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factious

adj. - causing disagreement The factious sailors refused to sail any further into the storm. syn: belligerent; contentious ant: cooperative; united

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ignoble

adj. - dishonorable; shameful Cheating on an exam is an ignoble way to get good grades. syn: despicable; base ant: noble; glorious

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boor

n. - a shield, protection The boor grabbed handfuls of hors d'oeuvres and walked around while he ate them. syn: buffoon; clown ant: sophisticate

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aegis

n. - a shield; protection The life of the witness is under the aegis of the witness protection program. syn: backing

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perspicacity

n. - keenness of judgment The old hermit still had the perspicacity to haggle with the automotive dealer. syn: perceptiveness ant: stupidity; ignorance

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fervent

adj. - eager; earnest We made a fervent attempt to capture the stallion, but he was too quick for us. syn: burning; passionate ant: apathetic

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rectify

v. - to correct; to make right JoAnne tried to rectify her poor relationship with her son by spending more time with him. syn: remedy; resolve

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enervate

v. - to weaken The record temperature enervated the farmhands before noon. syn: devitalize; exhaust ant: energize; strengthen

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besiege

v. - to overwhelm; to surround and attack People jumped from the ground and brushed themselves off as ants besieged the picnic.

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ephemeral

adj. - lasting only a brief time; short-lived The gardener experienced ephemeral fame the year she grew a half-ton pumpkin. syn: transient; fleeting ant: permanent

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altruism

n. - a concern for others; generosity A person with altruism will ususally stop and help a stranded motorist. syn: unselfishness; magnanimity ant: selfishness; egoism

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carrion

n. - decaying flesh The carrion along the desert highway was a feast for the vultures.

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erotic

adj. - pertaining to sexual love The museum staff canceled the exhibition when it saw the erotic sculptures.

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amorphous

adj. - shapeless, formless, vague What began as an amorphous idea in Steven's dream turned into a revolutionary way to power automobiles.

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opulent

adj. - rich, luxurious; wealthy Despite the stock market crash, the wealthy family continued its opulent lifestyle.

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impotent

adj. - powerless, lacking strength Without the gun, he felt impotent. syn: ineffective; helpless ant: potent; powerful

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antithesis

n. - an exact opposite; an opposite extreme Love is the antithesis of hate. syn: converse ant: same

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maelstrom

n. - whirlpool; turbulence; agitated state of mind His emotions were like a maelstrom, and he couldn't decide what course to follow.

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emendation

n. - a correction The last edition of the book contains many emendations. syn: improvement; amendment

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chagrin

n. - embarrassment; a complete loss of courage Joanne had never felt such chagrin as when she fell into the mud puddle in front of her finace's family.

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bauble

n. - a showy but useless thing John had to find some kind of bauble to give Mary for Christmas. syn: trinket

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diaphanous

adj. - very sheer and light The diaphanous gown was beautiful, but Gloria wasn't sure she had the nerve to wear it. syn: transparent; gossamer ant: opaque

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labyrinth

n. - a complicated network of winding passages; a maze The mice were made to run through a labyrinth in order to reach their food.

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gloat

v. - to look at or think about with great satisfaction The track team gloated over their latest victory. syn: revel; crow

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impediment

n. a barrier, obstruction The supervisor wouldn't be an impediment to her advancement. syn: obstacle; hindrance ant: aid

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bestial

adj. - savage; brutal He took a bestial delight in tormenting the captive slave. syn: brutish; vile; cruel ant: humane; kind

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effete

adj. - worn out; barren Although worn down by age and a life of hard work, the man was far from effete. syn: exhausted; spent and sterile ant: vital; vigorous

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shard

n. - a fragment The doctor pulled a shard of glass from the girl's arm.

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bland

adj. - mild; tasteless; dull His bland manner had a calming effect on the children. syn: smooth; agreeable ant: exciting; thrilling

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nihilism

n. - a total rejection of established law Nihilism rejects established laws and order, but it offers nothing in their place.

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pedestrian

adj. - ordinary or dull The crowd responded to the pedestrian speech with yawns. syn: commonplace; mediocre ant: imaginative; compelling

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bona fide

adj. - in good faith We made a bona fide offer for the property. syn: legitimate; genuine ant: fraudulent; phony

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adventitious

adj. accidental; nonessential The scientists admitted that the breakthrough was an adventitious result of the study. syn: incidental

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fecund

adj. - fertile, productive The fecund soil produced a record number of tomatoes this year. syn: prolific ant: sterile

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deviate

v. - to turn aside from a course; to stray Sometimes it's better to deviate from the truth than to hurt someone's feelings. syn: digress

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obfuscate

v. - to confuse; to bewilder The Realtor tried to obfuscate the issue, and it was working, because the confused buyer did not know if he was coming or going. syn: muddle; obscure ant: clarify; elucidate

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impale

v. - to pierce with a sharp stake through the body The natives used sharp sticks to impale fish in the tide pools.

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extenuate

v. - to lesson seriousness by providing partial excuses The jury believes that the thief's situation extenuates the crime of stealing food.

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parochial

adj. - local; narrow; limited Because he had never traveled outside his own town, Jim had a very parochial view of life. syn: provincial; narrow-minded ant: universal; catholic

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glower

v. - to stare angrily The boy glowered at his mother when she corrected his manners. syn: frown; scowl ant: grin

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edify

v. - improve someone morally The sermon was meant to edify the congregation.

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ambiguous

adj. - open to more than one interpretation The candidate's ambiguous comments tended to confuse the issue even more. syn: unclear; uncertain; vague ant: explicit; definite

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cataclysm

n. - a violent change The earthquake in Mexico was a cataclysm which no one could have foreseen. syn: disaster; catastrophic ant: triumph; boon

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optimum

adj. - best; most favorable; ideal The pilot was waiting for optimum conditions before setting out on the dangerous flight.

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importune

v. - to ask persistently; to beg John importuned his father, but could not get the car keys. syn: appeal; badger

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