| Word |
Definition |
Sentence |
| amiss |
Adv. improperly, wrongly, Adj. wrong, faulty |
If he's done anything 'amiss', he shall be punished. I think something is 'amiss' in your calculations. |
| impertinent |
Adj. improperly forward or bold |
It is 'impertinent' of a child to lecture a grownup. |
| irascible |
Adj. easily angered. |
His 'irascible' temperament often got him into trouble. |
| placid |
Adj. calm, serene |
If I weren't reasonably 'placid', I don't think I could cope with this sort of hectic life. |
| forbearing |
Adj. tolerant |
She has a 'forbearing' nature, hence she never gets into quarrels. |
| ruddy |
Adj. Red and healthy looking |
The child had a strong body and a 'ruddy' complexion. |
| countenance |
N. appearance, especially the expression of the face; tolerate or approve |
The question left him with a puzzled 'countenance'. The college administration will not 'countenance' cheating. |
| doleful |
Adj. sad, mournful |
The demise of her father was a 'doleful' loss to her. |
| skirmish |
N. a minor or preliminary conflict or dispute |
She had a 'skirmish' with her landlord about the rent. |
| repose |
N. absence of movement; V. to lie peacefully calm and quiet, to lie dead |
When in 'repose', her face recalls the Mona Lisa. The sea 'reposed' under the tropical sun. His body will repose in the chapel for two days. |
| estimable |
Adj. Deserving of esteem; admirable |
An 'estimable' young professor. |
| nettle |
N. to annoy |
Her loud singing of television commercials soon began to 'nettle' him. |
| coquetry |
N. Insincerity, often in a flirtatious way. |
'Coquetry' sometimes leads to not being taken seriously. |
| petulant |
Adj. easily irritated or annoyed, showing sudden irritation |
A 'petulant' toss of the head. |
| capricious |
Adj. given to sudden behavior change |
He's such a 'capricious' boss I never know how he'll react. |
| airing |
N. Public exposure; a short excursion in the open air; ventilation |
Aunt March had met Laurie as she took her 'airing', and heard from him about Beth. |
| diabolical |
Adj. satanic, having characteristics like the devil |
The wind seemed 'diabolical' as it blew the trees close to the electric lines. |
| peremptory |
Adj. demanding and leaving no choice |
From Jack's 'peremptory' knock on the door, Jill knew he would not give up until she opened the door. |
| dudgeon |
N. to react in ill humor. |
Slamming the door in Meg's face, Aunt March drove off in high 'dudgeon'. |
| tempestuous |
Adj. tumultuous, stormy |
a 'tempestuous' relationship. |
| exult |
V. feel extreme happiness or elation. |
The whole school would "exalt" (to praise) the quarterback and "exult" (to be very glad or jubilant, or to rejoice) wildly after every win. |
| promenade |
N. a leisurely walk; a public space for such walking |
They might promenade (long a in the second syllable) along the promenade (short o sound in the second syllable). |
| chassé |
N. quick gliding steps with one foot always leading (in balle) |
Mr. Laurance chasséd towards Aunt March. |
| pervade |
V. To pass or spread through every part. |
When nonviolence is accepted as the law of life, it must 'pervade' the whole being and not be applied to isolated acts. |
| tribulation |
N. great affliction, suffering |
After all the trials and 'tribulations' we have gone through, we need this rest. |
| conflagration |
N. A large destructive fire. |
It took sixty firefighters to put out the 'conflagration'. |
| promiscuous |
Adj. mixed indiscriminately, haphazard, particularly sexually |
In the opera La Boheme, we get the picture about the 'promiscuous' life led by the young artists of Paris. |
| truckle |
N. A small wheel or roller, a caster; to be servile or submissive |
Don't truckle to unreasonable demands. |
| whet |
V. Make keen or more acute. |
The delicious smells coming from the kitchen served to 'whet' our appetites for dinner. |
| suave |
Adj. charming and smooth, urbane |
He is particularly good in roles that require 'suavity' and sophistication. |
| efface |
V. To make unclear, as by rubbing out; to obliterate. |
The hand of the parent writes on the heart of the child the first faint characters which time deepens into strength so that nothing can efface them. |
| surfeit |
V. satiate, stuff, indulge to excess in anything |
Every Thanksgiving we are 'surfeited' with an overabundance of holiday treats. |
| vortex |
N. whirlwind, whirlpool, center of turbulence, predicament into which one is inexorably plunged |
Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz. |
| despondent |
Adj. depressed, gloomy |
William became seriously 'despondent' after he broke up with Jan. |
| denouement |
N. outcome, final development of the plot of a play or other literary work |
I guessed the play's 'denouement' before the interval itself. |
| peruse |
V. read with care |
Joan carefully 'perused' her home insurance policy to find out what benefits her policy provided. |
| morbid |
Adj. given to unwholesome thought, moody, characteristic of disease |
People who come to disaster sites just to peer at the grisly wreckage are indulging their 'morbid' curiosity. |
| languish |
V. lose animation or strength |
When Mary's mother died, she refused to 'languish'; instead, she hid her grief and started doing active community work. |
| pique |
N. irritation, resentment |
She showed her 'pique' at her boss by not turning up for an important meeting the next day. |
| cherubic |
Adj. angelic, innocent-looking |
With her cheery smile and rosy lips, she was a particularly 'cherubic' child. |
| gadding |
Adj. & N. Going about much, needlessly or without purpose. |
Envy is a gadding passion, and walketh the streets. |
| imbecility |
N. weakness of mind |
I am amazed at the 'imbecility' of the readers of these trashy magazines. |
| deportment |
N. demeanor, conduct; behavior. |
His 'deportment' at my aunt's place was not proper. |
| demure |
Adj. grave, modest and reserved in manner, coy |
She was 'demure' and reserved, and he liked that about her. |
| balk |
V. stop short, as if faced with an obstacle and refuse to continue |
The horse balked at the jump. |
| balk |
V.foil |
When the warden came to know that the inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to 'balk' their attempts. |
| puritanical |
N. exaggeratedly proper, morally rigorous and strict. |
|
| tableau |
N. A graphic description or representation. |
...the audience saw actors from a distance, with a sense of tableau and formal separation. |
| precocious |
Adj. advanced in development |
Seeing the little child discuss serious topics, I was impressed at her 'precocity' . |
| concomitant |
N. existing concurrently with other |
Grace is a necessary 'concomitant' to forgiveness. |
| fractious |
Adj. unruly |
The 'fractious' horse unseated its rider. |
| hoyden |
N. a bold boisterous girl |
Jo and Beth ; the 'hoyden' sister with the meek one. |
| propitiate |
V. to make favorably inclined; appease, conciliate. |
'Propitiate' the gods with a sacrifice. |
Megha Natarajan
on 2009-08-27
500 Words
