Did you enjoy his cameo in Romeo and Juliette? He was only in screen for a minute but he was hilarious.

134. Candor: frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry his candor too far: when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face. Candid. Adj.

135. Cantankerous: ill humored; irritable; disagreeable to deal with. Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.

136. Careen: lurch; sway from side to side. The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

137. Carping: finding fault. A carping critic is a nit-picker: he loves to point out flaws. If you don’t like this definition, feel free to carp.

138. Catcall: shout of disapproval; boo. Every major league pitcher has off days during which he must learn to ignore the catcalls from the crowd.

139. Cavalcade: procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was a motley group.

140. Cavalier: offhand or casual; haughty. The disguised prince resented the cavalier way in which the palace guards treated him.

141. Cavil: make frivolous objections. It’s fine when you make sensible criticisms, but it really bugs me when you cavil about unimportant details.

142. Centurion: roman army officer. 143. Chafe: warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing. Chilled he chafed his hands before the

fire. The collar of his school uniform chafed Tom’s neck, but not as much as the school’s district’s rules chafed his spirit.

144. Chaff: worthless products of an endeavor. When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

145. Chagrin: comme en francais. 146. Chalice: goblet; consecrated cup. (Cáliz) In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many

ornately decorated chalices were on display. 147. Chary: cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty man, DeWitt was

as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary compliments.

148. Chaste: pure. Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion.

149. Chasten: v. discipline; punish in order to correct. Whom God loves, God chastens. 150. Chastise: punish. I must chastise you for this offense. 151. Checkered: marked by changes in fortune. During his checkered career he had lived in

palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses. 152. Cherubic: angelic; innocent-looking. With her cheerful smile and rosy cheecks, she was

a particularly cherubic child. 153. Cherub: Theology. A member of the second order of angels, often represented as a

beautiful rosy-cheeked plump child with wings.154. Chicanery: trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred

and in general depended on chicanery to win the case. 155. Chimerical: fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative. As everyone

expected, Ted’s chimerical scheme to make a fortune by raising bees in his back yard proved a dismal failure.

156. Chivalrous: courteous; faithful; brave. Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.

157. Chortle: chuckle with delight. When she heard that her rival had just been jailed for embezzlement, she chortled with joy. She was not a nice lady.

158. Churlish: boorish; rude. Dismayed by his churlish manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.

159. Circumlocution: indirect or roundabout expression. He was afraid to call a spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

160. Citadel: fortress. The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

161. Clangor: loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.

162. Blacksmith: herrero. 163. Clasp: fastening device; firm grip. When the clasp on Judy’s bracelet broke, Fred

repaired it. He then held her hand firm in the sure clasp of his hand. 164. Cleave: split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to. With her heave cleaver, Julia Child can

cleave a whole roast duck in two. His wet uniform cleaved annoyingly to his body but he decided he would cleave to his post, come rain or shine.

165. Cleft: split. The mountain-climber grasped the edge of a cleft in the sheer rockface. 166. Clique: small exclusive group. Fitzgerald wished that he belonged to the clique of

popular athletes and big men on campus who seemed to run Princeton’s social life. 167. Coddle: to treat gently. Don’t coddle the children so much; they need a taste of

discipline. 168. Cogent: convincing. He had several cogent reasons for applying to Harvard and argued

her case with such cogency that no one could refute her. 169. Cogitate: think over. Cogitate on this problem; the solution will come. 170. Cognizance:

a. awareness, realization, knowledge. During the election campaign the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international situation.

b. the range or scope of knowledge, observation, etc.: Such understanding is beyond his cognizance.

171. Collate: examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order. They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age.

172. Comatose: in a coma; extremely sleepy. The long winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state.

173. Comely: attractive; agreeable. I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one.

174. Commiserate: feel or express pity or sympathy for; empathize with. Her friends commiserated with the widow.

175. Commodious: spacious and comfortable. After sleeping in small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.

176. Complacency: self-satisfaction; smugness. Full of complacency about his latest victories, he grew overconfident and arrogant.

177. Complaisant: trying to please; obliging. The courtier obeyed the king’s orders in a complaisant manner.

178. Compunction: remorse. The judge was especially severe in sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.

179. Concomitant: existing or occurring with something else, often in a lesser way; accompanying; concurrent: an event and its concomitant circumstances.

180. Concord: harmony; agreement between people or things. Watching John and Mark argue, Alice wondered at their lack of concord.

181. Conflagration: great fire. In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.

182. Congeal: freeze; coagulate. His blood congealed in his veins as he saw the monster rush to him.

183. Congenial: pleasant; friendly. My father loved to go out for a meal with congenial companions.

184. Connivance: assistance; pretense of ignorance of something wrong; permission to offend. With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher.

185. Connubial: pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state. In his telegram, he whished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss.

186. Consequential: pompous; important; self-important. Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air.

187. Consign: deliver officially; entrust; set apart. The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother’s care.

188. Constituent: supporter. The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass.

189. Consummate: complete. I have never seen anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate idiot.

190. Contend: struggle; compete; assert earnestly. Sociologist Harris contends that young black athletes are exploited by some college recruiters.

191. Continence/continent: self-restraint; sexual chastity. At the convent, Connie vowed a life of continence. The question was, could Connie be content with always being continent?

192. Contingenta. Dependent on; conditional. b. Group that makes up part of a gathering.

193. Contravene: contradict, oppose; infringe on or transgress. Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elvira to contravene his will by eloping with Brown.

194. Contrite: penitent. Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed his sentence.

195. Contrived: forced; artificial; not spontaneous. Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws, James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.

196. Conundrum: riddle. During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

197. Convene: assemble. The governor ordered the legislature to convene in special session by January 15.

198. Conversant: familiar by use or study (usually fol. by with): conversant with Spanish history.

199. Converse: a. V. to talk informally with another or others; exchange views, opinions, etc., by talking.b. N. opposite or contrary in direction, action, sequence, etc.; turned around.

200. Convoluted: coiled around; involved; intricate. His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow it intelligently.

201. Cornucopia: horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance. The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information.

202. Corrode: destroy by chemical action. The girders supporting the bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the tragic moment when it collapsed.

203. Corrugated: wrinkled; ridged. She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from her corrugated brow.

204. Coterie: group that meets socially; select circle. After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the hotel.

205. Countenance: approve, tolerate. He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.

206. Countenance:

a. face. When José saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance.

b. appearance, esp. the look or expression of the face: a sad countenance.207. Coup: highly successful action or sudden attack. As the news of his coup spread

throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him. 208. Courier: messenger. The published sent a special courier to pick up a manuscript. 209. Covenant: agreement. We must comply with the terms of the covenant. 210. Covetous: avaricious; eagerly desirous of. The child was covetous by nature and wanted

to take the toys belonging to his classmates. 211. To covet:

a. to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another's property.

b. to wish for, esp. eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted.212. Cow: terrorize; intimidate. The little boy was so cowed by the bully that he gave up his

lunch money without a word of protest. 213. Cower: shrink quivering, as from fear. The frightened child cowered in the corner of the

room. 214. Coy: shy; modest; coquettish. Reluctant to commit herself so early in the game, Kay was

coy in her answers to Ken’s offer. 215. Crass: very unrefined; grossly insensible. The film critic deplored the crass

commercialism of movie-makers who abandon artistic standards in order to make a quick-buck. 216. Craven: adj or noun. Lilian’s craven refusal to join the protest was criticized by her

comrades. 217. Crestfallen: dejected; dispirited. We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his

project; instead of being crestfallen, he was busily engaged in planning new activities. 218. Crotchety: eccentric; whimsical. Although he was reputed to be a crotchety old

gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and sensible. 219. Cumbersome: heavy; hard to manage. He was burdened down with cumbersome

parcels. 220. Curator: superintendent; manager. The members of the board of trustees of the

museum expected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.

221. Curmudgeon: churlish, miserly individual. Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindness and acts of charity that he secretly performed.

222. Cursory: casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire’s cause.

223. Cynical: skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift “with no strings attached”.

224. Cynosure: the object of general attention. As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.

225. Dabble: work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finished piece.

226. Dawdle: loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline so don’t dawdle; just get down to work.

227. Deadlock: standstill; stalemate. Negotiations had reached a deadlock so some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks.

228. Deadpan: wooden; impersonal; inexpressive. We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

229. Debase: reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. She feels asking her peer for help would debase her position and she will not submit to such debasement.

230. Debauch: corrupt; seduce from virtue. His malicious teachings did nothing but debouch the young men who started committing acts of wild debauchery around town.

231. Debunk: expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc. Reporters debunked the candidate’s claim that he was a fervent environmentalist by pointing out how he had voted against anti-pollution legislation.

232. Debutante: young woman making formal entrance into society. As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

233. Decoy: lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. 234. Deface: mar, disfigure. If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine. 235. Defer:

a. Delay till later. Some students defer graduation till their fifth year in college. b. Give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions we must defer to

Michael. 236. Deference: courteous regard for another’s wish. In deference to the minister’s request,

please do not take photographs during the wedding service. 237. Defray: pay the costs of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate

education. 238. Deft: neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop. 239. Deleterious: harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health, then

quit!240. Demagogue: person who appeals to people’s prejudice; false leader of people. He was

accused of being a demagogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

241. Demise: a. Death or decease. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession in

power developed. b. Termination of existence or operation: the demise of the empire.

242. Demur: v. object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the board of directors, David demurred: he had scruples about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.

243. Denigrate: blacken. a. to speak damagingly of; criticize in a derogatory manner; sully; defame: to denigrate

someone's character. b. to make black; blacken: rain clouds denigrating the sky.

244. Denizen: inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In the Untouchables, Eliot fights Al Capone and the other denizens of Chicago’s underworld.

245. Denouement246. Depose: dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose the king and set

up a military government. 247. Deposition: testimony under oath. He made his deposition in the judge’s chamber.

248. Deprecate: express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names. Deprecatory. Adj.

249. Derelict: abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever abandoned it in the middle of the harbor was derelict in living up to his responsibilities as a boat owner.

250. Deride: ridicule, make fun of. The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously.

251. Derivative: unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

252. Despondent: depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents, William became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan.

253. Destitute: extremely poor. Because they had no health insurance, the father’s costly illness left the family destitute.

254. Devious: roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The joker’s plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges.

255. Devoid: lacking. You may think her mind is a total void, but she’s actually not devoid of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.

256. Dialectical: relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal. The debate coach’s students grew to develop great dialectical skill.

257. Diaphanous: sheer; transparent. They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain.

258. Diatribe: bitter scolding; invective. During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled.

259. Diffidence: shyness. You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson.

260. Dilapidate: to cause or allow (a building, automobile, etc.) to fall into a state of disrepair, as by misuse or neglect (often used passively): The house had been dilapidated by neglect.

261. Dilatory: delaying. Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the contract. 262. Dilettante: aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler. He was not serious in his

painting; he was rather a dilettante. 263. Din: continued loud noise. The din of the jackhammers outside the classroom window

drowned out the lecturer’s voice. 264. Dinghy: small boat’s ship. 265. Dingy: dull; not fresh; cheerless. Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio

apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and hanging bright posters on the walls. 266. Dirge: lament with music. The funeral dirge stirred us to tears. 267. Disarray: a disorderly untidy state. After the New Year’s party, the once orderly house

was in total disarray. 268. Discombobulated: confused; discomposed. The novice square dancer became so

discombobulated that he wandered into the wrong set. 269. Discount: v. disregard. Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife. 270. Discursive: digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we

wondered what point there was to his discursive remarks. 271. Disenfranchise: deprive of civil right. The imposition of the poll tax effectively

disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

272. Disgorge: surrender something; eject; vomit. Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

273. Disheveled: untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

274. Disinter: dig up; unearth. They disinterred the body and held an autopsy. 275. Disjointed: disconnected. His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his

reasoning. 276. Dispel: scatter; drive away; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the

morning mist. 277. Dissemble: disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking

modern dance; we all knew he was there not to dance, but to meet girls.278. Dissolute: indifferent to moral restraints; given to immoral or improper conduct;

licentious; dissipated. The dissolute life led by the ancient Romans is indeed shocking. 279. Distend: expand; swell out. I can tell when he is under pressure by the way his veins

distend on his forehead. 280. Diva: operatic singer; prima donna. Although world famous as a diva, she did not

indulge in fits of temperament. 281. Doctrinaire: unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding. He

thought change in China was about to come, but the repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.

282. Document: v. provide written evidence. She kept all her receipts in order to document her expenses for the firm.

283. Dogmatic: opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.

284. Doldrums: noun. blues; listlessness; slack period. Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums.

285. The blues: (used with a plural verb ) depressed spirits; despondency; melancholy: This rainy spell is giving me the blues.

286. Listless: having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless; indifferent: a listless mood; a listless handshake.

287. Doleful: sorrowful. He found the doleful lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could.

288. Dolt: stupid person. I thought the audience was going to be mature but instead I found myself addressing a pack of dolts and idiots.

289. Don: put on. When Clark Kent has to don his Superman outfit , he changes clothes in a convenient phone booth.

290. Doodle: scribble or draw aimlessly; waste time. Art’s teachers scolded him when he doodled all over the margins of his papers.

291. Dote: be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline. Not only grandmothers bore you with stories of their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the little rascals too. Poor old Alf clearly doted: the senile old dotard was past it.

292. Douse: plunge into water; drench; extinguish. They doused each other with hoses and water balloons.

293. Dowdy: slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a new fashionable wardrobe.

294. Drab: dull; lacking color; cheerless. The Dutch woman’s drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore beneath it.

295. Droll: queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.

296. Drone: idle person; male bee. Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.

297. Drone: talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee. On a gorgeous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone.

298. Dumbfound: astonish. John’s perfect score on his SAT exam dumfounded his classmates, who had always found him to be perfectly dumb.

299. Dupe: n. someone easily fooled. While the gullible Watson was often made a dupe by his unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to dupe.

300. Duplicity: double-dealing; hypocrisy. Then Tanya learned that mark had been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.

301. Duress: forcible restraint, especially unlawfully. The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners’ demands were met.

302. Earthy: unrefined; coarse. His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in his audience.

303. Ebb: recede; lessen. Sitting on the beach, Mrs. Dalloway watched the tide ebb: the waters receded, drawing away from her.

304. Eclipse: darken; extinguish; surpass. The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1995.

305. Eddy: swirling current of water, air, etc. The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.

306. Egregious: notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking. She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.

307. Ejaculation: exclamation. 308. Elated: overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie was elated by her

fifth Olympic gold medal. 309. Elegy: poem or song expressing lamentation. On the death of Edward, Milton

composed the elegy “Lycidas”. 310. Ellipsis: omissions of words from a text. Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling

modifier, as in the sentence “once dressed, you should refrigerate the potato salad”. 311. Embezzlement: stealing. The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds. 312. Encomium: high praise; eulogy. Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his

supporters, Tolken felt unworthy of such high praise. 313. Encumber: burden. Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage when

they take short trips. 314. Endemic: prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country.

This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one time or another affected by it.

315. Enfranchise: to admit to the rights of citizenship. Although blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote until 1920.

316. Enrapture: please intensely. The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.

317. Enthrall: capture; enslave. From the moment he saw her beauty he was enthralled by her beauty.

318. Epigram: witty thought or saying, usually short. Poor Richard’s epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous.

319. Episodic: loosely connected; divided into incidents. John found the novel to episodic; he enjoyed individual passages but had trouble following the work as a whole.

320. Epitaph: inscription in memory of a dead person. In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone.

321. Epithet: word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing. So many kings of France were named Charles that you could tell them apart only by their epithets.

322. Equanimity: calmness of temperament; composure. Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother did not disturb Bea’s equanimity.

323. Equivocal: ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate’s equivocal comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue.

324. Equivocate: lie, mislead, attempt to conceal the truth. The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his remarks.

325. Escapade: prank; flighty conduct. The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.

326. Ethereal: light; heavenly; unusually refined. In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the spirit Ariel is an ethereal creature, too airy and unearthly for our mortal world.

327. Ethos: a. the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs

the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period: In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.

b. the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion.

328. Eulogy: expression of praise, often on occasion of someone’s death. Instead of delivering a spoken eulogy at Genny’s memorial service, John sang a song he had written in her honor.

329. Euphonious: pleasing in sound. Euphonious even when spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung.

330. Evanescent: fleeting; vanishing. Brandon’s satisfaction in his new job was evanescent, for he immediately began to notice its many drawbacks.

331. Evince: show clearly. When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject manner.

332. Exacting: extremely demanding. Cleaning of the Sistine Chapel was an exacting task, one that demanded meticulous care on the part of the restorers.

333. Exalt: v. raise in rank or dignity. The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the queen.

334. Excise: v. cut away; cut out. When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree you not only improve its appearance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit.

335. Excoriate: scold with biting harshness; strip the skin off. Seeing the holes in Bill’s new pants, his mother furiously excoriated him for ruining his good clothes. The tight collar chafed and excoriated his neck, rubbing it raw.

336. Execrable: very bad. The anecdote was in such execrable taste that it revolted the audience.

337. Exonerate: acquit; exculpate. The defense team feverishly sought fresh evidence that might exonerate their client.

338. Expedient: suitable; practical; politic. A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical. Expediency.

339. Expiate: make amends for a sin. He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.

340. Expurgate: clean; remove the offensive parts of a book. The editors felt that certain passages in the book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the classroom.

341. Extol: v. praise; glorify. The president extolled the astronauts, calling them the pioneers of the Space Age.

342. Extradition: surrender of prisoner by one state to another. They lawyers opposed the extradition of their clients on the grounds that for more than five years he had been a model citizen.

343. Extraneous: not essential; superfluous. No wonder Ted can’t think straight. His mind is so cluttered up with extraneous trivia, he can’t concentrate on the essentials.

344. Exude: discharge; give forth. We get maple syrup from the sap that exudes from the trees in early spring.

345. Fabricate: build; lie. If we fabricate the buildings in this project out of standardized sections we can reduce costs. Because Jack’s tendency to fabricate, Jill had trouble believing a word he said.

346. Facetious: joking (often inappropriately); humorous. I’m serious about this project; I don’t need any facetious, smart-alecky cracks about do-gooder little rich girls.

347. Facsimile: copy. Many museums sell facsimiles of the works of art on display. 348. Fanciful: whimsical; visionary. This fanciful scheme clearly does not consider the facts. 349. Fanfare: call by bugles or trumpets. The exposition was opened with a fanfare of

trumpets and the firing of cannon. 350. Fathom: comprehend; investigate. I find his motives impossible to fathom; in fact, I’m

totally clueless about what goes on in his mind. 351. Fatuous: foolish; inane. He is far to intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks. 352. Feign: pretend. Lady Macbeth feigned illness although she was actually healthy. 353. Felicitous: apt; suitably expressed; well chosen. He was famous for his felicitous

remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many a banquet. 354. Felicity: happiness; appropriateness. She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them

great felicity in their wedded life. 355. Ferment: agitation: commotion. With the break up the Soviet Union, much of Eastern

Europe was in a state of ferment. 356. Fester: v. produce irritation or resentment. Joe’s insult festered in Anne’s mind for

days, and made her too angry to speak to him. 357. Fetid: malodorous. The neglected wound became fetid. 358. Fickle: changeable; faithless. As soon as Romeo saw Juliet, he forgot all about his old

girlfriend Rosaline. Was Romeo fickle?359. Figment: a mere product of mental invention; a fantastic notion: The noises in the attic

were just a figment of his imagination.360. Filibuster:

a. v. U.S. Politics. to impede legislation by irregular or obstructive tactics, esp. by making long speeches.

b. a member of a legislature who makes such a speech.361. Finicky: too particular; fussy. The little girl was finicky about her food, leaving over

anything that wasn’t to her taste. 362. Flag: v. droop; grow feeble. When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only

minutes into the first quarter, the home team’s spirits flagged.

363. Flamboyant: ornate. Modern architecture has discarded flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.

364. Flaunt: a. to parade or display ostentatiously: to flaunt one's wealth. “Honey, if you’ve got it,

flaunt it!”b. to ignore or treat with disdain: He was expelled for flaunting military regulations.

365. Flinch: hesitate. She did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely. 366. Flippant: lacking proper seriousness. When Mark told Mona he loved her, she

dismissed his earnest declaration with a flippant “oh, you say that to all the girls!”367. Flounder: struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter. Up to his knees in the

bog, Floyd floundered about, trying to regain his footing. Bewildered by the new software, Flo floundered until Jan shower her how to get started.

368. Flout: reject; mock. The headstrong youth flouted all authority. He refused to be curbed.

369. Fluke: n. unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune. When Douglas defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, sportscasters dismissed the victory as a fluke. However, in later fights he showed his victory had been no fluke.

370. Fluster: confuse. The teacher’s sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.

371. Flux: flowing; series of changes. While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair.

372. Foolhardy: rash. Don’t be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture.

373. Forbearance: patience. We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.

374. Ford: a place where a river or other body of water is shallow enough to be crossed by wading. David walked half a mile downstream until he came to the nearest ford.

375. Forebears: ancestors. 376. Foreboding: premonition of evil. Suspecting no conspiracies against him, Caesar gently

ridiculed his wife’s forebodings about the Ides of March. 377. Forensic: suitable to debate or courts of law. In her best forensic manner the lawyer

addressed the jury. 378. Forensics: (used with a singular or plural verb ) the art or study of argumentation and

formal debate.379. Forestall: prevent by taking action in advance. By setting a prenuptial agreement, the

prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce.

380. Forlorn: sad and lonely; wretched. Deserted by her big sisters and her friends, the forlorn child sat sadly on the steps awaiting their return.

381. Founder: verb. Fail completely; sink. After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.

382. Founder: n. Person who establishes an organization, business, etc. 383. Fracas: brawl; melee. The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the

belligerents. 384. Franchise: right granted by authority; right to vote; business licensed to sell a product in

a particular territory. 385. Fraught: filled with. Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers

who are willing to assume the risks.

386. Firefly: luciérnaga. 387. Frivolous: lacking seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant. Though

Nancy enjoyed his frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he could ever be serious.

388. Frolicsome: merrily playful; full of fun. The frolicsome puppy tired to lick the face of its master.

389. Prank: a trick of an amusing, playful, or sometimes malicious nature. 390. Gaffe: social blunder. According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover’s

name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a tactical mistake. 391. Gale: windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst. The Weather Channel warned

viewers about a rising gale, with winds up to sixty miles per hour. 392. Galvanize: stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize. News that the prince was almost at

their door galvanized the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy of combing and primping. 393. Gamely: bravely; with spirit. Because he had fought gamely against a much superior

boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena. 394. Gape: open widely; stare open-mouthed. The ugly pit gaped before him. In wonder,

Huck Gaped at the huge stalactites hanging down from the ceiling of the limestone cavern. 395. Garbled: mixed up; jumbled; distorted. A favorite party game involves passing a

whispered message from one person to another until, by the time it reaches the last player, the message is totally garbled.

396. Gargantuan: huge, enormous. The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice. 397. Garrulous: loquacious; wordy; talkative. My uncle Tony can out-talk anybody I know.

He is the most garrulous person in Pasadena. 398. Gaudy: flashy; showy. The newest Trump skyscraper is typically gaudy, covered in

gilded panels that gleam in the sun. 399. Gentry: people of standing; class of people just below the nobility. The local gentry did

not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the community.

400. Germane: pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand. The judge refused to allow the testimony to be heard by the jury because it was not germane to the case.

401. Ghastly: horrible. The murdered man was a ghastly sight. 402. Gibberish: nonsense; babbling. Did you hear that fool boy spouting gibberish about

monsters from outer space?403. Gingerly: very carefully. To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly. 404. Glaring: highly conspicuous; harshly bright. Glaring spelling or grammatical errors in

your resume will unfavorably impress potential employers. 405. Gloat: express evil satisfaction; view malevolently. As you gloat over your ill-gotten

wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?406. Gloss over: explain away. No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue,

President Bush could not gloss over that fact that he had raised taxes after all. 407. Glut: overstock; fill to excess. The many manufacturers glutted the market and could

not find purchasers for the excess articles they had produced. 408. Gnarled: twisted. The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was

mentioned in several deeds. 409. Gorge: small, steep-walled canyon. The white-water rafting guide warned us about the

rapids farther downstream, where the river cut through a narrow gorge. 410. Gorge: stuff oneself. The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had

not eaten for days.

411. Gory: bloody. The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre.

412. Gourmand: person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink; epicure. Gourmands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it.

413. Epicure: a person who cultivates a refined taste, esp. in food and wine; connoisseur.414. Gregarious: sociable. Typically party goers are gregarious; hermits are not. 415. Gratuitous: given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for. Quit making gratuitous comments

about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion. 416. Grievance: cause of complaint. When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took

her grievance to the union. 417. Grill: v. question severely. In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect

for several hours before reading him his rights. (secondary meaning)418. Grouse: complain; fuss. Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of

mystery meat and similar dormitory food. 419. Grovel: crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate. Even though we have been

defeated we do not have to grovel before our conquerors. 420. Grudging: unwilling; reluctant; stingy. We received only grudging support from the

mayor despite his earlier promises of aid. 421. Gruff: rough-mannered. Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was

always gentle with children. 422. Guile: deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. Lago uses considerable guile to trick Othello

into believing Desdemona has been unfaithful. 423. Guileless: without deceit. He is naïve, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud. 424. Gusto: enjoyment; enthusiasm. He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel

he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary. 425. Hackneyed: commonplace; trite. When the reviewer criticized the movie for its

hackneyed plot, we agreed. We had seen similar stories hundreds of times before. 426. Haggle: argue about prices. I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy

because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper I am never certain that I paid a fair price for the articles I purchased.

427. Hallowed: blessed; consecrated. Although the dead girl’s parents had never been active churchgoers, they insisted that their daughter be buried in hallowed ground.

428. Hamper: obstruct. The new mother didn’t realize how much the effort of caring for an infant would hamper her ability to keep an immaculate house.

429. Haphazard: random; by chance. His haphazard reading left him unacquainted with the authors of the books.

430. Harbinger:a. anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign: Frost is a harbinger of winter. b. a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another; herald.

431. Hardy: sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather. We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh New England winters.

432. Harrowing: agonizing; distressing; traumatic. At first the former prisoner did not with to discuss his harrowing months of captivity as a political hostage.

433. Haughtiness: pride; arrogance. When she realized that Darcy believed himself too good to dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great offence at his haughtiness.

434. Headlong: hasty; rash. The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.

435. Heckler: person who harasses others. The heckler kept interrupting the speaker with rude remarks. Heckle.

436. Hedonist: one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life. A thoroughgoing hedonist, he considered only his own pleasure and ignored any claims others had on his money or time.

437. Heterodox: unorthodox; unconventional. 438. Heyday: time of greatest success; prime. In their heyday, the San Francisco 49ers won

the Super Bowl two years running. 439. Hiatus: gap; interruption in duration or continuity; pause. During the summer hiatus,

many students try to earn enough money to pay their tuition for the next school year. 440.